“I’ve lost people and found them again. The second time around, things just made more sense. Honestly, timing has a lot to do with everything. Sometimes you aren’t ready for each other yet.”

Prologue

She’s waiting for her tube after work when she sees it. It’s one article between many on the news app on her phone, yet her eyes catch the familiar names immediately.

UNEXPECTED REUNION: Hwasa’s comeback single written and produced by former MAMAMOO co-member Moonbyul

Her heart drops to the pit of her stomach – like it always does when this part of her life makes a sudden and unforeseen reappearance in one way or another.
Her thumb hovers above the headline, trembling a little above the letters as if to taunt her for her cowardice. It takes her three deep breaths before she finds the courage to tap the screen.
The article reveals a chunk of text and a picture – it’s an old image of all four of them, youthful faces grinning brightly, arms looped. Yongsun almost winces at the sudden sharp tug in her chest.

Soloist Hwasa, who started releasing teasers for her late September comeback last week, revealed a surprise for fans who've been with her for a long time.  

On her Twitter account, she wrote:

“This upcoming title track will be especially meaningful to those of you who've been with me since the beginning, because I got to work with someone very special who I haven't worked with in a long time.”

She proceeded to reveal that title track “What About It” (to be released September 28) was written and produced by Moonbyul, former rapper of girl group Mamamoo.

This reunion comes as a surprise to fans of the former group.

Mamamoo disbanded in early 2021 after completing their contract with RBW Entertainment with aspirations to pursue individual careers at different labels.  

It’s not like they wanted to part ways. It’s not like they planned to lose touch. Life just ended up pulling them all in different directions.

Yongsun tells herself it was inevitable, that between the physical separations and their busy schedules, it was only a matter of time. It was natural for them to see each other less frequently. There was no one to blame for the reducing number of messages. In the end, it was nobody’s fault that they drifted apart and out of each other’s lives eventually.

It’s been twelve years since Mamamoo disbanded. It’s been eight since Yongsun last met with the girls. She keeps tabs on them – tells herself it’s got nothing to do with nostalgia and everything to do with being unable to shake off the habits of being their leader.

Yongsun knows Wheein went to travel and pursue her art after a couple years as a soloist.

Hyejin’s been in and out the charts since her solo debut ten years ago.

And Byulyi…

Yongsun swallows thickly as she thinks of the headlines.

Byulyi had a girlfriend six years after they disbanded, a sweet looking girl who never quite lost the deer-caught-in-headlights look when confronted with the cameras. The world wasn’t exactly ready to hear about a gay idol – but Byulyi was ready to tell.
Yongsun remembers the headlines and the comments online. She remembers the way her stomach churned, the way her fingers fiddled with her phone. She remembers itching to dial a number she wasn’t even sure still existed to check in with a girl who she knew was just as brave as she was sensitive.

They’d lost touch just long enough for a sudden approach to be awkward and Yongsun couldn’t come up with a good thing to say, not after how much hurt she’d caused Byulyi with the very same topic.
She never got the guts to call.

The news died down eventually, and Yongsun learned to breathe again when Byulyi’s name started popping up in friendlier contexts. Nevertheless, Moon Byulyi left the stage behind. She traded stardom for refuge, Korea for England. She made a home in a foreign place and started building a new career from abroad.

Yongsun started seeing her name in song credits. Byulyi has always had a way with words - Yongsun remembers how she used to think the other girl’s thoughts just tumbled straight from her mind as poetry -  so she was hardly surprised to learn that Moon Byulyi had taken up work as a lyricist. Recently, her name would appear in producer credits as well.

They all made a name for themselves - Yongsun too, as a vocal coach. But although most of them still work within the same industry, their paths had yet to cross again.

Yongsun wonders if Byulyi and Hyejin stayed in touch all this time, or if they only recently reconnected. She wonders who approached whom… wonders, with a deep sigh as she gets on the tube home, if perhaps she was the only one who lost touch.