“Chaeyeon. Thank you for always supporting me. I hope we can debut together.”

“The twelfth and final member of IZ*ONE is...Cube Han Cho-”

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

It was a typical morning for Lee Chaeyeon, nothing was different from usual. Wake up when the alarm sounds, get ready for the day, help mum at the cafe and go to training. And that was the problem, nothing was different than before.

A month has passed since Produce 48 has ended and IZ*ONE was born, the 12 members brought together to take on Korea, Japan and the global stage. While the show has officially ended, a certain trainee is lost and unsure where her future lies. Her friends who were chosen to debut are working hard to reach their dreams of being global stars but Chaeyeon, who is a 3 time survival show survivor, has never been more uncertain whether she has what it takes to stand on stage. She was stuck in one place, never moving forward while everyone ran past her, including her sister Chaeryeong.

*LINE* *LINE*

The sudden app notification broke her out of her melancholy, she shook her head as if it would get rid of those negative thoughts. She reached for her phone and swiped to see who had messaged her.

‘Good morning Chaeyeon! I miss you╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ Are you free today? The company is finally letting us have a break this afternoon ＼(≧▽≦)／ Let’s meet up!!!’

Upon reading the message, a huge smile broke out onto her face. Only Miyawaki Sakura could make her go from an anxious preteen to a blushing school girl. She didn't know when her feelings turned from supportive best friend to ‘I want to stay by your side forever’ kind of friend but it was something she could never confess, especially when Sakura has only just begun the path of a kpop idol.

‘I'm free Saku-chan. Shall we get cheese dak galbi? My treat (⁀ᗢ⁀)’

‘Really?! Yay! Love you (♡°▽°♡) I'll message you when my schedule is over♡’

She couldn't help but read that message over and over again, her eyes stuck on those two words. Her heart beat faster and her cheeks warmed, it was a small consolation because she knew her love could never be returned.

-----

Later that afternoon Chaeyeon received a message from Sakura saying that she'd be a little late because her schedule went over but to meet at their favourite restaurant, there would be a table reserved under ‘Sakura’ at 6pm. The weather was starting to get a little cooler, so she put on a cropped white long sleeve and her blue flannel on with a pair of high waisted black jeans before she headed out. The cool wind brushed past her face as she made her way through the city, the sky slowly becoming dimmer as it faded to night. A familiar door was just up ahead and the restaurant aunty was still there to warmly greet customers as they entered, she had not been to this restaurant since Produce 48.

“Excuse me Aunty. I'm here for the reservation under Sakura” she politely asked.

“ah yes. They are already here. The table is in the room at the back.”

“Thank you” she replied. She was confused when the aunty said they, but guessed that Sakura’s manager was there.

“Chaeyeon!”

“Unnie!”

“Chaeyeon-unnie!”

She suddenly felt something small knock into her, looking down she realised it was Nako who was hugging her. It wasn't just Nako that surprised her, almost everyone was present. One by one they came up to hug her.

“Chaeyeon, sorry to ruin your date with Sakura. We saw her trying to sneak out of the dorm and interrogated her. Once the kids heard she was seeing you, they demanded to be allowed to go too.” Eunbi explained as she went up to hug her.

“It’s okay unnie. I haven't seen you all in so long, but are sure you guys want to spend your night off with me?”

“Of course Chaeyeon. We all wanted to hang out with you, we weren't going to let Sakura hog you to herself.” Yena jested as she shoved Eunbi out of the way.

“Yena! Stop hogging Jjaeyeon! I want to hug chaeyeon already, she was supposed to have a dinner date with me!” Sakura shouted as she tried to hit Yena, who expertly dodged and ran away. A game of chase started around the table with the rest of the members cheering on, including the so called oldest unnie Eunbi. Seeing as no-one was stopping them, she decided to end it.

“Alright. That's enough you two. Let's sit down and order so we can eat.”

The moment food was mentioned they all calmed down and sat down peacefully. Sakura immediately claimed the seat next to her while her babies, Wonyoung and Yuri, fought for the other seat next to her. Just like her ranking, Wonyoung came out on top. When they were all seated she realised someone was missing.

“Where's Chowon?” she asked Eunbi.

“Chowon? Apparently she had a meeting with the managers at the company. She's been having conflicting schedules recently” she explained.

Satisfied with the answer she turned to Wonyoung and asked her how she was.

“Unnie, I miss you so much” Wonyoung whined with her lower lip quivering.

“Missed me or my cooking?” she asked, eyebrow raised.

“Hehe. Both! I also miss unnie helping me with homework. Sakura, Nako and Hi