“MINJI-YAHHHH!”

The girl so named closed her eyes and sighed dramatically before lowering the book she was reading. She was used to these wild sudden antics. “Neh unnie?”

“CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHY LEE CHAERIN IS UNUSUALLY QUIET?”

Minji shrugged. “Beats me.” She stared at the noisy one accusingly, who was finishing half a corn cob and reaching for another one. “Why are you even asking me? Ask her instead; she’s right in front of you.”

Bom – for of course it was none other than her – tossed the pathetic empty cob into the trash bin beside her and leaned over the maknae. “She’s not even in Korea right now,” she whispered conspiratorially. “She’s there in the outer space, doing all cosmic things.”

“I can hear you, you know.”

 The eldest whipped her head towards the voice in mock shock. “Finally, our leader has come back to us! Pray tell, how was your trip? Did you see some magic cosmic balls hidden deep inside mysterious caves from unknown planets?”

Chaerin did not even look at her. “Nope, but I did hear a noisy corn ahjumma talking nonsense just now.” Minji laughed as she buried her nose into her novel once more.

Bom scrunched up her face and stood up. “Yah! I am most certainly not an ahjumma!” She walked towards the couch where Chaerin was sitting and flopped beside her. “An ahjumma does not talk like a kid. I talk like a kid. So I am not an ahjumma.” She poked Chaerin’s shoulder. “Also, ahjummas are quiet. So you are the ahjumma.” She let out a frustrated puff of air when there came no response from the leader. “Why are you so quiet anyway?!”

CL finally looked up and blinked at Bom. “I think it would be really weird if I check my Instagram while rapping, now, would it?”

The elder one scoffed and raised her palms in the air as if to say, ‘I give up.’ “You’re no fun,” she muttered before standing up and sinking back to her former place, eyeing Minji now. “What’re you reading?” She tittered.

Chaerin let out a sigh of relief and stared back at her phone, frowning once again. She felt really bothered by the fans’ comments on SNS these days. She understood that they are simply wishful thinking, and bore no truth, but the frequency, the constant comments about the matter is starting to make her understanding waver.

And then there were the pictures. Chaerin was sure they weren’t photoshopped; an edited photo is really obvious. No, they’re real.

But… it’s impossible. They wouldn’t. She wouldn’t.

Won’t she?