Chapter 25: Emergency

Upon reading the message sent from Bomi, Eunji didn't even hesitate once and immediately called her number. For a while, there was a long beep but she didn't pick up. Naeun who woke up from Eunji's movements, realised that something was up. The girl rose and headed to Namjoo's room to wake her up, only to find that the bed was empty. Confused, she walked towards Hayoung's room and found the two maknaes hugging each other while asleep. She giggled softly, wondering how cute it was to see them like that but she had to break their moment.

"Hey, wake up you two. We're going to Chuncheong today." said Naeun, lightly tapping Hayoung's thigh that exposed itself from the blanket. The two younger girls groaned and yawned, stretching their arms while rubbing their eyes. But the moment they realised Naeun was there, the two immediately let go of each other, embarrassed.

"Y'know, there's nothing to hide. Be ready by 11:30 okay?" giggled Naeun, finding the situation cute as she left the room.

She returned into Eunji's room, only to see the older girl trying to call Bomi over and over again. She grabbed Eunji's phone and locked it, looking up at the girl who was flustered at what she was doing.

"We shouldn't waste time calling Bomi unnie. We should head straight to Chuncheong so go brush your teeth unnie."

"Makes sense. We should get going." sighed Eunji as she looked at Naeun. Her stare was deep, as there was only silence.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" asked Naeun, avoiding eye contact.

"Nothing. You look cute." giggled Eunji as gently touched her cheek and went into the bathroom, leaving the younger girl dumbfounded. Even though at times Eunji was serious but she always made an effort to compliment Naeun, the only girl she loved with her whole heart.

~X~

The four girls soon found themselves sitting inside the train, munching off bits of bread they bought at the convenience store below their dorm. Namjoo and Hayoung felt asleep again, leaning their heads against each other. It seemed like the two were up the whole night chatting, barely even getting proper rest. Eunji was busy checking the news through her phone, especially about the landslide that occured in Chuncheong. It was sudden disaster due to heavy rain and erosion near the mountains, like a monster that destroyed rows of houses in one blow. The news have stated that they are still in the process of rescuing any survivors trapped in the rubble.

"I pray that Chorong unnie's house isn't one of them." sighed Eunji as she scrolled the screen upwards.

"Did you manage to contact Bomi unnie?" asked Naeun, placing her head onto her shoulder.

"Nope. That girl seriously won't pick up her phone. I really wonder what on earth is she doing? Has she even found Chorong unnie in the first place?"

"Then, how are we going to find them when we reach?"

"Only one way. Scream Chorong unnie and Bomi's name all over the neighbourhood." smirked Eunji.

"I..don't think that would work..."

"I'm just joking." giggled Eunji as she playfully messed with Naeun's hair.

It didn't take long before the light in the train blinked, where a robotic voice kept repeating the next destination, Chuncheong. The girls got out of the tram, reaching the land of Chorong's hometown. It was definitely a huge difference from the bustling city of Seoul as it was far more rural than Bomi and Eunji's home. Even the train station looked like something that came out from the 80's, remnants of the past scattered all over. It was almost like a ghost town, not a single soul was seen besides the staff.

The four girls walked hand-in hand into the strange place they've never been before, exiting the station that lead into an open valley with only a one-way road path upwards. There was a lot of greenery and farms, definitely bearing the true image of the countryside. The air was different from the foul, pollution smell of Seoul, it was missing the tall, metal buildings that the girls were so used to.

"Where do we go now unnie?" asked Namjoo while keeping an eye on Hayoung who was curious at this new scenery, checking out plants by the roadside and being amazed at the sound of birds.

"Let me try to contact Bomi again.....oh no...." said Eunji as she sighed, looking at her phone screen.

"There's no signal here. That explains why we couldn't contact her." said Eunji, frustrated.

"But didn't the news said there was a landslide? It doesn't look like anything happened here.." said Naeun, suspicious.

"Unnies, I'm hungry...." mumbled Namjoo.

"Me too. Do you think we can find any restaurants here?" asked Hayoung.

It was at that moment, the girls spotted something far away from the empty road. It was a car. The first car they had seen, since coming to Chuncheong.

"We have no choice. Let's try to hitch hike." said Eunji as she bravely rose her hand outwards, waving towards the oncoming car.

With luck, the car stopped and the girls were relieved. A man rolled down his window, looking at the girls as if he hadn't seen them before.

"You're from the city?" asked the man.

"Yes...sorry but is it okay if you give us a ride? We're not exactly sure where to go and we're kinda hungry..." said Eunji as she bowed.

"Sure, hop on in. There's a good bibimbap place nearby. I'm Hoya, nice to meet you."

~X~

Along the ride, the girls introduced themselves to Hoya where they got to learn more about Chuncheong and how it is normally quite isolated as it is a rural area. He explained that most of the people left Chuncheong for the city in search of wealth.

"Then, what about the landslide that appeared in the news?" asked Eunji.

"That landslide hit our only market in this whole place. It's definitely a huge mess over there. Before, it was the only marketplace where we could buy our goods. Children and adults alike would hang around there, meet up with their friends and grab some drinks. Now, that's all destroyed." sighed Hoya as he continued to drive.

"How's the condition now? Is anyone hurt?" asked Naeun.

"The news always likes to exaggerate things. It happened in the middle of the night where everyone was safe in their own homes so no one is hurt. All that's needed is time to repair the damages. No worries. said Hoya with a smile. The girls sighed in relief, knowing that their unnie and Bomi were all safe.

"Why? Did you girls come all the way here because of someone you know? Worried that they might be in the landslide?"

"It's a bit complicated but our unnie suddenly dissapeared and returned to her hometown here in Chuncheong." said Namjoo.

"If you don't mind, may I know what is your unnie's name? I might know her since we're just a small neighbourhood."

"Chorong unnie. Park Chorong." said Hayoung.

Hoya's eyebrows raised upon Hayoung's answer.

"I know her. She's my childhood friend."

The girls were surprised yet lucky that they were able to find someone who knew Chorong. Perhaps Hoya can bring them closer to where Chorong and possibly Bomi is.

"I heard that she came back yesterday. My parents told me that she quitted her job. I was pretty surprised. Well, we've arrived at the bibimbap place. I'll take you guys to Chorong's house once you're done." smiled Hoya as he got out of the car, opening the door like a gentleman.

"Really? Aren't you busy?" asked Eunji, worried yet thankful.

"A country boy like me only farms and herds animals. It's really boring sometimes." said Hoya with a laugh as they headed inside the restaurant. Knowing Eunji, she got along well with Hoya quick. She was always a very friendly person so she would immediately make friends with strangers. Naeun who saw this however, didn't feel comfortable seeing her like that especially when Eunji casually placed her arm around Hoya, as if they were best friends.

The girls and Hoya sat down at a table, leaving the country boy to order while the girls were fascinated at the sight outside the window. For the first time, there were rabbits hopping around freely, something that you would never see in the city. Hoya simply laughed, finding the girl's behaviour rather amusing.

"But it's a relief to hear that no one was hurt in the landslide. At least, that's one worry off our chests." said Eunji, who sat in the middle with Naeun on her left while Hoya on her right.

"It's all just manipulation from the press, don't worry. Are you Chorong's friends from Seoul? I'm quite surprised to see that." said Hoya.

"What do you mean?" asked Namjoo.

"Chorong's really, really shy. In fact, me and another guy are her only friends from Chuncheong so I was quite worried when I heard that she headed to Seoul to work. I'm happy to see that she managed to make friends, good ones." smiled Hoya, looking at the girls.

"Did you mean Changsub oppa?" asked Hayoung.

"You guys met him already? Sorry if he's a little weird, it's just his personality." chuckled Hoya, slightly bowing his head in apology of his friend. It was then, someone entered the restuarant. Hayoung took a peek, wondering who it could be considering that the entire place was ghost town.

The younger girl looked and gasped, immediately getting out of her seat.

"Bomi unnie!" shouted Hayoung in joy, tossing her arms around Bomi, who was flustered.

"H-Hayoungie?! Wait, all of you guys are here too?!" said Bomi, gasping. The older girl looked exactly the same, wearing the exact clothes and evidence that she didn't even take a shower at all.

"Bomi-ya! What a coincidence!" said Eunji as she smiled, but stopped as she remembered her fight with Bomi. The same-aged girl walked over and sat beside Namjoo and Hayoung, relieved to see familiar faces.

"So you guys met Hoya oppa too?" laughed Bomi, as the girls stared at her in confusion.

"You know him unnie?" asked Namjoo.

"I mean, he's the one who helped me when I arrived. In fact, I'm staying at his house." said Bomi without any worry.

"Unnie, you shouldn't stay at a man's house...." whispered Hayoung.

"What are you talking about? He lives with his parents, pabo~" said Bomi, baffled.

"So did you manage to find Chorong?" asked Hoya to Bomi. The other girls simply stared at Bomi, waiting for her answer. 

"No one's at home. I don't know where on earth she's gone." said Bomi with a sigh, as her smile dissapeared.

Hoya then proceeded to explain how he met Bomi at first, as she arrived at Chuncheong late into the night. It was just a mere coincidence that Hoya was driving back from work and found the lost girl sitting on the streets, completely defeated. He brought her into his family home where Bomi was welcomed with open arms, letting her to stay over the night. The two became friends quickly and the girl had told him everything that happened to Chorong. As Hoya had to go to work early the next morning, he gave her Chorong's home address so that she can find it herself the next day.

But Bomi had overslept, sleeping more than 10 hours in Hoya's comfortable home that was right beside a huge rice paddy field. The girl only went to search for the house in the middle of noon, before heading into the bibimbap restaurant where she met the others.

"That's strange, where has that girl gone?" said Hoya after hearing Bomi's answer. Knowing Chorong for almost 10 years, he knew every single part of her shy, quiet personality. He had told Bomi several times that there was never once he had romantic feelings for Chorong and simply saw her as a sister.

It was at that moment, the food arrived and everyone decided to eat first before discussing Chorong's whereabouts. The bibimbap was filled with fresh vegetables and meat directly from the farms in Chuncheong. It definitely tasted much different from the ones in Seoul and was simply one of the most delicious foods the girls ever ate in their life.

"Do you think that maybe....Chorong unnie is running away from us?" asked Hayoung carefully.

"Is she hiding something from us? She left without a reason..." said Namjoo, taking a glance at Eunji and Bomi who remained quiet. The same-aged friends felt awkward seeing each other ever since the fight they had, they both knew that they were wrong and didn't know what to do.

Hoya carefully glanced at the girls, wondering whether to say the thing that had been lingering in his head. As he continued to observe the girls trying to give on ideas on where Chorong might be, the man took a deep breath.

"I think that all of you should know this. I haven't told this to Bomi yet either. But it's important."

The girls stayed quiet, staring at Hoya.

"Just a week ago....Chorong's father passed away." confessed Hoya, bringing shock to all the girls.

[END OF CHAPTER 25]

A/N: Looks like Chorong has been hiding a lot of things from the girls? Will Eunji and Bomi be able to make up? Thank you reading and subscribing! We all know that Chorong's only friends are Changsub and Hoya irl haha, see you in the next chapter coming soon~