Chapter 20– A Week Before

“Hello?” Hwayoung heard Hyomin’s voice on the other side of the phone.

“Anyeonghaseyo unnie..” Hwayoung said.

“Oh Hwa, did you thought about what I said days ago?” Hyomin asked, who had stopped doing her makeup temporarily.

“I did.. I think I’ll do it..” Hwayoung said and Hyomin smiled on the other line.

“But do they want to see me?” Hwayoung assure herself.

“I talked to them.. yes they want too.. So don’t worry. You know, Hwa. We need to settle this sooner or later.” Hyomin said, trying to console her younger sister’s worried heart.

Jiyeon, who just finished her schedule, arrived at the secluded restaurant for the meeting that would probably change a lot of things.

Jiyeon knocked on the room and came in, she continued to look down and sat down beside Boram in the oddly quiet room.

All 7 members had arrived at the restaurant but things was quiet. Hwayoung gulped at the silence and continued looking down, unable to face her members after soooooo long.

“Do you want to order anything?” The waitress came in and asked. However, Soyeon said to serve everyone one cup of tea and the waitress nodded.

“Hwa ah...” Hyomin held Hwayoung’s hand, initiating her to say something to the members.

Hwayoung looked at Hyomin for strength and Hyomin smiled at her.

Hwayoung, with unstable legs got up and greeted her members with a 90 degrees bow,

“Anyeonghaseyo unnie-deul and... Jiyeon..” Hwayoung stuttered and sat back down.

“It has been awhile..” Hwayoung lost her words and her eyes went to Hyomin again and Hyomin tightens her grip on Hwayoung’s hand.

Hwayoung breathed in and continued,

“Sincerely, I am very sorry...” Hwayoung looked down and began getting teary and so does Hyomin.

Qri looked at Hwayoung with a hesitant smile and Hwayoung looked at her as if begging for her forgiveness with tears starting to build up in her eyes. The members had stayed quiet and Hwayoung felt unwanted but she tried to gain confidence.

“It’s not your fault...” Qri said and patted Hwayoung’s hand. Upon hearing that, Hwayoung’s tears began falling.

Qri swallowed her tears and moved a little bit to Hwayoung’s side and hugged her. Hwayoung hugged her back.

Soyeon wiped her tears and went to Hwayoung. Qri let go of Hwayoung and make way for Soyeo.

“Why did you ever feel like that?” Soyeon said and playfully slapped Hwayoung. Hwayoung’s tears only kept falling.

“How can a thought of being an outcast came to your mind?” Soyeon continued playfully slapping her younger sister.

Eunjung swallowed her tears and drank her tea, avoiding Hyomin’s eye contact who was looking at her.

“I don’t know, unnie..” Hwayoung said and held Soyeon’s hand.

“Don’t you love me.. why did you do that to me..”Soyeon wiped her tears and held Hwayoung’s hand back. Qri also wiped her tears and looked at Eunjung and Jiyeon who only stayed quiet.

“I love everybody...” Hwayoung began crying hard.

“Then why did you do that..” Soyeon knocked Hwayoung’s head.

Jiyeon got up and left the room. Everybody in the room froze for a moment and Hwayoung began crying hard again. Soyeon dried eyes also becomes teary again.

“Eunjung ah...” Qri held Eunjung frozen shoulder. Eunjung looked at her as if she was in a lot of pain.

Boram also got up to Hwayoung’s side and hugged her.

“I love you, I never outcasted you..” Boram hugged her younger sister and Hwayoung hugged back. Hyomin wiped her overflowing tears and looked at Qri and Eunjung.

“Eunjung ah.. give her another chance..” Qri said with a broken voice and Eunjung stayed quiet.

“Eunjung ah, pleaseeee. She made a mistake and we made a mistake too..” Qri said and Eunjung kept frozen with no tears at all.

“Unnie, please forgive me..” Hwayoung said to Boram and Soyeon and both of them nodded with Boram wiping off Hwayoung’s tears of regrets.

Hwayoung finally regain composure and got up to Eunjung. With every step, she hesitated and looked for her other sisters strength. She finally got to Eunjung and bowed her head.

“Unnie, please forgive me..” Hwayoung said, only having Eunjung’s hands in her sight.

Eunjung stayed silent, so cold.

“Unnie, I’m very sorry...” Hwayoung said as if begging.

Eunjung finally looked at Hwayoung. Eunjung’s eyes was burning in anger.

“Sometimes I thought to myself why did you ever entered our group..” Eunjung said and it shocked everybody. Qri held Eunjung to stop her from saying anything she didn’t mean.

Hwayoung absorbed everything and nodded.

“But you did give a lot to love about you. Therefore, I thought it was stupid how you thought I never loved you, you stupid..” Eunjung said everything that is buried in her mind.

Eunjung let a loud sigh and after a while, she began tearing up too.

“But you know I have always have a soft spot for you.. and it angers me sometimes..” Eunjung continued.

Hwayoung only nodded with tears from her sister’s scolding.

“Please get yourself together and stop,” Eunjung looked at Hwayoung.

“I’m going to slap you if you ever say that we never loved you again,” Eunjung said and playfully punched Hwayoung on the cheeks.

The other members sighed in relief, relieved that Eunjung didn’t say anything more to sink the already sunk ship.

Hwayoung looked up and Eunjung wiped away her tears.

Jiyeon stared at her own reflection in the toilet, with dried eyes, she washed her hands. Still not ready to return to the room, she continued staring at her own reflection. With a clouded mind, she doesn’t know what to do.

Suddenly, the door creek open and she saw Hwayoung on the reflection.

“Get out,” Jiyeon said and looked back at her reflection. However, Hwayoung proceeded her way into the restroom.

“Are you stupid, I said get out,” Jiyeon said but Hwayoung came and backhugged her.

“Jiyeonnie...” Jiyeon’s right hand shoulder were soon wet with Hwayoung’s tears.

“I don’t like you anymore..” Jiyeon’s voice began breaking again.

Hwayoung only continued to hug her with tearful eyes.

“I hate you, you’re the worst best friend ever..” Jiyeon looked at Hwayoung’s reflection in the mirror.

“I know...”Hwayoung finally said.

“You didn’t call me to explain anything.. You talked bad about me.. You just left.. I hate you, you stupid fool..” Jiyeon’s voice breaks again.

Hwayoung only nodded.

Jiyeon loosen up the hug and faced her best friend.

“Best friends?” Hwayoung said.

“No..” Jiyeon said and hugged her best friend.

The two shared the longest hug they ever had.