𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓽𝓸𝔃𝓪𝓴𝓲 𝓢𝓪𝓷𝓪 | 𝓘’𝓶 𝓝𝓸𝓽 𝓙𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓸𝓾𝓼

The backstage dressing room of the international stadium is buzzing with absolute chaos. Racks of sparkling stage outfits line the walls, giant ring lights illuminate makeup stations, and stylists run back and forth with hairspray and lint rollers. TWICE's sold-out concert is set to begin in less than an hour, and every member is supposed to be stretching, running through vocal warmups, or getting into their final stage mindset.

Sana sits tucked away in the corner of a plush sectional couch, fully dressed in her shimmering performance attire. Her hair is styled to perfection, her in-ear monitors are neatly hooked around her neck, and a tumbler of warm water rests untouched on the table in front of her. She should be resting.

Instead, her face is glowing under the light of her smartphone screen.

On her display, a five-second viral video clip from an event in Seoul plays on an endless, torturous loop. In the snippet, you are standing under the bright flashing cameras alongside Miyeon. She says something brief, you burst into a warm, genuine laugh, leaning in slightly toward her, and then both of you turn back to face the red carpet backdrop with matching smiles.

Sana’s dark eyes narrow as the clip restarts for the fifth time. She pinches the screen to zoom in on your shoulders. She zooms in on Miyeon’s head tilt. She lets out a long, theatrical sigh that causes a hair stylist two feet away to turn around in concern.

"…Hmm," Sana hums under her breath, leaning her head back against the leather couch and tapping her chin.

She flips instantly over to your private chat window, her acrylic nails clicking frantically against her phone case as her thumbs go to work.

Sana: "Baby?"

She stares at the screen. One second. Three seconds. Five seconds. No blue read receipt appears. No typing bubble bubbles up.

Sana: "Hellooooo? Are you sleeping? Are you busy? Are you still standing on that red carpet reliving the hilarious joke you made earlier?" Sana: "Okay, listen to me very carefully." Sana: "I am not jealous." Sana: "I am a very mature, understanding, and supportive partner. I just have questions." Sana: "A lot of questions." Sana: "First of all, why were you standing at that exact distance? Second of all, why was she laughing like it was the funniest joke of the century? What did you even say?! Why do your shoulders look so relaxed?! I KNOW she’s my best friend. That’s EXACTLY why I’m asking!"

Just as she hits send on the wall of text, the heavy wooden door of the dressing room swings open. A senior manager steps in, clapping his hands loudly over the noise of hair dryers.

Manager: "TWICE, three minutes to backstage line-up! In-ears checked, phones away, let's move!"

"Coming!" Sana calls out instantly in a sweet, angelic voice, sitting up straight and flashing a blindingly bright idol smile toward the doorway.

The moment the manager turns his back to direct the other members, her sweet expression instantly dissolves into a dramatic, aggrieved pout. She turns back to her phone, her fingers moving at lightspeed to send one final audio note and text before being forced onto the stage.

Sana: "You better have a full essay waiting in my inbox before I finish this concert. I’m not jealous. I’m just rewatching the video for academic research. Answer me!"

You have already explained everything. Miyeon has already explained everything. Both of you sent detailed messages clarifying that you were literally just standing near the event entrance complaining about how deafening the speakers were, resulting in a completely un-funny joke about losing your hearing before the night even started.

Sana explicitly texted twenty minutes ago that she understood, that she felt silly for overreacting, and that she was going to focus on her pre-show preparations like a professional.

You set your phone down on your nightstand, breathing a sigh of relief.

Two seconds later, your phone vibrates across the wooden table with a long, continuous buzz.

It’s a twenty-second voice message from Sana.

You hit play. Her voice comes through the phone speaker in an ultra-hushed, strained whisper—clearly recorded while she hides behind a rack of heavy velvet stage curtains so TWICE's staff and managers won't catch her being completely ridiculous.

"Okay... I know you already told me. And Miyeon already texted me," she whispers frantically into her microphone, her voice cracking slightly with self-aware laughter. "And I KNOW I’m being dramatic! I hear myself right now! I sound completely insane!"

Before the audio message even finishes playing, a cascade of text notifications starts stacking up on your screen like an unstoppable waterfall.

Sana: "BUT why did she laugh THAT much?!" Sana: "You said it was just a small joke about loud speakers. That video clip does NOT look like a small speaker joke reaction!" Sana: "Also why were your shoulders tilted like that? You only lean your shoulders like that when you’re comfortable with someone!" Sana: "I’m not accusing you of anything! I’m just asking detailed questions! There is a huge difference between asking and accusing!" Sana: "Miyeon texted me 'we were just talking.' That is literally what main characters say in K-dramas right before a giant plot twist happens! I KNOW nothing happened. I’m still asking!"

A brief, three-second lull hits the chat. You start typing a reply, but the typing indicator on her end flares up again immediately. A second voice message arrives.

You hit play again. Her tone this time is much softer, slightly embarrassed, and thoroughly pouty, complete with the audible sound of her kicking her shoes against the backstage floor.

"I just miss you..." she whimpers softly into the microphone, dropping the hurried whisper. "I’m stuck in another country on tour, and I opened my phone and saw you smiling next to my best friend, and my brain is just being stupid today... So please just explain it to me one more time. Slower. With exact details. What did she say first? What did you say back? Did she give you a side-hug after the camera cut away? Don't laugh at me!"

Her final three texts pop up right below the audio file:

Sana: "I’m not jealous at all." Sana: "Okay, fine. I’m a little jealous." Sana: "Answer me right now or I’m putting floor wax on your side of the dorm."