“She’s not answering any of my calls... Sojung, please, ask Eunha if she can tell her to call me back.”

A loud exhale was heard from Sojung as she fixed the bed Eunbi would sleep in for the night. As much as she wanted to help her best friend, she knew it wasn’t right. 

“Eunbi.” Sojung straightened up after fluffing the extra pillows she provided, her tone firm. “If she’s not answering, then it obviously means she wants space, okay? Let her clear her mind. I’m sure Yewon is extremely upset and most likely sensitive right now.”

Eunbi’s eyes lowered, trying her best to hide her growing tears. Her fingers ran through her slightly damp hair since Sojung forced her to take a shower in order to calm her mind, but it didn’t seem to work. 

“I didn’t mean what I said, I was so angry. You know how easily my emotions can blind me, Sojung.” Eunbi buried her face against her palms, allowing her tears to finally fall. “I can’t believe I let my mother fool me into thinking Yewon is unfaithful...”

“She’s not unfaithful,” Sojung sighed, handing Eunbi a glass of water. All Eunbi had been doing was crying throughout the day, if she wasn’t dehydrated now, then she would be later. “You do know that, right?”

“I know that now...” Eunbi stared at the clear glass of water, her eyes red. “I’m so stupid. How did I not find out that she hired a private investigator to follow Yewon around?”

Sojung shook her head, tying her hair back in a high ponytail. She wasn’t sure what to tell her best friend. “Your mother is evil. We’ve known this since we were young. As much as I hate to say this, she’s smart, especially when she wants things to go her way.”

A bitter and quiet chuckle was heard from Eunbi. She sipped her water slowly, having learned from Yewon that chugging wouldn’t help her hydrate any faster. Her jaw clenched from frustration; all she could think about was Yewon. 

“You had a long day,” Sojung whispered in a softer tone, walking towards the other so she could rub her back in slow and soothing motions. Though Eunbi was tough, she was still the youngest of her circle. Sojung and Yerin knew they had to watch over her since the beginning, even if it meant keeping their efforts a secret from Eunbi who hated being babied. 

“I know I did,” Eunbi frowned. “I’m sorry that I had to drag you and Yerin into this.”

“No need to say sorry.” Sojung rolled her eyes before squeezing the other’s shoulder. “That’s what friends are for. Go and get some rest. And make sure you put your phone down. You won’t get proper rest if you continue pacing back and forth.”

Eunbi stood, her legs feeling tired. She didn’t do anything physically tiring, but her emotions always took a toll on her body. “Where’s Yerin anyway?” 

“She’s with Yuna tonight. I think she’s heading back to SM tomorrow evening,” Sojung explained. 

“I see...” Eunbi crawled beneath the covers as Sojung turned her phone off. “What if my parents call and ask where I am..? Or what if they barge in?”

“Then I’ll make sure to call the police because they’re trespassing private property.” Sojung flashed a reassuring smile towards the younger, her hand switching off the light. “You’re safe. I promise. Now goodnight.”

“Yewon..?” Eunha knocked on her best friend’s bedroom door, a plate of food in her hands. “I know you haven’t eaten dinner yet so I made you some fried rice.”

Silence was the only thing Eunha could hear. Yewon didn’t budge and no lights peeked through the bottom of the door. Eunha was worried, but she knew better than to bother her best friend during times like this. 

“I’m sure you don’t want to talk and I’ll respect that...” Eunha’s tone lowered, holding the warm plate carefully. “Can you just— Can you please knock on the door at least once just so I know you’re still there?”

The older stood still, her ear pressed against the entrance. She heard soft steps, like socks thudding against wooden floors, before being met with a few light knocks. 

“Thank you,” Eunha smiled slightly to herself. “I’ll leave the food in the microwave, okay?” 

She listened again, able to hear Yewon carefully getting back in her bed and under her covers. 

“Don’t worry,” Eunha spoke a little louder, “I won’t tell unnie about this. I’m sure you’ll talk to her when you’re ready.”

Yerin’s gaze was distant as she watched Yuna pack her items. Three days felt too short and before she knew it, Yuna had already booked her taxi back to SM in advance. 

“Have you said goodbye to Yewon and Eunha?” Yerin spoke up, trying her best to distract herself from the fact that Yuna was leaving. 

“I will tomorrow. Yewon’s a bit overwhelmed at the moment because of what happened, so...”

“Right,” Yerin nodded, her hand rubbing her arm to warm herself. 

“Are you cold?” Yuna rose her eyebrow curiously, standing so she could place a blanket over the latter’s shoulders. “Is that better?”

“It is.” Yerin smiled, wrapping the blanket around her body so the warmth could circulate properly. “Yuna..?”

The taller sat on her suitcase so she could zip it closed, her eyes meeting Yerin’s once she heard her name. “Yeah?”

Yerin’s grip on the blanket tightened, her thumbs tracing the hem before shaking her head. “Nothing, never mind.”

Yuna stood up from her small suitcase, her hand cupping the other’s chin so she had no choice but to look into her eyes. “What’s wrong..?”

Yerin’s cheeks were reddening. She could never keep eye contact with Yuna for too long or else she’ll get flustered, which she was now. “I-I just wanted to talk about us... What are we?”

Slowly, Yuna pulled her hand away from Yerin’s chin before sitting down next to her. She carefully wrapped the same blanket over her shoulders so they could share the fabric.

Yuna’s silence made Yerin anxious. She fiddled with her fingers and chewed on her lower lip, unsure of whether to speak up or stay quiet. 

“I was afraid you’d bring this question up,” Yuna smiled. “Do you have feelings for me, Rin?”

Yerin’s eyebrows furrowed, her expression showing vivid confusion. “Are you dumb? Of course I have feelings for you.”

Yuna couldn’t help but laugh. Yerin was blunt yet her bluntness made Yuna fall for her even deeper. “I have feelings for you too, but...”

Looking down, Yerin placed her hands flat on her lap. She tried bracing herself to what was to come next. 

“When I debut, I’ll be put under a dating ban for a few years until I reach a certain age.” Yuna s her hand around Yerin’s waist, pulling her closer. “I’d love to be with you, but as of now, I can’t.”

With a simple head nod, Yerin whispered a soft, “I understand,” before laying her head on Yuna’s shoulder. They sat together for a short while, holding hands and enjoying each other’s presence. 

“But I promise, as soon as the dating ban lifts, I’ll ask you to be my girlfriend right then and there.” Yuna broke the silence, turning her head to face the other. “If you still would like to be mine, that is...”

Yerin straightened up, her eyes locking with the singer’s. “I’m going to wait for you, Yuna. I’m not going anywhere.”

Like instinct, Yuna leaned in and captured Yerin’s lips in a soft kiss. Yerin’s eyes widened, but it didn’t take her long to melt into Yuna’s touches. Her eyes fluttered shut as their lips moved together, Yuna’s hand gently caressing her cheek and jawline.

“I got something for you,” Yuna muttered. She stood from the edge of the bed and ped her backpack, carefully pulling out a plastic casing which held a yellow headband inside. “I saw it on the way here and it reminded me of you.”

Yuna smoothed the other’s hair flat, slipping the headband on securely as Yerin kept her gaze still. 

“It’s really cute...” Yerin fixed the stray strands of hair in front of her vanity mirror. “You bought it because it reminded you of me?”

“Yeah,” Yuna chuckled, her fingers scratching the back of her neck. “I know you love the color yellow and you wear a lot of hair accessories... Is it ugly?”

“No! No, it’s adorable. I really like it. I don’t have anything like this in my collection.” Yerin fixed her hair again, her heart beating faster. The thought of someone noticing the little things that she enjoyed made her happy. “Thank you, Yuna. I’ll wear it a lot.”

Yuna sat back down next to the other, her lips pressing against her cheek. “I’m glad you like it. It fits you.”

—

“It’s almost 2 in the morning and she still isn’t back home.” Mr. Hwang glanced at the wall clock again. For the past eight hours, all he’s been doing is wondering when his daughter would be home. 

Mrs. Hwang who sat in her spot on the same bed could care less. Her reading glasses were low on the bridge of her nose and her favorite novel was in her hand. “She’s grown. She can come back whenever she pleases.”

A deep frown invaded Mr. Hwang’s lips as he closed his laptop, folding his glasses to rest on the night stand beside his area. “You probably had something to do with this, didn’t you?”

“What are you talking about?” Mrs. Hwang rolled her eyes, taking her attention away from her book. “I did what I had to do.”

“Which is?”

“To get her mind off of that wretched girl.” Mrs. Hwang folded her book, hiding it in her drawer. “She distracts Eunbi too much and it can take a toll on her work.”

Mr. Hwang rubbed the space between his brows from annoyance. “For once, can you not meddle in our daughter’s life? This girl you’re speaking of seems to give her happiness and our sales haven’t dropped. She’s not a distraction. You’re just angry it’s not a man.”

“I’m sorry if I’m angry that she won’t look at a man, but if they find out she’s with a woman, then you can say goodbye to all of our partners.” Mrs. Hwang quickly turned her bedside lamp, refusing to look at her husband any longer. Mr. Hwang stood from his spot and gathered his laptop and glasses once more. 

“If anything happens to our daughter tonight, I hope you know that it’ll be on you.” Mr. Hwang walked away after speaking as his wife remained silent. 

“You’re up early.” Seohyun’s eyebrows furrowed in surprise. The past days she’s been with her sister, they’ve never met in the kitchen early in the morning. Yewon was either already at work or dead asleep in their shared bed. “I’m guessing you had a long day at work yesterday then, huh?”

Yewon wasn’t speaking. She was silent, completely dazed at nothing with a half peeled orange in her hand. Her older sister took out a pitcher of cold water from the fridge, two empty glasses in her free hand as she made her way towards the table. Yewon continued sit quietly, not even noticing her sister’s presence. 

The sound of water being poured inside of the glasses captured the younger’s attention who blinked several times in realization. She didn’t even notice how long she was dozing off from reality. 

“Good morning, unnie. I’m sorry, I didn’t even notice you come in.”

“Yeah,” Seohyun chuckled. “I could tell.” She sat beside her sister, taking the orange from her hand to continue peeling it for her. Yewon’s habit of spacing out never usually showed unless she was under an insane amount of stress or sadness; she hoped she was wrong. She hated seeing her baby sister hurt. 

Yewon thanked the other, holding her glass of water with both hands to gulp down. The bags beneath her eyes were becoming visible by day, but they were easy enough to hide using concealer. 

“It’s really early,” Yewon murmured, trying her best to shift the mood. She could see the worry in her sister’s eyes. “Too early to be wearing a matching blazer and slacks set. The color white does look good on you though.”

“Well I am a wedding dress designer. White is kind of my thing.” Seohyun smiled after explaining herself, feeding Yewon a slice of orange. “I have a meeting in about an hour. It’s the reason I flew down here in the first place. I look presentable, don’t I?”

“You always do,” Yewon agreed, her right cheek full of orange slices. 

Seohyun ate the other half of the fruit, wiping her fingers with a tissue as her eyes focused on her little sister’s expression. Living with Yewon for almost her entire adolescent life, she knew when something was wrong. Her little sister was hiding something painful. 

“You need to stop keeping things in. It’ll only hurt more.” Seohyun’s words shocked Yewon. Was she being too obvious?

“What..?”

Seohyun chuckled as her sister tried to play innocent. With a swift movement of tucking hair behind Yewon’s ear, Seohyun squeezed her sister’s cheek afterward. “You’re hiding something from me and I know it. What kind of big sister would I be if I didn’t notice things like this?”

Running her teeth over her lip nervously, Yewon couldn’t help but look down. “Can you promise me you won’t get mad..?”

“It depends,” Seohyun joked. 

“Unnie.” Yewon looked up again, a frown on her lips. “I’m being serious.”

Seohyun sighed, stretching her arms so she could hold her sister’s hands. “Alright, I’m listening.”

“I broke up with my girlfriend yesterday.” Yewon’s sentence caused Seohyun’s eyes to widen, but instead of interrupting, she pressed her lips together so she could nod, gesturing her to continue. Yewon exhaled deeply, her gaze landing on their intertwined hands. “I’m sorry. I know I should’ve told you I was with someone, but I was scared. What if you guys didn’t approve of my relationship with her?”

“Yewon, I’m your big sister.” Seohyun gave Yewon’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “I meant it when I said I’d support you with whatever you do, even if it meant having to watch you stay in Seoul alone while I lived in Japan with mom and dad. I would’ve been happy for you.” 

“I should’ve realized that sooner especially after all you’ve done to let me go,” Yewon whispered. “But now you know...”

“I see,” Seohyun nodded. “Why did you guys breakup anyway?”

“Her mom.” Yewon’s smile was bitter, almost angry at the thought of Eunbi’s mother. “She tried to pay me to leave her daughter and then she convinced her that I was cheating.”

Seohyun leaned back against her seat, her arms folding across her chest. “And how did she do that?”

Yewon’s nails tapped against the dining table, her anxiety rising since she never planned on having this conversation with her sister. “She hired a private investigator to stalk me... My ex-girlfriend didn’t know though. The investigator captured the worst angle that made me look like I was kissing my friend.”

Seo