Life for Jihoon had pretty much fallen back into its usual state— bouncing between taekwondo classes, school, and squeezing in time at work.
Today, he found himself back at SM Entertainment's composing room, and the moment he stepped inside, a strong wave of deja vu smacked him right in the face.
Sitting across from him was BoA — the one and only queen of K-pop herself.
She had been there from the very moment Jihoon entered the building, planted firmly in her chair, doing absolutely nothing but staring at him.
Not a word spoken. Not even a polite cough or a fake yawn. Just a long, deep, soul-piercing stare.
It wasn't even the first time this had happened.
The only difference now was that last time, Jihoon had walked in fully intact.
Today? His left hand was wrapped up like a mummy — a glorious masterpiece of bandages and ointment, courtesy of Taeyeon's "loving care," which involved not just biting but also pinching him into a human bruise.
His poor hand looked like it had been in a losing fight with a wild raccoon.
And the awkward stare-off?
It had actually started way earlier this morning.
Flashback to earlier that morning.
Jihoon strolled into the SM building, headphones on, minding his own business, when he spotted BoA in the elevator lobby deep in conversation with some guy — probably her manager.
They looked serious.
Close, too.
Way too serious for Jihoon's liking.
Whatever drama they were cooking up, he had zero interest in being a part of it.
So, without hesitation, Jihoon did something completely unprecedented — he pulled a casual 180° turn and headed straight toward the stairwell like he had somewhere important to be.
To sell the act even harder, he even started whistling a little tune as he walked.
Totally natural. Nothing suspicious at all.
Of course, Boa had spotted him the second he stepped through the front gate.
At first, she ignored him, being deep in discussion.
But when she caught Jihoon's very obvious attempt at a tactical retreat — whistling and speed-walking like a guilty puppy — she was floored.
This?
This was new.
Boa, the undefeated queen of SM, had never been avoided before in her entire career.
"YA! Lee Jihoon! Take one more step and I swear, your right hand's gonna match your left!" Boa barked from across the lobby.
Jihoon froze mid-whistle.
Slowly, he turned around, flashing her the brightest, most innocent smile he could muster.
"Morning, noona! Great weather today, huh? How's your day going?" he chirped as if she hadn't just threatened bodily harm.
Boa stormed toward him, pinching his ear gently in revenge.
Jihoon started fake-screaming like she was pulling his ear off — pure theater.
Before he could really ham it up though—
Boa's manager, who had been quietly stewing this whole time, finally butted in with a frown. His voice carried that classic "I'm worried but also extremely judgmental" tone.
"Boa-ssi," the agent said stiffly, "you really should be careful about your image. You shouldn't be so casual around men in public like this. Especially ones you don't know well. You can't be too trusting — people have their own motives."
He even glanced Jihoon up and down, like Jihoon was some random street rat trying to leech off her fame.
Jihoon, hearing this, blinked a few times, caught somewhere between confusion and amusement.
Was this guy seriously implying I'm a gold digger or something?
But honestly? Jihoon wasn't the type to get worked up over some uptight agent's assumptions.
So instead, he clapped his hands together dramatically and said in a mock-formal voice,
"Ah, I see! I'll humbly excuse myself from your radiant presence, my Queen."
He even bowed deeply, backing away like he was acting in some over-the-top historical drama.
"JIHOON! WAIT!" Boa shouted after him, but Jihoon kept inching backward like a mime escaping an invisible wall.
Boa spun around and glared at her agent, furious. "You apologize! Right now! To Jihoon!" she demanded.
The agent blinked, confused. "Boa-ssi, I didn't say anything wrong! I'm just protecting your image! You never know what people's real intentions are!"
Boa facepalmed so hard she nearly slapped herself unconscious."Aish, you idiot! Jihoon isn't some random guy! He's the director of JH Entertainment and famous film director!" she hissed.
"He's not nobody like you keep yapping about!"
The manager's face turned pale, realizing he might've just insulted a very important somebody.
And that's why now, in the studio, Jihoon and Boa were sitting in silence — just... staring.
Boa, feeling guilty and a little awkward, had stubbornly refused to leave his side all morning, hoping to make it up to him and maybe guilt-trip him into writing her a new song while she was at it.
Jihoon wasn't really angry.
Just mildly annoyed.
Mostly because Boa's intense, remorseful staring was creeping him out more than Taeyeon's ambush pinches ever could.
Still, he had to admit, it was kinda funny.
He smirked to himself.
Maybe I should make her wait a little longer before forgiving her. After all, a queen needs to learn patience too.
What Jihoon didn't realize — and frankly, what he was criminally underestimating — was this:
When a queen gets embarrassed?
She doesn't grovel.
She gets unreasonable.
The sudden BAM! of Boa's hands slamming down on the table made Jihoon jolt so hard he nearly fell out of his chair.
"YA! LEE JIHOON!" she yelled, her voice bouncing off the studio walls. "You think giving me the silent treatment is gonna fix this?!"
Jihoon blinked at her, mouth half-open like a confused goldfish.
Wait, wait, wait... wasn't she the one who messed up?
He hadn't even done anything! He was just... sitting here... being a victim!
Before Jihoon could even cobble together a comeback, Boa charged forward like a human battering ram.
"YA! Are you just perfunctory-ing me now?!" she snapped, arms crossed so tightly it looked like she was about to Hulk out of her hoodie. "I don't care! You have to write me a new song to make up for it!!"
Jihoon stared at her, completely dumbfounded.
His brain just quietly blue-screened for a second.
Was this real life?
Was he dreaming?
Where was the justice in this universe?!
"Noona..." he whined, massaging his temples. "Creation needs inspiration, okay?"
"Plus, I just finished busting my brain cells writing those girls's debut tracks."
"Gimme a break! I need to refill the genius tank before I can crank out a masterpiece for you too!"
Boa scowled so hard her nose scrunched up. "Bullshit! You haven't even touched the guitar or keyboard yet! What inspiration are you waiting for — divine lightning?! An angel choir?!"
Jihoon couldn't help it — he burst out laughing.
"Oho, look at that, the Little Queen swears now?" he teased, grinning like a troublemaker who had just found a new toy.
Boa flipped her hair dramatically. "I'm an adult! I can curse if I want, you pea-brained garden gnome!"
"YA!" Jihoon gasped, clutching his chest in fake betrayal. "You dont have to insult me!"
Boa just shot him a smug, satisfied smirk. "Should've thought of that before you tried to moonwalk outta the lobby."
Jihoon groaned again, sinking deeper into his chair. "Why are you like this?"
"Don't change the subject!" Boa sang cheerfully, drumming her fingers on the desk. "When are you gonna start composing, huh? I'm free today. Maybe I can help!" she said with a twinkle in her eye that Jihoon absolutely did not trust.
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Help? How? You gonna write the lyrics?"
Boa's grin widened. "Maybe."
Jihoon leaned back dramatically in his chair like a grandpa about to tell a bedtime story. "Listen carefully, Your Majesty. My biggest problem right now is lyrics. If I have even half a verse, the music will be done in five minutes flat."
"Big talk for a pea boy," Boa snorted, rolling her eyes. "You think I haven't seen real composers before? Stop bragging!"
Jihoon just smirked, waggling his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? Watch and learn, noona."
With a theatrical crack of his knuckles — pop, pop! — he spun around to face the keyboard.
For a moment, everything went quiet, except for the faint hum of the studio equipment.
Then — he let his fingers drift down.
A soft, easy melody floated into the room, light as air, but somehow full of color and emotion — the kind that made you stop what you were doing just to listen.
Boa's eyes widened.
It was new.
Completely new.
[Author's Note: Heartfelt thanks to Wandererlithe, OS_PARCEIROS and Daoist098135 for bestowing the power stone!]