“Yewon-ah.” Sinb shut the door behind her after she entered their room. She was quick to reach the lower bunk bed of the youngest girl who was reading a self-study textbook on Physics and sat across her. Her face was illuminated by the phone she was absentmindedly fiddling.

“Hmm?”

Sinb did not respond and kept looking at the screen as if waiting for it to give the answers to her countless unsettled questions.

“Eonnie, did you sit here to make me watch you nervously stare at your phone?” Yewon half-jokingly asked the girl who appeared very disconcerted.

“Huh?” Sinb was puzzled by the other girl’s sarcastic remark.

“You’ve been inattentive lately. Is there something bothering you? Why did you close the door?” She asked her but resumed reading without expecting her to reply at all.

“Yewon-ah, she’s out, but she’s not asking me anymore if wanted anything.” Sinb finally laid her phone on the mattress and spoke in an unusual disheartened tone. She kept her head low, still staring at the rectangular piece of technology that was not lighting up.

Umji picked the phone and held it up to the level of their faces and looked at Sinb sternly. “Eonnie, if you want us to talk, I’ll have to take this from you. What is bothering you? Who’s out? And not asking you what?” Yewon is the youngest among them but no one can deny she has a good head on her shoulders. She spoke very maturely, she listened attentively and she was calculative of her actions.

“I don’t know how to tell you, but I know you’re the only one I can really talk to. I don’t want to burden the others. Not that I choose to burden you, but knowing you, you will always have something sensible to say. I’m not even making any sense right now, am I?”

“Is it Yerin-eonnie and Joon-eonnie?” Umji was brash about her response, leaving the girl in front of her surprised by the haphazard answer.

“How…” Sinb could not finish her question. She did not really have to.

“Eonnie, I was there when you ran to this very room after seeing the flowers on the table that night. Eunha and Yuju-eonnie may have not noticed your swollen eyes and terrible mood the next day, but I did. I waited for you to open up. But being the detached person that you are, I did not want to push my odds by asking you.” Umji closed the textbook and delicately placed it under the bedframe.

“I just didn’t want to talk about things.”

“Yeah, you’re the person who would not sink her teeth right into the problem and wait until it’s too late and you'd think there’s nothing more you can do to fix it.” Umji shook her head while watching Sinb wipe her face vigorously to clear her cheeks of the tears that fell without her permission. “But whatever you’re thinking, I highly doubt that it is the truth.”

“How can you say that? Did you see how happy she was when she saw them, she did not even ask who they were from. She knew who gave the flowers. She took them to her room as soon as she saw them.” Sinb was now wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her white shirt.

“Yah! Of course! She’ll take them inside, she would not want you to end up in the hospital with an allergic reaction.” Umji sounded certain of the intent of Yerin’s action.

“Yewon-ah, how did this happen?” She said almost inaudible because of her sniffing.

“But eonnie, why are you so saddened by this? Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t believe your assumption that there is something beyond friendly between them. But why are you like this?”

“I don’t understand it too. I know I was the most hesitant of Joon-eonnie’s presence, but not for this reason. I did not think I would feel this way.”

“Feel what?” Umji was actually getting confused of where the conversation was leading.

“Umji-yah, I don’t know.” She replied, almost angry but the hint desperation was more evident in her voice. She was reaching for the box of tissue on the other side of the bed.

“Are you… jealous? You have to make me understand. Are you jealous of Joon-eonnie? Do you like Yerin-eonnie?” The younger girl asked in rapid succession.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! So much Yewon-ah. So much! I don’t even know that I do! I don’t even know that I have, and for a long time already. And I most certainly don’t know what to do.” Sinb was now using the other sleeve to wipe the tears that fell ceaselessly. “I’m jealous of her time that’s not anymore mine. I’m jealous of the smiles that are not because of me. I’m jealous of the laughter she’s not sharing with me anymore.”

“Why have you never told her?”

“It’s not that easy when you’re not sure if she feels the same. And what more now that she has someone??” The older girl did not care wiping the tears anymore.

“I don’t know with you, but I still want to err on the side that what I see is mere closeness between friends. Eonnie, please stop crying. It’ll be harder to explain to the others what your eyes can’t lie about.”

Sinb’s breathing was erratic as she tried to suppress her sobbing.

“But it does not matter why she received those flowers because it seems to me that the problem is more than you being jealous.” Umji continued.

“What are you saying?” Sinb slightly raised her head.

“Eonnie, it’s not a question of whether your jealousy has a basis or not. A more important thing to settle is what you’ll do with the feelings you have for Yerin-eonnie. Because it’s already there.” She pointed at Sinb’s chest. “Pulsating and palpable beyond your control.”

“I told you, I don’t know. Sometimes when I realize we’re just a wall apart, it pains me. I gravitate toward her but I cannot come near her. Thinking about it makes it difficult to sleep sometimes. We’re always together but not. And it’s getting harder to ignore because I see her every day and she’s happy. And I’m not the one causing that happiness.”

“To be honest, eonnie, you’re so good at keeping things like this to yourself. You almost made me believe you’re immune to feeling affection until everyone noticed your sudden preoccupation with that person you’re talking to on your phone. But from what you’re telling me now, it seems that everyone’s mistaken.” Umji kept a smile while she spoke.

“Talking to who? Have I always been on the phone?”

“Oh, more than you’ll ever realize. Maybe that’s why you missed a lot of things around you and the person you like is not paying attention to you anymore. Don’t you think maybe you were the first one who forgot about her presence?”

“Yah! You’re making me feel worse. But who was I talking to? Eunseo?”

“I don’t know, eonnie, but you made everyone believe, unintentionally if I may say, that you’re too fond of whoever that was.”

“But that’s not what it is.”

“Then maybe you should also consider that Yerin-eonnie and Joon-eonnie’s closeness is not what you think it is.” Umji was quick to respond to shake the older girl’s conviction. “Yet again, what do you wish to do with what you feel? That’s not water you’ll just expect to evaporate.”

“What do you want me to do? Tell her?!” She asked with certainty that the other girl will disapprove of the idea.

“I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t. I know there is a risk, but don’t you think it’s worth taking? Or would you rather lay here every night sleepless and consumed by the thought of how easier life would be if only you just laid beside her?”

“But I don’t know if I can.”

“Like what they say, it’s difficult before it’s easy, eonnie.”

>>>>

“Eonnie, thank you for driving eventhough I can feel you are half-hearted to leave the others in the dorm.”

“You’re too keen nowadays.”

“After getting coffee, is it okay if you drive me to a cake shop and then to our house in Incheon? My mom texted me and said she misses me. I want to surprise her. And I’ll be quick to choose a cake, I promise.” Yerin said as she raised her right hand.

“It’s okay. But should I wait for you or just come back to pick you up?”

“I want to spend the night there honestly, but I know I can’t.”

“Okay, just call me an hour before you’re ready to return.” She shuffled the girl’s bangs causing her to light up with a smile. “Oh, but Yerin-ah, promise me you won’t go out of the house, okay? And if you noticed anything suspicious, just shout as loud as you can. I will hear you. I will be there.”

“I promise, eonnie. I’ll be safe.” Yerin did not question the foreigner’s sudden apprehension.

Since the radio broadcast, it has been more recurrent that Joon went back and forth the agency for an official business she never shared with any of the girls. It has also become frequent that she was not devoting a lot of time at home to be with them. She often came home early in the morning just in time to prepare their breakfast. The girls did not pay close attention to her absence since she was gone after they’ve all retreated to their rooms. It was only Sowon who was curious of the foreigner’s whereabouts since she has, on multiple occasions, got out of her room during the wee hours to ensure the older lady’s presence; but on several instances, not a sign of her she could detect. Lastly, it was notable that the titanium ring that dulls her senses was nowhere in sight, and only Yerin would know why but neither did she worry about it.

“Uh, eonnie, I vouched my life that I won’t tell you anything. But I think it has made me curious too.” Yerin, who insisted to be in the passenger seat was looking at the driver who was busy scanning the road at a four-way stop. Joon wore a black polo shirt under a dark grey wool sweater paired with a tight-fitting pair of black pants. She always kept her hair tidy in a mid-ponytail and hid her eyes behind a pair of black-framed specs. If there was one thing that she will not experiment about, it was the way she looks.

“Hmm? What is that?” Joon asked without throwing a glance at the girl beside her.

“But I’m still thinking if I should tell you.” Yerin was suddenly fickle about what she was going to say.

“Okay, never mind then.” The older lady smirked as she replied knowing that her companion will most likely spill the beans soon anyway.

“Oh, but I think I should ask too.”

“Say it then, even if it causes your life.”

“You’re always dressed up that way, and I understand why, but Sowon-eonnie seems to find it peculiar that you’re always dressed up in the morning cooking like you came from some place. And like I said, I totally understand why, but she does not have an idea what you are or what you do. So…” Yerin’s smile was evident under the white disposable mask she wore, she can blame it to her eyes that almost always disappear when she’s happy.

“So….?” Joon, still not taking her eyes off the road, asked before grabbing the water bottle beside her while waiting for the green light.

“So, she asked me yesterday if you had a girlfriend you were seeing when you leave the house.” Yerin threw a punch at Joon who coughed out the water that infiltrated the wrong pipe causing the water to splash across the windshield’s interior.

“What the heck!” She exclaimed in her language.

“Haha! Here! Here!” Yerin grabbed a handful of sheets of paper towel that the manager always kept in the glove compartment in case the girls spilled drinks. “Haha! Good thing manager keeps these.” Yerin started helping Joon hastily wipe the glass.

“I don’t understand why in spite the exhaustion you feel every day, one would still have the energy for such an untamed imagination.” The older girl was shaking her head but an embarrassed smile was also noticeable.

“Well that wasn’t my imagination! Maybe she was just curious. It was just funny that she did not even ask if maybe you had family or friends that keep you company.”

“Yeah she went straight to asking something else. I don’t want to ask what else you girls talk about... could be a lot worse, so please don’t tell me.”

“You better give her a better reason for always being all dressed up. Better than you being hired by the company to keep us safe, so you survey the entire building and our individual houses every night over and over, listening to people, watching out for truck drivers, speeding away…”

“Yah!” She cut off the seemingly endless narration of what Yerin knew about what she does. “Why do I even have to explain myself?” She said it more of a declaration than a question.

“Because.”

“Because what?”

“Because she’s worried.”

“About what?”

“You…”

“I’m safe, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“She’s not worried about that.”

“Then, what is she worried about?”

“That you’re seeing someone.”

“Aish!”

>>>

I came back to the apartment after dropping off Yerin. I’ve been sleepless for almost two weeks and the fatigue is taking its toll. I have not been dampening my senses and having to feel and process every small and big stimulus it not a very pleasant hobby. After 13 grueling days and nights, I still have not found the person who left a note on one of the service van’s windows while it was parked at the radio station grounds. The letter did not emit a particular scent, and a fingerprint was impossible to acquire from the letter or from the vehicle. The only clue I have is that whoever taped it to the window is probably tall, has a bad handwriting, and is dangerous. The note did not have an addressee but to which window it was affixed could be a hint to knowing whom the message was intended for.

“It will not be bloodless.” On Yerin’s window. Who will leave a note as cryptic and harassing as that? I alerted their company about the letter the very moment I saw it. It was brought to my agency’s forensic laboratory in LA to be studied but they could not extract any more clues from it. CCTV footages were requested from the radio station but the recording that day was coincidentally discarded because of an ongoing transition to a different security company that started that morning. It was the first time that the girls have ever received a threat and they are not even made aware of it. After the road accident, I have been extra vigilant of the people that got involved in the activities of the group. Predictably, the incident furthered the girls' fame to an unimaginable height because of the sympathy they received not only from fans but from the general public. This was a great catalyst for more impending dangers, for as already proven, attention was terrorism’s driving and thriving force.

There was no certainty if the threat was true or if it caused probable danger but the company changed the vans anyhow, now bulletproof and with shrewd registration. Fortunately, nothing peculiar or noteworthy happened after that day. The company did not tell the managers and the girls to prevent them from being distracted from their activities while a silent investigation was ongoing. But they increased the stealth security detail that came with us to every show and it was only I who knew who among the members of the audience and broadcast staff were part of our security group. Even at the apartment complex, real-time monitoring of CCTV footages is being conducted by my agency 24/7.

I was about to close my eyes and rest while waiting for my phone to vibrate to Yerin’s call when a hand forcefully tugged me out of limbo that was my sofa. I knew the other girls were home and I did not sense an unfamiliar soul, but none of them has really been physically rough in waking me up. Well, because they really did not have to.

“Eonnie, take me to the park. I need to talk to you.” The young girl was brisk with her speech and already in front of the door putting on her shoes when she spoke.

“Huh?” I was puzzled for a moment after being deprived of reaching the REM stage, most especially with a coercive yanking. She did not say another word, instead just waved her hand to signal me to get up and leave with her. I complied instantaneously not because of her authoritative bearing, but because of her eyes that were swollen from crying. “I’ll just get my coat, Sinb-ah, don’t head out yet.”

“You both take care.” Umji said while leaning against the refrigerator door holding a Physics book. It was clear from her tone that she knew the rationale for the bizarre invitation I got from the other maknae. “Please bring me coffee when you come back, eonnie. I really need to study because someone kind of didn’t let me.” She gave me a meaningful but kind smile.

“Iced?”

“Yes please.”

>>>

“Joon-ssi, I will only ask you once and I won’t ask you again.” Sinb was looking straight at me with an unreadable expression. I suddenly felt the unsettling urge to teleport. She was silent the whole ride to the park which was luckily just ten minutes away. And judging by the size of her eyes and the hoarseness of her voice, she has been crying the whole afternoon.

“What is it?” For having to drag me out, this conversation obviously is something she did not want others to hear. This is going to be a long night for me, not that it hasn’t been for the past two weeks.

“Do you like Yerin-eonnie?” Her eyebrows slightly furrowed causing a stern look on her face. She spoke in English with fluency. I was evidently flustered by her sudden inquiry that I could not answer a simple ‘No.’ I became more surprised to see how she balled her fingers to a trembling fist. Is she going to punch me?

“I SAID DO YOU LIKE HER??” She screamed as she demanded a response from me. Anger was unmistakable in her voice but all her strong façade crumbled into pieces as tears filled her eyes.

“Sinb-yah, no. I don’t.” I said with a tone hoping to calm her down. “What are you talking about?” I could sense the possibility of her eluding to answer but I asked anyway.

“Then, does she like you?” She lowered her head as she was already vehemently crying.

“DOES SHE LIKE YOU, EONNIE??” She was choking on her words. “BECAUSE I LOVE HER! I love her so much!” She couldn’t wait for me to answer anymore. She slumped herself against one of the park’s railings and covered her face to hide the desperation and defeat manifested by her words. It is only now that it dawned to me that Yerin’s distress was needless and her having to endure all the times she had to ignore her affection for the younger girl was not worth anything.

I wanted to hug her but she might reject the gesture and I’d lose this only chance I have to talk to her. I wanted to tell her that she did not have to ask those stupid questions. I wanted to tell her how pained Yerin was all these years because she was deprived of the care and attention she craved to receive from her. But at the same time, I wanted to be angry at her for telling me this just now. I’ve meddled enough to a point where I revealed my identity and then it was all for nothing. Uh, Sinb-yah, you got me into a really deep trouble.

“Why are you telling me this?! Why didn’t you tell her?! You’re supposed to tell this to her! Not to me!” I spoke in Korean knowing it would only be painstakingly longer for us to get to the nitty gritty of this conversation if I tried to speak in my language. But I tried to add the western accent hoping to hide the fluency that supposedly did not exist. I cannot reveal myself to you too.

“Eon… nie?” Sinb raised her head in mixed confusion and bewilderment of my irritated reaction.

“Why Sinb-yah? Why are you telling me this now?” I asked her as I held her arm to stand her up.

“Eonnie, I thought you were together.” She spoke in her language, realizing that I will understand.

“Yah! sit down.” I guided her to the metal bench near the sidewalk. She was calmer, a little confused by my sudden arrogant stance, but she now seemed easier to reason to. “Yah, listen to me. Yerin and I don’t like each other. We don’t feel that way for each other.”

“But you’re always together.”

“Yerin, Sowon and I are always together because I identify with them since my age is closest to theirs. And you, you never approached me except for that day when you asked me weird questions about my ideal girlfriend.” I lied. There was no other way to explain why they were always around me.

“But the flowers.”

Ohh… the flowers. How do I explain that? I most definitely won’t be able to say that it’s because Yerin was doing a good job at ignoring her feelings for you. “The flowers were supposed to be for her when she was in the hospital.  But apparently, I too had to be in the hospital and I was unconscious longer than she was.” I’m becoming a really bad liar.

She did not ask me another question but remnants of defeat lingered on her face.

“Sinb-yah, you said you love her. Why don’t you tell her?” She did not move from the bench where we sat, so I assumed that she did not want to return to the apartment yet. And maybe the fresh air could help her sort things out better.

“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just wait until it’s all gone. She wouldn’t be able to understand what I feel anyway.”

In my frustration, I wanted to give her a slap in the head but that would be too rude and pointless. “Would you rather not know her response if you told her?” Because I know what her response would be.

“Eonnie, you’ve become really good with speaking Korean.”

“That’s why I stay up all night. I’m studying so I can properly teach you English. But this is not about my Korean.” Another lie.

“I just thought maybe we could talk about something else.”

“I’m not that easy to give up. Unlike you, Sinb-yah, you’re giving up before you’ve even tried.”

“Yah!” She exclaimed while throwing me a light punch. Ah, the normal maknae is back. “I don’t want to lose Yerin-eonnie as a friend. If you told me that you liked her, I would have felt better. I guess I wanted to find a reason to lose this, whatever I have for her. I waited for her to tell me somehow that she already fell for someone, so I can start forgetting my feelings.”

“Yah, you did not even wait for me to answer if she liked me. You screamed at me to say that you love her. How’s that for wanting her to fall for someone else? And forgetting your feelings? Sure about that? You don’t have to lie that you’re jealous.” I jounced her shoulder wanting to make the conversation lighter.

“Tsk. You don’t have to mention the obvious.” She looked at me with her classic savage stare. “If it isn’t you, then it would be someone else. My feelings for her just came, it’ll run its course then also leave on its own.”

“You make it sound like love is a virus. Love is not self-limiting, you know.” I glared at her. “Are you sure you would be able to handle that? Seeing her… everyday… with another person?”

“Until it happens, I’ll never know I guess.”

“Well, you thought Yerin and I were together. And judging by your reaction to it, I guess I know that you will not handle it well. You dragged me here, you screamed at me, almost punched me, you confessed your love for her…”

“Yah!” She punched me again, but this time it was not subtly.

“Awww…ch.” I surely would have been able to dodge being hit but I couldn’t let her see how.

“But Sinb-ah, if I were you, I’d rather be rejected and be awkward with her after, than not being able to tell her how I feel at all.” But you won’t be rejected, take my word for it. So please, make it easier for the both of you. You’re not going to lose her as a friend, you’ll only add ‘girl’ before it. Wait, aren’t you already called that way?

“That’s easier said than done, eonnie. We have years ahead of us being together.”

Precisely! Then just be together! “But Yerin deserves to know. That thing, whatever that is that you have for her, will be hers alone. You cannot give that to anyone else. So don't waste it. You may fall for someone else in the future but the love you'll feel will be different.”

“Falling for someone else? That will not be soon for sure.”

“That’s exactly why you have to tell Yerin.”

“I can’t, eonnie. If I could, I would have told her already, wouldn’t I?”

“Your fans know you as the most stubborn and brutally frank of all members. They don’t know this coward side of you.”

“Yes, I guess I’m a coward. Eonnie, I would really appreciate it if you did not tell her.”

Aiiiiiish. I was afraid she would say this. Now I’ll have to figure out a way to control myself from telling Yerin. “If that’s what you want… It’s getting late, it’s time to get coffee.”

She let out a weighty sigh before she stood up and I could feel the heaviness of her steps. The van was just behind the bench that accommodated us but the pensive atmosphere made it seem like we had a long walk before we reached it. I knew she was still unsure if she could keep her emotions to herself, but I also know that she was the type who would stay very determined once she puts her effort to doing something really important to her. And this is one of them.

“Can I just wait in the van while you get coffee?”

“Wear your mask, keep your hood on and wear this.” I handed her the prescription glasses I kept in my pocket. “You’ll be fine. I don’t like ordering alone.” No, I just can’t leave you alone, especially not in the van.

“Oh, daebak! We have the same eyeglass grade. I don’t know why I never got glasses.” No, my vision is perfect, and perfect isn’t even the accurate word to describe it. Those glasses are for you. I always kept pairs of glasses for all of them, just in case I needed them for the same purpose that I need Sinb to wear them now.

On our way to the coffee shop, I was listening to how Yerin was doing in Incheon. After the van incident, I started using bugs as part my surveillance and kept a military-grade earpiece connected to them. Today, I kept one in Yerin’s bag and I’ve been listening to her and the people around her, which is one thing I did not like doing. But having this system helped me ensure their safety especially when they’re not near enough for my senses to catch.

“One large of your signature iced coffee. A medium Americano. No, make that two. Two medium café lattes, decaf.” I looked at Sinb, “What do you want?”

“Hot green tea?”

“And one medium hot green tea. All take-away. Thank you.”

We sat in one corner to wait for the order.

“I’ll pick up Yerin at her parent’s house maybe in an hour. Would you like to tag along?” I teased Sinb but hoping she would actually agree.

“And what? Laugh at me? Tease me the whole time? No way.” She rolled her eyes at me.

“Just asking…” And teasing.

After seven minutes of staring at our phones and absentminded talking about random things, the familiar coffee shop crew walked toward us with the orders in one tray and paper bags in one hand.

“Waaaah!” I exclaimed half surprised and half animated. I stood up as one of the lattes’ cover opened and spilled on the table. “It’s okay, it’s okay, just replace it, and put it in a bag before going here.” I told the crew who did not stop bowing in apology.

“Are you not burned by the coffee, eonnie?” Sinb asked while helping me dry up my pants with a paper towel.

“No, it’s not a lot, but I need to change when we get home.” Somehow, every time I go here, some accident with coffee happens and it always involved me getting wet.

While waiting for the coffee to be replaced, my phone rang to Yerin’s call.

“Do you want to answer it?”

“Yah! don’t make me regret telling you.”

“Okay, okay. Just checking if you changed your mind. I’ll answer the call, but don’t get jealous.”

“Hello Yennie-ssi? Nae, in an hour I’ll be there. Oh, you did not eat there? Okay, we can get something on our way back. Okay, yup, see you. Stay inside. I’ll call when I get there. Nae... Bye.” I was pitching teasing glances at Sinb as I spoke to her.

“You sure know how to annoy someone.” I cannot see her expression clearly under the mask, but I’m sure it was brighter than before I received the other girl’s call.

“I was just checking if you’ll get jealous.”

“I sure am.” She answered sarcastically and gave up protesting.

“Let’s go, I need to change really bad. The sticky feel is so annoying.” I picked up the bags carefully to lower the probability of experiencing another coffee accident.

“Let me hold one bag. I won’t spill it, I promise.” Sinb offered while laughing at my weird gait as I tried to lift the coffee-d pants off my thigh.

>>>

Joon drove exceptionally fast that even the younger Eunbi was holding onto a handle to stabilize herself and the bag she offered to hold. Joon was worried of being late to pick up the girl who was in Incheon; she was worried about the girls who remained in the apartment; she was worried about the coffee they bought getting cold; and above all that, she worried about the sticky pants.

Umji opened the door after hearing the soft buzz. As the two entered, everyone was gathered in the living room watching a TV program and were all strangely dressed up, in their coats and whatnots.

“Are we missing something?” Joon asked as she dashed to the closet and dug through the pile of dark articles of clothes.

“Coffee shop guy spilled hot latte on eonnie.” Sinb interrupted while handing the cups to the members.

“Hmmm… Yerin-eonnie called...” Umji was quick to answer while watching the foreigner moved swiftly across the room. “… and said we should all come with you to pick her up because she’ll treat us with food. So we prepared and we’re just waiting for Sowon-eon...”

Everyone was looking curiously at Joon who was oddly inattentive to the maknae’s reply as she strode past them to proceed to the bathroom clutching a pair of black trousers. She hurriedly entered without waiting for the end of the girl’s explanation. All the girls shouted as they saw her dart through the door.

“Eonnie!”

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”

“…nie to finish showering… in that bathroom.” Umji, whose face was now stricken by unease, completed her statement somehow even if she knew it was obvious that Joon already knew… or saw.

Joon shut the door forcefully after getting out of the bathroom in what appeared to be a flash, but now with the pants covering her face that was noticeably red from immense embarrassment. She held the piece of clothing to her head and walked to the older girls' room without saying a word.

“OH… MY… GOD!!! Why didn’t you tell her?!” Sowon dashed out of the bathroom only with her pink towel covering her, still with unrinsed shampoo dripping from her long locks and her arms fastened across her chest. Her expression was a mixture of panic, regret, distress and discomfiture, and possibly something more.

“We tried…..” Eunha slowly replied.

Everyone was in shock for a second or two, then an uproar of laughter filled the entire apartment. Yuju stood up to hug the still half-bathed leader who was already about to tear up, and tried to ease her worry.

“It’s okay, eonnie. Go on, finish quick, Yerin-eonnie might be hungry.” The main singer was biting her lips evidently controlling her laughter while talking to Sowon.

“I did not have plans of tagging along to pick up Yerin-eonnie, but I am definitely coming now!” Sinb declared, with a vengeful voice loud enough for Joon to hear even inside the locked room where she was.