After recording their comeback stage, the four members of MAMAMOO immediately went to their car where their managers are waiting to go to their next schedule. Hyejin sat at the back together with Yongsun, closing her eyes while listening to her usual playlist with her earphones.

 

 

“Byul, come inside.” their manager told her and reminded her that it’s freezing cold outside.

 

 

Byul rubbed her hand to create friction and provide some warmth to her body aside from her thick coat. “I’ll get in after Wheein.” she replied, giving their manager a smile to assure her that she was alright and that she is not cold at all. Their manager was hesitant but relented as she knew Byul is adamant on waiting outside for Wheein, a thing she always does.

 

 

Byul waited patiently for Wheein who was still inside the building, caught up with some people.

 

 

"Wheein, hurry!" she called out as soon as she saw her coming out from the building. For a moment,  Byul forgot how to breathe as Wheein came into her view.

 

 

Wheein’s long hair cascaded down her shoulders. On cue, the wind blew a little prompting her to rub her arms to create friction and to warm her body. Her reddish brown hair was no more and was replaced by midnight black. It still baffles Byul how Wheein can be the most adorable puppy and be a lethal beauty the next. Her breath got caught up on until Wheein tugged her hand to get inside the car.

 

 

It took them by surprise when Wheein showed up one day with her bangs just like how she showed up in the past with her short hair. And just yesterday, she surprised them all over again when Wheein showed up with another new look that not even Hyejin, her best friend of 10 years, knew. But Wheein would always be Wheein. She can be unpredictable at times but it's something that Byul came to adore.

 

 

Their next schedule was a bit far away and that means they can take a nap and rest. They enjoyed every break between their hectic schedule and welcome it with open arms. Hyejin was munching her favorite chips while Yongsun was knocked out cold just 5 minutes after they drove off. Byul chuckled when she saw her drool and took a picture for blackmailing purposes. It sure comes in handy sometimes.

 

 

Her attention at the back was gone as soon as she heard a noise at her side. There, she saw a sleeping Wheein, bumping her head to the window.

 

 

A wry smile was placed on her lips. As years passed after they made their debut, Wheein developed insomnia. She came across this one day when she decided to sleep over at her apartment. Since then, she would go over at Wheein's house and make sure that she gets to sleep no matter how long it takes. She tried a lot of things to make Wheein sleep and now she knows that a lullaby and a story does the trick… and maybe a back hug? Wheein likes it warm and Byul just gives her the warmth that she needed in order to fall asleep. Soft breath coming from her unnie, fanning over her nape and the occasional play on her hair never fails to make her fall asleep.

 

 

Byul chuckled at the adorable sight but she does not want Wheein to get hurt from bumping her head so she carefully guided Wheein's head on her shoulder. Not the best pillow but it's better than to have her wake up with bumps on her head.

 

 

She stiffened when Wheein nuzzled her head on the crook of her neck. Wheein shifted her body and wrapped her left arm around Byul's torso, side-hugging her. Byul visibly relaxes when she could feel Wheein's even and steady breathing, indicating that she’s not waking up any time soon. She held Wheein closer to her as she wrapped her left arm to her shoulders. She started playing with Wheein's black hair, threading along with her slender fingers and she didn’t fail to hear Wheein’s sigh of contentment as she continued doing it.

 

 

Her eyes were getting heavier by the minute. Byul lulled herself to sleep as Wheein's soft breathing tickled her neck a bit, making her calm and soon she was off to dreamland.

 

 

 

 

 

"Unnie."

 

 

"Unnie." a sweet voice called out to her as the person started poking her on her stomach.

 

 

Byul stirred on her sleep. Her surroundings a bit hazy as she opened her eyes.

 

 

"W-wheein?" she called, her voice still groggy and hoarse. She stared at the figure before her as the fog from her sleep started to clear up.

 

 

A 15-year-old Jung Wheein was crouching beside her lying figure. She remembered that she was practicing earlier for their final evaluation. Since she was the leader of the group that their company is going to debut in a few months, she had to do her best and be an example to the younger ones.

 

 

She sat up as she stretched her body. Maybe falling asleep on the floor was a bad idea.

 

 

"Unnie, you'll catch a cold at this rate, you know?" she scolded as she threw a towel on Byul's direction.

 

 

Byul smiled a little at Wheein's gesture. They've trained together for a short time but she noticed that Wheein's a really shy person despite her friendly and out-going appearance. One would think that she's an extreme extrovert by the way she plays around but in reality, it's actually quite the opposite. She could still remember when she first joined as a trainee, Wheein was a stuttering mess when she just asked a simple question.

 

 

"Thanks, Wheein."

 

 

They locked the door and went out of the building together. It was quite late or rather early. She didn't notice it at first because she was too busy cleaning up the practice room but it was already 2 a.m.

 

 

"By the way, why did you go back? Have you forgotten something?" she asked in the middle of the night. It was cold since it was already winter. Her thick jacket could barely provide warmth to her body.

 

 

"Yeah, I forgot my water bottle. My aunt would surely kill me if I lose her precious water bottle." she laughed as white puffs of air came out. "Luckily, I was there to save you from your early death." she smirked.

 

 

"Why, thank you, my dear savior." Byul replied.

 

 

They walked side by side, occasionally bumping their arms together. Suddenly, Wheein stopped.

 

 

"Oh! Unnie, I remembered that your birthday is fast approaching! What do you want to receive?" Byul almost laughed her heart out as she could almost see Wheein's non-existent tail, wagging from excitement. It was such a cute sight. Byul could no longer feel the tiredness from her body.

 

 

"All I need is your love." she said greasily and clucked her tongue for impact. Byul’s greasiness seems to be deeply embedded in her DNA that it never fails to show up even though it’s already dawn.

 

 

Wheein threw soft punches a lot of times and Byul just accepted them with open arms. Byul grabbed Wheein's hand and put it inside the pocket of her coat as they shared one hot pack to warm up their cold hands. Byul could only afford to buy one since she doesn’t have a lot of money. She’s guilty that she’s the only one who’s enjoying the hot pack and leave Wheein alone in the cold so she just grabbed her hand and put it inside. Wheein didn’t retaliate as they continued walking. She secretly smiled as they both intertwined their fingers and relished the warmth they provide for each other. This feels warmer than the hot pack, she thought.

 

 

They finally separated at the intersection and both didn't know that it was their last time walking home together, hand in hand.

 

 

Byul wasn't there when the company announced that they would be dissolving the group that she was part of. As Wheein has said, she ended up sick and got a cold. They notified her through text and didn't even bother to elaborate why. She cried that day as her dream of debuting came crashing down and she wasn't able to even say goodbye to her friend, the birthday party that they planned together was long forgotten.

 

 

Byul almost gave up on her dream of becoming a singer but when an entertainment company asked her to try auditioning, she thought that she would give it one last chance. After that, she would quit and maybe pursue her childhood dream of becoming a police officer. The heavens must not have wanted her to be a police officer as she passed her audition as a vocalist. Furthermore, she was able to prove that the world is actually small as she saw Wheein again and coincidentally, she was also a trainee together with her best friend  Ahn Hyejin.

 

As a senior, Wheein helped Byul when she's having a hard time and Byul was grateful for it. Wheein has been accommodating and would always invite her. Wheein was still the same, warm and kind. Not long after, Yongsun came and the four of them debuted as MAMAMOO.

 

 

 

 

 

"Unnie."

 

 

"Unnie." a familiar voice woke her up from her sleep. The person started poking her - a habit that Byul knows that belongs to one person.

 

 

Jung Wheein.

 

 

"Did you sleep well?"

 

 

Wheein nodded.

 

 

"Thanks to you."

 

 

Byul ruffled her hair and poked her dimple. She grabbed her hand and they walked together to their schedule.

 

 

 

 

 

They were all laughing when they went outside. Yongsun's cheeks started to hurt that she could not laugh anymore while Wheein was crying from laughing too much. They were on their way to eat to fill their empty and growling stomachs as they finished filming late.

 

 

Byul leaned down to whisper to Wheein's ears.

 

 

"You've enjoyed it a lot right?"

 

 

Byul was too busy watching at her front to notice the blushing mess she made to Wheein.

 

 

"W-why? How can you say so?" she asked as she tried to calm down her voice. "What if I was acting?"

 

 

"Eyy." Byul said as she ruffled Wheein's hair. "You only lift your foot whenever you're either very excited or happy." she said as a matter-of-fact.

 

 

Wheein stopped when she heard something very new to her.

 

 

"I do?" she asked

 

 

Byul also stopped from her tracks but still smiling.

 

 

"What do you mean by that? Of course you do!" she replied and grabbed Wheein's hand.

 

 

"Well, I didn't know."

 

 

Byul wrapped her arm to Wheein's shoulder and held her close.

 

 

"Now, you do." and flashed her greasy smile as she poked Wheein's nose.

 

 

"Yongsun-unnie's going to treat us today!" Hyejin yelled and that caught everyone's attention.

 

 

"But unnie, it better not be gopchang again!" she joked, earning laughs from their staffs and managers.

 

 

 

 

 

The restaurant was rowdy and full of customers. As Hyejin said, Yongsun paid for everyone’s food. It was her way of appreciation to everyone. Hyejin ate happily and kept her alcohol at bay since they were going to film early in the morning tomorrow.

 

 

Byul noticed Wheein was timidly eating her food. She saw what's in front of her and realized why. She used her chopsticks to move the meat one by one on Wheein's plate. Wheein was confused at Byul's actions as she started picking out the peas on her food too.

 

 

"What?" she asked.

 

 

"What what?" Byul asked and continued picking out the peas on Wheein's food.

 

 

She noticed that Wheein was still eyeing her and decided to shove a piece of meat on . Wheein didn't argue and chewed it.

 

 

"You don't like peas, don't you?"

 

 

Wheein was baffled at her unnie's discovery.

 

 

"H-how did you know?"

 

 

Now, it was Byul's turn to be baffled at Wheein's question.

 

 

"W-what do you mean by how?" Her face started to heat up and by now her face must be red for some reason.

 

 

"Y-you always pick out the peas on the side of your plate. I even saw you one time and sneak it to Hyejin's plate. Y-you're quite obvious, you know?"

 

 

Wheein didn't say anything. Was she really? She made it sure that no one knows about her hate for peas but it seems that her unnie is too sharp to catch these things.

 

 

"Here." she said as she fed Byul a piece of meat as a token of gratitude and appreciation. Byul's gestures towards her never fail to make her smile.

 

 

Wheein's smile reflected on Byul's as she ate it happily with Hyejin calling them out and said to stop flirting with each other. They both ended up getting embarrassed, their faces red. The place felt hot all of a sudden as they both fanned themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

All of them does not have any schedule for the day and decided to gather at Yongsun’s apartment since it was bigger. They brought food and drinks with them to celebrate with Hyejin bringing a lot of chips and snacks. All of them just laughed at the youngest who is, among them the most generous when it comes to food.

 

 

Yongsun played a movie on her television while giving them a triumphant smirk as she decided what to watch. They all ended up screaming and making a mess as they all jump in fright when it comes to a scary part of the movie. Wheein did not miss the hold of Byul’s hand on hers. It’s known to everyone that Wheein does not like horror movies so it really made her happy that her Byul-unnie was there to hold her hand and assure her that she is not alone. She giggled knowing that Byul also, in turn, does not like watching such movies but here she is, holding the hand of a coward putting up a front as Byul smiled at her though she could see that she was trying to force a smile as cold sweat trickled on Byul’s forehead.

 

 

Hyejin finally changed the movie despite Yongsun’s protests. Thankfully, the movie Hyejin picked was the opposite of Yongsun. The movie was quite romantic making them squeal and elicit laughs from the girls.

 

 

“You sleepy?” she whispered to Wheein who was starting to doze off after watching 6 movies straight.

 

 

“N-no.” she lied but Byul could see through her, she always does.

 

 

Byul wrapped her arm around Wheein and prompted her to lean on her shoulder.

 

Wheein’s heart picked up, her body flaming up from the sudden contact. Thankfully, Byul did not notice how erratic she is and tried to calm her heart down.

 

 

“Just sleep. I’ll wake you up when it’s time.” she whispered, grazing Wheein’s ears slightly leaving the puppy shiver with her light touch. She grinned as she knows too well how Wheein is sensitive on her ears. She could not help but kiss the top of her head as a sign of apology for teasing Wheein. Not long after, Wheein drifted to sleep missing Hyejin telling them to get a room.

 

 

 

 

 

Byul carried Wheein on her back as she waited for the elevator to stop on her floor. She looked over Wheein's sleeping face and smiled warmly. After the movie, they all decided to go home. Yongsun called their manager so that he can drop her members off and waited for him. He dropped them off one by one, starting from Hyejin who lived the closest but when it was Wheein's stop, Byul didn't have the heart to wake her up since Wheein has difficulty sleeping back so she decided to carry her.

 

 

“It’s okay, oppa. You can go home. I’ll sleep over in Wheein’s” she lied. She felt guilty for waking their manager up in the middle of the night to drop them off so she lied.

 

 

“You promise you’ll sleep at Wheein, okay?” he asked again and Byul chuckled. “I promise.” Not.

 

 

 

 

 

She gently placed Wheein on her bed after getting inside her house with much difficulty, given that she has no free hands to open up her door.

 

 

Wheein's soft snores filled the room. Byul chuckled and tucked her with the blanket after taking her shoes off. She made it sure that it won't be too cold or too hot for Wheein.

 

 

After one last look at Wheein, she decided to go home since it was already late but a warm hand stopped her from taking another step away.

 

Wheein rubbed her sleepy eyes as she held Byul’s wrist with her other hand.

 

 

“W-Wheein?”

 

 

“Don’t go.”

 

 

“B-but I have to.”

 

 

Wheein bit her lips, now fully awake as she stared at her unnie’s figure.

 

 

“Sleep beside me.” she bashfully said.

 

 

“W-what?” Byul’s face started to redden as well as her ears. The tingling feeling on her fingertips lingered as the erratic beating on her heart did not stop.

 

 

Can’t her unnie just give up instead of making her feel embarrassed by making a selfish wish? She just wants Byul to sleep beside her and tuck her in. She wants to spend a long time with Byul and if she goes home then…

 

 

“I’ll tell you a secret if you stay.” she’s too desperate to make Byul stay. She’ll do whatever she can just to make this selfish wish of hers even if she ends up making herself an embarrassment.

 

 

Byul took off her hoodie and lied down beside Wheein, engulfing her in a hug. Wheein’s back facing her. “So, what is this secret?” she whispered leaving a trail of goosebumps on Wheein’s body.

 

 

Byul’s breath hitched as Wheein faced her, staring right to her eyes.

 

 

“I… This is so embarrassing,” Wheein mumbled but Byul heard it clearly. “Unnie, don’t you dare laugh at me.”

 

“I promise.” Byul laughed at Wheein’ threat.

 

 

It took Wheein a few moments before she started to confess.

 

 

“You see… Well, icouldonlysleepwhenimwithyoudonttellhyejinandyongsununnieabouthisbutonlyyoucouldmakemesleep.”

 

 

“W-what? I couldn’t hear you clearly, Wheein-ah.”

 

 

“I said, icouldonlysleepwhenimwithyou!” she yelled as she covered her face with her blanket but Byul tugged it to show her face.

 

 

She laughed, her nose wrinkling from amusement.

 

 

“I said don’t laugh!”

 

 

“I know, I know.” she said after drying her tears. She settled down immediately after Wheein gave her a death glare.

 

 

She leaned closer to Wheein and kissed her nose, surprising the younger woman.

 

 

“I already know that Wheein-ah. I know.” she whispered as she tucked Wheein’s hair. “I know because I notice these little things about you.” she said as she snuggled at the crook of Wheein’s neck.

 

 

“Sleep, Jung Wheein.” she said as she felt Wheein relax after whispering to her ear and giving her one last peck on to the crown of her as she brought the sleeping woman close to her.

 

 

“I love you.” she whispered as her eyes closed, following Wheein’s steady breathing.