THANK YOU // DEX ✔️

20.

"I'm back," Jiwon swung open the door to Siyoung's studio. The brunette, who was engrossed in her thoughts with a pencil, was startled so intensely that she accidentally tossed the pencil into the air. She had been trying to come up with lyrics that would fit the music she had finally finished—she had been locked in the studio for two days because she wanted to complete it herself and didn't want help from anyone else. She wanted this album to be entirely hers. She wanted only one name associated with everything—hers.

"Jiwon!" Siyoung jumped from her chair and embraced her friend tightly. Both burst into laughter. They hadn't seen each other in a month, and that was a long time for them. They were fond of each other and enjoyed spending time together.

"From the smell, I can tell you've been here for quite a while," Jiwon laughed as she closed the door behind her. The receptionists were familiar with Jiwon, allowing her to visit Siyoung—always accompanied by bodyguards, though, because they didn't let her walk around in public alone.

"I've been trying to come up with lyrics for two days," Siyoung sat down and gestured to the notebook on the table. Jiwon nodded understandingly and settled onto the black couch. She knew her friend well, and trying to talk her out of it or forcing her to go outside wouldn't help. You just had to let her be and eventually, she'd come out.

"And what's new?" she asked, "I saw Nolto. I kinda ship you with Dex, you wiuld look good with him."

"Actually, I wanted to tell you about Jinyoung," Siyoung grew nervous. On the other hand, Jiwon squealed like a little kid and waved her hand to encourage Siyoung to spill the beans.

"Once he stayed over at my place, and then I stayed over at his," she finally said.

"What?" Jiwon exclaimed, "And did anything happen? Did anything 18 plus happen?"

"Nothing happened," Siyoung quickly replied, "we're just friends, you idiot."

"Even friends can do, you know what," she made a gesture with her hand that implied a sexual act, earning herself a pillow thrown at her by Siyoung. Both burst into laughter at that.

"When I stayed over at his place, I even let him hug me. I also told him about Seojun because they crossed paths, and I thought it was the right thing to do," she added.

"So he knows about Seojun?" she asked to make sure she understood her friend. Siyoung nodded. "And what did he say about it?"

"He told me not to be afraid, that he's here for me and that he'll protect me," she told her. Jiwon squealed with joy again. "He also wanted to go and beat Seojun up, but I told him I didn't want that because he'd stoop to Seojun's level."

"You should let him beat him up. Seojun might have muscles and be taller than Dex, but Dex is an ex-soldier. I think he'd win hands down," Jiwon told her, "but I understand you. Seojun's way is fighting, and you don't want Dex to do that. What a caring girlfriend."

"We're not..." Siyoung trailed off and sighed, "never mind." And she still hadn't mentioned the kiss in the hair—based on her reaction to the hug, she probably won't mention that either.

---

"I guess. Jiwon was here," Serim entered the studio. Siyoung, who had been waiting for him, just nodded but didn't lift her eyes from the notebook where some lyrics were beginning to take shape, something that might be good, but it still wasn't complete. She would have to rewrite it many times before she was entirely satisfied. The work was far from finished.

It wasn't as if Siyoung had texted Serim to come. She had just heard him saying goodbye to someone in the hallway—probably the other members—and realized he'd likely come to visit her. They hadn't seen each other for a while, so she was looking forward to it. Serim was like a younger brother to her, someone she always wanted around (she does have a younger brother born in 2000, but they never got along due to their different interests).

"Did you hear her?" she asked, finally setting aside her pencil to give her attention to her sprawling visitor who had taken up the entire couch. Siyoung had to give him credit though, at least he had taken off his shoes before putting his feet up.

"I think the entire StarShip heard her," he chuckled, "don't you want to find a less noisy friend? I've never seen her, but I've heard her so many times that I feel like I know her just as well as you."

"Would you believe me if I told you she wasn't like this in school? I don't know when she turned into such an extrovert, she used to be even more introverted than me," she told her friend. She was telling the truth. She vividly remembers being scared to speak in front of the whole class, how Siyoung always ordered food for her when they went out. Siyoung vividly remembers that it was Jiwon who wanted to audition for StarShip, but backed out at the last moment.

"Were you popular in school?" he suddenly asked.

"No. I was the opposite of popular," Siyoung replied with a laugh, "no one noticed me. I was just there. If it wasn't for Jiwon, I'd probably have gone crazy because throughout school, I didn't make friends with a single person."

"So you only have friends now because you're an idol," Serim said, laughing when Siyoung shot him a look "I will kill you".

"If you want to be like that, then get out."

"Sorry," Serim smiled, "can I ask something more personal?"

"Go ahead."

"How is it between you and Dex?"

"How do you know about Dex?"

"I saw Nolto, and I watched your stream when he called you," he replied, "are you dating?"

"We're just friends."

"And you wouldn't want something more? A lot of people would kill for your position."

"I don't know. When I'm with him, I'm so lost in my feelings that I genuinely don't know what I want."

"Do you know what that's called?"

"What?"

"Having feelings for someone."