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today group schedules had particularly drained sarang’s energy than most of what they’ve done before.
it’s not that she wasn’t grateful for the fans who came out in droves to see them. on the contrary, seeing the countless familiar and new faces cheering for them filled her heart with pride and gratitude. but the number of fans today was overwhelming, it felt like she had performed not for hours but for days on end. not to mention the fan services that she needs to fulfill.
and it wasn’t that today’s performance was any different from the countless practices she’d done before. the choreography, the songs, the smiles—all of it was embedded in her body like second nature after endless practice. yet, today, her body seemed heavier, her breath a little shorter, and her limbs a little sorer.
still, sarang pushed through. her smile stayed wide, her eyes sparkling with warmth, hiding any trace of her exhaustion. she poured herself into every performance, feeding off the fans endless enthusiasm. each cheers and encouragement kept her going. she even recognized some familiar faces in the crowd—fans who had followed them from city to city, standing in the same spots with unwavering devotion. they were her happiness. her purpose.
by the end of the day, she made sure every fan left with a smile, as satisfied as she hoped they would be. sarang loved giving her all for the people who supported them, but she knew that kind of dedication came with a price…
“sarang…”
she can hear a voice calling out for her from a mile away until it eventually sounded like it was beside her instead. she stirred slightly as she felt someone shaking her shoulders with the lightest touch.
“sarang, wake up. we’re home already,” jungeun said softly, her voice full of concern.
sarang blinked groggily, her eyes taking a moment to adjust as she looked at jungeun’s familiar face. “hm?” she mumbled, her mind struggling to make sense of her surroundings.
she then finally registered to where she was, her gaze flickering around the dimly lit car interior. “oh…” she muttered as she slowly sat up, her body protesting every movement. she stretched her arms slightly, trying to ease the soreness in her muscles. it was only then she noticed that the car was empty, except for her and jungeun.
dragging her tired body out of the seat, she followed jungeun, who was already stepping out of the car. outside,there was jeemin who had been waiting for them by the curb. her expression was a mix of relief and pity as she took one look at sarang’s sluggish movements. hiding the fact that it was her who first noticed sarang still asleep in the car and quietly told jungeun to wake her up.
“let’s go,” jeemin said gently, gesturing for them to follow.
sarang tried to keep up with their pace, but her legs felt like rebelling. jungeun noticed and quietly slipped her hand under sarang’s arm, steadying her as they make their way to the others who had walked further in the distance.
by the time they reached the elevator, they joined the rest of the group, who were waiting for the silver doors to open. as the elevator dinged and pulled them upward, the cramped space was filled with silence, broken only by the faint elevator music playing overhead. sarang leaned against the wall, letting her head rest briefly as her body begged for rest.
the doors slid open, and they all filed out onto their dorm floor. relief washed over the group like a wave as they trudged toward their door, a shared sense of accomplishment hanging in the air.
as soon as the door unlocked, the members scattered like leaves in the wind, their tired sighs echoing in the cozy dorm.
“i dibs the bath first!” jiyoon shouted, making a mad dash toward her room.
“what? no, me first!” koko yelled, chasing after her.
the chaos brought small laughs from the others still in the living room, a brief moment of levity after such a long day.
jungeun turned to her roommates with a smile. “so, who want to shower first?” she asked, her voice still calm and friendly.
“i want to go first, please…!” saebi said eagerly, her eyes basically twinkling.
before jungeun could respond, she turned to sarang, who had been unusually quiet. “what about you, sarang? do you want to go first?”
sarang shook her head softly, she took a bit effort to grow a weak smile. “i’ll just… go last,” she mumbled, already heading toward the shared bedroom with slow, dragging steps.
jungeun frowned slightly, concern flickering in her eyes. “alright. just don’t fall asleep before you get in the shower, okay?”
sarang gave a small, tired nod as she disappeared into the room, leaving jungeun and saebi behind.
***
after everyone had cleaned up, it was finally time for dinner. the dorm felt a little more lively now, with members either gathered around the kitchen table or moving about the space, enjoying their free time after a long and grueling day. the chatter was light, the sound of clinking utensils and faint laughter filling the air.
jeemin, perched at the table and picking at her salad, looked up after a moment and scanned the room. something, or rather someone, was missing. “where’s sarang?” she asked, her tone curious but tinged with concern.
jungeun, who was just about to take a bite of her meal, looked up to answer. “she said she’d sleep early tonight. i think she’s really drained from today’s schedule.”
jeemin nodded slowly, jungeun’s explanation making sense to her immediately. as someone who shared the same mbti as sarang, jeemin understood her on a level that didn’t require much elaboration. sarang, despite her bubbly and energetic exterior, was still an introvert at heart. being surrounded by so many people for such an extended time likely drained her social battery completely. a little time and space alone is all she needs.
“ah, that makes sense,” jeemin replied softly, setting her fork down as if she had lost her appetite. after a moment’s thought, she excused herself from the table. “i’m just going to grab something from my room,” she said, her voice trailing off as she walked down the hallway.
she felt the day’s exhaustion catching up with her, but when she opened the door to her room, what greeted her was entirely unexpected.
there, curled up on her bed, was sarang.
“sarang?” jeemin called out, her voice soft but laced with surprise.
to her astonishment, sarang stirred almost immediately, her movements slow and groggy, revealing that she hadn’t been asleep for long. the younger girl blinked at jeemin, her expression both tired and faintly guilty as she sat up from the warmth of the blanket.
“sorry, unnie…” sarang’s voice was raspy with sleep and tinged with a lingering annoyance that hadn’t quite dissipated. “i didn’t ask for your permission first…” she shifted slightly, as if she was already preparing to leave.
“oh, no, no! it’s okay!” jeemin said quickly, waving her hands in reassurance. “i was just surprised to see you here. i didn’t even notice you came in even though i was outside the whole time.” she moved to sit on the edge of the bed.
sarang’s usual wide puppy eyes were heavy-lidded, her body swaying slightly from the sheer weight of her exhaustion. it was a rare sight to see her like this—so vulnerable and drained.
“why did you come here?” jeemin asked gently, leaning forward. she didn’t expect much of an answer, but the slight frown and irritated exhale that appeared told her it wasn’t a small matter.
“saebi invited koko to our room…” sarang began, her words slow and cautious. “and they were being very loud…” her annoyance was palpable, though it lacked the usual fire, replaced by weariness.
jeemin blinked as she registered the words, and now that sarang mentioned it, she could faintly hear koko and saebi’s boisterous laughter coming from the maknaez room. their antics were amusing at times, but jeemin could easily see how it might be too much for sarang, especially when she was already this tired.
“i didn’t have the energy to scold them,” sarang explained, feeling that if she ever did speak up, it would sounded more resentful than she intended too. “so i just moved away… and thought this room would be the most peaceful.”
without warning, sarang scooted closer and leaned into jeemin, wrapping her arms around her waist and burying her face into jeemin’s shoulder. “i hope it’s okay…” her voice muffled.
jeemin chuckled softly, the corners of her lips tugging into a fond smile. “it’s fine. you must be really tired,” she said, her hand instinctively moving to pat sarang’s arms gently.
sarang nodded weakly in response, too drained to say much else.
“i didn’t expect today to be this exhausting,” jeemin admitted, leaning closer towards the sleepy girl slightly. “i’m probably going to crash right after this too.” she sighed, her voice becoming more thoughtful. “but, you know, despite how tiring it was, i’m really happy with where we are now. seeing the fans cheering for us—it still feels unreal sometimes. like, it’s so bizarre, but in the best way possible.”
sarang didn’t respond, but jeemin didn’t mind. she assumed the younger girl was listening quietly, as she often did when she was this tired.
“i’ve learned so much, experienced so many new things,” jeemin continued, her voice growing more heartfelt. “and that being with you guys… it makes everything feel so much more special. i don’t think i’d want to do this with anyone else. i hope we can keep making more memories and reaching new goals together.”
a moment of silence passed, and jeemin finally glanced down, curious about sarang’s lack of response. “sarangie?” she asked softly, brushing back the stray strands of hair that had fallen over sarang’s face.
and what she found made her pause. sarang had fallen asleep, her head tucked into the crook of jeemin’s shoulder, her soft breaths the only sound in the room.
jeemin let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head. “really… ryu sarang…” she muttered in disbelief. she considered her options: should she wake sarang up? should she try to wriggle free without disturbing her?
but as she glanced down again, she found herself smiling. maybe this wasn’t so bad. her own exhaustion was beginning to catch up with her, and sarang’s warmth was oddly comforting.
“i’ll just close my eyes for a while.”