"Without changing one bit,

I waited for you,

Are you listening,

Here I am,

With you" - Apink, Fairy

Chapter 4

Eunji laid helplessly on the floor, confused as to what was happening to her. She was just fine minutes ago, but the moment she clicked send, her legs felt heavy as the pain sustained on her back disc suddenly worsened. All alone in the gym, the girl was anxious and afraid that no one would come to save her. A phone call was her only hope, she had her members. She had Apink.

"W-What's going on Eunji-ya?!" said Chorong confused and afraid.

"Come to the gym right now....maybe call an ambulance too I think....." said Eunji with a baffled laughter, finding it weird as to what was happening to her.

"Stay right that Eunji-ya. We're coming for you." said Chorong as she ended the call. The girl stared at the ceiling as she felt the pain crawling through her spine all the way to her legs. It was just too surreal to even understand the situation at all. Eunji was strong-willed, she believe in optimism and prevented any negative thoughts that floated in her mind.

"It will be fine Eunji-ya. Once you visit the doctor, all I need is treatment and my legs will be fine. It won't affect me or Apink as a whole. I will walk again." thought Eunji to herself as all she could do was to wait, while suffering in silence.

Luckily, Eunji's usual gym was about a 10-minutes walk and the girls got there just in time. They were shocked to see her, lying helplessly on the floor but the girl stayed strong and showed a smile instead upon seeing their faces.

"We're taking you straight to the hospital." said Bomi as she and Hayoung both lifted the girl up, each of her arms onto their shoulders. Chorong, Naeun and Namjoo looked on with worry as they carried Eunji's belongings along. This was a situation that even their manager doesn't know about. They were being respectful after all, it was 2am and their managers probably need their rest too.

"There's a small clinic still open. We're not going to call the ambulance cause Chorong unnie said it would attract a lot of attention." said Bomi.

"As expected of our Rong leader..." said Eunji

"Unnie...." said Hayoung as she looked at her. Clearly, her unnie was in a lot of pain but she still maintained a neutral expression, not wanting the others to worry. The maknae then glanced at Naeun and she could tell from her face that, she was the most worried among everyone.

"You sure you didn't overwork yourself or pulled a muscle?" asked Chorong as the girls continued to walk slowly, step by step to the nearby clinic.

"Nope, not at all. I swear, it has to be something with the message I sent. At least, I can see Hayoungie now." said Eunji, glancing at the maknae with a relieved smile but Hayoung couldn't smile back. Instead, her eyes were slightly watery and had the face of a concerned child over her mother.

"Hayoung-ah...."

"No, it's nothing unnie. Really." said Hayoung as she quickly wiped her tears with her left arm, no one noticed it except for Namjoo who walked behind her. Knowing how she must've felt, the girl silently grabbed hold of Hayoung's hand and tighten the grip as if a message to tell her to stay strong.

Soon, the girls arrived at the clinic and in a relief, they were the only ones there meaning they didn't have to worry about the pictures being leaked online or the press coming over. The doctor immediately checked on Eunji as the five girls waited outside, holding their hands together as they prayed for the best. About 10 minutes had passed, the girl came out in a wheelchair that was helped out by the nurse as Apink stood up to greet the doctor. For some reason, seeing Eunji had their hearts shattered. The girls had been together for a long time and were like a family, seeing their loved one in pain, broke their hearts.

"You said that Eunji-ssi had a disc problem right? Unfortunately, we'll need to take her to a bigger hospital so that they can run through X-ray scans before we can determine her current condition. But, she will not be able to walk for awhile. Her legs are in total paralysis and I fear for the worst. But please, do not give up hope. Do write in your contact details here, as I will inform you the ward Eunji-ssi will be admitted." said the doctor as he gave a form to Chorong.

"Admission? She has to stay in the hospital?" asked Chorong in worry.

"She can't come back home?" asked Bomi.

"Yes, this is a strange condition. We aren't sure what has caused her disc to worsen so I believe professional doctors need to check it. I will call for an ambulance so you girls can visit her by tommorow morning."

"Don't worry about me. It's getting late so head back home and rest." said Eunji who continued to smile throughout, not wanting the girls to know how she truly felt.

"We can't let you go alone." said Bomi.

There was a moment of silence, as the girls glanced at each other, wondering who would want to accompany Eunji. Of course, all of them would've volunteered but it would be just too many. Hayoung signalled Naeun, with her eyes moving back and forth. 

"I..I'll go with her..." said Naeun softly.

The girls turned their heads, surprised at Naeun's actions. No one had expected her to do so, especially due to her reserved personality.

"W-What? There's nothing wrong with me accompanying Eunji unnie..." said Naeun, trying to avoid eye contact from Eunji whose smile suddenly became wider. 

"Naeun-ah, you've changed a little." said Chorong who also smiled at her. This was a new step, to make Naeun more outgoing and expressive as she was always the quiet one in the group who found it difficult to express her own thoughts.

The four girls left the clinic, waving goodbye to Eunji and Naeun as they headed back to their dorm. With the two alone as they waited for the ambulance to arrive, there was a long silence. It had been awhile since the two had a moment like this especially since Eunji was always busy and moving around. This was her chance, to say what she couldn't say. The girl remembered what Hayoung had told her, to be brave and say what she couldn't say otherwise, she's going to regret it.

"Eun-" 

"You've surprised me, Naeun-ah." said Eunji, before the younger girl could even speak.

"Why do you say so unnie?"

"Usually, you're not the type to straight-forwardly express yourself but today, you're a little different."

"I..Is it bad?"

"Bad? No, it's a good thing. I've always wanted you to be more expressive, even the fans think that way. But I know it would be difficult for you."

"It hurts doesn't it?" said Naeun as she randomly blurted out what she had been holding in for a long time.

"Huh? What do you mean Naeun-ah?"

"Behind that smile...you're actually in a lot of pain....right?"

The older girl just stared at her, as if waiting for her to continue her words.

"I-I mean, you've been going to the gym a lot so I was worried if you might overwork yourself especially since...you hurt your back disc not so long ago...." mumbled Naeun as her voice grew softer and softer. Her eyes started wavering as her heart started to beat. She didn't know what was wrong with her or why she was acting that way. It was then, she could feel the warm touch of Eunji's hand that was lightly placed on her cheek.

"Thank you Naeun-ah, for worrying about me."

It wasn't a lot, but the words itself gave a lot of meaning. Eunji was always someone who was self-less and always placed herself before others. It was rare to hear the older girl sharing her worries because instead, she was the one who listened and advised the others. But here, the girl understood something. Keeping her own thoughts inside wouldn't help because it would just make the situation worse. She didn't realise that there were actually people who cared. Thinking about these thoughts, her eyes began to water.

"Unnie....you're crying...." said Naeun as her eyes widened in surprise as she quickly took out a tissue from her bag, immediately wiping Eunji's tears away. It was rather shocking to see her unnie cry as she was the member in Apink who cried the least.

"I've always told myself to be strong and never show my weak side to anyone, even to Chorong unnie. But today I realised that it is okay to do that. It's okay to be small at times because I have you, the members, my family, everyone." said Eunji as everything that was bottled up, finally exploded into tears.

"Ah, why am I crying?" mumbled Eunji with a laugh. Naeun who didn't know what to do in that situation, quietly placed her hand on top of Eunji's head and slowly patted it, the same way she would do with a puppy.

"What are you doing Naeunnie? You're so cute sometimes." said Eunji as she laughed even more, finding the girl's awkward actions adorable as she managed to stop crying. It was at that moment, the doctor came in and told them that the ambulance had arrived.

~X~

Back at the dorm, it was already 3am and Chorong had ordered the kids to go straight to sleep as they would wake up first thing in the morning to visit Eunji. It was yet, another rollercoaster for the leader as so many things happened. At least, Hayoung was back, normal and fully visible but now, another problem arises. Looks like there isn't going to be time to rest for Apink. 

"Unnie, you aren't going to sleep?" asked Bomi who headed out to the living room to take something, only to see her unnie sitting all alone in the living room. Already by seeing her face, the younger girl could tell what was going on.

"She's overthinking again..." thought Bomi as she walked to her and placed her arms on her waist, with an angry pout.

"It's not fair how unnie asks us to sleep but she herself isn't going to." 

"I will sleep soon Bom-ah, soon. You should go and sleep." 

"I'm not sleeping until you are." said Bomi as she crossed her arms.

"What? You're whining now?" said Chorong as she broke into a laugh.

"I'm not. You're doing the same thing again and that isn't good unnie."

The older girl could only respond with a sigh. 

Bomi stared at her unnie who had her head down. Wondering what to do with her, she took her hands and dragged her out of the sofa, into Chorong's bedroom. Without a word, the younger girl simply pointed towards the bed, to her and then placed her two hands together against her head as if to tell her to sleep right now. Bomi then, turned off the lights in the room and shut the door tight so that her unnie wouldn't come out again. 

Chorong who witnessed all this simply broke into a disbelief laugh. She understood what the girl had meant, and found her actions cute. Thanks to Bomi, all of her worries disappeared in a flash. It was only wonders that only Yoon Bomi could do.

Morning had arrived but the ordeal of last night remained fresh in the memories of the Apink members. The girls had barely 4 hours of sleep and rely on coffee to stay awake. Chorong had already received the text from the doctor and information of what ward Eunji was admitted in. Just like a mother, the girl reminded her dongsaengs to bring along neccessities like toothbrush, toothpaste and a new set of clothes for Naeun who was by Eunji's side the whole night. Riding in the car by their manager who heard everything before Chorong could even tell him, there was no doubt that Plan A staff were indeed very efficient and quick.

"The boss told me that the press doesn't know about this yet so it's best to keep it low regarding this matter." said Hyunsoo as he rubbed his eyes while focusing on driving. It was obviously written on his face that he had woken up in the middle of dawn and headed straight to work. But Hyunsoo had to do his best, for the girls.

Seoul Hospital was crowded as ever, there were patients rolling in right and left and the counters were packed. Even with their masks on, they were already getting stares and murmurs from others because it was just too obvious. Hyunsoo told the girls to wait as he handled everything, explaining the situation and asking the nurses. They trusted their manager and eventually, they were granted permission to visit the ward that was on the 7th floor. Taking the elevator, it was less crowded and away from the uncomfortable stares they were getting at the lobby. With quiet steps, the group headed straight and turned left to a private ward "Room 305" only to see an awake Eunji sitting up straight at her bed and a sleeping Naeun on her lap. The girl was smiling, looking at her as she caressed her hair. Her smile turned brighter as she saw her family, Apink and of course, their manager oppa.

She quickly placed her finger over her lips, indirectly telling them not to make any noise and wake Naeun up to which the girls nodded with a smile.

"Does the CEO-nim know about this oppa? Is it out in the news?" whispered Eunji.

"Yes he does but, everything's still a secret. But I don't think it won't be long, we already attracted to much attention downstairs." replied Hyunsoo as he placed a bouquet of flowers on the small table, at the side. 

"Did the doctor say anything?" asked Chorong.

"Nope, the nurse said he'll come in the afternoon to check on me. I just spent the last few hours sleeping and Naeunie here, was really stubborn and didn't want to sleep, said that she'll look after me but now look at her. Make sure she sleeps a lot when she gets back home unnie." whined Eunji as if she was nagged a lot by her dongsaeng. Rarely, she was sick so it wasn't very common of her to feel "taken care of".

"It's just Naeun unnie's way of expressing her concern unnie" smiled Hayoung, she knew Naeun better than anyone else.

"R-Right...." said Eunji as her voice got softer, she couldn't really say anything. She was thankful to Naeun but in a way, it was also difficult to show her gratitude to her. She had always been giving and not receiving so this position felt awkward.

The girls spent the morning, quietly chatting away as a means to completely forget what happened last night. Their manager had left to discuss the issues with their boss and he would come back in the afternoon, when the doctor was coming. Bomi and Hayoung did silly things together that made Eunji laugh while Namjoo and Chorong felt second-hand embarassment by just watching. Eventually, the noise got louder and louder and Naeun slowly opened her eyes, realising the situation she was in. Noticing that she was still sleeping on Eunji's lap, the girl jolted awake, her face red in embarassment.

"S-Since when did all of you came?" stuttered Naeun as she looked at the members and then to Eunji.

"Like three hours ago....why is your face red unnie?" said Namjoo.

"Her blood probably went all the way to her head cause she was sleeping like this" said Hayoung jokingly as she imitated how Naeun slept.

"Omo, our maknae is a bad girl." said Bomi with a laugh, playfully hitting her as a form of punishment.

"Good morning Naeun-ah, did you sleep well?" said Eunji as she fixed the girl's messy hair.

"Has the doctor arrived yet?" asked Naeun

"Answer me before I answer yours."

".....I slept well...."

"Good girl" smiled Eunji as she lightly pinched Naeun's swollen cheeks.

"Omo unnie, should we leave?" said Hayoung with sarcasm.

"Looks like we're not needed here. Let's go." said Namjoo as she played along with the joke, grabbing Hayoung's arm.

"We shouldn't waste our time here. Come on unnie, let's go eat breakfast downstairs." joked Bomi as the four girls playfully walked towards the door as if they were actually going to leave. Of course, they didn't. The room became livelier, with jokes and laughter in between. If only this moment could last forever, there would be so much of happiness.

As the girls waited for the doctor, their discussion became more serious as they began to analyze what had happened yesterday. The wishes, Hayoung's invisibility and Eunji's sudden injury, it was all missing pieces to a puzzle.

"When Hayoung became visible again, all of us received a message that we broke the rules of the game and we had to face the consequences. I was so angry because it did not even make any fuc-"

"Bom-ah, say prettier words."

"Ah. Sorry unnie...I mean....it did not make any sense at all."

The atmosphere was less tense, thanks to pabomi as the girls broke into laughter, seeing their unnie into an obedient puppy in front of the scary Rong leader.

"So, you're saying that if we make a wish that overlaps the current one, something bad will happen to the person who makes the wish?" said Hayoung with a thought.

"Sometimes I really wonder why didn't you enter university? Our maknae is so smart." said Namjoo.

"Aigoo unnie, don't say that. You're making me feel shy" said Hayoung with a blush.

"But it is true. What you said Hayoung-ah, made sense." said Chorong in agreement.

"So you mean, we can't make a wish to make Eunji feel better? Wow, I really want to find out who's behind all this and give him a fuc-"

"Bom-ah.." said Chorong as she glared at the younger girl.

"Sorry." replied the girl as she avoided eye contact.

Chorong knew that whenever Bomi got angry, she wouldn't let it stay as it is. In fact, the 93-line members were always like that. They would sometimes do things before thinking and because of this, they end of hurting people without even knowing. This is why Chorong had always felt that Bomi and Eunji were the hardest kids to control in Apink and often wondered the disaster that would happen, if they were the leader.

"The only ones left to make a wish is me, Chorong unnie and Naeun unnie..." said Namjoo.

"If any of us receive that thing to make a wish, do not ever make a wish to make Eunji better again because I don't want anything else to happen to all of you." warned the leader.

"Roger that, leadernim" said Namjoo.

"That includes you too, Naeun-ah." said Chorong as she glanced at the girl who kept silent the whole time.

It was at that moment, the doctor arrived and the girls immediately stood up and greeted him with a bow. Coincidentally, Hyunsoo arrived as well. But without a word, nurses suddenly came into the room and pulled Eunji's bed out, dragging her away to an unknown place. Not knowing what was going on, Eunji was forced to let go of Naeun's hands and looked at her, wanting to engrave her face into her heart until she could no longer see her. It was as if, that was the last time she was ever going to see her again.

"Where are you taking Eunji?" asked Hyunsoo.

"We'll be running some tests on her. It's a bit of an emergency since we've read the reports from the other doctor. It will take some time so I think you and the girls can go have breakfast and come back later." said the doctor. He seemed to be in a rush as in a flash, Eunji, the nurses and the doctor were gone.

"You heard the doc. It will probably take some time so I'll take you girls for breakfast and we'll be stopping by the company. THe CEO wants to have a chat with you." said Hyunsoo as he looked at the girls.

Upon the mention of "CEO", the younger members were worried and afraid. They didn't know what to expect or explain to him, as it would be far too crazy to believe what was happening. But Chorong, was different. She remained strong and unfazed. Although it was always her and Eunji who spoke to the CEO with confidence but without her around, it was honestly a little intimidating. Apink headed into the elevator that had a transparent window. Looking out, there was already a group of journalists ready to attack and bombard them with questions.

"I knew this would happen. Girls, you know what to do. Just follow me and head straight into the van." said Hyunsoo to which the girls simply nodded. Soon, the elevator slowed down and the moment the door finally opened, the journalists shoved their cameras and microphones towards the girls, hoping to get even the tiniest of information of what was happening. Thanks to Hyunsoo's tall height, he managed to form a barricade with his body while spreading his arms wide open, allowing the girls to quickly walk past the lobby and into the basement level where the carpark, heading straight into the van. 

As the situation was far too dangerous for the girls to be openly in public, their breakfast was fast-food ordered through a drive-thru service. The girls ate quietly in the car, as all they could think in their head was Eunji and their CEO. Hayoung searched through her phone and found out all the news articles posted online. It was indeed quite a hot topic.

[BREAKING] Apink's Eunji admitted to hospital for unknown reason? Apink members spotted at Seoul National Hospital.

"Stop reading the news. It would only make you more angry." advised Bomi to Hayoung.

"But unnie, these people are commenting bad things about Eunji unnie...I can't just-"

"We feel the same too, but it's not like we can do anything about it. We're bound to have comments like that." said Bomi.

"That's right. We should look at the good side of it, not this." said Chorong as the two unnies comforted their maknae, who felt uncomfortable with the sudden situation and news articles popping everywhere.

"Our fans must be really confused and worried.." said Namjoo as she looked out at the window, taking a picture of the morning weather that seemed slightly gloomy. The girl wanted to upload the picture onto her Instagram but she remembered the many moments when Chorong scolded her for posting pictures at the most inappropriate time. Like a child who remembers her wrongdoings, she saved the picture and just stared back out at the window. Hayoung who sat beside her, saw everything but decided to keep silent about it. She tried to keep her laughter inside, finding her unnie quite adorable at the most unexpected time.

Soon, the girls got down their van and walked up the usual staircase of their brand new company building. Moving past the practice room and climbing up to a small corridor, leading into the meeting room was their boss, Choi Jin Ho already seated and awaiting their arrival. The air was heavy as the their expression stiffened upon seeing his face. 

"Sit, girls. I think we're going to spend some time talking about this matter and I'm not talking about a 10 minute talk. This could take hours." sighed the man as he sipped his coffee.

"There's no point hiding anything from you CEO-nim. All of us will tell you exactly what happened right from the beginning. But please, believe us. It may sound unreal as if we're making it up but it really is happening to us." said Chorong with a serious expression. Her eyes told everything, her sincerity and honesty behind her words.

Every single detail was confessed to not just their CEO, but the managers and staffs who were around. They were now, the handful of people who know the actual story behind Apink's confusing phenomenon. Bomi's careless mistake in activating a wish that shouldn't have happened and formed into a painful, brain-cracking game that only sadistics would love and the mysterious power of wishes that really granted anything. It was like magic, Bomi turning into a child and Hayoung becoming invisible. No one knows how this could've happen. Even science can't possibily fix this.

"Fine." said Choi Jin Ho after three hours of the never-ending meeting as he crossed his arms and thought for awhile.

"Right now, we cannot confirm Eunji's condition or even acknowledge whether she will become better or not."

"Don't say tha-" said Bomi in an offended tone but Chorong quickly stopped her before her carelessness could cause others harm again.

"This will become a problem especially since your schedule in the upcoming months is going to be packed. You've got your upcoming Japanese album to be released and other activities as well. In fact, next week all of you are set to travel over to Taiwan for a fanmeeting. The fees are already paid so we can't cancel it."

The staffs and managers looked at each other, stuck at the current situation.

"Since it's going to be quite a hassle to deal with the press, we have no other choice but to let Eunji rest. That means, putting her onto an indefinite hiatus. The staff will inform the media about this and the five of you will remain low. Try not to appear in public. If you really need to, avoid crowded areas."

"......"

"Any questions?"

"Are we allowed to visit Eunji at the hospital?" asked Bomi.

"Of course. Why ask such a question? Even I'm going to pay her visit." said Jin Ho.

"But you just said we shouldn't appear in public...."

"Right, i meant places like Hongdae or Myeongdong for example. But it's advisable to visit Eunji with the managers."

"Got it...."

"As for now, I've cleared all your schedules except for next week. The fanmeeting in Taiwan is still on so until then, practice and do your rehearsals as usual. DQ team will be waiting for you at the following times." said Jin Ho as he handed out some documents that contained some info of their upcoming Taiwan fanmeeting such as the concert layout, setlist and such. The meeting continued for a long time, prolonging three hours as Apink took turns taking snacks at the office's new cafeteria and cups of coffee in between. Many things were discussed, Eunji's condition, Apink's current and future activities and many others. By the time the meeting was finished and everyone was allowed to leave, it was 4pm.

"Well, time went fast." said Namjoo as she checked her phone.

"I want to sleep..." mumbled Hayoung as she gently placed her head onto Namjoo's shoulder, closing her eyes halfway.

"I hope Eunji unnie is doing well..." said Naeun softly as she stared blankly at the car window.

With Hyunsoo at the wheel, the girls were on their way back to Seoul National Hospital to check on Eunji. Surely, the doctors would've finished diagnosing her condition and somehow found a solution. The girls came prepared, wearing their masks and sunglasses to cover themselves as they sneakily walked into the hospital lobby. Of course, people ended up staring at them because it was still, too obvious. A big group of strangely dressed up people crowding at a counter? Who wouldn't be suspicious? 

Taking up the elevator and going back to the same ward where Eunji was, they were surprised. The ward was empty. The bed was neatly cleaned up and there was no evidence of someone staying there. It seems that they have moved Eunji into another ward.

"Excuse me, may I ask where did patient Jung Eunji went to?" asked Hyunsoo to the receiptionist at the counter.

"Please, wait a minute sir." said the lady as she checked onto the computer records.

"I'm sorry. You do not have permission to visit her. Only those with the special pass or medical staff ID are allowed to visit her."

"What?" said Hyunsoo, confused at her words.

"Wait, what do you mean special pass or medical staff ID? Are her friends or relatives not allowed to see her? What happened to her? Are you hiding something from us? Why can't we see her?!" said Bomi in an outburst of rage.

"I'm sorry but this information is confidental. After Jung Eunji was checked and run through tests, I was informed that the government was going to take control of her from now so this hospital no longer has any authority to reveal any detail or release any medical records."

"What?!"

[END OF CHAPTER 4]

A/N: Now this is getting very fishy. Do leave your comments and thoughts as to what you think is happening! It's quite evident that this was a very 2eun chapter haha~ I will try my best to update soon! Thank you for reading and subscribing!