Chapter Text
Jimin, Minjeong, and Aeri were in the middle of enjoying a relaxing movie night after relatively short practice. The three were bundled up on the couch in the living room of the dorm, watching a rom com since Aeri protested putting on a horror movie. But no matter how much they were enjoying the movie; they couldn’t help but notice the shuffling coming from Yizhou’s room.
She was preparing to leave for the night. Again.
The members weren’t opposed to the youngest going out and hanging with others, in fact, they were glad to see her branch out and find friends in the idol industry, but she been going out almost every night, whether they were in Korea or abroad. At first the three tried to understand her. Maybe she just needed to let out some steam, after all, they have become busy in the past year and a half. But it’s been four months. The older girls were starting to question how Yizhou was functioning. Most times she would wind back up at the dorm completely wasted, and other times she would not come back home at all, electing to meet the members in the practice room.
“I’m leaving,” Yizhou said rather coldly.
The three oldest members exchanged glances with each other. Aeri and Minjeong urging Jimin to say something before Yizhou could open the door.
“Yizhou, wait.”
The younger let out a sigh, stepping back into the apartment.
“If you’re going to lecture me about going out, I don’t wanna hear it. So, if you don’t have anything else to say, goodnight. See you in the morning.” It terrified Jimin how emotionlessly she sounded. Where had their bright and funny playful gone? It hurt seeing her this way. This time, before Yizhou could cross the threshold, Aeri spoke up.
“We’re just worried. That’s all.” Jimin could’ve sworn she saw a flash of anger across Yizhou’s face when Aeri stood up, but Aeri didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes shifted between the two, deep in thought.
With that, she swiftly turned around to leave the apartment without speaking another word.
For a couple minutes the three didn’t say a word. All of them just staring at the door, almost willing Yizhou to walk back through the door. They wanted their bright and happy member to burst through the door, loud and laughing about something she saw on TikTok earlier. They wanted to hear her heavenly voice ringing throughout the apartment. But that was no more. And they wanted to know why.
Yizhou’s behavior was affecting Aeri the most, as they were extremely close. She doesn’t even remember the last time they had a conversation, much less hung out. She remembered when Yizhou first began to distance herself from her. The first time she didn’t bat an eye. She just figured the younger girl just needed some space.
“Ning-ah! Should we watch a movie?” Aeri called from her room. There was silence for what seemed to be forever before Yizhou replied.
“Can’t. I’m going out with Natty tonight.”
Aeri was slightly taken aback with her short response but managed a half-hearted smile.
“Okay. Have fun and say hello Natty for me,” Aeri said with all the enthusiasm she could muster. Yizhou didn’t respond but instead pulled her lips in what was intended to be a smile. For a few minutes the pair didn’t say anything. Their eyes lingering on each other. Neither of them had ever experienced such an uncomfortable silence between them. Their time together was always filled with laughter, telling silly jokes, and showing each other funny memes.
“I guess I’ll be going now,” Yizhou said, finally breaking up the tension. Aeri stepped aside so Yizhou could leave.
Aeri didn’t dare admit it, but from then on, there was an emptiness. She wanted Yizhou by her side all the time but knew that wasn’t possible. She wanted to respect Yizhou and her choices, and the younger had every right to hang out with other people.
Days later, Aeri wanted to go shopping and knocked on Yizhou’s door to invite her.
“Hey, let’s go shopping. It’s been a while.”
Yizhou was sprawled out on her bed, aimlessly scrolling on her phone. She only looked up from her phone for a quick second before her eyes settled back on her phone.
“I’m not really feeling well. You go without me.” There it was again, Aeri thought. Her voice void of any emotion.
“You’re sick? What’s wrong?” Aeri was instantly by her side, plopping herself on Yizhou’s bed. “Is it a cold?” Yizhou looked slightly irritated, which Aeri caught and was instantly hurt, but tried not to show it.
“Umm I-I just rather not go. I think Minjeong’s home though,” Yizhou said. Which was true, Minjeong had just gotten home from a schedule fifteen minutes ago, and she loved the girl, but Aeri was really hoping to spend time with Yizhou. She missed her. They had been so busy, and it had been a while since they properly hung out.
“Okay, well call me if you need anything,” Aeri said weakly. That was all she could muster before awkwardly exiting, her feelings very much hurt. And that was just the beginning, or so Aeri thought. But for Yizhou, it had started a long time before then.
“What’s the one thing we promised when we first became a group?” Jimin asked. Minjeong and Aeri thought for a moment. They had made many promises.
“Tell each other everything,” Minjeong finally said. Jimin nodded towards her girlfriend. Aeri looked confused for a second, her eyes shifting between the couple.
“What would Yizhou be hiding? There’s not much we don’t know about each other,” said Aeri.
“Obviously whatever she won’t say, she feels like she can’t tell us. Which I don’t know why. She knows she can tell us anything,” Jimin said, frustrated. She was currently pacing the room, deep in thought. Even though Aeri and Yizhou were quite close, Jimin was the sister Yizhou never knew she needed until she became part of Aespa.
“What’s so bad she feels like she can’t tell us?” questioned Minjeong. The three girls had no idea. “Let’s call Natty!” Aeri shook her head.
“I’ve already tried. The minute I even mention Ning, she shuts down.”
“So Natty is keeping a secret for Ning,” Jimin said. “They’ve gotten close,” she commented, mostly to herself. Aeri scoffed loudly, surprising Jimin and Minjeong.
“So close that she’s forgotten about me,” Aeri said softly. As she sat next to Minjeong deep in thought, the only thing she could do was shake her head. The truth was, she didn’t mind Natty and Yizhou hanging out at first, but now, she’d be lying if she said their friendship didn’t bother her a little bit. The most annoying thing is, Natty seemed like a genuine sweetheart who cared for Yizhou, but Natty was supposed to be a replacement for her.
Minjeong and Jimin both stared at Aeri, feeling sorry for the girl who had seemingly lost her best friend. And the worst part is, they don’t know why.
Inside the club Natty and Yizhou frequented, Room 22, Natty looked on worriedly as Yizhou was already started on her second drink of the night even though they just arrived.
“You should take it easy Ning-ah.” But Yizhou wasn’t having any of it. Tonight, she wanted to get drunk. Well, she wanted to get drunk every night, it seemed, but who was gonna tell her she couldn’t? “What happened this time? She flirt with you again?” Yizhou shook her head.
“I don’t understand how I can make it any clearer. I’ve confessed multiple times, and all she sees it as is a joke!” Several people nearby stared at Yizhou in surprise. Natty smiled awkwardly and apologized to them, slightly embarrassed about her friend’s outburst.
“Will you calm down? You’re attracting attention.”
“I don’t care.” Yizhou stared absent-mindedly into her drink. She wanted the alcohol to numb her and quiet her thoughts. “She just sees me as a joke. She flirts with me and makes all these comments. Not knowing how I really feel.”
“Maybe she’s convinced you’re just joking. You know how you guys used to joke around,” Natty reasoned. Yizhou didn’t reply immediately. She ran her finger around the ring of her cup, lost in her thoughts. Natty laid a hand on her back in support. “Lisen, why don’t we get away from all of this and go back to my place? That way you don’t get sloshed again.”
Yizhou thought for a moment. Her thoughts weren’t one hundred percent clear, but she was still sober enough to think that maybe that was a good idea. This was probably the third or fourth night this week she was getting drunk. She finally agreed. But just as the girls paid for their tab and were preparing to leave, a tall figure stood before them.
“You’re beautiful,” the man whispered in Yizhou’s ear. Yizhou backed away in disgust. Natty stepped between the two.
“Sorry, we’re just about to leave.” The man’s eyes settled on Natty, not impressed she was interrupting. Natty had to admit he was good looking. Tall, long dark hair and sharp features. But Yizhou would never be interested in him.
“Why’s a pretty girl like you leaving so early? Can I buy you a drink?” The girls cringed at the charm the man was attempting.
“No thank you,” Yizhou answered. She was seemingly a little sober now. Natty grabbed her hand and started to pull her towards the exit. The man’s smile faltered a little. Before Natty and Yizhou could step away, the man grabbed Yizhou by the arm. Eyes wide, she tried to break free from the man’s strong grip. Natty, using all her strength, gave the man a shove.
“What the fuck is your problem?!” The man briefly let go of Yizhou’s arm. The two took the opportunity to escape into the crowd, which had taken notice of the scene unfolding. The man tried to follow them but was instantly lost to the crowd as the two girls weaved between bystanders in the crowded club.
Once the two finally made it outside they let out a huge sigh. They decided to walk a little further down from the clubbing district before trying to catch a cab back to Natty’s dorm with her members.
“Can I stay the night again?” asked Yizhou. Natty shrugged.
“You know you’re always welcome. But Jimin, Aeri, and Minjeong won’t be worried? This is the third night this week you’re staying out,” Natty said. Yizhou just shrugged her shoulders.
“As long as I show up for rehearsals, I can do what I want.”
****
The next day, Jimin, Aeri, and Minjeong were in the practice room, waiting for their youngest member to arrive. Minjeong was stretching in the middle of the room, while Jimin was sitting near the door, checking her phone every couple of minutes and attempting to call Yizhou. Aeri was sitting crisscross near Jimin.
“Have you tried calling her again?” asked Minjeong. She was done stretching and spread out on the floor. “Teacher is getting impatient.” Jimin just shook her head.
“She’s not answering. She’s never been this late. What if something really happened to her,” she said panicked.
“What’re we going to do? There’s so much we’re preparing for, and we can’t have her fucking up,” Aeri said. Right as Aeri said that, the door swung open, and in came Yizhou looking like she had had better days. Her jaw tightened.
“So now you think I’m a fuck up?” The practice room suddenly got quiet. Minjeong looked at Jimin, who was taking turns observing Aeri and Jimin. Yizhou looked like she was barely holding on, having to restrain her words. She took deep breaths as her gaze burned into Aeri’s. “Answer me.”
“T-that’s not what I was saying, ning-ah.” Aeri shifted her weight uncomfortably, secretly hoping Jimin would swoop in the conversation as backup. Aeri could see Yizhou’s jaw tighten. “It’s just, you’ve been distracted lately. You go out every night. You don’t come home. You’re hungover. You’re scaring us.”
“Last time I checked, I’m an adult. I don’t need you guys to baby me. Are we going to practice or is this gang up on Yizhou day?”
“Ning-”
“I said drop it!”
Aeri stepped back as Yizhou fought back tears. Jimin and Minjeong were too stunned to speak. Just then their manager came rushing in to see what the shouting was about. His eyes searched the younger girls for an explanation. Yizhou rushed out of the practice room before another word could be said.