Y/N entered his room with a deep breath.
It wasn't me. That was just an alternate. That's all. I would never do such a thing. Yeah...
Y/N slid into bed, looking over to his girlfriend as she held his hand.
"What's up?"
"I'm worried."
"Worried about what?"
"You seem really affected by your nightmare."
"Oh. I'll be fine. Don't worry. It was just a nightmare. The feeling will pass over time."
"Okay."
Hyewon wrapped her arm around Y/N's resting her head on his shoulder.
"Just know, I'm here if you need me."
Y/N smiled.
"Thank you Hyewon ah."
"Eung."
Chaewon smiled as she watched the other couple cuddle, hugging Ji Seok tighter than she already had.
"Noona..."
"Hm?"
"You're strangling me..."
"Oh- Sorry!!"
Wonyoung set her phone down, turning to the small girl next to her.
"What did you show Y/N ssi?"
"What happens if he grows power hungry."
"Did you do something bad to him?"
"No. I just showed him a scene. That's all."
"Then why are you staring at the wall as if you were watching them?"
"Cause I am."
"And why are you doing that?"
"Because I want to monitor him anyway."
"That seems like an invasion of privacy."
"An invasion of privacy for his safety."
"Why would you have to do it for his safety? Is something going to happen to him?"
"Something could happen. But it seems like the issue is being resolved."
"So you're going to go back to paying attention to me?"
JiU slid out of bed, "Sure. Help me do something first."
"What are we going to do?"
"Cook."
Nako walked through the hallway on the way back to her room from the bathroom, when she heard something that piqued her interest.
"I want to talk about us."
Nako pressed her ear against Yujin's door, straining her ear for the contents of the conversation.
"What about us do you want to talk about, Noona?"
"I want to talk about our future."
"What are you doing?"
Nako turned to the local duck, pressing her index finger against her lips before pointing towards Yujin's door. The two members eavesdropped, looking at the door as if it somehow enhanced their hearing.
"Our future? How so?"
"I want to talk about the idea of dating."
"Oh... Okay. What's on your mind?"
"I was thinking that we could try dating. Since we have eight months before we separate, I want to see what it's like."
"Have you never dated before?"
"No..."
"Hmm... Let's think about this then. Since you've never dated before, there's a chance that we could ruin our friendship by dating. We both really like each other, but is it worth the risk? Since we've grown close, and each version of my original looks like their own person. Thankfully that won't hurt your relationship with any of my other counterparts, but that'll also emphasize the rift between us."
"We can still be friends if things go wrong though..."
"You say that, but can you actually go through with it? Things like this are really easy to plan out in theory, but when it comes to reality, it appears as a completely different world. Can I trust that you'll keep your word?"
Yujin looked down, "I don't know..."
"It's okay. I'm not saying it's guaranteed. In fact, the chance of dating ruining our relationship is close to none, as I will stop things before they go downhill. However, even if I were to stop things, it can't circumvent anything that relies solely on your side. That's why it's not a zero percent chance."
"I see..."
"But that's why we're having this conversation. To find out if this is a good idea. I'm not opposed to it, I'm just shedding light on the possibilities."
"So..."
"Do you want to do it? Be honest. Answer as if you didn't listen to what I just said."
"I do..."
"Okay. Do you think you could mentally prepare yourself for the possibility of our relationship not working out?"
"I think I can."
"Do you want help with that?"
"You can help me?"
"I can try. It's not a surefire way, but it's just a suggestion."
"Suggestion?"
"Before I bring it up, I'll say that you don't have to worry about things not working out between us because I was quite literally created for you. I was just testing you earlier. However, this thought process doesn't hurt to think of as long as you can still appreciate the magnitude of a relationship."
"Uh..."
"I'll cut to the chase. If you want to look at it this way, a romantic relationship can basically be a friendship with extra stuff. Essentially you should still interact as if you're not dating, but you can mix in romance with your actions, like kissing, holding hands, etcetera. It's kind of a weird thought process that I definitely don't recommend everyone, but that's how you could think of it."
"I see."
"So, do you still want to try dating for these eight months?"
"Yes."
Ji Hoon chuckled, "Alright. Let's make it official."
"How?"
"Noona, will you be my girlfriend?"
Yujin giggled, "Of course."
Nako and Yena looked at each other, jaws dropped as they smiled.
"You two can come in now."
Yena furrowed her eyebrows.
"You knew we were here?"
"I can see your shadows. I didn't know who was standing at the door, but I knew two people were."
Nako opened the door, revealing herself and Yena.
"So... When do you plan on revealing it to the rest of the group?"
"Well... my original is currently in the midst of bringing everyone here, so I guess right now?"
"How do you know?"
Ji Hoon pointed his phone towards the two girls.
"She just texted me."
"Oh. Okay then."
"I'll go gather this dorm's members!" Yena exclaimed before rushing off.
"Man..." Nako pouted, "I want a boyfriend now..."
"Go get one yourself." Yujin retorted.
"Do you think I can ask JiU ah to make one for me?"
"No."
"Aw..."
"Let's go. We have to break the news to the group now."
Yujin and Ji Hoon slid out of their beds, walking into the living room to see the rest of dorm two already there.
"That was quick..." Yujin commented.
"Most of us were already here." Sakura replied.
"Oh, so now we're just waiting on dorm one?"
"They should be here right about now."
Immediately after Sakura finished her sentence, Eunbi unlocked the door, allowing everyone to flood into the living room. As everyone stood in the dorm room, Yujin and Ji Hoon found everyone's eyes on them.
"So-" Ji Hoon started.
"Ji Hoon ah and I are dating." Yujin finished.
"LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
The girls jumped as the older Ji Hoon's voice filled the dorm.
"THAT'S MY MAN."
"Wait- It's not that big of a deal-"
JiU placed a few bags onto the coffee table, smiling.
"Let's celebrate!!"
Hyewon dug into the bags, pulling out a wrapped package.
"I can't turn down free food."
Ji Hoon turned to his original.
"We're celebrating this?"
"Of course!!" JiU exclaimed, "You guys took so long that I thought a celebration would be necessary when you two made it official."
"Oh... Okay."
JiU picked up a wrapped package, holding it in the air.
"To the new couple!"
"To the new couple!!!"