Breathless. The adrenaline was still rushing to their fingertips, still brewing in their lungs, still in dilated pupils, scanning the crowd in front of them.

They did it.

They did it.

“Encore, encore!” The echoes of their fans resonated throughout the hall, loud, shameless cheers and screams going strong even though they had been as consistently loud from the very beginning, almost an hour ago.

The intensity of the cheers didn’t dim down in the slightest even as they started to walk away from the stage, waving at the crowd; which enticed louder calls for them to come back instead.

Wheein wouldn’t be have been able to stop the grin stretched across her lips even if she tried. The energy was incredible. She felt it sing through her veins as she walked in front of her members, consciously retraining herself from sprinting back into the changing room backstage to switch outfits and run back out to perform again.

Next thing she knew, there was a loud bang and she was on the floor, a sharp pain shooting up her leg, panicked murmuring from the crowd dulling her other senses.

Her palms and elbows stung from the impact. She couldn’t move her ankle at all and her head was swimming, clouded with a dimming shock that she was on the floor and in pain.

It hurts.

In a haze, she glanced past her legs and took note that her ankle was not supposed to be angled the way it was.

Hyejin’s face filled her vision before she could think anymore of it, and Yongsun and Byulyi were kneeling beside her in an instant, fussing over her worriedly, gentle hands checking for injuries and brushing against the warm red of her palms.

Wheein blinked, once, twice and slowly the haze lifted as staff personnel rush to her with their manager.

“What happened?” Wheein groaned, sitting up with the help of Yongsun as Byulyi went to check on her ankle.

“You tripped over a speaker,” Hyejin looked over her, partly worried, partly amused and wholly Hyejin. “You okay?”

“No.” She felt Byulyi’s fingers softly prodding her ankle and she hissed at the jolting spike of pain that lit up her nerves. Byulyi wisely kept away from touching that spot, instead motioning for the staff to help them pick her up and bring her backstage safely.

“I think she twisted her ankle. Come on, bring her backstage so they can treat it.” Byulyi moved up to Wheein’s side again and lifted her up, Yongsun doing the same on the other side, and together, they helped Wheein hop and wobble off the stage. Hyejin walked behind them, ready to catch Wheein if anything were to happen.

“Alright everyone, please be patient and give us five minutes as we check on Wheein to make sure she’s alright!”  Wheein heard a voice speak into the microphone, and the following compliance from the audience helped put her heart a little at ease.

The moment they stepped off the stage, Wheein could only watch as the other three girls were rushed off to change into their next outfits while a first aider tended to her ankle.

“Can you try walking?” He asked.

She slowly stood, grabbing a staff member’s arm for support. The pain grew considerably sharper every step she took.

The pounding in her ankle made Wheein a little dizzy. Her knees buckled under her. The staff member she was holding onto helped her return to her seat. She looked at the first aider, who shook his head.

“Your ankle is definitely twisted. It’s nothing too serious but you shouldn’t perform any strenuous physical activities for the next few weeks in order for it to heal properly.” Wheein physically felt her her heart drop. The first aider motioned to the staff member to inform the audience about the development.

“I see.” Wheein murmured to herself.

“Wheein?” Yongsun walked up to her, smoothly threading Wheein’s fingers with hers, another arm going up to hold her waist. Byulyi and Hyejin stood at her side.

“I’m okay.” She reassured them, squeezing Yongsun’s hand. “You guys go first. I don’t think I can go on right now.”

Yongsun looked at the first aider and back to Wheein. “Alright.”

She squeezed Wheein’s hand in return and patted her back gently as she left and prepared to walk back onto the stage again.

Hyejin pulled her into a tight hug. “You’re strong and you’ll be okay. I promise.” She whispered reassuringly before letting go.

Byulyi smoothed her hair and cradled her face in the palm of her hand. Wheein leant into her comforting touch and Byulyi gave her a smile before following the other two out on stage.

“Unfortunately, Wheein is unable to do the encore stage. We apologise for this.” The murmurs in the crowd grew louder and more difficult to control but any complaints were quickly forgotten as the other three girls walked out wearing their ’Mr. Ambiguous’ outfits for the encore stage.

Yongsun quickly bowed in thanks to the staff and faced the crowd, a bubble of laughter stuck in as the crowd started whistling and yelling in excitement. Wheein watched quietly.

“Everyone,” Yongsun started, waiting for the noise to die down. Her usual cheery expression was noticeably dimmer from before. “We are so sorry that we can’t do our encore stage as we planned. We really wanted to show it to all of you.”

The crowd exploded in an instant, yelling ‘It’s okay! It’s okay!’

Wheein couldn’t look away, not when she saw Byulyi hide her smile behind a cough and Hyejin clap along to their cheers. Yongsun glanced at the two members, grinning widely at their reactions. Wheein felt the hint of a smile tug at her lips.

“Since Wheein can’t join us for this stage, will you guys sing along to her parts?” Yongsun pointed the microphone to the audience and was rewarded with a resounding ‘yes!’

I need to be out there. The fans are waiting for me. Wheein gripped her dress tighter. I want to sing. I want to be with them.

“Please allow me to perform on stage,” Wheein turned and pleaded the first aider. “It’s alright if I just sing right?”

He looked at her uneasily. “Yes… but are you sure?”

Wheein nodded resolutely.

“Okay then, we can prepare a pair of slippers for you to wear so that you won’t aggravate the wound.”

“Thank you!”

A staff member brought forth a pair of slippers and she quickly slipped it on, holding onto someone’s shoulder for support and ignoring the sharp pain in her ankle when she moved a little too quickly. Another staff member brought her a microphone and Wheein quickly thanked her before walking up the steps and into the spotlight.

As soon as she did, the audience broke in a loud roar, almost deafening in its intensity.

Byulyi was the first to turn around.

Wheein noticed her lips move wordlessly, dark eyes glowing, surprised but relieved. Byulyi started walking towards her, scuttling past Yongsun and Hyejin, who followed quickly behind the rapper.

Wheein shuffled forward and the instant they were close enough, Byulyi opened her arms and Wheein folded into her embrace, her own trembling hands coming up to hug Byulyi tighter. Wheein hid her face into Byulyi’s chest, glancing up as Yongsun and Hyejin came up around them and joined in for the hug.

Yongsun pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and Hyejin’s voice murmured words of comfort.

The blossoming warmth she felt quickly spread to her toes, even made her wound tingle soothingly.

Slowly, the four girls separated from each other. Wheein wobbled a little and Hyejin was immediately at her side, offering a shoulder for support and an arm going around her side to hold her steady.

“Hi everyone,” Wheein spoke into the microphone, her tone light but slightly somber. “I’m alright, don’t worry!”

Wheein hopped on her good leg, joking around and fumbling around, dragging Hyejin along with her as the crowd laughed. “See? I’m okay!”

“In any case, we will be singing on the spot for our encore just to be on the safe side! That means that we won’t be dancing, is that okay with everyone?”

Again, the crowd responded with another massive ‘Yes!’

Wheein’s eyes sparkled.

“Actually, this isn’t fair.” Hyejin looked at Yongsun and Byulyi. “Wheein’s already the shortest and now she’s wearing slippers and we’re wearing high heels.”

“Yeah, I’m tiny enough as it is.”

The two older girls exchanged knowing glances and laughed before taking their high heels off.

“At least you’re the most stylish out of all of us.” Yongsun said as she pointed to the black slippers adorning Wheein’s feet and then to her barefoot ones.

Just after those words were spoken, three similar pairs of slippers were brought out.

“Not anymore,” Hyejin grinned, and Byulyi managed a restrained laugh. Wheein elbowed Hyejin gently in her side.

Wheein felt Hyejin’s hand gently squeeze her waist before she left to wear her slippers.

It was something close to magical, Wheein thought, to watch her closest friends joke around on stage, barefooted.

Suddenly, Yongsun, Byulyi and Hyejin started to throw the slippers at the speaker. Wheein could only watch, speechless.

“It’s the speaker’s fault Wheein got hurt.” Byulyi reasoned, glancing at her and grinning.

And for a single, solid moment, Wheein knew that she must have done something right in a past life to have these people with her.

“Wheein, from now on you’re not allowed to get close to any speaker.” Yongsun warned playfully, holding the younger’s girl’s wrist in a loose grip.

Wheein let out a tearful gasp, pulling away from Yongsun’s grasp. “But… but I love them! You can’t do this to me!”

Hyejin rolled her eyes and laughed while Byulyi gleefully watched from Hyejin’s side.

“Let’s just start before the drama escalates any further, okay?”

“Leggo!”

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A/N: so this is the first fanfic ive posted in a while and my writing skills are pretty rusty thanks for reading i tried my best

shella i hate u