“Do you think Sowon-unnie is really there, unnie?”, Yewon approached Yerin, who was washing the dishes from last night. 

Almost 24 hours in the open and the food became unpleasantly spoilt, much like their faith in the future. 

“I don’t know…”, she felt sorry because she cannot answer properly. There was a fraction of herself that convinced her to believe Yuju, but there were also hesitations and doubts. 

“Honestly, unnie, I don’t want to go there… imagining myself astral travelling makes me remember my nightmare. The fact that I attempted to kill myself… it haunts me… I’m scared of that world”, Yewon was staring into the corner, tears seemingly streaming down her face. Yerin could feel the fear from her words.

“However, unnie… my heart and soul also feel it. What Yuju-unnie told us earlier, my heart and soul are telling me that that’s where Sowon-unnie is located”, Yewon continued. 

There was a distinct contradiction within Yewon, just like how Yerin felt. But no matter how they try to deny it, they also have this feeling, or a voice perhaps, telling them that Sowon is just nearby. And that thought is driving them insane. 

Meanwhile, Yuju and Eunha headed for an early sleep in their room, though they aren’t sleeping yet. 

Lights were turned off, and all they could see are coloured lights painted by the illusions of their eyes. 

“Yuna-ya, let’s get ourselves a good night sleep and do it at dawn time”, Eunha spoke, almost in a whispering tone.

“Yes… let’s be energized, so that we’ll see Sowon-unnie tomorrow… I can really feel that she’s there”, Yuna responded as the bunny replied with a long pause. 

“I could also feel it… someone’s telling me she is there as well”, Eunha broke off the silence. 

The 97-liners’ room was filled with nothing but light blowing of cold air into the system. Their hearts rested in soft sheets of pillows, and their souls praying towards the heavens. Whether this hunch they feel is true or not, the fact that it’s almost commanding how they feel spoke something — it has to be something so urgent to do so. 

“Yuna, are you still dreaming every night?”, Eunha asked all of a sudden. 

“No… I am not. That morning I strangled you, that was the first day of my nightmare-free days”

“That was also the day wherein Sowon-unnie suddenly became hysterical… her unexplanable astral projection” 

Their exchange of sentences were unsettling, not in the manner of speaking but in the topic that they’re discussing. Every piece of information from their recollection of memories seemed like hinting subliminal messages, but they weren’t so sure. 

The room became silent once again, with their minds filled with scribbles and faint flashes of indescribable images. They were seeing things, from their past and everything that could connect issues to other issues. And snap! Unveiled before their vision is a frozen glass bead, and somehow everything  was finally starting to make sense. 

Yuju the lights, panting, just like the little bunny. As they got out of their bed, their eyes met, seemingly trying to get across that single image they both saw. 

“A frozen glass bead… you saw it?”, Yuju carefully asked her friend, to which she nodded. 

“Could that be a hint where Sowon-unnie is?”, Eunha bounced back a question. 

“I believe so”, Yuju replied.

Just then, knocks on their door were heard. As they opened the door, three sweating and obviously anxious women were standing before them. 

“Frozen glass bead… do you know what means?”, the current eldest asked the same question, implying that all of them saw the same image. 

“We probably do”, Yuju stated, and with that they all gathered in their living room. They were supposed to dig into the mysteries of the frozen glass bead, but all of them kept their mouth tight shut, as if fear zippered their lips together. 

Running inside their minds are possible explanations of the image, but they weren’t too sure to start opening up. On the other hand, Eunha could feel her limbs feel weaker and weaker. Her muscles and joints were wringing in pain, but she chose to ignore those. 

This day, she received a notice from her sister that her illness is unexpectedly worsening at a quick rate. She had to be admitted inside the hospital to alleviate the pain and maintain her health. With an hour-to-hour check-up and shot, she was ought to be healed more quickly, but she didn’t want to be stuck inside the hospital. The hard-headed Eunha is now suffering from the first stages of her consequences.

There was a heavy atmosphere among them and within them, but Sinb managed to open up the discourse. 

“Unnie… that glass bead, is it us?”

Glass Bead was their debut song, and it represented people who come off as fragile but strong. Glass beads were also used in their first concert, Season of Gfriend. It would make sense that glass blead is a symbolism for Gfriend.

Yuju also thought of that, so she agreed to the second maknae. 

“But… it is frozen, much like our Yuseulbong in winter”, Yewon’s voice was trembling. 

“Winter…”, Eunha felt a huge nostalgia on that word. She began squeezing her brain for some good recollection of memories, and thankfully it paid off. 

“Winter!”, she jumped in glee and terror, “My dreams… winter was coming by then”, she was trying to visualize the whole scenario. 

“You said the corpse was Sowon-unnie, right?”, Yerin asked to which she nodded.

“Yes, but I cannot remember the face of that woman who killed—” 

Before Eunha could finish her sentence, she felt a strong force wrapping around her neck. It was hard for her to breathe, and words were stranded on her boxed voice as well.

“UNNIE!”, Sinb yelled at the top of her lungs upon seeing such strange redness and darkness on her unnie’s neck. 

“Eunha-ya… the strangulation marks are back”

The other members tried to aid Eunha in her demise, but they didn’t know what to do. She was suffocating, and sooner or later, she’s going to die if this won’t stop. 

“Unnie, hang in there!”, Yewon was crying but she set aside her tears.

“Jung Eunbi!”

Then, she dropped to the floor. Scared as they could be, the members shakingly held Eunha’s wrist to check for her pulse, and thankfully she’s still alive.

When they turned her over, they noticed how the strangulation marks vanished. However, Eunha became unconscious. 

The night was slowly deepening, and so are their worries. Everything was so bleak, ‘til Eunha woke up. 

“Eunha!” “Unnie!”

“We have to hurry… or else, Sowon-unnie will die”. Her first sentence after waking up made them more terrified, but they had to toughen up. The situation called for it, and doing nothing wasn’t an option.

“Where do we find her?”

“In my dreams”

“But how?”

“Group astral travel”

Yuju responded, but she has no idea how to do it either. It felt like breaking the laws of astral travel, but it wasn’t like it had concrete laws in the first place. 

Yerin could see how Yewon reacted upon the suggestion of astral travel. And so she asked, “Will you be fine now, Umji?” 

The maknae looked at her, with a different gaze. Sinb held her hand, and Umji felt surprised, but secured.

“Yes, Sowon-unnie has been there for me, for us… now I’ll be strong for her”, she gathered her courage to declare such decision. 

They held each other’s hand as they shifted to concentrate on the thought of getting out of their physical bodies. It was the first time that they’re doing it on their own will, moreover a first for them to do it altogether. They weren’t sure whether this would work, but they had to try. 

Slowly they all felt like vibration run through their bodies, and the moment they realized it, they have come out of their physical selves.

“That’s me…”, Sinb gasped.

“And that’s me”, Yerin added.

They couldn’t believe it. Seeing their own bodies from a distance felt surreal.

“I did it…”, Yewon cracked a smile as she burst into tears. 

“You did well”, Sinb genuinely praised her. 

“Guys…”, the 97-liners called their attention, “let’s go save our unnie”

“Gfriend, I love you!”, they all chanted as they bid farewell to their dorms. They floated in the astral realm, from dimension to dimension, until a strong force devoured them. And when they realized it, they have arrived in a mystical forest covered in snow. 

“It’s this place…”