A time for the nine of us.

"Thank you to WINKS who watch over us through both the good and bad. We'll work hard to show you a good image as 9 member-TWINKLE". Naeun unnie's well-thought out speech fits well especially in this trying time.

*I'm thankful we have her as our oldest. Along with Jaeyeon, Mako, and partner Nana~ Yeah, I'm the leader. But honestly, I still lack a lot. I'm just glad these unnies have my back.

The younger ones Dahee, Chaerin, and Chewy are wise beyond their age too. They also have my back as much as they are to their Rina unnie.*

The girls show Rina what they've just gotten from Jinni Music Awards.

"We've worked hard Rina unnie", Chewy tells her.

"How are Winks?" Rina asks.

"Oh, many Winks were there. They cheered a lot!" Chae hands over the trophies to Nana and continues through.

Naeun and Mako filling-in with laughter as they also tell how Dahee saved them from a bug. Dahee reenacts while Jaeyeon gives Rina her meds.

She passes the trophies to Jisoo who's climbing up a chair, "Careful~"

Jisoo sighs a relief as she puts their first 2019 daesang atop the cupboard. She marveled on the collection before her and says pertaining to her same aged co-member, "Rina let's keep living our dreams with the nine of us like this".

Morning comes. Jisoo awakens by her phone. She smiles upon seeing a sunbae and long-time friend ringing her. "Ooo~ Taekwon oppa it's been a long time! Good mor-"

"Yah, Jisoo-yah… you didn't tell me you're already dating?"

"That's a new way of saying chukahae", Jisoo lets a little laugh.

"Chukahae! Our Jisoo is grown now", Taekwon expresses his congratulations.

"Hehe komawoyo~", Jisoo thanks him. Another call is waiting for her. It's from manager Jinjin. She sighs, "Oppa mian. Let's talk next time. Manager is calling."

"Alright, tell me over a meal next time. Okay?" Taekwon hangs up. This oppa is really funny. He knows how award shows go. But he still wants me to tell him? Hahaha!

Jisoo trying not to disturb her roommates, slowly goes out the bedroom to answer a persistent call from the manager.

"Jisoo-ssi mianda", manager quickly apologizes. "Disrupt made a breaking news". Why does manager sound certain and serious? And did he just say Disrupt?!

"You and Darren Lee are dating".

"Huh? WheRe diD THAT COME FROM?!"

*What's the Politics behind this? Is this why Taekwon oppa said chukahae?! And I thanked him.*

Jisoo slams her head with her palm and murmurs, "babo-yah".

"Hmm good morning." Jisoo jumps and accidentally hangs up her phone as Nana suddenly hugs her from behind, "Why are you surprised? It's just me, heh."

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Uhm, Jinjin oppa" Jisoo waits for Nana to break away before sending manager a text that she doesn't know about it and has nothing to do with it.

"Oh, did our schedule changed?"

Again, manager is calling. "I~ will take this to find out." Jisoo grins as Nana goes to the kitchen, "alright then I'll make you something."

"Jisoo ssi, I'm sorry. The higher ups have decided to confirm it anyway. It seems Leenk Entertainment have agreed to do the same."

"NONSENSE."

"The Public Relations team is enabling Disrupt's report saying it's going to help the company. Err, Twinkle image too since we're moving to mature concepts."

"I said make it make sense. Naeun unnie just told national tv we'll work hard to show good image tHEN THIS?"

"Well apparently, the company received massive criticism following Rina's situation. That the company is abusive to the point of ill health."

"It is. And the proper solution for that is to give ample spaces in between events. We barely made it on US tour a week ago. How would Dating solve this? It only worsens it."

"I don't know what the companies agreed to. But with this, it would mean you are treated well. Humanely. That you still have time to date and have your own life", Manager explains.

"I AM USED as a diversion for the real problem! And what of Darren Lee?"

He adds, "Perhaps it's also favorable to him. I'm just informing you that both are confirming the issue. I hope all of you would prepare. I- I'm really sorry", the call has ended and Jisoo is in total disbelief.

It's magnified even more when she turns around and finds Nana rubbed off of a smile in a supposed good morning. Breakfast scatters on the floor. Silence echoes as both realize an impending cruel reality to live through.

*To be known as someone I'm not, I feel discouraged. But making her worry like this, I am defeated. Neither of us know what we actually are to each other. We never hid it either. Who needs dating issue when we are-?

Who am I kidding? We wouldn't count as good image too. Whatever we are. But still, don't become different Nana.*

"Morning~ everything alright?" girls are up one by one.

"Yup!" "Everything fine." Jisoo rushes in to help Nana clean up.

Her hand brushes Nana's. She is trying to incite a reaction. Anything but a serious Nana. Because a serious Nana is a scary Nana.

Meanwhile, Chaerin eases on the sofa and starts getting social media updated. Her eyes widen, brows curve, jaws drop like never before. "WOAaahh! Omo omo, unnie-yah. Yah yah yah~ JISOO-UNNIE YAH!!"

Jisoo just side glances her as she's still on to Nana.

"Wae, wae, wae?!" Jaeyeon closes in. Naeun follows, "what's up? Eveything's alright, right?"

Nana carrying a mess passes by in obvious worried look. "Okay. Everything's NOT alright", Naeun concludes.

"You", Chaerin points at Naeun and Jaeyeon "and you… Who among you drove Jisoo-unnie to her date? T-to a man's house?"

"WE WHAT?!" Naeun and Jaeyeon exclaims.

"WHAT?! Unnies got involved?!" Jisoo syncs in. She snatches Chae's phone to read how Disrupt writes her good image.

*Good image my ass. You had one job Disrupt. Sigh. At least this fic author-nim attempts to remind everyone how indecisive I am.

That I barely finished a handcrafted notebook because there's a lot of covers and kinds of pages to choose from. Good thing, Jaeyeon-ie hurried me up.

Let alone choosing to chase a guy in his exclusive villa on this terrible schedule and even manages to take an unnie to drive for me!*

"What's with another sudden issue by the way? Similar to Jamie chingu", Naeun ponders. It seems there's an ongoing trend of dating issues since her friend got suddenly reported with XO Ken last January.

Making sense of their responses, Chae apologizes. "Oh sorry. Both companies confirmed it. So, I thought~"

"Jisoo could never!" Naeun and Jaeyeon attests. "She's fickle!" Jaeyeon adds.

"Yeah, Jisoo unnie can't even make up her mind on whether to buy a teddy bear or not. Remember that, hyung?" Chae recalls.

"Ugh, I jumped a lot to reach it only to be asked to return it", Jaeyeon shakes her head.

"Thanks everyone for knowing me so well. But I'm already ruined", Jisoo's eyes on Nana who has gone to the bedroom. She gets up to follow.

"You'll survive though", Chae raises. "Anything is possible with us together. Right, unnies?"

Jisoo beams with a bit of hope, "Twinkle banjak kaja!" She marches on.

Nana flops on bed. She senses Jisoo next to her. "I have to get used to you as being someone else's now. I will look after you from afar", Nana says faintly.

"Annyeong, Nana's Jisoo imnida~"

*Please don't. Do not get used to it. Instead, look at me more closely. I am Nana's Jisoo.*

She squeezed in for a hug. Nana adjusts enclosing Jisoo to her arms. Their fingers entwine, thumbs rubbing one another.

"From now on, the world knows otherwise. And that~" Nana meets Jisoo's eyes, "That's okay."

Jisoo buries her face unto Nana's neck. "I'm scared", she says.

In TwiLight Singapore concert last month, I've promised so many people that I will become better. To be more responsible and mature than how my parents raised me. I'm in no way near that promise. What kind of a leader am I?

"I felt that months ago", Nana recalls her Twinklegram post. "Rin-chan did too recently." She reaches for Jisoo's face, "But as long as we understand each other, it will get better."

"Jisoo-yah, you're not alone. There's nine of us." Nana moves closest. She goes in tongue first for Jisoo's and plants a quick yet resounding kiss.

"I'm hungry." Nana declares.

Asdfghjkl!@#$%. Jisoo's mind goes blank and the only thing she utters is, "N-Nana ssi." Flushed, she folds her lower lip in shock. Yet, she braces in anticipation.

Nana takes more of her space. Leaning in then, suddenly~

"Let's have breakfast." Nana says as she passes above her and gets out of bed, "I dropped it. What a waste. Damn Disrupt!" Jisoo breathes out.

*W-what was that? She actually kissed me this time. I've been asking her. But s-she grants it when I'm sober? But it isn't soft as I've imagined it to be. It's rather- unforgiving.*

Jisoo gets grip of herself and catches up on Nana who's already seated. Everyone is now gathered in the dining.

As much as she wanted to ask Nana about what just happened, she delays it when she notices the rest of the girls on to something.

"Jisoo unnie are you alright? I just heard about it", Dahee taps her.

"Honestly, I- don't know how I'd face the public especially WINKS", Jisoo worries. "I feel like I've eaten my own words. Embarrassing."

"Me too, Jisoo. Me too. Ugh, my beautiful speech~" Naeun laments.

"Don't be! We're planning something", Mako retorts.

"Hmm, seems we have time 'til the next sched. Rest unnie. Inhale, exhale, meditate until you can smile more brightly to the camera", Chewy advices.

Jisoo doesn't seem to catch a break when later that day, she receives another call from the manager. "Another dating issue has spread. This time it's Mako."

"MAKO?!", Jisoo is close to breaking down. Not for long, she hangs up.

"Eh? What about me?" Mako has no idea.

"Another issue within 24 hours", Jisoo massages the bridge of her nose.

"I- I have issue?" Mako is puzzled.

"Yeah, with Heejun sunbaenim. The company has immediately denied it at first. Later retracted it. Then finally, denied it." Jisoo lets a sigh of relief.

"Yah! These people are mean!" Mako is upset. Dahee appeases her while her worries intensify for the rest of them, "What's going on? It's as if the company is cornered and we're being pawned. What are we supposed to do?"

"I have an idea!" Chaerin slams the table and shows everyone. "So, what do guys you think? Hyung, I'm not the only who's good at rebelling now."

"Woah, my dongsaeng!" Jaeyeon is proud.

"Chae Chae this is beyond brilliant!" Rina holds her.

Jae grabs them initiating the chant "Whatever's going on, we will not put up without a fight."

The rest comes in and together, "TWINKLE BANJAK KAJA!!"