The six of them were stuffed after finishing a box and a half of pizza. They packed up the remaining pizza slices in their boxes and left them on the dining table. Seulgi was the first to go to the living room to set up the movie while the rest tidied up the dining table in the kitchen. After everything was set, everyone else followed after Seulgi. Wendy, Joy, Yeri and Seulgi lunged at the couch to take their spots. They were all huddled up to the right side of the couch, leaving a cramped space for two people to sit on. Juhyeon was suspicious of the girls having naughty grins on their faces. They looked scheming. Juhyeon and Taemin then took their seats. She was left with no choice but to sit in the middle of Taemin and Joy.
“Shall we start?” asked Seulgi as she held the remote control in her hands, waiting for everyone’s cue.
“Neh, kaja!” said Joy with full excitement. Seulgi pressed play and the movie started. The eerie background music started to fill the living room as the surroundings got darker and darker, changing the ambiance of Juhyeon’s pastel place from lovely to creepy. Just when everyone thought the ambiance was perfect enough for the movie, Yeri stood up and ran to turn off all the lights in the house. As Yeri got back to her seat, she huddled back together with Wendy, Seulgi and Joy. Taemin leaned a little against the armrest and Juhyeon just sat stiffly while hugging herself. Juhyeon was starting to feel more and more uncomfortable as the movie kept going. She tried not to look at the movie but she could still hear it so her eyes can’t help but to look at the screen. She wanted to cover her ears but she was too afraid to even move an inch. As the movie progressed to the scary parts, Juhyeon was so nervous that she didn’t notice that Joy and the rest were starting to huddle more and more to the right, leaving a little space in between her and Juhyeon. Joy who has seen this movie at least twice, knew the scariest parts were coming near.
“Seulgi, I’ll be the one to move out first. Think of how you’ll excuse yourself after me, tell Wendy and Yeri to do the same before you go. Have great timing, I’ll wait in the room, follow me there” Joy carefully whispered into Seulgi’s ear, planting delight into Seulgi’s eyes. She knew where this was heading.
“Excuse me guys, I’ll just use the bathroom, I think I ate too much don’t feel so good” said Joy with her hands on her tummy, pretending to feel a tug in her stomach and stood up. She made it seem like she was heading towards the bathroom’s direction but swerved to Juhyeon’s bedroom and waited for the others. As there were only five people left in the living room watching, Seulgi, Wendy and Yeri huddled closer to the right making a significantly noticeable gap between Seulgi and Juhyeon. Fortunately Juhyeon was still too scared too neither notice nor move towards the free space between her and the rest while Taemin was so focused on watching the movie with a stupid grin on his face as if he was ready to laugh any time. The remaining girls liked how Juhyeon didn’t move away from Taemin despite having a relevantly wide space between her and them. Now that Seulgi was farther from Juhyeon, she held Wendy and Yeri closer and whispered Joy’s plan to the both of them.
Seulgi stood up, grabbed the bags on the floor and said, “I’ll just take these to the room”. Everyone remained focused on the screen and Seulgi swiftly rushed to the room with the bags in her arms. After a few minutes, the movie was starting to get more suspenseful causing Juhyeon to start shivering in her seat. Wendy pretended to feel that hurt from singing the night before then excused herself to the room to “take her medicine”. Yeri was so impatient and couldn’t come up with a different excuse to leave so she just crawled on the floor after Wendy so that no one would notice her. Luckily for them, Taemin and Juhyeon didn’t seem to mind. The four girls were already gathered up in the room while both Juhyeon and Taemin still didn’t notice that everyone else was gone. They were both too focused on the movie in two different ways; Taemin who was enjoying the thrill, and Juhyeon who was too afraid to move. Yeri being the smallest and swiftest girl was sent out by Joy to sneak out of the room and see what was going on. She crouched and hid behind the living room wall and watched over Taemin and Juhyeon. The movie was already at its scariest part and the scenes were growing more and more horrifying. Soon the movie flashed a very startling image causing Juhyeon to jolt and squeal, cutting off Taemin’s focus from the movie. She couldn’t take it anymore; she couldn’t endure further. She closed her eyes and tried to grab and hug Joy by instinct, but instead she fell flat on the sofa. She opened her eyes and realized that everyone else was gone and she didn’t even notice. As if the dark surroundings and ghastly sounds of the movie weren’t spine-chilling enough, it scared her even more that her friends were gone. Juhyeon was way too afraid that she cupped her ears with her hands and started to cry and this totally got Taemin’s attention. She couldn’t get her mind off the frightening images from the movie and it started to traumatize her.
“Juhyeon-ah?” said Taemin. Even though Juhyeon covered her ears with her hands, the terrifying noises of the movie still found a way into her ears and this made her cry even more. Taemin started to wonder why the rest of the girls were taking so long and he was getting really worried as Juhyeon’s crying kept growing. Taemin reached for the remote control on the middle of the center table and paused the movie.
“Juhyeon-ah” said Taemin. Juhyeon didn’t respond nor move and just continued to cry. Taemin was starting to panic on the inside because he was left alone with her other friends left to “attend to their personal business”, leaving him no choice but to be the one to comfort her. Taemin then awkwardly placed his hand on her back to try to calm her down. Out of nowhere, Juhyeon hugged him tightly like how a child will cling on to its father. Taemin leaned back in shock but that didn’t stop Juhyeon from holding on. She held on to him so tightly that her face was buried on his chest. Taemin could feel her warm tears stream down through his shirt. He felt the vibrations of her muffled cries against his body. He felt how she badly shivered in fear and how fear turned her hands so cold. Taemin’s insides sank deep into the center of the earth. He lost strength in his knees. The pinkish color of his lips left its place and went to his cheeks. His head started spinning. He felt so high up in cloud nine. He doesn’t remember the last time a girl hugged him like that and he didn’t expect Juhyeon to hug him that tightly either. As far as he remembers, Yeri told him that Juhyeon only hugs those whom she was comfortable with.

“Is she this comfortable with me? Just after a few days? I meant the past days felt rather long but this all too fast…that or she had no choice because she was scared as hell. Yeah it could be because of that” thought Taemin.  Her hug was the best thing he’s ever felt in years. Although it seemed so wrong on the inside to hug a girl he just met, Taemin had no choice for the girl was suffering. Taemin couldn’t help but to hug her back. He felt like she was his responsibility at that moment. He held on to her carefully. He wanted to comfort her and stop whatever bothered her.
“Juhyeo--”
“O-op-oppa-y-ya! D-don’t l-l-let g-go please!” cried Juhyeon, still shivering in fright.
“Shhh, I won’t Juhyeon-ah. I’m here don’t worry. I already paused the movie” said Taemin as he gently ran his hands around her back, thinking that maybe the warmth of his palms would console her.
“Opp—“
“Shhh, Juhyeon-ah. Gwenchana, I’m here” said Taemin and Juhyeon continued crying.
“O-oppa, I’m…j-just….s-so afffraid…” said Juhyeon shakily as her tears continued to run.
“I know, I know, I’m sorry. Let’s not watch anymore okay? I’ll tell the rest that you couldn’t take it anymore. I’ll stop the movie” said Taemin.
“It’s d-dark…o-op-ppa…” said Juhyeon. Juhyeon was so traumatized that she couldn’t even open her eyes because she felt like a monster would pop in front of her vision anytime.
“Juhyeon-ah just close your eyes, I’ll be right here. Breathe properly and slowly” instructed Taemin because Juhyeon was starting to choke on her own breath from too much crying. Juhyeon calmed down a little and did exactly as Taemin said. Slowly and surely, Juhyeon’s breathing started to normalize. Although Juhyeon had calmed down a little, Taemin’s mind was still scattered, trying to think of ways to fully comfort her. Juhyeon’s tight grip around his body was driving him paranoid and more worried by the minute; not in a manner that irritated him but in a manner that’s pushing him to more to take care of her.
“Juhyeon-ah, stay there I’ll just turn on the lights and get you a glass of---”
“Andwae! Stay here! Please!” screamed Juhyeon and cried even more. Her hug was so stiff that he couldn’t even stand up. Taemin had no other choice but to stay there with her and hold her until she feels better. Though it was rather dark and all that lit up the place was the light projected by the TV screen, he thought it was more important to stick closely to Juhyeon to make her feel better. He remembered Yeri telling him that Juhyeon was a really clingy person, and that gestures like this comfort her the most. He just stayed still, holding on to Juhyeon dearly. He felt that he was Juhyeon’s strength at that moment and he had to show her that he was strong enough to let her fears go away.

“Just close your eyes, don’t talk. Just think that I’m here. Nothing’s gonna harm you” said Taemin. He had never done this kind of thing to a friend ever in his entire life. Not even to his hyungs or Jongin. He was the type that would want to comfort a hurting friend but shy to express it. He didn’t know until now how great it felt to be the strength and comfort of such a fragile girl. Seeing how delicate she was, Taemin started to feel bad that this girl had to live alone. He thought of what fears might have bothered her this way through the years and there was no one there to comfort her. His heart suddenly felt closer to her.
“Irene-ssi, I’m here” said Taemin. Juhyeon’s cries began to slowly diminish after hearing him call her by her favorite nickname. The nasty images of the movie that was stuck in her mind was then replaced by curiosity; she wondered how Taemin found out about that name. Instead of looking up to ask him about it, Juhyeon kept her eyes closed and cherished the warmth of his embrace. The way he held her gradually made her feel comfort and peace. And though Juhyeon loved having time alone, there were several cons to it. Living alone could get rough for her; it gets lonely, it gets cold and dark, it gets depressing. The way Taemin held her gave her peace and comfort that at least now, someone could take care of her. Juhyeon was starting to trust Taemin more and more. It didn’t even cross her mind again that Taemin was a superstar; her heart grew closer to him for the way he took care of her, for who he was as a person not who he was to the public. It all may seem quick that Juhyeon’s heart has grown closer to Taemin just after two days, but it really is not. It was not because of the weird feeling Taemin gives her on the inside nor is it because of infatuation; it was because her father had abandoned her early that she secretly developed a longing for the same father image that would take care of her lovingly. She didn’t have guy siblings, she wasn’t really that close with her uncle and all the guys around her place seem to be a big bunch of jerks. But she found Taemin. She literally found Taemin, on the ground, in front of her house. He became her friend and now that Taemin showed so much care to her, she thought that she had finally found someone that she could lean on to for strength; even if it’s just for now, even it’s just for a short while. . That someone stronger than her can finally protect her and save her from the darkness that she felt from being alone. She developed that bond and clinginess to him. She was too caught up in that moment that she forgot that Taemin was only going to be around for just a few weeks. Nothing else mattered to her right there and then.

Yeri saw all these and tried not to make any noise. She couldn’t contain her emotions anymore, so she crawled back in to the room and carefully and quietly closed the door. Yeri jumped on the bed and grabbed a pillow and held it against her face to muffle all the squealing that she held back in the living room.
“What happened Yeri-ah?” asked her eonnies eagerly as they crowded up around her. Yeri just continued squealing and kicking her legs about. Joy stood up to pull the pillow away from Yeri and everyone started pinching her cheeks.
“Yaaaaa, Kim Yerim. Tell us what you saw” said Joy. Yeri tried to catch her breath after all the squealing. What she saw just filled her with so much adrenaline that she took time to breath in and out until she calmed down enough for her to share what she had witnessed.
“Guys, please don’t freak out? Promise me that first okay?? What I will be telling you would make you want to scream your lungs out” warned Yeri.
“Promise!” the older girls quickly respond, they wanted to know right away what was going on. They couldn’t wait much longer.
“I just saw…..” paused Yeri, leaving her eonnies in so much suspense. Joy pulled her pigtails and said “Ya just tell us! No cliffhangers!”
“Okay okay! Gosh!” said Yeri “I just saw Juhyeon-eonnie….hugging Taemin-oppa. Tightly”
The girls were in uttermost shock after hearing this. Yeri thought they’d scream or at least struggle not to scream but they didn’t. They just stayed still in their places, eyes wide-open, jaws dropped to the floor in disbelief.
“J-jinjja??.....” said Seulgi quietly. Yeri nodded. There was an air of awkward silence that breezed the room for a while.
“Daebak….” said Wendy.
“Baechu-eonnie finally becomes friends with a guy whom she kept in probation under her roof and she hugs him after two days of meeting and it had to be Korea’s top idol” said Joy monotonously.
“Guys, the plan worked, why aren’t we happy? Didn’t we intentionally put on a scary movie for Baechu to be scared in order to make way for them to be sweet?” said Wendy.
“It’s been a really long time that Baechu avoided guys. I guess we’re so used to that and not used to this” said Seulgi.
“Yeah but didn’t we plan to make ‘this’ happen? Why don’t we seem as enthusiastic that we finally did it? We finally paired her up with a guy” said Wendy.
“I don’t know, guilt? Culture shock?” said Joy.
“Definitely culture shock” said Seulgi.
“You guys must be so damn culture shocked then. I was nervous that you’d scream your heads off after I told you” said Yeri while removing her pigtails.
“Are you not culture shocked, Kim Yerim?” asked Joy.
“I am but…” said Yeri.
“So what did you see back there? How did they start hugging? Were they cuddling?” asked Joy.
“Well….they weren’t cuddling” said Yeri.
“Then what??” asked the three eonnies.
“Didn’t we all leave by the scariest part? Juhyeon eonnie got really really scared. She looked for someone to hug and we weren’t there so she dropped her head and cried badly. Taemin-oppa paused the movie and asked if she was okay and she quickly hugged him because she was badly afraid. She was shivering and choking on her own tears, so Taemin-oppa hugged her back to comfort her. Oppa hugger her tightly and kept reassuring her that he was there for her and that she shouldn’t be afraid. She stopped the movie and didn’t let go off eonnie. Oppa was really sweet and it looked cute but I feel really bad for Baechu-eonnie, she was seriously terrified” explained Yeri in quick manner, much like blabbering.
“Omona….what have we done guys. This was so selfish of us, we forgot how Baechu-eonnie would feel” said Joy.
“That sounds sweet of Taemin-oppa but I think we went a little too far” said Seulgi.
“I think it’s best if we go out now and try to comfort her too” said Joy.
“We should comfort her now and apologize later before we sleep. We shouldn’t let Taemin-oppa know that it was a set-up nor should we tell Juhyeon as well, she will lose trust. We will tell her eventually, but not now. The wounds are fresh. Let’s learn from this guys, we went too far” said Wendy. The girls all agreed on this. They shook off their guilt and regret and went out of the room. As they got out of the room they saw Juhyeon leaning back on Taemin as he held her close to her. The girls didn’t know whether to feel giddy or nervous about this. Juhyeon was still having hiccups and her tears were still fresh; she looked like she just recovered. They immediately went over to Juhyeon and Taemin. They knelt in front of her and gave her comforting touches. Juhyeon still looked lifeless like her soul was away from her body. They expected Taemin to feel awkward about holding Juhyeon in front of them and let go of her, but he didn’t. On that point they knew that Taemin was really sincere about comforting Juhyeon and didn’t have any hidden motives.
“Eonnie, we’re so sorry. We will never watch horror again, I promise” said Seulgi as she held her hands, massaging them for her blood to flow properly. All the girls repeated Seulgi’s apology and went closer to Juhyeon to comfort her. Yeri went to Juhyeon’s right side to give her a hug and Joy went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Taemin then let go of his hug to give way for the girls to comfort her but his hand remained on her right shoulder. Everyone kept apologizing and cuddling Baechu until she let out a very faint “It’s alright…”.

Joy came back from the kitchen and handed Taemin the glass of water (yes she gave it to Taemin on purpose).
“Juhyeon-ah, drink please, it’ll make you feel better” said Taemin as she guided the glass to Baechu’s lips to make her drink. Baechu cooperated and drank. She gulped every drop of water without pause and immediately felt more refreshed after.
“How are you feeling now?” everyone asked her. Though Juhyeon’s eyes still looked dead, she gained more energy and was recovering better. She forced a smile and patted on the heads of the girls kneeled in front of her. The loving touches of her friends were more than enough to make Juhyeon forget about every negative thought that bothered her earlier. It was more than enough to jumpstart her.

“….I wanted to watch Tangled instead but you guys wanted horror so much so I tried to go with it...so you guys would enjoy more..” hoarsely whispered Juhyeon.
“Aaawww eonniee, mianhae….jeongmal mianhae..” said the girls then lovingly hugged her. This was the Juhyeon the four of them knew; selfless and loving, would rather give way for others’ wants rather than her own. Sometimes that trait of her goes overboard and it worries them big time. So, the girls do whatever they can to keep up with it; they try to be careful with Juhyeon especially knowing how far her love can go.
“Do you wanna watch it now? Will you feel better?” asked Wendy. Juhyeon nodded slowly.
“Alright let’s go!” said Yeri enthusiastically. Seulgi immediately switched the movie and everyone went back to their places earlier to enjoy the new movie. Even if things seemed back to normal again, Taemin’s arm was still around Juhyeon’s shoulder. Juhyeon didn’t protest and leaned back at him again, drumming beats on Taemin’s heart. Although the loving touches and words of her friends made her feel better, it was the way Taemin took care of her that strengthened her the most.