The sound of heavy breathing and feet stomping on the floor echoed around the room. The air was dense and warm from all the sweat coming from the seven girls dancing in the middle. They have been doing the same choreography for a month now, repeating it over and over until they can do it with their eyes closed. 

In the center of the formation was Jang Wonyoung, former center and maknae of the best-selling 4th generation group IZ*One, and the current center of Starship Entertainment's newest girl group. Next to her is Ahn Yujin, a fellow member of IZ*One and current leader of their new group. 

They were used to being the youngest, but now they had the responsibility of part of the unnie line. It now fell on their shoulders to be the role models for the younger ones, especially since they've debuted before and have been idols for a long time now. 

Next week will be their debut date after more than two years of waiting, or in their case, re-debut. A lot has changed since IZ*One officially disbanded and started their journey walking on different paths. The two of them will be the last members to make their re-debut out of all twelve of them. 

It feels different; even though it's been two years, Wonyoung could still hear her IZ*One unnies voices echoing in her ears, and still feel the faintest touches of their warm skin brushing against her own. 

It wasn't fair. They took away the one thing that made Wonyoung's life brighter. 

Don't get her wrong though, she was grateful that she would be debuting again, and her new members have all worked hard these past few years; but call her selfish because she is. She doesn't want to perform on stage if it wasn't with her eleven unnies beside her.

Her unnies told her that nothing between them would ever change, but they lied. Everything has changed. Back then, they would spend all their time having fun with each other and messing around, but now they could barely see each other due to them having different schedules, and  they haven't even been together as twelve since they said goodbye.

Sure, they always talked on the phone and sent regular updates on their group chat, but it wasn't the same as spending time with them in person. And the rare occasions that they do meet up, it was always just one or two members and only for a short time. Most of their meetings were also almost always work-related because they tried everything to have an excuse to meet up. 

"Well done, girls! You have practically aced the choreography, and I'm sure you'll all be ready for your debut next week." Their choreographer called out, signaling the end of their day-long practice session. 

Their manager stood up and looked at her phone, and said, "Wonyoung has a personal schedule to go, but the rest of you can go back to the dorm and rest." She looked up and gestured for everyone to pack up their belongings before turning to her and saying she'll be waiting in the car.

Wonyoung turned to Yujin and let out a tired sigh, "I'm tired, unnie…" she leaned her head on the older girl's shoulder. "...I don't want to do this anymore." she closed her eyes, and a single tear streamed down her face. 

"Youngie…" Yujin didn't know what to say, she was tired too, and everything was getting too much for the both of them. "It will get better soon." she bit her lip and willed the tears pooling in her eyes to go away before whispering, "It has to…" 

"I want our unnies here!" Wonyoung let out, she was so lost without the other girls, and there was a constant hole in her heart that hasn't been filled in so long. "I just want them back…" she whispered desperately, burying her head deeper into Yujin's warmth, the familiar scent calming her down slightly. 

Before Yujin could reply, their other manager came up to them and said that Wonyoung has to leave now or else she'll be late to the venue. Hearing this, the older girl gave the younger one a tight embrace and whispered reassuring words. "You have to go now Youngie, I'll be waiting for you after your schedule, and we'll talk then, okay?" 

Knowing she couldn't do anything but attend her schedule, Wonyoung gave a tiny nod and reluctantly let go of Yujin in order to head out and meet her manager at the car. "I'll be going then." She didn't have the energy to reply anything longer than that.

-------------------------------------------------

Here she was again on another long drive to a schedule. But this time, there wasn't any loud music playing, or people bickering about a useless thing, or someone to entertain her from dying of boredom; there wasn't even anyone to disturb her from her slumber.

Every moment spent with her members was flashing in her mind like a movie only she could watch. She could hear the animated voices of Minjoo and Yuri bickering behind her as they talk about some cheesy movie, hear the loud voice of Yena exclaiming how horrible mintchoco icecream tastes while Nako and Chaewon attempt to convince her otherwise. 

If she could close her eyes tight enough, she could almost feel the warmth of Eunbi sitting beside her as she rolls her eyes in fondness at the chaos going on around them. The subtle twitching of her lip says it all anyway, but of course, she had to pretend to scold them as her responsibility as a leader. 

Wonyoung didn't want to open her eyes in fear of the memories disappearing, but she had to, and when she did, she was greeted by the harsh reality— she was alone, with only the ghost of her memories left to accompany her. 

If only there was a way to rewind time and bring her back to when all twelve of them were together every single day. When it was just them, and nothing else mattered but each other. 

She would do anything to have all twelve of them together again, anything! Nothing in this universe could ever compare to what they had, so she wished that she could have it all back again, even just for a moment.

Up above in the sky, a shooting star flew across the night and lit up the dark. It twinkled brightly as if it heard the young girl's wish, and as it disappeared, the car crashed into a truck that came out of nowhere, causing Wonyoung's world to go dark. 

-------------------------------------------------

"Wonyoung's in the hospital."

A single sentence made Yujin's entire world stop. Her dongsaeng and the person who has been with her since the start was in the hospital. Pain immediately filled her heart, and tears fell from her eyes.

"W-what? H-how!?" 

Their manager looked away; she didn't know how to tell Yujin what happened. "While on the way to her schedule, a truck crashed into the car." her tone was solemn, and her head was bowed.

"What are we waiting for?! Let's go to her now!" Yujin grabbed her bag and a jacket before immediately heading toward the door. "Come on!" She was frantic and unfocused, her tears were blurring her vision, and she was having a hard time breathing. 

Her manager grabbed her before she could leave the dorm, "It's late already, you should stay here and visit her tomorrow." she attempted to get her to sit, but Yujin wouldn't budge. 

"My best friend is in the hospital." Yujin's voice was steady, but you could see how tense her shoulders were. "I am not staying here when I know for a fact that she wants me with her!" Determination filled her eyes, she won't back down, and she will do anything she can to go to Wonyoung right now. 

The manager just sighed because she knew nothing she says would change Yujin's mind. "Go pack some clothes just in case, I'll drop you off, but I have to go back here to take care of the other girls." 

Hearing their manager agree, Yujin immediately rushed to pack some clothes and snacks that Wonyoung might want, as well as the little plushy she always hugs to sleep. "I'm done unnie, let's go now!"

The entire time Yujin was in the car, she was praying and hoping that Wonyoung would be okay. She was her best friend, the person who has been with her since the start, the person who went through everything with her. She didn't know what she'd do if something ever happened to her. She lost almost everything that mattered to her the day IZ*One ended; she refuses to lose Wonyoung too. Not now, and not ever. 

Assuming that the hospital or their managers already informed Wonyoung's family, Yujin realized that she was the one who has to break the news to her former members. She didn't know how to tell them because she was pretty sure that all the unnies would drop everything they were doing to make sure their maknae was okay.

Yujin felt lost, just like how she's always felt since her unnies weren't beside her anymore. Now that she was the eldest, the burden and responsibility of leading a group fell on her shoulders, and it feels so heavy that she sometimes just wants to break under the weight. 

She always feels grateful for her new members, and she was proud beyond measure about how far all of them have come. But they can never, ever replace what she had before.

-------------------------------------------------

Arriving at the hospital and thanking her manager for driving her, Yujin immediately headed to the room she was informed Wonyoung was in. As she was running, she could hear her heartbeat ringing in her ears from how anxious she was. 

"Yujin, why are you here? It's already late sweetie, you could have come in the morning instead." Wonyoung's mother greeted her outside the door to her best friend's room. "You must be tired from practice. I don't want you to stress yourself out even more."

"I couldn't stay put knowing Wonyoung was in an accident." Yujin said the truth, "How is she? Did the doctor say how long she has to stay here?" Her entire body was restless, and she couldn't stay still. 

Wonyoung's mother seemed to hesitate, causing Yujin to immediately think of the worse. She didn't even care that they were supposed to debut in a week; Wonyoung was so much more important to her. "I-is it bad?" she forced herself to ask.

"She's absolutely fine," Mrs. Jang stated, "...physically, that is." She let out a deep sigh and bit her lip in contemplation, wondering if she should tell Yujin the absolute truth.

"Physically?" Yujin whispered out, "What does that mean?" Seeing that the older woman was debating on whether she should tell her, she had to do something, "Please, Aunty…" She whispered while grabbing Mrs. Jang's hands. "...I need to know." she begged, "Please…"

Wonyoung's mother took a deep breath and told her, "Wonyoung, s-she has, um…" She closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears from pooling in her eyes. "She has amnesia." 

"W-what?" Yujin whispered out, this can't be true, this wasn't happening, this was all one bad dream, and tomorrow she'll wake up, and everything will be okay, right?

"She doesn't remember the last two years." Mrs. Jang explained, "She thinks she's still in IZ*One and that you guys have a comeback next week." She averted her eyes, knowing she couldn't bear to look Yujin in the eyes.

"I-i…" A million thoughts were going through Yujin's brain; she couldn't process the situation. Wonyoung thinks IZ*One is still together; how could she tell her that they weren't anymore. 

Yujin didn't know what to do, but she had to be strong. "Can I see her?" she asked, and with Mrs. Jang's nod, she headed inside the room. And upon seeing Wonyoung, lying down on the hospital bed with a huge smile on her face, Yujin's heart broke-- she hasn't seen Wonyoung smile like that in so long.

"Yujin-unnie!" Wonyoung called her name the way she always did, and Yujin had to will herself not to cry. "The doctor said I could still dance, so we don't have to delay our comeback!" Yujin died a little more inside when she heard that, "Where are the other unnies? I thought they would be the first people here?" 

Acting like someone was calling her, Yujin took out her phone and headed out the room. "Minju-unnie is calling me. I'll let them know how you're doing and ask them where they are." she made up an excuse because she really needed to cry right now. 

As she closed the door behind her, Yujin sunk to her knees and sobbed. How was she supposed to tell Wonyoung the truth? Better yet, how come no one has told her yet?! Why was the world so cruel to them? Will they never get the happy ending they deserve?

She didn't know what to do, but one thing's for sure. She had to tell her unnies.

-------------------------------------------------

It started out as a typical day for Kwon Eunbi, the face of Psycho Rabbit productions. She was working on a new song for a soloist, but she doesn't know who she'll give it to yet, though she'll probably give it to Chaewon since it fits her the most.

Once IZ*One ended, Eunbi felt like she already fulfilled the part of her that wanted to be a successful idol loved by many, so she decided to go down the path of music production because she enjoyed making songs so much. 

Though she always had trouble writings songs that weren't for any of her members, luckily, most of her clients were IZ*One members that turned solo. And yes, she still calls them her members because even though their promotions together have ended, they will always be a family to her.

To be honest, most of them went on individual paths; if not soloists, then they became actresses. Aside from Nako and Hitomi, who went back to lead their AKB teams as the respective centers, only the maknaes, Yujin and Wonyoung, will debut in a group.

And speaking of her members, someone has arrived at her studio to disturb her. Times like these, when they come by and visit her despite their busy schedules, warm her heart the most. It especially makes her feel that they are never truly apart even though they're far away from each other.

"Unnieeeeee!" A figure rushed to greet her and gave her a very uncomfortable hug as she was still seated on her swivel chair. "I missed you!" she exclaimed as she rubs her cheek against Eunbi's.

Eunbi smiled fondly and hugged the clingy girl back, "Yah, Kim Chaewon! It's already late. What are you doing here?" Even though she's happy about the visit, she's still worried because of how late it is.

"Manager-nim said that you were still here working hard, so I decided to stop by before going home." Chaewon sat on the empty chair next to Eunbi, "What are you working on?" she asked, noticing the track pulled up on the screen, "Ohhh, can I hear it?" looking at the older girl with pleading eyes, not even trying to hide her excitement.

The older girl rolled her eyes fondly and agreed; it's not like she could ever refuse her anyway. "Fine, then you can tell me who I should give this song to." 

Chaewon grooved to the beat and felt each note hit her right in the feels. The melody was slow, and the tempo was just right; it felt like a song she wanted to sing. "You're giving me that song, right?" she asked, "That song screams Kim Chaewon!" 

"The songs can be for Yuri, too, you know?" Eunbi teased, "I'm pretty sure she can pull it off too." 

The younger girl pouted, "Stop teasing me. This has my vibe all over it!" she crossed her arms and looked away. "Anyway, do you have lyrics yet?" 

"Not yet, though. I think I'll ask Minju if I could use hers. She sent me a very cheesy poem the other day, and the words fit the mood of the song." said Eunbi, laughing while she remembers the random chat their angel sent her while she was feeling emotional. 

Chaewon smiled fondly at hearing about such a Minju thing to do. "I guess even as a successful actress, music will always be her first love." She felt proud at how far their main visual has come; she's now starring in dramas and movies that people from all over the world watch and praise. Chaewon doesn’t know how the visual finds the time to write lyrics whenever Eunbi asks her for some. 

"Of cour--" Whatever Eunbi was about to say was cut-off as she received a call from Yujin; she had a terrible feeling about the call, so she rushed to answer it. "Hello? Yujinie?"

There wasn't any sound coming from the other end, so Eunbi and Chaewon exchanged worried glances. Finally, after a pause, they heard Yujin say something. "Unnie…" The worry Eunbi was feeling only grew as she listened to the sniffles through the phone. 

"Yujinnie, what's wrong?" Eunbi asked; her heart felt so heavy as if knowing she wouldn't like the answer. "Is everything okay?" 

"No." hearing this only made the two girls even more anxious. "What happened?" Chaewon asked. 

"Chaewon-unnie?" For some reason unknown to the two girls, Yujin started crying even harder upon finding out that Chaewon was also present. "I don't know what to do!" The younger girl cried out, trying hard to conceal her sobs so that Wonyoung doesn't hear her.

"Yujinie, you're worrying us." Said Eunbi, "Tell us what's going on, and we'll help you figure out what to do." She tried to calm the other girl down so they could find out why she was crying. 

The other girl calmed herself down enough to say, "It's Wonyoung. She's in the hospital." That single sentence caused Eunbi and Chaewon to stop breathing; how could this happen? "W-what? Why? How?!" 

"She had an accident on the way to her schedule," the younger girl explained, "but unnie, that's not the worst part…" 

"What do you mean that's not the worst part?" Despite not wanting to jump to the worst conclusion, a million possibilities were running through Eunbi's mind. "Is she not okay?" 

"She has amnesia, unnie…" Yujin's voice was shaking as she finally reveals the worst part, "Wonyoung thinks we're still in IZ*One." Silence followed that revelation. 

The two older girls were trying to process the situation, but they were having trouble believing that this was happening. "We're on our way." 

"Please hurry. I'm scared." Eunbi hated how Yujin sounded so small. It pains her to hear how broken and sad the younger girl was. 

"We'll be there as soon as we can, and we'll tell the other girls too." 

"Okay…"

-------------------------------------------------

Sakura was enjoying the very rare occasion wherein she didn't have any work to do, so she was taking advantage of the time she has to rest and spending it by doing what she loves the best, playing video games.

At least that was what she was doing earlier before two midgets gate-crashed at her apartment and took over her entire living room. Deep inside, though, she knows that she can pretend all she wants, but having her two favorite dongsaengs visit her warms her heart. 

Especially now that she graduated from HKT48, leaving Nako to lead their team to even greater heights. It does get lonely sometimes now that she spends most of her time acting and modeling alone. 

It makes it harder for the trio to meet up now, too, since all three of them have different schedules, with Hitomi in the frontlines of AKB48 Team 8; times like these are the moments she treasures the most. 

"Eh? Nako! Why did you eat all the cheese bread?" she heard Hitomi's voice coming from the kitchen. "Those were mine!" the mochi whined.

Sakura could hear Nako's loud scoff of offense at her same-aged friend's accusation. "Me?! I didn't even get to take a bite before you stuffed them all down your throat!" The older girl let out a sigh and decided to interfere before things could escalate any further. 

"Yah, you guys interrupt my rest day just to argue over bread!" She scolded the younger girls in Korean. "Why don't we just watch a movie?" she suggested, in the hope that it will make them settle down and not cause chaos. 

"Fine." The same-aged friends pouted and reluctantly settled themselves down on the couch. "What movie are we watching?" Hitomi asked while scrolling through the available titles on tv's streaming service.

Sakura grabbed some snacks from her cupboard and joined the two younger girls on the couch. "Let's watch the day you said goodbye," she suggested, causing the two other girls to groan in reply.

"Again? We watched that last month!" said Nako, with a frown on her face. "Then again, seeing Minju act is hilarious so, I'm down." her expression suddenly turned mischievous.

Beside her, Hitomi scoffed and said, "You say that as if you don't start crying every time Minju dies at the end of the movie." she rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Weak." 

"It's not as if you guys don't cry with me!" Nako defended herself, "Besides, you guys start crying the moment Hyewon-unnie's cameo as Minju's older sister appears!" she added. 

"That's because her character sacrifices herself to save Minju's!" Sakura argued back, "And then it turns out her sacrifice was for nothing since Minju dies at the end anyway!" the older girl really hated how sad the movie was.

Secretly though, the reason why the three girls cry so much is because they can't imagine any of their members in such pain, and even though it's just a movie, the thought of it hurts too much. 

"We should visit them soon." Hitomi said out of the blue, "I miss them." the other two girls pointedly ignored how glassy the mochi's eyes became. "I wanna see them again."

Nako and Sakura exchanged understanding looks, "I wish we could, but our schedules barely give us time to breathe." the longing in the shortest girl's voice was evident; it's been so long since all twelve of them have gotten together. 

"Seeing each other in Japan when someone has a schedule or face-timing during breaks just isn't enough." said Hitomi. Her heart longed to see her other family again. If only they had a chance to see each other again.

Sakura was thinking about what they would do if they ever get together again. She was sure the first thing on their agenda would be catching up as they eat a ton of food. They would probably gather in someone's apartment, maybe Eunbi's or Chaeyeon's, and cook each other dishes instead of going out.

A pained smile made its way to her lips, and she blinked away the tears gathering in her wide eyes. It's been so long, but the pain is still there in their hearts, longing for each othe