Seulgi groaned for the nth time as the doorbell rang repeatedly and it woke her up. She is a heavy sleeper, but the person behind their door wasn’t content with the bell that they also started banging on the door. Her phone was also ringing and it added up to her frustration. Even if she doesn’t want to wake up yet, she grabs her phone and forcefully opens her eyes to look at the clock and the caller's ID. It was still eight in the morning and it was Seungwan who was calling. She didn’t answer the call yet because she knows Seungwan can wait, but the person outside looks like they cannot.

"Aish, wait a minute!" She shouted, and then the bell stopped for a moment.

"Visiting this early in the morning should be illegal!" She muttered with her eyes still closed and groggily got off of the bed.

Seulgi wasn’t expecting any parcel nor a visitor, especially this early morning when Joohyun was not around yet. She’s clueless about who was outside the door and why they were so eager for the door to be open.

The bell rang once again, and so did the banging.

Seulgi was known as a kind and calm person, but right now, she’s still half asleep and wasn’t in her real self just yet. Because she’s the type of person who likes to stay up for bed for a moment after waking up, or in short, she’s not a morning person. Her good sleep was interrupted and she’s still not in the mood to talk to someone just yet. So she silently prays to heaven, asking for forgiveness already to whatever she may do to the person outside.

The bell and the banging didn’t stop until she reached the door; she recklessly grabbed the knob and twisted it. “I said, wait a minute, for goodness sake! Don’t you know ho— what?!” She immediately hid her face with her hands when she was then greeted with camera flashes and familiar loud laughs.

"I’m going to send this to Joohyun unnie!" Yeri said, and the three other people behind her continued to laugh.

"Seulgi unnie’s just woke up look is the best!" Lisa commented that she was so satisfied with what she was currently witnessing.

Seulgi’s hair was so messy and she still had something on her eyes. She wasn't able to look at herself in the mirror earlier because of the impatient person outside her door. Only to find out that it was just her friends who were pranking her.

And with all of that, she totally lost all her remaining patience, "Yah! Stop or I’m going to kill you all!"

--

Apparently, it was Jisoo, Wendy, Lisa, and Yeri who were outside the door. They all know that Seulgi sleeps like a bear, so they purposely did all of that to wake her up, and they were happy that it was successful—it was Yeri’s idea, after all. They all gather in the living room while waiting for Seulgi to do her morning routine and fix herself. She then proceeds to the kitchen afterward to prepare something for her annoying friends. “What are you all doing here at this early in the morning?” Seulgi curiously asked them from the kitchen. “And I bet all of you haven’t had breakfast yet?”

Wendy, who was about to sit down, seen Seulgi might need help in the kitchen. "It is Saturday Seul! It’s been a while since we last did this, right? And we guessed that you must have been feeling lonely because Joohyun unnie isn’t around, for now, so we decided to visit you and hang out."

"And yes, we haven’t had breakfast yet, so let us help you so that we can eat now. We’re all hungry," said Jisoo as she followed Wendy to the kitchen.

Seulgi stopped looking for some ingredients in the fridge. She looked at them one by one and clicked her tongue. "Maybe you mean to barge in and not visit? You didn’t even inform me beforehand then you’re all coming here empty handed and empty stomach. Did you do something wrong with your girlfriends that they let you all starve?"

Her question made a chuckle for everyone, even Seulgi, herself. It’s really been a while since she last saw them. She will not deny to herself that she’s also been feeling lonely these past few days. Her daily routine becomes dull as she goes straight to their condo as soon as she has finished her work. She spends most of her free time alone there—playing some video games, doing random sketches, or just sleeping all day. So, it warms her heart to see them again after a long time and share their company even though they interrupted her sleep and pranked her.

"Oh come on, unnie, we know we’re always welcome here. Plus, where’s the fun if we didn’t prank you? We just missed you and we know you missed us too!" Lisa said, and she gave Seulgi a teasing grin with her eyebrows moving up and down.

"Tsk. If you didn’t interrupt my sleeping time, maybe I’ll admit that I missed you all too."

"Ha! Joohyun unnie replied to me already!" Yeri, who was busy tapping on her phone, butted into their conversation. "She laughed at your pictures and said your morning look is still one of her favorites," she paused, grimacing, before continuing, "Whipped as always. Anyways, she also told us to have fun and that she missed us, too."

"See? Even Joohyun unnie misses us and you still don’t?" Jisoo asks, nudging her.

Seulgi just gave up. She knows her friends won’t stop unless she admitted it. Teasing is part of their friendship, they love to annoy one another ever since they were still in elementary.

Kang Seulgi, Son Seungwan, or also known as Wendy, and Kim Jisoo are all at the same age, which means they’re also in the same classes. While Lalisa Manoban and Kim Yerim were two and three years younger than them, respectively.

The three met Lisa, who joined their dance club at their school. The younger girl immediately caught their attention because of her dancing skills and being a fast learner. She was also always been a responsible junior who followed every instruction of her seniors. Even if Lisa was the youngest of them all at that moment, she’s the one who always cheers them up and spreads positivity in their club whenever they are having a hard time. That’s why they didn’t find any reason not to be friends with her, even if she’s two years younger than them. They once decided to invite her to hang out with them after their tiring practice. They treated her to have some snacks as a reward for her hard work and for always being a responsible member. Lisa gladly accepted it and they were able to get to know each other better after that.

However, Yeri got bullied as she was a new transferee at their school. Although she was adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings and the new people around her, she was able to rank first in her class. Most of her classmates got mad about it and envied her because of being smart and advanced in class. She was often called names, such as loner, attention seeker, and a cheater for always having perfect scores on her quizzes. Yeri didn't have any friends until Seulgi saved her from being bullied. She told the younger that she could be her friend or even an unnie to protect her. Some pupils got even angrier because of that, but they didn’t even dare to bully her again after she became friends with Seulgi, Wendy, Jisoo, and Lisa. She was so grateful to have her unnies at that time who never failed to protect her at all costs.

Although they were not the same ages and may have different attitudes and personalities, they get along very well. They already treat each other like siblings who bicker almost every minute but will always be there to support and comfort each other. The problem of one will be the problem of all; the success of one is the success of them all— they didn’t let any of them suffer or celebrate alone. They rely on one another ever since when they’re still young and even before they found someone in their lives. And up until now, their bond is still there, strong and tight, and nothing can ever break it.

--

Meanwhile, Joohyun is at their company branch in Daegu with her Dad, Bae Jiwoo, the founder and current CEO of BAE.CO. She got busier than before as she needed to study a lot of stuff about the company and familiarize herself with different departments and people in their company. Her father had to introduce her to the employees, board members, and shareholders of their company as the next CEO, so she went back and forth to different cities with her father these past few months.

They are currently inside his father’s office while preparing for a meeting that will start in an hour.

Jiwoo glanced at her daughter and saw a familiar smile on her lips while looking through her phone. He knows that smile and he knows who is the only person who can make Joohyun smile like that.

"Joohyun," he called.

Joohyun looked up at her father and placed her phone on the table before answering.

"Yes, Dad?"

Her father sipped on his coffee before asking, "How are you and Seulgi?"

Joohyun was surprised by the sudden question especially that they’re currently at the company, but she answered it anyway. She thought that maybe he was just checking out their relationship like usual.

“We’re doing fine as always, Dad.”

His father formed a small smile at her answer. “Good. So, does she already know about your plan?”

Joohyun can’t help but furrow her eyebrows because of her father’s sudden questions. “No, I wanted to make it a surprise, so I’m going to tell her after all of this.”

“Oh, okay, but make sure she understands your whole situation, and don’t forget to make time with her, Hyun-ah.”

“Of course, Dad. Seulgi has always been an understanding person, you know that, and I don't forget about her.”

His father didn’t say anything for a while, but he never left his gaze on her daughter.

“Seulgi has limits too, Joohyun.”

Joohyun was baffled at her Dad’s statement. She doesn’t understand what her father is trying to say. She opens , and then closes it as if she doesn’t know what to say to him.

Jiwoo saw that, so he just asked her another question. “When was the last time you went out with her?”

“Just last week, the night before we went here, we went out for dinner,” she replied.

“I was referring to a proper date, Hyun, like a whole day that you two have time for each other and spend it happily— without any work-related.”

Joohyun paused to recall the last time they went out together. It was when Seulgi asked her to go out and celebrate because she would be the next CEO of their company. She silently gasped after she realized that it was already five months ago.

“The time has passed by so quickly,” she thought.