The sound of bickering still echoed through the room like background music nobody asked for.
Taeyeon and the others were still knee-deep in their argument, throwing playful jabs and exaggerated accusations like it was an Olympic sport.
Jihoon, meanwhile, was just vibing—sitting cross-legged on the floor like a front-row audience member at a comedy show.
If he had popcorn, this would've been a full-blown cinema experience.
Every now and then, he'd throw in a cheeky comment to stir the pot, which didn't help the situation at all.
Honestly, it was like tossing oil onto a bonfire and acting surprised it got hotter.
"Get your ass up!" Jessica barked, suddenly standing over him and giving his leg a light kick—more annoyed than aggressive. "You watching us like it's circus show or something!"
"Eh... well, I mean, who says no to a free show?" Jihoon said with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head.
Jessica narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me you're getting inspiration for a song out of us arguing."
He rubbed his chin, pretending to think like some tortured artist. "Actually… I might be. I mean, look at this chaos, it's a pure poetry."
"Don't give me that bullshit!" Jessica shot back. "You're just here to stare at Taeyeon, admit it."
"Yup! Oppa's totally Taeyeon noona's boyfriend," Yoona chimed in helpfully, not missing a beat.
"Nope. Correction—fiancé," Hyoyeon added with a dramatic flourish like she was reading a tabloid headline.
"Daebak!" Tiffany gasped. "Didn't think Taeyeon would be the first to get married!"
"Wait, what?! Is this true?" Yuri, the group's loveable airhead, blinked in confusion. "No wonder Jihoon keeps buying us food! But does the management know about this?!"
"YA! It's not true!" Taeyeon exploded, cheeks puffed like an angry hamster. "He buys us food because—because we deserve it!"
"Really?" Yoona raised a brow. "'Cause I heard oppa has fangirls chasing him at school. Unnie, if you don't step it up, someone might snatch him away from you."
"Oh, you guys have no idea," Jihoon said dramatically, rubbing his face like he was exhausted from being too popular. "The number of love letters I get could start a bonfire. I'm completely drowning in every girl's attention."
Then, with an exaggerated sigh, he flipped a strand of hair off his forehead like some tragic heartthrob, striking a fake model pose. "What can I say? Being this marvelous is a burden."
Taeyeon rolled her eyes. "Hmph! You're just bragging about how 'popular' you are."
"Oh please," Jihoon shot back, waving her off. "You wouldn't know about popularity— even if it's does you're too short to see it coming."
"YA! I'm gonna kill you!" Taeyeon shrieked like a tiny thunderstorm and lunged forward like an angry squirrel on a sugar rush.
But before she could land a punch, Jihoon calmly placed a hand on her head, holding her at arm's length like a dad blocking a toddler. Taeyeon flailed with all her might, arms swinging in wild arcs, but they fell just a few tragic inches short of his smug face.
"Hehe, Taeyeon-ssi," Jihoon grinned, "As a girl group member about to debut, you should show respect to your sunbae. Call me Jihoon-sunbaenim."
The girls in the room erupted into laughter, some clutching their stomachs, others wheezing from the spectacle. Meanwhile, Taeyeon was still swinging, still puffed, and very much considering biting his arm if that's what it took.
Jessica, watching this absurd scene unfold, burst out laughing and quickly snapped a photo with her phone. The moment was gold—worthy of blackmail, at the very least.
She glanced at the photo and snorted. "This one's going in the archives. Just wait—ten years later, this'll resurface and crash the internet."
But the moment the camera flash blinked, Taeyeon froze mid-flail.
"YA! SICA! DELETE THAT PHOTO RIGHT NOW!" she shrieked, charging at her like a bull.
"Hehe, relax, unnie—it's just for memories," Jessica said, weaving side to side as Taeyeon tried to snatch the phone from her hand.
Seeing an opening, Jihoon casually swooped in and swiped Jessica's phone from behind, holding it up like a trophy.
Jessica's eyes went wide. "YA! Jihoon! Give it back! I'm dead serious now!"
The others grew anxious and crowded around, all trying to snatch the phone back as well.
Jihoon squinted at the screen. "It's just a picture. Why are you all panicking like it's national security?"
He opened the gallery and found the photo. "Hmm... Not bad. Lighting's a bit harsh though—could use a reflector."
Then he hit "next."
What popped up wasn't a group selfie or another silly candid—but a photo that should've never seen the light of day.
It was Taeyeon. In the dorm. In nothing but white underwear.
His eyes widened.
So did everyone else's.
Time froze.
He slowly turned to face them all, the screen still glowing in his hand.
The girls stared back. Fury. Embarrassment. Shock. Pure murder.
"Uh... okay," Jihoon muttered, already calculating the best escape route. "This… was a mistake."
"YA! You pervert!" Jessica shrieked the moment she saw Jihoon's face go beet red.
Mortified, he shoved the phone back into her hands like it was on fire.
"I told you to delete those photos!" Yoona scolded Jessica, smacking her lightly on the arm.
"I'm deleting them, I'm deleting them!!" Jessica panicked, her fingers flying across the screen in a blur of guilt. "I didn't know that was still in there!"
Meanwhile, Taeyeon stood frozen in place.
Her face had gone from hamster-puffed fury to trembling embarrassment, and suddenly—tears. Real ones.
"Unnie! Don't cry! Oppa didn't mean to see it!" Yoona rushed to her side, arms open in comfort mode.
Jessica's guilt hit full throttle. "Taeyeon… I'm so sorry. It's totally my fault. I didn't check. I—ugh, I messed up."
Jihoon, realizing he was technically the one who saw it and set this whole mess off, let out a long sigh and walked over to her.
With a nervous chuckle, he gently placed a hand on her head and said, "Hey, don't cry. It's not a big deal… I didn't see much anyway. I mean, let's be real—there wasn't a whole lot to see anyway."
Dead. Silence.
"OPPA!!" Yoona gasped, scandalized. "Stop teasing her! You're just making it worse!"
Taeyeon's eyes flared. Her tears dried instantly. She grabbed Jihoon's wrist—the one that had oh-so-smugly patted her head—and bit it. Hard. Very hard.
"OW—HEY!" Jihoon yelped but didn't pull away. "What is wrong with you?!"
Between clenched teeth, Taeyeon muttered, "Keep saying I'm short… keep saying I don't have curves… I'll bite your stupid arm right off!"
He winced but let her gnaw away. With his other hand, he patted her head again and said, "Okay okay, I get it. We're even now, right? I saw the pic, you bit me—justice is served."
Taeyeon hesitated. Her teeth loosened.
"…I'm sorry," Jihoon added gently, and with that, she let go of his arm.
Yoona immediately pointed at his arm. "Oppa! You're bleeding! There are like, full-on teeth marks! Is it gonna leave a scar?!"
Jihoon glanced at it, then grinned. "I'll live. But maybe I should get a rabies shot. You know just in case."
"YA! LEE JIHOON!!" Taeyeon shrieked again, smacking his chest.
"Alright, alright!" Jihoon laughed, backing away. "You girls go back to practice—I'll go patch up my arm and reflect on my sins or whatever."
Before he could fully retreat, he reached over and pinched Taeyeon's cheek.
She pouted, slightly regretting the bite—but only slightly.
"Oh~ Taeyeon unnie~ Are you sad because you bit your boyfriend too hard?" Sooyoung teased with a wicked grin.
Tiffany snorted. "Don't worry, your oppa said he's fine! Plus, he kinda deserved it."
"Honestly, he probably wanted you to hit him," Sooyoung huffed, crossing her arms with dramatic flair. "It's like his twisted way of helping you blow off steam. I swear, that smug little face of his practically begs to be bitten."
The other girls nodded, mumbling their agreement. Jessica took a breath, stepping in front of Taeyeon.
"This is all on me," she said sincerely. "I'm really, really sorry, Taeyeon. I didn't mean for this to happen."
"It's okay," Taeyeon murmured. "You didn't know. It was an accident."
Jessica gave her a small smile. "I'm gonna check on Jihoon. His wound looked kind of… serious."
"Also," Tiffany chimed in, "please delete everything. Seriously. We were lucky it was just Jihoon. Imagine if someone else had found your phone."
"Oh~ so it's lucky Jihoon saw it, huh?" Sunny teased, wrapping an arm around Tiffany. "Or are you just mad it wasn't you in the pic?"
Tiffany whipped around, mock-offended. "Says the one who's always volunteering to help other to shower after practices!"
Sunny proudly puffed out her chest. "Well, I do have the best body in the group. I mean, if your cup size is under 'B,' you should probably sit this one out."
Everyone's heads turned… and settled on Yoona and Sooyoung.
Their faces dropped. "Hey!! That's just rude!"
The room erupted into laughter, playful jabs flying back and forth.
In the midst of it, the earlier awkwardness vanished like it never existed.
That's SNSD for you—chaotic, loud, and gloriously shameless. Their mouths move faster than their brains, and their actions? Even faster. If a scandalous photo couldn't shake their vibe, then honestly, nothing ever will.
And somewhere down the hall, Jihoon sat on a bench with a bitten arm, smiling to himself.
"These girls," he muttered. "I need hazard pay just to hang out with them."
[Author's Note: Heartfelt thanks to Wandererlithe and Daoist098135 for bestowing the power stone!]