~Chapter 41~

The girls turned silent, their expressions were no longer bright as they heard Eunji's words. "Go our seperate ways". It was a sentence that hurt their heart, their memories that they had together for so many years just came crushing down like that. It was too sudden and no one knew why, Eunji would think of such that would often be seen as a nightmare.

"I-Is something wrong Eunji-ya? Why are you suddenly saying things like that?" asked Chorong.

"Hey, did something happen while you were working today?" asked Bomi.

There was concern and worry written all over their faces. They had never imagined a day where they didn't live together, everyone thought this would continue forever, until they grew old together. But it seems to be not the case.

"It's not that. The girls that I'm training, they are going to be an idol girl group soon and my boss has been finding places for them to stay. It's quite difficult because there are eight of them. I don't know why this came across my mind, but they could use our dormitory. It has plenty of space and is easily accesible to many parts of Seoul." said Eunji with a calm tone.

"Then, what about us? Where are we going to stay?" asked Bomi.

"But Bom-ah, Eunji does make a point." said Chorong, with a careful thought as she analysed the situation. As expected of the oldest, she was always one step ahead of everyone and knew what to do in situations like these.

"What do you mean unnie?" asked Naeun.

"Think about it carefully. We are only going to get busier and busier as time moves on, the places we work will start to get furthur away from each other and soon enough, it will be hard to come back home. I know it's a hard decision because the five of you practically grew up in the dormitory so it's not in my place to say. But, wouldn't it be better to let someone else use the Pink Dormitory for the better? If you look at it, it's just a place to sleep. It's not even home anymore." 

Chorong's words, made the five girls think deeply and carefully. In a way, it did make sense and it was logical. It has been ages since Chorong had last cooked dinner at home. Even if she did, it was only a meal for herself and Hayoung. With the tournament coming up, Bomi hadn't returned to the dorm since a week ago while Naeun and Eunji spent late nights working.

"But unnie, if we do move out, where are we going to stay?" asked Hayoung.

"I can always stay at the hostel for athletes so you don't need to worry about me." said Bomi.

"I think I remember about an apartment room for sale somewhere...." said Naeun, trying to recall her memory.

"But then unnies, if we think closely, it would be nice to have a new home." said Namjoo.

Soon enough, the girls started to chatter again. The thoughts of living in a new house together was exciting, they came to a conclusion into buying an apartment house for all six of them to live together even though at times, some of them wouldn't be using it. Although a bitter feeling still lingered in their hearts as they had to let go the dormitory they grew up together, they were bound to walk a new path of life as six.

"Then, it is settled? May I tell my boss that these eight girls can move into the dorm?" asked Eunji as she smiled, the situation was better than she had expected. The girls were all very agreeing and accepted the idea of getting a new house.

"But Eunji-ya, you think that maybe....your company could like help us pay a bit when we buy the apartment?" said Bomi with a sneaky smile.

"Alright, I get your point. I'll ask if they can cover the cost for us." laughed Eunji to which the girls cheered.

The decision was settled. By the time Eunji recieved the green light from her boss, things started to change fast. They each took a day off together, flipping through advertisements of apartment rooms being sold in magazines, newspapers and visiting centres that allows the girls to visit several apartments before coming into a conclusion to which they should buy. After all, it was all sponsered by WM Entertainment so there was no worry for the girls at all.

"What do you think of this place?" asked Chorong as they entered into an apartment located in Mapo, there were two bathrooms, three bedrooms and a big, living area. The kitchen much bigger and spacious, making it a paradise for the eldest who loved cooking.

"I like it unnie. There's more space and room to breathe in." smiled Bomi as she walked around.

"Although we won't have our own rooms anymore...." mumbled Chorong

"Hey, having roommates is even better than sleeping alone!" smiled Eunji.

"That's true, I mean Bomi unnie is always sleeping with-" before Hayoung could continue, the older girl quickly covered .

"I'll pay for your games so don't say another word." smiled Bomi with an evilish smirk.

The girls laughed at the situation, it was just like the old days where they teased each other. Who knows how much more teasing will occur in this new apartment?

"I'm guessing you like this place?" asked the man who brought them here.

"Yes. I think we'll take this one." smiled Chorong as the girls all agreed. 

It took days following the signing of contracts and many procedures towards the ownership. Soon enough, it was time to pack up.

~X~

[The day of moving out]

Lots of noises could be heard at the Pink Dormitory as the six girls each divided their tasks accordingly so that packing could go on quicker. The maknaes were tasked to package anything vulnerable into boxes with layers of wrapping, Eunji and Naeun were in charge of cleaning the mess while Chorong and Bomi helped each other carrying heavy boxes onto the lorry outside. Mattresses were moved one by one, pictures were taken down, the dorm was carefully stripped of everything it had during the past decades.

"Unnie, it's finally happening...." said Hayoung as she taped the boxes.

"It's quite hard to believe it...the fact that we won't be coming back here..." said Namjoo.

"Ah unnie~ don't say things like that...you're making me sad.." pouted Hayoung as she stopped and looked around one last time. The dorm was now, an empty, hollow house.

"Come on you two, finish the last box and we'll get going! The others are waiting for you." said Chorong.

"But unnie...." said Hayoung as she couldn't bring herself to leave. She stayed the longest in the dorm therefore, it had a special place in her heart. The Pink Dormitory was the first place she had ever called home, it was where she finally had someone as a family and all of her memories were still there.

Looking at the maknae's eyes, she knew what the girl felt inside. Although it was a tough decision for her, people have to move on. As she walked to Hayoung, her arms reached out for an embrace. It was filled with warmth and love, a message that comforted her uneasy heart. It was just like a mother's embrace, giving strength and confidence for the child who was afraid of getting out.

"Hayoung-ah, I know this must be difficult for you but-"

"Thank you, Chorong unnie." smiled Hayoung as she placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Hm? What are you suddenly thanking me for?" asked Chorong, surprised.

"If you never came to this dorm, I probably wouldn't be able to bring myself to even step a foot out. But meeting you made me change a little inside, you gave me a lot of guidance during tough times and honestly, I've always seen you as a mother. Home is nothing if there isn't you and everyone else." 

"Omo...what's gotten into you?" teased Chorong, slightly taken aback by the now, mature maknae.

"Hey, what about me then?" said Namjoo as she teased along. 

"GUYS, HURRY UP! THE SUN IS GETTING HOTTER!" Eunji's loud screams could easily be heard from outside

"Coming!!" replied Chorong with a shout from inside.

The three girls quickly carried the last box onto the lorry. As the vehicle left, the six were left behind, looking at the empty dormitory that they used to call "home". Memories flashed before their eyes like a timetravel throughout the many years they've been through together. Happy times, sad times, it was something that will forever cherish in their hearts.

"Oh yeah, we didn't have a photo of all six of us together!" said Eunji.

"We did...didn't we? Our summer trip to Busan...." said Bomi, unsure.

"Yeah, without me." said Chorong as she crossed her arms.

"S-Sorry...." laughed Bomi nervously.

"Let's all take a picture together with the dorm as our background!" said Namjoo.

The girls gathered in front of their door, squeezing so that all six fit in the frame. 

"Alright, everyone ready? Three, two, one!" said Eunji as she clicked the capture button on her phone.

~X~

[Three weeks later]

The Pink Dormitory that slept through several days of hot summer and nights, was now home to a new group of eight, young girls. Muffled voices and sounds of moving luggage could be heard outside the door as shadows moved across. As the doorknob turned with the right insert of the key, a loud creak echoed the once, empty, hollow dorm. Light finally shone through for the first time in weeks as the dorm was filled with voices of excited, girls who stepped inside.

"Wow~ unnies! This is really spacious!" said one girl who happily entered, looking at each and every room.

"I'm taking this room!" smiled another.

"Girls, remember that we should be thankful to Eunji-sunbaenim for giving us her dorm." said the oldest among the eight.

"Yes we will, Hyojung unnie!"

This marked a new beginning for these girls, who were soon-to-debut girl group, Oh My Girl under WM Entertainment. Who knows what kind of memories will be made, the struggles they go through together and the amount of happiness brought in? 

~X~

Ever since moving out of the dormitory, the six girls lived together in their new apartment located somewhere in Mapo. They first played rock-paper-scissors to see who would get which room and in the end, Naeun and Hayoung shared a room, Namjoo, Bomi and Eunji shared the biggest room while Chorong had a room all by herself. Everyone was happy with the decisions and things started to get messy in their new home.

Although they lived together, it wasn't exactly the same atmosphere compared to the dormitory back then. During weekdays, Bomi would spend the night at the training centre while Hayoung stayed in the internet cafe. Eunji and Naeun often worked late night, only returning home to sleep. Once examination period was over, Chorong found herself quite free and she spent her days staying at the apartment. She had already gotten used to being alone as the girls were never at home, but Bomi always found time to be with her. Occassionally, Irene would pull her out and they would go for walks at the park or chill at cafes, even though Irene can't drink coffee.

Soon enough, it was the day of Bomi's competition and all the girls took a day off to watch the preliminaries match. Sitting at the front row of the stadium that was crowded with fans and competitors alike, athletes were busy warming up and coaches discussed with each other. The Bomi that the girls knew, showed a different side of her that was more serious and competitive. They have never seen her with an expression filled with intensity.

"Wow, she looks scary from here. Let me take a picture and later." giggled Eunji as she secretly took a picture of Bomi warming up.

"Do you think maybe she's very nervous? I wonder whether she ate enough food..." mumbled Chorong in worry as she remembered preparing Bomi a breakfast feast in the morning to which the younger girl told her that it wasn't necessary and instead, ate a small piece of sandwich before leaving.

"There you go again, worrying about other people unnie..." said Namjoo.

"My hobby is worrying about others I guess." sighed Chorong with a smile.

"Bomi unnie is definitely gonna win the first round, wanna bet?" asked Hayoung.

"You've been playing too much games and now you started gambling?" teased Eunji.

"Quiet, it's going to start now." hissed Chorong as the five kids immediately went silent.

The opening ceremony was short as the players were introduced one by one and the match list was shown on the screen. Female athletes were up first, meaning Bomi's match was the opening match. The girl in her taekwondo uniform stood up the platform and faced her first opponent. By the time the whistle blowed, it was time to fight.

"Omo, i can't watch this." said Chorong as she covered her eyes.

"Come on, beat her up!" shouted Eunji as she stood up, watching the match.

Bomi didn't show any mercy, her fruits of hardwork was clear as it didn't take long before her opponent fell. The taekwondo athlete easily headed to the semi-finals with 7-3. After another match with 7-5, there was a break time before the finals game later that night. The girls decided to head out for dinner as they weren't allowed to visit Bomi in the waiting room.

"Unnie, where are you going?" asked Namjoo.

"You guys head on first, I'll meet you at the restaurant later." said Chorong. It was obvious where she was headed to.

"Alright, see you later unnie!" replied Namjoo as she went along with the other four girls, who started discussing all sorts of food to buy.

Within the stadium was a small waiting room for taekwondo athletes to prepare themselves as the finals was going to be held in about two hours. There was a huge, obvious sign that outsiders were not allowed but this didn't stop Chorong. With a worried heart, she knocked on the door and a man opened, he seemed intimadating due to his tall, bulky size.

"Who are you? A staff member? You're not wearing any tag." said the man, looking down at the girl who seemed like a small-sized ant in his eyes.

"Um, I'm looking for Yoon Bomi." said Chorong, freezing in front of the man.

"You shouldn't be disturbing the players. Talk to her after the finals game." 

"But-"

Before the man closed the door, a feet slipped in between as the door opened again.

"There you go again oppa, you're going to scare her if you behave like that." mumbled Bomi as she appeared beside the man.

"Sorry, but I figured that you needed some time by yourself-"

"Stop assuming things. Go on now, she's looking for me, not you." growled Bomi as the man quietly went away. It was clear that Bomi had a higher position than him and had an air of command around her.

Chorong stared at the girl, in awe. Seeing her drenched in sweat, her hair all tied up, it was definitely a different image from the Bomi she knew. Her heart fluttered, for once, Bomi looked like a cool oppa who would protect her from anything.

"I knew you would come unnie. Were you worried?" said Bomi as her bright smile returned.

"For once, you actually look really cool like this...." said Chorong with a chuckle.

"Don't say things like that~I'm not used to it..." blushed Bomi, embarrassed as her cool image immediately shattered, she was back to the cute, silly girl Chorong knew. The younger girl held hands with her, missing the warm touch that gave her the energy to fight. Rubbing her fingers against hers, Chorong could feel the rough skin that was evidence of old blisters and bruises from her training. It hurt her heart to think how hard the girl must've practiced for this important day but this was her dream.

"I know what you're thinking unnie." smiled Bomi.

"What?"

"Please, I know every single thing about you. You're obviously worried about my wounds on my hand. You're wondering whether I had eaten already. You are also probably wondering whether I feel scared about the upcoming finals, right?" 

"You got everything right...." giggled Chorong.

"You're always worrying about others without thinking about yourself first unnie. Go and eat first. I can handle this myself okay? Just seeing you is already enough for me." said Bomi as she fixed Chorong's hair. She wanted to hold back her urge to kiss her because all her coaches and co-athletes were there.

"Fine, you've listened to my nagging enough so it's my turn to hear yours. I'll go eat and watch you later okay?"

"Eat lots and grow well~~" teased Bomi.

"Aish, I'm not a child~" said Chorong as she left.

~X~

At the restuarant, the kids ordered whatever they wanted as hunger took over them completely. The preliminaries and semi-final matches were so long, the girls almost starved. By the time Chorong arrived, she gasped at how much dishes were on the table, to the point where there wasn't enough space that the plates had to be stacked together.

"How hungry were you guys?" gasped Chorong as she sat down.

"Very. Hungry." mumbled Namjoo as she kept stuffing food into non-stop.

"You better eat quick before these monsters clear the plates, unnie." teased Eunji.

As always, the apperance of food was the only solution to bring silence among the girls. But for some reason, Chorong felt left out. Eunji would feed Naeun while making sure the clumsy girl didn't spill any food on her clothes whereas Namjoo and Hayoung teased each other by stealing food from each other's plates and playfully betting who could fill up their mouths to the fullest. The oldest girl quietly ate while sometimes scolding the noisy maknaes from playing too much and sighing at the clumsy Naeun who would make a mess. There was times where Chorong wondered whether she was taking care of four big babies.

After the storm that cleared the plates cleaned, the girls were back at the stadium refreshed with full bellies and got ready to scream out of their lungs, cheering for Bomi in the finals match. She was up against an opponent from a foreign country and knowing the girl, she would freeze the moment another language appeared. But it didn't matter whether her opponent was Korean or not, she had to win this no matter what.

As the whistle blew, shouts began to echo loudly in the stadium. Bomi was taken aback as the foreigner quickly took a blow and was very agile, dodging her attacks back and forth. But the girl managed to find the weak points and after a close match, Yoon Bomi took the gold medal of a close 12-10 match. She was now qualified for the upcoming Olympic games.

~X~

[One week later]

It was a summer morning in Seoul, the apartment in Mapo was quiet as usual where the homegirl Chorong browsed through the channels in search of dramas that seemed interesting. It was now a school holiday so both the students and teachers took the week off and it was obvious that she was absolutely bored. Bomi was given a vacation and decided to spend time with her family in Suwon whom she hadn't seen in months, Eunji and Naeun were both busy with their own work while Namjoo was all the way at the other side of the town hard at studying. Hayoung went on a full-fledged marathon after she managed to gain top position in a weekly tournament, bringing the competitive side inside her.

"The kids are so busy" mumbled Chorong with a sigh as she stared at the magazines scattered on the table, it belonged to Naeun who used them to study about new fashion trends. Bored and with nothing to do, the girl flipped through the pages. Occasionally she would come across a model wearing one of the designs that Naeun created, looking at these made the girl proud like a mother. However, something attracted her attention at the bottom of a page. It was an advertisement of a summer trip to Busan.

The thought of Busan, brought many fond memories of the past. Chorong remembered the times where the six of them went on a trip to Busan together in summer about three years ago and it definitely did not went well. The incident where Naeun almost drowned and events that followed after that, there was definitely a lot of drama and their relationships were on the boundary of breaking together. But looking at the present time, they were like sisters with a bond as strong as steel. Wanting to relive the memories in Busan, Chorong took a phone and sent a message to the group chat.

"Summer's here and it's been awhile since all of us went on a trip to Busan together, what do you think about it? Will you guys be able to squeeze some time in between your schedule? ^^" - Chorong

"Wah, i really miss the beaches there! Let's go, let's go!" - Bomi [5 minutes later]

"Why not, I think my CEO will give me a break considering the improvement Oh My Girl has been doing! I haven't seen my family in awhile too!" - Eunji [10 minutes later]

"I miss Busan a lot! I'll speak to my director about it. :) "-Naeun [13 minutes later]

"Omg let's go, i don't care if I miss classes, we need to go unnies!" -Namjoo [15 minutes later]

"I'll choose Busan over gaming anytime ;)" - Hayoung [1 hour later]

Soon enough, the plan was set and the girls managed to free their schedules for three whole days, so that they would go on a summer trip to Busan just like the old days. This time however, Eunji's CEO offered them a vacation home in reward for her hardwork and it definitely made the girls happy. Taking the KTX to Busan, things were now a little different from before. Passengers would sometimes look behind, wondering what was former artist Eunji, taekwondo athlete Bomi and rising musical actress Namjoo doing in a train together along with celebrity fashion designer Son Naeun and two other girls. There was no doubt that they would be able to escape this kind of attention from the public and they knew articles were going to come up on the internet.

But this didn't matter because they were together as one. There was nothing to hide about their relationship because they were not just friends, but sisters.

~X~

Their vacation home was located right in front of the beach, away from the crowded areas where there were often tourists nearby. It was a secluded area, giving the girls the freedom to do whatever the want without the worry of the press finding out.

"Wow, it's the sea!!" shouted Bomi as she ran straight into the sea, followed by Hayoung and Eunji who began a battle of splashing.

Naeun, Namjoo and Chorong sat under the umbrellas, simply enjoying the deep blue views of the ocean and sky as the wind was their temporary air conditioner against the blazing hot sun.

"How old are they that they're playing like this?" sighed Chorong as she watched the three kids in the water.

"But it's nice to see them having fun in awhile." smiled Naeun.

"Well, the three of us don't need water to entertain us." said Namjoo as she applied sunscreen on her arm.

"Hey! That's gonna be so boring if you guys are just gonna sit there!" shouted Bomi.

"That's right! Are you afraid of the sun?!" shouted Eunji.

"Unnies! Let's do it!" smirked Hayoung, signalling her two unnies as they walked back to the beach and pulled the other three out of their seats. They could do nothing against the powerful combined force of Bomi, Eunji and Hayoung.

"H-Hey! Let me go!!" said Chorong, unable to escape from Bomi's tight embrace as she brought her nearer to the water.

"L-Let me down unnie!" said a startled Naeun as Eunji forcefully carried her.

"What are you doing?!" said Namjoo as Hayoung pulled her legs, dragging her onto the sand.

"One, two, three!!" shouted the three boyish girls as they threw them into the sea. Now, all six were soaking wet.

"Hey!!!" shouted Naeun while Namjoo and Chorong began their revenge, splashing water towards the troublemakers.

The girls played with each other in the sea, just like any other normal teenager. It was a breather from the usual "celebrity" life that some of that had and was a great moment to spend time with each other. Happiness and laughter prospered on the beach that day, like a happy family on a vacation. As the sun began to set, a flow of orange painted the skies making it a beautiful scenery worth a thousand pictures.

The girls stood side by side, holding hands as they faced the ocean. Staring deep into the beautiful setting of the sun, the noisy group went silent.

"How long was it since we last came to Busan together?" asked Eunji.

"Last year." replied Bomi.

"That was without Chorong unnie you pabo." said Eunji.

"Three years ago. It's been a really long time." said Chorong.

"I remember the day when Chorong unnie first came into the dormitory as a caretaker. Who would've thought that she became our mom instead." giggled Namjoo.

"Hey, are you saying I'm old?" hissed Chorong.

"Nope, sorry I did wrong mom." apologized Namjoo.

"But you gotta admit that you're like our mom, Chorong unnie." laughed Hayoung.

"She's always taking care of us, giving us advice, cooking food for us-" said Naeun.

"Fine. I am a mom." sighed Chorong, giving up against the kids words.

"But I'm glad that I have a place to call as a family now." smiled Hayoung. Being an orphan, it was difficult to understand being loved by a mother and father but her unnies, gave everything she wanted and dreamed of. Her real family was them, nothing else.

"Aigoo, why are we all saying all these emotional things like these?" said Eunji.

"Blame the sun. This dark orange like colour is making the mood like this~" said Bomi with a bright grin.

"We're going to be together forever right?" asked Chorong as she randomly blurted out her thoughts.

"Omo, what are you saying unnie. Of course we are!" said Bomi as she playfully hit her hips against hers.

"That's right, we are a family! Family always stick together!" smiled Namjoo.

"Like Apink!" said Bomi randomly.

"What?" asked the girls as they turned their heads towards the girl. It was the most random word Bomi had ever said in her whole life.

"I mean...i thought it would be cool to have a team name and all that....and i don't know....Apink just popped into my mind...." mumbled Bomi, startled at the girls staring at her.

"Ah, because our dormitory is called Pink Dormitory?" said Eunji, getting an idea of what her 93-line partner was trying to say.

"But what is the A suppose to mean?" asked Chorong.

"A is the first alphabat so its at the top, meaning we are number one!" said Hayoung.

"Oh~ as expected of our smart maknae~" said Namjoo.

"Alright! Let's all shout that across the sea until the whole world can hear us!" said Bomi excitedly.

"Why are we doing this cringy thing?" sighed Chorong.

"Whatever, let's just do this and get going! Guys!" laughed Bomi as everyone held their hands together and screamed to the top of their lungs, hoping that their message could be heard across the other side of the world. A scream that resounded loudly into the sky.

These six girls met by fate through a single dormitory, going through many struggles and hardships together, learning about each other's pasts and scars and bonding even stronger through this. What will stand in their way this time? Whatever it is, these girls are ready to face challenges against the world because they have each other.

 

But what about the new residence in The Pink Dormitory? What kind of stories would happen between those eight girls? That itself, is another brand new beginning that these six girls left behind, so that it can be carried on like a will.

 

[THE END]

 

 

"Do you remember, the sun that shone upon us,

The wide and blue ocean, just like yesterday?"

                                                                                                        (Apink-Remember)

 

 

A/N:

Thank you for joining into this adventure together with me! It has been a fun ride writing this story and I apologize that I took a little while to update >< In the end, it is up to our imagination to picture Apink's ongoing lives along the future as well as their new underlings Oh My Girl haha~ Lots of thanks for reading, subscribing, commenting(I love reading them!) and voting as well! Please do look forward to my future works and maybe we will meet again for another adventure! Thank you! -pinkpanda419

 

 

P.S It isn't over yet! I will be posting an Afterstory chapter soon hehe ^^