"Are you sure you don't want me to stay? I can just book another flight for when you have to leave." Krystal seemed worried as she held the younger girl in her arms, soothing her after what happened a while back, but Areum simply shook her head against the crook of her neck.

"You have things to do, Soojung. And I can handle it." She whispered, yet her voice sounded weak after all the crying she's done.

Running her fingers through the latter's hair, Krysral let out a small breath as she pressed her lips against her hairline and held her closer. "Nothing is more important to me than you, Areum." She uttered quietly and the soloist shut her eyes, allowing her warmth to envelope her fully as she let out a breath of her own. "I'll be fine." She assured her, giving her a small squeeze before she lifted her head to meet her gaze.

"It's only a few more months."

As agreed, Areum accompanied Krystal to the airport. Though what they were not expecting was the amount of people that were waiting for them. So as soon as they saw the crowd once they stepped off the car, Krystal blinked rapidly before she turned to see Areum already adjusting her clothes, but since they were unprepared, neither of them were wearing masks.

Both had appeared very casual, quietly passing by the screaming fans and paparazzi. "How did they know you were here?" Areum asked as they went to check on her things and the older girl shook her head. "I have no clue. I don't even know how they found out about my flight." She sighed out while scrolling through her phone to check for any updates. However, there was something that caught her eye that made her groan before she handed the device to the latter.

"What is this?" Areum questioned, confused as she looked at the screen before she let out a breath and shook her head. "Of course." She muttered and then gave the phone back. It seemed as though they were spotted earlier when they had gone out for lunch. She should have expected as much, but what she didn't understand was why people were making such a fuss about seeing them together.

"Will you be fine on your own?" The soloist asked softly and the older girl smiled while nodding her head. "Unnie is going to be fetching me, so it's okay." She assured her while she tucked her hair behind her ear and Areum let out a sigh, nodding her head as she gave her a gentle hug, her face tucked into her neck like before. Krystal squeezed her before they pulled away, pressing a kiss to the soloist's cheek as she finally had to go.

Areum looked up at the sign and let out a sigh before she turned her gaze back to the other girl. "I'll see you soon." Krystal told her before she gave her hand one more squeeze and finally walked away. Areum stood behind, watching as she e last time and waved before her figure finally disappeared from view. She stayed there for a few moments until she remembered that she couldn't be out for too long. Her phone beeped, indicating that she had a message, and smiled when she saw Jisoo's name pop up.

Are you still out?

She chuckled and made her way out of the airport, waving to some of the fans that were still there before she got into the car from earlier and headed back to the hotel.

I'm on my way back.

After sending the text, she received an okay, which she found a bit odd, though didn't say anything and simply leaned back as she waited for them to reach the hotel, though she did make a quick stop somewhere for the girls before reaching the place. During the drive, she leaned back in her seat and stared out the window.

Even when she told Krystal that she would be fine, her thoughts were such a mess that she wasn't sure what to even do. As much as she wanted to trust her manager, after she saw and the way he lied at her face throughout everything, she just couldn't stomach how things have turned out. How many of the things he said were true? Was any of it true?

Right after stepping out of the elevator, Areum groaned, wanting to fall asleep, but Daniel kept figdeting next to her, tugging at his jacket while he stared at his phone screen. Even though she tried to ask him a few things that night, the man couldn't seem to look at her after her interview and he was much more cautious about his actions and the things he told her.

It should have been obvious, to her by then, yet she let her suspicions die down and just blamed it on stress. They were both working too much right now so things might be getting to him, too.

However, the moment Daniel told her to head on first when a call came through. Instead of following, the brunette couldn't help it as she lingered by the corner while the man spoke quietly. "No, sir. She's been busy with the girls and her schedules as you ordered." He muttered, not wanting to draw too much attention. "Ani, I didn't give her anything except for the phone." He went quiet for a while and Areum furrowed her brows as she kept quiet.

"I have the notebook in my desk at the company so no one can check it. Since she hasn't been there, none of the girls will notice. Frankly, I don't think they even realized it's missing."

"Just what are you hiding..." She whispered to herself before the hotel came into view.

Thanking the driver, Areum made her way inside, being spotted by Rosé as soon as she entered and the Aussie skipped over to greet her.

The closer she got, however, the more her smile faded until it had shifted into a worried frown when she wrapped her arms around the girl. "Hey, what's up?" She questioned. "You look troubled." She added when she pulled away to cup the older girl's face and properly looked at her. "I'm okay." Even with that, the latter couldn't believe her with how weak her voice sounded and just how tired she looked overall. If anything, it made her worry more.

"Come on." Taking the soloist's hand and lacing their fingers together, Rosé started to lead her back to where she just came from and headed up to her and Jennie's room.

On the way up, the younger girl glanced at the paper bag in Areum's hand and cocked her head a bit. Wanting to distract her, she gave her hand a small squeeze. "What's that you have there?" She asked softly and, luckily, Areum shifted her attention to the bag before she raised it a bit. "I passed by a shop earlier. I thought you girls might like it." She explained, making Rosé smile as she nodded her head.

Soon enough, they were in the room and the soloist put the bag on the bed when the other patted the space next to her. They both got settled on the bed and Rosé found it a bit familiar to when they had both fallen asleep next to one another, though this time, it was her holding Areum.

She made sure that she was comfortable before she began to sing a song that first came to mind and Areum kept quiet as she listened, letting her worries wash away to the sound of Rosé's angelic voice. Her hands pressed lightly against the girl's chest while she listened to her soft voice that it almost pulls her into slumber, but she wills her eyes to stay open and smiles when she feels the younger girl's hands in her own grip.

When the song comes to an end, Rosé has her eyes closed, humming while she rubbed her thumb against Areum's knuckles. "Sometimes I wish I was normal..." She heard the other whisper and she pauses in her humming to give her the room to speak. "Everything is barely making any sense. The more I try looking for answers, I get more questions instead." She heard a frustrated sigh and she wonders how much she's been doing that ever since she's had this thought.

"Did you ever regret it?" Her eyes open when she's given the question, yet Areum refuses to look at her, almost as though she's ashamed for asking such a thing and Rosé stares at her a little longer than she means to. She doesn't need her to elaborate the meaning behind those words. "Honestly, I used to." She admits, her tone small as her eyes move to the far wall. "I would always end up doubting myself when I couldn't do things right. I could barely see my family, and it was like a huge weight on my shoulders..." She whispered with a far away look. "How did you deal with it?"

She blinks, and soon, she's looking at Areum again, smiling. "I had people who believed in me. My family grew and I wasn't as lonely that I could finally tolerate that weight with people helping me along the way." She tucks her hair gently behind her ear. "I had you, and you once told me..." Her smile widens just a bit at the memory.

"You're here for a reason. You might not know what it is yet, but it's better to keep trying rather than regret what it is you didn't do."

Areum furrows her brows a bit before she sees the smile directed at her. "I know that it's hard. I don't know what you're going through, but like what the girls and I promised, we're going