Chapter 9

Y/N Leighrei’s POV

I rode back to our dorm, the city still waking up around me. My phone buzzed with a message from Felicity💚:

From: Felicity💚Don’t forget, we need to prep Ivy’s surprise today.

When I arrived, our manager greeted me with a small, apologetic smile.“Sorry about the little misunderstanding this morning,” she said. “But we have to move fast — it’s already 8 a.m., and rehearsals start at 10.”

I glanced at the clock. “Ivy’s still asleep, so we’ve got a small window to start prepping decorations and everything else.”

“Manager unnie,” I asked, pulling out my phone, “do you have Twice’s manager’s number? Since Twice is local, we’ll need as much help as possible to pull this off. I can check stores for decorations and—oh!—keep Ivy distracted for the next five days so she doesn’t notice anything.”

Quinn raised an eyebrow. “Wait… aren’t you still not comfortable with Twice yet?”

I exhaled through my nose. “I’m willing to do anything just to make our youngest happy, Quinn. This is Ivy’s day. Manager unnie, you and Felicity find a suitable samgyeop restaurant. Decorations, gifts, everything. And after the celebration… we’re taking a bike ride through Seoul’s nightlife.”

Felicity and our manager nodded, already pulling out notebooks and phones to map out plans. Quinn smirked.“Ash… you really are crazy, huh?”

I just smiled faintly, my mind racing through color schemes, gift ideas, and rehearsal schedules. Five days. Five days to pull off the perfect surprise for Ivy while keeping our lives—and sanity—intact.

Third-Person POV

As we discussed plans, Ivy yawned and walked out of her room. “Why are you guys up so early?”

We scrambled to hide our notes for her birthday.

“Oh, did we wake you, Ivy? Sorry about that,” Felicity said calmly. “Our manager just reminded us about rehearsals, since you and Y/n will be writing some songs for our collab mini-album.”

“You need to hurry, baby girl! It’s already 9 a.m. Go get ready so we can leave for the studio. Twice’s manager already texted ours — they’re on the way,” Y/n added. Phew, glad she didn’t hear our plans.

“You guys are too early, bruh. Sleep a bit more, will you? I’ll be out in a sec. I’ll dress comfortably too,” Ivy replied, hurrying to her room.

“Glad she didn’t hear anything. Quinn, you were loud — be more quiet sometimes. I don’t even believe you’re an introvert. Ash is more introverted than you,” the manager glared at Quinn.

“Hey! Don’t compare me to Ash. We’re equally introverted — I’m just more comfortable being talkative around you guys. We’re family here, bruh!” Quinn shot back.

Minutes later:

Our manager announced, “9:30 a.m., guys. We need to hurry. I texted Twice’s manager — they’re on the way.”

“Hey Ash, want a rematch?” Ivy teased, holding up her phone.

I smirked. “Oh, you’re on.”

Felicity cut in sharply. “Girls, focus! No rematch for you two.”

Ivy pouted and put her phone away. I just slipped on my headphones and vibed while we drove.

Thirty minutes later:

“Girls, we’re here. Focus on the meetings and rehearsals, okay? We have weeks to prepare for the MV shoot and album release.”

We nodded, exiting the car and heading for the elevator.

“Ash, come here for a sec,” our manager whispered.

Startled, I followed. “Sorry for the sudden call, but have you seen the headline back home?”

“What headline?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

The manager showed me a Facebook link from a PhilStar post. My chest tightened as I read.

Vangeline… cheating… with Frederick.

My face hardened. “We’ll talk more back at the dorm, unnie,” I whispered, turning away and rushing into the elevator, leaving my manager speechless.

Y/N’s POV

I feel guilty leaving unnie back there, but how can I even process this right now? Of all people… Frederick?

I let out a shaky shout, tears stinging my eyes.

Where did I go wrong, Vangeline?

I wiped my face, forcing myself to act normal. There was no time to crumble — album prep, Ivy’s birthday… everything demanded my attention.

Walking to the studio, lost in thought, I bumped into Momo, iced coffee in hand.“Hi Y/n, you heading to the studio too?” she asked.

I nodded, still quiet.

“Great! Let’s walk together,” she smiled brightly.

Wow… that smile is beautiful… wait, what am I thinking?arghh, I shook my head and nodded again. “Sure.”

She was excited, but I could see she sensed something deeper — a tension I tried hard to hide. A short smile appeared on my face before I brushed it off.

At the Studio:

Everyone was already there — some confused, some serious.

“Where did you wander off again, Momo-unnie? We were supposed to start minutes ago!” Jihyo scolded.

Momo gave a sheepish two-finger peace sign. I walked past her to my members. Felicity frowned.

“Why are your eyes red? What did you and the manager talk about outside?”

I brushed it off. “Nothing important, sis. Just… yawned a bit.”

I sat beside Ivy with a notebook, asking casually, “Hey bro, you okay?”

This girl can read me like an open book… I gave short, vague answers, hiding the storm inside. Album prep, collab work, Ivy’s birthday — too much.

Twice’s Corner — Momo’s POV

It surprised me that she didn’t refuse to walk with me. I smiled, but something seemed off — that’s why I approached her earlier.

Of course, Jihyo scolded me later for wandering off without permission—hehe.

Now, I watched her intensely focused, writing in her notebook beside Ivy and a guitar. "She looked… hot. Serious, messy hair, pencil between her lips, humming softly. Ugh, why does she look so good and intimidating at the same time? Arghh"

Gasps behind me. The other members were shocked and jealous. I laughed.

“What’s so funny, huh?! Jihyo, she’s talking to herself again!” Nayeon exclaimed.

I couldn’t stop laughing at their reactions. “What, Jeongyeon-unnie? HAHAHA, why are you looking at me like that? HAHAHA!”

She rolled her eyes and stormed off.

“Unnie, stop it! You look hideous right now — it’s making me sick—ugh,” Tzuyu mocked, pretending to throw up.

Y/N Leighrei’s POV

I exhaled slowly, trying to calm the storm inside. Ivy’s birthday, rehearsals, Twice, the album — everything was overwhelming. But I had a mission.

Five days. Five days to make this birthday perfect. No matter what.

I glanced at Ivy and felt my chest tighten. She deserved it. She deserved everything.

Even if it meant hiding my heartbreak, working twice as hard, and navigating the chaos of family, Twice, and album prep…

This birthday will be unforgettable.

A short break for Y/N

I stretched my arms and I leaned over the sheet music, pencils and lyric notes scattered around. Jihyo and Dahyun were scribbling alongside me, tossing ideas back and forth. Ivy hummed softly as she worked on the piano part."Hmm… what if we change this line here?” I suggested, pointing to the chorus.

Dahyun grinned. “Ooo, yes! That gives it more punch. But Ash… are you sure you want it to sound this intense? You’re usually more… subtle.”

I laughed softly, shaking my head. “Yeah, but this part needs energy. Ivy, you okay with it?”

Ivy hummed thoughtfully. “Hmm… yeah, I like it. But maybe add a note there, just to make the ending pop.”

Jihyo leaned closer to both of us. “Honestly, you two have great chemistry when writing together. I’m just here to keep you from overthinking it.”

I chuckled, glancing at Ivy. “We do work well together. Makes things easier… and funnier.”

Ivy smirked. “Fun is an understatement. You’re secretly competitive too, Ash.”

I rolled my eyes dramatically. “Competitive? Me? Never. I just want this song perfect.”

Dahyun snorted. “Yeah, sure… we’ll see who laughs last when this hits the charts.”

Jihyo laughed quietly, shaking her head. “You two are hopeless. But I love it.” I chuckled and then I saw dahyun and jihyo smiled that made scratch my neck in embarrassment and then,

I glanced up at the other members of Twice, laughing and joking among themselves near the practice space. Perfect — they were distracted enough for me to focus here.

A small smile appeared when I noticed Felicity and Quinn quietly huddled near the corner of the studio, whispering and pointing at their phones and notebooks. Of course they’re sneaky. That’s why I love them.

In the corner of the studio:

Felicity & Quinn’s POV

Felicity tapped rapidly on her phone. “Okay, so if we want to make this special for Ivy, we need a plan first. Cake, gifts, restaurant… but we have to figure it out without her suspecting anything.”

Quinn leaned closer, whispering, “Right. And we have to divide tasks. We can text managers, check store options, and make a list of ideas — all under the radar.”

“Exactly. Ash is stressed enough with rehearsals. We don’t need Ivy accidentally seeing our plans,” Felicity added.

The manager, standing nearby with her clipboard, nodded approvingly. “Perfect. Just keep it quiet. Remember, rehearsals are ongoing, so don’t let anyone notice. Not a single hint.”

Quinn grinned. “Don’t worry. Operation ‘Ivy’s Birthday’ is in full stealth mode.”

Momo’s POV

I glanced around while practicing a short routine and noticed Felicity and Quinn whispering in the corner. Hmm… something’s going on there, I thought. But when I looked at Y/n and Ivy, fully focused on their song, I shook my head. Whatever it is, it’s clearly top-secret.I saw some of the other twice girls noticed too.

Third Person's Pov:

Nayeon, still leaning against the wall, peeked a little closer. “Wait… is that a FaceTime call with someone? And… are those notes about a cake? Or is my imagination?”

Jeongyeon squinted. “Uh… I think I see words like ‘restaurant’ and ‘gifts’ on that tablet. Wait… are they planning something? RIGHT NOW?”

Chaeyoung, trying not to laugh, whispered, “Shh! Don’t let them see us looking. Ash would totally die if she realized we’re watching her family plotting.”

Sana, curious, leaned too far forward and almost bumped into a tripod. “Oops—uh… nothing!” she whispered quickly, waving her hands.

Felicity and Quinn froze mid-gesture, both noticing movement out of the corner of their eyes. Quinn hissed, “Did someone see us? Felicity, hide the tablet!”

Felicity whispered back, “Relax, it’s probably just the other girls moving around… keep acting normal!”

Mina, trying to be sneaky but failing, giggled behind her hand. “I swear, this is too entertaining. Ash has no idea we’re watching — oh, the look on her face when she finds out is going to be priceless!”

Tzuyu rolled her eyes but smiled. “We should really focus… but wow, their stealth mode is impressive. Even Ivy has no clue.”

Y/n’s Leighrei’s POV

I noticed the slight commotion across the room and Momo comes towards us especially beside me and ivy and she nudged me, whispering, “Looks like someone’s spying.”

I shot her a quick glance, still pretending to focus on the piano. Yep, perfect distraction. Ivy is none the wiser… let’s keep it that way.

Ivy hummed a soft note, completely absorbed, and I smirked faintly. “Five days… we’ve got this,” I thought, picking up my pencil again and diving back into the song.

Back In the corner again:

Sana leaned closer to peek again, whispering to Nayeon, “Do you think Ivy’s going to notice?”

Jeongyeon shook her head, “No way… she’s too focused on Y/n.”

But just as Felicity was about to swipe something on the tablet, Ivy appeared from the corner of the room, stretching. “What are you guys doing over there?”

Felicity froze mid-gesture, Quinn nearly dropped her phone, and the tablet wobbled dangerously.

“Oh—uh, nothing! Just… uh, rehearsal stuff,” Quinn stammered, quickly hiding the screen behind her back.

Ivy tilted her head, curious but still clueless. “Mhm… alright then. I’m heading to the piano again!” She walked past them, humming.

The group exhaled slowly in unison, hearts racing. “Close one,” Felicity muttered under her breath.

Y/n POV in their little commotion:

Momo, still watching from across the room, whispered, “This is like watching a spy movie… only funnier.”

I smiled faintly to myself, glancing at Ivy, then back at Felicity and Quinn. “Five days,” I reminded myself silently. “We’ll make this birthday perfect… no matter what.”

Just as the room settled back into rehearsals, my phone buzzed. A notification from an unknown number flashed across the screen.

I glanced at it, heart skipping a beat.

“Ash… we need to talk. Now.”

I froze. My chest tightened. Who could it be?

And it's a wrap for chapter 9! Really intense to write but gladly I have a Co writer now because can't handle this story alone. THANK YOU AGAIN LOVEYSS FOR 3K READERSS APPRECIATED IT A LOTT. Thanks for giving me inspiration to write this again. Mwa mwaaa hope u guys will love this chapter and leave comments pls if u guys enjoyed it hehe thankss!! Enjoy chapter 9 and see you all in Chapter 10!!Author outtt<3

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