A/N: long-not long chapter ahead. XD As I mentioned in my Foreword, this is a Jess-centric feat. Soshi (with bonus taengsic) kind of story and this chapter is more of like a behind-the-scenes type, mostly technicalities. With drama. And angst. Let’s not forget the angst. Lol.

Taeyeon was shocked, to say the least.

Yuri tried to explain the gist of the situation as best as she could but it just flew over Taeyeon’s head, with only one thing remaining at the forefront of her mind that had her feeling discombobulated for the past hour or so.

A heart disease. Jessica had a freaking heart disease. One that she could possibly die from.

Understanding finally dawned on the leader. The business. The hiatus. The sudden weariness and unusual lack of passion while doing her work. All because Jessica knew that her condition could worsen any day.

The hardest pill to swallow was that, judging from what Yuri said, Jung Sooyeon seemed to just simply accept it. Accept the fact that dying young was in her future.

And Taeyeon and the others weren’t even aware that she was suffering! Most of them were kept in the dark, and it took one, seemingly useless fight between sisters before the truth was revealed.

“Taeyeon-ah.”

Hearing her name come from an unsuspected source, Taeyeon lifted her head and immediately stood up and bowed, acknowledging her senior.

“Chairman Lee. We weren’t expecting you,” Taeyeon murmured as she hastily rubbed her face from any stray tears that might still be visible.

The old man smiled and patted Taeyeon’s head affectionately before sitting on one of the armchairs in the living room. Sunny came out from the kitchen and handed him something to drink before she gathered everyone to sit with her uncle.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Sunny asked her uncle straight on, eyes unblinking and accusatory.

Lee Sooman chuckled humorlessly and nodded, weariness seeping through his eyes as he stared at his juniors.

“We always thought she’d be the one to willingly tell you when she’s ready. We never wanted you to find out this way, but we can’t really do anything about it now. I assume Yuri gave you a quick rundown of Jessica’s illness. The Jungs gave me permission to disclose information that you may be curious about and I’ll answer them to the best of my ability. After this, we can head over to the hospital to see her.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up when they heard that they could visit Jessica. It had been two and a half hours since they took her away, and the girls were antsy for any kind of news but received none. Not one call from their managers nor their members.

“So she’s okay?! Can’t we go visit her now?”

Their senior smiled but shook his head no.

“I was told that she’s finally stable just as I arrived here. We can’t risk accidentally leaking this to the public. All necessary security measures to ensure Miss Jung’s privacy have been strictly observed the moment she stepped foot inside the hospital, so her parents and I agreed to have this talk here instead.”

The girls deflated but nodded their heads in compliance. They subtly glanced at each other, unsure whether to be the one to talk first or wait for someone else to speak up.

“Miyoung?”

Founder Lee addressed Stephanie who he noticed was itching to ask something.

“H-how long has this been going on, exactly? When did you find out? What happened?”

The man stayed silent and thought for a few seconds before answering.

“Believe it or not, she started showing signs of cardiac distress in her 3rd year as a trainee. I would often catch her abnormally out of breath after strenuous training. The instructors and her fellow trainees just thought she was the type with naturally low stamina since she was a petite child, so I checked with her parents and found out that she was actually anemic and didn’t bother telling anyone.”

“I kept a close eye on her since then, and when she fainted on the very night that I was the one overseeing individual evaluations, that was when we found out she had a heart condition.”

“Is that why the other trainees started rumors saying that she was like the spoiled company princess? That you favored her above the others?”

Founder Lee gazed at six inquisitive faces, feeling no animosity for their sister but instead just plain curiosity.

“Yes, and no. It’s no secret that I grew quite fond of little Jessica. She was so timid during her first year, not at all like her peers that were already so competitive at that age. Even with such a pretty face, she was meek, bashful, unable to make friends easily, which earned her a reputation as a cold and snobbish princess within the company.”

The old man displayed a gentle smile as he reminisced.

“I saw potential in her even though she didn’t exactly give me the best first impression during auditions. Despite knowing that I took a sick girl under my wing, she never once gave me a reason to regret having her trained. Her condition did merit a few considerations in terms of housing, diet, and physical activities that were seen as special treatment, but no one could deny that she worked as hard as anyone else to get where she is now with all of you.”

“But why didn’t she tell us? Why keep such a huge thing secret from us?”

The senior looked over at Taeyeon with something akin to sadness.

“I’m afraid I am not the best person to answer that, Miss Kim. She somehow believed there was no reason to let you know – “

“Hyo, Soo, and Yuri knew!” exclaimed the leader, cutting Mr. Lee off.

“Tae, calm down!” Sunny said as she tried her best to pacify the fuming midget. Mr. Lee cleared his throat and continued.

“As far as I know, Hyoyeon and Sooyoung only found out by accident during one of her attacks. Miss Kwon, I believe, found out on her own. And for that, I thank you, Yuri. You helped save her life today.”

Yuri blushed, not really used to getting acknowledgment directly from the chairman.

“I would never have noticed it if it wasn’t for Soojung. After that, I just got more attentive, I guess. I then understood why Hyo and Soo were so overprotective of her. And how Sica would always pick one of the two as roommates even if someone else wanted to bunk with her. That huge oxygen tank in their room wasn’t really discreet, and the mess was a way for us to not touch their stuff. It’s like a hidden clinic in there.”

‘Oxygen tank?’ Taeyeon’s eyes widened when she remembered the cylindrical object that she saw inside Jessica’s unit, and the hurt and frustration she was currently feeling doubled.

“I saw a bottle of one of her medicines inside the cupboard and wanted to ask her about it but I forgot. Now I wish I remembered it then,” Yoona mumbled, tears running down her face, remorseful that she wasn’t observant enough to notice that something was really wrong despite her Sica-unnie reassuring her otherwise.

Everyone knew that Jessica was going through something for the past years since she announced that she was planning to launch her own brand, but they were all too preoccupied with their own agendas to actually sit down with her and talk about it.

They were happy for their member, assumed that the stress of adding on a huge venture on top of her idol work was the reason for her frequent health problems, but they didn’t think that the real reason behind it was something more severe.

The girls had a mixture of guilt and hurt written all over their faces: guilt for not being more perceptive to their member’s dilemma, and hurt because Jessica didn’t trust them enough for her to tell them something as important as a chronic fatal illness.

“She wanted to be selfish. She knew what she was up against when she continued to fight battles no young woman should experience. But she wanted to be with you, be in the group. For her, the only real selfless thing that she has done with her life is her decision to finally take a step back from being an idol. But we’re all too selfish to let her go.”

“She knew that her heart won’t be able to take the rigorous lifestyle that you girls currently have anymore. She started her brand so she could hand it over to her family in due time. I honestly thought by telling Hyoyeon, Sooyoung, and Yuri of her choice, Jessica would talk about it with them then try to make her reconsider. But that’s the businessman in me hoping. With what occurred today, everybody should stop seeing her as an asset and, instead, a young woman who’s prone to breaking down. That includes me.”

“What will happen to her now?”

“I have no right to decide anything for her. But you girls are her family, too. Think about what’s best for her, for you, and for the group as a whole. I’m certain