Going SM Entertainment

"Jihoon-ah!" came the familiar voice on the other end, bright and playful. "When are you coming to the company? It feels like we haven't seen you in forever!"

He smiled at the exaggerated pout he could practically hear through the line. "Why? You miss me that much?" he teased, leaning back in his chair. "Or is it just that you want your songwriter back on the clock?"

There was a dramatic pause on the other end before a sharp bark came through, "YA! I'm not Jessica!"

"I heard that!" another voice chimed in from the background—Jessica, loud and crystal clear through the speaker. "Tell him to get his butt over here and get working on our new song!"

Taeyeon burst out laughing. "You heard her! If you don't come soon, you're going to be in big trouble."

Jihoon sighed with exaggerated defeat. "Okay, okay! I'll come. I'm trembling already," he said with a smirk, though the warmth in his voice gave away his fondness for them all.

"Good," Taeyeon said, her voice softening a little. "Then I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sleep early, boss lady."

"Ya!" she snapped, but it was followed by a laugh. "Okay, good night."

Jihoon chuckled as the call ended, shaking his head.

Back at the dorm of SNSD, Taeyeon turned around… only to be met by a group of wide-eyed girls grinning at her like cats who just saw a mouse trip.

Yuri strolled over casually, slinging an arm around Taeyeon's shoulders. "So… when is your man coming to write songs for us?"

Taeyeon's eyes widened. "What?! Don't talk nonsense!" she squeaked, her face flushing as if her inner feelings had just been exposed.

"Oh come on," Sooyoung chimed in from the other side of the room, flopping dramatically onto the couch. "Didn't we already agree that you two would get married after Jihoon graduates?

Hyoyeon gasped in mock realization. "Wait! So that means Taeyeon-unnie will be a married woman just two years into our idol career?"

Tiffany joined in, giggling. "But don't you think she's a bit… short for Jihoon?"

Jessica, lounging by the vanity mirror, didn't miss a beat. "Honestly? I think I'm a better match for Jihoon. I mean, look at us—we'd be visually perfect."

She flipped her hair with theatrical flair, clearly joking… though only she truly knew how much of it was serious.

"Oh please," Sunny said, casually munching on a rice cracker.

"He's an SNU student, and our dear Taeyeon here didn't even finish high school. Let's face it—it's a total beauty-and-brains mismatch."

She grinned mischievously, clearly enjoying the chaos she was about to unleash.

"YA!" Taeyeon exploded, her face turning as red as a ripe tomato. "How dare you say that to me?! You didn't finish high school either!"

Sunny just cackled and popped another cracker in her mouth, unfazed.

They were the closest in the group—and the shortest too—so roasting each other over studies, height, or anything else had become their favorite love language.

But her protests only fueled the fire. The girls were in full chaos mode now, bouncing off each other's teasing like it was a competitive sport.

The playful jabs soon dissolved into a frenzy of laughter, cushions flying, and an escalating tickle war.

Feet thumped against the carpet. Shrieks echoed through the dorm walls.

Somewhere along the line, someone yelped "no grabbing!" but the plea was ignored in the whirl of flailing limbs and cackling voices.

It was complete sisterly mayhem, where tickling escalated into playful grabbing and pinching of each other's boobs or butts.

And yet, somehow, despite the chaos, it was moments like these that made everything worthwhile.

The pressures of idol life, the sleepless nights, the dance practices until their legs shook—this messy, loving, hilarious bond held them all together.

But the moonlight outside seemed to dim, as if embarrassed by the scene. Even the rays that had slipped through the curtains earlier appeared to retreat, offering the girls some privacy in the midst of their wild, borderline-erotic chaos.

And somewhere in the middle of it all, a flustered leader named Kim Taeyeon screamed at the top of her lungs:

"YA! YOU GUYS WANNA DIE?!"

Laughter erupted once more.

Just another normal night in the life of SNSD.

The next morning, a very different atmosphere greeted Jihoon as he stepped through the sliding doors of SM Entertainment's headquarters.

As he adjusted his bag strap, he noticed a familiar figure storming across the lobby with the intensity of someone already ten minutes late.

"Youngjin-hyung!" Jihoon called out with a wave.

The man paused and turned—tall, sharp-featured, and dressed casually in a way only he would confidently describe as artistic, like he'd just walked out of a street market photoshoot.

Yoo Youngjin was SM's legendary producer, the sonic architect behind decades of K-pop history.

From H.O.T. and S.E.S. to BoA, TVXQ, and now SNSD, his influence threaded through the company like a golden lifeline.

Jihoon and Youngjin had met during the countless late nights Jihoon spent in SM's studios, working on OSTs for his movies.

Despite being from different companies, Youngjin had taken a liking to him—mentoring, advising, and even occasionally jamming over coffee.

To Jihoon, he was more than just a music icon—he was a friend in an industry that rarely allowed real friendships.

"Oh! There you are!" Youngjin said, walking over. "I was just looking for you yesterday. Sooman-hyung said you disappeared off to college. Wanted you to soak in the campus life before the real world eats you alive, huh?"

Jihoon chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, something like that. What's the rush?"

"Perfect timing. Come with me to the president's office," Youngjin said, already turning toward the elevators.

Jihoon's smile froze. The president's office. That meant Kim Youngmin.

"Uh—hyung, actually, I just remembered—I've got something urgent. Super urgent. Like life-or-death urgent. I'll just—uh—go now, yeah?"

Youngjin raised an eyebrow. "Nice try."

Jihoon grimaced.

It wasn't that he was afraid of Kim Youngmin.

No, not exactly.

But ever since Jihoon's first film Secret exploded into a massive hit, Youngmin's attention had been… excessive.

The man treated him less like a collaborator and more like a prized collectible.

From surprise coffee deliveries to unnerving late-night texts praising his "aura," Jihoon had quietly developed a habit of avoiding the CEO like one avoids a very affectionate but overly persistent stray cat.

And Jihoon wasn't the only one who felt the weird energy.

It was an open secret among the staff that Kim Youngmin—unlike Lee Sooman, who ruled the company like a king—was more of a figurehead, parachuted into the CEO chair by financiers looking to rein in Sooman's unchecked influence.

Without his own network within SM, Youngmin was left trying to forge alliances wherever he could—and Jihoon, an outside force with inside pull, made for a prime target.

In short: the man gave Jihoon the creeps.

But before he could make his escape, Youngjin clamped a hand on his shoulder. "It's serious. It's about Taeyeon and the girls."

Jihoon froze.

"…SNSD?"

Youngjin nodded. "Yeah. Come on, you'll want to hear this."

And just like that, Jihoon sighed in defeat and followed Youngjin into the elevator. The doors slid closed with a soft ding, sealing him into whatever storm was about to come.

In a company as big as SM, silence was never just silence.

It was the sound before a headline.

[Author's Note: Heartfelt thanks to Wandererlithe, JiangXiu, OS_PARCEIROS and Daoist098135 for bestowing the power stone!]