2014. July

He never heard a girl cried so much before. Not his mother, not his noona, not his dongsaengs in FNC, not even in the dramas he watched. 

And he never imagined Jung Soojung would cry histerically like today, on the phone. 

She called him earlier, telling him slowly about how Sulli and her dating scandal was all over the news, and she thought it would stopped, but turns out it didn't. It has reached a point where the five of them were called into the director's office, and Sulli had to say those two most heart-breaking words. "I'll quit."

"We had an emergency meeting the day before, and we all cried, and she did say that she's going to quit," Soojung cried. "Because she didn't want people to harm us, but I think that's selfish, don't you think so, oppa? I think that's just her being a coward and giving up on something she worked so hard for years, and we're finally here, we're finally great, but she wanted to quit, I just..."

She cried and cried and cried and Minhyuk felt like rushing to her studio to hug her and telling her everything's going to be okay, in person. But he can't, because he's in China. 

"She's gone." Soojung sobbed, and her voice sounded so sad Minhyuk felt his own heart was breaking too. 

"It's not going to be the five of us anymore."

"I'm going to lose my best friend."

"I think she's doing it for you guys," Minhyuk said, when she was cooling down and only sobs were heard. "She loves you guys too much to let anyone harm you."

"I know. I know she's being selfless."

They talked again about random things--the food he ate in China and where he went that day: the music store, to accompany Jonghyun buying a new guitar straps-- and she told him she has to go home, but he told her it's okay, they don't have to hang up. They talked when she's in the car, eating some salads because she hasn't eaten her dinner, and she casually said. "Oh, and the director said we're going to perform as 4 for some time, and then halted the promotion completely." like it's no big deal, because she has been hurt so much with the news that her best friend is quitting the group, nothing basically would hurt her anymore. 

"Tell me a story, oppa." she said, already in her pajamas and laying under her warm blanket in her bed. 

He told him about the new songs, about Yonghwa's solo, about his family, about how much he's missing his mother's cooking, and how tired he was nowadays, but nothing could make him happier than being on stage.

"Soojungie?"

All he heard was her soft and constant breathing, and something rustled as she get into a more comfortable postion. He smiled and layed down, turning the speaker on and putting his phone beside his pillow, so it would feel like they were lying side by side, not miles apart. 

Good night, Soojungie, he thought. Tomorrow will be a better day, and if it's not, I will make it better for you. 

Please listen to this song: 오혁 (OH HYUK) - 소녀 (A Little Girl)