track 09 - Holiest

in the fashion closet

"so what do we do now? i don't think we'll be okay without hwasa. i mean moonbyul is good at her job, but i can't imagine the neverend magazine without hwasa." minnie was so nervous and it was blatant.

"calm down first," said soyeon, "there must be misunderstanding, we should talk to her."

a look clouded over shuhua's face as if she knows something.

soyeon noticed this immediately, "you have something to say, shu?"

"i didn't know the rumors could get things this far."

"what rumors?"

"remember yuqi once told us about a love triangle and you stopped her? i asked her later to tell me the whole story and learned that there are several rumors going around. she's said to have a girlfriend even though she is engaged and something like that. yuqi said she didn't asked anyone, she just happened to learn since everyone was talking about it."

"but this is her private life. it can't be a reason to be fired." said soyeon.

"guys," minnie pressed her lips "i might know why."

"what is it?" asked shuhua.

"i mean, i know who she is engaged. but this was supposed to be a secret."

"keeping secrets won't fix anything right now." said soyeon.

"okay, she is engaged with our company's head. the ceo of bluebox."

"woah" shuhua gasped, "that's unexpected."

soyeon frowned, ", are we all in a movie right now? why would they keep this engagement as a secret though?"

"hwasa said she didn't want to make it public till she figured out what she really wanted. she was confused about her feelings i guess."

shuhua suddenly gasped again "wait, does that mean our ceo- what was his name?"

"TJ" said soyeon.

"right, so, does that mean TJ is acting on his feelings? oh boy, this isn't right. we gotta do something."

"we can't do anything, " soyeon shook her head, "this is beyond us."

minnie shouted as she got up "no, we can do something! this is wrong, and i will not keep silent against this injustice and bring her back at all costs. if we keep silent now, we may never be able to talk again. women should support other women. so, who's with me?"

shuhua jumped from her seat, "i'm in!" but shouted in pain right after and sat back. she had jumped a little high.

only then minnie and soyeon realized her airboot. minnie came and kneeled down before her, "what happened to your foot?"

soyeon also came and held shuhua's shoulder, "oh my god i'm sorry i only realize this now, are you okay? what did happen?"

"nothing just... i got hit by soojin's car and my bike were smashed like a bug and then-"

"wo-wo-wow wait, a car hit you?" asked soyeon.

"and it's soojin's?" added minnie.

***

"your mother?" said miyeon and remembered what her mother said:

... my old friend called me to her mansion this morning as she was struggling between life and death in her bed, just to say that your father cheated on me with her and that her daughter was my husband's child...

"soojin, pull yourself together. why are you telling me this?"

miyeon tried to be though as best as she could because she thought it had to be like this, she was supposed to be angry. but actually, the anger she was supposed to have towards soojin was nowhere to be found. she looked at soojin. her makeup was ruined by her tears, her eyes got puffier and her nose was reddish than ever. she was losing the strength in her knees but somehow was able to stand still. this made miyeon's heart ache. her face expression changed, and soojin noticed it. she attempted to touch soojin's shoulder, but soojin stepped back.

"soojin"

"don't you dare pity me! what's up with that look, huh?" she wiped her tears.

"no i don't mean-" miyeon tried to reach soojin, but soojin stepped back again.

"you're thinking i'm weak, aren't you? but don't get your hopes up, unnie." she giggled, she was now talking in an unexpected calming voice, "this time you won, but soon you'll see who i really am."

"soojin, take it easy, we can talk this and-"

soojin turned round and left abruptly. miyeon wanted to stop her but couldn't do it. soojin was an enemy now, it was obvious. that's why she also had to act like one. with this simple logic, however, soojin was not minnie's enemy. at least not exactly. so she called minnie without a second thought.

"hi-"

"hey you've reached minnie. sorry, i can't pick up right now. leave a message after the beep and i'll get back to you as soon as i can."

"oh, um... hi minnie. i'm back. um... i was wondering if you could talk to soojin. you know, to check on her because i can't. uh... okay no. this is stupid, i'm being rude. forget it, you just... just let me know when you're free. hope we can meet up soon, bye."

she sent the voicemail with a deep sigh, 'well, that wasn't so bad, right?'  she got out of there and saw hwiyoung waiting outside.

"you okay?"

"yes, i am."

"good, we're going to give statements, let's go."

"soojin said her mom is dead, do you know anything about that? why did she die?"

"yeah i learned a few things, i'll tell you on the way."

***

yuqi, soyeon and minnie gathered at shuhua's home in the evening. yuqi and minnie was sitting on the floor with the cushions under their bottoms, leaning their back on the sofa, while soyeon was lying on her stomach. then shuhua came and served the teas she just made for the girls.

"now before we start talking, let's drink these and relax."

soyeon sat up, "do we really have to sit on the floor? that sofa looks really soft."

"but it's still wet. i said i just had all the seats cleaned."

as soyeon took her cup, whining, yuqi also asked a question, "okay but, why am i here?"

"you are a woman who's working at neverend and who likes hwasa, like the rest of us. so you're gonna help us make a plan obviously." said minnie.

"makes sense"

soyeon was still worried about yuqi, so was minnie. but they had decided not to open that topic unless yuqi talks about it first.

***

the next day of the lucas problem

"are we gonna sit here doing nothing, minnie? will he live his life without punishment? ugh, i can't stand this! i'll kill him."

"we both know you can't do that, so don't talk nonsense. and remember she never complained nor gave his name to the police. i guess she wants to drop it. so it's better we don't talk about it until she does."

"so we're gonna act like nothing happened?"

"and what do you suggest, soyeon? bring the topic everytime we see her and reopen that wound with useless ideas?"

"okay, maybe you're right."

"trust me, this is for her own good."

***

thus, they were acting like everything is okay. yuqi, however, never felt okay and the girls' behavior was making her even feel weirder for some reason. but she tried to keep it herself. shuhua noticed yuqi's long face as yuqi had never been good at hiding her feelings, especially for shuhua, it was always obvious. in fact that morning she had already realized yuqi was really weird. she decided to ask about it now and put her cup on the floor.

"tell me what happened?"

"you already know? the ceo of the company of our magazine kicked his fiance? hwasa? who was our chief-"

"oh my god, minnie unnie! sometimes you act like a child, you know that? it's cute but this is not the time."

"but i was-"

"what do you want to know?" asked soyeon.

"i want to know what is the thing you're hiding that made you go all silent on our group chat and made yuqi start behaving like this. something happened while i was away, and last time as i remember, yuqi wanted me to be there for her because she was not feeling well. so you better talk now! yuqi?"

"shuhua, slow down." soyeon looked at shuhua and tried to stop her with her eyes.

"we're here to make a plan about hwasa being gone? do not bring other things up now." said minnie.

"yeah, after all, it's more important." said yuqi and stood up all of a sudden. then she went up the stairs and hid in shuhua's room. shuhua shouted her name but she ignored her.

then shuhua looked back at the girls who are in shock by this sudden attack. soyeon turned towards minnie, "i ing told you!"

"don't shout at me, i was thinking of her own good!"

"minnie unnie, relax-"

"you think this is good? you heard her, she's definitely thinking we don't care. you need to fix this! you upset her, we upset her!"

"soyeon unnie sit down first we-"

"i didn't meant to!" minnie stood up against soyeon, "that is the opposite of what i wanted to do!"

"enough!" shuhua stopped them, "you are going to tell me what the is going on, now!"

"minnie unnie can do that, i'm gonna go check on yuqi."

soyeon went up the stairs quickly, "yuqi, where are you?" she called. there was no answer. she tried the first door she saw, but it was locked. she didn't want to try all the doors, it would be wrong. so she shouted yuqi's name again.

then shuhua shouted from downstairs, "try my room, she must be there."

soyeon rush to the door of shuhua's room and knocked on it, "yuqi, are you there? may i come in?"

yuqi didn't reply but soyeon entered in anyway. yuqi was lying on the bed, her back was to soyeon. soyeon closed the door, inhaled and exhaled deeply, then sat next to yuqi.

"yuqi listen, it is not what you think it is. i mean we didn't want to-"

"i know. you were just being thoughtful. i don't think you don't care, of course you do. it's just that..." yuqi was making sounds like she was trying not to cry, "even though i know that, i can't help feeling sad. i don't know what's wrong with me."

soyeon lay on the bed and hugged yuqi from behind, "nothing is wrong with you. it's okay, i promise you, it's gonna be okay."

"i missed mom... and dad."

"then you should visit them soon."

"i will"

"for now, just try to relax"

yuqi turned around and faced soyeon, "then i should look at your face."

a teardrop was falling from soyeon's eye to the bed. yuqi stopped it with a kiss just when it was on her nose. she pulled back and looked at soyeon again who was now looking at yuqi with bedroom eyes. yuqi then realized that was the moment... to relax a bit more. she came closer and closer to her lips. soyeon's heart pounding like crazy, she felt like fireworks were going off in her heart. their lips were about to touch but minnie barged in on them in panic, "YUQI! SOYEON!" making them jump from the bed. yuqi fell over the floor and soyeon got up straight.

"uh, oh... sorry to interrupt but it's an emergency!"

"w-what is happening?" asked soyeon as yuqi got off the floor, holding her head.

"shuhua just left the house and is on her way to lucas' home now. i don't know how she managed to walk so fast with that ankle though."

"she must be so angry. what'd you say?" asked yuqi.

"nothing, i was just talking about lucas and you, and she left as the moment i said drug, that's it. she didn't even listen to the rest."

"i'm leaving." said yuqi and left the room in a rush.

"wait" shouted soyeon and ran after yuqi.

"i'm coming too." said minnie and was gonna follow them but felt her phone buzzing. she took it out of her pocket and saw miyeon's name on the screen. then she answered at once.

"m-miyeon?"

"hey"

"you came"

"yeah i did, you got my message?"

"oh, sorry. today was a very hectic day, and it still is, honestly."

"no, i get it. call me when you're free."

"actually..."

"yes?"

"... no, i mean yes, i'm busy right now. see you later."

"okay, see you."