Chapter Text
“I missed you so much, but you’re suffocating me.” Chaewon wiggled in the center of the group hug until they finally released her, and she smiled, catching her breath. “I’m glad I’m back.”
“We’re more glad you’re back,” Kazuha retorted, taking her luggage and bringing it into the apartment. “How was your break?”
“It was perfect.” Chaewon had taken two weeks off of work to stay at home with her parents. The company wanted her to take time to make a decision about her career, adjust to her new medication, and reduce her stress. “But I missed you all every day.”
“Yeah, not to like- guilt trip you- or anything,” Yunjin chuckled. “But it was so weird here without you. We were glad you rested, but if you’d decided not to come back, I don’t know what we would’ve done.”
“Truthfully, there wasn’t much of a decision to make. I needed the rest, but there’s no job that I can see myself doing that would make me as happy as I am here. I want Le Sserafim to be my last and longest group ever. And in order to do that, I need to do a better job of taking care of myself.”
Kazuha cleared her throat. “And?”
“And letting others take care of me too,” she responded, rolling her eyes. “I owe you all an apology.”
“No you don’t.”
“Yes, I do,” she said, holding up a hand to stop Eunchae. “Seriously. When things get hard for me, I tend to push people away, and that’s not fair. I need to do better, and that starts tonight. If you’ll have me, I’d love to come back and be your leader again.”
“Are you kidding?” Yunjin asked. “Of course we’ll have you.”
“That’s a relief.” Chaewon wiped fake sweat off her forehead. “I’ll order dinner for us tonight. There’s lots to talk about. Information from my neurologist, decisions that we need to make together, and new medications. But first, I’ve got to order some food.”
Sakura hooked an arm over her shoulders. “I like the way you think.”
Fin.