Staring outside the van's windows, Areum's leg bounced slightly in anticipation. Fans were crowding the airport, waiting for all of them to come out so that they could see their idols. After the continuous explosion of the soloist's performances, fans have been really excited to see her back and with new music. Though there were still the hate from others, she never admits to anyone that she's been reading them. The girls could see that there were instances the brunette would space out and it was worrying them because it was obviously troubling the girl. Sadly, every time one of them asked, the soloist would answer with a smile and shake of her head, stating that she was fine.

Lisa tried a few times when she thought it was appropriate to bring up, but Areum had always found an excuse to get out of the situation. Whatever it was, it wasn't healthy, and if only they knew, they would have done something about it. Though there was an instance during their live that some Blinks had bad mouthed Areum for being on tour, calling her names that the four showed pure displeasure before Jennie lashed out on them. And as much as they wanted to calm her down, the other three were just as furious as Jennie went with her speech.

​​​​"You guys clearly don't know a thing about her. She's been with us ever since we were trainees and she's been working hard ever since she woke up." The girl had said. "It's disappointing because so many of you claim to be fans yet you're trying to make up lies and make our friends look bad just for being with us. She didn't have to start working as soon as she woke up, but she did it anyway because she wanted to show everyone how grateful she was for supporting her even though she clearly has a lot on her plate." Rosé placed her hand on Jennie's thigh and tried to soothe the fuming girl. "Areum is one of the most understanding and caring person you could ever get the chance of meeting and to see people trying to drag her name into the mud the way you do, I feel sorry for you."

After that, they ended the live. And despite hoping it would ease the tension with the fans, it had only fueled people's hate toward the soloist, blaming her for the way Jennie rejected them. That's when Areum's learned to stay off her social media after her manager had spoken to her with regards to the hate comments.

When news about this came after the Asia leg of their tour, Jennie was beyond furious by the end of their performance in Taiwan. But now that they had time to actually think, Jisoo and Lisa suggested not to add more fuel to the fire. "People won't listen. No matter what we tell them, they will blame her." The maknae explained. "The CEO is looking for a way to fix the situation so we should just wait." Rosé added when she glanced over to Areum's door.

"You okay?" Looking over her shoulder, Areum smiled weakly at the younger girl and nodded her head. "I'm just a bit nervous." She had breathed out and Lisa nods her head while taking the older girl's hand. "Do you want to talk about it?" She knew it was a long shot after how many times she's asked, but it didn't hurt to try.

Surprisingly, Areum nodded her head as she tore her eyes away from the window to give her attention to the girl next to her. "We're headed to America." She murmured softly, biting her lip. "I... will I be able to see my family?" She asked quietly and Lisa squeezed her hands before offering her a smile. "Unnie, I'm sure they will come to see you. I know they didn't get the chance to see you when you woke from the accident, but now that you're nearby, I'm sure they'll do what they can to see you." She tells her and it had eased the soloist a bit, but didn't erase the many what ifs.

Lisa knew this just by looking at her uncertain gaze, so she gives her hand one more squeeze before they both get out of the van, since the three were seated in front of them, they got out last. They didn't let go of each other's hands, even when they had gone to interact with fans, Lisa would always come back to take Areum's hand in hers. People were able to take pictures of the pair as they made their way through the throng of people and met up with the rest of the girls and the managers. They had to separate from each other due to Areum's manager calling her over, probably to discuss her schedule for when they arrive.

The maknae quickly called for her unnies' attention to tell them what she's learned and understanding quickly melted over their faces as they nodded their heads. "She has been asking a lot about them." Rosé murmured softly when she stole a glance at the brunette. "Do you think they will be there?" Jennie asked carefully and Jisoo furrowed her brows. "I hope so."

The plane ride wasn't as eventful as they had hoped. Recently, Areum had to stay a good distance away from the girls, and even when Lisa claims how much bull that is, they couldn't do anything but to accept the arrangements. The unnie line sat together with the maknae line behind them. Areum was beside her manager across from them, but instead of talking, she was fast asleep while the man was busy typing away on his laptop. Since it would be a few hours before they get to their next destination, they decided to get some sleep as well, or at least try.

"Where are we staying?" Areum asked as they went to grab their bags. She had her hoodie pulled over her cap clad head, which she kept down. Due to this, she failed to see the amount of people and the signs they had held up for all of them. Her manager nudged her to catch her attention and he smiled at her. "Why don't you greet your fans before worrying about that?" He says in a playful tone and the girl looks toward the screaming crowd, Blackpink not too far behind her as her eyes widened.

Her name was written on various banners, her picture being waved by countless fans. But what caught her eye the most was the papers that were taped together and the words "WELCOME HOME AREUM" written on it. She stopped in her steps as the people were screaming for her attention. She was speechless at what she was seeing and the four watched in awe before they noticed her figure slowly walking over to the group that held the poster up. Even though they wanted to keep a close watch on her, they had their own fans calling for them, so they split off while being able to keep Areum in their peripheral view.

"Areum, we love you!" The group shouted when the soloist neared and she didn't waste time into bringing the group of six into a big hug. They all looked as though they were in high school. People awed at the sight and Areum kept mumbling thank you to the kids, even as she pulled away and wiped the tear that managed to escape her eye. "We know that you're going through a tough time, but we're here for you." One of the girls of the group beamed at her. "Yeah, whoever keeps hating on you can fight me." A boy said while raising his fist. "Yeah, yeah. Give us a list of all the people who hurt you, we'll deal with them."

It was something she never brought to light, but they knew. People saw the comments, but no one really reached out to her regarding the topic because she didn't want to make such a big deal out of it. But to hear someone actually caring for her, welcoming her even, touched her that she couldn't keep her tears at bay. She hurriedly tried to brush them away, plastering a smile, though still a bit teary before she offered to take a picture with them. It was like everyone was watching the scene unfold and all eyes were on them until Areum had to pull away, thanking them one last time and asking for their instagram accounts so she could follow them and tag them in the picture.

After exiting the airport, they all piled into the van and Rosé quickly wrapped her arms around the soloist, trapping her into a big hug. "Are you okay?" Jennie asked softly while Areum smiled lightly at them. "I am. Just a bit... overwhelmed." She said with a light chuckle as she nuzzled into the younger girl's side and let out a breath. "I wasn't expecting to have people greet me like that especially since I'm just a decor for this tour." She added, and again, Lisa takes note of the way she speaks.

But it isn't just her this time. Jisoo's brows pinch together as she stares at the soloist. "I get that we're headlining this tour, but that doesn't mean you're just here for appearances." She stated firmly, disliking the tone Areum had used with herself. "Areum, I know that there's something bothering you, and it's worrying us." She added, making the said person look away and Ros to tighten her hold on her in a comforting manner.

Areum looked at them, lips pursed as she slumped in Ros's arms. "It's nothing you girls should worry about. I can handle it." She wasn't sure who she was trying to convince, the girls or herself. But even so, she refuses to tell them and does her best to show them a smile, hoping they would let the subject drop because she doesn't want to make them worry about something she needed to deal with on her own.

Thankfully for her, she wouldn't be staying at the hotel too long since she would be having an interview after a couple hours while the girls planned out what they needed for the first few days. Arriving at the hotel, they notice that there's only two rooms, but seeing one of the rooms having three beds in it, they had no problems. In fact, they were more than happy to finally share a room