“Amber, what should I do now?” Yuri asked as she lifted her little glass of tequila. Looking at the alcohol with a dreamy expression, she smiled and finished it in one shot. “I'll tell you when you stop drowning yourself with these things.” Amber stated firmly and for once, she wasn't going to go back on her words with Yuri. 

Yuri pouted and continued to drink. She was going to drink till she dropped, literally. This had been happening too frequently now, it was almost every week. It just so happened that Amber had no more schedules for the rest of the month until further notice. 

“Why did you tender your resignation letter, Hyung? Are you plain stupid or just idiotic?”

“Isn't it the same thing?” Yuri asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

“At least you're sober enough to be able to tell me that it's the same thing. Why can't you just tell me who's the ing idiot who's making you do all this nonsense?” Amber cursed and felt a few taps all over her face.

Yuri had thrown a bunch of peanuts at the tomboy's face for cursing in public, especially since Amber wasn't in disguise and the tanned girl was. “Don't curse, you idiot. You're an idol.” Yuri stated, rubbing salt into her own open wounds. 

Kwon Yuri was no longer an idol of S.M Entertainment, she was now thrown into the cold and lonely world of pure misery; regret and pain. 

---

“Sica-unnie, please ask her why...” Yoona begged. 

It was a normal day like many others but they were ruthlessly informed that their black pearl had just resigned from the group just this morning. 

“She's not picking up.” Jessica threw her phone off the couch and stood up, pacing up and down the room while pinching the bridge of her nose. 

Taeyeon wanted to burst out in anger and frustration, her heart was feeling hurt at Yuri's sudden action. She promised her to stay on until the group was no more. 

Yuri broke her promise. 

“Did she tell any of you anything about plans to leave the group?” Jessica asked, looking at the remaining number of girls sitting around the dance studio. 

“Hold on.... Where's Fany?”

Seohyun looked around, Tiffany had been sitting next to her just a while ago. She noticed Tiffany looking unusually depressed and energy-deprived but decided to keep quiet. 

“I don't know. I hardly talked to her today since she looked like she was in a bad mood. Oh right, back to your question. Remember the day I went out clubbing with Yuri?” Hyoyeon stood up, her mind starting to connect the dots from whatever Yuri had let out that day. 

Flashback. 

“Aish, Hyo. You could have just gone clubbing with your friends, why did you have to drag me along?” Yuri whined, tugging at Hyoyeon's sleeves.

Yuri wasn't a big fan of the whole club scene, the loud music and dancing crowd made her eardrums pound and it was basically a horrible experience whenever she was there. 

Hyoyeon looked at Yuri with a good expression but her eyes couldn't hide her emotions well, “I wanted to spend some time with you alone. It's been a while, buddy.”

Worry. 

Pain. 

Yuri looked down and decided to follow Hyoyeon quietly, “I'm sorry.” Yuri was guilty and she had been so caught up in her own affairs that she hadn't realised how much she had neglected the people that held her dear to their hearts. 

“What's bothering you, Yul? Don't even try to lie past me because you're the only one who can't lie well among us besides maknae.”  Hyoyeon ordered two bowls of peanuts and a glass of cola for Yuri while she had a vodka lime. 

“Nothing, buddy. What are you talking about?” Yuri wanted to slap herself for lying to Hyoyeon again but this was something she would take with her to her grave. 

Hyoyeon looked at Yuri straight into her eyes but she couldn't detect any guilty or shifty eyes. It was either Yuri had gotten better at lying or she was just being paranoid over nothing. 

“Fine, Kwon. You know I'm always here for you no matter what happens, right?” Hyoyeon took Yuri's hand into her own and rubbed the back of her palm in assurance. 

Yuri nodded and kissed Hyoyeon's cheek before drowning herself with nuts, she didn't want any more questions for the night. 

She didn't know if her heart could take it any longer. 

“Why? Why does God keep doing this to me? Hyoyeon, why...”

Yuri was whining and crying in a drunken stupour and Hyoyeon wanted to cry at it. Yuri had never once resorted to drinking no matter what the problem was but the moment Hyoyeon left for the restroom, the black pearl ordered mor