The next morning arrived quietly, with the city still shaking off its sleep.
After a light breakfast at home, Jihoon and Jieun stepped out together, bundled up against the crisp December chill.
He dropped her off at Loen Entertainment, as usual.
She gave him a playful scowl before stepping out of the car, still not over the broken promise of the kimchi fried rice—but not mad enough to refuse a ride.
Jihoon chuckled as she disappeared into the building, pulling her hoodie tight against the wind like a grumpy kitten.
With that, he turned the wheel toward SM Entertainment.
Another promise to keep.
Come to think of it, Jihoon realized he'd been making a lot of promises lately—too many, maybe.
From Taeyeon's vocal project to Yejin's heartfelt request the night before… this month had turned into a rolling contract of favors.
Last night's dinner had been more than just wine and pasta.
Somewhere between the laughter and the awkward silence, Jihoon had proposed the idea of turning their situation—seven women, bound by real-life friendship—into a film.
A proper ensemble film.
He'd floated the concept to Yejin as casually as he could, though both of them knew it was far from a casual undertaking.
They'd agreed to meet again—somewhere quieter, more suitable for story work.
A noisy restaurant wasn't the place to dissect character arcs or screen structure.
And Jihoon still had to get the foundation ready.
The script didn't exist yet, and he wanted this version to be better—more thoughtful, more layered—than the original adaptation he remembered from his past life.
He remembered the original from his past life—an adaptation of a beloved stage play.
It had checked all the commercial boxes: box office hit, high viewership, even a few awards.
But despite its polished exterior, it lacked something vital. Something human.
It was too clean. Too neatly tied up in sentiment and structure.
Too afraid to sit with the uncomfortable truths about friendship.
In that version, the women were characters—well-acted, but still just pieces in a scripted puzzle. Jihoon didn't want characters this time.
He wanted people. Flawed, sharp-edged, vulnerable people who laughed loudly, fought over nothing, and went home quietly wondering if they were being left behind.
Jihoon wanted to fix that. He wanted to make it real.
But first—today—he had to deal with something else.
Taeyeon.
The moment Jihoon stepped into SM's main building, he could feel the chill in the air—and it wasn't from the winter weather outside. The receptionist greeted him stiffly.
When he finally reached Lee Sooman's office, the mood was already set.
Sooman barely looked up from his papers. "You wouldn't come here if it wasn't for something," he said briskly, his voice clipped and professional.
"I have a meeting in ten. If you've got something to say, say it now."
The days of friendly banter between them were over.
Whatever mutual respect they once shared had worn thin after his attempt to coerce him into shooting the Family Outing and the continued pressure that pushed him to the edge.
Jihoon raised a single finger. "There's an MBC drama that wants me to write an OST," he said simply. "I need the five main singer of the SNSD members to perform it."
Sooman finally looked up, his expression unreadable. "This is a good opportunity. I'll contact their managers and have them sent to you immediately."
Jihoon shook his head. "No need. I've already told them. I just thought you should hear it from me first."
The silence between them lingered for a second. Cold, but respectful.
With a soft exhale, Jihoon turned to leave Lee Sooman's office, finally done with the formality. But his day was far from over.
By the time he arrived at the recording studio, the five leading voices of SNSD—Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, and Seohyun—were already there, lounging in oversized hoodies and sipping from iced drinks like it was their dorm.
Jihoon walked in and, without much ceremony, began passing out the music sheets. "Here," he said, placing them on the table.
"Take a look. Get used to the rhythm first."
Sunny squinted dramatically at the title and let out a mock gasp. "Yah, Day by Day? Jihoon-ah, what kind of overly sparkly, teenage diary nonsense is this? Did you borrow Jieun's journal to write this?"
Jihoon smirked. "If you don't like it, the other four can record it without you."
Sunny rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "You're becoming more and more shameless. I swear, you're turning into a soft-hearted ahjumma."
"Be more worried about Tiffany getting scammed and sold off because she can't read the fine print," Jihoon shot back.
"Hey!" Tiffany protested, holding the sheet upside down. "I can read… most of this!"
"You can't even read 'verse two' properly!" Jihoon snapped, trying not to laugh.
"Can we just record already?" Taeyeon said, slipping off her jacket and adjusting the mic stand. "Let's get this sugar-fest over with."
Jihoon waved them toward the booth. "Yes, yes. Let'sget to it...."
As the girls settled into position, the soft piano melody floated into the room, and then came the vocals—layered, light, like the first pages of a romance novel.
"When I open my eyes, there's sweet sunshine,"
"With the fresh aroma of fruits all around,"
"With a full cup of mocha latte, I sit on this small terrace,"
"And when I think of you."
"I start to smile unknowingly,"
"It feels like only good things are going to happen,"
"My day's excitement that no one else can bother,"
"I can feel it."
"We haven't asked each other if this is possible,,"
"If we can love like this,"
"But, but who cares, like magic,"
"I can't hide this feeling like I'm about to fly."
"Oh, day by day, day by day, my heart,"
"I'll fill it with love, like your heart too,"
"Like a soft cream, let's look upon each other,"
"Please think only of the good things."
They wrapped the first take and returned, ears perked as they listened to the playback.
Jihoon nodded, satisfied. "Alright, this should do it," he said.
Taeyeon blinked. "Wait… that's it?"
Jihoon leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, wearing a smug grin. "It sounds great. No need for a second take."
"This was one take. With five different people," Taeyeon said, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Are you even listening?"
"It's not rocket science," Jihoon replied. "The song just needs to sound sweet. That's all."
Tiffany frowned, "You say that, but I feel like this is some psychological trick."
"You always feel tricked when you understand less than half the lyrics," Jihoon teased.
Taeyeon groaned. "Let's just do one more, for safety."
"Fine. But conserve your energy. You've got a solo coming next," Jihoon said casually.
Sunny gasped in mock outrage. "Every single OST, you give Taeyeon a solo! What's this favoritism?!"
"She's the nation's vocal cord. I'm trying to make her an OST goddess," Jihoon shrugged playfully. "Besides, if she goes solo, who's going to lead your group?"
"Ya! Don't joke about that!" Sunny lunged forward and kicked his shin.
"Ow! Ya! That hurt!"
Jessica crossed her arms and chimed in, cool as ever. "You still owe me three songs. I'm not letting that slide."
Jihoon sighed. "You're all prepping for an album. Where would the singles even go?"
"We've got Taeyeon's radio, Yoona's drama… but the rest of us?" Sunny asked.
"I'm busier than all of you combined," Jihoon muttered, counting on his fingers. "Jieun's about to debut. I've got to prep your next mini album. Then there's my movie dropping next year. And now I might be filming another."
Seohyun, ever the serious one, looked up from her notes. "But oppa, school is still your top priority."
"See? Only Seohyun still has her head on straight." Jihoon smiled and gave her a soft pat on the head.
Sunny groaned. "Jieun's debuting already? Ugh, we're old."
"If you're done with your nostalgia trip, get back in there and re-record. Finish fast, I've got deadlines and headaches," Jihoon waved them back with a producer's authority.
"Yes, sir!" they chorused, diving back into the studio.
The second take was tighter, more fluid, their harmonies locking in naturally. When they returned, even Taeyeon gave a small nod of approval.
"I think we nailed it," she said.
Jihoon didn't even lift his head from the control panel. "Good. Now four of you go."
The girls paused.
"Just leave Taeyeon behind," Jihoon said with a smirk. "We've got a solo to record."
The other four groaned in unison, dragging their feet like kids being sent to bed early.
But just before stepping out, each of them took a parting shot—literally.
One by one, the girls gave Jihoon a light smack on the head as they passed. He barely had time to flinch before Jessica delivered the hardest one, making him wince.
"YA!!!! JESSICA JUNG!!" he protested, rubbing his scalp.
They were already halfway down the hall, laughing like they'd just won something.
Back in the booth, Taeyeon watched the chaos unfold with amusement. She slid her headphones on, flashing a grin. "You really do have a bias, don't you?"
Jihoon shrugged, still smirking. "Nope. I have taste."
[Author's Note: Heartfelt thanks to Wandererlithe, JiangXiu, qinqin, Night_ Adam, BigBoobs, Daoist098135 and Daoistadj for bestowing the power stone!]