"How are you my love, my lost piece?

I miss you,

I cry, exhausted,

in the space you left intact,

I'm waiting for you" - Apink's Bomi & Namjoo, Lost Pieces

Chapter 5

The five girls stared confused at the nurse, who explained something that simply didn't make sense at all. Hyunsoo tried to convince her, making every single effort to allow them to visit Eunji but it was to no avail. There were so many questions left unanswered and it was just going nowhere. Bomi and Hayoung were boiling inside, furious at the whole situation. Before they could even explode, Chorong and Namjoo were there to hold them back. They knew that the two of them weren't going to let things stay as it is. They had to stop them before trouble was caused, which was going to be a domino leading to a bigger pool of problems.

"What the fu-"

"Bom-ah"

"This just doesn't even make sense! Why are they not letting us see Eunji? Why are they keeping all these secrets from us?!" shouted Bomi in ager.

"Keep quiet! You are at a hospital, you'll disturb everyone!" growled Chorong as her eyebrows furrowed and held on tightly onto Bomi's hand who formed into a fist. Her aggression was clear and she was almost very close to hurting someone.

"Let us go unnie. There's no point being the good guy here. We have to search the whole hospital. Eunji unnie is definitely here somewhere!" said Hayoung in support of Bomi who was about to walk towards the counter.

"Don't do it Hayoung-ah! Why can't you just listen to Chorong unnie and behave? Do you want to cause trouble? Do you want the whole world to know what you're going to do? Is this even going to mean anything at all?" said Namjoo, trying her best to talk sense into the maknae as she pulled her tall body back from walking any further.

"So what? Are we just going to stay here and wait? How long are we going to wait? Is Eunji even going to get better? We can't sit here and do nothing!" said Bomi, not listening to Chorong.

"Girls, please calm down..." said Hyunsoo as he tried to handle to situation but the girls did not listen. The four were caught into a heated argument, something that they had never done before in their 6 years of being together. This was in fact, their first ever argument. 

"Come on Bomi unnie, we'll start searching the hospital from the first floor all the way to the top. Time won't wait for us." 

"Hayoung-ah! Don't do this, please!"

"Bom-ah, calm down! Try to think more logically!"

"I don't have time to listen! We need to find her now!"

"Stop!!!!" shouted Naeun out loud that caused everyone to stop fighting at that very moment. This was the loudest shout that Naeun had ever done, even louder than the scream she had done during Apink's Extreme Adventure filming. Everyone was surprised to hear her loud cry, the quiet Naeun they knew finally spoke.

"Do you think Eunji unnie is going to be happy seeing all of you like this? Do you think fighting and arguing is going to bring us anywhere? Is violence the only way out? Can't all of you just listen to Chorong unnie and follow whatever is right?" said Naeun as her eyes became watery. She didn't like to see people fight, especially her loved ones who fought in front of her eyes.

"Naeun-ah..." said Bomi as she came into a realisation of what she was doing.

"Unnie...." said Hayoung, surprised to see her roommate in tears.

"Naeun is right. Please let the company handle this matter and don't create any trouble. All of you, please go inside the car while I settle some things." said Hyunsoo with a sigh as he went down to the carpark first, to unlock the van and then went back up. 

"The three of you go first. I need to talk to Bomi." said Chorong as she dragged the younger girl's hand into an empty stairwell, where nobody could hear their conversation.

"Let's go unnie...." said Hayoung as she carefully held Naeun's hand. Her eyes were full of worry and she had a sorry heart. She didn't know that her and Bomi's actions would hurt her feelings.

"The two of you go in first.....I'm going to the toilet for awhile..." said Naeun quietly as she walked away leaving Namjoo and Hayoung alone who obediently obeyed and waited inside the van. For a long time, there was a deep silence.

Hayoung kept exchanging glances with Namjoo who didn't seem to notice her. With a breath, she decided what she had to say.

"I'm sorry for making a fuss like that, unnie..." said Hayoung.

"Hayoung-ah.."

"I just...exploded. The whole situation just didn't make sense and I wasn't even thinking properly anymore....so......" said Hayoung as her words became softer and softer. Namjoo looked on, waiting for her to continue her words.

"It's okay Hayoung-ah, say it." said the older girl as she gently held her hands.

"I-I'm sorry for making you worry...but....I'm scared of getting scolded by Chorong unnie later.....what do I do?"

Namjoo broke out into a laughter, finding her dongsaeng's worries rather cute and innocent.

"It's fine, apology accepted. I think I would understand why Bomi unnie and you would get angry because i would too. Don't worry, I'll protect you from Chorong unnie. Trust me, Hayoung-ah!" smiled Namjoo.

"Thank you Namjoo unnie~" said Hayoung as the two sat closer, the younger girl placed her head onto Namjoo's shoulder and slowly closed her eyes, tired from the sudden situation and just wishing to sleep, hoping that the day passes quickly.

At the washroom, Naeun washed her face and looked at herself into the mirror. 

"I'm in such a mess..." sighed Naeun as she could see her swollen eyes and face from crying. The girl just stared at the basin, her thoughts were just all over the place. But despite that, all she could think of was Eunji. It was strange yet a longing feeling to see her again. Why would Eunji appear in her head out of everyone else? What about her family? What about her members? Why, Eunji?

"No, stay positive. Just like what Eunji unnie always says. I'm sure we can see her again." said Naeun as she got out of her deep thoughts and gently slapped her face with her wet hands. Staring at the mirror once again, she had to be strong. If Eunji wasn't around, she had to responsibility to take care of the dongsaengs. In fact, Eunji was always Naeun's role model. She had a personality that was the total opposite of hers. She had wished to have the ability to easily talk to strangers and say out her thoughts in a straight-forward manner but it was never possible. Naeun could never beat her unnie. With that, the girl walked back to the van and waited for her two unnies to return.

~X~

At the empty stairwell, there were two girls who faced each other and argued as their voices echoed.

"Bom-ah, I told you not to do that. Because of your behaviour, you even made Hayoung to follow you. Don't you think that is a bad example for our maknae? She's always following your actions which is good, but she also follows your bad habits as well."

"......."

"I know that you're angry. I know that inside, you are boiling. But in times like this, you have to take a moment, breathe and realise the situation you are in."

"......"

"Bom-ah, are you listening?"

"I can't breathe. It's suffocating. I'm suffocating in this situation."

"What?"

"This just isn't right at all unnie. Everything's all so suspicious and I hate it when people hide things from us. Don't you feel the same way?"

"Bom-ah, violence doesn't solve everything and you can't do everything by yourself. Just like what Hyunsoo oppa said, let the company handle it."

"So we're just going to wait? How long are we going to wait? Forever? What if Eunji never comes back?"

"How sure are you that it will happen? What if in the end, Eunji is really, really sick and the doctors had an emergency? Can't you think of those options as well?"

"......." The younger girl kept silent. In the end, she could never ever beat Chorong verbally. Everything she said made sense and she couldn't say anything else. She was right.

" it." cursed Bomi out in frustration as she looked away.

"Bom-ah..." frowned Chorong

"I can curse now since the dongsaengs aren't around." siad Bomi as she looked back at her unnie who obviously didn't have a good expression on her.

"But still, that is not good."

The younger girl only let out a sigh into the air.

"Enough about me. I'll keep quiet now and I won't do anything so don't worry. But what about you unnie? Are you going to be okay in this situation?" said Bomi as she changed her mind and instead moved her attention to her unnie. Just like her easy-going personality, she was able to change her emotions quickly.

"You know me too well, Bom-ah.." said Chorong with a sigh.

Upon hearing her sigh, the younger girl quickly held her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. She was always very sensitive to hearing Chorong's sighs because it just meant that something was not right.

"B-Bom-ah, what are you doing?"

"I can see it."

"See what?"

"The tears in your eyes."

"W-What? No, you're just-"

"Do it unnie."

"Huh?"

"I told you before. I know that you always want to remain strong in front of the dongsaengs but here, you can always show your weak side to me. Cry all you want, no one will hear but me. I'll pretend that I won't hear anything so if you really need it, hug me, pull me, hit me, do everything you want to release that. Whether it be tears of sorrow or tears of anger, please let it all out and don't keep it inside." said Bomi in a serious tone and she suddenly pulled the girl closer into a tighter, warmer embrace.

For awhile, there was no response from the older girl as the two stayed in that position for awhile. But slowly, Bomi could hear the quiet sobbings of her unnie as she cried in her embrace. The leader of Apink who always remained strong, finally broke down into tears in a place that nobody can see that was, in Bomi's arms.

Bomi gently caressed her unnie's hair, as if she was comforting a crying baby. For some reason, the girl smiled. She was happy that Chorong trusted her. She was glad that she was able to let all of her worries out.

"Bom-ah..I'm actually scared.....I'm scared of what's happening....."

"Um hm~" hummed Bomi as she nodded.

"But I told myself that I can't be scared. I can't be scared because I'm the leader. I have to lead everyone and give them hope. But I don't even know if we'll ever meet Eunji again.....I don't know what the is happening"

"Oh? You told me not to curse but you're cursing now..."

"Keep quiet. You said you'll pretend to not hear anything..." pouted Chorong as she looked at Bomi who was smiling all this time.

"Ah, you're sometimes crazily cute. Don't you know that, unnie?"

"W-W-What are you saying Bom-ah?" stuttered the older girl in surprise.

"I'm going to say sorry first but you can hit me later."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't control myself anymore. I've been holding back so long, but I just can't unnie..."

"Bom-ah, what are you saying?"

"This." 

The younger girl moved her hands from Chorong's shoulder to her puffy cheeks, pulling her face directly onto hers, making their lips touch at that very moment. It happened very quickly and Chorong didn't even have time to react. It was a small, gentle peck onto the two girls' lips. It was their first kiss through their lips(except the time where Chorong performed CPR on Bomi, that wasn't really counted), inside the empty stairwell of Seoul National Hospital. A place, where nobody could see. A place, that was only the two of them.

"W-W-W-What are you DOING?!" said Chorong in a loud voice, embarassed as her face turned red. Bomi has kissed Chorong before on her cheek but never on the lips. Her heart was beating very fast but for some reason, there was a strange feeling that lingered after that kiss. It was weird.

"Now, that's the normal Chorong unnie I know." laughed Bomi as Chorong hit her many times and eventually deciding to leave the stairwell because it was just pointless to be with her again. After all, the dongsaengs were waiting for them but here, Bomi was doing her foolish things again.

"A-Ah, unnie! Wait for me too!" said Bomi as she was left behind.

~X~

Back at the van, everyone was waiting for Chorong and Bomi to return. Hyunsoo was already at the wheel and received the message from the company. Hayoung fell asleep on Namjoo's shoulder while Naeun was busy texting her worried parents who saw the news. Soon, the girls finally returned and the van immediately headed to it's destination the Plan A company office.

"Omo unnie, why is your face so red? Did you catch a fever?" asked Namjoo who saw her unnie through the reflection of the front mirror.

"Don't ask...it's all Bomi's fault..." mumbled Chorong whose heart was still beating fast as all she could think of was that sudden kiss.

"Huh....Bomi unnie what did you do?" asked the curious Namjoo who turned her head.

"It's a secret." smiled Bomi in reply.

"Huh......" said Namjoo in a confused expression.

"Your face is really funny" laughed Bomi out loud.

"Unnie, Hayoung is sleeping." said Naeun to which the older girl quietly went silent.

"Sorry...." said Bomi as she looked at Naeun, remembering what happened awhile ago.

"W-Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm just wondering if you're okay...."

"I'm fine, don't worry about it Bomi unnie.."

"Really? I'm sorry for causing the mess earlier, probably made you a bit shocked right?" laughed Bomi with nervousness.

"No, not really. I think it's what the real Bomi unnie I know would do."

"Omo Naeun-ah~"

"Um, please get a room you two. Our maknae is still sleeping." joked Namjoo.

The girls headed back to the company as Hyunsoo explained everything that had happened at the hospital. Their CEO, Choi Jin Ho assured them that the staff would work on it and all Apink had to do was focus on their rehearsal practice for their upcoming Taiwan fanmeeting, Pink Aurora Tour. They couldn't do anything else but to follow the boss. 

For three days straight, the five girls practiced and practiced. Spending nights at their dance practice room and often soaked in sweat, it was as if they were doing it to forget everything that had happened. But, they can't. All they had on their mind was Eunji. Bomi and Namjoo each, took turns to cover Eunji's parts and their formations had to be changed. Ever since the day at the hospital, none of the girls said anything regarding Eunji. They were afraid to argue again. They didn't want to hurt others, so everyone kept silent and simply redirected their conversation to work-related issues.

"Alright girls, let's take a 30-minute break." said their dance teacher as the girls sighed in relief.

Chorong went to sip some water, Naeun and Hayoung sat on the bench to catch their breath while Bomi and Namjoo laid flat on the floor like dead fishes.

"I want to sleep forever" mumbled Bomi as she closed her eyes.

"Me too. Let's be sleeping beauty together." said Namjoo as the duo did not move a single muscle, completely relaxed in their position.

"Omo, then who's going to be the prince?" joked Bomi.

"God, not this again." said Chorong as she closed her water bottle and witnessed the fools playing around again.

"If Eunji unnie was here, she would've made a really sassy joke or played around with Bomi unnie...." thought Hayoung to herself. The maknae looked at her right side where Naeun was and just by looking at her expression, she could tell that her unnie wasn't her usual self. Naeun had a much more darker expression than before, she didn't seem to be focusing much and danced for the sake of doing so. The fire in her eyes had long died ages ago.

"She's gotta be thinking about Eunji unnie again.." thought Hayoung to herself, wondering how to make her roommate feel better again. The girl then moved on to look at Chorong unnie who was busy wiping her sweat. For some reason, she was still afraid after what she did at the hospital.

"Did Chorong unnie forget about scolding me? Or is she just waiting for the right time to let out her wrath?" thought Hayoung to herself as the maknae drowned herself in endless worries. As she was the youngest, she couldn't openly express her concerns and always decided to keep it to herself. But for some reason, she would eventually end up spilling the beans to either her roommate Naeun or reliable unnie, Namjoo but never to her older, three unnies.

As the two roommates sat side by side and kept quiet due to their thoughts running all across their minds, the only noisy ones were Bomi and Namjoo who laughed at each other's jokes while pretending to be mermaids on the floor. It was certain that they turned crazy after endless hours of practice. But it was obvious that something was amiss.

"Is everything alright?" asked Chorong as she approached the two roommates. As the leader, she knew what was wrong the moment she felt the strange atmosphere.

"Unnie...." said Hayoung quietly.

"Hm?"

"Um....about....what happened at the hospital the other day...."

"What about it?"

"A-aren't you going to scold me for what I did?" said Hayoung as her voice grew softer and softer, like a child who admits her wrongdoings in front of her mother.

The older girl could only let out a laugh, moving her hand towards Hayoung to which the younger girl flinched.

"Hey~what are you scared of? I'm not going to hit you Hayoung-ah" said Chorong with another laugh, finding the maknae's actions innocent as she gently held onto her shoulder.

"But I went against your word....that was the first time I did that...." 

"Aigoo Hayoung-ah, what you did wasn't wrong. It's okay to be angry at something and it's not entirely your fault. Bomi too, was at fault."

"Hey, I heard my name." said Bomi as she woke up and walked towards the three. Namjoo too, noticed what was happening and suddenly pulled Hayoung to her, and said "Chorong unnie, don't scold our maknae!". She promised Hayoung that she would protect her from Chorong and she definitely didn't go against her words.

"Omo, what's with you? I wasn't even scolding her." said Chorong with a baffled laughter.

"Oh my, unnie why are you scolding our maknae?" joked Bomi who found this an opportunity to .

"Hey, not you too. You wanna get hit instead?"

"N-No, I'm sorry" said Bomi with a nervous laughter.

The dance practice room became livelier again as the girls laughed, letting out their worries and stress. However, Naeun was the only one who didn't seem to smile much. She wasn't her usual self and the girls noticed it. But they chose to respect her as they knew her quiet, reserved personality well and learned that there were times where Naeun would just want to be left alone. With that, practice continued for the next few hours until it was time for the girls to head back home. As they still had to remain low profile, Apink had been spending the first three days, eating at home thanks to Chorong's cooking.

In the car, Hayoung would occasionally go onto the internet to check out the reactions of the public online or wonder if there were any news articles published. As they've been hiding away from the public, life has been relatively peaceful but the world virtually, was a mess. Fans and non-fans alike were arguing and talking about things that just didn't make sense. People would make assumptions that "Eunji being in the hospital would mark the end of Apink" or that "Apink can't do anything when they don't have their main vocal" while their fans, pandas would protect them by saying that "Everyone in Apink can sing, not just Eunji" or "You can't just assume like that when you don't know your girls well".

As the maknae looked through various social media platforms, she could also see fans making an effort to make some messages to trend online, just so the girls could see it. Hashtags like #ForeverWithApink or #StayStrongApink or even #GetWellSoonEunji were all over the place. Despite the online war, seeing the fans undying love to protect them made Hayoung touched and thankful. 

~X~

It's already past midnight and there's only two days left to their upcoming Taiwan fanmeeting. Inside the room of Naeun and Hayoung, it was evident that the girls weren't sleepy yet as they each did their own things. Hayoung was busy watching cartoons like Poror on her laptop while Naeun was just lying in bed, thinking deeply as she stared into space. The only thing you could hear in the quiet room was Hayoung randomly laughing out loud at times as she had earphones on (ever since Naeun complained that she couldn't sleep hearing the noise).

Naeun had been contemplating for a long time and came into a conclusion that she couldn't keep this as a secret. After all, she trusted Hayoung the most and knew that she wouldn't tell anyone else.

"H-Hayoung-ah" 

"Yes unnie?" said Hayoung as she took out her earphones and looked down at the lower bunker bed where her unnie was.

"Come down. If you stay in that position, the blood is going to go into your head and then you'll feel sick."

"Right." said Hayoung as she climbed down from her bunker bed and sat on Naeun's bed, looking at her with a concerned expression.

"W-Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I'm worried and I hope that you're going to tell me why you're like that"

"W-Was it too obvious?"

"Duh~even the unnies knew about it"

"Ah...crap..."

"So, what is it about? Is it about Eunji unnie?"

Upon the mention of "Eunji", Naeun flinched.

"I knew it." said Hayoung, hitting the jackpot.

"What? You wanna go break into the hospital now and find Eunji?" joked Hayoung.

"No, do you want to get scolded by Chorong unnie?"

"No." said Hayoung with a straight expression. Thanks to Hayoung, Naeun was able to laugh for the first time in three days. 

"Unnie, tell me what's worrying you. They say that talking it out will make you feel better." said Hayoung as she held Naeun's hands gently.

"Actually.....for the past three days, all I can think about is Eunji unnie. Without her, I don't know anymore...it's like my body can't seem to survive without her....it's really...strange..." confessed the older girl to which Hayoung opened her eyes widely, in surprise.

"Unnie......"

"To be very honest, remember about the wishes? Chorong unnie said that if we got it, we should never ever make a wish to make Eunji better again right?" Hayoung simply nodded in response.

"Just three days ago, I received the message. I received the message to have my wish granted."

"Omo, unnie...."

"That's why...I've been thinking....."

"Unnie. Don't. Do. It." said Hayoung as she looked at Naeun directly in the eyes.

"Hayoung-ah.."

"I know you want Eunji to become better again. I know you miss her a lot. I also want to see her too but if you do that, I don't know what's going to happen to you. I don't want to lose you too unnie"

"But...." said Naeun as she took out her phone and showed the maknae the message she received. Her answer is already filled in with the words "I wish Eunji unnie is back to normal" but it was not submitted. All it needed was a simple press on the "submit" button and that wish would come true. But here, Naeun held back knowing the dangers and warnings that Chorong had told her. 

"Unnie!" said Hayoung in a surprised voice. She didn't know that she had considered submitting the wish and was in a rather shocked state. Since when has her unnie become like that? Is it because of Eunji unnie? Usually, Naeun would be someone who obeys Chorong and refuses to go against her word.

"Hayoung-ah, after thinking for awhile, it doesn't really matter what happens to me you know?" smiled Naeun. it was not a smile of happiness but a smile of sombre. But looking at her eyes, she wasn't joking around. It really seemed that she had this urge to press the button.

"U-Unnie, wait! Is there something wrong? Why are you suddenly behaving like this? This isn't you!" 

"I don't know anymore...I think I'm going crazy......"

"Huh?"

"I miss Eunji unnie so much....till the point I might die...." said Naeun as her eyes began to turn watery, as if she was going to accept whatever fate that will befall on her.

"Don't do it unnie! Calm down, and take a deep breath! Try to think logically! Do you not care what happens to you? Do you not care how much I feel if something happens to you?" said Hayoung as she tried to talk some sense into her roommate.

"I'm sorry Hayoung-ah for behaving like this....I don't know what this feeling is or why I'm doing this...but there's one thing for sure..."

"What?"

"I think I'm in love with Eunji unnie." confessed Naeun as the girl, whose tears continued to fall down like a waterfall, moved her finger and gently tapped the "SUBMIT WISH" button on her phone.

Everything happened within a second. The moment Naeun's finger touched the screen, there was a sudden blackout in the dorm. Electricity stopped flowing, lights went off and the girl who sent her wish suddenly lost her conciousness, her body falling helplessly like a doll but before it could even touch the ground, Hayoung grabbed her.

"Unnie! Unnie!" shouted Hayoung, completely shocked as to what was happening. With the unconcious Naeun in her arms, tears flowed out of fear. She didn't want to lose her or lose any of her unnies because they were like family. They were like her sisters. She can't have any of them die in front of her eyes.

Due to the sudden blackout, Chorong, Bomi and Namjoo bursted into the room with lights shining from their phones after hearing Hayoung's cry only to see what was happening in the dark room.

"Quick! Call the ambulance!" said Chorong who immediately knew what happened as the girls quickly did what they were told.

[END OF CHAPTER 5]

A/N: Indeed, the power of love cannot be defeated. What has happened to Naeun? Did her wish come true despite the consequences that happened? In this chapter, Chomi finally had their first kiss! Do comment your thoughts of what you think will happen next! Thank you for reading and subscribing! I will try my best to update soon~