Hello! I'm sorry for the delay, but I'm back with another update :) I am both happy and sad to say that this story is quickly coming to an end. The next chapter will be the last, and I want to thank you all again for your continuous support (Don't worry! I've already planned out my next story, so I'm here to stay).

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” 

“Bbom-ah, it’s eight in the morning and I’ve just rolled out of bed to get into this van. Could you at least wait until I’m seatbelted before you attack me with these kinds of questions?”

Bomi continued to look at her from the passenger seat, patiently waiting. Eunji sighed and reached for her seatbelt.

It was Christmas, and all of the members had piled into the company van to head to rehearsal for SBS Gayo Daejun. Eunji was still sore from yesterday, but she had taken some painkillers and wasn’t in much pain. She was well enough to perform, but she had to be extra cautious, which was something she had been struggling particularly badly with. 

“How’s our Thor Jeong Eunji today?” Hayoung teased from the back.

“Merry Christmas to you too, Hayoungie,” Eunji replied.

“How are you feeling, Unnie?” asked Namjoo.

“A little bit sore, but otherwise fine.”

Naeun began rifling through her bag. “Did you eat yet?”

“Not yet, but I’ll be fine.” Eunji clicked in her seat buckle and looked at the other members. They were all staring at her. “Why are you all being so nice?”

“You almost fell off a twenty-story building yesterday,” Namjoo said.

“The keyword there is almost.”

“Are you sure you’re fine?” Naeun asked. 

“Do I not look fine?”

“You’re looking a little crustier than usual,” Hayoung answered, though Eunji couldn’t tell if she was being serious or not.

“I’ve been looking crustier than usual. But I really am fine.” After being saved yesterday, it had taken a while talking to the police and making sure that Junwoo was okay and would be receiving the proper care. She had gotten home at around nine in the evening and had promptly collapsed into a deep sleep. Since she had gotten over ten hours of sleep, she felt fairly well-rested, despite the events of yesterday.

“Slap some makeup on her and she’ll be as good as new,” Bomi offered.

“Thank you, Bbom-ah. Now, what’s the bad news?”

“Ah,” Bomi pulled something up on her phone. “Dozens of news sites captured your heroic act yesterday. You’ve been all over the internet and are the talk of the street. You haven’t seen them?”

“No. I went to sleep right after I got home and haven’t checked my phone since we rushed out of the hospital.” 

Bomi handed Eunji her phone. “The bad news is that you’ve been captured at very unflattering angles. It doesn’t help that you weren’t making the very prettiest faces either. I think our fans will have enough memes of you to last a lifetime.”

“Us too!” Hayoung added.

But Eunji didn’t cringe as she scrolled through all the photos. She just smiled. Yes, it was true that she didn’t look the prettiest in the photos. In fact, saying that she didn’t look the prettiest was generous. In all the photos, her hair was a tangled mess, sprawling in all directions, and her crying, red face was definitely not a treat for the eyes. There was one where she was gritting her teeth and shutting her eyes tightly closed. It looked like she was constipated, and she decided that that picture was her favorite.

“Why are you smiling?” Namjoo questioned. 

“I’ve seen worse pictures,” Eunji replied. “I think I look beautiful. What’s the good news?”

Bomi took her phone back, pulled something else up, and handed it back to Eunji. “The public loves you for what you did. They’re calling you a hero. They’re also more sympathetic towards Junwoo.”

Eunji skimmed through the articles, trying her best to keep a neutral face, but she couldn’t help her smile from growing. People were apologizing for ever doubting her, praising her and the other members for setting aside their anger and saving Junwoo, and asking if she was okay. There were some loving comments for Junwoo’s mother. Others light-heartedly commented about Eunji’s ugly facial expressions. 

I believe, too.

She had been right to.

The busy buzz of commotion behind stage, the roaring of the audience, the nervous feeling of trepidation before performing―they all took Eunji back to the night of their concert. That night, she had wanted nothing more but for that nightmare to end, and yet here she was, back behind the stage, about to perform the same songs that she had performed at the concert.

It felt wrong to be performing without Chorong. Even though their dressing room had been filled with the five members and staff, it had still felt empty without their leader attempting to calm their childish shenanigans―and failing horribly at it. Eunji knew that all of the members felt Chorong’s absence. They tried joking around and keeping each others’ heads up, but that heavy shroud of emptiness clung to the air like low-hanging fog.

“Apink, you’re on in five!” 

Eunji in a breath and made her way to the steps leading to the stage. She could hear the audience cheering loudly for the group before them. 

“You ready?”

Eunji turned. Their stylists had outdone themselves this time; Bomi was dressed in a sparkling white dress that glinted everytime she moved. It was like tiny stars had been embedded in the fabric of the dress. All of the members had similar dresses, but Bomi looked particularly beautiful, with specks of subtle glitter sprinkled in her dark hair, tiny stars of their own floating in outer space.

“Always,” grinned Eunji, despite the fluttering in her stomach. “I’m surprised you’re here before everyone else.”

As if on cue, all of the other members came hustling in, each looking stunning in their matching dresses and makeup.

“Alright everyone, hands in,” Bomi said, and everyone’s hands joined hers in a huddle. There was a noticeable gap between Bomi and Eunji where Chorong should have been.

“We’ve practiced hard for this,” said Eunji. “Let’s do well tonight.”

“Let’s make Chorong-unnie proud,” Hayoung added.

“Apink, you’re up!” someone called out.

“This is it.” Namjoo’s eyes glittered. “Naeun-ah, would you like to do the honors?” 

Naeun smiled and nodded. “Chorong-unnie on three. One, two, three!”

“Chorong-unnie, fighting!” they cheered, throwing their hands up, and stepped out onto the stage.

Chorong was small, but without her, the stage felt so much bigger. Eunji tried her best to adjust, but she could only do so much when Chorong wasn’t there to exchange small smiles and laughs with Eunji as they performed. Suddenly, Eunji realized that those little exchanges were one of those moments that Eunji wanted to hold onto and cherish forever. It was such a tiny thing, but its absence left an empty hole in Eunji’s heart. 

Though Eunji couldn’t see the pink waves of panda bongs because no lightsticks were allowed, she could still feel their fans’ love through their loud fanchants. They lifted her spirits, energizing her and pushing her to sing and dance harder than before, despite the hole in her heart.

Then Chorong’s part came, and Eunji faltered for a split second.

Chorong-unnie?

Eunji had to be mistaken, because right there in front of her was Chorong, sparkling in her white dress and dancing proudly in front of the cheering audience.

She blinked, and Chorong disappeared, replaced by Namjoo.

It was just a trick of the light, Eunji told herself and continued with the performance,

But then Chorong’s part came again, and instead of Bomi stepping up to take over, Chorong stepped out into the light, her voice as clear as the crisp morning air.

It happened again and again, throwing Eunji off each time. Each time Chorong appeared, Eunji’s gaze would linger, trying to save the image of their leader awake and well, performing alongside them. But the image would never last; she’d blink, and Chorong would disappear, like the remnants of a sweet dream.

Eventually, Eunji began welcoming the strange occurrences. Chorong was there with them. Not physically, but carried in the hearts of all five members and all of their fans watching. Eunji was sure that the other members felt it too. Chorong’s family wasn’t in the crowd, but her father had said that he’d be watching them, and Eunji hoped that they felt it too.

Chorong was there, beaming proudly at each of the members’ solo parts. She was there, gazing fondly at their fans. She was there, scrunching her nose and smiling whenever she made eye contact with Eunji. 

She was there, singing and dancing next to them like she had never left, and when she did leave at the end of their performance, disappearing into Eunji’s imagination with a blink, Eunji choked back a sob. Not having Chorong with them in the ending pose broke something in Eunji, and she felt hot tears sliding down her cheeks. She felt an arm wrap around her, and though she knew that it wasn’t Chorong, she let herself believe that it was. 

When the curtains closed, separating the lively audience from them, Eunji turned and tried wiping her eyes, even though more tears kept streaming down.

Bomi appeared in front of her and gently removed her hands from her face. Her eyes were red and glassy, and though no words were exchanged between them, Eunji knew that Bomi knew why she was crying. Bomi carefully brushed Eunji’s tears away, then pulled her into a hug. Eunji was vaguely aware of Hayoung and Namjoo comforting a crying Naeun to the side.

“She was here, Bbom-ah,” Eunji murmured.

“I know.” Bomi paused. “I saw her too.”

They stood there, comforting each other, for a few minutes before they began heading back to their dressing room. Staff members and other idols greeted them politely as they walked past.

Just as they reached their room, their manager came running up to them, red-cheeked and out of breath. He had his phone in his hand.

“Oppa? What’s wrong?” Namjoo asked.

“Chorong,” he gasped. 

Eunji felt fear grab ahold of her. “Is Unnie okay?” she asked tentatively.

“Even better,” he grinned, and Eunji’s heart skipped a beat. “She’s awake.”