"I'm afraid you'll leave me,

Please cheer me up and hold my hands tightly,

I hope you have the same thought as me,

I hope it'll be bright everyday,

You are my only one baby" - Apink, Only One

Chapter 6

Everything feels fuzzy. It feels as if I went into a deep slumber while a stabbing pain hit my head, forcing me to wake up. As I open my eyes, I find myself on a hospital bed. My memories seem very blur, what am I doing here? All I can hear all these murmurs, voices in my head that never seem to stop. Like a long echo that continues to ring in my head, I feel someone touching my hands. It was then, I can finally remember the events that happened. I went crazy. I called upon a wish that would bring me harm, in return of Eunji unnie. That explains, why I'm here.

"N-Naeun unnie?" mumbled a short-haired girl who was sleeping beside me, holding my hands tightly as if she was praying.

"Hayoung?"

"You're awake! Hold on, let me call the others!" she said with excitement and relief as the maknae jolted awake, taking her cellphone from her pocket and headed outside to make a phone call.

With that, I was left all alone in this hospital room. I guess I probably made some trouble again and the unnies might scold me. How many days has it been? Did I went into a deep coma? I wondered myself into the many thoughts that popped into my head as I stared blankly at the wall in front of me, where a clock continued to tick systematically. In this quiet room, I can still hear these strange voices in my head. This is weird. Can't I make it stop?

~X~

It just took 15 minutes, before the girls of Apink packed the tight, hospital ward, relieved to see Naeun awake. 

"H-How long was I asleep?" asked Naeun while a nurse checked her blood pressure.

"It's been only one day unnie. Don't worry, you didn't time travel to like 10 years or something." joked Hayoung.

"I didn't mean that. But, is Eunji unnie doing fine?"

"You just woke up and that's the first thing you ask?" said Chorong, as she fixed Naeun's hair and loosened hospital gown. Just like a mother who took care of her clumsy, messy, child, her eyes spoke everything.

"I mean....aren't you mad unnie? Aren't you going to scold me because I did something that you told me not to?" 

"You're a fool Naeun-ah" said Bomi.

"You have no idea how worried Chorong unnie was, she didn't even had time to be angry." said Namjoo.

"Unnie...." said Naeun but before she could say anything else, the older girl looked at her and smiled.

"What matters is that you're awake and there isn't anything wrong with you. I won't scold you." 

"I would've done the same too if it was Bomi"

"Hm?" mumbled Naeun to herself as she heard a voice in her head.

"Is something wrong Naeun-ah?" 

"N-No, it's nothing..." said Naeun as she wondered, what was the voice in her head. It almost felt as if Chorong said it by herself out loud, but it didn't seem to be the fact.

It was at that moment, the doctor came in and ran through a check-up on her. The girls of Apink looked on with worry as they prayed for the best.

"Well, there isn't anything wrong with her body. I'd say Miss Naeun is perfectly healthy and ready to go home tonight." said the doctor.

"Thank you doc, our manager will take care of the transaction process so can Naeun head home now?" asked Chorong with a bow.

"Yes, sir. Just leave the details of your manager, drop it at the counter located in the lobby and you're good to go." said the doctor as she handed a form to the girl and left the room.

"Thank you doctor!" said the four girls as they bowed again. The smiles on their face brightened the atmosphere as they were relieved to hear that there was nothing wrong.

~X~

Hyunsoo had arrived at the hospital to settle the financial matters as the girls were asked to stay in the van. Inside, Naeun finally got hold of her phone which had over 15,000 notifications, mostly from worried fans spamming her social accounts while others were text messages from her close friends, relatives and family members. What could've happened within just one day since she collapsed? Just as she was about to click the internet browser, curious of what kind of news the media had reported, Hayoung quickly grabbed her hand and shook her head.

"Is it that bad?" asked Naeun in worry.

"A lot of things happened yesterday unnie. It was almost as if I was watching a movie." said Hayoung.

"I can't let her know about the whole scandal online"

"What scandal?!" said Naeun, all of the sudden.

"W-Wait, how did you know that?!" said Hayoung, surprised.

"Huh? Weren't you saying that just now?"

"No, I didn't!"

"Omo, Hayoung-ah. Don't lie." said Namjoo, surprised as well. The unnies turned around, confused as to how Naeun knew what was happening and were being suspicious to the maknae for leaking information.

"Hayoung-ah, say it honestly. Why did you do it?" said Chorong with a calm voice.

"But unnie, I didn't tell her anything at all! I swear!" said Hayoung who was completely innocent in this situation.

"Wait....." said Naeun as she tried to collect her thoughts. Obviously, making a wish would have it's own consequences. If she is physically fine, that means mentally she isn't. The voices she hears in her mind, isn't delusional thoughts. The girl realised that she gained the ability to hear other people's thoughts. 

In order to save her roommate who was being accused, Naeun confessed that she heard Hayoung's thoughts. She was able to hear their voices in her head that never seemed to end. The girls who heard her, had mixed reactions. As usual, Bomi and Namjoo were just fascinated at her strange ability while Chorong and Hayoung on the other hand, seemed fazed and rather confused.

"Woah! Then Naeun, do you know what I'm thinking about right now?"

"Cheese! Cake! Cookies and Cream!"

Naeun bursted into laughter, hearing what Bomi was saying in her thoughts but of course, she was the only one who could hear it so the girls stared confused.

"Why are you suddenly laughing unnie?" asked Hayoung.

"Bomi unnie's mind is really all about food. She's thinking about cheese, cake and cookes and cream." said Naeun.

The maknaes facepalmed themselves, as if they had already expected what would come out from their unnie while Chorong giggled quietly, who was the only one who found it cute.

"As always, pabomi. It's this part of her that makes her an adorable dongsaeng."

Naeun became flustered, hearing Chorong's thoughts all of the sudden. It was quite a shock to hear such confession, the fact that her unnie held such kind of endearing love for Bomi in a very, secretive way that she only knows about. Perhaps that's why they always seemed to be the closest among the other girls.

"Well, since we can't hide it from Naeun anymore, I think it's alright to explain what's happening right unnie?" asked Bomi for permission.

"There's no use keeping it from her anyway." nodded Chorong as the girls began to explain everything that occured, the moment Naeun fainted that very night. The things that happened once Naeun made her wish, Eunji, the scandal, everything was revealed in the van that only the five girls know about.

[FLASHBACK]

Apink's dormitory was hit by a sudden blackout, caused by Naeun's wish. The unnies rushed into the room, seeing their helpless maknae with the unconcious Naeun in her arms, frozen as to what to do. Even by just one look, they knew exactly what had happened. An ambulance was called, their manager was informed, it was as if this situation has occurred before and the girls were more prepared to do in this situation. Everything happened very quickly, Naeun was transferred into a ward at a local hospital nearby their dorm as the girls waited patiently outside where the doctor told them that they had to wait until she had woken up. At the same moment, Chorong recieved a phone call from the most unexpected person at that hour. It was a name that brought familiarity to the girls which was none other than "Jung Eunji".

"Hello? Eunji-ya? Where are you? Are you okay? Did you know that-"

"Hold up unnie. I know you are very concerned and yes, I will answer all of your questions but first, tell Hyunsoo oppa to come to this address. I'll sent it to you through text. Ask him to fetch me, like quickly." said Eunji as she abruptly ended the call before the older girl could even say anything else. It appears that she was in a hurry as not just a minute later, the address was sent and Chorong immediately forwarded it to their manager who recieved the orders and went straight as told.

"Unnie, that address....she's in Paju?! Isn't that like really, really far away from here?" said Bomi in surprise.

"I don't know Bom-ah. All we have to do is wait and pray for the best." said Chorong. It was clear, that she was trying her best to stay strong and positive.

"I'll pray with you unnie." said the younger girl as she sat down beside, hands interwined with hers as the two closed their eyes and silently prayed. Namjoo who glanced at her unnies praying, glanced back at Hayoung who still seemed traumatized as to what happened. The girl approached the maknae, sitting side by side and gently putting Hayoung's head onto her shoulder. Her hand then reached for hers, warmth seeping through their touch as if a sign of comfort. She could still feel the maknae's hands who still trembled in fear.

"It must've been really shocking for you, Hayoung-ah. But don't worry, Naeun unnie will wake up. Don't worry."

The maknae stayed silent, not responding to her unnie's words. Instead, she was completely blackened by Naeun's last words, her love confession that she didn't expect at all. The fact that, she loves Eunji. Not just as a friend, but something more. Love was still quite questionable for the 20-year old who was innocent and hasn't had much experience yet, but it was a thing to ponder about. Was her love for Eunji unnie so strong that she choose to sacrifice herself? Does missing someone make a person crazy to do such things? It was really like watching a drama that had so many plot twists in the middle, Hayoung was just overwhelmed. But she knew that this confession of her unnie, had to be a secret from everyone. In order to protect her roommate, she vowed to not say anything that happened in the room between the two.

"Unnie...." said Hayoung, after about 5 minutes in silence and thought.

"Yes Hayoung-ah?" said Namjoo, who was ready to hear everything that the maknae wanted to say. She wanted to support her, console her in whatever way possible that made her comfortable. Because, she hated to see her like that.

"Do you think that when a person loves someone so much to the point that, they chose to endanger themselves just for them?"

Namjoo stared at the maknae, dumbfounded at her words.

"Wh-What's with you Hayoung-ah? What kind of question is that?"

"No, it's nothing. It's just a random thing that popped into my mind." smiled Hayoung, shaking away such thought, hoping that her unnies wouldn't find out what happened between her and Naeun.

"Omo, don't tell me you fell in love?" said Bomi, who stopped praying and started to tease the maknae who obviously rejected greatly.

"Is it an idol? An actor? High school friend?" asked Chorong in interest. This was a good topic to divert everyone's attention away from their worries.

"Wait, is it a man or a woman?" asked Bomi bluntly.

"What do you mean Bomi-ya, of course it would be a man." said Chorong, speechless at her words.

"Huh? So you're saying a woman can't love another woman?"

The older girl was flustered at Bomi's sudden words. She didn't meant it in that way but still, it made her think of things that one shouldn't think of, causing the girl to blush.

"A-A-Are you stupid?! Of course, that can't happen!" stuttered Chorong as she looked away, awkward.

"Huh...." mumbled Bomi as she stared blankly at the girl, thinking about her words. But then, smiled, noticing her unnie's face turning red. It was these small little moments that made the younger girl happy, at times like these.

It was reaching dawn soon and it wasn't good to have everybody wait at the hospital so, Chorong discussed and had the girls to each take turns according to shifts. Chorong and Bomi would take the morning and night shift while the two maknaes took the afternoon shift, allowing Namjoo and Hayoung to head home first as just as the unnie had said "younger ones should have their beauty sleep" but of course, the maknae just felt embarrassed to hear those words. After all, they weren't children but full-grown adults. Despite that, in Chorong's eyes, they are like her daughters and cared deeply for them.

As the hospital wasn't very far from the dorm, the maknaes insisted on walking back home even though it would take them 20 minutes. Thanks to the persuasive, smart Hayoung who convinced their unnies that it was early in the morning and no one would be able to spot them, they were given the green light. But clearly, their intentions obviously had a purrpose. Earlier, Hayoung secretly discussed with Namjoo and agreed to take a 2-hour bus ride to Paju in order to check up on Eunji unnie. Hayoung was worried and full of curiousity as to what happened to Eunji and she couldn't just sit around and wait. Namjoo understood her completely and thus, the maknae's secretive plan seemed to have succeeded.

With the trust and belief that the maknaes went home safely, Chorong and Bomi were alone at the hospital ward again. The older girl continously stared at the sleeping Naeun and occassionally fixed her hair, cleaned her hands and changed her clothes. These small actions, were clearly signs that Chorong was in fact, very worried. The younger girl knew it from the start.

"Unnie." 

"What is it Bom-ah?" 

"Stop worrying so much. You know, seeing you like this makes me really frustrated at times because I can't really console you much. I always try my best but please don't worry unnie. Naeun will wake up." blurted Bomi, telling whatever that was on her mind. Chorong on the hand, was flustered at the girl's straight-forwardness. There was a charm to her blunt personality, where her words can easily heal her wounds inside.

"I got it, Bom-ah." smiled Chorong.

"Shall I make some jokes for you so that you won't worry so much?" asked Bomi as she looked at her, ready to destroy her image as she opened wide, imitating a walrus.

"Stop it, you're just making a fool out of yourself." giggled Chorong. It was these little moments together, that calmed the girl's uneasy heart. 

For two hours, the maknaes took turns and slept in the bus as the vehicle slowly made its way out of Seoul. With the thought of seeing Eunji unnie again, the two girls held onto each other's hands and prayed together. As long as they had each other, they wouldn't be afraid of anything. Soon enough, they arrived at Paju and strangely upon their arrival, there was a massive crowd surrounding the village. Police cars gathered at the side, sirens blinking in the early morning hours as people walked by, curious as to what was happening. Namjoo and Hayoung got out of the bus, camouflaging themselves among the crowd as they overheard the village head speaking over the loud speaker.

"This place has been closed off limits. Residents, please take the Sucheon highway if you wish to access the market. Paju village is now under investigation by police. I repeat, this place has been-"

"Unnie, does this mean...." whispered Hayoung to her unnie, who tightly held onto her hand so that they wouldn't be seperated.

"If this is related to Eunji unnie, then this is really daebak..."

It was at that moment, two people suddenly grabbed the two girls hands from behind. It all happened in a quick flash, they turned around and their mouths were immediately covered so they couldn't make a single noise. But looking at the people who grabbed them, they were very familiar faces and instead, brought relief than fright. It was Eunji and their manager Hyunsoo. Without hesitation, both Namjoo and Hayoung hugged Eunji tightly, missing their unnie so much. But the reunion was short-lived as Hyunsoo ordered them to head into his car that was parked far away from the noisy crowd, tucked away in a nearby empty park.

It was only then, the maknaes were finally allowed to speak and let out their voices full of happiness.

"Unnie! You're walking fine! The wish really worked!" said Hayoung in excitement, still not letting go her arms, wrapped around Eunji.

"I'm really glad to see you again unnie! Are you alright? What happened? What's this?" asked Namjoo in a bombard of questions as she noticed that her skin was paler than usual, there were small plasters pasted across her arms which were signs of injections and IV drips placed on her.

"Kids, I know there's a lot to answer but I should be asking you this. Why on earth are you in Paju? Weren't the two of you with Chorong unnie and the rest?" said Eunji, crossing her arms as she looked at the girls who stared at each other. 

"The three of you settle this by yourself. I'll go and start the car." said Hyunsoo as he went to the driver's seat.

"But...we couldn't just wait.....we wanted to see what happened to you unnie...." said Hayoung quietly, afraid of getting scolded.

"T-That's right. If you're going to scold Hayoungie, then scold me too! I'll take responsibility cause I'm her unnie and I allowed her to do that!" said Namjoo in defense.

"Oh gosh....the two of you really...." sighed Eunji speechless as she stared at the two for a moment, without a sound.

"Whatever, I'll settle that problem when we're back at the dorm. I need to know who made the wish. Bomi or Naeun?" questioned Eunji.

"Naeun unnie....she's passed out and we're waiting for her to wake up..." answered Namjoo to which Eunji went silent, hearing the news. She would've expected Bomi to sacrifice herself either because she is really dumb or their friendship was really strong, but never Naeun. Eunji was very confident to think that Bomi did the wish, but it turned out to be Naeun. This was a really surprising news that left the older girl in wide eyes, speechless.

"Unnie..."

"Sorry. I just, don't know what to feel. Anyways, the two of you are going to go back with Hyunsoo oppa to the dorm. No but's. I have some matters to settle with the police." instructed Eunji.

"What do you mean unnie?" said Namjoo confused.

"You can't just suddenly send us off like that when we came all the way here. At least, tell us what's going on." said Hayoung, not wanting to let her efforts go to waste.

"To sum it up basically, some illegal medical researchers tried to make use of me as a study subject because I had this really, really rare condition that doesn't even appear on medical textbooks and they ran lots of tests on me. Of course, it's against the law and the hospital had some connections with this group. I managed to escaped since the wish, got to walk and even run again. Luckily, there was a police station nearby so they got everything under control....almost. Well, that's enough of a story. Time is ticking and you girls need to go, now." said Eunji, ending her quick summary as she forced the maknaes into the car, watching the vehicle drive along the road until it disappeared from her sight.

She had a lot of work to do. Despite the thought of Naeun that disturbed her, she had to focus because it was a serious matter. It wasn't something that her company could help because this involved the government and the law.

"Looks like it's going to be a long day. Good thing I spent the last few days getting lots and lots of sleep." sighed Eunji to herself.

[END OF FLASHBACK] 

".......and that's what happened" said Chorong, finally ending her long story. Bomi was already sleeping at the back while the maknaes were occasionally checking their phones in an attempt to stay awake. This was one of the longest talks their leader had ever spoke and in such a monotonous tone that would make anyone sleepy. Naeun was the only one who was still wide awake, fully understanding the whole situation.

"So that's what happened...." said Naeun in realisation.

"It's kinda a big mess right now so our CEO told us to stay in a low profile. Eunji's been settling with the interrogations and lawyers until now."

"You should've seen Chorong unnie's face when she heard the maknaes went all the way to Paju themselves." said Bomi as she suddenly woke up and sleepily imitated the expression, widening and eyes.

"Shush. You just go back to sleep." sighed Chorong to which the girl quickly went back to sleep, as if nothing happened. Her hilarious behavior caused the maknaes at the back to quietly giggle, making them awake again.

"Then, where are we heading now?" asked Naeun.

"Back to the company office. CEO-nim said that our Taiwan fanmeeting still has to go on despite the ongoing scandal so we're still going to rehearse and practice."

"Ah...not again....." said Naeun, hearing the word "practice".

"I know right unnie, we could've just gotten a break and just chill." said Hayoung.

"Hey, don't say that. Are you saying that you don't care about our fans anymore?" said Chorong.

"Sorry unnie, it's just a joke. Don't take it so seriously, it's scary." replied the maknae, immediately becoming quiet.

"She's so daring at times like this, aigoo our maknae really has her own unique charms"

Naeun froze, suddenly hearing Namjoo's thoughts in her head. She still hasn't gotten used to these sudden occurences in her head but at that same time, it made her realise the member's true feeling towards each other.  Although they know about Naeun's sudden ability but sometimes, the girls tend to think about their thoughts unconciously and Naeun ends up hearing it even if she doesn't want to. The girl has no control and decided to just listen every single thing she hears.

Thanks to the long story spoken by Chorong, the girls were already back at the company. They changed their clothes into something more comfortable and were back at work. Dancing, practising and rehearsing as if nothing happened. The moment they entered the room, it was like a space where it erased the memories that happened. After all, it was locked and protected from the outside world, away from the media and society who had the choice to either bash them or support them. Three, four, five hours passed just like that, as the girls worked hard to show a good performance to their fans despite the scandal. It was now break and time for dinner, the staff had ordered jajangmyeon for the night. The girls, backup dancers and managers gathered in a circle as they started devouring their food. But Naeun stood up in the middle, about to head out somewhere. 

"Where are you going Naeun-ah?" asked Chorong.

"Just going to fill my water bottle. I'll be back." replied Naeun as she took her empty water bottle and headed outside, to a long, empty hallway where the only water dispenser in the whole company building was.

As the girl stared at the water that flowed easily and filled up the bottle slowly, there was a sound of a door opening. It wasn't from the dance practice door but from the main entrance. As she turned around, there was a girl standing there. Her oversized sweatshirt style and tired eyes were clear of who that person was, the girl Naeun had missed so dearly, Jung Eunji.

Eunji walked towards her with a smile as the younger girl just froze there, watching her while the water continued to overflow her full bottle. As she was closer, Eunji reached her hands out to close the dispenser.

"Don't waste water you clumsy girl" said Eunji as she looked at her with a smile. But Naeun had no reply, she was simply frozen still in front of her.

"What? Is it too weird to see me walk again?" said the older girl with a laugh.

"......."

"Naeun-ah. Did you missed me?"

"......."

"Naeun-ah......why are you crying again? Aigoo this girl really" said Eunji as Naeun's eyes became watery. Before the younger girl could even do anything, Eunji pulled her into an embrace as one of her hands lightly patted her .

"I heard what you did Naeun-ah. Thank you. You really surprised me again, with your actions. Thank you for letting me become normal again. Thank you for letting me to walk again. " 

"But why did you have to do it? Why did you choose to hurt yourself for me? Why Naeun-ah?"

"I've settled all the messy, annoying things with the police so let's not worry about that and focus on our upcoming Taiwan fanmeeting. The rest of them are inside right?" said Eunji.

"When the next time comes, I'll protect you. I can't let Naeun do this to herself, it hurts my heart a lot."

"Hm? What's wrong Naeun-ah? You've been really quiet. Is something wrong?"

"Did the wish had some kind of side effect on her? She hasn't been talking since I've arrived. It's making me worried. Oh my god, this is driving me crazy. I love her so much yet I can't do anything about it"

Naeun had no idea how to respond, when she was hearing every single thoughts of Eunji who was right in front of her. especially the sudden confession. There was so much difference from her actual words compared to her true feelings from the heart. Hearing this, it made her face flushed and her heart beating faster than normal.

"Hey, are you really alright Naeun-ah? Your face is really red. Did you get a fever?" asked Eunji as her smile dissapeared, her hands quickly touching her forehead and hands to make sure she wasn't sick.

"Why is this girl not answering me? Is she really, really sick? I think I need to talk to Chorong unnie properly about this. Don't think the doctor properly checked her. I'm never going to leave her from my side I swear."

"I....I'm fine unnie..." said Naeun finally mustering her courage to speak as she smiled, looking at Eunji's worried expression.

"Then at least say something! Aigoo~ you're making me worried for nothing. Stop playing jokes on me~ come on, let's head inside Naeun-ah" said Eunji as she walked past the girl but suddenly, Naeun grabbed her hand, stopping her footsteps.

"Naeun?" said Eunji, confused.

"Unnie.....I heard everything."

"Huh?"

"I heard everything that was in your heart."

"What do you mean Naeun-ah?"

"Thanks to the wish I made, I can hear people's thoughts. I heard your thoughts unnie."

"Like what?" said Eunji, not believing her words.

"That......"

"That?"

"Y.......You love me....."

[END OF CHAPTER 6]

A/N: Oops, be careful of what you think of Eunji! With Naeun's ability to hear Apink's thoughts, what kind of things do you think will unfold? Thank you for reading and subscribing! I will try my best to update soon~