It was the seventh sigh Joohyun heard from Seulgi that night. She was at the kitchen slicing some apples while the younger was at the living room, trying to find a good thing to watch – keyword there was trying.

She shook her head while she cleaned the counter and took the bowl of sliced apples to Seulgi. She found her guest sprawled over her couch, remote on her right hand while the other one was supporting her head.

Sigh.

It was the eighth sigh already and Joohyun couldn’t help but chuckle while she placed the bowl on the coffee table.

“If you’re bored that much why don’t you go out and have some fun?” Joohyun moved Seulgi’s feet so she could have a space to sit on. There were two other empty chairs on the side of the couch but they had been sharing the same bed for a week already so Joohyun thought there would be no harm sharing the couch.

“I don’t like going out.” Seulgi pouted as she changed the channel again.

“Please have mercy on my remote control. If anything happens, you get to buy me a new tv set.”

“Never knew you’d be so demanding.” Seulgi ignored the plea and continued changing the channel.

“Never knew you’d be such a lazy bum.” Joohyun took a slice of apple, popping it in .

Seulgi saw this from the corner of her eyes. “I want some.” She turned her head and opened wide.

“What?”

“Apple.” She opened again.

Joohyun decided to tease so she took the bowl and handed it to Seulgi. “Here.”

“Nooooooooooo!” Seulgi whined as she dropped the remote. “Pop one in my mouth!” She used the hand that held the remote earlier to point at her now wide opened mouth.

Joohyun laughed as she remembered what Wendy told her. “She is demanding and spoiled.”

“What’s so funny?” Seulgi asked.

“You’re such a kid.”

“Whatever.” She resumed opening . “Apple.”

Joohyun berated herself in her head for giving in to Seulgi’s charm. She took a slice and was already prepared to pop it to Seulgi’s mouth when she thought of an idea. She smiled as she threw the slice a little over her target.

Seulgi scrunched her face as the slice hit her nose. “Hey!”

“Sorry, bad aim.” She held her laughter. It wasn’t that she couldn’t get it into Seulgi’s mouth considering their distance but a little fun wouldn’t hurt. After all, this should serve as a punishment for Seulgi. Her cuteness should be illegal.

“Again.”

Joohyun aimed a little higher, hitting Seulgi’s forehead.

“What are you? Two years old? Get your aim right woman!”

Joohyun couldn’t held it any longer and laughed at Seulgi’s frustration. The warm feeling in her heart and the butterflies in her stomach were too hard to ignore already. Seulgi came in her life by accident, started as a mystery, and stayed as the person she had grown to like. Although she never fully admitted the increasing infatuation she had to the younger girl, afraid she’d get hurt by the end of whatever this was.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Seulgi asked, sitting up on the couch.

The older girl wasn’t aware she was staring at Seulgi while she evaluated her feelings. She pushed the thoughts and feelings away before the younger girl could read them.

“Nothing. Here.” She placed the bowl on Seulgi’s lap and looked away.

“Did I do something wrong?” Seulgi held Joohyun’s wrist, attempting to stop the older girl from standing up. “I’m sorry for yelling. I’m still working on my social skills.” She let out a nervous chortle, afraid she offended Joohyun.

“No.” Joohyun slowly retrieved her hand from Seulgi’s grip.

Seulgi just nodded. She had her hands on the bowl of apple, grasping it for support. “Why are you not asking me why I cry to sleep?”

Joohyun shrugged. “I respect your privacy.”

“But I clearly don’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“I come her everynight, knocking on your door at ungodly hours and taking away your precious sleeping time. I clearly don’t think about you or your privacy.”

“That’s on me. I let you in, didn’t I?”

“Well, you shouldn’t”

But I’m starting to like you and I can’t let you be when you’re this fragile. Joohyun wanted to say.

”You don’t even know me that much.” Seulgi whispered.

“Well, I do know you need someone to be there for you.” Joohyun said in a firm voice which kept Seulgi quiet. She didn’t mean to but she was starting to get irked with the conversation.

Yes, she wanted to know why Seulgi was hurting but asking her would mean they would talk about it, and with her growing affection to the younger girl, Joohyun didn’t know if she was prepared to hear the reasons.

Talking about it would also mean Seulgi was ready to move on and would stop coming to her late at night and hug her to sleep while crying. The thought scared her. She would rather not ask. Call her selfish but she’d rather have sleepless nights waiting for Seulgi to knock and rock her to sleep on her bed.

“I’m sorry.” Seulgi’s voice snapped her back to reality. “I’m sorry for all the intrusions and everything.” She placed the bowl on the coffee table and stared at nothing.

She thought she could get up and leave but she didn’t want to. If she would leave, she wouldn’t know where to go. Joohyun’s place felt the safest. She didn’t want to go anywhere else.

Seulgi was spacing out until another slice of apple hit her head. She turned to see the grinning suspect.

“Serious you looks so pathetic.”

“Don’t I look pathetic when I’m crying at night?”

“No.” Joohyun shook her head. “You look beautiful.”

---

Seven heads turned towards the sound of heels clicking on the tiled floor.

“Sorry, I’m late.” Tiffany settled in the middle of the conference table.

“It’s okay Miss Hwang.” Sooyoung acknowledged.

“Thanks Sooyoung.” She distributed the folders she brought to each of the band members. “Here are the copies of your schedules for the next three months. Your managers were already briefed last week by the President. I presume they already memorized each schedule.” Tiffany looked at Sooyoung and Hyoyeon who both nodded in confirmation.

“What’s this? MC Wendy for Show Bank?” Wendy asked.

“Ah! The music show already knew there’s going to be a new member and they offered an MC spot for you. It can benefit them since viewers will be curious and watch their show and it can benefit us since you’ll get more screen time, alone.”

“But I know nothing about MC-ing.”

“You’ll be trained by me so no need to worry. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Tiffany gave her infamous eyesmile to the newest member.

“You?”

“Director Hwang takes pride in MC-ing. She did a lot of MC gigs when she was promoting before with her group.” Sooyoung explained.