Chapter 14 – I Miss Us

Jiyeon woke up by Soyeon’s bed in the morning. Soyeon was already up, packing her stuff as today she will be discharged from the hospital.

“Ah, why am I here?” Jiyeon suddenly burst out, shocking Boram who just got out from the bathroom and Soyeon who was packing her bagpack.

“What do you mean what are you doing here, you were here all night..” Soyeon said and continue packing her stuff and Boram switched on the television.

“But Hwayoung and I......” Jiyeon tilted her head in confusion.

Both Soyeon and Boram just looked at Jiyeon, dazed by their maknae’s behaviour.

“Maybe you were dreaming,” Boram said while watching KBS’s Entertainment Weekly.

“Controversy surrounding girl group T-ARA has not yet see the end of it as....” Boram switched off the television and sighed.

“I can’t watch television in peace now..” Boram hissed and just sit on the couch.

Jiyeon scrabbled through her handbag, then found her hand phone, fully charged.

“Then it was really a dream....” Jiyeon whispered.

“Today is Hyomin’s press conference...” Boram started another conversation.

“Uh-um..” Soyeon nodded.

“Um, I gotta go.. Bye, unnie-dul take care!” Jiyeon bid them goodbye and walked off.

As she exited the hospital, she stopped for a moment to look at the bench where Hwayoung and her reconciled, which is actually a dream.

“Unnie....” Danee visited Hyomin in her dressing room before she’s off to The Thousandth Man’s press conference.

“Oh Danee ahh!” Hyomin rose from her seat and give her little sister a hug.

Danee took a seat beside Hyomin as Hyomin is getting her hair done.

“Unnie, how are you?” Danee asked.

“Ah, what’s with the worried tone?” Hyomin laughed it off but Danee stll looked a little bit serious.

“I’m fine, I’m fine..” Hyomin patted Danee’s hand for assurance.

Danee gave her older sister a smile.

“Unnie, can you help me?” Danee asked.

“Why, are you in trouble at school? Kids there disturbed you?” Hyomin playfully clenched her fist.

“Aniyoooooo...” Danee laughed a bit.

“When you meet Eunjung unnie, can you give her this?” Danee handed Hyomin a small box.

“What is this?” Hyomin asked.

“Something I made at school, it’s fake though, it’s not real diamond. I put a letter ‘E’ on the ring..” Danee smiled.

“Ah! You didn’t make one for me! I don’t want to give her!” Hyomin sulked.

“I did, I did! Here!” Danee gave her older sister one big hearty hug.

“Aigooooo, you really know how to console me...” Hyomin pinched Danee’s cheek.

“Okay, I’ll give it to Eunjung unnie, but why me? Why didn’t you give it yourself?” Hyomin asked.

“I’m scared, Eunjung unnie doesn’t seem like she wants to talk to anyone,” Danee said.

Hyomin smiled at Danee’s statement. Actually now, nobody wants to talk to anyone but Hyomin has to persevere to keep the mood going fine, she doesn’t want Danee and Areum to feel intimidated and left out.

Danee left Hyomin a few minutes later to go practice and Hyomin gave one last hug before letting her baby Danee go.

Hyomin finished getting ready, so she went down to lobby to go to the press conference but before that, she headed to restroom first.

On her way to the bathroom, she stumbled upon one person she haven’t seen in a long time. Both stopped motion.

“Unnie...” Hwayoung stuttered. Hyomin smiled back, looking down and make her way into the bathroom.

Hyomin washed her hand and found Hwayoung at the door, escaping her eyes when she looked at her younger sister.

“Where is Unnie going?” Hwayoung started the conversation.

“To my press conference..” Hyomin replied in a slow voice.

Hwayoung realised Hyomin was a little cold to her. Hyomin used to the one who was so fond to her, Hyomin was the first person to become close to her when she entered T-ARA, Hyomin was always the one backing her up but this time she could see in her older sister’s eyes how disappointed she is.

“Oh...” Hwayoung said and Hyomin walked past her, exiting the restroom.

“Unnie..” Hwayoung called for Hyomin again, outside in the hallway.

There was nobody there and Hyomin’s name echoed all the way to the end of the hallway.

Hyomin turned around to face Hwayoung.

“Mianhaeyo....” Hwayoung bowed to Hyomin and cried. She was sad to see how cold Hyomin was to her and she couldn’t bear it as it was always Hyomin that stood by her whenever things got rough but now she made things rough for Hyomin.

Hyomin shed a tear but held back. She walked back to Hwayoung and insisted Hwayoung to stopped bowing to her.

Hwayoung stopped and wiped off her tears.

“I’m sorry I made things to become like this, I didn’t intended for things to turn like this..” Hwayoung cried to Hyomin.

Hyomin gave a little smile and held Hwayoung’s hands.

“It’s a little bit too late for that now but things already happened, so we can’t do anything anymore, right?” Hyomin patted Hwayoung’s arm.

Both of them stayed silent for a moment.

“I’m really glad to see you, Hwa ah..” Hyomin playfully slapped Hwayoung’s face.

Hwayoung laughed and pushed Hyomin a little bit.

“What are you doing here?” Hyomin asked Hwayoung.

“Hyoyoung unnie..” Hwayoung replied.

“I gotta go, Hwa ah,” Hyomin said and stopped for a moment.

“Call me..” Hyomin said to Hwayoung, as if begging to her and Hwayoung nodded.

Hyomin arrived at the press conference, feeling as nervous as hell. The press conference were doing fairly well until one inevitable question were thrown.

“What do you have to say about the T-ARA controversy now?”one of the reporter asked.

Jeon Mi Sun, Hyomin’s mother in the drama quickly held her hand under the table, to give her on-screen daughter some courage to answer as she saw Hyomin was already battling her own tears.

“Please. Only ask my role in the drama. And the drama itself.” Hyomin said, stuttering her way in order to swallow her tears.

Jeon Mi Sun gave her a little smile.

After the press conference ended, Hyomin was a little scared to walk through a sea of people as she afraid of being attacked.

Suddenly, a girl grabbed her hand and Hyomin quickly pulled away but when she saw that the girl was crying and saying something about Hyomin have to be strong, Hyomin quickly held the fan’s hand back and patted it. Hyomin smiled at the fan and the fan smiled back, mouthing “Himnae”.

“I will, I will be strong”, Hyomin said to herself.