The Calm Before the SNSD Storm

The Hangang Bridge had always been a place of quiet retreat for Taeyeon—a sanctuary where, even if just for a moment, the weight of the world felt a little lighter. It was a place she had turned to in both this life and the last, a constant amidst the ever-changing tides of her reality.

The city lights shimmered against the Han River, their reflections stretching and dissolving with the water's gentle movement. A crisp breeze drifted through the night, carrying with it the faint scent of the river, mingling subtly with the distant aroma of street food from nearby vendors.

Jihoon and Taeyeon walked side by side, their steps unhurried, their movements naturally falling into rhythm. The world around them seemed to slow, wrapped in a hush so serene that neither felt the need to break it. In this quiet space, where time felt suspended, words were unnecessary—the simple presence of one another was enough.

"I always come here when I need to clear my head," Taeyeon murmured, tucking her hands into the pockets of her hoodie.

"Something about the water, the lights… it makes things feel a little less heavy, even if just for a second."

Jihoon glanced at her, a faint smile playing at his lips. "I get that."

"Sometimes, it's nice to just exist—without expectations, without noise."

She nodded, her gaze lingering on the river.

"With the debut coming up, everything moves so fast."

"It's like time won't wait for me to catch my breath."

Jihoon watched as the breeze played with strands of her hair, her expression unreadable yet vulnerable in its quiet honesty. "So, you come here to slow things down?"

"Something like that," she admitted, exhaling softly.

"I like to just stand here and watch the water… imagine my thoughts drifting away with the current."

Jihoon leaned against the railing, following her gaze.

"Must be nice to have a place like this."

"A bay to return to, untouched by everything else."

A comfortable silence settled between them, the kind that didn't need to be filled.

The city hummed around them, but in this moment, it felt distant—like they had carved out a space of their own, away from the weight of expectations.

"Do you ever think about what's next?" Taeyeon asked suddenly, her voice quieter than before.

"Beyond your next project, beyond the scripts and deadlines—what do you see yourself doing years from now?"

Jihoon took in a slow breath, considering her words. "I don't know," he admitted. "I've always been so focused on the next step, creating a new path for myself."

"But as for life itself…" He trailed off before offering a small, wry smile. "Maybe one day, I'll find a reason to slow down."

Taeyeon turned to him, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. "And what would that reason be?"

He met her gaze but hesitated, his eyes drifting back to the river, watching the lights ripple across its surface. "I don't know yet," he murmured.

"There are still things unfinished... and I'm not sure if chasing it now would be the right choice."

She didn't press further, sensing that some questions weren't meant to be answered just yet.

Instead, she leaned against the railing beside him, allowing the silence to take hold—unspoken thoughts drifting with the gentle current below. The river moved forward, untouched by hesitation, carrying away the weight of words left unsaid. And yet, no matter how far the water stretched, uncertainty clung to her, an ache without direction, a question without an answer.

"One way or another, we'll figure it out when the time comes," she murmured after a while, her voice quiet yet unwavering.

A small chuckle escaped him. "Yeah. Hopefully."

They remained there a while longer, neither in a hurry to leave. Though they both knew the world beyond this moment was waiting—filled with obligations, dreams, and futures yet to unfold—right now, there was only the quiet understanding between them.

Some things, they realized, were better left unspoken. At least for now.

Just as Jihoon and Taeyeon reached the end of their slow stroll, the peaceful atmosphere was abruptly interrupted by the sharp chime of Taeyeon's phone.

She pulled it out of her pocket, glancing at the caller ID before exhaling in quiet amusement.

"It's them," she murmured, almost as if she had expected this.

Jihoon raised an eyebrow. "Them?"

Before she could answer, she swiped to accept the call, and immediately, an explosion of voices burst through the speaker.

"YA! KIM TAEYEON! WHERE DID YOU GO?!"

"Why aren't you back yet? Did you get kidnapped?! Should we call the police?!"

"WAIT! WAIT!—More importantly, WHO are you with?!"

The phone speaker exploded into a hurricane of overlapping voices—panic, suspicion, and unfiltered nosiness colliding into one chaotic mess. Jihoon, catching only bits and pieces of the frenzy, could only blink.

Then—

"OH MY GOD, IS IT A GUY?!"

Jihoon stared at Taeyeon. Taeyeon stared back.

Well. That escalated quickly.

From mild concern to a full-blown SNSD-style interrogation, the conversation had taken a sharp turn. He had heard stories—memories from his previous life whispering back to him—that SNSD's wasn't just a group; it was pure, unfiltered madness.

Each member alone had their own brand of hyperactivity, but when all nine were together? They were a hurricane with unlimited stamina.

"I'm fine," Taeyeon sighed, adjusting her grip on the phone. "I just went out for some air."

"With who?" A voice—most likely Sooyoung—demanded.

Taeyeon hesitated for the slightest moment before finally speaking. "Jihoon-ssi." Her voice was formal, distant—almost as if they weren't familiar with each other at all.

A beat of silence followed. Then—

"WHAT?! DAEBAK!"

The sudden uproar made Taeyeon pull the phone away from her ear as laughter bubbled up beside her. Jihoon, barely holding back his amusement, watched as Taeyeon shook her head in exasperation.

"Oh my god, Taeyeon's on a date?!"

"It's not a date!" Taeyeon stated firmly, but her members were already too far gone, the chaos escalating with each passing second.

"Then what do you call a late-night stroll by the Han River, hmm?"

"Ooooh, should we start preparing for a wedding?"

"YA! STOP IT!" Taeyeon scolded, but the chaos was now fully unleashed, her members spiraling into untamed mischief.

Jihoon, thoroughly entertained, leaned in slightly. "Should I say hi?" he teased.

Taeyeon's eyes widened in warning. "Don't you dare!"

Too late. With a smooth swipe, Jihoon plucked the phone from her hands. Holding it up to his ear, he spoke casually, "Hey, ladies."

The reaction was immediate.

"JIHOON?!"

"No way, he's really with her!"

"Oppa, is she treating you well? Should we come rescue you?"

"She's totally blushing right now, isn't she?"

Jihoon glanced at Taeyeon, who was currently glaring daggers at him while making desperate grabs for her phone.

Smirking, he effortlessly dodged her attempts. "Nah, she's just too short to reach the phone right now," he said smoothly, sidestepping again as she swiped at him.

Laughter erupted on the other end, and then, without warning, one of them—probably Yuri—declared, "That's it! Jihoon oppa, you're coming over to our dorm. We need details."

"What?! No, he's NOT!!" Taeyeon yelped, finally managing to snatch her phone back. But her members weren't backing down.

"What!? do you dare say no?"

"Come on, we'll even treat him to late-night snacks!"

"Unless… you have something to hide?"

Jihoon chuckled at their antics, shaking his head, there was no way he was backing down now. "Scared? Not at all," he said, meeting Taeyeon's gaze with a teasing glint. "I'll be there."

A triumphant cheer erupted from the phone, while Taeyeon groaned in defeat. "YA! ARE YOU CRAZY? IT'S LATE!"

Jihoon had no idea what he had just walked into, but one thing was certain—tonight was about to be anything but peaceful.

Jihoon barely had time to react before Taeyeon, sighing in defeat, let herself be dragged toward SNSD's dorm.

"Ya, ya, ya—slow down!" she complained, half-laughing. "What's the rush?"

Jihoon shot her a playful smirk. "If we wait any longer, you'll change your mind."

The moment they stepped inside, he knew there was no turning back, what was supposed to be a simple visit quickly spiraled into complete and utter chaos.

The moment Jihoon stepped into SNSD's dorm, he was immediately met with loud greetings.

"Welcome, the famous Director Lee!" Tiffany announced dramatically.

The rest of the girls erupted into applause—clapping so frantically that it sounded like a group of seals at feeding time.

Jihoon barely had time to process the sheer volume of their voices. Laughter overlapped with excited chatter, one voice piling on top of another, creating a storm of energy he had never experienced before.

He realized, too late, that he had made a terrible mistake by coming here.

But, there was no turning back now.

"Uh… hello." He forced a smile. "I'm Lee Jihoon."

The second he finished, the members immediately introduced themselves—one by one, their names firing off like rapid gunshots.

"Taeyeon!"

"Sunny!"

"Jessica."

"Tiffany~"

"Sooyoung!"

"Yoona!"

"Hyoyeon."

"Yuri."

"And I'm Seohyun" the maknae finished softly, her voice noticeably quieter than the rest.

Jihoon barely had time to register their names before—

"OPPA!"

A pair of hands grabbed his arm, nearly making him jump out of his skin.

Sooyoung and Hyoyeon were practically vibrating with excitement.

"We have a game for you," Sooyoung declared with a mischievous grin.

"A bet, actually," Hyoyeon corrected.

Jihoon eyed them warily. "A bet?"

Hyoyeon smirked. "And trust me—you won't win."

Tiffany clasped her hands together dramatically. "And once you step in…" She paused for effect before flashing a devilish grin. "There's. No. Escape. Hehe!"

Jihoon sighed, already feeling a sense of doom settle in.

This was going to be an unbearably long night. Regret was already settling in, tightening its grip on Jihoon as he realized the full extent of his mistake. He turned to Taeyeon, silently pleading for help, but she merely smirked and looked away—betraying him without a hint of remorse, as if she had never known him in the first place.

Before he could even protest, he was roped into a ridiculous challenge that he inevitably lost—much to their delight.

"YAAAH, you totally set me up!" Jihoon groaned.

Sunny patted his shoulder, feigning sympathy. "Welcome to SNSD's dorm, where fairness does not exist."

Laughter rang through the air as Seohyun took charge of making a late-night feast. Soon, bowls of steaming ramyeon, tteokbokki, and snacks covered the table.

"Oppa, you're not ready for this life," Tiffany warned between bites, her eyes twinkling. "Once you step in, there's no escape."

Jihoon had laughed at first. Now, as he sat squished between Seohyun and Jessica, watching Yuri and Yoona put on an exaggerated K-drama performance as a demonstration of his punishment for losing the game, he finally realized—they weren't joking.

As the game continued, the night took an unexpected turn.

Yoona suddenly leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Jihoon-oppa," she said, her voice a little too sweet, almost shy. "I'm your fan. Can I get your signature?"

She blinked up at him with wide, expectant eyes—the kind of look she never used in front of her own members. It was almost unnatural.

Jihoon paused, setting his chopsticks down. "Oh? Really?"

Before Yoona could answer, the entire room exploded into laughter.

"YA!" She spun around, scandalized. "Why are you guys laughing?!"

"Oh, please," Sooyoung cackled. "You've been waiting for this moment your whole life."

"She's literally your biggest fan," Tiffany smirked, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Seriously," Yuri added with a knowing grin. "Ever since your name started making waves in the industry, she's been obsessed."

Yoona gasped in pure betrayal. "YAH! STOP!"

Jihoon blinked, taken aback. "Wait… really?"

Jessica, lazily sipping her tea, smirked. "Obviously. She never shuts up about how talented you are."

"And when she found out Taeyeon was singing your OST?" Sunny leaned in, grinning.

"She wouldn't shut up about that either."

"She literally said she wants to become an actress just to be in one of your films."

Yoona groaned dramatically and buried her face in her hands. "I hate all of you!"

Jihoon grinned, leaning in slightly. "So… does that mean you actually want to be in one of my films?"

Slowly, Yoona peeked at him between her fingers before lowering her hands. The embarrassment in her eyes shifted—replaced by something else.

Determination.

"Yes," she said firmly. "I do."

For the first time that night, the teasing quieted. Jihoon studied her expression—she meant it.

His lips curled into a smirk. "Then let's make it happen."

The dorm erupted.

"DAEBAK!"

"OH MY GOD, IT'S HAPPENING!"

"YOONA, YOU OWE US A MEAL FOR THIS!"

Yoona, now grinning from ear to ear, turned back to Jihoon. "Really? Oppa?! You mean it?!"

Jihoon leaned back, cool and composed. "I never joke about work," he said smoothly. "But be warned—once you step in, there's no escape."

Tiffany gasped, clutching her chest. "OH MY GOD. He just used my line against you!"

Laughter echoed through the room, a constant buzz of teasing, excitement, and unfiltered chaos. The night stretched on, wild and unpredictable, yet strangely comforting.

Jihoon let out a breath, sinking deeper into the moment.

This was madness—pure, absolute madness.

And yet… he didn't mind it. Not one bit.

It had been a long time since he felt this kind of lightness in his mind, a warmth he hadn't even realized he was missing.

But as he got swept up in the energy of the room, he failed to notice a quiet presence in the corner.

A short, puff-cheeked chipmuck look-alike figure watching him—her wide eyes fixed on him, expression unreadable. Like a silent observer, she took everything in, saying nothing, just watching.

[Author's Note: Heartfelt thanks to Wandererlithe for bestowing the power stone!]