Naeun misses Eunji.

She'd never tell her that though.

Especially when Eunji doesn't miss her. She seems to be doing more than fine, always sticking to Hayoung's side and going out late with the youngest to who-knows-where. It's not like Eunji is constantly gone for filming or something of that sort - in fact, their group has been spending more time with each other than ever with the ongoing solo concerts and Japanese promotions. But even when Eunji is there, to Naeun, it doesn't feel like she is. Eunji may as well be absent, because it wouldn't make a difference anyway.

"Another set of couple rings? You two are on a roll! Are you sure you're not dating?" Namjoo jokes as she examines the matching bands on her groupmates' fingers. Hayoung giggles and slaps the older girl on the shoulder while Eunji simply stands there, rubbing the back of her neck. She seems amused by the playful antics of the youngest members.

Meanwhile, Naeun is sitting on the couch, within listening proximity to the other girls. She plays with her phone, absentmindedly scrolling back and forth on a random application. She doesn't really know what she's doing - her mind is blank. It doesn't really matter, what she's doing. From her peripheral vision, she sees Eunji gazing into her direction, and she knows that Eunji is probably looking at her. Who else would she be looking at? Naeun is the only one who doesn't react to the things that the main vocalist and youngest do with each other. She's the only one who doesn't voice her feelings or thoughts about Eunji's frequent and widely varied social interactions. And it's not that she doesn't care about all of this - she just doesn't show it.

She doesn't want Eunji to see it, this petty, envious side of her. What Eunji sees is 'pretty Naeun', 'Naeun, the prettiest girl in the world', 'fatally attractive Naeun', 'everyone's ideal type Naeun'. And if that's what Eunji wants to see, then that's exactly what she would get. It's not a lie; it's just showing one side of her and hiding all of the others. It's not as if everyone else leaves all their sides unconcealed anyway.

"Naeun."

Eunji calls out to her, just as Naeun expects she eventually would. She wishes she could simply ignore the older girl, pretend like she never heard her, behave as if she isn't there, but she already knows how persistent she is (in addition to insisting on the display of good manners). Reluctantly, Naeun parts her lips and answers to Eunji's call without looking up from her phone:

"Yes?"

Eunji is obviously peeved by the lack of eye contact she is receiving, but there seems to be something else that bothers her too. "Do you mind coming into my room for a bit? I think we should talk." Her tone is rather firm and serious, so Naeun knows that she can't possibly refuse. It even catches the other memb