Chapter 8: Family

The door opened, and only Hayoung walked in leaving her two other friends behind. It was scary at first, but with courage she walked forward to the desk where the principal was sitting. He was slightly taken aback by the injuries Hayoung had sustained, bandages wrapped over her knees, hands and even a small part of her head. 

"My, my. I didn't know a top student like you become like this" said the principal, placing his hands together.

"Top student?" asked Hayoung, wondering if she heard wrongly.

"You've earned 100 marks for almost all your subjects, you are active in both sports and clubs, you are indeed an ideal student for everyone else." said the principal, flipping through Hayoung's profile list placed on the table. 

"I'm just doing my best, that's all..." said Hayoung laughing softly, not used to getting compliments.

"But the thing that you did today, was upsetting." After hearing those words, Hayoung stopped smiling and placed her head down.

"Oh Hayoung. It would be a waste of talent to expel you, thus I've decided to give you a three months suspension. It is the most severe punishment that I can give, and you are to pay for any medical charges to the girls you have harmed. Understand?"

"R-Really? T-thank you sir!" stuttered Hayoung in happiness, trying to control her smile from widening while bowing.

"But, I need to have a word with your parents about this."

"But I don't have parents..." The principals's eyes widened, wondering about many questions upon this strange child who was parentless yet possessed talents of a genius and powers of a wonderwoman.

"Do you have a guardian?" asked the man.

"Ah, yes! Will that do, sir?"

"That is fine. It would be best if I met he or she by tommorow morning, understood?"

"Yes sir!"

"You may leave, Oh Hayoung."

~X~

Meanwhile, Namjoo ran to the third floor hallway where she could hear a ruckus going on. There was already a group of people surrounding her classroom, taking a peek inside and it was none other than Sungjae who gathered the attention of everyone. He was standing on a table, arms crossed and his face was certainly boiled with anger.

"Let me get this straight. I am NOT dating Kim Namjoo! We are just best friends! It is just idiotic enough that girls like you, would cause harm like you. Girls like that, are ones that I hate the MOST." said Sungjae, staring at all the girls who gathered around him. Their hearts immediately broke, realising that they had make their "beloved oppa" hate them even more. Then, Sungjae turned his head towards the door and saw Namjoo.

"Namjoo-ya! We aren't dating right?" Namjoo replied by turning her head sideways many, many times.

"I think there is a misunderstanding with everyone. I don't know what I have done to be hated by others, but Sungjae and I have been friends since primary school. I am in no way, dating him."

"That's right! Hear that everyone! Now you girls better apologize to her alright?" sighed Sungjae in relief.

"I'm not dating Sungjae because he's lazy and dirty! The other day, he went and fart-" Sungjae immediately ran to Namjoo and covered .

"What are you doing you idiot?! I just saved your !" whispered Sungjae.

"I'm obviously making them convinced that I'm never going to date you, duh" whispered Namjoo back.

"But you don't have to tell all that stuff about me!" said Sungjae startled.

"Oh~upset that you're going to have your prince-like aura damaged?" smirked Namjoo.

As the girls saw the two bickering about, the misunderstandings between them immediately cleared up. Others who saw them couldn't help but to laugh, as they tease each other just like any other normal friends. 

~X~

Hayoung headed straight to the sick bay, where Eunji and her two friends were waiting. Joy and Yerin were worried as to what the principal had said, Eunji on the otherhand wasn't exactly worried.

"What did the principal say Hayoung-ah?" asked Yerin.

"Are you going to get expelled?" asked Joy.

Hayoung smiled and glanced at Eunji, who smiled back.

"Nothing like that. Just a 3 months suspension." grinned Hayoung.

Yerin and Joy sighed in relief, while Hayoung headed towards Eunji and sat on her lap despite her injuries. Eunji then hugged her, placing both her arms around Hayoung's waist.

"I knew it would be like that. Hayoung's a smart kid y'know." said Eunji with pride.

"Now that you think about it, Hayoung's always been scoring super high marks during tests..." mumbled Yerin in thought.

"And she's always the teacher's pet...not that I'm saying anything wrong.." said Joy in agreement.

"But Hayoung, if you're suspended for three months...what about the summer festival?" asked Yerin.

"Oh...yeah. I forgot about that haha...." laughed Hayoung nervously.

"Let's worry about that later, how are you even able to move properly in those injuries? You're even casually sitting on Eunji's lap like it's nothing...." said Joy in amazement.

"It's not that painful. I think both of us will head home first once Namjoo unnie is done."

"I wonder if Sungjae oppa did something..." said Yerin.

~X~

Later, Sungjae and Namjoo were left alone in one of the few empty classrooms after the crowd settled down.

"Thanks Sungjae, I wouldn't know what to do if it weren't for you" smiled Namjoo.

"You shouldn't just thank me, Hayoung did her part too. Even though she looks timid on the inside, she's really scary on the outside." laughed Sungjae nervously.

"Hayoung isn't always like that, she's sometimes very cute and loving alright?" said Namjoo, slightly offended by Sungjae's remark.

"Got it, got it. Sorry Namjoo-ya. I think those girls won't be bothering you anymore." said Sungjae with a smile.

"Thanks again Sungjae, I'll see you on Monday! I need to go back home with Hayoung and Eunji unnie!"

"Alright, see you on Monday!"

Namjoo then went straight for the sick bay, worried about Hayoung's current situation. The moment she arrived, she was informed about Hayoung's three month suspension which only resulted in her questioning about the summer festival. The two of them have been practising everyday in the dance room, just for the festival. It would be meaningless if Hayoung can't perform because Namjoo would never perform alone.

"I'll talk to the principal about this on Monday. Let's head home first, Hayoung-ah." sighed Namjoo.

"Yeah, Chorong unnie, Bomi and Naeun must be worried sick about you." said Eunji as the two unnies helped Hayoung up.

"Sorry unnie....for causing trouble..." smiled Hayoung shyly, feeling the love from her unnies.

~X~

Meanwhile back at the dormitory, Chorong, Bomi and Naeun silently watched the television while waiting for any news that happened at school. It had been four hours since they had left and all the unnies could do was wait.

Bomi however, prepared cup noodles for all of them to eat as Chorong didn't cook anything. She's never seen Chorong in such a gloomy mood before and became worried. 

"Unnie, you didn't eat anything this morning." said Bomi giving the cup to the older girl.

"It's okay Bomi-ya, I'll eat later." sighed Chorong as she checked her phone for any messages, but there was none.

Bomi glanced at Naeun, who diligently ate her noodles and read a book related to arts. She wasn't as worried as Chorong and was rather calm.

"You need to eat something unnie. If you don't, then I'll have to force you." pouted Bomi in dissapointment, staring at Chorong.

"Alright, then I'll-" Bomi suddenly shoved a fork of noodles into Chorong's mouth which resulted in her getting beaten again.

She laughed, before cleaning the mess she made with Chorong's lips with her own fingers.

"Don't do that Bomi-ya, what if I choked?" nagged Chorong.

"Okay sorry unnie. Here, ah~" said Bomi as she proceeded to feed Chorong.

Naeun who felt uncomfortable in this situation, quietly headed to her room. 

"You know, I can eat by myself Bomi-ya.." 

"It's okay, unnie doesn't feel good so I, Bomi will make you feel better." grinned Bomi.

"What, are you a kid?" said Chorong as she broke into a laugh. Bomi felt even happier, that she was able to make her smile again.

After finishing the cup of noodles, the two sat on the sofa together watching a re-run of a drama.

"It was my fault for not noticing..." said Chorong.

"No unnie, just because you were assigned as a caretaker doesn't mean everything is your responsibility. I don't want you to hold all that pressure by yourself."

"Thanks Bomi-ya, but I don't want things to get worse. I don't want anyone of us to hide things anymore. So you have to promise me, that you will tell me everything alright?" said Chorong as she placed her head onto Bomi's shoulder.

"Promise." said Bomi with a smile. Soon, Chorong fell asleep on her shoulder. Bomi who noticed this, lowered the volume of the television. She knew that all these while, Chorong never had a proper sleep. She always woke up really early to make breakfast and clean the dorm, a task not everyone can do. Even in the middle of night, Bomi would always secretly check on her if she was asleep. Often, Chorong fell asleep at the sofa instead than her own room which lead to Bomi always carrying her back. She wondered why Chorong never asked who brought her back to the room every night.

Looking at her sleeping unnie, it was a sight that she wanted to engraved into her memory forever. It was one of the cutest things she had seen. Ever since Bomi met Chorong, she had always had this strange feeling about her. It made her want to be closer to her, protect her and make her smile. To Bomi, it was her whole world.

Soon, the doorbell rang and Chorong immediately woke up. She reached for the door and gasped in shock at what had become to Hayoung. Bomi and Naeun gathered too, who were also quite surprised at their maknae.

"It's nothing unnies, don't worry." smiled Hayoung as she walked in with the assistance of Eunji and Namjoo before sitting on the sofa.

"How am I supposed to worry when I see you like that Hayoung-ah?" sighed Chorong, scanning Hayoung from head to toe.

"She fought with some of the seniors." said Namjoo.

"Oh? Did you use the moves that I taught you?" said Bomi in excitement.

"That's not a time to talk about that, pabo!" said Chorong, hitting Bomi.

"But Hayoung-ah, how are you even walking with those injuries?" asked Naeun in worry.

"Not you too, my friends and even the unnies asked me the same question" sighed Hayoung with a laugh.

"And Hayoung got a three months suspension. Unnie, what are you going to do?" asked Eunji to Chorong.

"You had to do that when it isn't even one week I've entered this house?" sighed Chorong as she held onto Hayoung's hands, it was clear with bruises from a fight.

"Sorry unnie, i did it to protect Namjoo unnie. That's all."

"What you did is both right and wrong. What matters first is your health. Just get ready to be nagged until your ears bleed." joked Chorong as she ordered the girls what to do, Eunji and Bomi would prepare dinner, Naeun would set the table while Namjoo was assigned of taking care and helping Hayoung out. Indeed, the girls thought that they were lucky to have Chorong around. She kept balance in the noise like a leader, ensuring that no one gets lost and everyone had something to do.

Namjoo helped Hayoung to the bathroom, as she couldn't do basic things like changing clothes or even bathing herself with those injuries. Hayoung sat down on a small, wooden stool placed in the toilet as Namjoo carefully removed the bandages one by one. Looking at the wounds, Namjoo suddenly shed tears. 

"Unnie, don't cry. These wounds were meant to protect you." smiled Hayoung as she lightly touched her cheek.

"But I don't want to see you hurt again. I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"Unnie. Since young, you always took care of me. You fed me, protected me, sung me lullabies to sleep, now it's my turn to do mine. I'm old enough to protect the unnie who has raised me. So, don't cry." 

Namjoo could only smile, as her tears continued to fall. Indeed, since when did this young girl grow so much physically and mentally? It was just years ago when Hayoung was so small that Namjoo would carry her around, making trips to the playground and protected her from insects that harboured the area. Even though they were only a year apart, she took care of her like a younger sister. She was proud of how much the maknae has matured.

"Thank you Hayoung-ah. I have to undress you now....." said Namjoo wiping her tears away, placing her hands around Hayoung's waist. Just when she was about to lift her shirt, she paused.

"Unnie, there's nothing to be embarrassed. Remember we used to bath together when we were kids? Isn't that the same too?" laughed Hayoung, seeing Namjoo's slightly flushed face.

"I-I know...it's just different now y'know...." said Namjoo shyly as she took off her shirt, revealing Hayoung's bare body. 

"Unnie! Don't make that expression!" laughed Hayoung, getting slightly flushed as well.

"W-What? It's just so...how can an 18-year old like you have such a nice bodyline like this? Wow.." said Namjoo as she playfully touched the sides of her stomach.

"Unnie stop! That tickles!" laughed Hayoung uncontrolably.

"Wow, they seem to have such a "fun" time in the bathroom" said Bomi sarcastically, hearing the loud laughters of the two girls, echoing loudly in the kitchen.

"Please don't think that way and just do your thing." sighed Eunji who simply focused on cooking.

"Unnie~shall we also bath together one day?" said Bomi jokingly with a grin.

"You wanna die?" said Chorong with a stare, holding on a knife.

"No...sorry unnie...I mean Madam..." said Bomi as she immediately went back to work.

As time went by, dinner was prepared quick thanks to the teamwork of the girls. Chorong was surprised at their cooking skills, they weren't as bad as she thought and wondered why they never cooked by themselves before. Namjoo and Hayoung ended up bathing together, before getting ready to eat. It was clear that the two bonded even more after that. 

Indeed, dinner that night was like any other normal family. As Hayoung was injured, each of the girls took turns feeding her. Although Hayoung insisted that she could eat by herself, the unnies stopped her. It was as if she was a baby, Hayoung didn't mind it anyways. She could feel the love her unnies had for her, and it was a rare chance to get treated like that. After a satisfying meal, one by one everyone went to their own rooms and got ready for bed. 

"Hayoung-ah, we can't have you sleeping by yourself tonight." said Eunji.

"Why?" asked Hayoung.

"Because you might injure yourself again." said Eunji with a straight face.

"Unnie, that doesn't make sense." laughed Hayoung.

"No, I'm serious." said Eunji again, with a straight face.

"Fine....." pouted Hayoung as she stared at both Namjoo and Naeun, deciding whom to sleep with.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Naeun.

"You can sleep with me, Hayoung-ah." smiled Namjoo.

After much thought, Hayoung smiled and said "I'm going to sleep with Naeun unnie". For some reason, something ached inside Namjoo's heart. Although it didn't really mattered who Hayoung slept with but for a strange reason, she felt sad that Hayoung didn't choose her. But she felt that there were reasons to these, as Naeun knew Hayoung longer and maybe felt more comfortable with her.

"Really, Hayoung?" sighed Naeun as she brought Hayoung into her room.

"There isn't really much space to sleep here." said Naeun as she removed some of her paintings placed on her bed. Her room smelled like poison due to the paint.

"That's fine, I get to sleep with Naeun unnie that's all~" grinned Hayoung as she cuddled into the bed, hovering the blanket over her body.

"You sure get comfortable pretty fast." said Naeun as she was still busy putting away her materials to make room.

Soon, the two hugged each other and slept. Hayoung's arms wrapped around Naeun's ant-like waist and immediately fell asleep.

~X~

It was past midnight and Bomi could not fall asleep. It was strange, she had never felt comfortable in her own bed. Walking out of her room, she noticed the light in the common area was still on. Bomi instantly knew who was still awake, it was none other than Park Chorong. 

"Unnie?" said Bomi sleepily, walking slowly towards Chorong who sat on the sofa.

As Chorong turned around to see who it was. One quick glance and she immediately turned back and attempted to hide her face.

"Unnie." 

There was no reply.

"Unnie." said Bomi as she sat on the sofa, forcing Chorong to turn around.

Bomi frowned upon the sight.

"Why are you crying again?"

[END OF CHAPTER 8]

A/N: Soft-hearted Chorong has been caught by none other than Bomi. Why does she still cry? This chapter was more Hajoo-based and a little bit of Chomi ;) Thank you for reading and subscribing! Next chapter coming soon~