Chapter 2 –

Soyeon who works as a cashier in a convenience store in town every night, she can’t help but to keep staring at the old lady in the corner of the store sitting patiently waiting for her daughter who busy picking what they want to eat. At the end, the girl ended up picking 2 ramyeon and a bottle of mineral water for the two of them.

The teenager approaches her and gracefully ask her, “How much all of this unnie?”

She smiled and punch in, “2,500”

The girl hand over the money and happily fills in the noodles bringing straightly to her mother at the corner. She can’t help but to smile with the gesture, she looked at her phone and seeing her mother on her phone screen.

“Noona, sorry I am late. You can leave now, I can take care of everything” Eunwoo said smiling at her, though he knew that Soyeon might be tearing up again, he wanted her to be distracted as always.

Soyeon glared at him, “You are late again!”

Eunwoo take step back but she smiled apologetically, “I had to do something noona, this will be the last time. Promise!” He said confidently.

Soyeon let out a sigh and ended, “Okay, just be sure not to do it next time.”

Eunwoo smiled in triumph and walk towards Soyeon, “Yes noona!”

Soyeon smiled a bit, she gets her things below the table and ready herself to leave the store. “Bye noona, take care...”

She smiles as a response before she turns her back on him and straightly walk outside.

Soyeon love crowds, she loves the way people walk, roughly in different directions, chit chatting as they go. She watched them, some heads down, lost in their thoughts and wondering while walking because she is usually like that, she is the person who loves to walk alone, she finds time to be deep in her thoughts while listening to her favorite music on her mobile phone.

She looks up to her phone again and hesitantly dialed her mother’s number, but she did it anyway. As soon as the other line answer the phone, she stops walking. “U-ma” Its been a while since her mother answers the line for her.

“Why you always call me Soyeon! I told you to leave me alone because I am busy.”

But before she could even respond, her mother hangs up the phone. She let out a heavy sigh and continue walking, she knew that any moment that her tears will start to flow.

It took her surprised when suddenly someone back hug her, “Let’s go home together!”

“Boram!” She blurted out.

Boram laughed at her that gains a little slap from her on the shoulder. “Pabo!”

As they continue walking, Boram smirked and looked at towards Soyeon, “Soyeon seriously, you have to stop expecting something from your mother”

Soyeon looked at her friend wide eye but before she could respond, Boram added, “I know that you have been calling her non-stop and at least she was able to answer you, earlier right?”

She sighed and looked down as she slumped her shoulder, “She is still my mother Boram, I can’t just turn my back on her”

“She is the one who turn her back on you Sso,” Boram sighed as she looked at Soyeon who is about to cry, “I am sorry Sso.”

Soyeon shake her head and smiled, “No Boram, I know.”

Boram wrapped her hands around Soyeon shoulder and pat her shoulder gently and said, “I will not turn my back on you anyway Sso, cheer up. I am always be here for you though.”

Soyeon sighed in relief and finally said, “I know and thank you.” She sincerely said as she can be but Boram grinned and laughed, “Omg Soyeon, let’s stop being so overly dramatic!”

She glared at her but they both laughed anyway as they reached home.

--

“Jiyeon!” Eunjung said knocking at Jiyeon in the bathroom as the latter is busy in washing her face. “Eunjung why?”

“I will be sleeping at your room tonight!” She nonchalantly said while the latter immediately goes out the washroom looking at her wide eye, “Why is it again Eunjung?”

“Nothing.” Eunjung said teasingly.

Eunjung walk passed Jiyeon walk straightly at Jiyeon’ s room carrying her favorite pillow and slumped herself on the bed, Jiyeon pat Eunjung back, “Why you are always bothering me at night Eunjung!” Jiyeon annoyingly said, Eunjung just looked at her wet face and smile,

“Wash your face first Jiyeon then come here and hug me.” She said with full aegyo, something she does that Jiyeon can’t ignore.

Jiyeon sighed and a small smile came across to her beautiful face, but she wouldn’t let Eunjung to notice it. She takes the towel at the back of her door, change into something more comfortable and lay down beside Eunjung.

Eunjung already have her eyes closed but she felt a pair of hands wrapped around her back, she held the hands of Jiyeon and shifted her place to face her, hugging each other. Jiyeon has taken a back, Eunjung is always this clingy with her but it is something she can’t get used to because of the never-ending butterflies she felt inside her stomach.

Eunjung open her eyes to lock-eyed with her, she smiled. “How is your day?”

“It was okay, and You?” Jiyeon whispered enough for Eunjung to hear without losing their eye contact.

“It’s good.” She responded.

Jiyeon closes her eyes as she cupped herself at Eunjung neck and hug the girl tightly, Eunjung smiled but before they could sleep deeper, someone knocked on Jiyeon’ s door.

“Eunjung unnie?”

Jiyeon open her eyes and feel annoyed, “Who is that?”

“Areum.”

Jiyeon sighed and Eunjung stand up, opening the door for Areum, “Eunjung unnie, can you sleep in my room tonight instead?” She said shyly. Eunjung smiled at their maknae gesture while Jiyeon just looked at Eunjung wide eye, waiting for her response.

“Just wait me in your room Areum, I will be there for sure. Okay?”

Areum smile and nodded, Eunjung went back at Jiyeon’ s and sighed, “I know you are thankful that Areum take me to her room, you feel annoyed with me, anyways right?” Eunjung hesitantly said looking at Jiyeon,

Jiyeon didn’t respond, she slumped herself on the bed and cover her whole body ignoring Eunjung. “Goodnight.” Eunjung said while she slowly getting her pillow but before she leaves the room, Jiyeon held Eunjung’ s hand attempting to stop her from going.

“D—don’t go” She said that makes the atmosphere awkward for the both of them.

Eunjung sighed in relief, she lies down beside Jiyeon and let Jiyeon’ s head rested on her left arm. “I’ll go in her room after I make sure that you already sleeping”

Jiyeon nodded and closed her eyes at Eunjung’ s arm comfortably.

--

In the next morning at the villa.

Qri sat down on the chair with her coffee that is on the balcony, relaxing herself while taking the sunlight into her white smooth skin. She sighed in relief as she sips her coffee, until Hyomin from behind approaches her sits beside her.

“Are you not going to work?” Hyomin ask timidly as she tried to have an eye contact with her, but Qri didn’t seem to mind responding at her. Hyomin slumped her shoulder and sighed. “Qri,”

“Stop it Hyomin, I don’t want to talk about anything”

Before Qri can turn her back and leave Hyomin alone, the latter held Qri’ s hand. “I am really sorry unnie, I really do.” She pleaded but Qri yanked her hands away from her.

“It’s not your fault” Qri spoke with a coldness she'd never heard before and that makes Hyomin to feel guilty even more.

Hatred that is all left with Qri, she stops talking with everyone, if she does it will just be a simple hi and hello’s, everyone already misses her but they new how cold Qri can be.

--

Areum arrived at exactly 1:00 in the afternoon at the Seoul Hospital as her set appointment on her schedule therapy.

She is sitting comfortable beside the nursing station waiting for her turn on the treatment, yet she is shaking. Her cold sweat glistened on her furrowed brow, she isn’t feeling well but she has to be alone.

“Ms. Lee?” The nurse called her, she nodded and go to the therapy room.

She sighed, the fear almost eating her alive, but she has to deal with it, “Are you okay Ms. Lee? It is okay, you can do it.” The nurse worriedly said as she saw how her face became pale, Areum smiles as a respond giving them the assurance that she will do fine with the therapy.

The pain has an unpleasant warmth to it, eating at her whole stomach. There's nausea too, just enough to make me hold onto the bed for support and breath slow. I've often prized myself in ignoring pain and just rocking on regardless, but that just isn't possible right now. It owns me, dominates every thought, controls every action. She cried, the unbearable pain almost kills her, but she doesn’t have anyone to hold onto.

The session last for exactly 15 minutes before the nurse approaches her with a smile, “You are very strong woman Ms. Lee, you can take rest and you can leave once you don’t feel dizzy anymore”

Even it still pains, Areum nodded with all her might. Her eyes watered in agony as soon as the nurse left her, then she feels that her phone vibrated too many times during the session, she slowly reaches out her phone to the side table of the bed and see the Eunjung called her for almost 5 times.

She smiles and called her back, “H-hello?”

“Areum! Why you are not answering my phone calls. Where are you?” Eunjung ask worriedly over the phone.

“I am busy unnie, why?”

Eunjung seems to be suspicious but she won’t let anybody notice her sickness most especially Eunjung, she knows her unnie too well and she doesn’t want to bother any one of them.

“I don’t know why but I am really worried for you, are you sure you are okay?” Eunjung said on the other line.

Areum couldn’t respond immediately as red-hot tears ran down her face, the sobs were muted to be able not to get caught, she fakes a cough and a smile before she could only utter, “Of course I am fine unnie”

As soon as they both hung up the phone, she is more than crying, it was the kind of abandoned sobbing that comes from a person drained of all hope, but she has to keep going not for anyone else but for herself.