I remember tears streamin’ down your face, when I said I’d never let you go

Ahn Hyejin was strong.

She was never one to sob or seek comfort in someone else’s arms.

When all those shadows almost killed your light

Ahn Hyejin was a fighter.

She could fight fire with fire; her words were her weapon, her spirit her shield.

Ahn Hyejin protected herself from society’s venom and the careless mistakes of the world.

I remember you said, “Don’t leave me here alone.”

“I can heal you, you know,” Byulyi said one day as they were sitting side by side on the couch, leaning into each other and sharing a mug of hot chocolate. It was below freezing temperatures outside but Hyejin couldn’t help but feel warm and content with Byulyi by her side.

“I’ve learnt that sometimes wounds don’t heal right,” Hyejin replied quietly. “What if I get scars that never go away?”

“Then I’ll kiss them better for you, ” Byulyi smiled. "For as long as you want." 

Hyejin laughed and curled herself deeper into Byulyi’s warmth.

But all that’s dead and gone and passed tonight.

“The world is scary, isn’t it, Hyejin?” Yongsun murmured to her in the car backseat as they were driving off to another event.

“A lot of things are scary, unnie.” Hyejin looked at Yongsun, who was too pretty and too radiant to even be human. “Why do you ask that?”

Yongsun turned to look at her and reached for her hand. Hyejin met it halfway and ran her thumb lightly over bony knuckles.

“Because even when I try my best, I can’t seem to protect the people I care about most.” She glanced at Byulyi and Wheein innocently sleeping together in a tangle of limbs in front, oblivious to the conversation happening behind them.

“It’s okay, unnie.” Hyejin held Yongsun’s hand tighter. “Thank you.”

Yongsun always protected Hyejin as much as she could and for that, Hyejin was grateful.

Just close your eyes, the sun is going down

Hyejin woke up to the shuffling of bed sheets and restless squirming. She yawned and surpressed a smile when she felt her sleeping buddy freeze as she turned to face her.

“Can’t sleep?”

Wheein shrugged, the kind of shrug she always did whenever she had something on her mind and didn’t know how to bring it up. “Just thinking about stuff.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Yeah,” Hyejin felt her heart bleed relief; she always appreciated the fact that Wheein felt comfortable enough to talk to her about anything and everything.

“I’m scared one day one of us will get hurt.” Wheein confessed. “I keep thinking that one day, something bad will happen and they’ll make us disband or worse- they’ll pull one of us out-“

“Hey, calm down, it's okay,” Hyejin scooted closer to the teary-eyed girl and wrapped her arms around her. “Nothing like that’s going to happen, okay?”

“Sorry, it’s just that- I love us so much and I don’t know what I’d do if something like that happens.”

Hyejin knew that among the four of them, Wheein was the most innocent and naïve one despite having the image of being the witty one in the group. However, she wasn’t very worried.

They were all adults and she knew that Wheein would be able to deal with it when the time came.

If the time came.

“We won’t let that happen, Wheein-ah.” Hyejin hugged her tighter. “Never.”

They both knew it was a promise of uncertainty and helplessness.

You’ll be alright, no one can hurt you now

Ahn Hyejin was strong.

Ahn Hyejin was a fighter.

Come morning light,

She sought comfort in the days when Byulyi would pepper her with kisses and sit with her to count the stars in the night sky.

She fought fire with fire and when she was too wounded, Yongsun was there to fight for her,  to heal her with her gentle touch and her smiles.

She poured her heart out to Wheein and Wheein trusted her with the same, with promises of forever and memories of the past binding them together.

Ahn Hyejin might have been a fighter, but she was never alone in a fight.

You and I’ll be safe and sound.