Yoohyeon smiled happily as she looked around. The girls had just finished a hard day’s worth of dance practice, and they were finally able to unwind. All of the members had gathered at Siyeon’s apartment and were just having fun and laughing. Little moments like these with her favorite people were easily the best part of her day. Minji, Bora, and Handong were all singing karaoke while Yubin and Siyeon danced wildly.

Yoohyeon was sitting on the couch with Gahyeon, keeping her company. Earlier in the day, the youngest had injured her ankle and was trying to take it easy. She was still able to walk somewhat well, but needed one of the girls to help hold some of the weight. When they went and saw a doctor, he told the girls she would be fine with rest. Nobody let it put a damper on the celebratory mood in the air though, not even Gahyeon herself.

Their comeback was coming soon, and they were all so thrilled to see Insomnias again. There was no greater feeling for any of them than being on the stage with each other, looking out at the crowd, and seeing their fans. Just the thought of being back out there again made them giddy with excitement.

The night wore on and the girls partied until four in the morning, when they finally decided to turn in. Bora and Handong elected to stay at Siyeon’s apartment and sleep over. Yubin headed off on her own for the short walk back to her own apartment.

Gahyeon was getting ready to head out, and Minji volunteered to walk her home. They all exchanged goodbyes for the night. As Yoohyeon was leaving, something caught her eye.

It was Gahyeon’s house key. In their haste to get home, Gahyeon and Minji had left it behind. Yoohyeon scooped it up and figured she could catch up with them before heading back to her apartment, so that the two wouldn’t have to come all the way back again for the key. Especially with Gahyeon’s injured foot, she didn’t want to make them work any harder than was necessary.

She set off at a slight jog and smiled when she finally caught sight of them about to cross the street at an intersection. The streets were bare at this time, but Minji was still careful not to cross without being sure it was completely safe. She didn’t want to take any risks either with Gahyeon’s safety on the line. Yoohyeon sped up to catch up with them and called out, but they didn’t hear.

On the street, Gahyeon misstepped and her leg gave out on her. Minji stopped to catch her and make sure she was okay.

Yoohyeon figured that since she was there, she would be able to help. She finally got to the crosswalk and made her way onto the street so she could help Minji take some of the weight off Gahyeon’s leg. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a red flash as a car raced towards the two unsuspecting girls. She could tell the driver was clearly drunk and had no intentions of stopping. Fear filled her at the thought of that car hitting her members. Minji was her best friend and Yoohyeon couldn’t bare the thought of losing her. Gahyeon was like her little sister; she always tried to protect her to the best of her abilities. No one could hurt her on Yoohyeon’s watch.

Seeing the car closing in quickly, she sprang into action. Yoohyeon sprinted out onto the street and threw her full weight into the two girls. They were knocked to the side and fell hard. When the eldest and youngest looked up to see what had hit them, it was as if time had slowed down. There they saw Yoohyeon, standing where they had just been, and watched as an incoming car slammed into her instead.

Minji screamed and immediately ran over to their fallen friend. Her heart broke as she cradled the younger girl’s body, begging her to open her eyes. Out of all the girls, Minji had always felt the easiest connection with her. They cared about each other so much, and knowing what Yoohyeon had just sacrificed for her made the guilt feel so much heavier.

The eldest was only vaguely aware of the things going on around her. All she could focus on was the younger girl’s face. She barely registered Gahyeon frantically calling for an ambulance, and didn’t even notice when the driver sped off in another direction. Minji instead focused on trying to find a pulse. Much to her relief, there was one. But it was extremely faint and fading by the second. She had no idea how else to help and hugged the younger girl’s broken body close to her chest, crying into her hair. As much as she wanted to stay strong, seeing Yoohyeon like this made it impossible.

After calling for the ambulance, Gahyeon tried to stand and hurry over to the other girls. All she could see was her leader crying over Yoohyeon’s body, and feared what that could mean. Her heart dropped at the thought of never seeing Yooh smile again. Hearing her laugh for the last time. Seeing Pie wag her tail expecting Yoohyeon to come in, only to find that she had seen her mistress for the last time without even realizing it.

But when Yoohyeon had shoved them aside and took the hit for them, Gahyeon’s already compromised foot took the full brunt of the fall. Her leg collapsed under the pressure and now she couldn’t stand. She was sure her leg was broken. There was a dull throb but she could barely even focus on the pain. All she could think about was the girl she had come to love so deeply, and how she had risked everything to save her life. Unable to stand or help, Gahyeon called the other members in a daze. As soon as Yubin heard, she told Gahyeon she’d meet them at the hospital and ran to get dressed. The rest of the girls were all in one apartment so she called Siyeon and told her what happened.

There was a cry of distress from the other end, but Gahyeon didn’t know who it was from. She didn’t really care either. She just prayed the ambulance would arrive soon.

Minji continued to hold Yoohyeon’s limp body in her arms as she tried to wake her up. Memories flooded her as a similar scene popped into her mind.

“Come on, Yoohyeon. Wake up. We’re going to be late.” By now, Minji had been shaking the younger girl for a good two minutes and she refused to get out of bed. It was three in the morning and she really couldn’t blame her for not wanting to wake up, but they had a schedule to attend.

Back then they were still in their dorms and Bora, her roommate at the time, had already left to start getting ready. Minji’s face softened as she saw Yoohyeon laying there. The younger girl’s face was screwed up tight, and Minji noted that Yooh looked far younger when she was sleeping.

She was snapped out of it once she realized the sleep was not peaceful. The reason Yoohyeon wasn’t waking up was because she was trapped in a nightmare. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on Minji, but worry filled her before she could think about it too much. Yoohyeon cried out in her fitful sleep, and that was it for Minji.

The older girl climbed into the bed and shook her even harder. She knew she wasn’t supposed to wake people when they were in situations like these, but she couldn’t stand there and watch Yoohyeon suffer. Finally, the younger girl shot up in bed, shaking. Her eyes were filling with tears and her hands were drenched in a cold sweat. Upon seeing Minji’s concerned gaze, Yoohyeon broke down and threw her arms around her.

Minji was taken aback by everything that was happening, but wrapped her arms around the shaking girl and held tight. “Hey, everything is okay. It was just a dream.” She tried to calm Yoohyeon and rubbed soft circles into her back.

Yoohyeon couldn’t be calmed though. Through her hysterics, she kept repeating, “I couldn’t save you. I was right there and I couldn’t save you.” Minji just held her close and whispered softly.

“I’m right here, Yooh. We’re in the dorm. It’s okay.” When the younger girl had finally calmed down, she refused to tell Minji what the dream was about. She didn’t press the matter either. If Yoohyeon didn’t want to talk about it, she didn’t want to force her to relive whatever had happened in her nightmare.