When Eunji had woken up in the hospital to find Chorong sound asleep by her bed, what had struck her was how small yet motherly Chorong had looked. Perhaps it was the way Chorong’s nose was slightly scrunched as she slept that had made her look like a child and the way she had been grasping Eunji’s hand that had made her look like a protective mother. Either way, looking at her leader like that had made Eunji realize just how much Chorong cared for her members and how much Eunji treasured Chorong. 

As she walked into Chorong’s hospital room with the other members trailing behind her and saw Bomi asleep on the side of the bed, Eunji was reminded of that precious memory. Though that moment with Chorong was something Eunji held close to her heart, she had never wanted to experience something like it again.

And yet here she was, looking at an exact mirror of her memory. 

On the way to the hospital, Eunji had updated her members on Chorong’s condition. Although the knowledge that Chorong would be okay had assuaged some of their apprehension, nothing could have prepared them for seeing someone they loved in a hospital bed.

Behind her, Eunji heard a sharp intake of breath, and, without having to turn to know who it had come from, she immediately reached back and squeezed Namjoo’s hand. She knew what she had seen to make her gasp―it was the same thing they were all looking at: Chorong, their leader, older sister, and friend all in one person, lying unconscious in the bed in front of them.

She didn’t look as bad as Eunji had feared, thankfully. If anything, she looked oddly peaceful, like she was just sleeping. Her dark hair had been cleaned of her blood, and a bandage, which Eunji presumed was covering the large gash Bomi had told her about, was wrapped around her forehead. A cast supported her broken left arm, and small scrapes marked her skin where she had fallen. Eunji was sure that Chorong’s hospital gown hid some more injuries, but she didn’t want to imagine them now. Seeing her beloved friend unconscious in the hospital brought enough pain to her heart. Chorong’s steadily rising and falling chest was her only consolation.

“Someone brought flowers,” Hayoung noted, looking at the bouquet of colorful tulips on the table. 

“Is her family here?” Namjoo wondered.

“I didn’t see them in the halls,” replied Naeun, and took a step closer to examine the bouquet. “They didn’t leave a note, so I don’t know who it’s from. Whoever brought it must have left already.”

It was only ten in the morning, the time Bomi had told them to come back, so whoever had come must have been busy in the morning. Eunji doubted that it was their CEO, and if it were Chorong’s family, they would have stayed longer, so she figured that it must have been one of Chorong’s friends.  

“Maybe it was Bomi-unnie?” suggested Namjoo.

“That sounds like something she would do,” Eunji said, and looked at the other sleeping girl in the room. For a second, she saw Chorong leaning her head on her bed, just like how she had looked that day, but when Eunji blinked, the image went away, replaced by a sleeping Bomi. 

Eunji made her way toward Bomi’s side, and gently placed a hand on her head. “Bbom-ah,” she said softly, “Wake up. We’re here.”

Bomi stirred, but didn’t wake up. What time did she sleep? thought Eunji. Bomi had claimed that she’d go to sleep right before ending their call last night, but Eunji knew that there was a fair chance that Bomi hadn’t fallen asleep until a while later. There was no way she could have slept easily with worry pressing down on her shoulders. 

“Maybe it’s best that we let her sleep,” Namjoo whispered. 

Eunji considered it for a bit, but then shook her head. “No, she should go home and sleep in her bed.” 

“That position can’t be good for her back,” agreed Hayoung rather absent-mindedly.

Taking her car keys out of her pocket, Eunji said, “I’ll take her home. I’ll be back in about an hour.” 

“Want me to come with you?” Naeun offered with genuine question in her eyes. 

The offer warmed Eunji’s heart, but she still kindly declined it. “No, it’s okay. You guys stay with Unnie and make sure Namjoo doesn’t buy everything in the gift shop.”

“The teddy bears were cute!” 

“And expensive,” murmured Hayoung.

“That never stopped you from buying all those cute costumes for your dogs,” Namjoo shot back.

“Those were a necessary investment!”

“You guys are going to wake Bomi,” Eunji mumbled, despite her widening smile. Even though it had only been one night, it felt as though it had been forever since she had last heard her members playfully bicker. She needed some sort of normality in her life now that everything was out of place, and hearing the two younger women joke around after a heart-wrenching night brought her that much-needed relief.

“How are you going to take her home without waking her?” Naeun inquired.

Eunji shrugged. “The same way we got Namjoo home last night. I’ll carry her on my back.”

Namjoo’s eyes widened in surprise. “You carried me on your back?”

“How else would I have carried you?”

“I just thought that you all worked together to carry me. I imagined that Hayoungie held my left leg, Naeunie my right, and you my head.” 

“That would have worked and would have probably been something someone would snap a picture of and use as a meme for the rest of our lives,” Hayoung chuckled, “but, no. Eunji-unnie carried you in on her own.” 

“But, Unnie, your back!” 

“I’m fine. Besides, you’re small. You weigh about ten kilograms.”

“It was nothing to Eunji-unnie. She’s strong and pretty much lives in the gym,” Hayoung said. “What was it that our fans call her?”

“Don’t say it,” Eunji groaned, knowing what was coming next.

“Eunji-oppa,” Naeun said immediately with a slight grin.

Still, Namjoo didn’t look convinced. Her eyes kept glancing down at Eunji’s waist, no doubt searching for any signs of discomfort. 

“Don’t worry, Namjoo-ah. We’re during our active period right now, so Bomi’s about five kilograms. Nothing I can’t handle.”

“I feel as though you’re seriously underestimating our weights,” Hayoung said sarcastically.

“What gave you that idea?”

“Bomi-unnie should be at least six kilograms after all that meat she ate yesterday.” 

“You’re right. My mistake. And I suppose Naeun-ie still weighs negative seven kilograms even after eating all that meat?”

Naeun’s brows rose at the unexpected mention of her name. “I didn’t say anything to drag me into this.” 

Eunji tried to keep her laughs minimal so she wouldn’t wake Bomi, but it was difficult—not being able to contain her laughter was always difficult around her members. They weren’t called gag queens for nothing. “But seriously, it’s okay, Namjoo-ah. I’ll be quick.”

Namjoo pursed her lips and nodded reluctantly. “We’ll be here.”

“I know you’ll be. I’m your ride home.” Eunji glimpsed at Bomi. The older woman had always been small, especially during their active periods, but now she looked particularly thin. Up close, Eunji noticed that Bomi had tried her best to wash away Chorong’s blood, but some of it still clung to her clothes and the corners of her nails. “I won’t need help carrying her,” she said, “but I could use some help getting her onto my back.”

Even when Eunji carried Bomi into her house, changed her into her pajamas, and tucked her into her bed, Bomi still didn’t wake up. Considering how Eunji had struggled throughout the whole ordeal of lifting Bomi onto her back on her own and pressing the code to Bomi’s house while trying her best to keep the woman on her back, it was impressive that Bomi didn’t at least stir. 

She had told the others that it would be no issue getting Bomi home by herself, but she had lied so they could stay with Chorong. Of course she had wanted to stay as well, but in a time like this, Eunji couldn’t put herself first. 

Sitting by Bomi’s bed, Eunji buried her face in her hands. She hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep last night, and they had left pretty early in the morning to see Chorong. She also hadn’t cried since the accident, and she felt the pressure behind her eyes building up quickly, like a dam ready to burst. But she held it in and pushed the urge to cry aside. 

Sighing, Eunji stood and began to fold Bomi’s blood-stained clothes, which were in a crumpled pile on the floor. She didn’t know if she should throw them into the wash, since she was pretty sure that Bomi would rather throw them away than wash and re-wear them. Even if she managed to remove the blood stains, the clothes themselves would just serve as a painful reminder of the accident. The memory of the blood would be burned deep into the fabric of the clothes. When Eunji finished, she set them on the drawer for Bomi to decide what to do with them. 

Bomi looked so tranquil as she slept that it struck Eunji’s heart. The older woman certainly deserved this rest, since she had taken it upon herself to stay the night in the hospital, watching over Chorong. Still, no matter how peaceful Bomi looked, Eunji was still worried about her. She’d been acting odd since the accident, and Eunji felt like there was some underlying reason for it. As much as she told herself that it was just her grief, she knew that there was something more. Eight years with Bomi had given her that insight. 

Concluding that she would ask Bomi about it later, Eunji cast one last look at Bomi to make sure she was still sleeping soundly, then padded out of the room as quietly as she could. 

It didn’t surprise her that the kitchen was fully stocked. Chorong had always been so diligent around the house, and when Eunji had moved out, she found herself missing that. 

Eunji herself wasn’t very hungry, as she had eaten a quick breakfast with the younger members before going to the hospital, but she knew that Bomi would be hungry when she woke up. Trying very hard not to make too much noise, she put together a quick meal and left it on the kitchen counter with a note telling Bomi to eat it. 

“You took quite some time,” Hayoung said by way of greeting the moment Eunji returned to Chorong’s hospital room. 

“I guess Bbom-ah was heavier than I’d expected,” Eunji replied smoothly as she took a seat beside Chorong’s bed. Just like the first time she had seen her in the hospital bed, a pang of pain shot through her as she eyed Chorong’s injuries. 

“We were beginning to get worried,” Namjoo murmured. 

“You didn’t need to be. I just spent some time preparing food for her to eat when she wakes up.” Eunji gently swept away a piece of fluff that had landed on Chorong’s face. “Did anything new come up while I was gone?”

“Chorong-unnie’s condition-wise, no,” Naeun answered, shaking her head. “But her older sister came and stayed for about an hour before leaving to pick up her daughter. She said that their parents are on their way here.”

“Is her older sister okay?”

“She came in looking near the brink of tears, but as we explained the situation to her, she seemed to get better. Like the rest of us, she’s worried.”

Eunji bit her lip and nodded, processing the information. “Has CEO Choi contacted you guys about anything?”

“Just to tell us that he’s going to have Chorong-unnie moved to another room to protect her from the press,” Namjoo replied, and Eunji swore she detected some bitterness in her tone.

“The press already found out?” Eunji asked, a new fear forming in her stomach. “I didn’t see any on the way here.”

“No, but it’s only a matter of time before it gets out,” Naeun said a bit sadly. 

Eunji swallowed. Of course, she had expected this. They were celebrities, and they were used to being recognized by the press and fans. Sometimes it got difficult, but this was the life that had all chosen. Eunji knew it was wishful thinking to hope that news of Chorong’s accident wouldn’t get out. “We’re keeping this a secret, then?” 

“For as long as we can,” Namjoo sighed. “CEO Choi said not to worry and that he’d protect us as best he can.” 

“Protect us?”

“You know...make sure the press doesn’t get too nasty with their news.”

At each word, the fear in Eunji’s gut grew. “How could they possibly twist this story?” 

“We don’t know,” Hayoung said, “but we have to be prepared. The press can be dangerous.” 

Eunji knew that. All the idols who had been caught in scandals before knew that. But there was no way the news sites could turn Chorong’s accident into a scandal...right? The only thing Eunji could think of was how angry their fans would be, both toward the driver and their company. Even though Plan A Entertainment had nothing to do with Chorong’s accident, Eunji knew some fans would somehow find a way to blame them. If they weren’t careful and if this accident got too big…

Eunji didn’t want to think about it. The only thing she wanted to worry about right now was Chorong’s wellbeing. “What about the driver?” she questioned.

Naeun’s brows furrowed at the mention of the man. “They haven’t told us anything about him yet.”

“I don’t understand what the delay is,” Namjoo muttered angrily. “Surely by now they’d have the reason why he ran the red light.”

Hayoung suggested tentatively, “Maybe they’re hiding it from us.”

Namjoo sharply turned to look at Hayoung. “Why would they do that?”

Hayoung only shrugged.

“Let’s not think about that kind of stuff,” Eunji cut in before anyone could say anything else. She shifted her gaze to Chorong, who, at the moment, resembled Sleeping Beauty because of how delicate and angelic she looked, despite her bandages and minor scrapes. Tenderly, she took Chorong’s hand in hers, just like how Chorong had years ago, when it had been Eunji on the hospital bed. 

She had never realized how delicate Chorong’s hands were, but as she held her slender hand, she saw how small her leader really was. She saw the weakness in Chorong that she rarely showed to anyone, even her own members. Especially her own members.

And as Eunji stared at their leader and her suddenly exposed vulnerability, the hole in her chest continued to widen into a gaping void that could not be closed so long as Chorong remained in that hospital bed.