"Thank you for believing in me, I like that message, Unnie." You looked up from the device to look at your favourite sister, giving her a smile. Thinking about it, it's kind of ironic since what had happened between you and her during the making of the album. You wondered what she was thinking when she recorded that specific line. 

Wendy bashfully chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I want to deliver this message especially to ReVeluvs who believed in me through everything," she looked at you sincerely, "and of course, to my members who have supported me and well, believing in me throughout the whole process of my recovery and the making of this album." 

"I wouldn't get this far without any of you," she finished with a smile, though you detected some guilt in it. You tilted your head in question, looking at her thoroughly for what seemed to be the first time in a while. 

Ever since the "falling out" between the two of you, you hadn't interacted with her as much as you used to, thinking she needed the space. You actually didn't know how to go around the issue, since the blame was put on you. You tried to act like nothing was wrong and you weren't hurt by what she had said, minus the texting to both her and her manager, but you couldn't help but avoid interactions where there would be only the two of you. You'd still comfort her and support her whenever you could, but you usually wouldn't be alone. You didn't want to make things more awkward when you weren't still able to move on because you just felt like every interaction felt like it was... superficial. You didn't go to her room to just hang out and listen to music, you basically avoided any kind of interaction that would give her the chance to talk more about what had happened. You knew you shouldn't and couldn't avoid it for much longer, but on the other hand, you were terrified. 

What if you could never go back to how things were because she didn't believe in you anymore?

You remembered that night very clearly, going back to your room to finally let go as quietly as possible, trying not to alert your guardian of your distress. You were certain you succeeded since you heard no noticeable sound coming from her room, so you thought you were in the clear to wallow on your own. However, that didn't seem to be the case. 

It wasn't long after going into her room and settling in for the night that Irene felt uneasy. She didn't know why as the feeling came so suddenly, so she thought it was either just her feeling anxious or there was something really wrong with someone else she cared about. She used to push aside the thoughts as to not jump to conclusions, but her instincts told her it was something to be taken seriously so she listened, trying to figure out who would be in so much distress she felt it. The first that came to mind was you. She knew you were waiting for Wendy to come back and eat dinner with her, wanting to catch up and see how she's doing amidst all her activities. Could it be you? She heard you greet the main vocalist earlier and thought everything was well, and now she wasn't sure anymore. Interrupting her train of thoughts was the sound of your door closing, followed by shuffling noises and she figured you were settling into bed as well. Thinking everything was well, the leader tried to fall asleep but soon was interrupted by what sounded like... muffled sobs? 

Irene immediately sat up in bed, eyes wide and in concentration to figure out what the sound was. She waited and listened carefully, brows furrowing in concern when she realised it really was the sound of your crying. She quickly got out of bed and out of her room before opening your door quietly and finding your covered figure on your bed. 

"Oh, Eli." She made her way to where you were and get onto the bed, wrapping her arms around your figure to bring you into her warm embrace. 

"Unnie's right here, Sweetheart. Let it all out." She didn't know what was wrong and she really was itching to find out what could make you cry that hard right after you talked to your mother figure, and why she wasn't consoling you, but figured that would be the last thing to ask as her focus was on comforting you and making sure you didn't feel alone. 

"Hyun-unnie..." you whimpered into her chest as you hugged her tighter, seemingly afraid that she would vanish if you didn't. Irene's heart broke at your whimpers causing her to hold you even tighter. 

"Unnie's here, Eli-ah. Unnie's right here." Your soulmate continued to hug you tight, giving all her love and warmth into the embrace. She hummed some comforting tunes whilst you cried, trying to calm you down. Her soothing voice and the low timbers of her hums were the best combinations in comforting you. 

It worked after a while, as your sobs had turned to hiccups and eventually faded into sniffles. It took a while but Irene was glad that you didn't cry for too long. 

"Would you like some water, Sweetheart?" Her sweet offer made your heart warm, especially after what had happened. You couldn't help but smile into her chest. 

You nodded. "Sure, Unnie. Thank you." 

Irene kissed the top of your head before pulling away, moving to retrieve the water bottle that was on your bedside table. She couldn't be more relieved that you always keep a water bottle nearby as she didn't want to move away from you for too long. Plus, she figured Wendy would still be outside so maybe that wasn't the best timing. 

She retrieved the bottle before giving it to you, helping your much taller figure to sit up on your bed. As you drank heartily, she grew more concerned to see the puffy eyes and the redness of your nose after crying so hard. 

You gave her the bottle with a thankful smile and she replied with a warm smile of her own, causing you to relax more into your seat. Irene moved to your side once again, wrapping her left arm around your stomach and her head on your shoulder. 

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" 

You knew the question was going to come so you stuttered out a heavy sigh, causing Irene to pull back from her hug to look at you with concern written all over her face. She knew it wasn't the most fitting time but the older couldn't help but marvel over your features, finding it hard to believe somebody could still be so breathtaking after sobbing their hearts out. She also thought the middle-length, burgundy hair fitted you a lot. 

"Wendy-unnie said something very... hurtful and I'm not sure if I deserve it." You calling Seungwan's English name outside of schedule told Irene whatever happened wasn't pleasant. 

Irene sat up a little higher so you could be face-to-face. Her graceful face was contorted in concern and confusion. "First of all, why would you deserve hurtful words from anyone?" Her rhetorical question caused you to look down then shrug a little, not knowing how to respond. Irene's gaze softened at your response, putting her hand on your cheek so you'd look at her again. After you did, she gave you that special smile and you could do nothing but reply with your own. 

You could never resist her smile. 

"Hey, you never deserve those, okay? You might deserve some scolding if you do something wrong," her teasing tone caused you to giggle, "but never harsh or hurtful words. Remember that, El." 

You looked at your guardian with gratitude and love, thankful to have someone like her in your life. You could never find out how you deserved her but you were thankful nonetheless. 

"I will try to always keep that in mind, Unnie, thank you." You gave her a thankful smile before sighing in defeat, the smile slipping off of your face. 

You looked around the room to gather your thoughts and Irene waited patiently until you were ready. 

"Having Wendy-unnie back is a miracle and I'm very happy that she's happy and get to do all these things she couldn't do last year, but I can't help but worry." You looked at your guardian with concern and despair and you looked like you were about to cry again. 

Your voice shook as you fought off the new batch of tears. "So once her schedule starts and she began to be super busy, I began texting her every day just to check up on her and wonder how she's doing. At first, she was replying back quite well until she wasn't doing it as often, so I texted her manager instead and explained my concerns. I asked her if I could find out how Wendy's doing through her and she completely understood, saying I could text her whenever I wanted and she'd reply as fast as she could. I thought that was okay." 

You stopped a little to take a deep breath to find the strength in remembering your conversation and the emotions that entail all over again. You felt Irene's small but comforting hand on your shoulder, causing you to face her again.

"Today when she got home, she asked if I waited for her and if I texted her manager again. I told her I did at lunchtime, reminding her and for Seungwan-unnie to eat. She told me that I needed to stop, Unnie," your statement was interrupted by the leader's surprise gasp and you couldn't help the tear that made its way to your cheek. "She thought I didn't trust her enough to take care of herself by always wondering how she's doing when in reality, I'm just so worried something like that would happen again. Am I so wrong, Unnie?" By the end of it, you were full-on crying and Irene brought you into her embrace once again, shushing you and trying to comfort you by rubbing your back. 

"Shh, it's okay, Eli, everything's going to be okay," she kept repeating, her own tears gathering in her eyes. She could not believe Wendy would say something like that. Did she now know what she meant to you? 

After your cries had gone down once again, Irene pulled back a little to face you causing you to whine, not wanting to be parted from the warmth that was keeping you together. She giggled, kissing your forehead and slightly pulling back again. You begrudgingly followed, pulling back a little so Irene could wipe the tears left on your cheeks. 

"I understand where you're coming from and why you would text her a lot more than usual, but I also know that someone like her doesn't text a lot so I can see why she didn't reply as often. Did she say why she was mad at you for texting her manager?" 

If her voice wasn't so soothing you probably would find the need to defend yourself. "She said that it made her look unprofessional like she couldn't reply to her own members' texts." Irene scoffed at that and you looked at her amused, puffy eyes and all. 

"That's because she can't text back for . What else?" 

You had to laugh at her cursing, amused at her being angry too. You turned sober when you said your next words. "She said I don't trust her to take care of herself, that's why I'm texting her so much." 

"What?! That's absurd! There's no way you were thinking that! How could she think that?!" 

When it comes to her members, Irene was usually pretty chill and cool-headed albeit compassionate, but when it comes to you? Yeah, that's a different story right there. 

You looked at her in awe, seeing the cute pout on her lips and her perturbed expression. "Unnie, it's okay, you know how insecure she can be," you didn't know why you felt the need to defend the one who just hurt you. 

She looked up at you with the pout still on her lips, causing you to lightly pinch her cheek. She's just too cute. "I know I know, but that doesn't mean she can just assume things like that, especially when it comes to you." 

"I don't know, Unnie," you let out a heavy sigh, feeling a heavy weight on your shoulders, "was I being too overbearing by texting her then texting her manager when she wouldn't reply?" 

Irene managed to calm herself down a little so she could comfort you. 

"I don't think so. You're worried, as we all are, and you're the one actually brave enough and willing to spend the time to check up on her every day like the rest of us wanted but never did. I'm glad you did it, though I hate how it turned out." You gave her a smile, grateful that she was comforting you and weren't blaming you, though know that you had calmed down enough, maybe Wendy had a point.

"Maybe Seungwan-unnie had a point... maybe I texted her too much. Fine, I can cut back on that, but what I don't like is how she thought I don't believe in her enough. Have I not shown it? Does she not know me enough to think that? I get that other people might think that way but her?" You continued to ramble, voicing out your concerns and thoughts to your leader. 

Irene put a comforting hand on your cheek and you instantly relaxed, looking at her in defeat. She gave you an assuring smile. "Hey, you have shown plenty of times how much you believe in her in everything she does. If we can see it, so can she. Maybe she needs time to digest everything and with her being so eager to do everything now, she's always on the go and never have time to actually settle and digest things. Give her time, she'll come around." 

"I know," you sighed after a while, giving her a smile albeit a little defeated and tired, "but what if she doesn't? What if she's set on her thoughts that the reason why I text her a lot more than I used to is that I don't trust her enough to take care of herself?" 

Determination filled Irene's gaze. "Then we make her come around. Together." 

With that you settled for the night, comforted enough in the embrace of your guardian. 

The next day you set off to Blackpink's dorm early in the morning, picking up Lisa to go to Rosé's solo stage. When Lisa first offered the idea, you weren't sure if you should go since the taping for these things usually starts really early. Now, you thought what better way to take your mind off things than supporting one of your best friends and maybe spilling your guts out to them? 

You were given permission to stay there for a while, both by Irene and Jisoo, to spend time with your friends and get away from the issue back home just a little bit. It might seem a little extreme that you were doing all of these but you knew this was what's best for you. 

"You did great, babe! Congratulations on your first solo stage!" You greeted the star as soon as she arrived in her waiting room, giggling at her surprised face. 

"What are you doing here?!" Yes, you and Lisa managed to keep your arrival under wraps. Rosé only expected Lisa to come by. 

"Supporting you of course, what else?" You brought her into your arms as soon as she was within reach, closing your eyes in bliss. You've truly missed your best friends. 

"I'm so glad you're here. Thank you for coming," she mumbled into your neck and you smiled, patting her back and squeezing her a little tighter. 

"Of course, Chaeyoung-ah, I wouldn't miss it." She pulled back from the embrace a little so she could take a look at you. The minute she did, she knew there was something else going on. 

She could see it in your eyes.

Rosé exchanged looks with her other best friend and when the other subtly nodded, she knew her thoughts were confirmed. You didn't miss any of these interactions but you didn't mind. You knew you could rely on them. 

"Hey, I want a hug too!" Lisa's whine interrupted your thoughts and you chuckled lowly, pulling back from the hug so Lisa could hug her former nemesis turned soulmates. After a while, Lisa pulled back a little to bring you into the hug too, making you and the staff who was watching you laugh too. 

One of the stylists sneakily took a pic of the warm interaction, later sending it to Rosé so she could post it on her SNS. She knew she'd appreciate it. 

After everything was settled, it was time to go back to their dorms and Rosé was delighted to find out you would be staying over for a few days. 

"We're definitely having sleepovers every night. Right, Lisa?" You turned towards the Thai girl sitting on the front and smiled at the excited nods she was producing. You appreciated their gestures. 

After Rosé was good to go home for the day before she had to get ready for the next day of promotions, all of you stopped by to pick up some comfort food in the form of tteokbooki and other good stuff for the three of you as well as the older members of Blackpink. You were greeted by warm cheers when you arrived.

"My little sister, you're here!" Jisoo greeted you with her signature warm grin and you beamed back, bringing her figure into your warm embrace. You closed your eyes in bliss, savouring her warmth. Her embrace reminded you of Irene and you revelled in the touch.  

"Hey, don't hog her! I want to hug her too!" 

You chuckled and letting go of Jisoo with one last squeeze before bringing Jennie into your arms too, swaying her a little in your arms.

"I've missed you," she mumbled into your chest and you cooed, kissing the top of her head. She snuggled a little more into your chest and the gesture reminded you so much of Irene you felt a pang of sadness. You shook the thoughts away, pulling back from the hug and giving her your signature warm smile before settling down to eat your food and enjoying the night with your third family, your second being your members.

"Please wake up Chaeyoungie tomorrow, Eli-ah. She has to go to the shop really early." Jisoo asked you at some point after all the food was gone and you nodded, giving her a smile. Jisoo knew she could rely on you.

"Jisoo-unnie, I woke up just fine this morning! I don't want to disturb Eli's sleep." 

Jisoo gave her a deadpanned look, you trying hard not to snicker. "After I banged on your door for five minutes straight. Lisa even woke up to find out what all the commotion was." 

At her unnie's claims the girl just pouted, causing you to laugh out loud which promoted the other girls to laugh as well. You couldn't help it, this was just like the scene back home every time your leader had to wake the youngest up for her solo and very early schedule. 

"It's okay, Chaeyoung-ah," you patted her head lovingly, "I can just go back to bed afterwards. You know I'm a light sleeper, I'll wake up regardless." 

Her chubby cheeks were decorated in pink hues at your affection. She's usually on the other hand, giving affection to other people, so being on the receiving end was a different story. 

"Well, if you say so." 

That night the three of you gathered in Rosé's room, ready for your very anticipated sleepover. Your schedules rarely allowed you to hang out often, so chances like this were even more treasured. 

"Spill, girl." 

You sighed in defeat but also relief, knowing you would be heard and they would help you find a solution. It's not like you wouldn't be heard by your other members, quite the contrary, but you didn't want to turn this issue into a bigger deal than it was. It's enough that only Irene knew the extent of it. 

"So, the other day ..." you proceeded to tell the two girls the complete story, including how Irene had comforted you and what she had said. They didn't even interrupt, only showing their reactions through their eyes, expressions, and the occasional gasps. 

It was silent for a while, your friends trying to digest everything that you have told them. At this point reliving the story didn't make you want to cry, though the hurt that you had felt the first time it happened still lingered, ever so present. You could even feel it pulse every once in a while. Guess you were that affected. 

"I mean, I understand why she doesn't want to text all the time though I know you probably only text like once or twice a day," to which you nodded at, "but saying that you don't trust her? I can only imagine how hurt you must be," Lisa pointed out, giving you a sympathetic smile while her arms made her way around your shoulders in a side hug. 

Rosé followed next. "I don't know anyone else who believes in her more than you do, of course her family and your other members do, but you're on another level, you know?" 

You only gave her a sad smile, causing her to coo and wrapped her arms around your waist so she could give you a hug too. 

"What are you gonna do?" The dreaded question left Lisa's mouth. 

You've thought about this the morning you woke up after your crying session with Irene. What were you going to do? How should you act towards her whenever you cross path? You were going to stop texting her and her manager, without a doubt, but how should you act whenever you come face-to-face with your sister? After doing a lot of pondering, you had come to a conclusion. 

You looked at your best friends and they let go of their hold on you, moving to sit in front of you knowing how serious this was going to be. "First, I'm going to stop texting her and her manager. I'm only going to interact in the group chat and if she texts me first, which I doubt she will, I will answer just like how I normally would," you let out a deep breath to gather some strength and the two held each of your hand, giving them encouraging squeezes.

"I don't know the best way to go around this but I think it's best if I act normally," you held out your hand to stop whatever was going to come out of Rosé's mouth, "yes I know I've been hurt and it's not fair or whatever but I love her. I love my sister and I'm going to continue to support her as best as I can. I'll probably keep my distance, just like I did with Yeri all those years ago, until I've fully moved on, but yes, I'm going to continue supporting her as best as I can and in ways she'll let me." 

You can understand why Rosé and Lisa were looking at you like you were crazy, but eventually, they sighed in defeat, shaking their heads in amusement. They shared a look, which caused them to chuckle, before looking back at you with teasing smiles on their faces. 

"You're too good to be true, you know that?" 

Your eyes widened and it's very rare for someone to cause you to blush. "Yah, I'm very much real!" 

Lisa laughed loudly. "You're too selfless for your own good!" 

"She's blushing!" Rosé exclaimed when she noticed how red your cheeks had gotten, "Lisa, we made her blush!" You could feel your cheeks reddening even more at the teasing. 

"Stop it!" 

They continued to tease you and you felt the air shifted into something lighter for the remainder of the night. When you were about to sleep, though, Rosé had something to say to make sure you knew they were supportive of you. 

"Eli?" 

You hummed to show you were paying attention. 

"We're very proud of you and if you think this is the best way to go about the issue, we'll support you in every we can. Right, Lisa-ya?" 

"Of course! You can even call us every day to give us updates if you'd like!" 

You smiled at the very kind gesture, knowing you picked your friends right. 

"I love you both a lot. Thank you for being my friend. I know I can always count on you both." 

Your heartfelt gratitude was met by sleepy coos and a warm embrace from both sides, them wrapping their arms around you and laying their heads either on or near your shoulders. 

"We love you too, Eli." 

For the next few days you stayed with the girls, helping out Rosé with her promotions and hanging out with Lisa, also accompanying her to her schedules. Irene knew of your plans but that didn't prevent her from missing you a lot, making her video calling you almost every day or whenever she missed you. Two days in, you told the group chat that you'd be staying at Blackpink's dorm for a while and everyone just accepted the information, knowing how much you've missed your best friends. Wendy, however, felt like there was more to it than just missing your best friends. She had a feeling it had something to do with the talk and she didn't know what to think. 

True to your words, you've stopped texting her and her manager. You still worried of course but you just didn't voice it and hoped everything would be alright. At first Wendy felt good, thinking she didn't have to text you, anyone really, every single day and things went back to how it was. When you went back home to your sisters after a week of staying with your best friends, you were confident that you could face her and act like everything was normal. However, you stuck to your plan of keeping your distance, not coming over to her room to hang out, not waiting up for her so you could eat your dinner with her after her schedules, not letting yourself be left alone with only her, only interacting with her when there was someone else present. 

Wendy didn't notice at first. She went about her schedule as normal, enjoying everything she was doing and not feeling pressured to text anyone back if she didn't want to. A few days after that though, when Wendy was between schedules, she suddenly found herself expecting your good morning texts and 'how are things going, how are you' texts. A lot. She didn't know why either; wasn't she the one asking you to not text her every day anymore because you should trust her in taking care of herself? She realised she was not the only one missing you when her manager greeted her during one of her breaks during another schedule, causing her to look up from her phone. 

"I got your lunch, Seungwan-ah. I'm sorry it's a bit later than usual, I didn't have Eli to remind me today," her manager joked. 

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Were you texting a lot with her?" 

"Yeah, it's great!" Her manager brightened up a little at the thought of you. "She reminds me to feed you and myself almost every day, and that means a lot, you know? You just feel like someone cares about you, and I know now that Eli cares a lot." 

Her manager's statement caused Wendy to get lost in her thoughts. Before she could get even further though, her manager piped in one more time before taking her leave to have her own lunch. 

"I don't know what happened though, she stopped texting about a week ago. I just figured you've been replying to her now so she doesn't need to text me anymore," she nudged Wendy in teasing and Wendy let out a distracted laugh, "I've missed her, though," her manager sighed in sadness before shrugging.

"Oh well, enjoy your lunch, Seungwan-ah!"

Wendy tried to get the conversation and what it might imply out of her head to little to no avail. Just what had she done again? 

Ever since that realisation, she tried to reflect on what her words might have caused. She went home that day to an empty living room and kitchen, just realising how empty it had been for the past few days without you waiting for her to come home and have dinner with her. She didn't know why but tears made their way into her eyes the moment she caught sight of the note you had left on the fridge, complete with your signature smiley face drawn innocently on the paper. 

'Wan-unnie, your dinner is in the fridge for when you're hungry. I hope you enjoy it! :)' 

Oh Liza, Unnie is sorry.

Wendy sat down on the dining table and just about broke, burying her face in her hands and crying silently into the night. She wanted to go to your room and give you a hug, saying how sorry she was for hurting you with her words, thinking you didn't believe in her enough when in reality, you're the one that believed in her the most. Wendy now knew just what her words meant to you and with your overthinking tendencies, you definitely suffered a lot. Why did she say those hurtful words? You definitely had shown just how much you trusted and believed in her and this is how she repaid you? And after all of this, you still cared about her and supported her, even leaving leftover dinners for her to enjoy. At the thought she cried even harder, hugging her body closer to keep the noise to herself. 

It was so late into the night that she knew no one would get out of their room, so she'd be fine to cry without anyone finding out. But maybe, maybe it'd be better if Irene actually went out and found her there so she could tell her how much she had screwed up her relationship with you even though you acted like nothing was out of the ordinary; like she didn't just break your heart that night. 

She continued to cry for a little while longer before she sniffed, wiping the tears off her cheek and squaring her shoulders. She's going to make it better, she thought with determination burning in her eyes. Whatever it takes. 

The next day you woke up early in the morning just as you usually do, stretching your body in bed before getting up to make breakfast for the whole family, You made your way out of the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of you eyes only to be greeted by the last person you expected. 

"Good morning, Liza," Wendy greeted you with a smile on her face, apron on her body and a spatula on her hand. 

You were confused for a second. "Seungwan-unnie? What are you doing here?" 

Wendy looked at you with amusement in her eyes though she felt a tinge of pain at the question. She tried not to show it and was glad you just woke up, meaning you wouldn't be as attentive as you typically would be just yet. 

"I live here?" 

You shook your head with a low chuckle, hesitating before walking closer to the dining table. "Don't you have a schedule? It's the morning and you're home, you're usually gone at this hour." 

You took a seat on the table as you finished your remark, tilting your head slightly in thought. You didn't know what to think about what was happening and you weren't sure if being alone with her was a good idea, but you internally sighed and planned to just face this, shoving the hurtful words that tried to make their way to the front of your mind again. 

Wendy took a look at you for a few more seconds before turning back to the stove, going back to whatever was on the pan. "It's my day off today so I thought, what better way than to make breakfast?" 

Your brows furrowed in confusion and you didn't reply for a while, keeping your thoughts to yourself. What was she doing here, making breakfast when it's usually you who did it? Even before all this, she'd always wake up way after you, giving you time to cook breakfast for everyone. Had she realised what she just said to you last week? You doubted it, thinking back to how certain she was of her thoughts and prediction of you. You weren't sure of what was happening; you were happy that she's home but you also didn't want to get your hopes up. Yes, you still love her and in some ways have forgiven her, but you're tired of getting hurt by the people you trusted. 

You got up to make coffee and produced two mugs out of the cabinet, knowing Wendy would like some as well. Wendy noticed the gesture and smiled ruefully, feeling even guiltier for hurting such a compassionate soul. 

After she was done, she plated the pancakes and brought everything to the table, watching as your eyes widened in surprise. 

"My favourite!" 

Wendy laughed and you looked up at her in wonder, though she could still see the apprehension in your eyes. 

"Yeah! I've been craving some and everyone likes them, so I might as well make your favourite while I'm at it." 

Wendy didn't want to say her true intentions yet. She wanted to see how you'd interact with her for a few days before actually apologising to you. She wanted to earn it too, even though she knew how selfless you were you've probably forgiven her by now. 

You looked at her in thought before giving her a smile which made it to your eyes this time. Wendy subconsciously sighed in relief. "Thank you, Unnie!" 

"Of course, Liza," the main vocalist patted your head lovingly before sitting down in front of you, "let's eat before it gets too cold!" 

You looked at the clock to find it's still early, knowing the rest wouldn't wake up for another half an hour. "What about the others?" 

"I can make some more when they wake up," she gave you a motherly smile, causing you to smile back, no hesitation this time. Wendy would like to consider it as progress.  

Well you couldn't deny it's good to have her around again. You just wished the thoughts and doubts would stop appearing in your mind every time you interacted with her. 

For the next few days, Wendy really paid attention to how you interact with her and she noticed how you tried to distance yourself a little, You still wished her luck every time she saw you before her schedules and asked how everything went if you happened to be around when she came home, but that was about it. You didn't text and whenever she was left alone with you, you would try to excuse yourself as well, sometimes following behind everyone or finding some very believable excuses, though Wendy knew better. You were doing it on purpose. She texted you a few times to see if you'd respond and true to your words, you did every time just like you would even before all the fiasco. You'd texted her back how you normally would but in real life, you'd try to keep your distance because you thought she needed the space. Wendy knew she needed to fix this and fast. 

One night while you were in Yeri's room helping her with something, Wendy made her way to the leader's room and knocked a few times. She heard some scuffle before the door opened to reveal Irene, an eyebrow raised to express her confusion and apprehension though she had a knowing look in her eyes because she figured Wendy would come to her eventually. 

Wendy gave her a sheepish smile. "Unnie, is it okay if we talk for a bit?"

"Is this about her?" Irene asked after looking at the main vocalist for a few moments.

Wendy nodded and Irene sighed, stepping back a little to welcome the younger into her room. After they both settled on the bed, Irene turned towards her, eyes urging her to talk. 

"Did Eli tell you about two weeks ago?" 

The look on irene's eyes changed and Wendy was right to be scared. "How you broke her heart when you asked her to stop texting you because you think she doesn't trust you to take care of yourself? Sure, I think the last time she cried that much was when we had that fight a few years ago." 

When Wendy heard the word cry her eyes widened, lips turning into a pout looking like a kicked puppy. "She cried?" 

Irene scoffed, glaring at the genius but often oblivious member. "Of course she did. You thought she wouldn't after her favourite sister and mother figure yelled at her and say that she doesn't trust her enough?" 

Wendy looked hurt and Irene had always hated that look, but she couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for her at the moment. Yes, Wendy had suffered tremendously especially the past year and a half, but that didn't make the things she said and thought of you okay. 

As the leader, it was her job to keep her members in line. 

"Is she... is she okay?" Wendy questioned after some sombre minutes, looking at Irene with sadness and guilt clearly written in her eyes. 

Irene let out another sigh, giving Wendy a sad smile. "Not completely, no. She... she had a hard time digesting your words and thought she actually deserved them, but I managed to convince her otherwise." 

It was silent for a bit as Wendy really took in how much she had hurt you before Irene broke it. "And when I was mad at you, she was still defending you. Can you believe that?" Irene let out an amused scoff and Wendy chuckled, shaking her head. 

"She's too nice, I swear." 

Irene nodded with a soft, loving smile on her lips. "That she is, yeah." 

Wendy thought to herself for a few moments while Irene watched the gear turned in her head, tilting her head in thought. Irene knew Wendy felt guilty and figured out how much she had actually hurt you with her words, so the leader knew the vocalist would want to fix it. 

Wendy let out a sigh before straightening up, looking at Irene with determination written all over her face. "Joohyun-unnie, will you help me fix it?" 

Irene was reminded of her question to the younger all those years ago, at the hospital they were treating you in. Irene knew how much turmoil Wendy was probably rolling in and she knew just how much Wendy would want to fix everything with you, just like she did. A small part of her was tempted to say no but she pushed that thought far away, giving the girl a soft smile.

"What do you have in mind?"