"EVERYTHING IS LOOKING SO SMALL"

***

Minjoo woke up in the morning with swollen eyes. She turns to her side and sees Eunbi is snoring peacefully beside her, confirming that she is not having hallucinations last night. Her meeting with Eunbi is true after the leader went missing for a year as they concluded the battle with Poseidon.

Minjoo can still remember that moment in her mind where her friends are beaten to a pulp by the deity of the sea when they confronted him. Even though they got powerful companions at their side, Poseidon is too strong for them to defeat. However, as they thought that exterminating Poseidon becomes an impossible task, Eunbi bravely stood in front of them as she muttered something while Sakura screamed at the leader like a mad woman.

Afterwards, everything becomes blurry as Eunbi and Leica are combined into one. While cloaking in Leica fire, Eunbi turned at them while muttering something which unfortunately, they failed to hear, all of them except Sakura and Hyewon can hear Eunbi words but those two refuse to say it to the group. They witnessed how Eunbi slayed Poseidon before being wrapped by some twister and gone from their side.

They took a full month to recover, thanks to Ava and Quinn who transported all of them in their rental house in Agua where they are treated with care by Dryad and their companions. Somehow, Rosetta, the realtor who rents them their home in Eailc gets a hold of their situation and dealt with Amerel regarding their rent fee.

Minjoo didn't want to reminiscence how her friends often fighting among themselves as they went to search Eunbi around Agua. Nako and Sora diving back into the sea to find Eunbi and even Wonyoung risked herself by heading towards Modos and Pothena, hoping that she will get a clue of Eunbi's whereabouts but she eventually failed.

Minjoo swears that she sees Sakura and Chaeyeon's bloated eyes every morning when she prepares them their breakfast. It is the least she can do for the group as she tended each of them. Minjoo recovered the fastest among them and she takes the chance to patch up the sour situation within her group by providing them with enough nutrition.

She didn't want anyone to get even sicker as their leader already gone. She herself wanted to set out on a journey to find Eunbi but she couldn't afford to act selfish when her friends are in such a fragile state. Even Hyewon and Yujin who always asked seconds for breakfast didn't eat as much which made them thinner than they already are.

Chaewon is staring into the empty space and closing her heart again. Hitomi, who is the most composed among the members also failed to be her calm self. She is easily agitated when her friends whines to have her heal them. She once shouted at Chaewon for acting snobbish, ordering Hitomi to cast a spell on her when Hitomi is exhausted.

Even Yena who is known as the group vitamin is not being cheery like usual. She who used to get along well with Yuri began distancing herself as she wanders around Agua to search for Eunbi. Yuri who used to be a loud puppy as Yujin also shut herself and didn't speak much. Minjoo swears that she is at a loss to connect with her friends again as everyone is acting like a complete stranger towards each other.

"Sakura, Hyewon, I am sure that you both can hear what Eunbi said last time. Tell me, what did she say?"

Minjoo pleas those two girls when they are alone on the balcony. They stare Minjoo while keeping mum but Minjoo knows that they are having lengthy discussions in their mind. She turned away from them and stumbled upon Wonyoung who is offering her the brightest smile she's ever seen so far. 

Among her friends who are acting childish, only Yujin, one of the maknae is the one who is actually helping Minjoo alone. Nako also sometimes helps Minjoo but the petite girl usually locks herself inside her room with tons of books and rarely comes out. Even so, Nako is acting like her usual self and talking to Minjoo while helping her out whenever she is not inside her room.

Truth to be told, Minjoo missed her friends. They may live under the same roof but somehow, everyone is acting distant towards each other. Minjoo sighed as she wiped the table after their breakfast and muttered,

"Who can even imagine that we will be like this without you, Eunbi? Where are you? Please come back, we need you, our leader."

As Minjoo wiped away her tears, she noticed that someone offered her a handkerchief. As she turns her head, she can see Yujin who is smiling, showing her signature dimples on both of her cheeks. Minjoo didn't reject Yujin's offer and she's rather grateful at the younger girl's sweet, thoughtful gesture.

Yujin just stands beside Minjoo while silently helping cook their lunch. Minjoo really appreciate their maknae mature side which always helps the group to stay on their ground. Sol who is growing exponentially bigger than before is jumping around while wagging its tail.

"Wait, silly. Well go out afterwards, alright? Let's eat first."

Yujin chuckles as she rubbed Sol tummy. The Cerberus just barked happily in return before running off to play in the sand outside of their house. Minjoo noticed that Yujin had this melancholic gaze in her eyes as she let Sol run off to play. However, that glint of loneliness swiftly swept away when Yujin glanced at Minjoo, offering her gentle smile.

They both silently prepare the table for everyone. Minjoo is humming while setting up utensils for everyone. She skips around the huge dining table while entertaining herself. As she placed the last set of spoons and forks, Yujin stood beside Minjoo with pained expression.

"Minjoo, there's only eleven of us now. Not twelve. Eunbi… Is not here anymore."

Yujin clenched the hem of her clothes as she reminded Minjoo about their current situation. Minjoo just stood aghast as she finally digests Yujin's words. 

"I-I better move it then. Everyone w