Author’s Greetings: Hey everyone, it’s vitamin-blue and I’m glad to be back with Chapter 16 <3 After such a tumultuous thunderstorm, I’m very happy to be able to present to you the rainbow after the rain! Here’s the song list for the chapter:

*NIS: National Intelligence Service (aka the equivalent of the CIA in Korea)

Unlike previous chapters, you can pretty much pick and choose any of the songs to play for the scenes (well, save for songs 7 & 10). Much thanks to the bestie blk_prl once again for beta-reading this <3 Words cannot convey how thankful I am for the time and effort you make for me and my work! Without much further ado, here comes Chapter 16!

The last thing she recalls is Joohyun screaming her name before her eyes grew too heavy to stay open. She remembers falling helplessly into this lonely void, and she’s been searching for a way out ever since. Occasionally, she’d hear voices, a tad muffled to her ears. But she recognises them. They were voices she hadn’t heard for a long while.

“…Seungwan told us all about you.

Mom?

“Thank you for helping our daughter…made sure she got to the hospital in time…”

Dad?

“…Protecting you. My sister is brave and stupid like that.”

Seunghee-unnie?

How long has she been stuck in this darkness?

Days?

Months?

…Years?

The lethargic lull of the darkness pulls ever so insistently at her. It’s cold, she notes. She wants to leave, but there’s no exit in sight. It pulls her back in.

The next time she hears another voice, it’s almost enough to pull her out of the miserable shadows that encases her.

“You kept running away until you couldn’t anymore. And I finally caught up with you.”

Sejeong?

“Stupid Seungwan-unnie. Who do you think you are?”

She fades again.

She isn’t sure how long it is until one more voice, familiarly soft when it’s not angry, speaks into the void.

“How long more are you going to sleep?”

Unnie…?

Seungwan starts to wade through the darkness towards that voice.

Unnie, wait for me, I—

“I’m so sorry, Seungwannie. I said— I said really terrible things to you, I—”

No, I’m the sorry one.

I was cruel.

And I was selfish.

“Come back to me, Seungwannie. Don’t go too far. Please.”

Joohyun’s cries echo in her ears. She’d give anything to wipe those tears. A sudden desperation fills her and she starts clawing at the darkness. In that moment, she notices the warmth wrapped around her hand. So she reaches out and rips her way out.

Her eyes, still heavy, finally open. A dim, warm light reflects on the ceiling, breaking the monotony of night. She isn’t trapped in pitch blackness anymore. She wishes the soft beeping by her bedside would stop. But more than that, she realises that she’s no longer alone. Her hand is held by the sobbing woman next to her.

Unnie.

She lets out a breath she’s been holding since she came to.

Seungwan wants to call out to her, but as she opens , she winces at the dry, painful feeling in . Almost like someone had forced her to swallow a ton of sand. She gulps, wincing at the way the uncomfortable sensation won’t go away.

She weakly squeezes the soloist’s hand back, hoping it’s enough to get Joohyun’s attention. The soloist startles, snapping up to look at her. Seungwan isn’t sure why, but it makes her panic. So she shuts her eyes again.

Facing Joohyun now… Perhaps she isn’t as ready as she’d thought.

Silence falls upon them for several moments. The blonde wonders then, if Joohyun hadn’t caught her awake after all. A wave of relief washes over her.

Maybe I’ll be more ready tomorr—

“I know you’re awake, Son Seungwan.”

Seungwan tries not to respond, slowing her breaths so she doesn’t give herself away.

“Your eyes are twitching.”

Ack. Damn it.

The blonde peeks open an eye, only to find Joohyun staring right at her. She squeezes her eyes shut, suddenly fearing the soloist’s glare. Joohyun sighs.

I guess…she doesn’t want to see me after all.

“I’ll let your family know you’re awake and—"

She’s about to release Seungwan’s hand so she can take her phone out when she feels the blonde tighten her hold. She stops in her tracks and finds the younger woman now fully awake. She’s looking at her. God, how she’s missed Seungwan’s eyes.

The blonde gestures to the water jug on the bedside table. Realisation floods Joohyun and she quickly reaches over to pour her a cup of water. Seungwan doesn’t release her hand.

She looks back at the blonde with a confused frown, “I can’t pour if you don’t—"

The younger woman shakes her head stubbornly.

Joohyun looks down at their intertwined hands. It fills her with a comforting warmth, much like the one she’d feel every time she was around Seungwan before their fall-out. And she realises she doesn’t want to let go either.

Using her only other free hand, she carefully pours the water into the glass and sticks a clean straw in it. She brings it to the blonde’s lips. Seungwan clamps down on the straw, gulping down the water and finishing in a matter of seconds.

“More,” the younger woman’s voice is hoarse.

And Joohyun complies.

Seungwan downs her second glass of water, eyes widening comically as the refreshing liquid soothes her sandy throat.

The soloist can’t help but let out a laugh, “What are you, a camel?”

The blonde doesn’t respond, opting to up the last bit of water. Joohyun sets the glass aside.

“How long was I out for?”

“About four days.”

Seungwan blinks, “It felt like…years.”

“I’m sure your family felt that way too,” Joohyun replies as she pulls out her phone, “That said, I should let them know you’re awake and they can—”

“Don’t.”

Joohyun pauses, “They’ve been worried sick about you, Seungwan.”

“It’s late,” Seungwan replies, not skipping a beat, “They need sleep. And I need quiet.”

“In that case, I should—” Joohyun prepares to get up and leave, only for the blonde to tug at her hand, signalling for her to stay seated.

“I need your kind of quiet,” Seungwan answers as-a-matter-of-factly.

The soloist feels blood rush up her cheeks at the blonde’s words, “And…what do you mean by that?”

“I don’t want to be alone right now,” the younger woman tilts her head, “But I’m not…ready to hear my parents’ fussing.”

The soloist raises a brow, “What makes you think I’m not about to fuss right now?”

Seungwan sighs, a pained expression on her face. Joohyun instantly grows concerned.

She quickly tugs her hand out of the blonde’s hold and reaches for the packet of painkillers on the table, “Are you okay? Are you feeling pain? The doctor prescribed some painkil—”

“Happy belated birthday to you, Joohyun.”

The soloist pauses, the packet of painkillers in hand. She turns to look at the blonde, who nods solemnly, only for her dopey smile to give her away.

Joohyun slowly sets the medicine down, “You’re trying to change the subject.”

“What?” Seungwan laughs nervously, “No, I’m no—”

“I missed you.”

The moment those three words slip out of , Joohyun freezes. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud. She averts her eyes.

Who’s changing the subject now?

Meanwhile, Seungwan stares at the older woman next to her, studying her face with childlike wonder. She then realises…there’s not another day she wants to go by without ever seeing the soloist again.

“I missed you too.”

Joohyun snaps her eyes up to look at the younger woman. There’s a soft light in Seungwan’s eyes. The kind of light that makes Joohyun feels safe enough to speak her mind. The kind of light that makes her heart soar. The kind of light that she never wants to see go out ever again.

Her daze is interrupted by a loud yawn from the blonde.

Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, Seungwan lets out a sheepish chuckle, “Sorry. I’ve only been awake for a few minutes and I feel tired again.”

“That’s because you’re all drugged up,” Joohyun explains, her lips curving into an affectionate smile, “Sleep, Seungwan.”

“Don’t wanna,” the younger woman shakes her head drowsily.

“Seungwan.”

“No,” Seungwan pouts, “I don’t wanna go back to that dark place again.”

Another yawn.

“It was lonely. Without you.”

“Your body needs rest to recover,” Joohyun pokes the stubborn blonde’s forehead, “You’re not invincible, Seungwan.”

“Seungwannie.”

“What?”

“Not Seungwan. Seungwannie only.”

“You—” Joohyun starts, only to sigh in defeat, “Fine… Seungwannie.”

“Yes, my lovely Unnie?”

The soloist finds herself torn between bewilderment and annoyance at the younger woman. Seungwan is being difficult, yet she can’t bring herself to scold her. After taking a bullet and sleeping for days, not to mention the painkillers she’s on, there’s no doubt that the Seungwan in front of her must be a little…high.

A little too high.

“If I stay,” Joohyun takes hold of the blonde’s hand again, “Will you go to sleep?”

“But what if I don’t wake for another four days?”

“Then I’ll wait.”

“You will?”

Joohyun tucks a loose lock of hair behind Seungwan’s ear gently, “I’ll keep waiting. Here. By your side. So don’t worry, Seungwannie.”

The younger woman nods obediently.

“Okay.”

We can talk…another time, Joohyun resolves as she runs her fingers through the younger woman’s hair soothingly. Seungwan’s eyes struggle to remain open, but soon, they fall shut again.

You’re okay.

Joohyun feels tears well up in her eyes, until streams of hot tears flow again.

I missed you so much, Seungwannie. You have no idea.

[The next morning, at approximately 9.30am]

Seungwan opens her eyes to the sunlight filtering into the ward. She tries to register where she is, and why she feels a weight resting on her. She attempts to move her hand, only to find it securely wrapped in someone else’s. She looks down and finds a certain soloist sleeping with her head on Seungwan’s hip.

So it wasn’t just a dream.

You stayed.

Joohyun stirs awake to the feeling of a hand her head. It’s Seungwan’s. Revelling in the blonde’s touch, the soloist opts to fake her sleeping, just so she can enjoy it for a little longer. Seungwan doesn’t need to know that she—

“You’re awake, aren’t you.”

Joohyun’s eyebrow twitches as she tries not to respond.

“Your breathing pattern,” Seungwan chuckles, “It changed.”

The soloist feels a twinge of annoyance at the blonde’s words. But she’s really more irritated that Seungwan has stopped moving her hand. She instinctively lets out a displeased huff.

“Yeah, I take it back, they should never get you to act,” the younger woman remarks, amusement dancing in her voice, “You at it.”

Joohyun is about rear her head and give the blonde the scolding of a lifetime for being rude, when Seungwan continues.

“Also my family’s looking at us really excitedly from the door.”

The soloist immediately jolts away from the blonde. True enough, she catches sight of the Son family peering at them through the glass panel in the door. She quickly fixes her hair, flashing a quick glare at the younger woman. Seungwan gestures to the corner of her lips.

“Your drool,” the blonde mouths to her.

Joohyun’s hand shoots up to , wiping away said drool in embarrassment. Seungwan lets out a giggle.

Cute.

The door slides open.

“Looks like our Sleeping Beauty is awake,” Seunghee remarks as she steps in.

Seungwan clears . A blank expression falls over her face as she turns to face the three new visitors.

Seunghee studies her face for a moment, only to shake her head and click her tongue in disappointment, “I don’t think that beauty sleep did much though. You still look as ug—”

The youngest of the Son family raises a hand and points at her father.

“Dad?”

“Seungwan-ah,” he nods, relief flooding his eyes, “It’s me, Dad.”

Seungwan points at her mother, “Mom?”

Mrs. Son nods tearfully, holding her hands to her chest. The blonde then swings her hand to point at Seunghee.

Beat.

She frowns, “Who…are you?”

The air in the room freezes. Mrs. Son lets out a gasp. Seunghee blinks at her sister, a sense of dread flooding her.

Mr. Son sighs, “Well… Dr. Yoo did warn us that there might be slight amnesia.”

“She’s your sister, Seungwan-ah,” Mrs. Son pats her youngest daughter’s head gently, “Don’t you remember Seunghee-unnie?”

Joohyun discreetly shifts her gaze back to the blonde, wondering if Seungwan had truly forgotten Seunghee. She sees the corner of the younger woman’s lips twitch. Then it occurs to her.

“I…” Seungwan stammers, “I have a sister…?”

“This isn’t just slight amnesia, Dad,” Seunghee turns to their father, “We should ask Dr. Yoo, she’s—"

“What kind of sister calls her unconscious, bedridden little sister stupid?”

Beat.

“You…little ,” Seunghee slowly turns to fix a glare at the grinning blonde, “Why I oughta—!”

Seunghee starts towards her younger sister, only to be held back by their parents.

“Calm down, Seunghee-ah!”

The eldest of the two growls, struggling against them, “Let me at her!”

Seungwan cackles playfully as she tries to dodge her sister’s hits as much as her weak body still allows her to. Surprised by how lively the morning has become because of the younger woman, Joohyun can’t help but burst into laughter at the entire scene unfolding in front of her. Soon, her laughter turns into tears that she tries to hide from Seungwan and her family.

They quieten down to watch as the blonde turns her attention to the crying soloist. She reaches out to caress the soloist’s head comfortingly.

“Unnie…” Seungwan coos gently to her, “Why are you crying?”

“B-Because—” Joohyun hiccups through her tears, “You’re back. You’re— You’re really back.”

The younger woman’s eyes soften as she continues to the soloist’s head soothingly. Seunghee nudges her father, who has a hard time controlling the proud smile on his face. She switches her gaze to look at her mother, who looks on with tearful adoration at the pair.

They look so ready to adopt Joohyun into the family.

Seunghee feels the right side of her lips curl up into a satisfied smirk.

Finally, there’s someone who can keep my of a sister grounded.

“Here I was, thinking it was scary Seunghee-unnie who made you cry,” Seungwan’s voice suddenly interrupts the heartfelt moment.

Joohyun’s sobs cease immediately as she chokes at the abrupt remark.

Seunghee rolls up her sleeves and cracks her knuckles, “Son Seungwan Wendy.”

“Ah, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

[Later that day, at approximately 2.00pm]

“Hey,” the door slides open slightly as Sejeong pokes her head in.

Joohyun’s eyes snap up from the book she’s reading, “O-Oh, hey, Sejeong!”

Sejeong waves shyly at her before slipping in quietly, shutting the door behind her. She frowns, noticing that Seungwan seems to be asleep.

She hums in slight disappointment, “Maybe I should come back la—”

“Oh!” Joohyun sets her book aside and lands a hard slap on the blonde’s shoulder.

Seungwan startles awake, “W-Wha—?”

Sejeong’s jaw drops at the action. The famous Irene Bae is like…this? She’d be lying if she says she didn’t find Joohyun to be a tad intimidating at first, given her seemingly cold demeanour and many years of industry experience. But last night had been a game-changer. As they talked, the soloist turned out to be a down-to-earth kind of woman, who cares. A lot. It’s refreshing, really. Still, it takes some getting used to.

Joohyun tips her head in Sejeong’s direction and Seungwan’s eyes land on her.

The blonde clears and swallows nervously, “H-Hey, Sejeong.”

“Well, I’ll leave you two to it,” Joohyun stands up, book in hand as she dusts her jeans.

“W-Where are you g-going?” Seungwan stammers.

The soloist rolls her eyes and makes her way over to Sejeong, patting her on the shoulder, “Scold her to your heart’s content. She deserves it.”

“Wait, U-Unnie—!” Seungwan calls after Joohyun, only for the door to slide shut as the soloist disappears down the corridor.

The blonde turns to an unamused Sejeong with a guilty smile, “Uh, hi?”

“Son Seungwan. How dare you ignore all my texts and calls?!”

“I signed with Aurelia Entertainment not too long ago,” Sejeong finishes explaining to an astounded Seungwan, “We’ll be starting promotions in three months.”

“That’s…” The blonde’s eyes are wide with amazement, “Really?!”

“It wasn’t something I could just text, you know?” Sejeong continues, “I wanted to tell you personally, but after seeing how busy you were with La Rouge after Jang, I decided to wait. But the next thing I know, you’re in the ICU because of a shooting. I was scared, Seungwan-unnie. I was really scared.”

Seungwan bows her head sadly, hearing the way her childhood friend’s voice trembles.

“So when I heard from Seunghee-unnie that you made it through the critical period, I knew I couldn’t wait for you to be ready to talk. Because…life is unpredictable and we don’t know when something like this might happen again.”

“I’m…sorry, Sejeong,” Seungwan’s throat is painfully tight as her regrets flood her, “I kept running…until I forgot how to stop.”

“Yeah,” Sejeong chokes up, punching her friend’s arm with a teary smile, “You keep reminding other people how they’re human, but then you go and forget that you’re one too.”

“I…” The blonde swallows thickly as she’s overcome with emotions, “I don’t want to run away anymore, Sejeong.”

The younger woman walks up to Seungwan, wrapping her in a hug.

“Then stay, Seungwan-unnie. For us.”

[3 hours later]

Joohyun returns just as Sejeong is about to leave. She bids the soloist and her childhood friend goodbye, promising to drop by again when she’s able to take a break from preparing for her debut. Soon, it’s just Joohyun and Seungwan.

The soloist quietly peels and cuts up the fruits she’d just bought, arranging them neatly on the plate while the blonde watches on in excitement. As Joohyun sets the fruits down in front of her, Seungwan gestures to the fork in the soloist’s hand to the fruits and then to .

The older woman narrows her eyes, “I’m not doing it.”

“Why!”

“It’s not like you can’t use your arms!”

The soloist tries to ignore pleading brown orbs. Tries to ignore the way they pull at her heartstrings so mercilessly. No, she will not give in to those puppy-dog eyes.

She’s strong. She can do this.

“No, I’m not feeding you!” Joohyun ditches the fork on the plate and flashes a glare at the frowning blonde.

Seungwan blows up her cheeks, “But you fed me the other time…”

“When! When did I!”

“When you were drun—” The younger woman quickly shuts when she realises where the conversation might go if she were to recount their time in the convenience store.

She isn’t ready to talk about that. And quite frankly, she doesn’t think Joohyun is either.

The soloist raises a questioning brow, urging the blonde to complete her sentence, but the sound of the door sliding open aggressively startles the pair. Like a pair of deer caught in the headlights, they glance up to find a fuming Seulgi storming in, followed by a nervous Kangta. Seungwan quickly picks up her fork and stuffs a couple of random fruit cubes into .

“Chu wot ju ah oh ja presho rob dis bisit?” The blonde asks through a mouthful of fruit, blinking innocently at the newcomers.

“What?” Kangta glances at his cousin in confusion.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit,” Seulgi translates effortlessly, her stare still focused on her best friend, “She always does this whenever she knows she’s in trouble.”

Kangta opens his mouth in understanding and nods. He turns back to Seungwan and shakes his head in disapproval. The blonde averts her eyes.

Seulgi pinches the bridge of her nose in annoyance, “This idiot…is really asking for it.”

“Yah, Son Seungwan, did you forget how to chew?” Joohyun nudges the frozen woman next to her, an amused smile growing on her face.

Knowing the game is up, Seungwan begins to chew as quickly as she can. And she begins to regret. That was a terrible concoction of flavours to begin with, as much as she absolutely adores fruits. She eventually gulps the mush down and flashes a guilty grin at her best friend.

“You!” Seulgi jabs an accusing finger at Seungwan, “You couldn’t have waited until Kangta was with you before confronting that bastard?!”

“Look, I knew he had a gun and I didn’t know how much time I had until he—” The blonde tries to defend herself at first, only to realise her mistake when she catches Joohyun’s eyes widen.

Oh. She didn’t know.

“You…already knew he had a gun?”

“I—” Seungwan turns to face the soloist, panicking slightly, “I know I should’ve warned you somehow, but I was scared of what he might do if he knew you’d caught wind of the danger, so I— I tried to get there as quickly as I cou—”

“No, that’s not it, Seungwan,” Joohyun’s hands tremble in her lap, “You knew he had a gun…and you still came runni—”

“She made this decision because you’re important to her.”

Silence falls upon the four of them.

“I n-need some a-air,” Joohyun gets up abruptly and runs out of the room.

Seungwan lets out a resigned sigh, “I…really messed up.”

“With that Seungwan-Wendy bull? You sure did,” Seulgi walks over to stand by the blonde’s side.

The show producer reaches out and flicks her best friend’s forehead. Seungwan winces.

“But that night at the river? No, I don’t believe you messed up,” Seulgi continues, her eyes growing soft with understanding and affection, “As angry as I am at you for putting yourself in danger like that, I’m also proud of you. You were brave.”

At her best friend’s words, the blonde’s eyes begin to water.

“You were very brave, Wani,” Seulgi repeats, her voice shaky as she tears up as well, “You’re a dumb , but you’re also a dumb, fearless and I still love you.”

Seungwan reaches around to embrace her best friend, crying into her shirt. Seulgi returns the hug, and it isn’t long before she’s sobbing too. The CEO observes them for a moment before looking away, feeling his tears well up at the scene.

“You did well, Seungwan,” Kangta finally speaks up once the pair have calmed down, “There’s no one else I’d rather have looking after everyone in La Rouge.”

[An hour later]

Joohyun is reluctant to return at first. But after receiving a text from Seulgi informing her that she and Kangta have just left and Seungwan is alone, her desire to keep the blonde company overwhelms her hesitance. So she returns.

Sliding the door open as gently as she can, she sees the younger woman mulling quietly in bed, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Joohyun lets out a sigh and shuts the door, taking her place at the blonde’s side again.

“I want to apologise.”

The soloist pauses at the blonde’s words.

Seungwan looks up to meet her eyes, brown orbs full of remorse, “I’m sorry for not asking you before…pursuing Jang. Even though that meant pulling up the past, something you may have wanted to leave behind.”

“Seungwannie…” Joohyun sits down on the bed next to the blonde.

“I’m not finished,” Seungwan sniffles, “That day at the cliff…you saved me. And I repaid you by running from you.”

“What do you mean?”

The blonde inhales sharply, “When I saw Jang, it was like looking in a mirror. Here I was, his life in my hands and I’d never felt more powerful. I could just crush it with my own bare hands simply by letting go. Told myself he was a monster after all. No one would miss him. And in that moment, I saw how no different I was from him. I started to hate myself too. I had so much hatred in me it felt like I could die. I just… I couldn’t bear to face you.”

Joohyun takes the younger woman’s shaky hands in hers, “But you didn’t let go, Seungwan.”

“Because you told me I wasn’t a monster,” Seungwan’s lips tremble as her tears begin to fall onto their hands, “Even after I said all those cruel things to you…”

“Oh, Seungwan…” The older woman wraps her arms around the blonde, rubbing her back, “I…was angry at first that you didn’t consult me. But when Seulgi passed me Neul’s letter that you got from Mrs. Park… I understood why you wanted to take him down so badly.”

[The day of Jang’s arrest]

“Haneul?!” Joohyun snatches the envelope from Seulgi’s hand, ripping it open.

Her eyes pour over the words on the letter. She recognises the handwriting. It’s really Haneul’s.

“Hyunnie. I miss you. I miss you so much I could die. These past few weeks have stretched out like eternity without you. No amount of words can describe how deeply I regret the way I left. I cannot even begin to tell you how sorry I am for hurting you that night. So here I am, the coward I’ve grown to be, or perhaps, the coward I’ve always been, hiding behind words scrawled on paper because I don’t think I’ll ever be brave enough to face you ever again.

Because I’ve done some a lot of thinking, and how could I believe that scumbag of a CEO over my best friend of 10 years? Why did I think you weren’t having it as hard as I was? I realise now…everything he told me… They were all lies. He hated our friendship. He hated that as long as I was there…he couldn’t have you within his complete control. So he fed me lie after lie so I would hate you and unfortunately…I believed every single one of them.

These days, when I look at myself in the mirror… I don’t feel like a person anymore. All I see is someone whose life is marked by hatred and jealousy and distrust. Forgive me, Hyunnie, for not picking your calls. And for not saying goodbye. I don’t want you to see what I’ve become and blame yourself.

I’m sorry for everything, Hyunnie.

I hope this letter finds you in a better place. I hope you’re free from him. But most of all, I hope you’re not hating yourself for what happened to me. Well…I don’t know what has happened to me by the time this letter gets to you, if it gets to you, but whatever it may be, just know that I loved love you till the very end. Keep walking forward, Hyunnie, and look back here once in a while, if you ever need a reminder of how loved you are.

Neul.”

[Back to the present]

“If you hadn’t gone ahead with your investigation, we would never have known what happened to Neul,” Joohyun caresses the blonde’s hair lovingly, “Mrs. Park would never have gotten justice for her daughter. And I…I would’ve kept on blaming myself. So don’t hate yourself for this, Seungwan. Never hate yourself.”

“Unnie…” The blonde’s fingers curl into the soloist’s sweater as she wails into Joohyun’s shoulder.

“You saved me too, Seungwan,” the older woman continues, tearing up as Seungwan’s cries shake her to the core, “You and I… We don’t have to run anymore.”

[One and a half weeks later, at approximately 2.00pm]

“Did you just—” Seunghee hisses at her younger sister, “Why? You don’t trust in our ability to look after you?”

“It’s not that…” Seungwan tries to placate her family as they stare at her, looking mildly offended, “My place can’t possibly fit all four of us. I only have one bedroom and one bed, and the thought of…”

The blonde doesn’t complete her sentence as she shakes her head, “It’s not gonna work.”

“We came all the way from Canada because what happened and you—”

“I can take care of myself,” Seungwan waves her sister off dismissively.

“Seungwan-ah, Dr. Yoo says you need at least one caretaker for the next week or two,” Mr. Son tries to coax his stubborn youngest, “Let at least one of us stay with you, please?”

Seungwan shakes her head, “I’ll be fine, Dad. Really. I think you and Mom should just go catch up with friends and then visit me with nice food.”

“Then let Seunghee stay wi—”

“No way! Did you see what Seunghee-unnie nearly did to me when I finally woke up?” The youngest of the Son family shivers, “It scares me every time I think about it.”

“Fine, since you’re gonna be so damn stubborn about this,” Seunghee begins dialling a number on her phone, “I know someone who can and will take the job. And you won’t be able to say no.”

Seungwan racks her brain to figure out who her older sister might be referring to.

Seulgi?

But she’s been so busy with work, especially after that Idol Square episo—

“Hey, Joohyun?” Seunghee starts.

Seungwan jolts at the name and turns to stare at her sister, flabbergasted.

“So, the doc said my stubborn kid sister needs someone to look after her for about a week or two after she’s discharged, but she has the nerve to say she’ll be fine on her own,” Seunghee continues, “…What was that? She’s being stupid? Yeah, I agree.”

Seungwan makes a threatening neck-slicing gesture at her older sister with a finger, looking clearly annoyed.

“I was wondering if you could look after her? She says there isn’t space in her house for us and she wants our parents to go enjoy their time in Korea while they’re here,” Seunghee sticks her tongue out at her little sister, “And well, she insists she doesn’t want me near her because she’s scared of me.”

“Stop bothering her, Seunghee-unnie!” Seungwan yells, “She has schedul—”

“You’ll do that? That’s lovely! Thank you, Joohyun!” Seunghee grins gleefully and ends the call.

“You—”

“She said she’s sure the company will clear her schedules since she’ll be looking after La Rouge’s COO.”

Seungwan lets out a groan of defeat and slumps back into her pillows.

Seunghee turns to their parents with a suggestive smirk, “Mr. and Mrs. Son, are you happy with the arrangement?”

Mrs. Son bashfully hits her daughter’s arm happily, “Oh, of course! To have Korea’s number one sweetheart looking after my daught—”

“MOM!” The blonde sits back up, ignoring the slight protest of pain coming from her abdomen, “You again with that sweetheart nonsense!”

“Oh, you’re blushing?” Mr. Son remarks teasingly.

“DAD!”

“Our little Seungwannie won’t admit it, but she secretly likes the arrangement~” Seunghee sings, wiggling her eyebrows in mischief.

A pillow comes flying at her face.

[5 hours later]

It’s not like they hadn’t taken the lift together before when they were living in the same building. But that didn’t make the ride up any less awkward. Had it not been for Dr. Yoo’s brief on how to look after someone recovering from a gunshot wound, Joohyun would’ve opted to stick to the opposite corner instead of holding onto Seungwan’s arm to support her.

The blonde clears and tugs at her collar nervously, “Has it always been this slow?”

“I never noticed,” Joohyun remarks.

“Maybe it’s just me then.”

Like a miracle, the lift finally comes to a stop and the doors pull open. The pair exit hastily and make their way over to the younger woman’s apartment as quickly as the blonde can move without aggravating her injury. Joohyun can’t help but send a sad glance at the door next to Seungwan’s that had once belonged to her.

The blonde takes out her keys and with hands shaking from her sudden onset of nervousness, she tries to unlock her door. The keys slip through her clumsy fingers, only to be promptly caught by Joohyun.

The soloist smirks, “Nervous?”

“W-What? N-No!”

“It’s okay, Seungwannie,” Joohyun slips the key smoothly into the lock and turns it, “If you’re worried about your place being in a terrible mess, don’t be. I’ve always expected a messy personality like yours to match your apartme—"

The older woman pushes open the door, only for her jaw to drop immediately as she’s stunned by the sight that greets her. She lets go of Seungwan and strides in.

“Hey!” The blonde calls after her, barely stopping the door from closing on her in time.

Joohyun gapes at Seungwan’s place being the definition of clean and neat. There’s not a single hint of clutter lying around. Everything seems to be stored away properly in their rightful places. Seungwan shuffles into the house behind her, taking care not to strain herself. She shuts the door gently and turns to the soloist, who’s still busy admiring her place.

“You were saying?” Seungwan raises a brow, “A messy personality, hmm?”

“Your personality is still messy,” Joohyun replies, not even returning the eye contact, “Just that your place isn’t.”

“If that’s your logic… I take that your ‘neat’ personality compensates for the utter mess that is your home?”

The soloist whirls around to glare at the blonde, “When have you ever seen my— Oh.”

Damn it, why do we keep going there?

“A-Ah,” Seungwan groans as she bends over, clutching at her left side.

Joohyun stares at her for a moment, before—

“Your injury is on the other side.”

The blonde pauses.

“Ah, sense!” She straightens her back with a guilty grin, “I was just testing my caretaker. I have…high standards.”

“You’re just changing the subject,” Joohyun rolls her eyes, “But since we just came from the hospital and you must b