“Oh, let me help you with that, unnie!” Yura rushed over to take the plastic bags from Sojin, carrying them over to the kitchen to start unpacking.

Sojin smiled. “Thank you, Yura.” She noticed Hakyeon giving the teen a thumbs up for whatever reason.

“How was today?” Sojin asked the others as she placed her jacket and purse on the designated rack. “Seems like you all had fun.”

“We did actually!” Hyeri bubbled first. They all courteously disregarded the afternoon incident. “Hakyeon oppa took us to Dream Tea again for lunch and we went to an arcade afterward. You really should have been there, unnie. Yura unnie totally crushed oppa at the strength tester game.”

Hakyeon’s eyes widened. How dare they reveal him to be the wimp that he probably was. In front of his crush! “Hey! One of the midgets definitely tripped me when I made the punch. I call sabotage.”

Yura peeked over the cupboard door and faked a cough. “Weak.” She resumed her task of putting an already opened gummy bear packet inside. Sojin must have been feeling snacky on the way back.

Hakyeon ignored the not-so-sly jab. “How about you, noona?”

Sojin waved her hand. “They hit it off like I knew they would. I mostly just sat in a corner and read my book ‒ but, hey, I finally got to finish it. I bet I would have had more fun with you guys though.” She padded over to the counter to check on her plant. “Hyeri…”

Four people waited on bated breaths.

“Would you mind watering, Mr. Pot Pot? He's looking a little dry.”

“No, of course I will!” Hyeri shouted quickly. She immediately grabbed a cup to fill in the sink, giving Yura a meaningful look as she passed by. Sojin didn't suspect a thing. Mission accomplished.

Glancing at his watch, Hakyeon frowned. The sun was starting to fade over the horizon and his time playing babysitter was up. Honestly, he was having fun just hanging out but now that Sojin was home, there was no reason for him to linger any longer.

Hakyeon stood up and made a show of stretching his arms over his head, throwing in a yawn for added effect. “I guess I should leave now.”

“Aww, oppa. Do you have to go?”

“Yeah, Minah. I have, er, stuff to do for school. I’m quite busy. Yes, very busy.”

All the while, Sojin had been standing at the counter with her chin resting on a palm. She tried her best to suppress her amusement at Hakyeon’s attempt to stall. It was obvious to her that he wanted to spend more time with the girls ‒ particularly Sojin herself.

She wasn’t going to lie. Watching him squirm in the hot seat gave her some satisfaction.

“Don’t you want to stay for dinner at least, Hakyeon?” Sojin tilted her head in question.

“I dunno, noona…”

Pft, look at him playing hard to get. This time, she didn't hide her emotions and gave him an eye roll. Better throw in the bait before his playboy side showed up again. Sojin deadpanned, “I’m making curry.”

“YES!”

Why is it dark?

Why is it cold?

She tried to navigate her way around but bumped into invisible walls in every direction.

“Hello? Is anybody out there?” Her voice echoed and bounced off the barricade. She called out again, “Anybody? Please, I think I'm stuck.”

As if someone had grabbed her ankles, she was rooted to the ground. She couldn't move.

The walls were closing in on her.

“Please, I‒” A cry rang out suddenly. Like a lost puppy, it whimpered and sniffled and sobbed.

It wasn't her voice.

A few feet away, a little girl, with tear marks streaming down her face, materialized in a tattered red dress. “Eomma, Appa...help me!”

She didn't know who the girl was, she didn't even know who she herself was, but the desperation in those cries urged her to hug the girl. Wrap her arms around her and tell her that the world would never get to her. That she would be alright forever and ever and ever.

But the intangible hands were back and this time they held her arms from reaching out.

“No!” Using the strength in her limbs, she thrashed with all her might. “Let me help her! She just wants her family. I can't let her be alone, I need to help her!”

She screamed.

Sojin gasped, sitting up while clutching at her heart. She could feel its rapid thumping underneath her palm.

It was just a dream, it was just a dream, she chanted. At least the pounding of the rain against the window masked the succession of shallow breaths that followed. Sojin didn’t want the others to see her in this state ‒ flushed face and clammy hands.

These dreams ‒ no nightmares ‒ woke her in the middle of the night often when she was younger. As the years passed, they occurred sparingly until eventually, with great relief on Sojin’s part, stopped completely.

Sojin wondered why this one seemingly came out of nowhere. It had been a long time since the last nightmare.

A long time since she had seen that little girl.

She reached up to cover her face but the shuffling of feet compelled her to raise her head toward the sound.

Hyeri stood at the doorway with her arms hugging her body. Scrunching her eyes through the dark, Sojin could make out a frown on the normally cheerful girl. Was she scared too?

“H-hyeri,” she managed to croak out, “come here and tell me what’s wrong. Are, are you okay?” The maknae hesitated, rethinking her decision to bother the unnie. Yura and Minah were fast asleep so she couldn't go to them like she usually did. It was late into the night and they all needed a lot of rest if they were going to the amusement park early in the morning.

No, Kim Hyeri was going to be a big girl tonight. She was about to turn around when the sudden flash of lightning illuminating the room caused the young girl to shriek and jump into Sojin’s arms.

There goes that plan.

Hyeri instinctively clamped onto the older woman’s shirt as she sought comfort. She shut her eyes tightly and hid her face in Sojin’s neck.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Sojin immediately cooed, the younger’s short hair. “I’m right here, we’re safe, and you’re okay. Okay?”

She felt Hyeri nod slightly. “Here, come under the blankets and lay down next to unnie.”

"Are you scared of the storm?" Another nod.

"The lightning struck my tree house when no one was home," she whispered.

Resting her chin atop of Hyeri’s head, Sojin began to hum a song. The tune was familiar yet foreign at the same time. She continued because she could feel the tenseness in Hyeri’s body melt away. A few minutes later, the young girl's breathing evened out.

Sojin didn’t understand where the natural ability to calm Hyeri down originated from. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Not once in her life had anybody ever done the same for her on such an intimate level.

Or had someone?

The thought jarred her a bit.

At least she didn’t have to sleep alone tonight. Whenever her nightmares hit, Sojin would usually spend the rest of the night staring at the ceiling. The presence of another person eased the inner turmoil considerably.

Hyeri whimpered, moving closer to her. Sojin wrapped her arm tightly around the sleeping girl in an act of comfort. For Hyeri and herself.

In the darkness, their fears were pushed aside for the time being.