Jeongin was leaning back against the studio wall, scrolling through his phone between rehearsals, when ILLIT’s new MV for Tick-Tack dropped.

He froze mid-scroll, eyes widening. “Wait… is that…?”

The camera panned to a silhouette labeled as Jiji’s crush. The posture, the build—it looked suspiciously like him.

He shook his head, trying to convince himself. “Nah… probably just casting. They could make it anyone… totally random.”

But a few days later, behind-the-scenes clips came out showing that each member had picked exactly what their crush looked like. Fans went wild. Screenshots of Jiji selecting a silhouette that matched him flooded social media. “Jiji likes Jeongin??” “That’s so obvious now!”

Jeongin felt his cheeks heat up. Could it really be him? After all these years—since trainee days, the late-night practices, teasing each other, all the small glances—they’d both been quietly hiding their feelings.

Later, he found her sitting by the studio window, sipping water, hair softly falling around her face.

“Hey,” he said, trying to keep his voice casual despite his racing heart.

She looked up, a faint pink dusting her cheeks. “…Hey.”

“So… I saw the MV,” he began, carefully choosing his words. “The silhouette… that was… um…”

Jiji fiddled with her bracelet, glancing down before meeting his eyes. “Yeah,” she whispered.

“…Yeah?” His stomach flipped.

She nodded shyly, biting her lip. “I picked… someone I like.”

Jeongin’s chest tightened. “…Wait. That’s… me?”

Her small, shy nod made him grin, a mixture of disbelief and relief. “I… like you too,” he admitted softly.

Her smile widened, timid but genuine. “Really?”

“Really,” he murmured, stepping closer, lowering his voice so it was just for her. “Looks like we’ve been keeping this secret for far too long.”

In that quiet moment, the years of unspoken feelings finally had a place to breathe—between shy smiles, nervous glances, and the realization that neither had to hide anymore.