Chaeyoung’s POV

I watched as my sister hung the last piece of clothing in the closet. 

“There. You’re officially moved in!” she exclaimed with a bittersweet smile.

“Aw, my baby is growing up! Moving to Korea and living in the dorms all by herself. How are you going to navigate through Seoul? We’ve only been here two weeks! Aren’t you going to be lonely being here all by yourself? Should I stay? Yeah, I should probably stay a couple more weeks. The girls won’t mind if I sleep in the dorms with you guys right?” My mom showered me with concerns and questions, her voice obviously ridden with worry.

“Nonono, Mom, go home. I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Seriously. I have Jisoo unnie, Jennie unnie, and Lisa to both show me around and keep me company.”

“Okay okay. But if you ever feel like this isn’t the right path for you or if there are too many hardships, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll make sure to pay for your flight home and I’ll pick you up from the airport.”

“And if you ever do feel lost or lonely, don’t be afraid to call me. Mom and Dad pay for my phone bill so it’s okay to do international calls,” Alice joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Thank you both, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

After two weeks of learning and adjusting, I finally felt ready to let them go back to Australia. 

But I think I spoke too soon. 

As I watched them walk out the front door, my heart sank. I waited to hear the sound of the door locking before I started crying. 

How long will I have to go without seeing them? Without hugs from Mom? Without  corny jokes from Dad? Without late night snacks from Alice?

What about my friends in Australia? Will I ever see them again? And my goldfish? Who’s going to feed him? And the flowers in my room? Who’s going to water them?

All of these questions bounced around in my head as tears continued to stream down my face.

I was growing overwhelmed from the situation I just threw myself into. Even the littlest things made me question my decision. I thought the transition was going to be easy, but now that my mom and sister are gone, it doesn’t seem as simple as it did before. 

The room seemed to be getting smaller and smaller as I grew more and more anxious. I couldn’t breathe. I needed some fresh air.

I grabbed a sweatshirt from my closet and climbed up the stairs to the rooftop.

I sat on the cold, hard ground and watched as each breathe I took turned into condensation and disappeared into the dark night. The wind blowing in my face froze my tears. The lights of the Seoul skyline seemingly grew dimmer the more I questioned my decision. 

Jennie’s POV

Today was extra long. I got scolded by Ms. Choi because I couldn’t figure out how to do one move. It didn’t help that Lisa decided to double up on dance practice today so I had to dance next to the dancing queen herself. She made the moves look so easy while I was stumbling over my own feet. Worst of all, Chaeyoung wasn’t anywhere to be seen at the agency today. There were no cutely angry “Unnie what are you talking about!”s after I complain about how trash I am at dancing and no comforting looks of endearment and encouragement when I was feeling down. 

Thus, I grabbed a blanket and escaped to my safe haven. The rooftop. Being roommates with both Lisa and Jisoo meant that there was never a second of peace and quiet. The rooftop was the only place where I can really relax and think clearly. The only place where it was just me, the sky, and the sounds of Seoul below. 

When I opened the familiar door labeled “Roof Access”, I didn’t expect to see a familiar face as well, but there she was, staring off into the vast darkness of the night sky. She didn’t seem to notice I was there, so I stood there silently for a moment, watching her from behind. It’s so weird how it’s only been two weeks, but I can already read her by just analyzing her back. However, this was a back I’ve only witnessed one other time: after she facetimed her dad who was back in Australia. 

A small shiver of her spine snapp