Chapter Text
The members hadn't heard from Soyeon in weeks. They had been separated by solo activities since Soojin's contract termination, but usually Soyeon answered texts regularly, even if she was unable to call.
Yuqi had even tried calling the manager at CUBE with her best professional requesting skills, and he had told her Soyeon didn't want to see anyone for the time being.
On the group chat, the members texted among each other.
"Theres no way she wants to be alone"
"Do you think cube trying to keep her away from us"
"Maybe shes planning another solo"
"No way! She just had one"
Soyeon could feel her phone buzzing in her pocket. She put it on silent and sang the melody again into the mic. She swore, and mentally cursed whatever higher power it was which was preventing her from writing. She could write for Shuhua, so why not for her favourite member? Ex-member, she reminded herself sharply.
"You've worked hard, you should go home."
Without Soyeon realising, the manager had come into the practice room. Exhausted, she couldn't argue and picked up her belongings, thanking the manager as she left.
Heading home in the dark, the melody she had come up with started playing in Soyeon's head, teasing with her thoughts, telling her she would never achieve anything ever again. If the title track flopped, (G)I-DLE were done, and she knew it. She could see it in the way the staff at CUBE looked at her, the way the CEO told her she had achieved so much already, that she didn't have to work so hard all the time, as if he had already dug her a grave and was waiting for her to fall. Soyeon typed in her code and slipped through the door, leaning her back against it.
Home.
Not having to share with anyone. She could handle herself alone. Soyeon locked the door and dropped her stuff by the sofa, taking out manuscript paper from her bag and scribbling down a few melodies to try later. She was hungry, so she took some cherry tomatoes from the fridge and ate a few, before the exhaustion took over.