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Nayoung, Jieqiong, Chungha

Come over after dinner?

Where are you?

I’m still at dinner, will be back later.

No, your room number.

Ahaha, 602. You?

We’re on the 8th floor.

Bring Jieqiong if you can?

Sure.

Nayoung’s foot taps a slow but impatient rhythm on the floor. The manager had said it was fine, they were just going to be in the hotel, so she just waits.

A knock on her door and Nayoung slips her shoes on, tugs her mask higher. The manager waves sleepily at her and she nods back, grabs the room card and opens the door.

“Hey,” Jieqiong says, “ready?”

Her eyes are slightly red and puffy - Nayoung has the sneaking suspicion that Eunwoo’s are too, certainly knows what she herself looks like. She lets the door close softly behind her, hears it click then nods.

Jieqiong’s eyes curve into a smile above her mask.

They shuffle towards the elevator in silence. Nayoung can feel the anxiety radiating off of Jieqiong from the foot she is behind her, takes a step forward and closes her hand over the younger girl’s.

Jieqiong’s head whips up.

Nayoung shrugs, “It’s just Chungha. It’s going to be ok.”

“...yeah,” Jieqiong says though she does not pull their hands apart, “I know, but I-”

She shakes her head and Nayoung can see her lips purse behind the mask, “Chungha-unnie is too kind,” she mutters.

Nayoung nods, “That she is.”

Nayoung knocks.

“Who is it?”

She smiles. They had literally just seen each other on stage, then backstage, but Chungha’s voice never fails to put a grin on her face.

“It’s us,” she says.

Then the sounds of someone scrambling for the door, complete with what sounds like Chungha tripping over shoes and the distinct clatter of something that was probably not meant to be dropped on the floor. Jieqiong giggles from behind her and Nayoung has to purse her lips together to stop herself from laughing aloud.

“Coming,” comes a half-groan.

Jieqiong snorts though her grip tightens over Nayoung’s.

The door opens and their hands separate as Chungha comes flying out, glomps Nayoung in a giant hug.

“NAYOUNG-IE!”

Nayoung pats her on the back.

“And Kyulkyung-ie too!”

Jieqiong grins, feels her anxiety melt away instantly when Chungha-unnie turns the full force of her attention on her, feels the weight of Chungha in her arms. She knows they had hugged earlier, multiple times, but somehow every single time just makes her heart soar. Jieqiong tightens her hold, then picks Chungha up to giggles and wiggles Chungha around once more like she had done on stage.

When she finally puts Chungha down, she can barely feel her cheeks from smiling so hard, mirrored as her own grin is by Chungha’s ear-splitting one.

“Come on in,” Chungha beams, “It’s just me and Jina-unnie but she’s out with the other staff right now.”

Jieqiong pouts.

“You’ll get to see her soon,” Chungha laughs, “She wanted to say congrats too~”

Chungha beams, “Congrats!”

Nayoung smiles, “And congrats to you too!”

Chungha produces a packet of something that looks like chocolate, “You want some? I mean, it’s not dried sweet potatoes but it’s still pretty good.”

“I want to eat some,” Jieqiong grins, sticks her tongue out.

Chungha laughs.

Chungha’s phone buzzes.

“Chungha-unnie! You’re- YAH! CHOI YOOJUNG! Get out of my-”

Nayoung laughs, watches as Yoojung’s face takes up almost all of the screen then Doyeon’s elbow comes into view, closely followed by Doyeon’s face.

“Oh, Nayoung-unnie~”

“NARONG-UNNIE!”

“Yah, you guys are loud,” Jieqiong says from next to her.

“Ah! Kyulkyung-unnie!”

“You should come over,” Chungha says.

Yoojung pouts, “We gotta be up real early tomorrow, and our manager isn’t going to let us leave the building.”

Nayoung pouts.

“Congrats though, all of you!” Yoojung beams, “it was so nice standing on the same stage as everyone again.”

“Thanks,” Nayoung says. Chungha nods.

Doyeon nods, “Yeah! Oh, Somi is going to be so jealous. Wait till I send them a screenshot of this.”

Jieqiong sticks her tongue out, Chungha giggles, Nayoung smiles.

Sure enough, their phones buzz and the video call rapidly dissolves into Jieqiong spamming reaction emoticons in the group chat, Chungha desperately trying to type faster than Yoojung (impossible), Doyeon just pinging everyone else even though it is midnight.

The light of phone screens reflecting off of Jieqiong’s and Chungha’s faces is a nostalgic one, Nayoung notes, even as she tells them to stop spamming because surely some of those who are asleep actually need that sleep. Goodness knows these kids barely get enough sleep as it is, they really don’t need more distractions.

This is different from what she is now used to, but she’s missed it. It’s a strange feeling - that those days could go on forever, but that she would not trade what she has now for the world, knows that these girls will always have her back, but that she has a home to go back to now, has nine others who are as much her family.

Nayoung finally looks up from her phone to see Jieqiong gently patting a sleeping Chungha. Jieqiong grins, shrugs.

Nayoung inclines her head, let’s go, and with a soft final pat, Jieqiong slowly makes her way off of the bed, heads towards the door.

Chungha stirs, then opens a groggy eye at the sounds of feet on the carpet, “You going?”

“Mmhm,” Nayoung says, “It’s late and you’re sleepy.”

Chungha mumbles something that sounds like m’not but her yawn gives her away.

Jieqiong yawns too and waves.

“See ya,” Nayoung says, “safe flight back and all the best for your comeback preparations.”

Chungha nods sleepily, rolls over once then again to face them.

“We’ll see you in Korea,” Jieqiong says, “bye unnie~”

“Love you,” Chungha says.

Nayoung smiles.

“Love you too.”

The door closes behind them softly.