Later that evening, Ji-min arrived back at the dorm.
By the time she stepped inside, all of her members had already returned.
As she walked toward the living room, someone immediately noticed her.
It was Ningning.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the large bag Ji-min was carrying.
“What’s that?” Ningning asked curiously.
Ji-min didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she walked over and placed the bag down in front of everyone.
Then she opened it.
“Everyone, I brought something for you guys.”
The moment she said that, the others looked over.
One by one, they slowly gathered around.
Winter was the first to lean forward.
The second she saw what was inside, her eyes lit up.
“Plushies?”
Without hesitation, she reached inside the bag and immediately grabbed one.
“This one’s mine.”
She held it up proudly like she had already claimed ownership.
Nearby, Giselle and Ningning crouched down and started looking through the pile more carefully.
Meanwhile, Ji-min had already picked one for herself and quietly held onto it.
As Ningning searched through the plushies, she casually spoke.
“So…”
She slowly glanced up.
“Did you go with him today?”
A small smile had already formed on her face.
Ji-min instantly knew where this was going.
She rolled her eyes but answered anyway.
“Yeah.”
At this point, she had already gotten used to the teasing.
So her reaction was much calmer than before.
Ningning nodded dramatically.
“Mmm.”
Then she spoke to herself loud enough for everyone to hear.
“It must be nice having a boyfriend.”
A pause lingered.
Ji-min immediately looked toward her.
“Like I said, he’s not my boyfriend.”
She replied almost instantly.
Ningning blinked.
Then tilted her head innocently.
“Hm?”
“But I didn’t say anyone’s name.”
A smile slowly spread across her face.
Ji-min froze.
A second passed.
Then another.
Only then did she realize what she had just done.
“…Ah.”
She had answered too quickly.
Without even thinking.
Across the room, Winter looked up from her plushie.
Giselle slowly turned her head.
Then both of them looked at Ji-min.
The room suddenly became very quiet.
Ji-min already had a bad feeling about what was coming next.
Silence filled the living room for exactly one second.
Then—
Winter slowly lowered the plushie in her hands.
Giselle looked up.
Ningning’s smile widened.
Very widened.
“Ohhh?”
Ningning dragged the sound out shamelessly.
Ji-min immediately narrowed her eyes.
“Stop.”
“No no, continue,” Giselle said, leaning back on the sofa with interest.
“You accidentally exposed yourself.
We have the right to ask questions now.”
“I did not expose anything.”
“You did,” Winter said bluntly while hugging her newly claimed plushie.
“You reacted way too fast.”
Ji-min looked at all of them.
Then sighed.
This was already over.
There was no escaping anymore.
“…We just went out.”
Ningning gasped dramatically.
“Just.”
Ji-min ignored her.
“We walked around.
Ate food.
Went to an arcade.”
Winter blinked.
“Arcade?”
“Yeah.”
Ningning immediately looked at the pile of plushies.
Then at Ji-min.
Then at the plushies.
Then back at Ji-min.
“Wait.”
She pointed.
“These?”
Ji-min nodded.
“We got them there.”
“We?” Ningning repeated.
Ji-min instantly realized the wording.
“…I mean—”
Too late.
Way too late.
Ningning slowly looked upward like she had just discovered a massive secret.
“Wow.”
Ji-min covered her face with one hand.
Across the room, Giselle looked amused beyond belief.
Winter looked completely invested now.
“Then what happened after?” Winter asked casually.
Ji-min paused for a moment.
Then remembered something.
“Oh.”
The members looked toward her.
“I ran into someone while I went to the restroom.”
“Who?” Giselle asked.
“Yuna.”
A brief pause.
Then Ningning blinked.
“…Yuna?”
“From ITZY,” Ji-min clarified.
That got everyone’s attention.
Even Winter straightened slightly.
“You met Yuna sunbae?” Winter asked.
Ji-min nodded.
“She was eating at the same restaurant.”
“It was a Korean-style restaurant,” Ji-min continued.
“I saw her outside near the hallway.”
“She recognized you?”
Ji-min shook her head.
“Not immediately.”
“I had my mask on.”
“So I lowered it.”
Ningning slowly nodded.
“Makes sense.”
Ji-min continued.
“I greeted her, and we talked for a bit.”
“She told me not to call her sunbae and said I should just call her Yuna.”
Winter smiled slightly.
“That sounds like her.”
Ji-min nodded.
Then paused.
“…And she asked if I was alone.”
The room became quiet.
Very quiet.
Ningning stared.
Giselle stared.
Winter stared.
Ji-min suddenly realized she should have stopped earlier.
“…And?” Ningning asked slowly.
Ji-min looked away.
“She asked if she could join.”
They stopped for a second.
Then Ningning sat upright.
“SHE ASKED TO JOIN?!”
Ji-min flinched.
“Keep your voice down!”
Giselle immediately looked at her suspiciously.
“…And?”
Ji-min avoided eye contact.
“…I said no.”
Now even Winter stared.
Ningning looked like she had just witnessed history.
“You rejected ITZY Yuna?”
Ji-min immediately frowned.
“It wasn’t like that!”
“Then what was it?” Giselle asked.
Ji-min opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
“…Because…”
The room fell silent.
Three people stared directly at her.
Ji-min slowly looked away. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“…Jin-ho was there.”
The moment those words left Ji-min’s mouth, the room went silent.
Again.
Everything froze for a moment.
Ji-min blinked once.
Twice.
Then slowly froze.
Wait.
Her expression stiffened.
…Did I just say his name?
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Ningning stared.
Winter stared.
Giselle stared.
Ji-min stared back.
Then realization finally hit her.
Her eyes widened.
Internally, she wanted to slam her head into a wall.
I actually said his name.
Again.
Why did I say his name?
Why?
She had already exposed herself earlier.
She had already slipped up once.
And somehow…
Somehow…
She did it again.
I really didn’t learn anything.
Not even a little.
Ji-min slowly lowered her head into her hands.
Across from her, Ningning blinked.
Then looked at Giselle.
Then at Winter.
Then back at Ji-min.
“…Jin-ho?”
She said the name very slowly.
Very carefully.
As if testing it.
Ji-min immediately looked up.
“No.”
“…You literally said his name.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Winter tilted her head.
“You did.”
Giselle nodded.
“You definitely did.”
Ji-min looked around at all three of them.
Then pointed at Ningning.
“You heard wrong.”
Ningning immediately pointed at herself.
“Me?!”
Then she pointed at Winter.
“She heard it too!”
Winter nodded immediately.
“I heard it.”
Giselle raised her hand casually.
“Me too.”
Ji-min looked betrayed.
Completely betrayed.
Three against one.
Unwinnable.
Ningning slowly leaned forward.
Very slowly.
Like a predator approaching prey.
“So…”
A grin appeared.
“You and Jin-ho spent the whole day together?”
Ji-min immediately crossed her arms.
“We just went out.”
“Oh?”
Ningning leaned even closer.
“Arcade.”
“Private restaurant.”
“Plushies.”
“You rejected Yuna joining.”
“And now suddenly Jin-ho was there?”
Ningning placed both hands together.
Then smiled brightly.
“Interesting.”
Ji-min felt her eye twitch.
Very interesting, apparently.
Meanwhile Winter looked genuinely curious.
“Wait.”
She blinked.
“Was this a date?”
Ji-min’s brain stopped.
Completely.
“…What?”
Giselle looked thoughtful.
Then nodded.
“…Actually.”
She looked toward the others.
“When you put everything together…”
Ningning slowly covered her mouth dramatically.
“No way.”
Winter looked at Ji-min.
Ji-min looked at Winter.
Then at Giselle.
Then at Ningning.
Then back at Winter.
“…No.”
A pause.
“…Probably.”
Ji-min froze.
Her own eyes widened.
…
…
“…Probably?”
Ningning exploded.
“PROBABLY?!”
Right as Ningning practically shouted, a notification sound suddenly rang out.
Ding.
The room immediately went quiet.
Everyone’s eyes slowly moved.
Toward Ji-min’s phone.
Still sitting on the table.
Ji-min’s eyes widened slightly.
No.
No no no no.
Before she could even react, Ningning moved first.
Far too fast.
Like instinct had taken over.
She immediately grabbed the phone.
“Ningning.”
Ji-min’s voice instantly became dangerous.
Very dangerous.
But Ningning had already looked at the screen.
Then her eyes widened.
Winter leaned over.
Giselle leaned over too.
Ningning slowly read the notification out loud.
“…Did you get back to the dorm safely?”
Then Ningning slowly turned the phone around.
Sender:
Jin-ho.
Dead silence.
Ji-min froze.
Completely.
Her soul practically left her body.
Ningning looked up.
Then at Ji-min.
Then back at the phone.
Then back at Ji-min again.
“…Oh.”
A slow smile appeared.
A very slow smile.
Winter blinked.
Giselle looked away.
Because both of them already knew where this was heading.
But Ningning?
Ningning was only beginning.
“Ohhhhhh.”
Ji-min immediately stood up.
“Give me my phone.”
Ningning stepped back.
“No.”
“Ningning.”
“No.”
Another vibration.
Bzzzt.
Everyone looked again.
Ningning looked down.
Then read the second message.
“…Had a great time today.”
Pause.
Then:
“…Let’s do it again sometime.”
Winter stared.
Giselle slowly covered her mouth.
Ningning slowly lowered the phone.
Then turned toward Ji-min.
Very slowly.
Very dramatically.
“…So.”
“…Probably?”
The moment she repeated Ji-min’s earlier words, Winter immediately turned away.
Giselle completely lost it and started laughing.
Ji-min just stood there.
Frozen.
Absolutely frozen.
Her expression slowly changed.
Embarrassment.
Realization.
Regret.
Then finally…
Pure irritation.
She walked forward.
Took her phone back.
Hard.
“Ningning.”
Her voice was flat.
Too flat.
Which somehow felt scarier.
Ningning immediately raised both hands.
“What?
I didn’t do anything!”
Ji-min didn’t respond.
Not a single word.
She simply turned around.
Picked up her things.
And quietly walked toward her room.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Then—
Bang.
The door closed.
Silence.
The living room remained quiet for a few seconds.
Then Ningning slowly looked toward Winter and Giselle.
“…Guys.”
Pause.
“…I think she’s really mad.”
Winter looked at her.
Giselle looked at her.
Then both said at the same time:
“Obviously.”
Ji-min sat in her room, still bothered by what had just happened.
Her phone was still in her hand, the message from Jin-ho open on the screen.
She didn’t reply yet.
She wasn’t ready.
Taking a slow breath, she tried to calm herself down.
At least her members had only heard her slip-up.
It could have been worse, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating.
“I shouldn’t speak without thinking next time,” she thought.
She set the phone aside and changed into something more comfortable, letting go of the day’s outfit for loose home clothes.
Once done, she lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
“What if…”
The thought came suddenly, and she immediately turned her face away, heat rising to her cheeks.
“That’s stupid,” she muttered to herself.
Still, even as she dismissed it, the idea didn’t completely disappear.
A part of her lingered on it longer than she wanted to admit.
Ningning sat on the edge of the sofa for a moment, still holding the weight of the situation a little too clearly on her face.
Winter exhaled softly, adjusting the plushie in her arms.
“You went a bit far this time.”
Giselle nodded in agreement.
“Reading the messages was unnecessary.”
Ningning leaned back, half-defensive, half-aware.
“I didn’t think she would react like that.
It was just teasing.”
“It stopped being teasing when she stopped talking,”
Winter replied calmly.
That made Ningning pause.
The three of them looked toward Ji-min’s closed door.
No sound came from inside.
Giselle stood first, brushing her hands lightly on her pants.
“She hasn’t come out.”
Winter followed her gaze.
“She probably won’t for a while.”
Ningning frowned slightly.
“So… what now?”
Giselle gave her a look.
“You apologize.”
Ningning blinked.
“Right now?”
Winter nodded once.
“Yes.”
A short silence followed.
Ningning glanced at the door again.
The hallway felt quieter than usual, like even stepping closer would make things worse.
She slowly got up, but didn’t move immediately.
“I’ll do it,” she said, though her voice wasn’t as confident anymore.
She took a few steps toward Ji-min’s room, then stopped right in front of it.
The door looked normal.
Ordinary.
But somehow, it felt heavier than usual.
Ningning raised her hand.
Then hesitated.
Behind her, Winter spoke quietly.
“Just knock.”
“I know,”
Ningning whispered back.
But she didn’t.
Her hand hovered for a second longer.
Then she lowered it again.
“I think she’s still upset,”
Ningning muttered.
Giselle leaned against the wall nearby.
“She is.”
That didn’t help.
Ningning shifted her weight, staring at the door like it might answer her instead.
Finally, she let out a small breath.
“…Okay.”
She lifted her hand again.
This time, she knocked.
Not loud.
Not confident.
Just careful enough to be heard.
A beat passed.
No response.
Ningning looked back at the others.
Winter gave a small nod.
“Try again.”
She knocked once more.
Still nothing.
The hallway stayed quiet.
Ningning lowered her hand slowly.
“She’s not answering…”
Giselle pushed off the wall slightly.
“She might just need time.”
Winter glanced at the door again, softer now.
“Or she’s pretending not to hear.”
That earned a quiet pause between them.
Ningning exhaled.
“I really went too far, didn’t I?”
Neither of them answered immediately.
That silence was enough.
Ningning turned back to the door and rested her forehead lightly against it for a second, then spoke, voice lower.
“…Ji-min.
I’m sorry.”
Inside the room, there was still no reply.
But this time, Ningning didn’t step away right away.
Ji-min opened the door slowly, just enough for the hallway light to slip into the room.
Her expression had softened, though a trace of frustration still lingered.
Ningning straightened immediately the moment she saw her.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly.
“About earlier.
I went too far.
I shouldn’t have taken your phone.
I was just teasing, but I know it wasn’t okay.”
Ji-min didn’t respond right away.
Her eyes stayed on Ningning for a few seconds, unreadable.
Then she exhaled.
A quiet, tired breath.
“…It’s fine,” she said at last.
She didn’t sound fully convinced, but she also didn’t want to drag it out.
Letting it linger would only make things heavier between them.
Ningning relaxed slightly, but Ji-min was already stepping forward.
Without much warning, Ji-min walked past her and gave Ningning a light, quick smack on the butt.
“Ah—hey!” Ningning flinched, more surprised than hurt.
Ji-min didn’t stop walking.
“I accept your apology,” she said flatly, as if that explained everything.
From the living room, Giselle let out a small laugh, and Winter smiled quietly at the exchange.
Ningning rubbed her butt, half-glaring, half-relieved.
“Okay… noted,” she muttered.
The tension that had been hanging in the air eased little by little, returning the dorm to its usual calm.