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The group chat is starting to ring continuous notifications as early as five in the morning. Wonyoung could only chuckle as every message of her members showed immense excitement for their concert in Tokyo Dome tomorrow, even if she is tiredly finishing up in packing the last of her things. However, there is only one member, besides her, whose name isn’t popping up in her notifications.
Suddenly, she tried to trace back to when they became distant.
Was it their hectic solo schedules that barely overlapped? Was it the tour that pulled their minds away from one another? Was it lost fondness and transferred to other people? Or was there something else that cannot and should not be named?
This is why Wonyoung usually despises dawn, her mind gets overworked even if it is supposed to be too tired to have these thoughts.
She could only release a deep sigh until she was slightly frightened by the call of her manager.
“Wonyoung-ah, we’re almost there. You can go downstairs now. The staff will pick up your other bags.”
“Okay unnie.”
She grabbed her cap and puts her sling bag on her right shoulder and proceeded to go downstairs. Some staff greeted her a good morning and she replied as they open their van’s door. She notices her member, probably Leeseo who she always shares a van with, sleeping with her cap on her face.
Cute.
She has always had adoration for their youngest member, especially after being the youngest in her previous group. So, she had that feeling of being motherly towards Leeseo, even now.
When she sat down beside her in the very back, she noticed how this doesn’t seem like the younger girl she thought was in the van. Her figure was more defined, had a taller frame, and the glasses that hang on the neckline of her shirt did not look like hers. She was also dressed in a style that Leeseo rarely wears.
Wonyoung thinks her mind is currently playing with her, especially the fatigue drowning her, and she just shrugs it off. Her two options of the girl beside her was either a new female staff or it’s really Leeseo (who could be experimenting another style again) and she’s just not in her right mind as of now.
She decided to just look outside the window in hopes to clear out her clouded head. She could see the staff bringing in her bags and felt the van shaking when they closed the trunk door after putting it all inside. All of their staff now went inside the van and situated themselves to their seats.
When the driver noticed they were all in their seats, he looked over at their manager and she gave a thumbs up to him. He now drove off to the airport, the sun now starts to bask the road in its light and heat.
When the van slightly shook from the rocky road they passed through, Wonyoung sensed the person beside her move a little and made a soft, grumbling sound. She looked over and still see a cap hiding her face. She wanted to examine her even more but the van passed through a tunnel where darkness now covers their sight. And then she didn’t want to anymore, even if light already shone on them.
Wonyoung just goes back to her view of the window and studies her surroundings; cars driving at different directions, kids going to school with their uniforms, and the buildings and trees that stood high in their city. She also sometimes hums along to their driver’s favorite radio station playing old, romantic songs she may or may not know.
But her attention suddenly went to the girl beside her again after she could feel her sitting properly (probably waking up). This time, she could see who she really was.
Yujin-unnie.
It was actually their leader and not their maknae. Wonyoung’s face looked too shock for something as simple as switching the members whom you travel with in the vans. And it wasn’t just Wonyoung who looked flabbergasted by this situation, Yujin also mirrors the exact same facial expression that Wonyoung wears.
Why were they stunned by the sudden swap when they have been close friends for more than eight years, trained their skills together, and debuted together in two different groups? These thoughts ran through both of their minds, as if they were trying to find the answers and the words to start a conversation that will add onto the minimal-sounding car.
“Hello?”
“Hi,” Wonyoung replied.
The atmosphere was too tense that their throats felt too dry to say more than a hi and a hello. They both looked around the van, searching for something everywhere, as long as it wasn’t each other’s eyes they could stumble upon. Yujin’s lips thinned from not knowing what to do and Wonyoung’s cheeks blushed from this awkward situation she found themselves in.
“So,” Yujin broke off the silence and asked, “how’s everything?”
Wonyoung, who still looked elsewhere than Yujin, bit back a laugh while thinking it was a dumb question to ask since they both had similar schedules with the rest of the group.
Nonetheless, she answered, “Just the same,” as she fiddles with her hands.
“Right…” It was Yujin’s turn to blush after realizing it was a stupid question.
“And you?”
It was the same, stupid question but Wonyoung only asked this so she could keep the conversation going and avoid a possible dead air that would surround them.
“Also the same, rigorous dancing and strained throats from singing.”
Wonyoung softly laughed at her sarcastic remark and Yujin felt her heart pang from how she misses that innocent sound from her. It’s not like Wonyoung doesn’t laugh heartily or she doesn’t find Yujin funny anymore but this moment, it feels entirely like something else. She also noticed how they were both growing distant, even more during their tour, and it hurts her to think about it. Although she smiles, thinking it may change starting from now.
However, silence engulfs them and Yujin worries again. Wonyoung also feels the same, worrying their “reconciliation” stopped there.
Yujin then starts another conversation, “So, I was thinking of going to the Tokyo Plaza Harajuku “Harakado” the day after our show together?”
“Just us?”
“Yeah.”
Wonyoung smiles and then says with a face full of remorse, “Unnie, I’m so sorry but I don’t think I can go with you. I have to prepare the day after our concert for a brand I’m working with, so I have to fly early.”
“Of course,” Yujin responds. She already knows Wonyoung has a schedule but it still makes her slightly sad.
“But-“
Yujin’s head then snapped too fast to look at Wonyoung, who’s not looking at her, like a puppy who’s waiting impatiently for their treat.
“I’d really…love to. I’m just saying, in case you thought I didn’t want to,” Wonyoung says and looks at her with brows furrowed and eyes looking sorrowful.
Both of their cheeks became pink before Yujin could reply with a sure. Wonyoung starts to regret her decision to look at Yujin when she feels her face become hot, and Yujin feels the same way. They looked away at the same time before showing each other that their pinkish face became a reddened state already.
“Then…we could find some time to spend together when we’re both back in Korea, because, you know, we’ll go back to America, and so…yeah,” Wonyoung stutters nearly after half a minute.
She was wondering why Yujin didn’t respond so she was forced to look at her back again and what she received was Yujin nodding and her soft smile plastered on her pretty face. A dimpled smile that she believed Yujin only offered to her, and her only. Her heart pangs the same way Yujin’s did earlier at the thought of how she missed this feeling.
In the same way, Wonyoung offers her a smile too and it affected Yujin the same way. They both looked at the front, still smiling, but because of how warmed their hearts felt and not the awkward situation they found themselves in earlier.
Wonyoung continued to ramble on another topic, something about how Dubai Chocolate will continue to be trendy even after a decade and Yujin just laughing at how excited Wonyoung is (she just adores whenever Wonyoung acts like a silly fool). They also talk about the Japanese phrases they’ll say for their concert tomorrow in Tokyo Dome, how nostalgic they feel for being idols for almost a decade, laughing about the memes surrounding the K-Pop industry, and even talking deeply about their future plans after retiring as an idol.
“I want to have a puppy café.”
“A puppy running a puppy café?”
“Hahaha, that’s such a stupid statement.”
“Hahaha, it is.”
“And you want to settle down?”
“Yeah, probably have a farm on the outskirts of the country, somewhere people can’t easily go to,” Wonyoung explains as if she doesn’t want the idol life anymore, but there’s longing after it too.
“Grow a garden either of flowers or crops and take care of animals, like having a rabbit,” she continues.
“Okay, bunny,” Yujin replies sarcastically and Wonyoung just laughs.
“Haha, a puppy taking care of puppies and a bunny taking care of bunnies, that sounds like the dream team.”
“It does,” Yujin says softly like how Wonyoung spoke previously.
They put themselves in more chats that flowed naturally and comfortable silence that breaks their conversations just for a little while before conversing again. And by then, the atmosphere they have on them was the atmosphere that always surrounded them when they were fourteen and fifteen.
They were nearing the airport but passed through another rocky road, bumpier than the one they drove through earlier. The driver said sorry to all of them for hitting a huge boulder that made them all involuntarily jump in the van.
But, it was too late for Yujin to draw back the hand that pressed through Wonyoung’s thigh like it wasn’t there in the first place and to pull their faces away from each other’s whose lips are almost touching. They should have pulled their faces away but they couldn’t as if there was an invisible force making them stay that way.
Yujin felt entranced by Wonyoung’s slightly open, plump lips that are pink and shiny. She had a slight envious feeling of Wonyoung’s lip gloss for having the chance to touch her lips, thinking her lips would have been a better choice to touch Wonyoung’s. In the same way, Wonyoung didn’t have the capability to look somewhere else than Yujin’s pressed lips that were driven by hesitance and want of something (her lips, she thought).
Wonyoung could feel Yujin’s hand firmly gripping her thighs and slowly snaking her white skirt higher and higher. Her eyes hurriedly reverted to looking into Yujin’s eyes, looking innocent but with something dark hidden inside, who were already looking into hers. Their heartbeats ringing too loudly that it reached their eardrums, deafening their senses of what’s happening outside of them.
They could feel and hear each other’s heavy and expecting breaths, panting for more air to supply their overworking hearts. Their lips a distance that is too late to draw back, overstepping an imaginary line they aren’t supposed to cross. They could feel their lips already brushing, both feeling butterflies even if there was barely any contact.
Yujin, who grew impatient, snaked the same hand that was gripping Wonyoung’s thigh earlier to her nape to crash both of their lips. They could feel how much longing they have and how hungry they were for each other that was building up over the years of feeling distant. They opened their lips wider to allow each other to kiss with more ease.
However, Yujin’s hunger dominated Wonyoung’s so she took the chance to lean and kiss even deeper, exploring the Wonyoung she always wanted to explore. From how intense it was, Wonyoung softly whimpered against Yujin’s mouth and gripped the bottom part of her grey shirt to brace herself from eliciting a sound that will make the other passengers to look at them.
“Girls-“
They were very startled from the voice of their manager calling their attention. They both pulled away and tried to sit as properly as they can, still panting heavily from what just has happened.
“-get ready, we’re almost there.”
They tamed their disheveled hairs respectively, smoothened out their clothes, and wiped the smudge on their lips, trying to look as presentable as they can that wouldn’t leave the impression that they were just making out.
When the van stopped perpendicular to the airport’s entrance, Wonyoung looked for her cap and accidentally grabbed Yujin’s hand who was sitting beside it. She said a shy sorry, and Yujin replied with a shy it’s okay, and grabbed her cap to wear it when she exited the van to hide her ruined lips from the paparazzi.
She was greeted by the paparazzi already when she entered the airport but took her cap off seconds later after realizing it still wouldn’t hide her lips. She was all smiles and giggles while chatting with the paparazzi, hoping they thought it was because of their small talks and not something else. She tried hiding her bashfulness but gave up when her smiles and laughs still escaped to the camera.
Yujin, on the other hand, exited a bit later than Wonyoung. She also took her cap that she used to cover her face earlier and wore it. When she exited, she was greeted by the same flock of paparazzi but unfortunately, she couldn’t hide her flustered state.
When she just got out of the van, she slightly stumbled after feeling her knees weaken. It was the kiss earlier, she thought. She could only clasp her hands together and fidget with them to mask her shyness. Thankfully, the cap was able to hide her flushed cheeks.
She was also bombarded by the paparazzi just right as she entered the airport. The questions one guy asked weren’t paid total attention by Yujin since her mind was still clouded from earlier. The paparazzi asked her an unfunny thing but she still giggled with her dimples showing and her eyes smiling, and eventually tried to cover her face even more with her hands.
When she saw where Wonyoung was, she followed her and stood beside her. It was a normal routine whichever schedule the group went to but the two girls in the middle acted flustered, thinking of the intimate moment they shared minutes ago. Although, they still try to hide it with smiles and waves to the cameras.
They were now passing through the immigration area to be checked before boarding. After finishing, they now proceeded to the first-class lounge. Wonyoung took the opportunity to reach for Yujin since there were no more strangers eyeing for them but it seems like she didn’t notice her, or was trying to ignore her. This made Wonyoung feel a little hopeless.
And she was right, Yujin did try to ignore her. Even if there were no cameras, she didn’t want to face Wonyoung after what happened. Yujin’s the type of person to clear things out when there are misunderstandings, but this time she’s too scared to do so.
Rei, who is currently with Yujin wherever they went, noticed something wrong so she points out, “Unnie, did something happen?”
This made Yujin’s heart beat faster than it already did, thinking Rei might have caught her and knew about what happened. Rei is one of her closest members so it’s not entirely impossible but how can she know what happened behind closed doors she wasn’t in?
So, Yujin just shrugged it off, “There’s nothing. Why do you ask?”
“You’re awfully quiet today.”
“I am when I’m tired,” Yujin emphasizes the am.
“No, you’d still be loud.”
Yujin tickles Rei in response and Rei tried to push her hands away while laughing. When Yujin slows down, Rei took her chance to tickle her back and she reacted the same way. Yujin also tickles Rei again and their laughter fills the lounge.
Wonyoung feels envious and has her attention averted from her family’s group chat to the sound of their laughter. She thinks back to the times when it was her Yujin shared her laughter with. She knows she shouldn’t be jealous of Rei and deprive her of a friendship with their unnie but it still leaves her heart ache from wanting the same thing.
Her floating mind was brought back by the person she thought she would share a van with earlier.
“Unnie, are you okay?”
Oh, how soft she was for Leeseo to the point her inner turmoil was replaced with the motherly love she only felt for their maknae.
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“You looked sad, that’s why,” Leeseo softens and then smiles to the hand cupping her cheek.
“Really? Aww, thank you for being thoughtful of unnie.”
“Always,” Leeseo smiles even wider and she continues, “Do you want snacks, unnie?”
“I don’t really have an appetite but thank you.”
“I have some Dujjonku!”
“Okay, maybe I’ll have one,” Wonyoung gives in and mirrors Leeseo’s happy face.
Her eyes follow where Leeseo is going and then look back to her phone while she smiles. However, she felt someone deeply staring at her. The first person she thought of was Yujin so when she looked at her direction, she saw Yujin looking at her.
Yujin didn’t have the look Wonyoung had when she was looking at Rei and her but it was a face full of fondness. When she sees Wonyoung undoubtedly staring back at her, she offers her a soft smile with her notorious dimples.
Wonyoung felt her heart thump loudly as a teenager’s heart does when she’s in love. She didn’t want to back down so she offered Yujin her sweetest smile. Yujin was taken aback but her smile didn’t falter, even when she looked elsewhere and paid Rei attention again. Well, half of it, because the other half was all Wonyoung.
And maybe, they thought maybe, this would be the start of something. Or rather, the start of returning to something they both have always cherished.