Heyaaaaa! I was really hesitating to post this since the issue already started to die down but since the girls haven't really debuted yet, might as well give this a shot. And, I didn't make it too angsty for you guys, probably just a little bit. Enjoy mah fluffy one-shot for the softest pair uwu.

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Cold water trickles from her face as her eyes shut themselves from the world.

The shower is the only place where she could cool off for now.

She breathes a handful of air, resting her hands on her scalp, massaging her ebony-colored hair.

We had to postpone our comeback... Now what?

The bitter thoughts that she has at the moment run through her mind like the running water that flows through her exhausted body. She finishes in a span of 30 minutes, her wet look, covering the evidence of tears, and her smile, patching up the sorrowful sobs that happened at the bathroom.

Immediately dialing up her family in Japan, she assures them that she's fine and that she's going to be strong for them and for her group.

Especially for someone who's had it rougher than her.

"Hey mom, I gotta go now. The members might be looking for me since I've been away for more than an hour now."

"Okay Hiichan. Please take care of yourself there, we miss you a lot.

Oh, how I wish that me, your dad, and your siblings could go there in

Korea and squeeze you into a group hug. We'll stay strong for you

Tomi so stay strong for yourself and for iz*one okay? Remember

that okasa loves you so much, all of us here do. Take care..."

Beep... Beep... Beep...

And with that, her mother ended their call, leaving her a sobbing mess once more. The feeling of missing home has not hit her up till now. She also misses them a lot; heck she would immediately fly to Japan if only OTR had let her. For now, they have to distance themselves from the judgmental gaze of society. Her group wouldn't want to make things worse, granted that the situation they are in is already ed up. Hitomi takes a deep breath. Inhale, exhale. She can't alter the events of the past but she knows that she could make the future different. An anchor, that's what she should be (a cute one in that case), firmly holding her second family together on a time that they need it the most. What's the point of being a cheerleader if you can't make the people around you happy eh? Standing up from her fallen state, she makes her way to the mirror and tries to force a smile.

For myself...

For Iz*one...

For Wiz*one...

For Chaewon-unnie...

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Numb...

She feels numb...

Who would have thought that a typhoon would come unannounced, the day when their comeback was supposed to be released. A typhoon that would come raining on her parade, eventually destroying her self-esteem and making herself feel like she is the lowest of the low.

"I guess this is life's way of telling me that I really don't deserve my spot here in this group," she thought to herself. "After all, who would actually expect me to make it to the top 12? No one right? Absolutely no one."

Her body was too exhausted to even move an inch. She just stayed idle, staring at the dull ceiling, drowning herself with intoxicating thoughts. No one probably wants her to be here anyways.

Knock Knock Knock

A sudden knock wakes her up from spacing out, the barrage of thoughts in her head set aside as she focused on the silhouette from under the door.

"Chaewonnie?" a cute, timid voice enters the premises of her room, making her ears tingle. She hasn't exactly heard from her members for approximately 24 hours now and the muffled sound of her favorite dongsaeng behind the door made her realize that she hasn't interacted with anyone for a day. Just then, her stomach started to grumble.

As much as she wanted to stay in the room (not exactly her room, it was Yujin and Minju's but they let her use it for the time being) and sulk until all her tears run dry, she can't ignore the repeated calling of her name from the other side of the threshold. Especially since it was Hitomi behind that wooden piece of junk(no sorry it's not really junk, it's more of a gateway to attain privacy but right now it's keeping her and the mochi on the other side separated). Besides, she hasn't had a good appetite recently, only snacking on some chips and stealing some of Minju's sweets from her secret stash for survival.

Chaewon treads to the door, hesitating to unlock it and show her crush her vulnerable side or politely reject the girl and suffer malnutrition for a few more hours. She decides to ask her fellow member first before opening her heart- oh I mean opening herself to the waiting person.

"Hitoma..."

"Hmmmm?" Hiichan replies, obviously curious to why her unnie hasn't revealed herself yet.

"Why are you here?"

The shorter lass then rolls her eyes. Stubborn Kim Chaewon, I'm not even gonna question it anymore. "Well, I know for a fact that you are starving your (assuming that you have one) out there. Minguri's candies won't be enough and if you dare finish them you will definitely not hear from her again. So, I brought you cheese balls, cheese hotdog, tteokbokki, and your favorite."

And then as if she let go of her prideful self, the door swung open, revealing a dishelved Chaewon, eyes red from crying all night and face full of traces of candy.

"You had me at my favorite. Now, where's my mint choco ice cream?"

Hitomi chuckles and smirks at her unnie, making the latter confused. "Who said it was mint choco? I was referring to myself you idiot."

The door swung shut once more.

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"I can't believe you shut the door on me when your mintcho was in the fridge all this time."

Chaewon could only scoff at the cheekiness of the person in front of her. The audacity of this girl to point out that she has no (not to mention altering a movie line to keep on pissing off her unnie, quote unquote "there was never an " (A/N: yes I did the quote unqoute on purpose even tho it seemed redundant)). Nevertheless, the girl still brought her food and ice cream so she dusts the problem off. They were having a fun time, laughing at each other's jokes until Hitomi asked her unnie something.

"Who ever gave you the right to ignore me for 24 hours straight and not even inform me your coordinates Chaewon-unnie?" the younger asks teasingly.

The atmosphere between them suddenly dropped, and only at that moment did Hiichan realize that she shouldn't have questioned that.

"I-I'm sorry for asking you that. Y-you don't have to answer it any-"

"I don't think I belong in Iz*one, Hitoma," the older cut her off.

Silence

Only soft chewing of the cheese hotdog made by Chaewon could be heard in the kitchen, aside from the faint sound