It’s almost ten, Hyunjung realizes when she grabs her phone and checks the time.

She’s exhausted after spending the entire day in Hongdae with Juyeon, since the girl insisted she needed company to buy the perfect birthday gift for her sister. Juyeon found what she was looking for after browsing through a thousand different stores and, even though her legs are sore from walking too much, Hyunjung is thankful because that means Juyeon won’t be dragging her into one of her crazy adventures anytime soon.

Hyunjung takes a quick shower and almost falls asleep when her back hits her bed, the softness of the mattress against her skin more than welcoming after all the exercise she had to do. But she knows she can’t give into the urge to close her eyes and let herself drift off to dreamland, not when she has somewhere to go, someone to see.

Hyunjung says goodbye to Juyeon, reminds her to leave some food for Dayoung and Yeoreum, then finally leaves their dorm, quick steps guiding her to where the person she’s been dying to see is.

Hyunjung greets the janitor once she’s in front of the building, thanking the man once he lets her in. She goes straight to the elevator, leaning against the metallic wall after she presses the fourth floor button. Hyunjung sighs impatiently as she watches the red numbers change— it’s almost like the elevator is purposefully moving slower today, a way the universe found to mock her for being so eager. 

She darts out of the elevator as soon as the doors open, stopping in front of the apartment she’s been to a million times and struggling for a few seconds before she finally finds her keys. 

“Oh, Hyunjung unnie,” Yeonjung greets her with a bright smile as soon as she unlocks the door. Dawon, who was lazily running her fingers through Yeonjung’s hair, briefly pauses the action to give her a wave. “Sojung unnie is not here.”

Hyunjung’s shoulders drop at the same time her smile vanishes from her face. “She’s not?”

She was so desperate to see her girlfriend that it didn’t even cross her mind that she should’ve called or texted Sojung before she came. What an idiot.

“You could at least pretend you came here for the rest of us,” Luda comments from the other couch, shoving a handful of popcorn into .

“Leave her alone,” Yeonjung says and throws a pillow at Luda’s direction. It hits her square in the face, and Hyunjung chuckles behind her fist at Luda’s bewildered expression. It’s so distracting that she barely registers it when Yeonjung leaves the couch, grabs her wrist and says, “Come with me, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Hyunjung lets herself be dragged to Yeonjung’s bedroom, blinking when the girl closes the door and leans against it. She tilts her head to the side, confusion written all over her face when she asks, “What is it?”

“Sojung unnie has been stuck in the studio since nine in the morning,” Yeonjung sighs, crosses her arms over her chest. “She hasn’t answered any of my texts, either.”

Hyunjung clenches her fist, gulping hard. They all know it’s not uncommon for Sojung to spend countless hours working on new tracks, but what isn’t normal is for her to leave them in the dark. As their leader, Sojung always makes sure to find some time to update the rest of the group, to let them know that she’s alright and that she’s not pushing herself too hard, no matter how busy she is. 

Except when things are bad, Hyunjung thinks to herself, anxiety sweeping through her veins at the thought of Sojung alone in that studio for thirteen hours straight.

“Thank you for telling me,” Hyunjung grabs Yeonjung’s hand and pulls her into a hug. She knows how much Yeonjung worries about Sojung, could feel it in the way the girl let out a shaky breath against her shoulder. “I’ll go to the agency now, okay? You go back to your movie.”

Yeonjung nods, hesitantly pulling away. “Please take care of her, unnie.”

“Of course,” Hyunjung reassures her, gives her arms a light squeeze, and leaves the bedroom with a heavy heart. 

She waves to Dawon and Luda on her way out, ignoring their puzzled looks and rushes to the elevator again, disappearing from the building as soon as she gets to the first floor. 

A guy in a bicycle almost hits her when she’s crossing the street, but she can’t find it in herself to care— not now, when her hands are trembling and her heart is racing, and all she can think of is Sojung, Sojung, Sojung— her Sojung, all alone, probably being eaten alive by her cruel thoughts. Hyunjung has seen this happen before, it was impossible no to, after knowing each other for over a decade and going through the best and worst days of their lives together. 

The first one was when their debut in their old agency got cancelled. Hyunjung held Sojung— who was in her last year of middle school, still the young, small and fragile girl from Busan she met years ago— in her arms as both of them cried inside of the cold practice room. The second one was when Sojung got chosen as the leader, and Hyunjung found her drowning in her own tears in the bathroom, having a hard time trying to explain to her that she was convinced that she was going to ruin everything because she wasn’t good enough to lead a group. The third one was when they went from thirteen girls to ten in the blink of an eye and Sojung spent the whole day panicking in her bedroom because she thought they were doomed, and now this one. Hyunjung has an idea what could have caused it, but she needs to be sure first.

Hyunjung barely greets the staff in the entrance hall before she’s inside an elevator again, rentlessly shaking her legs as she waits for it to take her to the fifth floor. She almost collides with a trainee once the doors open, throwing a hushed sorry over her shoulders as she makes her way to the studio at the end of the corridor.

Hyunjung grabs the doorknob, sighing when she notices it’s locked. She presses her forehead against the door, trying to regain her breath as she gives it two soft knocks. 

“Baby?” Hyunjung tries when there’s no answer, the word coming out softly even though she’s still panting. “Please open the door for me, hm?”

Hyunjung is about to try again when she hears a sound coming from the other side of the door, and soon enough she’s greeted by the view of her girlfriend. Sojung’s eyes are red, her lips are quivering, and the fact that she’s trying so hard not to cry shatters Hyunjung’s heart into a million pieces. 

Hyunjung closes the door behind them, wraps her arms around Sojung’s back and tightens the embrace as soon as the first sob flies out of her girlfriend’s lips. Hyunjung runs her hand up and down Sojung’s body, hoping the gesture is enough to remind Sojung that it’s okay, you’re not alone, as long as you’re in my arms nothing in the world can hurt you.

Hyunjung brings them over to the couch, feeling her heart break for the second time when Sojung clutches her shirt and hides her face in the crook of her neck, holding her like she’s scared Hyunjung will disappear from her sight at any moment. 

“Hey, hey. I’m here,” Hyunjung whispers, presses a kiss on the crown of Sojung’s head. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

Sojung’s shoulders relax, but she doesn’t move. “S-Sorry. It’s just— I’m really stressed.”

Hyunjung scratches her nails on Sojung’s nape at a gentle pace, knowing the gesture never fails to bring Sojung comfort when she needs it. “Talk to me, baby. I want to listen.”

Sojung remains silent for a while, until she moves around and finds a position where she can look Hyunjung in the eyes. Her head is now resting over one of Hyunjung’s arms, her legs are bent over Hyunjung’s thighs and her own arms wrapped loosely around Hyunjung’s torso. Hyunjung’s free hand travels down to Sojung’s legs, tracing random patterns on the exposed skin. The leather couch is too small and their position is too messy, and Hyunjung is sure her arm will be sore later, but she takes a look into Sojung’s puffy eyes and realizes she couldn’t care less about her aching mu