CHAPTER 8:

Days later, just when I thought my life was just getting peaceful, it didn’t happen.

After our last practice for the performance that will happen tomorrow already, because tomorrow will be our school trip, I just found a white sedan parking on our front gate. 

I was busy saying goodbye to Sua and Yeri but my eyes were already following the car that is slowly stopping towards the front gate of our house.

“Seo Aera!” Zhou eonni came back and was louder than ever.

Her perfect set of white teeth were showing as she flaunts her now black dyed hair. Just like what I asked her, she’s not wearing makeup now and has even changed her hair color. She was standing out too much the last time she went here so I thought her fans might follow if she’s that dressed.

She was a lollipop but instead of looking friendly, she looked more of a thug. Her charisma was overflowing whatever she wears and does.

“Oh, are they your new friends? Wow, you’re improving, huh. I remember you being so silent with me before because you’re too shy to talk to strangers.” She even patted my shoulder as if really proud of me.

“This is Sua and Yeri, eonni.” I introduced the two who looked astonished at the aura of my leader. Well, I wouldn’t also deny that Zhou eonni is very pretty that’s why the two looked in awe. “Guys, this is my eonni from Seoul, Zhou eonni. She’s a foreigner but is staying here in the country.”

“I’m not just her eonni, I’m her favorite eonni.” She said and then leaned over me, trying to tease me by kissing me as usual.

I quickly sneered and pushed her away. She laughed loudly.

“Wow, she’s really pretty. Is everyone in Seoul beautiful?” I heard that line again from the two. 

Wait until they see the visual of LightSky and they’ll know the real meaning of a beauty.

“Did you guys just get out of her house? Are you going home now?” Zhou starts conversing with the two casually.

In the end, we both bid goodbyes to the two. Although Zhou has a very intimidating aura, she’s easy to befriend with. She knows how to talk with people very well. That’s also how we became close back when we’re still trainees.

We were about to get inside the house when my eyes caught another car approaching. I held Zhou eonni’s arm to stop her from walking. My eyes are already getting sharper by the second because I am seeing an familiar car coming closer.

What the hell…

“Are you sure no one followed you here?”

“Of course! I even rented a car, can’t you see?” She pointed to the car she brung but my eyes were still on the car that was slowly stopping behind Zhou’s car. 

My eyes turned sharper even more when I confirmed who are in that car when they came out of it. I sighed as my two former groupmates started walking on the asphalt road as if they were on a runway. 

Yujin eonni's high heels were loud as she marched towards us. Her pastel pink hair was bouncing off the air. Her face that is filled with makeup zoomed to my face right after she got to my front. She sneered at me.

“You betrayers! I cannot believe the both of you!” She was shouting and almost cursing like a mad woman.

Even though Yujin eonni is our visual in front of the camera, her voice and her words are something else.

I gave Zhou eonni a side glance and she quickly avoided it. Did someone just say that no one followed her…

On the back of Yujin is my bestfriend, Gaeul. As the maknae of the group, we are used to seeing her very jolly and bubbly but because she’s still mad at me, her face was snobbish as hell. Although she was wearing sunglasses, she was frowning so much I can already imagine how mad she was.

“How did you come here?” And Zhou eonni got to ask that, huh?

“We followed you, of course! I dragged Gaeul while thinking that you’re getting weird these days and it turns out you went on a freaking five-hour drive here to Seo Aera’s place! You knew where Seo Aera is and didn’t even tell us!”

My lips parted. I looked around because Yujin eonni’s voice was really loud. In the midst of the fields of green and the chirps of birds, there is a crazy woman here.

“I just found out about it a while ago and how can I even tell you guys when all day long, you’re just in your rooms. My God, you just grabbed the snacks I got from China when I got back and never opened your doors again.”

I quickly got in between Zhou and Yujin because they are being noisy as usual and a neighbor already opened their gate to look at what’s happening. How embarrassing it is that the neighbor who saw us was Kang Minsung!

I immediately pushed the two girls towards our house because Minsung’s eyebrow was already raised. 

“And it’s not like I can tell you yet, I’m still pursuing her to come with me back to Seoul.” 

Zhou and Yujin’s argument wasn’t finished even when they already settled down in the living room. I already got them some drinks from the kitchen but they are still fighting like kids. Gaeul was just silently judging the two.

“She already left the group, why are you still pursuing her?” Gaeul suddenly talked in between which made all of us silent.

Zhou and Yujin’s eyes quickly turned towards me. They start smirking as if enjoying Gaeul’s beef with me. I cleared my throat and walked towards the couch she’s on. I sat beside her and tried to coax her.

“I’m sorry. I’m just really desperate and wasn’t thinking right. I thought coming to my parents would solve the problem.” I pouted but she just scoffed at me.

I cannot help but smile because of the cuteness of my best friend.

“Are you going to go back with us then?” My smile slowly faded. She looked so hopeful I couldn't answer immediately.

“Guys, you’re binded by a contract while I already withdrew mine with Ftown. You cannot just decide to put me back in the group just because you want. And how will the fans take this? The netizens? I’m ruined already, I’ll just ruin the group if I go back.”

“What about the fans? They’ll be happy, of course. The petition they signed will pay off then. The netizens? You’re already starting to get cleared up from that filthy allegation, you shouldn’t even care about them anymore.” Zhou said that made my mind malfunction for a moment.

My eyebrow arched. What did she just say?

“Zhou will pay to breach the contract. She’ll pay for the three of us.” Yujin eonni raised her hand and stated her announcement in a very excited way.

“What?” Zhou immediately reacted.

“Aren’t you rich?” Yujin eonni asked her in a mocking way, trying to trigger Zhou’s arrogance.

“Well, we can do that. My family will not say no if we propose an idea that we’re going out of Ftown because we want to re-debut with their favorite artist, Seo Aera.” She said and then shrugged.

“Is their talent agency in China expanding here in Korea? We can sign a contract with Xu Entertainment!” Gaeul stood up and went straight to Zhou eonni.

They are getting loud again. Amidst the ideas that they are throwing, I was just frozen on my seat. My mind is not accepting all their thoughts.

“What the hell are you guys talking about?” 

They stopped celebrating when I stood up as well but with a confused face. They looked at me and said nothing but just blinked.

“Like what you’ve heard, Miss Seo, your name is starting to get cleared up. Some of your classmates have started speaking out already.” Yujin said.

“Which is weird actually. Because I tried reaching out to them back then but they refused to talk. I even tried to reach the school management because they should have been debunking the allegation especially that you were an honorable student of our batch.” Gaeul stated.

“They were paid to keep silent.” Zhou said in the midst of the silence. “I paid double to some of your classmates so they’ll just talk. About the school, it seems like they are scared of something or someone so they won’t say anything even if we pay double or triple.”

“You paid our classmates to talk?” Gaeul asked in surprise.

My lips parted. She smirked at me and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m doing all of these as your leader, don’t get touched too much. You have to repay me by going back to Seoul with us .” 

They were talking about their plans excitedly while my mind was flying somewhere else. When Zhou realized that, she started changing the topic to something else.

“Do you guys plan to go home? I am actually planning to sleep here and go back tomorrow.” She smoothly diverted the topic.

“Yeah, we’ll just sleep here as well. It’s getting dark and the ride is too long. Let’s just go home tomorrow.” Yujin eonni decided for her and Gaeul as well.

In the end, the two girls had to borrow clothes so they could shower for the night. Zhou was busy calling a restaurant from the flyer she saw sticking outside my fridge. And I was fixing bedrooms for each one of them.

Just when I finished cleaning a room, I heard the doorbell of the house. Zhou immediately walked towards the door so she can get the delivery. Gaeul and Yujin were busy preparing the table.

My jaw clenched and I quickly avoided glancing at them. It felt surreal watching them in the house. It felt like I’m back with them. It felt like I’m back to my family. My chest was getting so heavy that I had to shake my head aggressively so just I could come to my senses. 

These girls will laugh at me if they see me being emotional. I know them that much.

“Thank you for giving us so much. Come here quickly so we can give you something in return.” 

And I really got back to my senses when I heard Zhou eonni’s voice in that girly manner. Everyone’s ears rang at her tone. We looked at her way in chorus. 

My jaw dropped when I suddenly saw Minsung following Zhou towards the kitchen. My brows arched as I look at Minsung walking while his eyes were wandering around the house. When he finally saw me, he smiled.

“Oh, what a handsome delivery guy.” Gaeul said and I quickly turned to the girls.

The grimace on my face cannot be helped anymore when the two look so enchanted by our class president.

“Oh, he’s not the delivery guy. He’s a neighbor of Seo Aera and apparently, he’s also his classmate.” Zhou told the two with a wide smirk on her face.

“What in a world of cliche teenage drama is that...” Gaeul said in an amused tone.

“I saw that you’re with your friends a while ago so I thought you’re not gonna dine with us in the house. Grandma still wants to give some foods for you and your friends though.”

“Oh, thank you.” I awkwardly reached for the tupperware he’s handling. He smiled wider and I heard the girls behind me screeching silently. “Please extend to grandma my gratitude as well.” 

He smiled and nodded. “I’ll go now then.” 

“No! Wait a minute! Don’t go yet. Let me give you something in return.” 

Zhou eonni suddenly ran towards the couch and grabbed the paper bag filled with China’s snacks she brought for me because as we all know, she just came back from China awhile ago. 

I scoffed in disbelief when I saw her giving that paper bag to Kang Minsung. 

“Take care of our Seo Aera in your school. She’s a very timid person so don’t let anyone bully her. She looks like a weakling, we know.” My eyebrow raised at Zhou.

“She’s not being bullied, don’t worry. She’s actually quite popular.”

“Indeed, she’s Seo Aera. Anywhere she goes...” I heard Gaeul whispering at the back.

“That’s great! Get this already.”

Minsung looked at me innocently. He was looking at me with confusion. I nodded so he’ll get the paperbag.

“Please share it with Minho, grandma, and grandpa.” I told him.

We silently watched him leave the house and when he finally left, the three girls started flooding me with questions and teases.

“Oh, I see now why you don’t want to go back to Seoul. You have a new target here.” Yujin said with a smirk. She’s touching her lips slowly.

“Wherever you go, you are always glued to handsome boys.” Even Gaeul starts teasing me.

“You’ve got the wrong idea. Stop it. Where’s the food now, Zhou eonni?” I said to stop them. I turned to Zhou and she’s just staring at me with a knowing look.

Thank God the doorbell rang again and it was the delivery already. We ate loudly like how I have always known the group. It was even messier today because Zhou eonni brought alcohol. Yujin and Zhou had an alcohol party while Gaeul and I, who both are minors, were having juice instead.

It was almost midnight when everyone decided to sleep already. Although I prepared rooms for everyone, Yujin, who was drunk, evaded my room. Gaeul insisted on getting on my bed as well so in the end, I was squeezed in the middle of a drunk eonni and a sleeptalker.

I couldn't sleep well so I went out of my room. When I saw Zhou eonni’s room open, I immediately went outside. I wasn’t surprised anymore when I saw her smoking on the front yard while sitting on the old wooden bench.

“Gaeul will get mad at you if she sees that you’re still smoking.” She twitched on her seat when she heard my voice from nowhere.

She immediately cleared and avoided glance when she saw me. She looks so guilty. I sneered.

“I cannot help it. I was in China for a while. No one is stopping me there.” She said in a hoarse voice.

“Just admit it. You’re stressed. And maybe… I’m one of the reasons for it.” I sighed and stared at the sky.

Unlike in Seoul, stars are very visible here.

“I left a big scar on the group. I damaged the name of our group.”

“You’re the victim here. You were framed for something so absurd. I hate how a member of mine has to experience this.”

I stared at her. She was looking at the grass in a very intense manner. I know she’s mad but I’m not sure to whom. I hope she’s not mad at herself. 

I know that when she picked us as her groupmates, she already started feeling the most responsible for us. She’s not just feeling the pressure as our leader but as the one who made the group.

“Can’t you see the group advancing without me? Do I really need to be there to achieve the globally competitive kpop group you have always wanted?”

She didn’t talk but just stared at me blankly. Maybe because I have asked this so many time, she got tired answering.

“To be honest, I want to be a member of LightSky but there’s so much drama if we fight for this. Everything will be messy. You’ll risk so much of your name... ”

They’ll risk so much of their career, time, and even money. They are now thinking of filing lawsuits. Gaeul, who never voiced out about the songs she made before our debut that were never credited to her, is now suddenly so sure of suing the company. Yujin eonni even encourages Zhou to not pay the company for the breach of contract, thus sue Ftown for the slave contract she has.

“From songwriting, producing, concepts, to mending the rumors, allegations and everything, I did all of it.” She said with so much tiredness in her eyes. “And I actually never cared much if I do everything because I cherish everyone of you so much. Ftown could’ve done something atleast though...”

My lips parted as I felt my heart sinking.  For the first time, her facade of being a strong leader was masked off. Her eyes were filled with so much frustration and lost, it hurt me so much.

“Behind everything, I did so much work for the group. I am behind the reason why each of the rumors you guys had were handled quickly and neatly. Maybe, that’s why Ftown didn’t move when the bullying allegation boomed, they thought it would magically get cleaned again.”

She scoffed and puffed another smoke before shaking her head. Although Zhou always flaunts a boasting persona, she actually has so many secretive acts, and one of those are these. It made my jaw clench. Overwhelming feelings made me wince.

“But for the first time, I had a hard time trying to mend a scandal of my member. It got messier and messier as days went by and it was so frustrating that the company just let it be as if your case was helpless... And when the article regarding you leaving the group finally got published, it made me realize how ed up we are.”

She laughed bitterly.

“Dude, Ftown was for display only and I finally realized why it’s only a known company here in Korea but never the best company. We don’t need a company like this. We have to leave so we can accomplish what we dream. Even if you don’t come with us, we will leave. Even if it takes so much money just to get out, I’ll do it for the group. You know money is nothing to me. I want to enjoy my life.” 

A reason why our group has a big trust in Zhou eonni is because our group leader has always been a decisive one and I know that whenever she decides, there’s no one to turn her decision around.

“I’ll let you decide if you want to come with us. Don’t pressure yourself. Choose what you really want.“