Lightning flashed through the windows and needless to say, a loud boom of thunder was heard throughout Seoul.

That same blast of thunder made Sooyoung nearly jump out of her skin.

                She never really liked thunder. As a matter of fact, she hated it. She hated how it surprised the living daylights out of her, how it made the hair on her skin rise everytime and how it caused her to find a corner wherever she was, curl herself in a ball and wait until the bad weather had ended. Back when she was so much younger, she used to hide in the bathroom, where she would cover her ears and pray for all everything to fall silent. But that was until the lights are suddenly out, which forced her to run out in search for anywhere that had light in the house.

                She hated thunder especially when right after it came a blackout. That exact thing was what happened as Sooyoung found herself standing in a rehearsal room that was suddenly enveloped in darkness. Almost immediately, piercing shrieks of the startled ones reigned in the room while those who were sane enough started barking out instructions, reminding everyone to stay still and be careful.

                Her eyes darted all over the room and she could feel the fear starting to creep in her. She couldn’t see anyone except for a couple of outlines of her friends. To make everything worse, a flash of lightning illuminated the room… followed by a loud and long boom of thunder, earning another round of screams from mostly the girls especially from Sooyoung herself.

She hated thunder… because she was afraid of it.

                The leggy brunette wanted to so badly to reach her hands out and look for anyone in the dark. Anyone who could comfort her. Anyone who could distract her from the loud, surprising, blaring sounds of thunder. But she felt glued to where she stood. Her eyes fell on the window just as another flare of lightning brightened the sky. Sooyoung squeezed her eyes shut as her hands came up to cover her ears as she anticipated the rumble of thunder. True enough, it came and the short haired woman soon found herself shaking. It may seem shallow to others how such a grown woman could be afraid of something very trivial but she didn’t care. Her number one fear was thunder. It scared her. It made her heart stop for a second everytime it happens.

“Sooyoung!” She could hear Jessica’s worried voice calling out for her. Of course the older woman knew about her fear… she was there most of the time when she trembled in fear during their trainee days and even until now that they were much older. “Sooyoung! Are you okay?”

“U-Unnie…” She never called the other girls unnie… and when she did, there was always a reason behind it.

The honorific didn’t go unnoticed by the girls. “Hang on, Soo. I’ll come and get you. Just stay where you are.” Hyoyeon spoke; the older woman already having sensed that Seohyun had moved from her side to her search for Sooyoung.

                Sooyoung squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that the weather would calm down again just like she did when she was young. But the answer to her prayer seemed to be a no as thunder rumbled once more and a scream escaped her lips. She lowered herself down until she was squatting on the floor with hands over her ears, desperately hoping for Hyoyeon or anyone to come immediately.

It was then that she felt a pair of strong, lean arms around her frame that made her yelp in surprise.

“It’s me.” A very familiar of reassured her.

“C-Changmin oppa…” She managed to squeak. “H-How… How did you…”

“I looked for you… I knew you’d be like this.” The dark haired maknae of DBSK answered her unfinished question, knowing that she recognized the fact that he wasn’t anywhere near her before the blackout.

“L-Lights… I-I want–” The shikshin was not able to finish her sentence once more as it thundered once more, causing her to bury her face against Changmin’s chest; a shiver running down her spine.

                A sigh escaped his lips as he slipped an arm beneath her knees and the other arm gripped her back. In one smooth motion, she was up and cuddled in his arms. Pulling her tightly against his body, Changmin carefully and slowly navigated in the dark, looking for the sofa he knew was in the room. Being the man of instinct and sensitivity to his surroundings, he managed to reach the said destination without dropping the woman in his arms or hitting anything and anyone in the process. The last thing he needed was to hit anyone with Sooyoung's four inch heels.

                Settling on the sofa, he gently placed her on his lap. Sooyoung was still snuggled closely against him and he could feel her flinch everytime there was thunder. Knowing that he had to do something to counteract the sound she hated so much, Changmin began to hum a soft melody that was loud enough only for her to hear. He wanted to calm her down and let her know there was nothing to fear… that he was going to be there to protect her even from something as harmless as thunder.

                Slowly but surely, he felt her rigid body relax in his arms up to the point that she didn’t react to the thunder anymore. Changmin wrapped his arms around her body tighter and hugged her. Resting his chin lightly on her head, he continued to hum the sweet song that seemed to work magic on her. It seemed like she had fallen asleep. He could feel it. But not before she whispered a heartfelt thank you that made his heart beat like a drum. He wondered if she felt it.

                Changmin closed his own eyes, feeling the desire of his body to surrender to sleep. It had been a long day of tiring practices and stress. His own song was making him drowsy to say the least. And before he knew it, he was asleep just like Sooyoung. They were peaceful amidst all the chaos and noise around them; her sisters still searching in the dark for her. Not completely, though, especially when Heechul reminded them that their mobile phones could light up.

That was how everyone else found them when the lights were back.