JiMina Collection

A Secret For Two ~ Part 14

               Seven months. It had been seven entire months since the incident. Finally, people slowly forgot more and more about the scandal. It was almost as if it never happened. Articles were free of the old news and there hadn't been a single interaction caught on camera. However, TWICE and BTS themselves were still paying the price. A chance to see each other was so rare nowadays. Yet, here they were again. Their comebacks collided, meaning that they had to meet each other sometime. It was unavoidable.

              Even now, Mina's eyes discreetly scanned the crowd backstage, looking for a certain person's head bobbing through the horde of people. Her heart raced with joy as she found what she searched for. Their groups were heading in opposite directions and they were bound to pass each other. But, with their managers watching from behind, it was hard to display their affection. Small smiles and winks were secretly exchanged between the members. It was hard to tell, but the sixteen of them deliberately stalled as they passed by, just to be in each others presence for a bit longer. 

             Despite the fact that they craved the accompaniment of the other, they all were forced to look straight forward. To an outsider, they never so much as acknowledged each other's existence. Jimin and Mina swiftly passed by one another, pointedly looking in opposite directions as they were instructed. But while the attention of their managers were momentarily diverted, Jimin wrapped his pinky around hers. For only a few milliseconds, their fingers remained intertwined. It was his subtle way of saying, "It will all be alright. Don't give in, Mina! I'm still waiting..." all in one gesture. Something so simplistic made her heartbeat run wild, bringing a smile to her face. As their fingers slipped apart, they were rushed onstage for yet another dull performance.

              Recently, TWICE and BTS' performances were deemed "unenergized", "fake", and "lifeless" according to the press. It wasn't like they did it on purpose, it just happened naturally. It became harder and harder to wear such an oppressing mask in front of the public. Of course they beamed brightly for the camera, but sometimes, that smile just didn't reach their eyes. The bright spotlights shone upon the nine members as they danced, drawing in the attention of all their adoring fans. Mina looked around, waiting for the end. She continued to think as she danced. These fans were always there to support them. But why did so many go against her during the scandal? Did they really care about the impacts their actions had on her?

              In a snap, it was all over, and they finished off with a final pose. It all would've gone well if someone hadn't help up a particular sign in the stands. "JiMina!" it read. Without realizing it, a small, happy tear slipped down her cheeks as she walked offstage. It was a lone, little star, shining brightly in the vast sky. But it mattered.

 A few weeks later...

               Mina never saw it coming. Suddenly, the people who were so adamantly against her, fought on her side. It all started when someone tweeted about the coincidence. He or she realized that right after the scandal, the two groups never seemed the same anymore. They were sadder and shared longing glances. That tweet went viral. The media gushed over their relationship, while angry netizens hypocritically attacked their companies for doing this to them. Mina sat in the office building and scrolled through her phone. If only they knew. It wasn't just the fault of JYP.  People wanted their happy, true selves back. If getting the two groups together was the only way for that to happen, then so be it. More and more comments flew in by the minute.

"Why would you stand in the way of friends?"

"This is why the K-Pop industry is too cruel."

"They must seriously love each other a lot  for that to happen."

"Way too dramatic. Can't they just calm down for goodness sakes?"

"I want them back together! It's so cute!"

"JYP! BigHit! Let them be together!"

              Mina disregarded the negative comments and giggled. She imagined Jimin smiling at her, saying "See look, there's still hope!" People were even going as far as boycotting the products and sales of the two companies. JYP couldn't just neglect the burning fire forever. Her chuckling didn't last long. As if on cue, JYP burst angrily into the room. In his frustration, he didn't see Mina sitting there. He grabbed a phone and furiously punched in several numbers. It rang for a while, swiftly building deadly anticipation within the impatient man. Finally, someone on the other end responded.

"Hello?" The voice asked. JYP responded in an urgent tone.

"Bang Si-Hyuk. We need to talk."