“WHAT?!”

We all winced when we realized how loud we said that in unison, but Hyebin-unnie’s voice was much heard than that of the rest of us.

“Yeah,” Sajangnim sighed and massaged his temple. “I figured she was overworking herself again, but I didn’t know she was tired to that extent.”

“God...” Hyebin-unnie sat on one of the chairs near JooE’s bed. JooE was laying there, unconscious. It was just like she was having a deep sleep.

Hyebin-unnie looked at JooE worriedly and tangled her hands with hers, occasionally kissing the back of her hands.

I sighed and held Yeonwoo’s hands. They were cold. “Baby...”

“Hmm?” Yeonwoo looked at me with tired eyes. “Do you need something, love?”

“No, I...” I rested my head on her sides. “I’m worried about JooE.”

Yeonwoo sighed. “Yeah, I am too.”

“I’m starting to think that training every night is bad for us.”

Yeonwoo frowned.

“It’s for our own good, baby.” Yeonwoo said and kissed the side of my head. Probably to soothe my whole being or something. “I guess we have no choice but to endure a bit more.”

I sighed and watched Joo Won helplessly. Yeonwoo is right.

Even if it means watching more members faint.

***

“Hyebin-unnie, we need to go,” I nudged the sleeping pixie haired blonde on Joo Won’s stretcher. She was still holding JooE’s hand. 

JooE isn’t waking up.

I watched the leader’s eyes flutter open. “Go ahead without me...” she groaned.

I sighed. “We can’t do that.”

“Yeonwoo,” She called. “Don’t sigh.”

“How the hell can I do that?” I rolled my eyes. She laughed. 

I laughed with her, trying to make her forget that JooE was still unconscious and was probably having the best time of her life, sleeping.

“Kidding aside though,” Our laughs softened. “You and the rest can go home.”

“We can’t just leave you here, you idiot.”

“Yeonwoo-ya,” she said. “That’s an order.”

“When have I ever obeyed you?”

“Never,” Hyebin said and laughed. But it was strained. “Seriously, Yeonwoo...”

“I don’t want the members to see how much I...” she didn’t continue. I got her point.

It was also what I would like to do if ever Nancy was in JooE’s state.

“Do you want us to leave you alone? But what if we’d like to join your cryfest?” I jested.

Hyebin kept a stern look. “I wouldn’t want you to join in...”

“Why?”

“The answer should be obvious,” Hyebin rolled her eyes at my naïvety.

“Because your ego will be hurt when we see you cry?”

“If my ego can be hurt by just that then my ego must’ve died a long time ago,” Hyebin said while still fiddling JooE’s fingers. Ah, this whipped gay, seriously. “I think you don’t realize that I’ve cried on National TV countless of times.”

“Touche.” I said. I remembered my ‘Finding Momoland’ days. Ah, jinjja. I cried a lot I’m surprised my eyes still didn’t have any defections.

Then silence engulfed us.

“I’m the leader, see,” Hyebin said, finally breaking the ice. “I’m the sunshine leader, the vitamin one at that. And I wouldn’t want to make the members see how vulnerable I am when it comes to JooE.”

“I understand...”

I sighed.

There was no stopping her, anyway.

She smiled weakly.

“Thanks, Yeonwoo.”