Eunjung looked up at the night sky, completely mesmerized by the stars. It was amazing how some of the stars still shone brightly despite the city lights. Immediately, she brought out her phone and took a photo, thinking back on that one summer night when they went stargazing.

 

-Flashback-

"I say we go stargazing tonight!" Jiyeon enthusiastically said, earning surprised stares from the others. "I mean, none of us have anything to do tomorrow, so why not, right? Besides, it's been a while since we last got together for something not related to work."

"Wow, you get great ideas every once in a while, huh," Boram teased, earning giggles from the other members and a pout from the maknae.

"But really, it's cool! And we've never gone stargazing as a group, so it's a first!" Eunjung said, already in agreement with the idea. Not because it was Jiyeon who said it, no, definitely not. Okay, maybe that was part of the reason, but it was also true that they've never gone stargazing as a group before.

And so off they went to the outskirts of Seoul after just a few hours of preparation, enjoying their rare moment of spontaneity.

 

 

From the tents to the campfire, everything has already been set. Now, all that's left for them to do was to look up at the clear night sky, with all its stars shining brightly for them, and revel in its beauty. And so revel they did.

"Look, look! There's Deneb, Altair and Vega!" Soyeon said as she pointed out towards the summer triangle. From the looks of it, everyone was having a good time.

/This is definitely a good thing to do, this stargazing/, Eunjung thought as she looked to her side, only to find the ironic sight of the main proponent of the idea focusing on her phone, giggling every once in a while, instead of gazing up at the stars.

But even then, Eunjung could not help but think that the sight of a smiling Jiyeon was even more beautiful than the night sky, no matter the amount of stars brightly shining. If only she could say that out loud.

"So beautiful." Oops.

"Hmm?" Jiyeon asked, not catching what Eunjung just said. "What did you say?"

Now, Jiyeon's full attention was on Eunjung, making the older girl nervous.

"I-uh," Eunjung started and coughed to the side to regain her confidence, "I said the stars look beautiful tonight."

As Jiyeon looked up, Eunjung saw this as an opportunity to snatch the younger girl's phone.

"Hey!" Jiyeon shouted once Eunjung got her hands on the phone, catching a glimpse of what the maknae was giggling about. Unfortunately, what Eunjung saw had a different effect on her. Sweet words from Lee Dong Gun saying how he wanted to go stargazing with Jiyeon struck Eunjung tremendously, making her return the phone to its owner.

"Sorry for ruining your moment with him, I thought you were laughing about something else," Eunjung said with a quiet laugh and a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. Hopefully Jiyeon didn't notice the disappointment in Eunjung's demeanor.

"It's fine, unnie, we are supposed to be stargazing anyway, not focusing on our phones," Jiyeon replied as she kept her phone in her pocket, once again looking up at the night sky.

As the group continue enjoying their night out under the stars, Eunjung couldn't help but feel a gnawing feeling in her chest the entire time. To Eunjung, the stars just didn't shine as bright as they did a few moments ago.

 

-End flashback-

 

Now that Eunjung had known better, she realized that it was jealousy she felt that time. In reality, she had already known her feelings for Jiyeon a long time ago, but then these feelings will never reach Jiyeon anymore. She was afraid of risking their friendship, and so Eunjung bluffed, pretending to have no interest in Jiyeon. And now that Jiyeon is together with Dong Gun, Eunjung knew she her chance was wasted.

For Eunjung, just being beside Jiyeon is enough, even though a friend is as close as she can get.

 

Sighing, Eunjung smiled and looked at the photo she took a few moments ago and sent it to Jiyeon. A few minutes later, she received a reply from the younger girl, a photo of a starless night sky taken from her own room, with only the moon shining brightly.

 

---

 

Jiyeon sighed as she looked out her window and into the night sky. Nights in Seoul are usually starless, with only the moon shining brightly, and so it amazed her when she saw the stars in the picture Eunjung sent a few minutes ago. However, when she looked out her own window, she was greeted by a starless sky, much to her disappointment.

Eunjung unnie must have been near the outskirts, for her to see those stars, Jiyeon thought as she looked out her window once again and into the starless night sky. Heaving another sigh, she took a photo of the crescent moon with her phone. As she checked the photo she took, she couldn't help but think back to a distant memory of her conversation with Eunjung, on that one summer night when they went stargazing.

 

-Flashback-

"Which would you prefer to be, Eunjung unnie? A star in the sky? Or the moon?" Jiyeon absentmindedly asked as she looked at the night sky.

"Hmm? Why did you ask that all of a sudden?" Laughing slightly, Eunjung looked at Jiyeon to see the latter staring at the stars in awe.

"Must be nice to be a star..." Jiyeon once again muttered absentmindedly.

"I'd rather be the moon, if I were to be a star there's just too much competition," Eunjung replied, answering the maknae's question.

"Then why not just become all of the stars?" Jiyeon jokingly asked, turning to the older girl.

"Nope, I'd still choose the moon." Eunjung insisted.

"Why?" Jiyeon asks, giving up.

"The city lights can hide the stars away, but never the moon." Eunjung replies as she looks back at the stars in wonder.

-End Flashback-

 

Sighing, Jiyeon hit send, sending the photo of the starless sky to Eunjung.

The city lights can hide the stars away, but never the moon.

Sadly, Jiyeon's feelings were like the stars, hidden away by the city lights.

In truth, Eunjung was not the only one bluffing, feigning disinterest. Jiyeon was the same, scared of risking their friendship, and so their feelings remained hidden from each other, concealed in intimate gestures which could be disguised as friendly, until it was too late.

In the end, she realized Eunjung's feelings. At first Jiyeon didn't notice, but it slowly occurred to her. It was obvious in the way Eunjung would become quiet everytime Jiyeon would mention Dong Gun, or the way she would force a smile everytime she shared the sweet things the guy did for her.

After all, Eunjung was never a good liar, especially when it comes to her feelings.

But by then she was already with Dong Gun, and was already determined to learn to love him, not as a replacement for Eunjung, but as himself.

It was still a question for Jiyeon how she never realized Eunjung's feelings long ago, when Dong Gun was still out of the picture.

They could have been the best they ever had.

But just like the night sky in Seoul, their story was starless.

Dong Gun had become the city lights, hiding away the stars, leaving the moon to shine brightly alone.

 

---

A/N: Hey yo! So here's another oneshot focusing on Eunjung's feelings. I tell you, if only one-shots like these can be submitted as thesis proposal or better yet thesis, I'd graduate by now. Hahahahaha! I still have no thesis proposal huhuhuhuhuhu

 

(11/03): Yo! So I added a short part, this time showing Jiyeon's side of the story. I kinda did feel that just Eunjung's side was pretty short, so I added Jiyeon's. Hopefully a short part added to another short part would make up for it...? I'm out of creative juices huhuhuhuhu

 

So how was it?

Thanks for reading! :D