Hyomin lived alone in a decently sized one-bedroom apartment in the outskirts of Seoul. The apartment was decorated in such a way that you would immediately pick up on the fact that a very fashionable person resided in it, with large BearBrick figures placed in strategic corners and various brand name items were on display throughout the house. The walls of the apartment were decorated with blown up images of pictures that Hyomin personally took herself, showcasing her love for photography. Sunny always found it fascinating how Hyomin had the meekest personality of anyone she knew, but drove around a fancy sports car and always dressed lavishly, as if trying to make up for being quiet by dressing up loudly.

“So how is T-ara’s comeback coming along?” Sunny asked Hyomin while digging into her bacon and eggs. They were both seated around a small table in Hyomin’s dining room, facing each other. 

“It’s coming along good. Our first showcase is going to be in a few weeks. I feel like it’s a song that even our non-fans could get into.” Hyomin replied with a mouthful of roasted chicken sandwich. 

“Oh really? Sounds like a good time. Can I go?” Sunny asked, looking up from her food to see the twinkle in Hyomin’s eyes at her question. Her best friend vigorously nodded and looked excited at her proposal.

“Careful Minnie, you’re gonna knock your pretty head loose.” Sunny laughed, subconsciously letting go of her knife to playfully slap Hyomin’s hand that was resting on the table. 

“You really think I’m pretty?” Hyomin asked, eyes locked directly onto Sunny’s as if challenging the latter to retract her claim. Or was it an invitation for Sunny to be a little bit more forward? The SNSD member decided to go her usual cheeky route however and made a point to over exaggeratingly scrutinize Hyomin’s face, adding in a few contemplative “hmm’s….” as well making the taller girl flush a bright crimson.

“Sometimes. Like when you remember to draw in your eyebrows.” Sunny grinned while Hyomin pouted at her answer. She was about to take a playful swing at Sunny from across the table when she realized that the latter’s hand was still resting on her own from earlier. Sunny didn’t notice Hyomin’s blushing increase in intensity as she was too preoccupied with polishing off the remainder of her bacon.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, just basking in the comfortable silence. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of Sunny’s utensils doing their thing to what’s left of her breakfast.

“You know…you can tell me anything right?” Hyomin spoke up, earning a quizzical look from Sunny.

“I’ve been listening to your radio show, and I’ve also been talking to you on the phone a few times a week. I can tell when something is up with you Sunny.” Sunny could feel Hyomin’s eyes pierce right through her, and for a moment she was rendered speechless. This was the first time she’s seen Hyomin in nearly 2 months, and yet she already sensed more than Yoona did eventhough the latter saw her every single day.

“It’s so nice of you to monitor me Hyomin. Can’t get enough of my voice?” Sunny asked trying to sneak her way out of this conversation, but Hyomin was having none of it.

“Yah! I’m being serious. I know you try to act happy all the time Sunny and it might fool some, but I know you better than that.” Hyomin stated, eyes still fixed on Sunny who was trying to avoid her gaze. Has Hyomin blinked at all in the past few minutes? Sunny must have missed it.

“I understand if it’s something that you can’t talk to me about, but…. I just want you to know that you don’t have to pretend around me. I know you better than anyone so I can tell when something is bothering you, so if you need help or if you just want to talk about it… I’m here for you Sunny.”

Sunny had no idea what triggered it. Maybe she had reached a point where she had bottled up her emotions for too long, and they were beginning to spill over. Maybe the mental and physical fatigue that she received on a day to day basis is finally taking it’s toll on her. Maybe, just maybe Sunny realized that Hyomin was the only person she could completely be transparent around, because the happy Energizer bunny façade that she has put on for the past few months finally began to crack, and she felt tears slowly start to trail down her cheeks.

Taken aback at the sudden situation change, it only took Hyomin a few seconds to compose herself and she got up from her chair to console Sunny, just like Sunny did for Yoona the night before. 

As Hyomin enveloped Sunny in a warm embrace, she began to cry even harder, as if her body has finally decided that Hyomin’s arms were a good and safe place to let herself be completely vulnerable. Her body just gave way and she resigned herself to completely rest her whole bodyweight on Hyomin while clutching the taller girl’s shirt, unabashedly staining Hyomin’s clothes with her tears. Hyomin must not have read the same manual on how to comfort people as Sunny however, as she was completely caught off guard by the deadweight that pressed against her and she fell to the floor with a yelp, inadvertently dragging the still-sitting Sunny off the chair to join her in forming an ungraceful tangle of bodies on the floor.

“Yah! You’re supposed to be consoling me!!” Sunny yelled in between sobs, letting out a flurry of slaps and kicks aimed towards Hyomin, who just smiled sheepishly and gathered Sunny up in another embrace, ignoring the continuous slaps she was receiving on her shoulders. She just kept kissing the top of Sunny’s head while whispering sweet words of comfort.

Sunny’s cries eventually dissipated to just sniffling and the occasional hiccup, but she sat curled up in Hyomin’s arms who did not mind it one bit. Sunny felt Hyomin wipe the remainder of her tears from her cheeks and looked up to find that their faces were merely inches apart. Hyomin flashed Sunny another one of her stunning smiles which caused Sunny’s face to burn up. 

Sunny rolled out of her friend’s arms in order to get away from the close proximity. She was surprised she managed to survive receiving Hyomin’s smile at point blank range. It was like a weapon, the way it could make Sunny’s heart stop dead for a moment. The military spent billions trying to develop instruments of warfare when one of the deadliest weapons known to man was right here in Seoul.

“Are you feeling better now?” Hyomin asked, preventing Sunny’s mind from wandering any further.

Sunny nodded back, mustering up a weak smile to show how grateful she was. Sunny reached out to capture Hyomin’s hand in her own, and Hyomin responded by bringing Sunny’s hand to meet her lips, softly kissing the back of the shorter girl’s hand. The act felt like the most natural thing in the world to the both of them, that they didn’t even think much of it.

“It’s Jessica.” Sunny finally said with a weak voice, hoarse from all the crying.

Hyomin urged Sunny to continue, giving a slight nod to assure the smaller girl that she was listening.

“She…is planning to create a fashion line. Of course, that’s pretty normal, but she’s planning on taking a complete hands-on approach to it. Problem is, our group isn’t exactly a group that has a lot of free time to spare to work on our own projects, so she’s been working on it on company time as well.” Sunny explained, pausing to lean back on her arms and to breathe a deep sigh.

“But, aren’t Girls’ Generation kinda at the top right now? Surely SM would be more lenient right?” Hyomin asked, genuinely curious about how the giant and untouchable idol-generating machine known as SM Entertainment functioned. The both of them rarely talked about what went on in their respective companies as a mutual understanding. Sunny didn’t even ask Hyomin about the “Bullying” scandal T-ara was involved in way back when. She just took Hyomin out for ice cream and they watched a crappy movie together at home, which was exactly what Hyomin needed at the time.

“Well yeah, but she’s been missing appearances and exhausting herself to a point where it affects her performance on stage. Fans notice when you’re not giving your all y’know? What with all the fancams out there personally trained on you. Jessica hasn’t been at her best for a very long time.” Sunny explained, pausing for a moment to allow the info to sink into Hyomin.

“Recently, the higher ups in the company kinda dropped a bomb on us — and this is strictly on the down-low, that if Jessica doesn’t improve they’re going to remove her from the group.” 

Hyomin’s eyes widened at this news and hung open. A Girls’ Generation without Jessica Jung? How can that even be possible? Hyomin couldn’t even begin to fathom it.

“Of course, it could just be an empty threat y’know. Sort of like a motivator for Jessica to buck up!” Sunny hurriedly said, trying to ease the heart of Hyomin, whom she knew was a pretty big member of the Sone fanclub.

Hyomin didn’t exactly seem convinced however. If she was a normal fan, Sunny’s answer would have sufficed to ease some of her concerns, but Hyomin was involved in the industry as well, and she knew a shoddy cover-up when she heard it.

“How certain are you that it is an empty threat Sunny?” Hyomin cautiously asked, knowing that she is probably threading on thin ice.

Sunny was quiet for a moment, keeping her gaze fixed to the floor. Hyomin was worried that she had crossed a line somewhere and was about to apologize when Sunny answered with a sigh.

 “Not confident at all.” Sunny managed a weak smile as she slowly looked up at Hyomin.

“Some of the group members think that just because my uncle is the founder of the company, I have some pull to try to save Jessica, but I really don’t have any more say than the other members. I’ve been involved in this industry longer than most, Minnie…. I can feel that this won’t end well.” Sunny said, eyes slowly beginning to water again. 

Hyomin couldn’t move to comfort her friend again. The news was too big for her to register at the moment. Almost every girl group out there and every female trainee want to someday reach the level of stardom that Girls’ Generation has reached. The group that is residing at the top of arguably the most prominent entertainment company in South Korea. The thought that one of the key members of that group could be kicked out was a lot for Hyomin to take in. She just stood there, watching Sunny’s shoulders shake as she tried to hold in her sobs.

“I’m so tired Minnie…. Oh gosh I’m just so tired. Every single day I come home from work to find somebody either crying or shouting, trying to convince Jessica to hold back on her dream and on other occasions I have Jessica crying in my arms telling me that it isn’t fair. It really isn’t fair! Every night I have to fall asleep pretending that I can’t hear Yoona sobbing across the room. All I can do is fake a smile on my face, because that’s what everyone needs me to do! My members need me to smile because it feels good to see a member that does not have a frown on their face, my work needs me to be happy because nobody wants to listen to a mopey DJ on the radio, I’m just….”

Sunny had broken down completely again, and Hyomin finally managed to bring herself to wrap her arms around her best friend for the second time in the day.

“so tired….so so tired….” Sunny whispered into Hyomin’s ear as Hyomin slowly Sunny’s hair.

Slowly, Sunny’s sobbing subsided and her breathing became a slow rhythm. Hyomin turned her head to the side to look at her friend’s face when she heard a soft snore and realised that Sunny had fallen asleep in her arms.

As gently as possible, Hyomin scooped up her friend bridal style and carried her towards her bedroom, Sunny staying asleep the whole way through as a testament to how exhausted she was. The SNSD member was definitely lighter than she looks. Hyomin gently laid the short girl onto her king-sized bed and tucked her under the blanket. Hyomin smiled at how innocent and child-like her friend looked, and how peaceful she looked in her sleep as compared to the crying mess she witnessed just a few minutes earlier.

Hyomin hovered her face over Sunny’s and softly placed a kiss on the sleeping girl’s forehead. 

“Lil’ angel has the weight of the world on her shoulders doesn’t she?” Hyomin whispered to nobody in particular. She just sat on the unoccupied space of the bed for what felt like forever, just observing Sunny’s sleeping form while still trying to digest the slew of information she had just received. 

Just how much sleep has her friend been getting in the past few months? If the living environment within the Girls’ Generation’s dorms were THAT toxic, then maybe Sunny should duck out for a little while. Hyomin wished that she could be a bigger help to her friend, but the only thing she could afford to give were sweet words and an inviting bed. Hyomin could offer for Sunny to sleep over at her place for a few nights, but she knew that Sunny wouldn’t go for it as it would inconvenience her activities. Work always came first for Sunny.

A sudden buzz from her pocket took her away from her reverie, and she hurriedly left the room before her phone could wake Sunny up.

“Yes oppa! I’m at home…. Now?! But this is supposed to be my free time…. Yes, I understand. I’ll be down in a few minutes. Thank you.”

 
Hyomin hung up her phone and let out a disappointed sigh. Her alone time with her best friend has not been going according to plan at all. She took one last look through the semi-ajar door into her bedroom to find Sunny still sound asleep. She hurriedly scribbled a note for Sunny and left it at the dining table, before grabbing her jacket from it’s place on the coat hanger and left the apartment.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wooh! There's the second chapter. I'll admit I'm not exactly the best at describing surroundings and environments, so I kinda did a shoddy job of describing Hyomin's apartment. I tried my best though! I was actually listening to Make You Smile by +44 while writing this, so it kinda got affected by the mood of the song. 

Also, a big thanks to browtogs09, shipper09, Tminnie, chaos_magic (I read your fics all the time by the way! :D), and Sunny-ssi for upvoting the story. Also a huge shoutout and thank you to everybody who subscribed and commented! Your support means a lot!