SB: I stayed in the van. There were reporters.

SW: Reporters? Where? I went out to meet my mom. I did not see any.

UJ: Manager was told that security in the hospital will not allow them to enter the premises.

SB: Maybe they got in. I don’t know.

SW: I can pick you up. Where is the van parked?

SB: No, I’m okay. I’ll just see you when you get home.

YJ: That’s a shame, you were excited to go there.

EH: Did you give the food Sinb-yah?

SB: I gave it to manager.

>>>

Yerin’s hospital release papers were signed after the MRI result came out clear. She was however closely monitored for changes for 48 hours while at home. Joon, who had to undergo a battery of examinations scheduled the next day, signed a waiver to be discharged against medical advice as soon as Yerin told her she was already allowed to go home. The younger girl did not find it surprising for Joon to want to go home in spite the dangers of it, but it was Sowon who went borderline hysterical after becoming aware of their older friend’s decision.

“Yerin-ah, convince her to stay for the tests.”

“Why? Don’t you want her to be home yet?” Yerin replied rather mischievously, knowing no one can persuade Joon to be left behind anyway.

“Yah! Of course, I want that.” Sowon whispered. “But we have to be sure that she is safe. I’m just worried. So please convince her.”

“Joon-eonnie, Sowon-eonnie said she is worried about you. So, come home with us now!” Yerin exclaimed while lightly tugging Joon to get out of the bed.

“Yah! That’s not what I said! Aish!” Sowon, forgetting the younger girl just had a head injury, almost pushed her in embarrassment.

“No, Joon-eonnie. I… I said, please stay.”

“At home! With us!” Yerin interjected, not giving up teasing.

“Yah! Jung Yerin!”

“Sowon-ssi.” She lightly poked the tall girl’s arm to get her attention.

“Hmm?” Sowon, restraining herself from forming a smile, turned to the lady who was sitting up on the bed.

“Don’t worry. I will come back here tomorrow. I will do the tests. Will that be okay?” Joon smiled faintly as she convinced the blushing leader.

“Oh... Yes. That is okay. We just want to be sure you are healthy.” Sowon answered while cringing at herself for speaking in flawless English.

>>>

“Joon-eonnie, are you okay? I’m sleepy.” Yerin wanted to talk to her about what she witnessed two nights ago but she could not find an opportunity since the others were always present in their midst.

“I don’t know yet. You better sleep. Go to your room and rest.”

“No, I’m scared.” Yerin adjusted the sofa recliner and leaned toward Joon.

“Do you want to stay here? I’ll get you a pillow.”

“Something wrong with her?” Sowon approached the sofa before Joon could stand up, and sat on the other side.

“No, I told her to go sleep in your room. She said she’s scared. I’ll just get her a pillow.”

“No, I’ll get... pillow.” Sowon headed swiftly to their room and came back with a pillow and blanket for Yerin and for herself.

Yerin, who was awake during the entire hospital stay, was already in a deep sleep when she came out of the room. Joon lifted the chair’s leg and footrest higher and positioned the girl against the foamed edge above the armrest of the sofa where she carefully placed the pillow.

“You should rest too Sowon-ssi. The both of you can stay here. I can get the inflatable mattress.” Joon was about to depart from the chair when the tall girl grabbed her arm making her abruptly sit back.

“Stay here.” Sowon may have wanted to rest onto the foreigner’s shoulder but she cuddled the pillow she was bringing and leaned against the other side. Joon took the blankets and draped them over the sleepy lasses who laid on each side.

The younger members, except Yuna who was fetched by her parents, were busy silently working in the kitchen after the trio came back from the hospital. After ensuring the two were already fast asleep, Joon joined the others who were trying to prepare dinner.

“Let me help you.”

“No, eonnie, you need to rest too.” Umji answered while slicing an onion.

“What are you cooking?” Joon did not want to insist.

“Something we saw Sowon-eonnie cook last week.” Eunha replied as she turned off the faucet and drained the water from the ground meat she washed. Sinb who remained quiet, was standing in front of the open refrigerator unsure of what she was looking for.

“Do you want me to make you pasta? I know we still have noodles.”

The three girls paused and looked at each other before excitedly smiling. Earlier, they were conversing about wanting to eat spaghetti since they haven’t had it for a span of time they could not even measure, but none of them knew how to make it. Shyly, Umji nodded and asked the foreigner how they could help.

“Just keep me company and talk to me. Especially you, Sinb-ssi.”

“Me?” Sinb was astounded by Joon’s remark.

>>>

The afternoon next day, everyone, including the manager and the stylist, were summoned to go to the agency for debriefing. After surviving the accident, it was imperative for the company to subject them to psychological assessment and counseling to help them destress and cope with the psychological and emotional trauma that could have evoked from the incident. They were initially seen as a group and then individually.

“Eonnie, why did you say you didn’t know if you were okay.” Yerin remembered their short conversation before she dozed off on the sofa.

“Because I thought I would be called back to leave this assignment.” Joon looked around to survey if they were truly alone in the waiting room.

“What do you mean?” The younger girl was suddenly disturbed by the seriousness in her companion’s tone. “What do you mean leave?”

“You said that you saw what happened. For the agency where I’m from, once someone dies because of my intervention, whether intentionally or not, while saving my clients- you,” she pointed at the attentive Yerin, “they will have to make me abandon the clients to go back to training.”

“But you cannot just leave us! It’s not been a year yet.” Yerin’s concern grew deeper as she listened to her.

“It doesn’t matter if I was with you for a day or a month or six months. Like I said, it’s a strict rule to not take any human life.”

“Is it the truck driver?” The worried girl was trying to recall the painful incident.

“Yes, but don’t worry, Yerin-ah. I was watching the news last night and I was able to answer that question too. I did not kill anyone apparently.” She raised a side of her lips to a wicked smile. “The truck driver, according to the autopsy, had a heart attack prior to the accident. So technically he was already dead before the crash.”

“Omo… For a moment I felt angry, I thought he was drunk or sleep-driving. So, does that mean, you’re staying?” Finally flashing her eye smile. “Someone’s gonna be happy about that.”

“Yah! You’ve been so daring teasing lately, Yerin-ah.”

“But eonnie, you were unconscious for more than 24 hours. What happened?”

“I wasn’t just unconscious. I almost died, Yerin-ah.” Joon whispered as soon as she saw Yuna entering the room to inform them it was Yerin’s turn to talk to the doctor.

>>>

After Yerin got discharged, their agency immediately issued an official statement regarding the incident and the girls’ condition. “We thank everyone who extended their concern and prayed for the safety of the girls and our staff. We are pleased to inform everyone that all the GFriend members are doing great and are very much healthy. Our Yerin did not sustain any serious injuries and has been discharged from her overnight hospital observation, and she is now resting with the other members and recuperating well. Their promotions however, will be on hold for a week to allow their complete recovery, and for our Yerin, possibly longer. Thank you for your continued support and love for GFriend.”

After the announcement, a lot of fans detested the fact that the group will only postpone their activities for one week, wanting the agency to extend it to at least four weeks. But after the first three days of not being visible in public, the same fans demanded that the girls at least appear briefly such as in videos or online broadcasts to assure their followers that they were indeed safe and doing good health-wise. Since interviews with any of the girls were not allowed, countless media entities have published articles about the speculation that Yerin was in a critical condition. Rumors about her recovering from an injury to her face and being sent to a hospital abroad has also surfaced. Not wanting the clamor to aggravate the fictitious reports about their condition, the company allowed the five members to appear in a live streaming broadcast. Yerin who was not included still made a quick appearance through a video call with her other members but was asked to conceal the wound she was recouping from.

Three weeks have gone since the accident and everyone, including their fans, have put the near-death nightmare in the past. The group had a scheduled attendance to a televised radio show that day. It was customary to appear in radio programs for promotion purposes, however, today was their first appearance after the accident and it was not that time for a comeback. Upon the request of their company to limit the questions about the details of the road mishap, the radio station only briefed them on questions about how they were currently doing and avoided inquiries about the particulars of their injuries and the possible psychological trauma. During the broadcast, Joon, who was also fully recovered, stood outside with the lingering fans to get a better view of the surroundings.

“It has been three weeks since the accident. How are feeling right now, Yerin-ssi?”

“Everyone is healthy, we are taking care of ourselves well. I know a lot of fans worried about us, especially me since I had to spend a night in the hospital. And we are very thankful to everyone who kept praying for our health and safety. Kamsahamnida.” Yerin ended her statement with her eye smile and a bow.

“Sowon-ssi, during and after the incident, what did you feel as a leader?” The DJ was smiling but had a serious tone.

“Uhhmm… Of course, I was the most worried for my members. I know they are safe, but I kept on thinking what if something worse have happened? I have the tendency to worry that way. But my members are very supportive, and seeing the fans cheer us on, I gained strength even through that difficult time. To everyone, and to my members especially, thank you very much.” Sowon was teary eyed while she was looking at each of the members.

“Aigoo Sowon is the typical leader who worries about her members. You did well and I know you took care of them well after what happened.” Commented the DJ who was handing a box of facial tissue to Sowon.

“Omo! Omo! Sinb is protesting over there on the other side! Did she not take good care of you?”

“Aniyo! Haha!” Sinb answered with her famous laugh.

“Yah! I’m even cooking for you! How dare you!” Sowon, who has completely wiped the tears off the sides of her eyes, countered.

“Everyone, after all they are still our Tom and Jerry. Hehe! But let’s hear what Sinb-ssi has to say.”

“No, I didn’t mean she did not take care of us. I meant that we really took care of each other well. But it’s just Sowon-eonnie who really worries so much about the members that sometimes even when we are just sleeping, she goes to us and checks if we’re okay.” Sinb was looking at Umji, causing the maknae to meaningfully grin.

“There was one time, I was asleep, and my bed is on the lower bunk. I almost rolled out of it because when I opened my eyes I saw Sowon-eonnie seriously staring at me; she was sitting beside the bed and she was just watching me!”

“Yah! Umji!” Sowon protested.

“Omo Umji-yah! If I were you, I might have punched Sowon in the face. Haha! That is scary, like a horror movie scene.”

“It’s funny but really touching that she did that. And we are always thankful that we have Sowon-eonnie. She really tries her best to take care of everyone and sometimes she forgets about herself.” Sinb’s cheerful tone gradually became sincere and pensive. Everyone, especially Yewon and Yuna were nodding in agreement while she spoke. Eunha started to the leader’s back as she was unable to stop herself from weeping.

“Aigoo, everyone is becoming teary-eyed, even the fans outside are crying. To our staff, please give each one of them a towel and a lollipop. Hehe! But I know for sure the fans are the happiest seeing you healthy and out of danger. Right??” The fans can be heard screaming outside. “So now, let’s celebrate your friendship, your health and the love of your fans with a really happy song before we proceed to our next segment!”

---

“I remembered something I asked you before. Maybe it’s a little too early to ask you again but I want to know if anything has changed.” The DJ who was known for her impromptu questions started laughing at the girl’s sudden attentive demeanor while anticipating her next words.

“I still remember who chose who. So, let’s see if Eunha-ssi will not be left in distraught this time.” The girls, realizing where the conversation was leading, started pushing each other in controlled laughter. That day, albeit unintentionally, their sitting arrangement was somewhat off. Sowon who usually sat nearest the DJ situated herself between Yerin and Eunha, having the latter on her right; while Yuna positioned herself between Yewon and the younger Eunbi, making the latter take the farthest seat from the DJ.

“Ahh I think you know what I’ll ask. Yah! Yah! No glancing at each other!”

“Ani-yo! Ani-yo!” Sowon waving her hand vigorously to dismiss the DJ’s assumption of their organized and premeditated answers. “Our members will pour their hearts out!” She said half-sincerely and half-jokingly.

“Haha! I’m anticipating your answers! I think the fans outside are also eager to hear your choices!” The DJ flashing her sardonic smile to the onlooking crowd of fans that brought all imaginable sizes and lengths of professional cameras. A joyous uproar from the fans followed.

“But because you are not promoting any song this time and the fans are craving to hear your voice, let’s add a little twist to the segment. So, when you choose someone, you have to sing a line from your songs to dedicate to them.”

“Ah… You mean we pick lyrics from any of our songs and sing it to them?” Yuna clarified the instructions.

“Yes, yes.”

“Should we only sing the lyrics that we actually sing in the songs?” Sinb asked while directing a foolish look at her leader. Her question caused all the members to laugh realizing what the older maknae was trying to insinuate.

“Yah! Hwang Eunbi!!!” Sowon yelled while showing her member a fist.

“Hahaha! Aigoo Sinbi wants a fight.” The DJ was looking at Sinb’s direction who was at the opposite end of the ovoid wooden table. “Sinb-ssi, since you’re at the far end and you aggravated the leader who cooked for you, hehe, you can answer first. Not that it makes a difference. Hehe… And Eunha-ssi on my left will answer last so she’ll have the final say on the matter.” Eunha pouted and jestingly glared at the DJ who obviously remembered how she reacted when nobody chose her during the live broadcast months back.

“Sinb, last time you chose Yerin-ssi to be your girlfriend if you happen to be a man. Today, I’m giving you the chance to change your mind!” The DJ being her energetic self, started roaring in laughter.

“Jeo… neun…[I]” Sinb slowly uttered making the excited fans seemingly stop from breathing.

“I still choose Yerin-eonnie.” She bashfully declared causing a pink tinge to surface on her cheeks. The fans went crazy pushing each other in uncontainable delight. Yerin glanced at Joon through the glass wall that separated them and gave out a faint smile.

“Yah! Yah! You said you’re going to pour your heart out!” The DJ was shaking her head in protest while Sinb was looking at her with an irrepressible smile.

“That’s what you call true love.” Yerin stood up to interrupt bringing her hands together in a slow clap before playfully pointing her fingers at Sinb, accentuating the act with a wink.

“Aigooooo… So Sinb, you already had the chance, but why did you not choose to break-up with Yerin?” She gave up protesting.

“Because I still think she will take care of me well. She will still pack my lunch if I forget to eat breakfast. She’s really that kind of woman.”

“Aigoo Sinb, are you sure you want a girlfriend and not a mother?” Everyone broke into a boisterous laugh, except Yerin who lowered her head and jokingly acted hurt by the DJ’s comment. “What song do you dedicate for Yerin-eomma, omo I mean Yerin-ssi? Hehe!”

“Jigeumcheoreomman gatgil, hangsang

[I hope it’s always like this]

Byeonhaji anhgil baralge

[That we never change]

Jogeum duryeopjiman i gireul hamkke geotgo sipeo”

[I’m a little afraid, but I want to walk this path with you]

“Woah… Sinb-ssi sang with her heart. That is from Trust, right?” The DJ commented while shortly clapping.

Yuna and Yewon expectedly mentioned each other’s names, but this time they added more meaningful reasons for retaining their answers. The YuJi couple, as fans call them, are known to answer interview questions honestly and very intellectually making the DJ brush the idea of a tricky orchestration. The couple chose to sing the same line from Say My Name.

“nae ireumeul bulleojwo nae soneul jabajwo

[Say my name hold my hand]

dagawa two step neujgi jeone nareul anajwo

[Come to me two step hold me before it’s too late]

angae kkin bam dari tteooreul ttae geojismalcheoreom

[When the moon rises on a foggy night, like a lie]

akkyeodun neowa naui mam gyochadoemyeon”

[When our bottled up hearts cross]

“And now we ask eomeoni [mother], Yerin-ssi!” Everyone’s eyes darted at Yerin’s direction as she pretended to clear .

“Jeoneun…” Yerin spoke in a very deep voice, imitating that of a man. “I think in the past few months, I fell in love with a noona [older woman].” She continued with a manly voice which sounded more croaky than masculine, a rather weak portrayal of a prepubescent boy. She glanced at Joon again who was now discreetly shaking her head not in disappointment, but in amusement.

“Noona neomu yeppeo…” Like reflex, the DJ, Yuna, Yewon and Eunha sang the line from the song before bursting into laughter. “Omo omo! Yeoreobun [everyone]! Namjachingu [boyfriend] Yerin dumped Sinb-ssi for a noona! Sorry Sinb… You cannot change your answer anymore.” She said almost in a singsong manner. The younger Eunbi acted disappointed and heartbroken. It was obvious however that her expression went blank when the attention was back to the girl being asked.

“And who would that noona be?” She continued.

“Yah! I’m the only person older than you! If that’s not me, I’ll strangle you when we get home!” The tall leader Sowon interjected while slightly hitting Yerin’s shoulder with the rolled paper that was their script.

“I choose… Sowon-eonnie!” Yerin gleefully declared as she attempted to give the impatient seatmate a pouty kiss but got hit again by the noona she was pertaining to. So, she gave her a meaningful wink instead.

“I choose eonnie because I can always depend on her. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like it, hehe, but she’s very warm and affectionate, and like what was said earlier, she worries about me, about everyone so much. And I love that about her.” She said without waiting to be asked by the DJ.

“Omo! She really likes her Sowon-noona! What song do you have for her?”

“dagaseoji moshago hemaeigo isseo

[I look away even though I like you]

johahajiman dareun goseul bogo isseo

[The harder I try to get closer]

gakkawo jiryeogo hamyeon halsurok

[I wonder because I can’t approach]

meoreojyeo ganeun uri durui maeumcheoreom”

[The farther our hearts drift away]

“Aigoo… that was sang very sincerely. But the lyrics are for the heartbroken, and that was from Rough, correct? And before I ask our Sowon-ssi, may I ask why you broke-up with Sinb this time?”

“Hmm… I think I’m breaking up with her… because… she’s too crabby for my style.” Yerin’s answer caused all her members, except Sinb, to burst into a chaotic laughter almost dispersing from their position. The DJ did not understand the sudden ecstatic hubbub but she could tell that all the members knew the meaning of the girl’s candid, unembellished answer. Noticeably, the pink tinge was all washed out from Sinb’s face who somehow continued to pretend disappointed but unshaken by the change in Yerin’s answer.

From the outside, Joon almost choked on her water while listening to the brazen Yerin. Shaking her head now in both content and disbelief, she knew the girl truly deserved a gift as a reward.

“How about our noona, Sowon-ssi. Will you break Eunha’s heart again? Haha! Everyone is enjoying our show. To our listeners, please send us your hearty messages so we can read them after the commercials. So, Sowon-ssi?”

“I… actually… hmmm… I think… I fell in love with a noona as well.” Sowon almost whispering her response, throwing meaningful glances at Yerin before covering her blushing face. “I choose… DJ Kim Shin Young – sunbaenim!” She answered the question completely.

“Yah! Yah! I already invited you to guest here, no need to make me your girlfriend!” The DJ thoughtlessly rejecting Sowon’s confession. “Yah! That’s not pouring your heart out, leader!”

“Hehe! No, I’m actually choosing Eunha-yah. I was going to choose her last time, but like I said, she was a little too slow to answer, and so I doubted her sincerity. But her cuteness always captures everyone’s heart.” Clarifying the issue from before.

“Uhmm… Is it my time to answer yet??” Interrupted Eunha who pulled the mic toward her while acting intolerant of listening to Sowon, gaining herself a tap from the leader with same the rolled paper.

“Haha! Eunha-ssi is becoming really impatient. But let’s hear Sowon’s song?”

“hanmadi mal mothaedo neukkyeojigil

[Even if I can’t say a word, I hope he feels it]

seulpeun ne nunmul dakkneun geunyeo naigil

[I hope I’m the girl who can wipe away your sad tears]

barame noga naerin naui songiri

[My touch that melts with the wind]

jebal neoege daheul su itdamyeon”

[If it can reach you]

“Woah… that was really a meaningful verse! Okay now, Eunha, you who has the final say… Who do you choose to be your girlfriend?”

“Without a doubt…” She grabbed Sowon’s arm and looked deeply into her eyes. “I choose… Yerin-eonnie!” Yerin instantaneously sprang from her chair and bolted toward Eunha to give her smooches. Another outrageous clamor arose not only inside the soundproof room but also from the fans outside who enjoyed the girls’ incessant bickering.

“Omo! Now we have a love triangle for Yerin-ssi. Is that the revenge? Hahaha! Sowon was rejected everyone! Do you have a song for your girlfriend?”

“Yes, I chose this song because in the MV, we were in love. Haha!” Eunha replied.

“al su isseosseo neol bon sungan

[I could tell the moment I saw you]

mwonga teukbyeolhadaneun geol

[You’re something special]

nunbit maneurodo neukkyeojinikka

[I could feel it in your eyes]

maeumi umjigineun geol”

[I could feel my heart dropping]

>>>

Everyone was exhausted from laughing as they returned to the van to head home. Unlike the first time, the group did not talk about the answers they gave during the live radio broadcast. There were a lot of funnier sections during the interview that caught their individual attention. Yerin joined their discussion briefly before pretending to feel sleepy. Sowon, who was aware of the pretentious act, gave Yerin a look of concern.

“Are you okay?” Sowon only silently mouthed her words.

Yerin nodded with sincerity. She knew she might have hurt Sinb with her jokes, but she knew in reality it was herself who’s hurt by her own lies.

“You really meant the song, didn’t you?” Sowon probed.

Yerin chuckled and replied, “I know you meant yours too.”

They both scanned the the van, but Joon was strangely out of sight. They were told, shortly after getting settled, that the foreigner-eonnie was summoned to the company to pick up a few things for the next day’s pictorial. The explanation gave the two eldest, who were already entertaining negative thoughts about her absence, a sense of relief.

When they arrived at the parking lot of the apartment complex, the manager who has been complaining of his leg, enlisted Sowon and her roommate’s help to unload the luggage to be transferred to the other van. The other members proceeded to carry their respective bags back to the dorm.

The dorm was surprisingly tidy when they got in. Remembering that they left the house in the morning in hurried disarray, the younger Eunbi called out to Joon to see if she already arrived and cleaned up. But she did not find her anywhere, instead she found a bouquet of yellow tulips on the small dining table, delicately arranged in a classy auburn vase. In spite a possible allergic reaction to ensue, she moved closer to see the recipient written on the card.

Jung Yerin.

“Of course.” Sinb muttered.

Author’s Note: If you are not familiar with the show where they picked girlfriends among themselves, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o78o6XWmO1s