Title: Curtain Call/Encore

Genre: Friendship, Angst

Characters: Sunny, Hyomin, Jessica, SNSD, T-ara
Summary: Tokyo Dome. The biggest and most important concert of their whole career is finally here. They've worked hard for this very moment, and they finally made it. Even though they're lacking one member short to complete them. Sunny tries to keep it all together, but sometimes, we all need to take a break once in a while and let our guard down.

Author's Note: I decided to add this oneshot into the collection because of the mentions of Soshi's bond in it. It fits right in. :]

An ocean of pastel pink before them, bigger than any they had seen before. Spotlights shined down on them. The huge dome amplified the loud cheers aimed at them, as they stood in a row in front of thousands of their dedicated fans. Fans who still stayed even after all that had happened this year, waving their lightsticks with as much vigor as they possibly could. The row of eight ladies bowed to their audience, marking an end to their much anticipated concert which they had dreamed of since their debut.

They finally made it.

They finally did it.

And yet, something felt missing. An emptiness still lingered in their hearts. A gaping hole bored through their being ever since that day. The day when everything fell apart. Nothing could ever fill up that hole, unless a miracle happened.

Sunny rose up to look at the vast ocean, a sense of achievement coursing through her veins. She then took a glance at the space between her two members. A very noticeable void was left there. They couldn’t close that gap. It felt wrong to do so, like an unspoken taboo.

‘You’re supposed to be here with us.’

Sunny’s melancholic thought clouded her mind. She still wore the smile on her face as she waved at the fans with the others. Scanning through the crowds, something in her wished that the person she wanted to see the most was sitting in one of the seats in the humongous stadium. She knew better, though.

Jessica was not here, no matter how much she wanted it to be false.

And so, the petite member of So Nyuh Shi Dae continued on waving and smiling to her dedicated fans, with the gaping hole in her heart being as empty as ever.

~.~

Amongst the ocean of pink, six ladies too were thoroughly enjoying themselves as they waved their lightsticks as passionately as everyone in the dome. The concert was magnificent. Something so magical and exciting which pumped their adrenaline was what they had witnessed. Something they longed and yearned to do ever since they debuted too. Their road to success might be more bumpier than others, but that didn’t mean they given up. They never gave up, and watching the whole spectacle before them sparked a fire in them. A silent agreement between them as they glanced at each other and nodded.

They will be on that very stage too someday.

As they continued watching the concert till the very end, one of the six ladies noticed something. Or rather, someone. She observed the face of her closest friend who stood on that stage, on one of the large screens in the stadium. The smile which she wore on her face lack the usual cheerfulness she was used to. Hyomin could guess what was clouding her friend’s mind at that very moment. A wave of concern hit her when she saw Sunny’s expression as she took the final stand on that brilliant stage.

They definitely have to visit them backstage later.

It had been a while since she last spoken with Sunny.

And there were so many words that needed to be said.

~.~

A tight group hug was shared when they reached their dressing room. Much tighter than the ones they shared in the past, to the point where Hyoyeon jokingly commented about how strong everyone’s grip became. It was a job and concert well done, and they knew it. After some words of gratitude and thankfulness were shared between each other, they released the hug and proceeded to do their after-concert activities such as grabbing some fan-given snacks that were placed on the dressing room table, or preparing to change their outfits and exit the building once everyone was ready.

Some knockings on the door broke the casual atmosphere in the room, revealing one of the staff member opening the door after he was given permission to enter their haven.

“Some of your friends are here to see you, girls.”

A shared cluelessness swept across the group of eight, clearly not expecting any known company to attend their concert. Usually their friends would inform them beforehand if they ever gotten tickets, but no such advanced notice were sent to any of the members’ way. The surprise on each of their faces were clear as day when the  group of six ladies they knew well entered the room with glee.

Pleasantries and warm reunion hugs were exchanged between them, the room suddenly turning into a wild commotion of squeals and cheerfulness. Both parties had not interacted as a whole for quite a long time. Their busy schedules and going to different venues (and even countries)  being the main cause of the void in contact. The ones who did kept in contact through the wonderful use of phones and social media only managed to meet a few times every several months. It was a miracle they didn’t just let the friendship fade away to nothing, despite the lack of meetings.

“How in the world did you guys managed to snag tickets for the concert?” Tiffany questioned the newcomers, her hold on Soyeon’s hands still tight as ever. “I mean, this was a pretty big thing and tickets were sold out really quickly.”

“Let’s just say we have our sources,” Soyeon smirked in a teasing way, her eyes sneakily glanced to her own member who was still busy giving a bear-hug to a much smaller woman in her arms. Tiffany took note of the gesture and came to a knowing conclusion. Not much needed to be said.

When it came to Sunny, Tiffany wouldn’t be surprised if Hyomin actually jumped off a cliff for her.

“All of you did great on the stage!” an ebony short-haired woman by the name of Eunjung jumped in. “It was like watching your concert in Seoul last year but this one was much more powerful. Did the dome pumped you all up?”

“Actually, it scared us so much till the adrenaline got us pumped up way too high,” Hyoyeon snarked. “Did you see our Seohyun? She was practically drunked with adrenaline back there.”

That earned her a powerful smack on the arm when the aforementioned youngest and most reserved of Soshi playfully slapped Hyoyeon, much to the blonde dancer’s displeasure. The banter resulted in a shared laughter amongst everyone present in the room.

“Don’t lose your touch, Hyoyeon.” Qri, of all people, teased the woman beside her.

“You as well, Q-ri unnie,” Hyoyeon knowingly smiled back at her.

“Anyways,” the petite leader of Soshi sitting down on the bench in the room addressed the whole group, “before we continue our little get-together here, could the two ladies over there please remove themselves from each other? It’s been ten minutes and we already got over the whole ‘reunion hug’ thing.”

The mentioned ‘two ladies’ immediately broke off, embarrassment flushing their faces when they realised how long they’ve been stuck to each other. In front of an audience, no less.

“Uh, sorry about that,” Sunny sheepishly apologised. “But it’s not my fault. She’s the one who didn’t want to let go.”

The taller brunette retaliated by giving a hurtful pout for good measure. “You enjoyed it, don’t deny.”

Sunny being too embarrassed at the way the situation was going, directed a hasty shush at Hyomin, much to the fun and giggles of the entire group.

“Get a room, you two,” Sooyoung snickered. “The tension is through the roof now.”

Mingling and chatters bounced around the crowded dressing room. Catching up was of the utmost priority at that moment amongst the members. Between Sunny and Hyomin however, it was more than just a simple catching up session. Something was wrong with her dear close friend, and Hyomin was determined to find out. The taller of the two gave a knowing look and darted her eyes at the door. With a slight nod of the head, Sunny turned to the others, “I’ll be going out for a bit with Hyomin.”

“Don’t have fun for too long.”

“Shut up, Sooyoung.”

Finally leaving the room which was filled with snickerings thanks to Sooyoung’s remark, the pair wandered around the hallways which led to the dressing rooms in the humongous dome. No words were said,  and eventually their wanderings led them to the doorway which housed the backstage. With a silent agreement, they went inside and climbed up onto the stage.

Even when empty, the dome still held a grand atmosphere amidst the hundreds of seats facing the stage. The lack of an ocean of people waving pink lightsticks was a stark contrast to how it was when Sunny performed earlier. Grand yet eerie at the same time.

"Someday," Hyomin broke the silence between them, "I too will perform on this very stage like you did." She took a few slow steps forward, her eyes filled with an untarnished hope like one of a child with many goals, as she admired the interior of the grand dome.

A forlorn smile was all she could give in return to her dear friend’s hope and determination. Watching Hyomin reminded her of her debut days; a wave of nostalgia striking her, when everything was less complicated and everyone shared the same goal of making their way to the top. The past was so much simpler, unlike now. The urge to travel back to the past and relive it again was strong in Sunny’s heart.

“Soonkyu?”

The sound of her name being called out snapped Sunny out from her reverie. When she came back to reality, a pair of concerned hazel orbs gazed back at her own. That look always scared Sunny a little. Not in a sense where she feared the woman bearing those concerned eyes. Far from it. What made her quiver was the fact that Hyomin always knew when something troubled her; even when she put up the strongest of front, her friend had the means to bypass it so easily.

To be perfectly honest, it terrified Sunny.

The shorter of the two walked forward to the edge of the stage, making sure to avoid eye contact with an ever worrying Hyomin as she passed by her, to take a seat at the edge of the stage. Dangling and swinging her legs, her mind thought of ways to explain her predicament. Obviously her friend heard the news. It was all over the papers and media after the events of that fateful day unfolded. You would have to be living under a rock to not have heard of what happened to South Korea's top girl group.

"I wish everything went back to normal," Sunny stared emptily up at the seats above. "When the worries were much simpler; when all we had to face was the backlash of antis and the public, the exhaustion, whether our next album would be successful or not."

Hyomin listened, taking a seat next to her brooding friend as she continued on. "A part of me dreadfully expected the outcome to turn out this way. Maybe I should have tried harder to prevent it..." A heavy sigh was released. "My heart literally sank when I had to break the news to her with the others, Sunyoung. When we had to tell Jessica that she was no longer a part of 'us'."

They both stayed silent for a while, letting the peace and tranquility of the empty stadium relax their heavy minds. What felt like an eternity were mere seconds as they sat together on that lonely stage. Hyomin had nothing to say. More specifically, she couldn't think of anything reassuring to say. Her mind drew a blank.

It wasn't like she had never experienced the loss of a member before. She had gone through quite a number of them in fact. One of it even resulted in almost pushing her group to the brink of extinction, and going through hell. They were all sad events. Yet, what she had gone through could not have been up to par with Sunny's situation.

Sunny lost a member. A core member, and also one of her closest friends.

So, Hyomin did the next best thing. Reaching out for her dear friend's hand and holding it tight. The gesture was much appreciated. With a tight grasp, Sunny clung on to Hyomin. The dam started to crack. A single tear was shed, and Sunny closed her eyes shut in a desperate attempt to keep more at bay.

"Just let it out, Soonkyu."

And just like that, she obeyed her friend's words.

Her heart cried out. Her strong front now crumbled into a mess of tears and sobs. The taller of the two scooted closer to her crying friend, pulling her in for an embrace and rubbing her back in a soothing manner. Salty tears soaked the cloth of the shirt which Hyomin was wearing. A choked sob near her ear broke her heart. She felt the arms around her clinging tighter.

Before long, the sobbing became softer and slowly stopped. The girl in Hyomin's arms was much calmer now, other than a few sniffles here and there.

"Feeling better now?" Hyomin whispered.

"Yeah...much better," Sunny pulled away slightly and gave Hyomin the most grateful smile she had ever seen on the shorty. "I really needed that. Thanks, Sunyoung."

Hyomin returned the smile with one of her own. She leaned in closer and gave a loving peck on Sunny's tear-soaked cheek. "You're welcome."

Bashfully avoiding eye contact with a very bold Hyomin, Sunny rubbed her puffy eyes with the back of her hand. Hyomin still held on to her adorable friend, observing her like a beloved pet.

"Come on, stop looking at me like that. You're embarrassing me."

"But it's cute."

"No, it isn't."

"Killjoy..."

Sunny playfully shoved away the member of T-ara, much to the latter's amusement despite the sudden loss of warmth. They both reverted back to their original positions, sitting beside each other but now in brighter moods than before. Sunny's troubles did not go away. However, a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders and her heart too felt lighter.

"I'm going to be better."

Hyomin raised her brows at her. The announcement took her by surprise.

"So Nyuh Shi Dae will be better," Sunny said again as she looked up at the grand dome with a new spirit. "We'll get through this and continue on this path we've walked on until the very end."

The vow did not fall on deaf ears despite the utter lack of loyal fans who would be thrilled and enlightened to hear it. Hyomin was there to witness it nonetheless. A sense of pride blooming inside as she listened to those words. It brought hope for both Sunny and herself too.

“We should head back now, or else Sooyoung is gonna be all over me with her teasings.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

As they rose up and walked back towards the backstage, Sunny halted and called out.

“Sunyoung.”

Hyomin turned around and gave her a curious look.

“You have no idea how much I needed that. Thank you. Without you, I think I still would be a depressed nut,” Sunny’s lips curved into a smile filled with gratitude. Her bright aura returning back to where it was supposed to.

The tall brunette stepped closer and stood in front of her. “You look better when you have a smile on. A true smile, mind you. Not the fake ones which you’ve been wearing throughout the whole concert.” A guilty expression spread throughout the shorter one’s face, a tad surprised that she was caught so easily. Hyomin giggled for a moment, and returned back to her semi-serious expression from before. “Can you promise me something?”

Sunny quirked her brows. “Sure, what is it?”

“Promise me that you will talk with her tonight.”

Widening her eyes, Sunny stared at her friend. The stare softened and she extended her pinkie finger. “Alright, I promise.”

With their pinkie fingers joined and hooked over each other’s, the promise was sealed, waiting for it to be fulfilled.

~.~

The luxurious bedroom had no effect on making the lone woman in it feel that much sleepier than she already was. Lying on the bed, she thought of watching some television and flipping through the endless channels to make her more vulnerable to sleep. She perished the thought. Sleep could not get rid of the longing feelings in her heart.

The concert was already over as she took another glance at the clock.

Their big day.

It could have been her big day too if she had stayed on longer.

She released a heavy sigh.

There was no point thinking about the ‘what ifs’. What was done had already been done.

She just hoped that they had enjoyed themselves, even without her.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Without a second thought, she grabbed it and opened the message.

Her heart skipped a beat, and all her tiredness vanished in an instant.

What she saw first was an attached picture of 8 ladies she knew very well posing together with banners from their concert, and making various heart signs at her. What struck out the most was the caption underneath the photo.

We miss you.

And for the very first time after that fateful day, Jessica smiled a true smile.

END