Lost in your lens - NewJeans' Minji x M!Reader

Ch. 7 - Emergency Meeting Interlude

"This is a DISASTER!" Hyein paced around Danielle's living room, gesturing dramatically with a half-eaten cookie. "They've been alone in that dark room for DAYS and NOTHING!"

"Inside-" Haerin started from her spot on the couch.

"This IS my inside voice! This is an EMERGENCY!"

Danielle emerged from the kitchen with a fresh batch of what she'd dubbed "Romance Resolution Cookies." The stress-baking had reached new levels lately. "Maybe they just need time?"

"They've HAD time," Hyein flopped onto the floor. "I've watched them pine over each other since LITERALLY the first day at the café. Remember? When Minji pretended she just happened to be photographing that EXACT spot every day?"

"To be fair," Hanni interjected, scrolling through her phone, "those photos are actually really good. Look at this one from the festival – you can literally see hearts in his eyes."

I shifted uncomfortably on my cushion, trying not to think about the folder I'd found earlier. "I'm right here, you know."

"WE KNOW!" Hyein sat up suddenly. "That's why we called this meeting! The exhibition opening is in THREE DAYS and you still haven't told her!"

"It's complicated," I mumbled, accepting a cookie from Danielle. "Besides, what if-"

"If you say 'what if she doesn't feel the same way' I will personally recite every love poem from Literature class in the middle of the campus courtyard," Hyein threatened.

"She has the folder," Haerin said quietly. Everyone turned to look at her. "The one she doesn't show anyone? With all the photos of you looking at her like she hung the moon?"

I choked on my cookie. "How did you-"

"She asked me to help print some of them," Haerin smiled softly. "Back during midterms. Said she needed to remember something important."

"See?" Hyein jumped up again. "THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! You two are literally documenting your love story in photographs and still somehow missing the big picture!"

"That was terrible," Hanni groaned at the pun. "But she's right. And the exhibition would be the perfect moment to finally tell her."

"It needs to be romantic," Hyein declared, already in full planning mode. "Dramatic! Like in the dramas!"

"Or," Haerin suggested gently, "it could just be honest."

The room went quiet for a moment, even Hyein pausing her dramatic gestures.

"The last photo in that folder," I found myself saying, "the one from our study night here... she called it 'Home.'"

Danielle disappeared into the kitchen and returned with what looked suspiciously like tissue boxes.

"That's it," Hyein whispered, uncharacteristically soft. "That's the moment. During the exhibition, when everyone sees how she sees you..."

"When you see how she sees you," Haerin corrected quietly.

"Just don't overthink it," Hanni advised. "You know how she always says the perfect photo isn't about perfect lighting?"

I nodded, remembering every time she'd captured moments she claimed weren't about technical perfection at all.

"Maybe the perfect moment isn't about perfect planning either," she finished.

"But SOME planning wouldn't hurt!" Hyein had recovered her enthusiasm. "Now, about the exhibition layout - we need to position you strategically near her artist statement when she reveals it..."

As my friends began plotting what Hyein dubbed "Operation Capture Love" (immediately vetoed by everyone else), I found myself smiling. Maybe they were right. Maybe sometimes you just had to let the moment develop naturally, like one of Minji's photographs in the darkroom.

My phone buzzed:

Minji: can't sleep. keep thinking about the exhibition...

Me: It's going to be amazing. everyone will love it.

Minji: What if they don't understand what I'm trying to say? Through the photos, I mean.

I stared at her message, thinking about the hidden folder, about all the things her photos had been saying that neither of us had been brave enough to put into words.

Me: They will. You have a way of making people see exactly what matters.

There was a long pause, those three dots appearing and disappearing several times before:

Minji: will you walk with me to the exhibition? i might faint on the way there..

Me: Sure, i'll come with you..

Minji: Thank you 😭

Looking up, I caught Hyein watching my phone exchange with an expression that suggested she was physically restraining herself from commenting. Haerin placed a gentle hand on her arm, shaking her head slightly.

"Sometimes," Haerin said softly, "the best photos are the ones where you just let people be themselves."

And somehow, I knew she wasn't really talking about photography at all.