You glanced at your watch for the umpteenth time. It was already 3.30pm. 30 minutes past your planned meet-up time with Sungyeon. It usually wasn’t like her to be tardy. She was always one of the punctual ones. You think it might be because she got held up in school. You knew she was extra busy now due to her final exams. Your best friend was going to graduate soon. You felt a sense of envy; your own graduation is not until next year but you shook those unwanted emotions away. Your turn will come soon, you positively thought.

Here you are waiting next to the usual restaurant you frequently patron at with your dear members. In your bright yellow school uniform and sticking out like a sore thumb. You hoped no one recognises you. Sure being an idol was fun and all, and you treasure your fans wholeheartedly, but right now, you could really use a bit of ‘me’ time with Sungyeon. If only she could show up anytime soon.

You whipped out your phone from your pocket. You were about to send in a text to her when a very familiar voice you know and love called your name.

“I’m so sorry I’m late!”

You turned your head in the direction of the voice to see a breathless Sungyeon, bent over and clutching her knees. She was wearing her school’s maroon red and white letterman jacket, a pair of ripped jeans and tennis shoes to complete the outfit. You kind of wished your own school didn’t have a uniform code. “I was starting to think you ditched me,” you faked a sad pout at your best friend.

“I didn’t charge my phone last night cause I forgot to turn the switch on, so I barely had any juice left when I got to school before my phone died on me,” Sungyeon explained tiredly. “Not to mention my last exam of the day almost killed me. Damn you, Calculus…”

“Aww, you poor thing,” you lightly pinched the hem of your friend’s jacket, pulling her in a little closer. “I hope you’re not too tuckered out by school to skip out on lunch.”

“Yewon, I’m eating just fine, thank you very much.” You couldn’t help but give a knowing glare at the other girl. You knew all too well how forgetful she could be whenever she gets busy or stressed. Once she gets into the momentum of her work, everything else didn’t matter. You folded your arms, giving off the most menacing stare you could aim at her. You inwardly grinned when you saw Sungyeon faltering at your gaze.

“Okay, maybe I should eat more.”

You quirked a brow.

“A whole lot more.” Sungyeon timidly added.

You dropped your ‘menacing’ aura and shined your brightest, satisfied smile at her. “That’s what I wanted to hear!”

You ignored the exasperated rolling of eyes by your companion, and started to lead her into the restaurant. Both of you were regular patrons of the humble establishment. It had great food, great atmosphere and great hospitality. The nice ahjumma who was always around tending to the customers greeted the both of you happily, much like a mother seeing her daughters returning back home from school. Sungyeon and you bowed respectfully to her, always in a jovial mood every time you come here. She led the both of you to your usual spot; a booth near the back of the restaurant, away from prying eyes and ears.

“We’ll take the usual!” you exclaimed to the ahjumma once both of you were seated across from each other. She simply nodded and went to the kitchen to work on the order. Your fellow member huffed out a heavy sigh once you were both alone again. Oh no, you thought. What was the matter now? “Sungyeon, are you okay?”

“I just want this week to be over and done with,” you heard her say as she slouched and laid her head on the cool wooden table. “Once I’m finished with all my exams, I can finally get back to working on those songs for our next comeback.”

“I still think you’re overworking yourself ever since we debuted.” You honestly gave your two cents, to which the response was a muttered groan. Your mind flashbacked to all the times Sungyeon pushed herself a little too hard, forsaking her own health and well-being. Habits die hard, but this was getting to the point where your best friend could actually collapse from fatigue. You’ve been doing your best to take care of her well. Your other members too. Everybody takes care of each other. That was one of the important rules in their non-existent rulebook. “You have us, you know. You don’t have to do everything alone…”

You saw Sungyeon moved her head slightly and opening one eye, staring back at you with an expression you couldn’t make out. You were about to say something again but Sungyeon beat you to it. “I know that.”

The very simple and straightforward answer only managed to make you more confused, and dare you say it, a tad annoyed. “Then why are yo-”

“Because I want to make songs for us that we can be proud of.”

You froze. You weren’t sure why. Was it because your best friend raised her voice at you, or was it because of how genuine her answer seemed to be? You broke away from your reverie when a hand reached out to grab hold onto one of yours. Sungyeon looked apologetic, her position now upright and very aware of what she had said.

“Did I…?” she trailed her voice, unsure of whether she had gone too far with her answer. You immediately grabbed onto the hand which covered yours.

“N-no! You didn’t say anything wrong,” you hastily explained to her. “I was just a little taken aback by how earnest your reply was.” You still were if you were to be completely honest with yourself. This was the first time you ever heard any actual reason for her to be behaving like this.

“Is...that bad?”

“Of course not,” you reassured her with a fond smile. “That’s actually really sweet of you, even a little honorable.” You noticed how much she perked up after your reply. It was endearing to witness how much Sungyeon’s mood brightened up just by that one sentence. A sudden thought flashed through your mind on a random whim. “Baesoongie,” you lovingly called out by her nickname, “I think you deserve a treat from me.”

You noticed how her eyes widened over the word ‘treat’. It was obvious that she hadn’t done much to reward herself for her hard work. This was the least you could do for her. You returned it with a smile of much fondness, the crinkle in your eyes being evident.

Before anyone could say anything, the ahjumma was already at your table, serving two hearty plates of jajangmyeon. Both of your eyes lit up at the sight and smell of the delicious noodles covered in a blanket of savoury dark sauce. You almost salivated when the food was placed in front of you. When you stole a glance at your companion, it seemed that she too shared the same sentiment. After saying your thanks to the kind ahjumma, the both of you dug into your much-awaited meal. The noodles were cooked to perfection. The sauce was heavenly. This was the epitome of paradise, you thought.

“What are you going to treat me to?”

You looked up at Sungyeon, and then took a moment to think. “I don’t know. Another round of jajangmyeon for you?”

“Hey, you can’t expect me to eat another plate of this! I can’t even eat three slices of pizza,” Sungyeon gaped at you in disbelief.

“I clearly remembered you saying that you should eat more before we came in here,” you teased, giving off a smirk to her. You noticed how she released another exasperated sigh. You giggled and decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. “How about ice-cream?”

She perked up when you mentioned the frozen dessert. “Strawberry?”

“Of course!”

You felt a tug at your heartstrings when her own sunny smile was aimed at you, sensing the gratefulness from it. You continued to chew on your food and tried your best to ignore the sudden racing of your heartbeat. After finishing with lunch, the both of you headed off to the convenience store and back to your company’s building, your arm linked with Sungyeon’s.

There were still practice sessions to go to. A whole lot of work to be done in this path you set off on as a member of Pristin. But as you sneaked a glance at the person beside you, you knew that everything will be alright as long as Sungyeon is here with you.

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has read/left a comment on this fic. I decided to make this into an on-going! This will be a slice-of-life with some humor and maybe a bit of drama added in. I'll leave the relationship between Yewon and Sungyeon up to your own intepretations :) For those who are waiting for the next chapter of Your Voice, it will be up soon!