I wasn't sure how long I sat there, staring at her unmoving figure. I was hardly aware of the nurses coming and going, checking this device or that reading. I simply sat there, hoping for some sign that my mother was going to wake up, not once slipping into sleep, until one of the nurses tapped me on the shoulder.

“Hun, you've been up here since yesterday morning...Why don't you go home and get some rest?” she said softly, worry in her eyes. I nodded slowly. I didn't know that I had stayed up there all night. It didn't feel like it had been that long, but at the same time, it felt like an eternity had passed. I stood up and walked zombie-like outside. Once I made it out, I looked down at my phone. I had eight missed calls. I checked the call history. Three were from Sungjong, two from L, and two from Sungyeol. I locked my phone and barely had it in my pocket when it went off again. I pulled it out and answered.

“Hello?” I asked, trying not to sound too down or tired. I could tell I didn't sound normal, though. I just hoped the person on the other side didn't notice.

“Minnie? Are you okay? We've been trying to call you. Did something happen?” Sungjong asked. I shook my head, and then realized he couldn't see that over the phone.

“I'm fine. I was just...busy yesterday,” I said. I didn't want them to worry about me, so I didn't tell them the real reason I hadn't answered all day yesterday.

“Are you sure? You sound kind of...off,” he said. I forced a laugh.

“I'm sure,” I said, trying so hard to sound like nothing was wrong.

“Okay then, if you're sure... Hey, why don't you come over to the practice room? I miss you,” he said. I nodded, and again realized he couldn't see that.

“Yeah, sure,” I said. I felt like I needed a distraction. And how could you be sad around those seven boys? I flagged a cab and had him take me home so that I could change and attempt to look normal. I got home, changed into a tank top and some shorts, and took another taxi to their practice room. Within an hour, I was there. I thanked and paid the man, and then went in. I had put on concealer to hide the dark circles under my eyes and ran a brush through my hair, so I (hopefully) looked okay. As soon as I stepped into the office space outside of the practice room, I was practically tackled by Sungjong.

“Minnie, we were so worried about you yesterday,” Sungjong said. Geez, I don't talk to them for a whole day, and this is the way they greet me? ...I'd have to not talk to them for a whole day more often.

“I'm sorry, Sungjongie. I just had some...stuff to take care of,” I said, wrapping my arms around him and hugging him back.

“You could have at least answered one of us to tell us that. We thought something happened to you,” L said with a mixture of anger and concern. I looked down at the floor.

“I'm sorry,” I muttered. He sighed and hugged me tight.

“Just...let us know you're okay, even if we don't see you,” he said. I nodded into his chest.

“I think that's enough scolding her. She looks like she needs to do something fun. What should we do?” Woohyun asked. Sungjong put an arm around my shoulders and smiled at me.

“What do you want to do, Minnie?” he asked.

“You guys pick this time,” I said, forcing a smile and hoping it looked natural enough to fool them.

“I always wanted to see this girl at an arcade,” Sungyeol said, slightly ruffling my hair. I smoothed it back down and shrugged.

“I'm fine with it if everyone else is,” I said. They smiled at each other and one by one, they filed out. Sunggyu grabbed my arm and hung back. I looked at him an waited until everyone left.

“Are you sure you're okay? You look like you haven't gotten any sleep,” he said. I smiled at him.

“I'm just a little tired, that's all. I'll be fine,” I said.

“Okay, if you say so,” he said, not exactly sounding like he believed me. I shrugged and followed him out to the others.

We had decided to walk, since the nearest arcade wasn't that far and we wanted to save all of our cash for the games. I started off walking beside Sungjong in the front, but then I started noticing that it was harder and harder to stay focused. Eventually, I found myself lagging behind. I pulled out my phone, as if to play off my falling behind being because I was texting. They didn't really seem to notice, and just as I tried to catch back up, the world started spinning. Sunggyu, noticing that I had started falling back, turned just as the pavement came up to hit me in the face. No wait, that wasn't right. I was falling. There, that seemed more logical. The world started fading to black as seven pairs of shoes ran back towards me. I vaguely heard them calling my name, not the nickname they called me, but my real name, and then all the lights went out.