It took about four blocks and five minutes for her to realize her hands and ears have started to freeze. She stops at a corner crosswalk near a densely populated street and already caught a few onlookers staring and whispering as they pass her. As soon as the pedestrian signal turned green, keeping her head down, she jets over to the next street and waves down the first taxi on sight.

She hops inside the heated vehicle and rub her hands together.

“Where to miss?”

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

– an hour ago –

“Okay girls, we will discuss each individual’s future in the next few months. In the meantime, our team is very aware that we’ve also reached the point in time where we need to collectively plan and come to a solid agreement in how we want to move forward as a group,” the beloved, renowned producer, the astute yet considerate father-figure, Park Jin Young, remarked with the sensitive conversation starter. “Each of you are important not only to this company, but also personally to me. That is why I want to open the table for discussion and negotiation.”

They have been in this industry for almost seven years now. They are veterans in the game with clout and respect behind their celebrity. After all, they have worked hard almost relentlessly to elevate the name, the brand, and the status of Twice as the girl group of their generation. With contract extension talks in the works, the team is at a very critical crossroad where each individual’s decision will determine the trajectory of the team.

Thus the discussion begins. Each girl expressing their feelings, their hopes, goals, and dreams all the while gratefully reminiscing in the achievements they have accumulated together in the last few years.

For the most part, they all shared the same sentiment and excitement for taking this ride further into the future. Most share no doubt in their earned confidence to stay together and to further cement themselves deeper into the annals of this industry’s history.

Jeongyeon, however, remained silent, keeping her thoughts to herself. She observes every expression and listens to every single word that each member has brought to the table. She smiles in pride at each person’s desire to move forward and she nods in understanding at each person’s honest pursuits and dreams beyond Twice. She listens quietly until everyone in the room has had their turn except hers.

Park Jin Young eyes Jeongyeon whilst finding her out-of-character silence concerning. He then addresses her, shifting all the attention in the room towards her direction, “Jeongyeon-ah, what about you?”

Jeongyeon peeks at the members around her and finds eight sets of eyes transfixed on her.

She is grateful for every moment spent with this group. She is absolutely forever indebted to each and every single one them. Most importantly, she knows that she is forever bonded to them because of the highs and lows, the struggles and success, the tears and the happiness that they shared since the day their journey began. But...

“I’m tired.” Though what she really meant was, my heart is tired.

The joyous energy gets  out of the room then immediately replaced by an uncomfortable tension. One could hear a pin drop as they all fall silent at Jeongyeon’s two-word confession.

Jeongyeon looks at her worried producer, feeling sorry but not regretful. Her heart is tired. Lying and pretending are just two of the many causes of it. Now having determined to recover from it, Jeongyeon decides to be honest for once.

She then steals a glance at Nayeon who seemed rather calm yet silently uneasy, maybe even upset. Jeongyeon only reads the surface though and breaks the stare, refraining from an old habit that compulsively wants to examine deeper.

Park Jin Young submits a solution, “You girls have been working hard. I understand if you want to take a break or an extended vacation. After your next album cycle next month, I am open to discuss maybe a two-month break.”

Jeongyeon half-smiles as no one in this room has yet to really understand the complexity and the significance of her confession.

She attempts to strike her point and asserts, “I was thinking at least a year...with all due respect, PD-nim.”

She silences the room once again.

“Or more than a year perhaps,” she adds almost nonchalantly as though a one-year hiatus is not bad enough for an idol group as active and as visible as they are in this stage of their careers.

She notices Na