Chapter Text
Irene's fingers hovered over the keyboard, composing and deleting multiple versions of the same message before finally settling on simplicity:
"Need your insight on a recurring situation with Lee. Similar to what you warned me about years ago."
She hit send before she could reconsider, then set the phone down as if it might burn her. Seulgi watched silently from the couch, respecting the gravity of the moment.
The message showed as delivered, then read almost immediately. Three dots appeared, disappeared, then nothing.
"She's seen it," Irene announced unnecessarily, tension radiating from her typically composed frame.
"Give her time," Seulgi advised. "It's been years."
The phone's sudden ring shattered the silence. Taeyeon's name flashed on the screen, sending a jolt of surprise through Irene. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the device.
"Answer it," Seulgi urged, eyes wide.
Irene snatched the phone, composing herself with visible effort before accepting the call. She put it on speaker, a silent acknowledgment of Seulgi's role in this moment.
"Hello?" Irene's voice emerged steadier than she felt.
"It's been a while," Taeyeon replied, her distinctive tone carrying through the speaker with unexpected warmth.
"Yes, Taeyeon-seonbaenim. Thank you for calling so promptly." Irene's formality emerged automatically, a shield against vulnerability.
A soft laugh filtered through the speaker. "Drop that. We're well beyond seonbaenim at this point, don't you think?"
Irene's shoulders relaxed fractionally. "Old habits."
"Some worth breaking," Taeyeon countered. "Your message was... unexpected."
"I know." Irene perched on the arm of the sofa, Seulgi's encouraging nod bolstering her resolve. "It's not something I'd bring up without significant reason."
"I assumed as much." Taeyeon's voice turned serious. "You mentioned Lee. And a recurring situation."
"Yes." Irene glanced at Seulgi, drawing strength from her presence. "He's implementing the same strategy with aespa that he used with us. And before that, with—"
"With SNSD," Taeyeon finished, a sharp edge entering her voice. "The replacement member. The loyalty tests. The strategic isolation."
"Exactly." Irene leaned forward, surprise and relief coloring her tone. "You see it too."
"I've been watching it unfold from a distance," Taeyeon admitted. "Some patterns are impossible to miss when you've lived through them."
Seulgi moved closer, unable to contain herself. "So it's not just our imagination?"
A brief pause. "Is that Seulgi?"
"Yes, I'm here too," Seulgi confirmed. "Sorry for the ambush call."
"No apology needed." Taeyeon's voice softened slightly. "It's actually reassuring to know you're working together on this. Isolation is Lee's favorite weapon."
Irene exchanged a meaningful glance with Seulgi. "That's partly why I'm reaching out. I've been trying to guide aespa's leader through this, but—"
"But you're recognizing the limits of your perspective," Taeyeon completed the thought with uncanny accuracy. "You need the before, during, and after picture."
"Yes." Irene's admission carried the weight of years of unspoken history between them. "You tried to warn me once. I didn't listen."
"And now you're trying to warn someone else," Taeyeon observed, no judgment in her tone. "The cycle continues, just with different players."
Silence stretched for a moment, heavy with shared understanding.
"Can we meet?" Irene asked finally, directness replacing her earlier hesitation. "Not just for advice over the phone. A real strategy session."
Another pause, longer this time. Irene held her breath, Seulgi's hand coming to rest supportively on her shoulder.
"My place. Tomorrow. 8 PM," Taeyeon decided abruptly. "Bring Karina."
Irene blinked in surprise. "You want to meet her directly?"
"If she's facing what I think she is, secondhand advice won't cut it." Taeyeon's tone left no room for argument. "Some lessons need to be delivered in person."
"I'll arrange it," Irene agreed, shooting Seulgi a wide-eyed look of disbelief.
"And Irene?" Taeyeon added, her voice softening slightly.
"Yes?"
"It takes courage to revisit old wounds for someone else's benefit." The simple acknowledgment penetrated Irene's carefully constructed defenses. "I respect that."
The call ended before Irene could respond, leaving her staring at the phone in stunned silence.
"Well," Seulgi said finally, breaking the moment. "That went better than expected."
Irene set the phone down carefully, emotions flitting across her usually controlled features—surprise, relief, apprehension. "I can't believe she agreed so quickly."
"I can," Seulgi replied, satisfaction evident in her tone. "Some battles transcend personal history."
"This is going to complicate everything," Irene murmured, already mentally calculating the risks and implications.
"Or simplify it completely," Seulgi countered, optimism coloring her voice. "Three generations of SM leaders united against Lee's tactics? That's not a fight—that's a revolution."
Irene's expression shifted from uncertainty to resolute determination. "I need to contact Karina. Immediately."
As she reached for her phone again, the weight of what they'd just initiated settled over the room—not just a strategy session, but potentially the first alliance of its kind, spanning generations of artists united by shared experience and common purpose.
The game had just changed completely.
Irene didn't waste time on pleasantries when Karina answered on the fourth ring.
"We need to meet tomorrow night," she stated, activating the speaker so Seulgi could hear.
"I'm in the middle of something," Karina replied, background noise suggesting she was indeed occupied. "Can this wait until after the showcase preparation?"
"No," Irene countered firmly. "Cancel whatever you have at 8 PM. We're meeting Taeyeon."
Silence crashed through the line. When Karina finally spoke, her voice had dropped to a stunned whisper.
"Get out."
"I'm completely serious," Irene continued, pacing her living room with renewed energy. "Her place. Tomorrow. 8 PM sharp."
"Taeyeon as in SNSD's Taeyeon?" Karina clarified, disbelief coloring every syllable.
"The one and only," Seulgi chimed in, leaning closer to the phone. "Hi Karina, it's Seulgi. Just confirming this isn't just Irene's wild idea."
"Seulgi-sunbaenim?" Karina's composure fractured further. "You're involved too?"
"Absolutely," Seulgi confirmed cheerfully, shooting Irene a mischievous glance. "Though to be fair, the Taeyeon connection wasn't actually Irene's idea. It was mine."
Irene rolled her eyes but didn't contradict the statement.
"I don't understand," Karina said slowly. "Why would Taeyeon want to meet with me?"
"Because she's been where you are," Irene explained, her tone softening slightly. "Where I was. Three generations of the same pattern."
The line went quiet again, only Karina's measured breathing indicating she was still there.
"This is bigger than I thought, isn't it?" Karina finally asked, her strategic mind clearly racing to recalibrate.
"Much bigger," Irene confirmed. "Lee's playbook hasn't changed in fifteen years. Taeyeon saw it first with SNSD. I experienced it with Red Velvet. Now it's aespa's turn."
"But why help us?" Karina's question cut to the heart of the matter. "What does Taeyeon gain from getting involved?"
Seulgi and Irene exchanged glances, a wordless communication born from years of partnership.
"Some things transcend company politics," Seulgi offered. "Some experiences create bonds that matter more than the usual hierarchy."
"And some patterns need to be broken," Irene added quietly. "For everyone's sake."
Karina remained silent, processing. When she spoke again, her voice had regained its usual composed determination.
"Where and when exactly? I'll need to create a plausible excuse for my absence."
"Taeyeon's apartment. 8 PM," Irene repeated. "I'll text you the address an hour before. Come alone."
"What about the others?" Karina asked. "Winter should at least—"
"No," Irene cut her off firmly. "Just you for now. Leader to leaders. The circle expands only if necessary."
Karina exhaled sharply, the sound carrying her frustration. "They won't like being excluded."
"They don't need to know," Irene countered. "Not yet. This initial meeting is strategic groundwork."
"Fine," Karina conceded reluctantly. "But I don't like keeping secrets from my members."
"It's not secrets," Seulgi interjected gently. "It's protection. The fewer people involved at this stage, the safer everyone remains."
Another pause as Karina considered this logic.
"Tomorrow at 8," she finally confirmed. "I'll make it work."
"Good," Irene replied, relief coloring her tone despite her attempt at professional detachment. "And Karina?"
"Yes?"
"Come prepared to discuss everything—including your suspicions about Chaehyun. Taeyeon will need the complete picture."
"Understood." Karina's voice had shifted fully into strategic mode. "Anything else I should know before tomorrow?"
Seulgi and Irene exchanged another glance, a silent debate passing between them.
"Just one thing," Irene said finally. "Taeyeon doesn't offer help lightly. If she's agreeing to meet, she sees something worth fighting for."
"Or against," Seulgi added quietly.
"I'll be there," Karina promised, her tone resolute. "And... thank you. Both of you. This is unexpected but... appreciated."
As the call ended, Irene set her phone down carefully, the weight of what they'd initiated settling over her.
"There's no going back now," she murmured, more to herself than to Seulgi.
Seulgi squeezed her shoulder gently. "There never was. Not since you first reached out to Karina."
Irene nodded, acceptance replacing her earlier uncertainty. Tomorrow night, three generations of SM leaders would gather for the first time—not for a company event or formal occasion, but to share the hard-won wisdom that only those who'd faced Lee's manipulation firsthand could truly understand.
The prospect was both terrifying and exhilarating.