Archive of Our Own

---

Their dorm was still lit at three in the morning.

Not because they were diligent.

But because the comeback three months away felt like a monster sitting quietly in the living room, staring at each of them one by one.

The small practice room light in the dorm was still dimly on. The instrumental demo of their new song played on repeat for the umpteenth time until even the apartment walls seemed to have memorized the beat.

Vitamin boxes scattered across the table.

Water bottles.

Knee supports.

One black hoodie belonging to Carmen hung on a chair with the small word "BALI" written on the back.

And on the living room sofa, Choi Jiwoo sat staring at a tablet screen with her signature flat expression—the one famous for making new trainees half-dead terrified.

"The second part after the pre-chorus is too empty," she said curtly.

Juun, who was lounging, let out a long groan.

"I've listened to this song three hundred times."

"Only one hundred twenty-four," Jiwoo answered without looking up.

"Good Lord. Robot leader."

"Shut up."

Ian laughed the hardest, leaning against A-na's shoulder.

A-na laughed too, nearly choking on her cup ramyeon.

"I bet Jiwoo unnie counts BPM in her sleep."

"Possible," Stella chimed in while sipping strawberry milk.

Yuha sat at the far end of the sofa, scrolling through dance evaluation footage on her tablet. Beautiful as always. Her long hair was tied up haphazardly, yet still looked expensive—like a chaebol princess who ran away to become an idol.

"Camera evaluation again tomorrow," she said.

"Don't say that..." Ian immediately collapsed onto the carpet. "I haven't moved on from the last one."

Ye-on, sitting on the floor hugging a pillow, only giggled.

The maknae was the quietest in the group, but when she laughed, her eyes formed sweet little crescent moons.

Amid all the commotion, Carmen emerged from her room.

Loose white t-shirt.

Grey training pants.

Her dark brown hair still slightly damp from a shower.

She looked ordinary.

Too ordinary, even.

And Jiwoo immediately noticed something was off.

Because Carmen was usually chatty at night.

Usually, she'd approach everyone, steal Ian's snacks, pinch A-na's cheeks, or lie half her body across the sofa while complaining in Indonesian about her knees aching.

But that night, Carmen only sat in silence.

Her smile was there.

But thin.

Fake.

Jiwoo stared at her a few seconds longer.

Carmen noticed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked softly.

"Reading comments again?"

Carmen immediately averted her gaze.

And that was answer enough.

The room suddenly grew quieter.

Because everyone knew.

Everyone had seen the trending topic hours ago.

A photo of Carmen backstage at a music show two weeks ago suddenly went viral again simply because she was standing near a member of a famous boy group.

There was nothing to it.

They didn't even talk, but delusional fans remained delusional fans.

The comments were cruel.

"Attention seeker."

"Definitely intentional."

"Indonesian idol riding on someone else's fame."

"Visual and nothing else."

"Why is she always near guys?"

"Disgusting."

The worst part?

People started saying Carmen was only chosen by SM because the Indonesian market was big.

Not because of her talent.

Even though the other members knew how insanely hard Carmen trained.

They had seen Carmen throw up after vocal evaluation, then return to the practice room thirty minutes later.

They had seen Carmen practice Korean pronunciation alone at four in the morning, crying in frustration because the accent was still there.

They had seen her pretend to laugh after reading racist comments.

So that night, no one joked around.

Even Ian was quiet.

A-na chewed her straw softly.

Stella watched Carmen with worry.

Jiwoo finally stood.

"It's late. Sleep."

Her tone remained flat.

But the members immediately knew it was code for: practice is over.

One by one, they dispersed.

Ian and A-na argued over the bathroom.

Yuha grumbled because they were running.

Juun carried his laptop.

Ye-on offered a small goodnight.

Stella hugged Carmen briefly before entering her room.

"Unnie, don't read the comments anymore."

Carmen only nodded with a smile.

The kind of smile that made Jiwoo's chest tighten even more—because it wasn't Carmen's usual smile.

---

Jiwoo and Carmen's room was dark.

Only the faint glow of Seoul's city lights filtered through the window.

Jiwoo was sitting on her bed, opening her laptop, when she heard a small sound from the other bed.

Not crying.

More like... breaths being forced to stay steady.

Jiwoo was quiet for a few seconds.

Then closed the laptop.

"Are you crying?"

Silence.

Carmen let out a small laugh.

"No."

A lie.

Jiwoo knew the sound of Carmen's lies.

Because they had been roommates for nearly half a year.

Because Carmen always said "I'm fine" with the same tone every time her heart was breaking.

Jiwoo got off her bed.

Walked quietly to the other bed.

Carmen had her back turned, clutching the blanket.

Jiwoo sat on the edge of the bed without a word.

"If you're tired, get angry," she said softly.

Carmen was silent.

"If you're sad, then be sad."

Silence again.

Then slowly, Carmen's shoulders began to tremble.

Small.

Held back.

And somehow that was even more painful to watch.

"I just..." Carmen's voice was hoarse. "I tried so hard."

Jiwoo looked at her in silence.

"I learned the language... I practiced constantly... I dieted... I endured all the weird comments..."

Carmen's breath shook.

"But why do they always treat me like I'm just an Indonesian label?"

Her tears finally fell.

"I'm serious about being an idol too..."

Her last sentence nearly broke, and Jiwoo felt something squeeze her chest.

Because Carmen rarely cried.

Very rarely.

She was the type to laugh until she nearly passed out.

The type to say "I'm strong, don't worry" even with a fever.

So when Carmen finally cried like that, it felt as though the world cracked a little.

Jiwoo was not good at comforting people.

All the members knew that.

She was stiff.

Not romantic.

Not good at choosing sweet words.

But that night, she still opened her arms slowly.

Very slowly.

As if giving a choice.

And Carmen immediately moved to hug her without hesitation.

Her face buried into Jiwoo's shoulder.

Her breathing was messy.

Her crying deepened.

Jiwoo froze for two seconds before finally returning the hug.

Her hand rubbed Carmen's back gently.

"You're stupid for caring about them," she murmured.

"I know."

"We all know."

Carmen only shook her head with small sobs.

"Tired..."

"Yeah."

"I'm so tired, Jiwoo..." That voice was so small.

Like a child who had finally stopped pretending to be strong.

And Jiwoo realized one deeply frustrating thing—she would willingly rage at the entire internet if it could make Carmen stop crying.

A few minutes later, Carmen's crying began to subside.

Her breathing steadied.

Her hands still gripped Jiwoo's hoodie.

Jiwoo looked down slightly.

"Go to sleep."

No answer.

Jiwoo looked down.

Carmen had already fallen asleep.

Still pressed against her.

With her eyelashes still damp.

Jiwoo stared at her face for a long time.

Then let out a small sigh.

"You're so troublesome."

But her hand kept stroking Carmen's hair until she herself fell asleep leaning against the headboard.

---

The next morning...

"AAAAAA-"

Jiwoo's scream shook the dorm.

The bedroom door was thrown open violently.

Ian appeared first, hair a mess like she'd been electrocuted.

"What happened?! North Korea attacking?!"

A-na followed, still holding a toothbrush.

Yuha arrived with the most annoyed expression from being woken up so early.

Stella panicked.

Ye-on was half-conscious.

Juun came last wearing her hoodie inside out.

"Why-"

Every sentence stopped immediately.

Because on Carmen's bed sat a small child.

A girl.

Maybe two years old.

Round cheeks.

Messy brown hair.

Big, confused eyes.

Wearing Carmen's shirt, so oversized it nearly became a dress.

And the child was clinging tightly to Jiwoo's arm, staring at them all in fear.

Silence.

Total silence.

Then Ian pointed, trembling.

"...who is that?"

The small child pressed even closer to Jiwoo.

"Jiuwu..." Her baby voice made everyone freeze.

Jiwoo herself looked like she was about to pass out.

"Dear God..."

Stella covered her mouth.

"IS THAT CARMEN UNNIE?!"

The small child blinked in confusion.

"Men...?"

A-na screamed.

"SHE'S SO CUTE?!"

Yuha held her head.

"Okay. Okay. Let's not panic."

"YOU SAY DON'T PANIC WHEN CARMEN UNNIE HAS TURNED INTO A BABY?!"

Ian was already running circles around the room like a headless chicken.

Ye-on stood still, staring at tiny Carmen.

Carmen stared back.

Then slowly raised her small hands toward Jiwoo.

"Scared..."

And Jiwoo reflexively picked her up.

All the members immediately went quiet.

Because... that was too natural.

Tiny Carmen immediately wrapped her little arms around Jiwoo's neck and hid in her shoulder.

As if it were the safest place in the world.

Jiwoo herself looked blank.

Completely blank.

She stood there holding tiny Carmen as if her life had just been thrown into a fantasy drama plot at seven in the morning.

"Why is she so attached to Jiwoo unnie..." Ye-on murmured softly.

Ian immediately answered, "Because soulmates."

"Quiet."

But Jiwoo's ears were red.

A-na approached slowly, eyes sparkling.

"Carmen unnie..."

Tiny Carmen immediately looked suspicious.

A-na held her breath.

"So cute..."

Tiny Carmen suddenly buried her face in Jiwoo's neck.

"Don't want to..."

Everyone melted.

"OH MY GOD SHE HAS A LISP," Stella almost cried again.

Yuha immediately switched to second-in-command mode.

"Okay. First, let's check if this is a dream."

Ian pinched Juun's cheek.

"OW."

"So it's real."

"Why am I the one getting pinched?!"

Juun started thinking seriously.

"Did anything strange happen last night?"

Jiwoo paused for a moment.

Then looked at tiny Carmen in her arms.

"She cried last night."

The atmosphere shifted to something quieter because everyone knew why.

Stella bit her lip.

Yuha exhaled heavily.

Even Ian, who was usually the loudest, finally went quiet.

Tiny Carmen patted Jiwoo's cheek softly instead.

"Don't be sad..."

Jiwoo froze.

The little girl then pointed at the other members.

"Who's that?"

A-na stepped forward eagerly.

"I'm A-na!"

"Ian!" Ian joined in.

"Stella unnie," Stella was practically melting.

"Juun."

"Yuha."

"Ye-on..."

Tiny Carmen nodded slowly as if memorizing.

Then looked at Jiwoo.

"...Jiuwu."

Everyone immediately stared at Jiwoo simultaneously.

Ian grinned.

"Oho."

"Quiet."

"She only remembers Jiwoo unnie."

Jiwoo massaged her temples.

The problem now was far bigger than teasing.

They had schedules.

Practice.

Comeback meetings.

And their leader was currently holding the oldest member who had turned into a two-year-old.

Great.

Truly great.

---

An hour later, the dorm turned into an illegal daycare.

Tiny Carmen sat on the sofa wearing Jiwoo's hoodie with sleeves way too long.

Stella was busy combing her hair slowly, tearing up.

"Unnie is so cute..."

Tiny Carmen was busy playing with the hoodie strings.

Ian and A-na sat in front of her like a fansign event.

"Try saying Ian unnie."

"An."

"AAAAAA!"

"Me too! A-na unnie!"

"Na..."

A-na dramatically collapsed to the floor.

"I'm ready to retire now."

Yuha, who was on the phone with the manager, could only massage her forehead.

"No, Manager-nim... I mean literally a baby."

Pause.

"Not a teaser concept."

Pause again.

"I'm not drunk."

Juun helped explain the chronology as seriously as a detective.

Ye-on sat quietly near tiny Carmen.

She was actually the shyest.

But her eyes kept following tiny Carmen who occasionally laughed by herself.

"She's still the same," Ye-on murmured softly.

Jiwoo came out of the kitchen carrying warm milk.

Tiny Carmen immediately lit up.

"Jiuwu!"

And raised her arms to be picked up again.

Ian immediately yelled, "Wow, blatant favoritism!"

Jiwoo sighed but still picked Carmen up.

Her movements were reflexive.

Natural.

As if her body automatically knew what to do.

Tiny Carmen settled comfortably on her lap while drinking milk.

Stella watched them with teary eyes.

"This is like a little family..."

Yuha stared flatly.

"Why are you getting emotional."

"I'm sensitive."

Tiny Carmen finished drinking then looked at Jiwoo for a long time.

"Pretty..."

The room suddenly went quiet.

Jiwoo nearly choked on air.

Ian fell off the sofa laughing.

"OH MY GOD CARMEN UNNIE IS FLIRTING EVEN AS A BABY."

"Now I understand why the fandom ships them."

"ALL OF YOU SHUT UP."

Jiwoo's ears were now completely red.

Tiny Carmen laughed with pride, pleased by being praised back with a soft pinch on her cheek, and for the first time since the scandal broke, all the members laughed freely again.

Even if it was absurd.

Even if it made no sense.

Even if their leader was now being held hostage by a baby with Carmen's face.

But at least for that morning, Carmen wasn't crying anymore.

---

The meeting room on the seventh floor of the SM dormitory building felt colder than usual.

Not because of the AC.

But because all the Hearts2Hearts members sat like criminal defendants at eleven in the morning around the long, glossy white table.

And at the head of the table, Manager Kang was massaging his temples as if the universe had just played him.

"I'll ask one more time." His tone was flat. Too flat.

"This is a prank?"

"If it's a prank, the budget would be enormous," Ian answered quietly.

Yuha immediately elbowed her stomach.

"Oof-"

On Jiwoo's lap, tiny Carmen sat playing with the drawstrings of their leader's black hoodie.

Her cheeks still chubby.

Her eyes big and confused.

Her hair was tied into a small ponytail haphazardly by Stella that morning.

And all of it was too absurd for common sense to accept.

Manager Kang stared at tiny Carmen for a long time.

Then looked at Jiwoo.

"She's really Carmen?"

Jiwoo nodded slowly.

"She still remembers some small things. But her speech and behavior are genuinely like a two-year-old."

"Language test?"

"She still understands some Korean and Indonesian."

Tiny Carmen suddenly pointed at the coffee bottle on the table.

"That's bitter."

Silence.

Manager Kang closed his eyes briefly.

"Okay. Yeah. That's Carmen."

A-na, sitting at the far end, held back laughter.

Ian was about to explode.

Because now tiny Carmen had started mischievously playing with Jiwoo's face.

Her hand poked Jiwoo's cheek.

Pulling her lips gently.

"Duck."

Juun immediately turned away with a small snort.

Ye-on bit her lip to hold back a smile.

Stella literally almost recorded it but was immediately scolded by Yuha.

"No documentation."

"SORRY, REFLEX."

Jiwoo herself looked resigned.

"Carmen..."

The little girl just giggled.

"Jiuwu is funny."

Ian and A-na elbowed each other violently.

"The flirting is innate."

"No wonder the fandom is crazy about them."

"Shut up, both of you," Jiwoo muttered without energy.

But her ears were red again.

And all the members saw it.

Clearly.

Manager Kang observed this with the suspicious gaze typical of an idol manager who had lived in the entertainment industry for years.

"Jiwoo."

"Yes?"

"Are you this close?"

The room immediately fell silent.

Very silent.

A-na looked down pretending to drink water.

Ian was suddenly busy studying the ceiling.

Stella fake-coughed.

Yuha closed her eyes as if tired of living.

Because... yeah.

Everyone in that room knew.

Had known for a long time, actually.

Their two oldest unnies were not normal.

Not in a bad way.

But the way they cared for each other was too different compared to ordinary friendship.

Jiwoo, who was cold, could turn gentle only with Carmen.

Carmen, who was super social, always had her calmest side around Jiwoo.

They rarely did skinship on camera.

Rarely fed fans.

Rarely did fanservice.

But that was exactly what made the other members more aware—because their relationship felt too genuine to be put on display.

Manager Kang narrowed his eyes.

"Jiwoo?"

The leader was quiet for a moment.

Then answered shortly. "She's comfortable with me."

Juun snorted softly.

Almost inaudible.

But Yuha heard it.

And Yuha knew exactly why.

Juun was the type who had a hard time getting close to people.

But Carmen had managed to get close to her since their trainee days, which was why seeing Carmen now constantly seeking out Jiwoo made Juun a bit annoyed, though she'd never admit it.

Tiny Carmen was now even more relaxed on Jiwoo's lap, playing with their leader's lips again.

"Squishy."

Jiwoo gently held the small hand.

"Don't pull."

"Pretty."

Ian immediately slapped the table.

"Confirmed. This is not a normal baby. This is a crocodile baby."

A-na laughed so hard she almost fell off her chair.

Manager Kang took a deep breath.

"Okay. Focus."

Everyone immediately went quiet.

"Let's discuss the most important thing."

He looked at each member.

"Nothing can leak."

His tone was serious now.

"If the public finds out, you're done."

Stella nodded quickly.

"We understand."

"Not just the group's career. But Carmen's safety too."

All the members tensed slightly.

Because that was true.

K-pop was not kind to strange things.

The public could be brutal over even dating rumors.

If suddenly an idol turned into a small child?

Media would explode.

Sasaengs would go even crazier.

Not to mention bizarre conspiracy theories.

Yuha leaned back with crossed arms.

"So what do we say about schedules?"

Manager Kang opened his tablet.

"We'll say Carmen is on temporary hiatus due to health conditions."

"Fans will be suspicious," Juun said.

"They're always suspicious."

"That's better than the truth," Manager Kang replied quickly.

Ye-on finally spoke softly. "Carmen unnie's family?"

Everyone went quiet again.

That question was the heaviest because Carmen was very close to her family in Indonesia.

Especially her mother.

Manager Kang sighed heavily.

"For now, don't tell them."

Jiwoo immediately turned.

"Seriously?"

"We don't know what this is yet."

"What if they panic?"

"And what if they come to Korea and see a two-year-old?" Manager Kang shot back.

Jiwoo fell silent.

She knew their manager was right.

Still, it felt wrong.

Tiny Carmen suddenly held Jiwoo's cheek.

"Don't be mad..." Her baby voice was so small.

Jiwoo immediately softened again.

"Okay."

And that made all the members glance at each other silently.

Because seriously, Jiwoo changed completely around Carmen.

A-na leaned toward Ian and whispered.

"Jiwoo unnie around Carmen unnie is literally a different species."

Ian nodded firmly.

"Love makes humans weak."

Yuha immediately smacked both their heads.

"Quiet."

Manager Kang continued speaking.

"Starting today, all external schedules are suspended temporarily."

"But the comeback evaluation—" Stella started.

"You'll still practice."

"Without Carmen?" Ye-on sounded sad.

Manager Kang paused for a moment.

Then said carefully.

"The comeback may be postponed."

The room went quiet.

Or a comeback without Carmen.

That sentence didn't need to be said out loud.

Because everyone was already thinking it.

And no one liked that idea.

Ian immediately sat up straight. "No."

Manager Kang looked at her.

"We don't know yet."

"Fans will notice."

"Better they notice a member hiatus than see an idol turn into a toddler."

"That's not what I mean," Ian started getting emotional. "Hearts2Hearts is eight people."

Stella nodded slowly.

"Without Carmen unnie, it feels empty..."

Yuha stared at the table silently because even though she was a realist, she didn't like that idea either.

Carmen might not be the most mature member mentally.

But she was the group's glue.

The moodmaker.

The first person to notice if a member was sad.

The person who always made the dorm feel alive.

Without Carmen, the atmosphere would definitely change.

Tiny Carmen, who didn't understand anything, was now playing with the ring on Jiwoo's finger.

"Pretty..."

Jiwoo looked down.

"You like it?"

Carmen nodded small.

"Jiuwu's." That innocent possessive tone made A-na almost scream.

Juun immediately clicked her tongue softly.

"I'm jealous."

Everyone turned.

Juun immediately realized her slip.

"...because she's cute, I mean."

Ian grinned.

"Sure."

Manager Kang went back to massaging his temples.

"I'm going to go gray early because of you all."

---

The meeting ended nearly two hours later.

The conclusion was simple but headache-inducing.

Keep everything secret.

No one could know.

Not the stylists.

Not the dance coaches.

Definitely not the media.

For now, they would say Carmen was sick and needed complete rest.

Fortunately, the comeback was still three months away.

They still had a little time.

A little.

Very little.

---

That afternoon, the dorm felt oddly peaceful, maybe because everyone was mentally exhausted.

Yuha and Juun were discussing the possibility of reformatting the choreography if Carmen hadn't returned to normal soon.

Stella sat on the floor browsing absurd supernatural theories.

A-na and Ian were busy making tiny Carmen laugh with weird filters on the iPad.

Ye-on helped cook ramyeon.

Meanwhile, Jiwoo... Jiwoo was sitting on the sofa with tiny Carmen sleeping on her chest.

Truly fast asleep.

Her hand still clutched Jiwoo's hoodie.

Her small breaths were warm, and Jiwoo didn't move at all.

Afraid of waking her.

Ye-on came out of the kitchen carrying two bowls.

Then stopped at the sight.

"...she's so comfortable with unnie."

Jiwoo turned slightly.

"Yeah."

"Why?" An innocent question.

Jiwoo was quiet for a moment.

Then answered softly. "Maybe because the last time she cried... I was there."

Ye-on looked at tiny Carmen for a long time. "Poor thing..."

Jiwoo looked down again and felt something strange in her chest.

Because seeing Carmen like this felt both painful and sweet.

Painful because Carmen must have been so scared.

Sweet because this small and fragile side of her had finally come out.

The side she had always hidden.

Carmen who was usually strong.

Carmen who always joked around.

Carmen who always said "I can do it alone."

Now turned into a small child who only wanted to be held by Jiwoo.

And for some reason, Jiwoo didn't mind at all.

"Jiwoo unnie." Ian suddenly appeared from behind the sofa.

"What."

"When Carmen unnie goes back to normal..."

Jiwoo immediately grew suspicious.

"What about it?"

Ian grinned widely.

"Are you going to pretend to forget all the baby flirting?"

"Leave."

A-na joined in.

"You can't though. She literally called you pretty every five minutes."

Jiwoo closed her eyes.

"I'm tired."

"Tired of being the favorite?"

"Tired of having noisy members."

Ian and A-na just laughed harder.

Tiny Carmen stirred slightly because of their voices.

Then pouted her lips while half-asleep.

"Noisy..."

Everyone immediately went quiet by reflex.

And after a few seconds, they exploded in laughter.

Even Jiwoo joined in with a small laugh.

Very small.

But enough to make all the members look at each other dramatically.

Because their cold leader had finally genuinely laughed after two full days of tension.

Stella immediately pointed.

"LOOK. Only Carmen unnie can make Jiwoo unnie laugh like that."

Yuha snorted softly with a thin smile.

"That's why their fandom is intense."

Juun leaned back, folding her arms.

Her gaze fell on tiny Carmen sleeping comfortably on Jiwoo's chest.

Then to Jiwoo's hand that automatically rubbed small circles on Carmen's back.

And Juun became more convinced that they were not good at hiding their true feelings. They were just lucky the public hadn't fully noticed—or maybe the fans actually already knew.

They just chose to pretend they didn't, because some relationships are too obvious to explain.

---

The Hearts2Hearts dorm finally felt slightly more normal that day.

Slightly.

Even though "normal" for them now meant there was a small child who was actually the group's oldest member sitting in the living room eating bear-shaped biscuits.

The clock showed almost two in the afternoon.

Seoul's sun streamed through the large windows of the living room, making the dorm's wooden floor feel warm and lazy.

Yuha was out briefly for a meeting with Manager Kang.

Jiwoo and Stella had gone to buy supplies for tiny Carmen—children's clothes, a small toothbrush, vitamins, and even a doll, because Stella nearly cried seeing Carmen sleep the night before without anything to hold.

And due to a spectacularly irresponsible decision by the universe, the ones watching Carmen now were only Ian and A-na.

Disaster.

Absolute disaster.

"A-na unnie again!" Tiny Carmen laughed while raising both hands.

A-na, who was the tallest in the group, grinned with full victory.

"Ready!"

"DON'T LIFT HER TOO HIGH," Juun yelled from the sofa without looking away from her tablet.

"Relax!"

And of course, A-na did not relax at all.

She immediately lifted Carmen high into the air like a cheap Disney movie scene.

Carmen squealed with delight.

"AGAIIIIIN!"

Ian, watching that, immediately switched into full clown mode.

She put a small pot from the kitchen on her head.

Then held a wooden spoon like a mic.

"Welcome to the poorest circus in Seoul!"

Tiny Carmen roared with laughter.

Her childlike laughter was completely uninhibited.

Clear.

Pure.

Making the entire dorm feel more alive.

Ian got even more energized.

She started walking weirdly around the living room while failing at beatboxing.

A-na joined in with absurd swaying while still holding Carmen.

"Look, unnie can dance!"

"That's not dancing. That's possession," Juun commented flatly.

Ian pointed at Juun dramatically.

"Disrespectful audience members must be removed!"

"Go ahead and remove me."

Carmen got the hiccups from laughing too much.

Her cheeks were red.

Her eyes disappeared into little crescent moons.

And for a moment, it was hard to remember that this was actually the same Carmen who had cried in Jiwoo's arms the night before.

Ye-on, sitting near Juun, watched tiny Carmen quietly.

Then smiled small.

"She's cute..."

Juun glanced at their maknae briefly.

Ye-on was always like that.

Quiet.

Gentle.

Not too good at joining the big commotion of the other members.

She more often observed quietly rather than joining the ruckus.

But since Carmen turned small, Ye-on had been approaching more often.

Maybe because tiny Carmen didn't feel intimidating at all.

Or maybe because Ye-on's maternal side quietly emerged.

Ian was now doing half-failed cartwheels on the carpet.

A-na immediately screamed.

"DON'T DIE IN FRONT OF THE CHILD!"

"I'm a professional!"

Then Ian slipped.

THUD.

Two seconds of silence.

Tiny Carmen laughed the hardest.

"An unnie fell!"

Ian gave a thumbs up from the floor.

"I meant to do that. For entertainment."

Juun shook her head.

"I'm embarrassed to be in the same group as you."

"But you love us."

"No."

"Liar."

A-na joined in.

"You laughed just now."

"That was just a biological reflex."

Ye-on giggled softly hearing that.

And Juun automatically turned.

Because honestly, Ye-on rarely laughed out loud.

Her smiles were usually small.

Short.

Like a shy hamster afraid of making noise.

That's why the other members always quietly felt happy when Ye-on started to relax more.

"Ye-on ah."

The maknae turned slowly.

"Are you sleepy?"

Ye-on rubbed her eyes a little.

"A bit..."

Juun glanced at the clock.

They had indeed had messed-up sleep for the past two days.

Everyone stressed.

Everyone panicked.

And Ye-on was the quickest to get exhausted when her mental state dropped.

"Go to sleep."

Ye-on shook her head small.

"Later."

"See, stubborn," Juun murmured.

On the other side of the room, tiny Carmen was now sitting on A-na's shoulder like a koala baby.

Ian stood in front of them pretending to be an MC of a music show.

"Today we welcome the most beautiful princess in the world!"

Carmen pointed at herself proudly.

"Me!"

"Correct!"

"Pretty!"

"Absolutely right!"

A-na almost fell from laughing.

"She's so narcissistic even as a kid."

Ian immediately held her chest dramatically.

"That's called idol aura."

Tiny Carmen then looked at the front door.

Her eyes immediately searched for something.

"...Jiuwu?"

A-na and Ian looked at each other.

"There we go."

"She misses leader unnie."

Tiny Carmen pouted her small lips.

"Where..."

Ian immediately crouched in front of her.

"Jiwoo unnie will be back soon."

"Buying milk."

"And a doll," A-na added.

Carmen calmed down a little but still kept glancing at the door.

Juun, observing that, quietly sighed.

Jealous a little?

Maybe.

Not romantic jealousy.

More that Carmen was always most comfortable with Jiwoo.

Even before this absurd incident.

During trainee days too.

If Carmen was sick, she looked for Jiwoo.

If Carmen panicked before evaluations, she sat next to Jiwoo.

If Carmen was too tired of pretending to be strong... she always went back to Jiwoo.

And now even after turning into a small child, that instinct remained.

As if her body and heart still recognized the safest place.

Ye-on yawned softly next to Juun.

Her head grew heavy.

She was actually trying to stay awake.

But the noise from Ian and A-na, plus the warm afternoon sun, made drowsiness come slowly.

Juun glanced again.

"Just sleep, I told you."

Ye-on shook her head again.

Two minutes later, her head nearly dropped.

Juun held a small breath.

"...fine, come here."

"Hm?"

Before Ye-on could process it, Juun had gently pulled the maknae's shoulder.

Very slowly.

Carefully.

Then patted her own thigh.

"Sleep."

Ye-on immediately froze.

"Mwo?"

"You're tired."

"I'm fine-"

"You've yawned five times."

Ye-on immediately felt embarrassed.

Her cheeks turned slightly red.

Because Juun wasn't the type to do skinship often.

She was caring, but in a cold way.

Practical.

So when Juun suddenly offered her thigh as a pillow, it felt like the world glitched a little.

Ian, seeing from afar, violently nudged A-na.

"LOOK."

A-na turned.

Then immediately smiled wide like a fangirl.

"WOAH."

Juun immediately glared.

"You two are so noisy."

"We're not," Ian answered with the most innocent face in the world.

Ye-on was still hesitant.

But her eyes were really heavy.

And Juun looked serious.

Finally, slowly, she lay down on the sofa.

Her head landed carefully on Juun's thigh.

Her body was tense at first.

Very tense.

Like a small hamster afraid of being touched.

Juun clicked her tongue softly.

"Relax."

"...embarrassed."

"Embarrassed of what."

Ye-on was quiet.

Because well... Juun was beautiful.

And being this close made her heart feel a bit strange.

A-na and Ian were now holding back screams while pinching each other.

Tiny Carmen pointed at them.

"Why?"

Ian whispered dramatically.

"Because love is growing in this dorm."

"Don't teach the child weird things," Juun protested.

But her ears were slightly red.

Ye-on grew more flustered.

And that made Juun unconsciously smile small.

Very small.

Very rare.

Tiny Carmen saw that and exclaimed excitedly.

"Juun unnie smiled!"

Silence.

Ian and A-na dramatically fell to the floor.

"OH MY GOD."

"A HISTORIC DAY."

Juun immediately stared at them coldly again.

"Do you want to die?"

"No thank you."

Ye-on covered her face with her hoodie out of embarrassment.

But a few minutes later, her breathing started to steady.

Her eyes were truly closed.

Asleep.

Juun automatically lowered her tablet's volume.

Her hand moved reflexively, fixing Ye-on's bangs from her face.

Slowly.

Almost unconsciously.

Ian watched with a small grin.

"Awww."

Juun immediately glared.

"I'll throw this spoon."

"I'll be quiet."

A-na approached carefully carrying tiny Carmen.

"Carmen unnie wants to see the sleeping hamster?"

Ye-on was indeed often called a hamster by the members.

Because her cheeks were round and small when eating, and she was shy.

Tiny Carmen approached curiously.

She looked at Ye-on sleeping on Juun's thigh.

Then whispered loudly. "Cute..."

Juun held back a small laugh.

"Yeah."

And the atmosphere suddenly felt very warm.

Like home.

Not like idols.

Not like a group in crisis.

Just eight young women taking care of each other in their own way.

Even if absurd.

Even if their lives were a mess right now.

They still had each other.

---

Forty minutes later, the dorm door opened.

Jiwoo entered carrying many shopping bags.

Stella, behind her, was nearly collapsing from the amount of stuff.

"Good lord, why are there so many dolls," Jiwoo complained.

"Because Carmen unnie needs to have friends."

"What are we then?"

"Not fluffy enough."

Jiwoo sighed.

Then stopped.

Because the living room felt too peaceful.

Ian was asleep face-down on the carpet.

A-na was lying down playing games.

Tiny Carmen sat between them, hugging a banana doll from who knows where.

And on the sofa, Ye-on was asleep on Juun's thigh.

While Juun herself leaned back with eyes half-closed but still quiet and still so the maknae would be comfortable.

Jiwoo blinked slowly.

Stella froze.

"...oh."

A-na grinned.

"Welcome to the domestic drama."

Juun opened one eye.

"Noisy."

Jiwoo set the bags down gently.

Then tiny Carmen immediately stood up excitedly.

"JIUWU!"

She ran in small steps toward Jiwoo.

And of course was immediately picked up.

Reflex.

Carmen hugged Jiwoo's neck tightly.

"Where..."

"Shopping."

"Why so long..." That small whining tone made Stella almost melt again.

Jiwoo stroked Carmen's hair gently.

"Sorry."

Ian opened her eyes a little then immediately saw the scene.

And without shame said...

"If you two get married, I want to be the MC."

The entire dorm erupted again.

---

Nights at the Hearts2Hearts dorm always had their own sound.

Sometimes the sound of a hair dryer.

Sometimes members fighting over the bathroom.

Sometimes Ian suddenly singing high notes at two in the morning and getting yelled at by the entire dorm.

But that night was different.

Quieter.

Warmer.

The living room lights were dimmed to a soft yellow that reflected on the wooden floor. Light rain fell outside their Seoul apartment, misting the windows slightly.

The TV was on without sound.

A quiet jazz playlist from a small speaker filled the room.

And for the first time in days, no one was crying.

No one was panicking.

No meetings.

No evaluations.

Just them.

Eight girls who were too young to have lives this messy.

And one of them was now a two-year-old who had become the dorm's center of gravity.

Tiny Carmen sat on Jiwoo's lap, half-reclining lazily.

Wearing white strawberry-print children's pajamas that Stella had picked out that afternoon.

Her cheeks still chubby.

Her eyes were starting to droop with sleepiness.

But still stubborn.

Because now Jiwoo was trying something that had been failing for nearly thirty minutes.

"Carmen."

"Hmm..."

"Use the baby bottle."

"Don't want to."

"Why."

"Umm."

"That's not a reason."

Tiny Carmen immediately pouted.

The pink baby bottle in Jiwoo's hand was regarded as the most despicable object in the world.

"Ugly."

Ian, who was lying face-down hugging Stella's leg, laughed.

"She has pride even as a baby."

Stella stroked Ian's hair automatically.

"She's so cute..."

Ian was indeed the easiest to get sleepy and clingy at night.

Now her head rested on Stella's thigh while her arms wrapped around the Canadian girl's leg like a koala.

Stella herself had given up.

"If I die of numbness, it's your fault."

Ian just hummed.

"Mm..."

A-na on the other side of the sofa was being aggressively affectionate with Yuha.

"Yuha unnieee..."

Yuha didn't even look up from her iPad.

"What."

"My shoulders ache."

"So?"

"Massage them."

"No."

A-na immediately leaned half her body onto Yuha's lap dramatically.

"Heartless..."

Yuha finally clicked her tongue softly.

But her hand still rose to massage A-na's shoulder automatically.

Reflex.

And all the members knew Yuha was the most acute tsundere in the dorm.

Her mouth was harsh.

Her gaze was cold.

But secretly she was the second most caring after Jiwoo.

A-na let out a satisfied sound.

"There you go..."

"Noisy."

"Even though you care."

Yuha pinched her ear softly.

"Quiet before I let go."

Juun sat on the carpet near the sofa, leaning back casually.

Ye-on sat in front of her.

The maknae was playing a game on a small tablet with a focused face.

And Juun... since when her hand was busy playing with Ye-on's ponytail.

Wrapping it.

Unwrapping it.

Wrapping it again.

Like a stress relief toy.

Ye-on didn't notice at first.

But a few minutes later her cheeks started turning red.

"Juun unnie..."

"Hm?"

"You keep playing with my hair."

"Oh."

But her hand didn't stop.

Ian opened her eyes slightly.

"Someone's secretly flirting."

Ye-on immediately panicked.

"I'm not!"

Juun clicked her tongue.

"If I were flirting, it'd be way more obvious."

Two seconds of silence.

Then Ye-on turned even redder.

Ian screamed laughing.

"CRAZY RIZZ EVEN WHEN BEING HARSH."

"What even is rizz," Stella murmured.

Tiny Carmen, hearing the commotion, looked at each member one by one.

Her eyes sparkled small.

And Jiwoo noticed that quietly.

Carmen looked happy.

Genuinely happy.

Not an idol smile.

Not a camera smile.

Not a forced smile for a fansign or live broadcast.

Just happy.

Innocent.

Pure.

As if all the weight on her shoulders had vanished along with her mind reverting to that of a small child.

And that was both painful and relieving.

Because they had just realized Carmen had been too tired for too long.

Too used to being strong.

Too used to being the unnie who looked after everyone.

Until maybe the universe took pity and said:

*fine, now it's your turn to be babied.*

Jiwoo looked at tiny Carmen who still refused the baby bottle.

"If you don't use the bottle, what do you want?"

Carmen was quiet for a moment.

Then without shame, she pulled Jiwoo's hand.

And put Jiwoo's thumb into her mouth.

The room went silent.

Dead silent.

Jiwoo's heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

Tiny Carmen casually sucked on Jiwoo's thumb while hugging her arm.

Very comfortable.

As if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Ian immediately sat up.

"Dear God."

A-na covered her face with a pillow.

"Lord, they're getting worse."

Yuha finally looked over.

And immediately massaged her temples.

"Carmen..."

Stella literally froze while holding back a scream.

Ye-on just opened her mouth small.

While Juun let out a short laugh for the first time that night.

Because Jiwoo's expression was truly priceless.

Their cold leader now sat stiff as a board.

Her ears were completely red.

Her hand didn't dare move.

And tiny Carmen was even more comfortable.

Her eyes were half-closed while still gently sucking Jiwoo's thumb.

"...warm."

Ian fell to the carpet again.

"I'M GOING TO THROW UP FROM SWEETNESS."

Jiwoo finally realized everyone was staring.

"Stop looking."

"How can we not look?!" A-na protested.

"She's literally using you as a human pacifier."

Yuha stared at Jiwoo flatly.

"And why are you letting her."

Jiwoo tensed slightly.

"...she wants this."

"And you just go along with it."

Jiwoo was silent.

Because yes, it was true.

When tiny Carmen started whining, the only person who could quickly calm her down was Jiwoo.

That afternoon Carmen even cried a little just because Jiwoo went to the bathroom without telling her.

Now every few minutes she always made sure Jiwoo was still there.

Still close.

Still touchable.

And honestly, Jiwoo didn't mind.

In fact, secretly, a part of her felt soft every time Carmen sought her out like that.

Stella looked at tiny Carmen with full affection.

"She's like a baby otter..."

"Otter, what," Juun murmured.

"Look at her cheeks!"

Carmen heard that and immediately released Jiwoo's thumb.

"My cheeks?"

Stella nodded eagerly.

"So cute!"

Tiny Carmen held her own cheeks.

"Squishy..."

Ian poked that cheek gently.

"They are."

Carmen giggled.

And the atmosphere became lively again.

A-na was now whining for Yuha to stroke her hair.

Ian started singing random trot songs.

Stella joined in humming.

Ye-on relaxed more as Juun continued playing with her ponytail gently.

While Carmen finally lay fully on Jiwoo's chest.

Still hugging their leader's arm.

Her eyes growing heavy.

Jiwoo looked down slightly.

"Sleepy?"

Carmen nodded small.

"Don't go."

"I won't."

"Promise?"

Jiwoo was silent for a fraction of a second.

Then answered very softly.

"Promise."

And all the members who heard that immediately exchanged glances.

Because Jiwoo's tone was different.

So gentle.

Too gentle.

Like speaking to something she cherished most.

A-na whispered to Ian.

"They're just waiting for Dispatch."

Ian nodded seriously.

"If Dispatch saw inside this dorm, they'd retire on the spot."

Yuha threw a pillow at them.

"Noisy."

Tiny Carmen was getting really sleepy now.

She reached for Jiwoo's hand again half-consciously.

Then gave a small bite to the tip of the leader's finger before sucking it again.

Jiwoo nearly lost the last shred of her dignity.

Juun laughed softly while shaking her head.

"Ridiculous."

"I want to be a pacifier too," Ian murmured randomly.

Stella slapped her own forehead.

"Don't be weird."

Ye-on, who had been quiet all this time, finally spoke softly.

"...Carmen unnie looks peaceful."

Everyone quieted down a bit.

Because that was true.

So true.

There were no tense lines on her face.

No tired eyes.

No fake smile.

Just a small child resting after being strong for too long.

Jiwoo stroked Carmen's hair gently.

And for some reason her chest felt tight.

Because maybe...

all this time they had all relied on Carmen without realizing it.

Carmen who always broke the tension.

Carmen who always hugged first.

Carmen who always made the dorm feel alive.

But sometimes the most cheerful people were the most exhausted.

The rain outside grew heavier.

Ian finally fell asleep hugging Stella's leg.

A-na was half-asleep on Yuha's shoulder.

Ye-on was getting drowsy again until her head dropped onto Juun's shoulder.

And Juun this time didn't protest at all.

Instead, she let it happen while still playing with the end of the maknae's ponytail slowly.

The living room felt full.

Warm.

Messy.

And very human.

Jiwoo looked at each of her members one by one.

Then at tiny Carmen who was now fast asleep, hugging her hand.

Her small breaths warm on Jiwoo's skin.

Her small lips still attached to her thumb.

And since all this chaos began, Jiwoo felt maybe they could get through this.

Strange.

Impossible.

Exhausting.

But they had each other, and maybe that was enough to survive the night.

---

Stella originally just wanted to reply to Carmen's mother's message.

Seriously.

Just that.

Because since morning, Carmen's phone hadn't stopped buzzing on the living room table.

KakaoTalk notifications.

WhatsApp family group.

Messages from stylists.

Manager.

Former trainee friends.

And they couldn't just keep ignoring it.

Especially now that tiny Carmen was taking a nap hugging her strawberry doll in Jiwoo's room.

So that afternoon, Stella sat alone at the dorm's dining table with Carmen's phone in hand.

The dorm was fairly quiet.

Ian, A-na, and Ye-on were doing light dance practice in the practice room downstairs.

Yuha was in an online meeting with the manager.

Juun was showering.

Jiwoo was with sleeping Carmen.

And Stella, who was usually the most cheerful, now looked the most tense.

Because it felt strange to open someone else's phone.

Even in an emergency.

"Okay..."

She took a small breath.

Then entered the password Carmen had given her months ago when she asked Stella to reply to fans on Bubble because she'd overslept.

Their debut date.

Success.

The home screen opened.

The wallpaper was a photo of Hearts2Hearts members when they were still trainees.

Blurry.

Bad.

Ian was even mid-gape in the photo.

Stella smiled small.

"Unnie..." And that tight feeling returned because even Carmen's wallpaper was always about them.

WhatsApp notifications immediately flooded the screen.

Mama 🇮🇩
Papa
My little sibling
Manager Kang
MUA Team
Yuha🐈
Jiwoo

Jiwoo's name was at the top, pinned chat.

Stella pretended not to see it.

She opened Carmen's mother's chat.

Mama 🇮🇩
Have you eaten, sweetheart?
Don't forget your vitamins
Mama saw strange news about you again :(
Don't think about it too much, dear
You're strong
Mama is proud of Carmen

Stella immediately bit her lip.

Because that was so incredibly Mom.

She typed slowly.

*I'm doing fine, Mom. I've been busy with practice so I haven't checked my phone much*
*Don't worry ❤️*
Send.

Stella exhaled in relief.

Then opened Carmen's sibling's chat.

And was immediately greeted by absurd meme spam.

*sis if you marry a Korean idol don't forget about me*
*treat me to a Seventeen album*
*seriously though you okay right?*

Stella chuckled while replying as necessary.

But after that, her finger stopped.

Because she saw one folder on the home screen.

Its name was just one emoji.

👁️

Stella frowned.

At first, she didn't want to open it.

But curiosity won.

And the moment the folder opened, her stomach dropped.

Inside:

X private account.

TikTok private.

Instagram burner account.

All anonymous accounts.

Empty or random profile pictures, very Carmen-style.

Random usernames.

And all of them... auto-login.

Stella slowly opened the Twitter account first.

The timeline was immediately full.

Keyword search.

Carmen's name.

Hearts2Hearts' name.

Other members' names.

And Stella started feeling sick.

Very sick.

Because the search history was too much.

Too routine.

Like a habit.

Not occasional curiosity.

But an addiction to self-harm.

Her finger scrolled slowly.

And her eyes started reading.

"Indonesian visual getting pushed for nothing."

"She's so overhyped."

"SM boldly debuting a foreigner for the SEA market."

"Her dancing is just okay."

"Why does she always laugh? Cringe."

"Her face looks cheap compared to other members."

"Indo fans are too over the top defending her."

Stella tensed.

Scrolled more.

Worse.

"Hope she leaves the group."

"Her presence is annoying."

"Why are female idols so easily close to guys."

"So pick me."

"Oppa fans, watch out for that attention-hungry girl."

And the most nauseating thing for Stella—there were thousands of likes.

Thousands.

Some accounts were even dedicated to hating Carmen.

Editing small videos to make it seem like Carmen was arrogant.

Cutting ordinary moments into dating rumors.

Comparing her to other idols.

Mocking her accent.

The way she ate.

The way she laughed.

The way she cried.

Everything.

Everything was hated.

Stella felt her eyes grow hot.

"What even is this..."

She opened the TikTok burner account.

And it was worse.

Because TikTok was full of malicious edits disguised as "opinion."

Sadistic music.

Slow zoom on Carmen's face.

Caption:

"Idol privilege because of nationality."

"Overrated visual."

"Untalented but pushed."

The comments were crueler.

Because people felt funny when they collectively hated someone.

"I'm prettier than her."

"Cheap aura."

"If she wasn't from Indonesia she wouldn't have debuted."

"Her face is fake nice."

"She should be an influencer, not an idol."

Stella immediately covered her own mouth.

Her chest was tight.

Because she knew Carmen was reading this.

All of this.

Alone.

Secretly.

Every night perhaps.

When everyone was asleep.

When everyone assumed she was fine.

And the most painful part—Carmen didn't even defend herself on that private account.

She only looked.

Read.

Kept all those wounds to herself.

Stella opened the bookmarks tab.

Then nearly cried seeing its contents.

Fancam videos of Hearts2Hearts members.

Fan posts praising them.

Cute edits of Ian.

Clips of Yuha.

Fanart of Jiwoo.

Videos of Ye-on.

Dance clips of Juun.

A-na and her silly jokes.

And one tweet that Carmen had liked.

"Sometimes the most cheerful idols are the ones secretly reading the cruelest comments."

Stella's hand trembled slightly.

Because suddenly everything made sense.

Why Carmen often had insomnia.

Why she quietly became an overworker.

Why she always said "I need to be better."

Why she apologized so easily even for small things.

Because the internet made her believe she had to be perfect to deserve love.

And that made Stella angry.

Furious.

The bedroom door opened.

Juun came out while drying her hair.

Then stopped seeing Stella.

"What's wrong?"

Stella didn't answer.

She just held out the screen.

Juun read for a few seconds.

Then her face went cold.

Very cold.

"...bastards." That was probably Juun's first curse word that day.

And Stella finally truly cried.

"She read all of this..." Her voice broke slightly. "All of it..."

Juun took the phone slowly.

Scrolled through a few more tweets.

Her jaw tightened.

Because Juun knew idol cyberbullying was brutal.

They all knew.

Trainees were even taught to "not read comments."

But humans were still humans.

Especially Carmen.

She cared too much.

Was too sensitive.

Loved her work too much.

So random comments from strangers could live in her head for days.

"I hate people like this," Stella whispered.

"Failed people who are jealous seeing someone else shine."

Juun sat beside Stella.

Still looking at the screen.

"The worst part is they think idols aren't humans."

Stella nodded quickly while wiping her tears.

"They think because Carmen is famous she has to endure everything..."

"Because they don't see her practicing until she throws up."

"Because they don't see her learning Korean while crying..."

"Because they don't see her dieting while pretending to be full..."

Stella's voice grew quieter.

And Juun finally set the phone on the table.

"That's why she's exhausted."

Silence.

Light rain could be heard through the window.

Then slowly...

"Juun..."

"Hm?"

"Do you think..." Stella bit her lip. "Is this connected?"

Juun turned.

"What do you mean?"

"Carmen's transformation."

The room suddenly felt colder.

Because honestly, all the members had been quietly thinking the same thing.

Carmen turned into a small child right after that severe breakdown that night.

After months of bottling everything up.

After too long forcing herself to be strong.

Rationally, it made no sense.

But this entire event itself made no sense.

Juun leaned back slowly.

"I don't know."

"But if the universe really exists..." Her gaze fell on the screen full of hatred. "...maybe Carmen was truly too tired of being an adult."

Stella finally cried again.

Small.

Silent.

Because it felt unfair.

Carmen, who was always the kindest.

Who apologized the easiest.

Who cared the most.

Became the target of people who didn't know her at all.

And the most painful part—many hated Carmen not because she did anything wrong.

But because she shined.

Because she was beautiful.

Because she succeeded.

Because some people find it easier to watch others fall than to admit their own jealousy.

Jiwoo's bedroom door finally opened.

Jiwoo came out slowly, carrying tiny Carmen who had just woken up.

Her hair was messy.

Her eyes still puffy from sleep.

Carmen immediately saw Stella.

"Tella?"

And Stella nearly crumbled seeing that innocent face.

Because this little child didn't know how cruel the world had been to her.

Tiny Carmen slid down from Jiwoo's hold and walked in small steps to Stella.

"Why is Tella crying?"

Stella quickly wiped her tears.

"It's nothing."

Carmen pouted her lips.

"Lie."

Then she hugged Stella.

A small hug.

Warm.

Innocent.

And Stella immediately cried harder while hugging back that tiny body.

Jiwoo immediately knew something was wrong.

"What happened?"

Juun was quiet for a moment.

Then slowly pushed Carmen's phone toward Jiwoo.

Jiwoo read.

One tweet.

Two tweets.

Three.

And her face changed.

Not sad.

Not shocked.

Angry.

Very angry.

Her cold gaze sharpened.

Her jaw tightened.

Tiny Carmen, still being hugged by Stella, was confused.

"Jiuwu..."

Jiwoo closed the phone screen slowly.

Then crouched in front of tiny Carmen.

Her hand stroked the girl's hair gently.

And her voice was incredibly soft when she said, "From now on, you're not allowed to read things like that anymore."

Tiny Carmen blinked in confusion.

"...mean?"

Jiwoo held her breath.

"Yeah."

Carmen was quiet for a few seconds.

Then pointed at her own small chest.

"Men bad?"

And that was what finally made Stella cry the hardest that night.

---

Stella's anger was never half-hearted.

If usually she was the warmest member who loved hugging everyone, who always brought extra vitamins, who most easily said "I'm proud of you guys"—then when her emotions truly exploded, her English came out entirely.

Fast.

Sharp.

Messy.

And now the dorm's living room was full of Stella pacing while holding Carmen's phone.

"This is actually insane—like genuinely insane!"

Jiwoo stood near the dining table watching Stella carefully.

Because she knew.

When Stella started switching to full English like that, it meant her emotions were too much to contain in Korean.

"Do they even hear themselves?" Stella laughed shortly, full of emotion. "They talk like Carmen isn't a real person!"

Jiwoo was silent.

Stella turned the phone screen again.

"Look at this—'she looks cheap', 'she's only there because Indonesia is a big market', what the hell is wrong with people?!"

Her breath started trembling.

"Do they know how hard she works?!"

On the sofa, Ian and A-na who had just returned from mini practice went completely silent.

Ye-on also froze slightly.

Because Stella was rarely like this.

Very rarely.

And everyone knew why she was that angry.

Because Stella loved Carmen like her own sister.

Carmen was the first member to welcome Stella during trainee days.

The first member to hug her after a failed monthly evaluation.

The one who secretly slipped chocolate into Stella's bag when she was homesick for Canada.

Carmen was always like that.

Quietly taking care of everyone.

So seeing someone that kind being destroyed by the internet bit by bit felt disgusting.

Juun, who had been quiet, finally stood.

She walked slowly toward tiny Carmen who was still standing near Stella, confused.

Her eyes were big.

Full of confusion.

Because she didn't understand why everyone was suddenly sad again.

"Men..."

Tiny Carmen pulled the end of Juun's hoodie gently.

Juun looked down.

And her tone automatically softened.

"Come here."

She easily lifted Carmen into her arms.

The small body immediately settled in her embrace.

Carmen's tiny arms wrapped around Juun's neck without hesitation.

And Juun quietly felt her chest warm up a little.

Because usually Carmen was the one taking care of them.

Not the other way around.

Now Carmen felt so light.

So fragile.

"Take her outside for a bit," Jiwoo said softly without taking her eyes off Stella.

Juun nodded small.

Then walked out toward the dorm's glass-enclosed balcony.

Seoul's city lights shimmered below.

The rain still fell lightly.

Tiny Carmen leaned comfortably against Juun's chest.

Her eyes still watching the living room from afar.

"Tella unnie is mad..."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Juun was quiet for a few seconds.

Because explaining internet hatred to a small child felt too cruel.

Finally she just said softly, "Because there are mean people."

Carmen immediately pouted.

"It's okay..."

And that only made Juun's heart hurt more.

Because even in a situation like this, Carmen's first instinct was still to comfort others.

Juun leaned against the balcony railing while still holding her.

The night breeze blew Carmen's bangs gently.

Her round cheeks got cold from the wind.

So cute.

"Juunnie."

"Hm?"

"Strong."

Juun turned slightly.

"Strong what."

Carmen held Juun's arm with her small hand.

"Strong."

Then she smiled wide.

"Pretty too."

Juun snorted softly.

"How would you know."

"Pretty."

And before Juun could reply, Carmen suddenly bit her cheek gently.

"Adorable."

Silence.

Juun immediately froze.

"..."

Carmen just laughed to herself.

Small, innocent, light laughter of a child.

And Juun had to hold herself back from immediately going to Twitter and destroying every anonymous account one by one.

Because seriously.

How could people hate a creature this adorable?

A creature who even now was biting her cheek because she was too endeared.

A creature who always chose to laugh rather than complain.

Who had been quietly carrying too much for too long.

Juun looked at Carmen for a long time.

And her mind drifted back to many small things that used to seem ordinary.

But now felt painful.

Carmen staying up until four in the morning scrolling Indonesian TikTok.

"What are you doing?" Juun had asked then.

"Research."

"At four in the morning?"

"Looking for Indonesian trends that could help the group's insight."

Even though the next day they had dance evaluation.

But Carmen still stayed up.

Because she was afraid of not being useful enough.

Because she wanted Hearts2Hearts to be loved by more people.

Because she felt she had to prove she deserved to debut.

Juun remembered Carmen pretending to laugh when she read racist comments.

"Ah, it's whatever."

Even though she didn't sleep that night.

Juun remembered Carmen always saying...

"It's okay, I'll take this part."

"It's okay, I can practice more."

"It's okay, I can handle it."

Always "it's okay."

Until finally her own body and mind gave out.

Tiny Carmen was now busy touching Juun's earring.

"Shiny..."

"Yeah."

"Pretty."

Juun chuckled softly.

"Silly."

And for the first time that night, her expression was genuinely soft.

Inside the dorm, Stella's voice could still be faintly heard.

"—she literally searches her own hate comments! Do you know how messed up that is?!"

Jiwoo finally approached slowly.

"Stella."

"No, Jiwoo, this is not okay!"

"I know."

"She's been reading all of that alone!"

Stella's eyes were red now.

Tears fell again.

"And we didn't even notice..."

Jiwoo was silent.

Because that was the most painful part.

They lived in the same house.

Practiced together.

Ate together.

Slept nearly pressed together every day.

But still they hadn't realized how deep Carmen's wounds were.

Jiwoo slowly took the phone from Stella's hand.

Then turned it off.

"Enough."

Stella looked at her, frustrated.

"She's hurting herself reading those comments!"

"I know."

"Then why didn't she stop?!"

Jiwoo finally took a deep breath.

Because she knew the answer.

And it made her chest ache too.

"Because she's afraid."

The room immediately grew quieter.

Jiwoo continued softly, "If she stops looking at comments... she's afraid she'll get lazy."

Stella bit her lip.

"She thinks if everyone is angry, it means she has to work harder."

Ian looked down slowly.

Because that was so Carmen.

The type who, when hated, would blame herself first.

Not get angry at others.

Jiwoo stared at the dark screen of the phone for a long time.

Then said softly, "She's always afraid of being a burden to the group."

Ye-on immediately looked up.

"But she's not..." Her voice was so small.

And Jiwoo smiled thinly, bitterly.

"Exactly."

On the balcony, tiny Carmen was getting sleepy again in Juun's arms.

Her head dropped slightly onto the main dancer's shoulder.

"Sleepy?"

Carmen nodded.

But before fully sleeping, she looked up at Juun again.

Her round eyes sparkled small.

"Juunnie."

"Hm?"

"Don't be sad, okay."

A simple sentence.

Innocent.

But enough to make Juun close her eyes briefly.

Because even now, Carmen was still trying to comfort them.

Juun rubbed the small back gently.

"Okay."

"Good girl."

Carmen smiled proudly.

Then truly fell asleep.

And Juun felt something harden inside her chest.

Not ordinary hatred.

More like a very sharp protective instinct.

Because they could be tired.

Could be noisy.

Could be stressed.

But no one, absolutely no one, had the right to make Carmen feel she didn't deserve to be loved.

Juun looked at the lights of Seoul below.

Thousands of people lived there.

Thousands of anonymous accounts.

Thousands of comments.

And the funny thing was, those people probably didn't realize their words could destroy someone bit by bit.

Could make an idol read her own name every night, hoping for one kind comment to keep herself strong.

When behind the screen, Carmen was just a twenty-one-year-old girl who was too hard on herself.

Who missed home.

Who was afraid of failing.

Who wanted her members to be happy.

And now she was sleeping small on Juun's shoulder like a child who was finally exhausted after pretending for too long that she wasn't in pain.

The balcony door opened slowly.

Jiwoo came out.

Her gaze immediately fell on sleeping Carmen.

Then on Juun.

"She's asleep?"

Juun nodded small.

Jiwoo approached slowly.

And as she was about to carry Carmen back, the small hand reflexively grabbed Juun's hoodie in her sleep.

Juun and Jiwoo both went quiet.

Then Carmen mumbled softly, half-conscious, "Juunnie..."

Juun looked at the small face for a few seconds.

And for the first time since all these strange events, she smiled genuinely.

Small.

Thin.

But warm.

"Go to sleep," she whispered.

Jiwoo saw that quietly.

Then said softly, "She loves you too."

Juun snorted softly while stroking Carmen's hair.

"I know."

But secretly, her chest felt warm all night after that.

---

That night, the dorm was finally quiet.

Truly quiet.

No sound of Ian singing off-key from the bathroom.

No A-na running around looking for a charger.

No Stella panicking because someone used her skincare.

Even the rain outside had stopped, leaving Seoul in wet, cold night lights.

It was almost one in the morning when Jiwoo finally entered the bedroom.

Her body ached.

Her head was heavy.

But her steps automatically slowed upon seeing the other bed occupied.

Because of course.

Tiny Carmen had already taken over Jiwoo's bed.

The child slept sideways in the middle of Jiwoo's bed like the rightful owner of the room.

The strawberry doll was hugged with one hand.

And Jiwoo's oversized hoodie nearly swallowed her tiny body.

Jiwoo stood for a few seconds staring.

Then unconsciously sighed small.

"...so cute."

If the other members heard that, they would immediately create a new group chat.

Because Choi Jiwoo was famous as a human who was the most difficult to say sweet things.

But tiny Carmen was truly a critical hit to her pride.

Jiwoo turned off the main light.

Leaving a small, warm yellow night light near the table.

Then climbed into bed slowly so as not to wake Carmen.

The mattress shifted slightly.

And those big eyes immediately opened.

"...Jiuwu?"

"Yeah."

Carmen immediately shifted closer without thinking.

Natural.

Reflexive.

Her face buried into Jiwoo's shoulder while mumbling small like a kitten.

Jiwoo was used to it now.

Her hand automatically pulled the blanket over Carmen.

"Go back to sleep."

Carmen instead looked up.

Still sleepy.

Red cheeks.

Messy hair.

Her hand rose to hold Jiwoo's face gently.

Then started playing with Jiwoo's lips again.

Pulled slightly.

Pressed gently.

"..."

Jiwoo closed her eyes briefly.

"Carmen."

"Hm?"

"Stop playing with my lips."

"Pretty."

"What's pretty."

"Soft."

Jiwoo lost completely.

Tiny Carmen laughed to herself.

Then started babbling like a half-asleep baby.

"Jiuwu mad..."

"I'm not mad."

"Mad."

"No."

"Your forehead goes like this." Carmen imitated Jiwoo's flat face with absurdly furrowed brows.

Jiwoo almost laughed.

Almost.

"Go to sleep now."

Carmen shook her head small.

"Don't want to."

"Why."

"Scared I'll wake up alone."

And as usual, that innocent sentence pierced Jiwoo without mercy.

The leader looked at Carmen for a few seconds longer.

Then her voice softened unconsciously.

"I'm here."

Carmen immediately calmed.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

The little girl smiled satisfied.

Then went back to playing with Jiwoo's lips like a living stress ball.

Sometimes pinched.

Sometimes pressed.

Sometimes touched with both hands seriously like a little scientist.

Jiwoo just surrendered now.

Carmen started babbling again, half-asleep.

"Jiuwu pretty..."

"Yeah, thanks."

"Mean."

"You're the stubborn one."

"Hm..."

"And?"

"Love..."

Jiwoo froze.

Total silence.

Her brain immediately blanked for a few seconds.

"..."

Carmen had already closed her eyes again.

Still half-conscious.

Her mouth kept mumbling small.

"Love Jiuwu..."

Jiwoo immediately stared at the bedroom ceiling as if her life was over.

Because if adult Carmen said that, maybe she could still handle it.

But tiny Carmen saying it in a sleepy, lisping voice?

Fatal.

Absolutely fatal.

And of course, the universe never let Jiwoo live in peace.

THE BEDROOM DOOR OPENED.

Yuha came in carrying a water bottle.

"Jiwoo, let me borrow—"

Her steps stopped.

Her gaze immediately fell on the bed.

On Carmen who was pressed against Jiwoo.

On the small hand still holding their leader's lips.

And on Jiwoo's face which looked like she'd just suffered an emotional heart attack.

Yuha slowly raised an eyebrow.

"Oh."

Jiwoo immediately went flat again.

"Get out."

Yuha instead approached casually.

"Very intimate."

"No."

"Sure."

Tiny Carmen heard another voice and opened her eyes slightly.

"Yuha unnie..."

Yuha grinned small.

She did love teasing.

Especially when the target was Jiwoo.

And seeing their cold leader now literally becoming a living mattress for tiny Carmen?

Too funny to pass up.

Yuha approached the end of the bed.

Then suddenly pulled Carmen's small leg.

"WAAAH-" Carmen immediately screamed small in surprise while reflexively hugging Jiwoo tightly.

Her face buried into Jiwoo's chest.

"MEAN!"

Yuha immediately let out a short laugh.

"Oopsie."

Jiwoo looked at Yuha with the most murderous face in the world.

Truly a look that could make a new trainee resign on the spot.

"Let go."

Yuha instead smiled more crookedly.

"So scary."

"Yuha."

"I'm just joking."

Carmen was still clingy on Jiwoo's chest now.

Her eyes big from shock.

"Jiuwuuuuuu She pulled my leg..."

"I saw."

"Mean..."

Jiwoo immediately rubbed Carmen's back gently.

"Yeah. Yuha is mean."

Yuha immediately protested.

"Hey, why am I the villain."

"Because you are the villain."

"Slander."

Carmen looked up slightly from Jiwoo's chest.

Then pointed at Yuha with a serious baby face.

"No pull."

Yuha almost laughed again.

"Sorry, princess."

"Hmph."

Jiwoo saw Carmen still pouting small, then unconsciously smiled thin.

And Yuha immediately caught that.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Dear God."

"What now."

"You're so soft now."

Jiwoo immediately went flat again.

"Get out."

Yuha leaned against the door frame, observing them for a few more seconds.

And honestly, the sight was absurdly sweet.

Tiny Carmen half-reclining in Jiwoo's embrace.

Jiwoo letting her hand be played with.

Warm night light.

Calm bedroom atmosphere.

If any shipper fans saw this, the internet would explode for seven days and seven nights.

Yuha finally clicked her tongue small with a smile.

"When Carmen unnie goes back to normal, I'm using all of this for blackmail."

Jiwoo immediately threw a pillow.

"Leave."

Yuha laughed while walking out of the room.

The door closed again.

Silence returned.

Tiny Carmen was still pouting.

"Yuha unnie is mean..."

"Yeah."

"Jiwoo, scold her."

"I already did."

"Again."

Jiwoo chuckled softly.

"You're so vindictive."

Carmen nodded seriously.

Then a few seconds later she got sleepy again.

Her hand went back up to Jiwoo's face.

Playing with her lips gently.

Eyes half-closed.

And her babbling started getting random again.

"Tomorrow want ice cream..."

"It's cold."

"Waaaant..."

"You'll cough."

"Jiwoo is naggy..."

"You're a kid."

"Hm..."

Small silence.

Then the small voice appeared again. "Love Jiuwu..."

Jiwoo froze again.

And this time Carmen had truly fallen asleep after that.

Her breathing was gentle.

Warm.

Still pressed very close.

While Jiwoo could only stare at the ceiling with a chaotic heart.

Because seriously.

If Carmen went back to normal, she truly didn't know how to face that girl anymore.

---

That morning actually started quite normal.

Normal by Hearts2Hearts standards, of course.

Which meant...

Ian doing random dances while brushing her teeth.

A-na wearing Yuha's slippers by mistake and nearly getting killed.

Stella making heart-shaped pancakes that failed completely.

And Jiwoo only sleeping at five in the morning because tiny Carmen suddenly cried and demanded a bedtime story about capybaras.

Truly domestic chaos.

By eleven in the morning, the dorm's living room was already lively.

The TV was on playing an old variety show of theirs.

Ian and A-na sat cross-legged on the carpet with tiny Carmen who wore a cute yellow overall with her hair in twin tails done by Stella.

And yes.

That day A-na had an important mission.

Changing Carmen's diaper.

Because Jiwoo was in an online meeting with the manager.

Yuha and Juun were practicing.

Ye-on was helping Stella cook.

It should be easy.

It should be.

If only A-na wasn't the most easily distracted human in the world.

"A-NA UNNIE LOOK AT THIS!"

Ian now had a cat filter from the iPad right in front of Carmen's face.

The little girl laughed so hard her body shook.

"Cute!"

A-na immediately joined in.

"Hold on, unnie's gonna be a dinosaur."

Five seconds later, A-na was roaring nonsense while doing a squat-walk around the living room.

Carmen laughed even harder.

Ian even fell face-down from being too committed to being a clown.

"Rawrrr!"

"An unnie is weird!"

"Exactly!"

The fresh diaper that was supposed to be on Carmen still lay innocently on the sofa.

And of course, karma works fast.

A few minutes later, Carmen suddenly went quiet.

Then her eyes widened slightly.

Ian blinked.

"...oh."

A-na turned.

"...oh?"

Two seconds of silence.

Then "A-NAAAA!"

Ian immediately did a mental somersault.

A-na panicked.

"OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD."

The carpet was safe.

Fortunately.

But Carmen's overall was clearly not safe.

And tiny Carmen immediately froze.

Her laughter gone completely.

Her eyes started welling up.

"Men..."

Ian immediately crouched in front of her.

"It's okay! It's totally okay!"

But Carmen had already started panicking on her own.

Her lip trembled small.

"Men sorry..."

A-na immediately felt her soul leaving her body.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO APOLOGIZE!"

"Sorry..."

Tears started falling.

And that made Ian and A-na immediately go into national-level panic mode.

Because they were more prepared for a zombie apocalypse than Carmen crying.

"Unnie, it's fine, seriously!"

"I forgot to change the diaper— no wait, it's not unnie's fault, I mean— oh my god what am I saying?!"

Carmen cried even more.

"Sorry..." Her voice was so small.

Full of guilt.

And that immediately made everyone's chest ache.

Because even in a situation like this, Carmen was still afraid of inconveniencing people.

Still reflexively apologized first.

Ye-on, who had just come out of the kitchen, froze seeing the situation.

"What happened?"

Ian almost cried too.

"WE FAILED AT BEING ADULTS."

A-na pointed at herself.

"MY FAULT."

Carmen now sat small in the middle of the carpet, crying softly.

Her hands kept rubbing her eyes.

"Sorry..."

Ye-on immediately walked over quickly.

The maknae was shy.

Very shy.

But when a member was sad, she always reflexively moved first.

"Carmen unnie..."

Carmen lifted her small face.

Her cheeks were wet.

And Ye-on immediately felt sad too.

Because their oldest unnie was usually the one who comforted everyone.

Now she looked so small.

Ye-on sat slowly in front of Carmen.

Then hesitantly raised her hand.

"...can I touch you?"

Even in a situation like this, Ye-on was still impossibly polite.

Even though Ian that morning had literally almost bitten Carmen's head off out of endearment.

Carmen only looked at her with big wet eyes.

Ye-on finally stroked her hair gently.

Very slowly.

Softly.

"It's okay..."

Carmen sniffled.

"Sorry..."

"You don't need to apologize."

"I caused trouble..."

That small voice immediately made A-na want to jump off the balcony out of guilt.

Ye-on shook her head quickly.

"Not trouble."

Her hand kept stroking Carmen's head gently.

Her movements were careful, like touching glass.

"Unnie didn't do anything wrong."

Carmen was still sniffling small.

And Ye-on, with the softest voice the entire dorm had ever heard, said again...

"It's okay to be in pain or scared, too."

The room immediately grew quieter.

Because that sentence sounded simple.

But they all knew it was the thing Carmen least allowed for herself.

Carmen looked at Ye-on for a long time.

Then slowly, her crying started to subside.

Ye-on panicked slightly.

"Ah, sorry... I was being presumptuous touching unnie's head..."

Ian immediately yelled from behind.

"PRESUMPTUOUS WHAT, YE-ON AH, I WAS ABOUT TO EAT HER HEAD EARLIER."

"YEAH HER..."

Ye-on got more embarrassed.

Her cheeks went completely red.

Yuha, who just entered the living room at that exact moment, immediately stopped.

And of course, the first thing she did was take out her phone.

Click.

Record.

Stella, who came in behind her, immediately massaged her temples.

"Why are you recording."

Yuha smiled crookedly.

"For the collection."

"Delete it later."

"No."

On Yuha's phone screen:

Tiny Carmen sitting with swollen eyes.

Ye-on stroking her head super carefully.

Ian and A-na panicking like people who'd caused a national fire.

And the atmosphere was absurdly wholesome.

Ian pointed at Carmen.

"She's crying because she feels guilty!"

Stella immediately softened.

"Oh, unnie..."

She quickly approached.

Carmen immediately looked down in shame.

"I'm ugly..."

Stella nearly collapsed.

"WHO SAID THAT?!"

"I peed..." That sad, innocent tone made the entire dorm want to burn the internet again.

Ye-on stroked Carmen's hair gently.

"Babies pee too."

Ian immediately nodded quickly.

"TRUE."

A-na joined in.

"I was seventeen and almost peed watching a horror movie."

"THAT'S DIFFERENT," Yuha yelled while still recording.

Carmen finally laughed small between her tears.

And everyone breathed a little easier.

Because Carmen's crying always felt like an emotional emergency siren.

The problem now was that Jiwoo didn't know yet.

And that was dangerous.

Because Carmen started looking around restlessly.

"Where's Jiuwu..."

Ian immediately turned to A-na.

"Uh oh."

"Find the leader NOW."

Juun, who had just come out of the practice room, was immediately hit by the panicked stares of the entire room.

"...what now?"

"CARMEN UNNIE IS CRYING."

Juun immediately focused.

"What happened?"

Ian explained at super speed with unclear gestures.

"...then we forgot the diaper- well not forgot- well yeah forgot- then she cried- then-"

Juun sighed heavily.

"Where's Jiwoo?"

"Online meeting."

"If Carmen throws a tantrum next, you're all dead."

Ian immediately did a dramatic prostration.

"SAVE US JUUN UNNIE."

Juun clicked her tongue then walked quickly toward the small work room.

Meanwhile in the living room, Ye-on was still faithfully comforting Carmen.

Her hand kept stroking the small head gently.

Sometimes fixing her bangs.

Sometimes patting her back softly.

And Carmen started calming down more.

Her eyes were still red but she had stopped crying.

"Ye-on..."

"Hm?"

"You're nice..."

The maknae immediately got flustered.

"Ah, no..."

Ian chimed in.

"She's embarrassed."

Ye-on immediately panicked.

"I'm not!"

Yuha zoomed in the camera.

"Shy hamster."

"YUHA UNNIE..."

Stella finally helped change Carmen's clothes while continuously comforting her.

A-na sat in the corner with the aura of a person who'd failed as a citizen.

"I don't deserve to be a parent."

Ian patted her shoulder.

"We're not ready to have kids."

"THAT'S NOT OUR KID."

"All dorm kids are shared kids."

"Stop talking."

The work room door finally opened.

And Jiwoo appeared.

Her face was still serious from the meeting.

But the moment she saw Carmen with red eyes, her expression immediately changed.

"What happened?"

Carmen, who had been calm, immediately stood up small.

Her lip trembled again.

"Jiuwuuu..."

And that was it.

She immediately ran in small steps toward Jiwoo then attached like a living koala.

Jiwoo automatically picked her up.

"What's wrong?"

Ian immediately pointed at A-na.

"HER FAULT."

"EXCUSE ME."

Stella quickly explained softly.

And Jiwoo just listened in silence.

Her gaze then fell on Carmen who was hiding in her neck out of shame.

"...you cried over that?"

Carmen nodded small.

"Sorry..."

Jiwoo immediately took a deep breath.

Her hand rubbed Carmen's back gently.

"Listen."

Carmen was quiet.

"You're not allowed to apologize for things like this."

"But Men..."

"No buts." Jiwoo's tone remained gentle.

Very gentle.

And Carmen slowly calmed down again.

Yuha from behind was still recording with a satisfied smile.

"This is such family content."

Juun walked by while glancing at her phone screen.

"If this leaks, we all make the news."

Ian immediately posed with a peace sign.

"Hearts2Hearts daycare AU."

Stella massaged her temples again.

"I'm tired of you all."

But a few seconds later, she laughed too.

---

The SM practice room on the eleventh floor that night was much livelier than usual.

Not because of staff.

Not because of trainees.

But because of one illegal toddler named Carmen who, since entering the room, had acted like she owned the building.

"Wooow..."

Her big eyes sparkled at the giant mirrors of the practice room.

White lights reflected on the glossy black floor.

Large speakers in the corner.

Water bottles scattered.

And the SM logo on the wall that even now still made some members shudder when they thought about it.

Tiny Carmen immediately got down from Jiwoo's arms.

Ran in small steps around the room wearing a light blue oversized t-shirt and tiny sneakers that Stella had bought.

"Big!"

Ian immediately chased her dramatically.

"Welcome to our place of suffering."

"An unnie is lying."

"I never lie."

Yuha walked by carrying a bag.

"You literally lie the moment you wake up."

Ian was offended.

"Heh."

That day they were doing self-practice.

The comeback wasn't clear yet.

Management was still chaotic.

But the evaluation schedule in two days hadn't been canceled.

And Hearts2Hearts members weren't the type who could sit still for too long.

Especially Jiwoo.

So they still came to practice that night.

Even though the atmosphere was much more relaxed.

No manager.

No evaluation cameramen.

No big pressure.

Just them.

And tiny Carmen who was now squatting in front of a speaker while patting it.

"Music!"

Stella immediately sat on the floor while laughing softly.

"She's so happy..."

And it was true.

Carmen looked so alive in the practice room.

As if her body automatically recognized that place as a second home.

Maybe because for years, rooms like this had witnessed all her struggles.

The place she practiced until her feet blistered.

The place she cried secretly after monthly evaluations.

The place she laughed the hardest with the other members.

The place she felt she truly deserved to be an idol.

Jiwoo observed Carmen from afar while stretching.

Her gaze softened slightly.

Because this was the first time since turning small that Carmen looked that cheerful.

Yuha observed Jiwoo then clicked her tongue softly.

"You look like a young mom."

Jiwoo immediately glared.

"Quiet."

A-na chimed in.

"Not a young mom, actually..."

"Then what?"

A-na grinned.

"Single parent."

Ian fell laughing to the floor.

Jiwoo threw a towel.

"Go away."

Carmen, hearing the commotion, immediately turned.

"Jiuwu mad again?"

"No."

"Mean."

"See," Yuha said, pointing at Jiwoo. "Your kid gets it already."

"I'm not-"

"Papa Jiwoo!" Ian shouted.

"ALL OF YOU DIE."

The practice room immediately erupted.

Ye-on sat near the mirror, laughing softly at everything.

Juun, who was stretching next to her, glanced briefly.

"You keep laughing."

Ye-on immediately got flustered.

"It's funny..."

And it was funny.

Because even in an absurd situation like this, they could still laugh.

Could still feel like a family.

Stella finally stood and connected music to the speaker.

"Okay, kids."

Ian immediately saluted.

"Ready, coach!"

"Basic practice only today."

"Thank goodness."

"Get it wrong and I still slap you."

"Uh oh."

Music started filling the room.

The demo beat of their comeback echoed loudly.

The members' bodies immediately shifted.

Posture straight.

Gaze focused.

Movements synchronized.

Even if relaxed, they were still SM idols.

And tiny Carmen...

immediately sat nicely in the middle of the room, watching with sparkling eyes.

"WAAAA..."

Her hands clapped by themselves each time a member moved.

Ian deliberately spun exaggeratedly in front of her.

Carmen laughed hard.

"An unnie is weird!"

"I'm a performer."

"That's a disorder."

Yuha walked by flicking Ian's head.

That night's practice felt light.

Sometimes stopping to drink water.

Sometimes joking.

Sometimes Carmen suddenly entered the formation and everyone scattered because they were too endeared.

During the break, tiny Carmen suddenly climbed onto Jiwoo's back from behind.

"Hop!"

Jiwoo, who was drinking, nearly choked.

"...where did you come from."

"Climbed."

"Are you a monkey."

Carmen laughed satisfied while hugging Jiwoo's neck.

And all the members automatically made sounds of sweet disgust.

"Awww."

Jiwoo closed her eyes.

"I want to switch groups."

Ian immediately yelled.

"Papa Jiwoo is tired from working."

"I'll kill you."

After nearly an hour of casual practice, they finally took a full break.

Stella lay down on the floor first.

A-na and Ian fought over a towel.

Yuha sat while scrolling through evaluation videos.

Ye-on sipped water in small amounts.

And Juun... Juun was doing sit-ups.

Because that human being simply could not sit still.

Her black t-shirt rose slightly with each movement.

Her hair was damp with sweat.

Her gaze was focused.

Until tiny Carmen watched curiously.

"...what's Juunnie doing?"

Ian answered casually while fanning herself.

"She's a gym robot."

"Wooow..."

Juun had just completed her twenty-somethingth sit-up when suddenly—

THUD.

A small weight landed on her stomach.

"..."

Juun stopped.

Everyone turned.

And of course, Carmen was now sitting nicely on Juun's stomach.

Like a wild cat finding a new seat.

Juun raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing."

Carmen instead grinned wide.

"Sat."

Ian immediately collapsed laughing.

"PLEASE SHE'S LIKE A RANDOM NPC."

Juun sighed softly.

But didn't tell her to get off.

Because Carmen was already comfortable sitting there while holding her shoulders.

"You're heavy."

"Lie."

"Yeah, a lie."

Carmen was satisfied.

Then started babbling randomly.

"Juunnie is strong."

"Yeah."

"Her tummy is hard."

Ian immediately screamed.

"YO."

Stella almost threw up laughing.

Ye-on covered her face with a water bottle out of embarrassment for some reason.

Juun herself just clicked her tongue softly.

"Disrespectful."

Carmen instead clapped her small hands.

"Pretty too."

A fraction of a second of silence.

A-na dramatically fell over.

"SHE'S FLIRTING WITH EVERYONE."

Yuha raised her phone again.

"New blackmail material."

Jiwoo, sitting in the corner while stretching, only watched with half-tired eyes.

But the corner of her lip rose slightly.

Because Carmen was indeed like that.

Always making any room feel alive.

Even as a toddler.

Carmen now patted Juun's chest small.

"Thump thump."

"That's a heart."

"Fast."

"Because you're sitting on me."

"Oh." That innocent answer made all the members melt again.

Ye-on, who had been quiet, finally spoke softly.

"Unnie is so cute..."

Carmen immediately turned.

"Ye-on is cute too."

The maknae immediately froze.

Her cheeks went completely red.

Ian slapped the floor.

"THE ENTIRE DORM GOT HIT BY CARMEN'S RIZZ."

"She's been a crocodile since birth," A-na added.

"Crocodile, what..." Jiwoo murmured, but her ears were also red.

Carmen suddenly lay fully on Juun's stomach now.

Her face leaned comfortably.

"Tired..."

Juun automatically supported the small body so she wouldn't fall.

"Go sleep over there."

"Don't want to."

"Why."

"Comfy here."

And for some reason, that sentence made Juun's chest warm because even adult Carmen was actually like that.

When tired, she always sought out her members.

Always slept leaning against someone.

Always sought warmth.

Maybe because she'd been strong alone for too long.

The practice room that night was finally filled with laughter again.

Ian started dancing randomly.

A-na failed at beatboxing.

Stella recorded for "proof that they were still sane."

Yuha was busy making sharp comments.

Ye-on kept giggling softly.

And Carmen sat on Juun while babbling randomly about cloud shapes that looked like bread and Juun's tummy that "made a funny thump thump."

While Juun quietly thought one thing...

If anyone else dared to make Carmen cry again after this, she might truly lose her patience.

---

The night grew later as their practice finally truly ended.

Sweat still clung to their necks.

Empty water bottles littered the floor.

Speakers were turned off.

Practice room lights were dimmed slightly.

And after nearly two hours of making everyone laugh nonstop, tiny Carmen finally started running out of energy.

It was obvious from her drooping eyes.

Her movements slowed.

Her voice grew small.

She was still sitting near Juun earlier, but now only played with her own hoodie string while occasionally yawning.

Ian immediately pointed.

"Battery at one percent."

Carmen pouted.

"No..." Then yawned again.

Stella laughed softly while packing up.

"Unnie's sleepy."

"Don't want to sleep..."

"Classic toddler behavior," Yuha murmured.

Jiwoo, who had been sitting near the mirror, finally stood.

Her steps automatically went toward Carmen.

"Come here."

Carmen looked up.

Her eyes lit up slightly again upon seeing Jiwoo.

And all the members quietly watched how that small body immediately raised its arms to be picked up without hesitation.

Reflex.

As if that was her place.

Jiwoo lifted Carmen gently.

Small arms immediately wrapped around her neck.

Carmen's head fell on Jiwoo's shoulder while mumbling small.

"Tired..."

"Yeah."

Jiwoo carried Carmen to the long sofa in the corner of the practice room.

An old black sofa that trainees usually used to nap for fifteen minutes before evaluations.

She sat down first.

Made sure Carmen was comfortable in her arms.

Then slowly laid the small body down on the sofa.

Carmen immediately reflexively reached for Jiwoo's hand.

Still half-conscious.

"Don't go..."

"I'm not going."

"Promise?"

Jiwoo smiled thin and small.

"Promise."

Carmen finally calmed.

Her eyes closed slowly.

Her breathing started to stabilize.

And the entire practice room automatically grew quieter.

Because they all knew one thing.

Carmen rarely truly slept soundly.

Even before.

She often had insomnia.

Often scrolled social media trends until morning.

Often practiced alone secretly.

Often pretended to be fine while keeping everything to herself.

So seeing Carmen now sleeping so peacefully felt strange.

Strange but warm.

Jiwoo sat next to the sofa, staring at Carmen's sleeping face for a long time.

The practice room lights reflected softly on her cheeks.

Cheeks that were now rounder because of the regression.

Long eyelashes.

Warm small breaths.

And for a moment, Jiwoo felt time slow down.

The other members' voices seemed distant.

She only saw Carmen.

Carmen, who first approached her during trainee days.

Carmen, who wasn't afraid of her cold face.

Carmen, who always sat next to her at meals.

Who always brought coffee for Jiwoo after practice.

Who quietly held her hand when Jiwoo received massive backlash last year.

Jiwoo still remembered that night clearly.

So clearly.

When her fancam video went viral.

Comments full of insults.

"Her expression is empty."

"She's selfish."

"Why be a leader if you always look grumpy."

"Attitude problem."

Jiwoo read them all silently in the old trainee dorm.

Didn't cry.

Didn't get angry.

Just stayed quiet.

As usual.

Then Carmen came bringing two cans of cold coffee.

Didn't say much.

Didn't give dramatic advice.

She just sat next to Jiwoo.

And said softly,

"Want to go for a walk?"

They ended up walking near the Han River that night.

Cold wind.

Seoul's city lights reflecting on the water.

And Carmen kept chattering about random things so Jiwoo wouldn't drown in her own thoughts.

About Indonesian food.

About other trainees who messed up dance lyrics.

About a weird bird that stole Ian's bread that afternoon.

Small things.

Silly.

But successfully made Jiwoo breathe again.

That night Carmen also said softly,

"You don't always have to look strong."

Jiwoo never forgot that sentence.

Because no one had ever spoken to her like that before.

Everyone always saw Jiwoo as the strong leader.

Firm.

Stable.

Cold.

But Carmen always saw more than that.

And now, seeing tiny Carmen sleeping like this actually made Jiwoo realize how much she missed that girl.

Not just the cute, clingy small version.

But Carmen.

Carmen who was chatty.

Who often got nervous when Jiwoo was too close.

Who secretly always saved Jiwoo's favorite food.

Who pretended to be casual when she was actually extremely sensitive.

Who always walked beside Jiwoo even when the entire internet felt like the enemy.

Jiwoo raised her hand slowly.

Fixed Carmen's small bangs from her face.

Her gaze softened.

So soft.

And before she could think twice, she leaned down slowly.

Then kissed tiny Carmen's cheek.

Brief.

Almost imperceptible.

But full of care.

The members who were packing up immediately froze silently.

Ian covered her mouth with a towel.

A-na gripped Stella violently.

Yuha raised her eyebrows high.

Ye-on's eyes widened.

Even Juun, who usually had the best poker face, had to look away because the corner of her lip rose slightly.

Jiwoo didn't realize they were watching.

Her gaze was still on Carmen.

And with a voice so small it was almost like a whisper to herself, she said, "I'll find a way to bring you back."

Silence.

Then softly again,

"So come back soon..." Her breath caught slightly. "I miss you."

That last sentence made the entire practice room feel softer.

Because they all knew.

Their famously strong leader was also tired.

Jiwoo also needed someone.

And that person was always Carmen.

Not just for laughing.

But for breathing.

Ian looked at Jiwoo for a long time.

Then whispered softly to A-na,

"Wow..."

A-na nodded slowly.

"She loves her so much."

Stella bit her lip small.

Her eyes grew hot again.

Because sometimes she truly didn't understand the internet.

How could anyone look at Carmen and choose to hate her?

How could people who only saw a few minutes of video on a screen feel entitled to decide whether Carmen deserved to be in this group?

When they didn't know anything.

They didn't know Carmen learning Korean while crying in frustration because she was afraid of sounding wrong.

They didn't know Carmen secretly promoting their group on anonymous Indonesian accounts.

They didn't know Carmen staying up late finding trends to boost the group's engagement.

They didn't know Carmen often hiding her pain because she was afraid of being a burden.

They didn't know Carmen saving up for a long time to buy small gifts for all the members on the group's anniversary.

They didn't know that girl had left her home years ago.

Another country.

Another language.

Another culture.

All for one dream that wasn't even guaranteed to succeed.

And after all that struggle, people on the internet still easily said.

"She doesn't deserve it."

Yuha finally turned off her phone screen slowly.

Her gaze fell on Jiwoo and Carmen.

Then she sighed softly.

"Sometimes netizens forget idols are humans too."

Juun leaned her body against the mirror.

"Because it's easier to type hatred than admit jealousy."

Ian nodded slowly.

"They see Carmen as pretty, successful, loved..."

"Then start finding reasons to ruin that," Stella added softly.

Ye-on looked at tiny Carmen sleeping soundly.

"...but unnie is so kind."

And that was the most painful part.

Because Carmen was genuinely kind.

Too kind, even.

The type who, when hurt, would still first think about whether she was at fault.

Jiwoo was still sitting near the sofa.

Her hand never truly left Carmen.

Their fingers touched small.

Natural.

As if it had to be that way.

And the other members finally exchanged glances quietly.

Then chose to pretend to be busy again.

No one teased.

No one joked.

Because some feelings were too genuine to be made into jokes.

They all knew.

Jiwoo loved Carmen.

Maybe it had never been said out loud.

Maybe even they themselves pretended not to know.

But it was there.

Visible clearly from how Jiwoo was always softer with Carmen.

From how Carmen always sought Jiwoo first when tired.

From how they took care of each other even without words.

And now in that empty practice room in the middle of the night, everyone could see it so clearly.

Jiwoo finally leaned against the sofa slowly.

Still close to Carmen.

Still guarding.

While outside the SM building, Seoul still lived with its night lights and social media notifications that never stopped.

But in that small room, for a few brief minutes, Carmen didn't have to be strong and Jiwoo didn't have to pretend she didn't need anyone.

---

The following night felt strange from the start.

Not strange-funny like usual.

Not normal dorm chaos, but a strangeness that made the air feel heavy.

As if something unseen was sitting quietly in the corner of the room.

It was nearly ten at night when Manager Kang finally came to the dorm again.

The man looked more tired than usual.

Loose tie.

Slightly messy hair.

And that alone was enough to make the Hearts2Hearts members glance at each other.

Because Manager Kang was known for being extremely neat.

If he looked this disheveled, it meant the situation was truly serious.

All members gathered in the living room.

Except Carmen.

Tiny Carmen sat on the corner sofa hugging her strawberry doll.

Quiet.

Very quiet.

Not like usual.

No random babbling.

No laughter.

No cute antics.

She only looked down while playing with the end of the small blanket on her lap.

Jiwoo glanced that way several times.

She'd had a bad feeling since that afternoon.

Because Carmen had started changing.

Slowly.

She became quieter.

More sensitive.

And for some reason, the look in her eyes sometimes felt too empty for a child.

Manager Kang finally spoke softly. "We've tried all medical routes."

The room immediately fell silent.

"Pediatricians, neurology, psychiatry..."

He rubbed his tired face.

"And no one can explain this."

Ian sat up straighter.

A-na stopped playing with her drink straw.

Stella looked pale.

Manager Kang continued softly, "They all say Carmen's physical condition is normal."

"Normal what..." Yuha murmured.

Manager Kang gave a hollow laugh.

"Yeah. That's the problem."

Silence again.

Then the man took a long breath before saying, "...I'm trying to call someone."

Juun raised an eyebrow.

"Who?"

Manager Kang was quiet for a moment.

As if even he didn't believe what he was about to say.

"...a spiritual advisor."

The room immediately froze.

Ian blinked slowly.

"Huh?"

"Not some random shaman," Manager Kang quickly added. "An acquaintance of one of the executives' families."

A-na still looked blank.

"But..."

"Because this makes no sense," Manager Kang cut in quietly.

His gaze fell on tiny Carmen in the corner.

"And honestly, I'm starting to get scared too."

That sentence sent chills down everyone's spine.

Because thinking about it, there really was no logical explanation.

A person couldn't suddenly turn into a small child.

Couldn't lose their mental development just like that.

Impossible.

But Carmen was right there in front of them.

Real.

Breathing.

Crying.

Laughing.

And that made everyone start to fear the other possibilities.

Ye-on slowly moved closer to Stella.

The maknae looked anxious.

While Jiwoo kept watching Carmen.

Because even since Manager Kang arrived, Carmen had never lifted her head.

Strange.

Very strange.

Usually she would immediately approach Jiwoo or Ian.

Or at least eavesdrop on the conversation with curiosity.

But now she was just quiet.

Hugging the doll.

As if deliberately distancing herself from everyone.

Jiwoo finally stood slowly.

Her steps went toward the corner sofa.

"Carmen."

No answer.

Jiwoo crouched in front of the sofa.

"Hey."

Soft.

Gentle.

Usually that voice would make Carmen come closer immediately.

But not now.

Carmen instead looked down more.

Her hands gripped the doll tighter.

Jiwoo frowned slightly.

"Are you sick?"

Silence.

Stella also approached softly.

"Unnie..."

The moment Stella touched her shoulder slightly, Carmen immediately pushed her hand away.

Reflexive.

Fast.

And everyone froze.

Because that was the first time Carmen refused touch since turning small.

Stella immediately stepped back slowly.

"..."

Carmen was still looking down.

Her lip was pouting now.

Her eyes were red.

Like she'd been holding something back.

Jiwoo looked at her for a few seconds longer.

That uneasy feeling grew stronger.

"Shall I carry you?"

Slowly.

Carefully.

Jiwoo extended her hand.

And Carmen... moved back.

Small.

But clear.

Refusing.

The room grew even quieter.

Ian even stopped her dramatic breathing.

Because this wasn't normal.

Carmen always sought Jiwoo.

Always.

If scared, Jiwoo.

If sleepy, Jiwoo.

If angry, Jiwoo.

Now she was pulling away.

Jiwoo looked slightly stiff for the first time that night.

"Carmen."

Still gentle.

But there was something in her voice now.

Worry.

Carmen finally lifted her face slowly.

And everyone immediately felt their chests drop.

Because her eyes were full of tears.

But not ordinary crying.

More like fear.

Held-in fear.

And strangely, she also looked angry.

Like a small child deliberately refusing to be helped.

"Don't want to..."

Her voice was so small.

Jiwoo held her breath.

"Don't want what?"

Carmen shook her head hard.

"Don't want to..."

Then her lip trembled more.

And suddenly she started crying.

Not loud crying.

But choking sobs.

Like someone who was too tired.

Ian immediately panicked and stood.

"Hey, hey, don't cry..."

A-na also approached.

"Unnie, it's okay-"

"DON'T!"

That small voice suddenly cracked.

Everyone immediately went quiet.

Carmen was crying now.

Truly crying.

Tears fell fast while she hugged the doll tightly.

And when Jiwoo tried to approach again, she instead moved further back on the sofa.

"Don't want to..."

Jiwoo looked pale now.

Because she had never seen Carmen like this.

That gaze was too sad.

Too desperate.

As if something inside her was fighting.

Yuha slowly lowered her phone.

No one was in the mood to joke anymore.

Manager Kang stood slowly.

His face grew more serious.

"...she seems afraid."

"Yeah," Stella whispered.

Ye-on was almost crying now too.

"Why, unnie..."

No one knew.

And that was the most terrifying part.

Jiwoo finally sat slowly on the floor in front of the sofa.

Not forcing closer.

Not touching.

She just sat there.

Looking at Carmen carefully.

"I'm not going to force you."

The small crying started to lessen slightly.

"But I'm here."

Carmen was still crying quietly.

Her head was down.

Jiwoo continued softly,

"You're not alone."

Silence.

Only the sound of breathing and small sobs.

Then Carmen finally spoke, barely audible.

So quiet that everyone almost didn't hear.

"...Men scared."

Jiwoo immediately focused completely.

"Scared of what?"

Carmen bit her small lip.

Then shook her head hard as if regretting speaking.

"It's okay."

That made everyone's hair stand on end.

Because the tone of her voice didn't sound like a child.

Only for a moment.

Very briefly.

But enough to make the room feel cold.

Juun immediately looked at Yuha.

Yuha looked back without speaking.

They felt the same thing.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Carmen suddenly hugged her own head small.

Like she was dizzy.

Her crying started again.

"Don't want to..."

Jiwoo reflexively stood again.

"Carmen."

"Don't want to sleep..."

Her voice cracked.

And that finally made everything click.

Since that afternoon, Carmen had refused to sleep at all.

She kept forcing herself to stay awake.

Kept being fussy.

Kept being restless.

As if afraid that if she fell asleep.

Manager Kang slowly spoke,

"...don't force her to sleep tonight."

Everyone turned.

The man looked truly serious now.

"If she's afraid to sleep... don't force it."

"Why?" Stella asked softly.

Manager Kang was quiet for a few seconds.

Then shook his head small.

"...I don't know."

And for some reason, that answer felt more frightening than anything else that night.

Jiwoo returned to sitting near the sofa.

Still keeping a slight distance.

Letting Carmen breathe.

The small crying gradually subsided again.

But she was still pouting.

Still quiet.

Still hugging the doll like her last fortress.

While the entire dorm sank into an unexplainable fear.

Because for the first time since all this began, they started to feel that maybe tiny Carmen wasn't just a strange phenomenon.

Maybe something inside her was hurting.

Or lost, and worse—maybe a part of Carmen herself was refusing to return.

---

That night, no one truly slept.

The dorm lights were dimmed.

The TV was turned off.

Soft music played quietly from the living room speaker just so the atmosphere wouldn't be too silent.

And in the middle of all that, tiny Carmen sat on the large sofa with the strawberry blanket covering her legs.

Still looking sullen.

Still looking scared.

But at least she had stopped crying.

For now.

Manager Kang had left an hour ago after repeatedly reminding them to contact him if anything happened.

And now the Hearts2Hearts members took turns watching Carmen like guarding a small flame about to go out.

Jiwoo was still sitting closest.

Her position on the floor, leaning against the sofa where Carmen sat.

Still quiet.

Still watching.

But she deliberately gave space.

Because every time she got too close tonight, Carmen instead looked sadder.

And that terrified Jiwoo.

Afraid that without realizing it, she was the reason Carmen pulled away.

Ian, who couldn't stand the gloomy atmosphere the most, finally moved first.

She dropped herself in front of the sofa dramatically.

"Alright."

Stella immediately glanced.

"What are you going to do."

Ian pointed at herself.

"I am going to save this night."

"That sentence is creepy."

Ian ignored that and approached Carmen slowly.

Carmen watched her quietly.

Her eyes still swollen.

Ian then pointed at her own nose.

"My nose today is special."

Carmen blinked small.

Ian immediately crossed her eyes toward her own nose until her face was absurd.

A-na immediately choked on her drink.

"HEY THAT'S SO UGLY."

Ian instead got more committed.

"This is not an ordinary nose."

She got closer to Carmen.

"This is a secret button."

Carmen stared at Ian's nose for a long time.

Then slowly her hand rose.

Touched the tip of that nose small.

Ian immediately made a weird alarm sound.

"WEEOO WEEOO."

Carmen gasped small.

Then a small smile finally appeared again.

All the members quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Ian saw that and got more energized.

"There's a second button too."

"Where..."

Ian pointed at her cheek.

When Carmen touched her cheek, Ian pretended to fall to the floor.

"I'm defeated..."

Carmen giggled.

And the sound of that laughter truly felt like oxygen for everyone that night.

A-na immediately barged in before Ian could overact further.

"Okay, move."

"I'm performing."

"You're embarrassing the family."

A-na sat near Carmen then deliberately tilted her head until her slightly floppy ear was visible.

"Look."

Carmen immediately observed seriously.

"Floppy..."

A-na immediately pretended to be shocked.

"OH MY GOD SHE CALLED ME THAT."

"Floppy..."

"Don't repeat it, it hurts my feelings."

Carmen instead started playing with A-na's ear now.

Pulled it gently.

Folded it.

Touched it curiously.

And A-na let her while grimacing dramatically.

"This is bullying."

Ian immediately chimed in.

"No. That's scientific exploration."

"Quiet."

Carmen started laughing again small.

Her hands busy playing with A-na's ear.

And for a moment, that fearful expression earlier slightly disappeared from her face.

Stella, seeing that, approached too.

She sat on the side of the sofa while dramatically tossing her blonde hair.

"How about my hair?"

Carmen immediately glanced.

Her eyes sparkled slightly again.

"Shiny..."

"Because I'm a princess."

Before Stella could continue, Yuha walked by and sat casually next to them.

"Princess, what."

Stella immediately glared.

"You're jealous."

Yuha grinned small.

"Please. My hair is more expensive."

"I literally bleach in Canada."

"I was literally born beautiful."

A-na patted Ian.

"Here we go again."

And sure enough.

Less than thirty seconds later, the two most princess-coded members in the group were already debating in a mix of English and Mandarin.

"Your blonde is dry!"

"At least I don't look like instant noodles!"

"Excuse me?!"

"你真的很吵."

"你才吵!"

Ian stared blankly.

"I don't understand but I think they're having a world war."

Carmen watched Stella and Yuha's absurd debate with big eyes.

Then suddenly laughed again.

Louder this time.

Because Stella was now standing while holding her own hair like a shampoo commercial model.

While Yuha was busy grumbling in super-fast Mandarin.

Juun, who had just come out of the kitchen bringing water, immediately clicked her tongue.

"You're all noisy."

"She started it," Stella said.

"You're sensitive," Yuha countered.

"Jealousy is a disease."

"Blonde damage is worse."

Ian almost fell laughing.

And Carmen was now truly laughing until her small body shook.

Her laughter filled the living room.

Warm.

Light.

Making everyone finally breathe a little easier.

Juun approached slowly after putting down the glass.

She sat on the floor near the sofa.

Her broad shoulders leaned back casually.

Carmen watched her for a few seconds.

Then suddenly patted Juun's shoulder.

"Hard."

Juun raised an eyebrow.

"What."

"Your shoulder."

Ian immediately chimed in.

"She's a gym bro."

"I'm not a bro."

"Bro spiritually."

Carmen started feeling Juun's shoulder now.

Pressing small.

"Wow..."

Juun only clicked her tongue small but didn't move.

Her gaze quietly softened seeing Carmen becoming more active again.

Ye-on, who had been sitting at the far end, finally approached softly.

The maknae was always careful.

Always afraid of being too forward.

She sat near Carmen bringing an extra blanket.

"Cold?"

Carmen turned.

Then without warning, suddenly touched Ye-on's cheek.

The maknae immediately froze.

Because Carmen's small hand was cold and soft.

"Soft..."

Ye-on immediately turned red.

"Ah..."

Ian immediately screamed.

"HAMSTER ERROR."

Ye-on panicked.

"I'm not!"

Carmen instead kept touching her cheek gently.

"Squishy..."

Stella dramatically held her chest.

"Dear Lord, unnie is flirting again."

Jiwoo, who had been quiet, finally sighed small while watching everything.

And Carmen finally turned toward Jiwoo.

The room grew slightly quieter.

Because Carmen hadn't truly approached their leader again since earlier.

That big-eyed gaze stopped on Jiwoo for a long time.

Jiwoo didn't move.

She only looked back gently.

So gentle.

Not forcing.

Not calling.

Just being there.

Waiting.

And Carmen slowly got down from the sofa.

Her small feet stepped slowly toward Jiwoo.

All the members went completely quiet.

Jiwoo still didn't move.

Carmen stopped right in front of her.

Then looked at the leader's face for a long time.

Very long.

As if making sure of something.

Jiwoo finally spoke softly.

"Still scared?"

Carmen bit her small lip.

Her eyes started welling up again.

And everyone tensed.

But this time Carmen didn't pull back.

She instead came slightly closer.

Her small hand rose to touch Jiwoo's face.

Slowly.

Carefully.

As if afraid Jiwoo would disappear.

Jiwoo closed her eyes briefly when that small hand touched her cheek.

Then Carmen whispered small with her lisping voice "...Jiuwu sad?"

Jiwoo opened her eyes slowly and for the first time that night, her smile looked truly fragile.

"A little."

Carmen immediately looked even sadder.

Her eyes welled up completely.

Then she turned to all the members one by one.

To Ian who was still sitting weirdly on the floor.

To A-na with her floppy ear.

To Stella and Yuha who were still glaring at each other.

To Juun who was quiet but always near.

To Ye-on who was holding a blanket while looking worried.

And back to Jiwoo.

That small gaze slowly broke.

Tears started falling again.

Ian immediately panicked.

"Hey hey, what now?!"

Carmen shook her head hard while crying.

"Hey..."

Stella quickly approached.

"Unnie?"

But Carmen only kept looking at them while crying small.

Like her heart was too full.

Like she wanted to say something but couldn't.

"Why, sweetheart?" Jiwoo whispered so softly.

And finally, with a small lisping voice full of tears, Carmen said,

"...why so kind..."

The room immediately went silent.

Completely silent.

Because they all understood what she meant.

Carmen was confused.

Confused why they still loved her this much.

Confused why they were still here.

When maybe inside her own head...

she felt she didn't deserve any of it.

Carmen's tears fell more.

"Why..."

Jiwoo immediately wanted to hug her.

But held back.

Afraid Carmen would pull away again.

And right when everyone was confused about what to do, Carmen suddenly opened both her arms wide.

Small.

Trembling slightly.

And with a soft voice full of tears she said "...hug..."

A fraction of a second of silence.

Then the entire dorm moved simultaneously.

Ian barged in first.

"Me first!"

A-na pulled her.

"DON'T CRUSH HER."

Stella joined in while laughing-crying.

Yuha clicked her tongue but still approached.

Ye-on shyly joined crouching.

Juun pulled everyone so they wouldn't suffocate Carmen.

And Jiwoo finally hugged Carmen gently from the front.

That hug turned into an absurd pile of humans in the middle of the dorm's living room.

Tiny Carmen was in the center.

Hugged by all her younger members.

Surrounded by the warmth of their bodies and voices.

Ian was busy stroking Carmen's head exaggeratedly.

A-na grumbled because Yuha elbowed her.

Stella was crying while laughing.

Ye-on was barely breathing from embarrassment but still joined the hug.

Juun supported everyone so they wouldn't fall.

And Jiwoo... Jiwoo only closed her eyes slowly while hugging Carmen closer.

Carmen cried small in the middle of it all.

But not from fear anymore.

More like the cry of someone who finally realized she wasn't alone.

"Love you..." Ian murmured.

"Cringe," Yuha said.

"But yes," Stella added softly.

Carmen sniffled.

Then with a lisping voice that nearly made the entire dorm explode from endearment "...love you too..."

And that night, for the first time since that strange fear arrived, Carmen finally fell asleep in all of their arms.

---

The dorm's living room was finally quiet.

Truly quiet.

The light left only a warm yellow glow from the corner standing lamp.

The AC hummed softly.

Light rain started falling again outside the window.

And in the middle of a sea of blankets and the absurd pile of member bodies on the carpet...

Tiny Carmen finally fell asleep.

Soundly.

Her cheeks still slightly damp from crying earlier.

But her breathing was stable now.

Her small hands still clutched Jiwoo's hoodie.

As if afraid that when she woke up, everyone would disappear.

No one dared to move too much.

Because after that heavy night, this peaceful moment felt so precious.

Ian lay face-up near the sofa legs, staring at the ceiling.

A-na had already made Yuha's thigh her pillow without permission.

Yuha complained repeatedly but didn't actually tell her to move.

Stella sat leaning against the sofa while gently stroking Ian's hair.

Juun sat near Ye-on.

And unconsciously since earlier, her arm was casually wrapped around the maknae's shoulder so Ye-on wouldn't get cold.

Ye-on didn't say anything.

But the corner of her lip kept rising.

Because honestly, she really liked being close to Juun.

Not just because Juun was cool.

Although yes, very cool.

Their group's main dancer seemed to have a stable aura that made people automatically feel safe.

Juun rarely spoke much.

Rarely showed big emotions.

But always there.

Always paying attention quietly.

Always knowing who needed water.

Who was tired.

Who was pretending to be fine.

And Ye-on had secretly admired that since trainee days.

Now, with Juun's arm casually around her shoulder and their bodies leaning close like this, Ye-on felt her heart was being a bit too loud.

Fortunately, everyone was focused on Carmen.

Ian suddenly sniffled.

Stella, who was still stroking her hair, immediately looked down.

"...are you crying?"

Ian quickly wiped her face.

"No."

Stuffed voice.

A-na immediately looked up from Yuha's thigh.

"Such a lie."

Ian clicked her tongue but her eyes were indeed red now.

"Fine, yes, crying a little."

Stella softened.

"Why..."

Ian was quiet for a few seconds.

Her gaze fell on sleeping tiny Carmen.

And her mischievous face slowly grew softer.

"I just..."

She laughed softly to herself.

"...I love Carmen unnie so much."

A small silence fell.

Because Ian was indeed the most expressive.

If she loved someone, she said it.

If she was sad, she cried.

Never half-hearted.

"Isn't it weird..." Ian murmured softly. "She always takes care of all of us when she herself is tired."

Yuha, who had been relaxed, also went quiet.

Ian continued softly,

"Back when I was a new trainee, I was so scared of everyone."

A-na immediately chimed in.

"Because you're a freak."

"Quiet."

Ian glanced at Carmen again.

"But Carmen unnie was the first to invite me to eat."

Stella smiled thin.

"Yeah..."

Ian laughed small remembering.

"She said I looked like a lost child."

"You did," Yuha replied quickly.

Ian ignored that.

"Then she bought me banana milk because I was crying secretly after evaluation."

Ian's voice started cracking again.

"Even though she herself had just been scolded by the trainer."

The room grew warm and quiet again.

Because they all had stories like that about Carmen.

Carmen who quietly took care of everyone.

Carmen who liked to notice small details.

Carmen who even when she was broken, still thought about others first.

A-na groaned softly while still lying on Yuha's thigh.

"She's like the group's glue."

"Yeah," Stella murmured softly.

Yuha rested her chin on top of A-na's head.

Her gaze was softer now.

"That's why the dorm feels weird when she's sad."

Ye-on nodded small.

And Juun, who had been quiet, finally spoke softly,

"She's too hard on herself."

That sentence made Jiwoo, who was sitting closest to Carmen, raise her eyes slightly.

Because no one knew that better than she did.

Ian sniffled again.

Then suddenly said with dramatic, emotional tone,

"Later when Carmen unnie goes back to normal..."

Everyone turned.

Ian clenched her small fist against her chest.

"I'm going to kiss her a hundred times."

Two seconds of silence.

Then Jiwoo's gaze immediately changed.

Completely changed.

Laser gaze.

Final-boss-level possessive gaze.

Ian, seeing that, immediately grinned mischievously.

"There it is."

Jiwoo went flat.

"Try it."

Ian immediately laughed while pointing at Jiwoo.

"SEE. SEE."

Stella nearly choked from laughing.

"Jiwoo unnie immediately went killer mode."

A-na joined in.

"A hundred times is excessive though."

Ian sat up straight now.

"I love her!"

"Why are you the one wanting to kiss her."

"Because I'm affectionate!"

Jiwoo still stared sharply.

"Even your breathing is noisy."

Yuha immediately laughed softly.

"Wow, so possessive."

"I'm not possessive."

"Bullshit," Juun said casually.

Jiwoo immediately glared sharply at everyone.

And that only made Ian enjoy life more.

She leaned in slightly with a devilish smile.

"I also want to tell Carmen unnie she's pretty every day."

"Go ahead."

"I want to hug too."

"Still safe."

"I want to carry her."

"You're still alive."

Ian finally grinned wide.

"But I want to kiss too."

Jiwoo immediately grabbed a sofa pillow and threw it straight at Ian's face.

THUD.

"OW."

The living room burst into laughter again.

Even Ye-on covered her mouth while giggling.

Juun glanced at the maknae next to her.

Her gaze unconsciously softened seeing Ye-on laugh like that.

Because Ye-on was indeed the sweetest when comfortable.

The maknae realized Juun was looking and quickly pretended to drink water.

Her cheeks were red.

Juun clicked her tongue softly.

"Always embarrassed."

Ye-on got more flustered.

"I'm not embarrassed..."

Ian, whose hearing was like a gossip radar, immediately turned.

"OHO?"

Ye-on immediately panicked.

"NOTHING'S GOING ON."

Yuha grew interested.

"There's chemistry here."

"There isn't," Juun answered flatly.

Ye-on nodded too quickly.

"Yeah, there isn't!"

A-na chimed in while still lying down.

"That's the answer of someone who definitely has something."

"QUIET."

Stella laughed while stroking Ian's head again.

The dorm grew lively again.

Full of soft laughter and warm teasing.

And in the middle of it all, Carmen was still sleeping soundly.

Occasionally shifting small in her sleep.

Her hand still holding Jiwoo's hoodie.

The leader looked down slowly at Carmen's sleeping face.

Then unconsciously, her fingers fixed the small bangs that fell into the girl's eyes.

Her movements automatically gentle.

Ian saw that and smiled small this time.

Not mischievous.

Not joking.

Just warm.

Because honestly, they all knew.

If there was one person who was most broken seeing Carmen like this, it was Jiwoo.

Jiwoo who always looked strong.

Always calm.

Always the wall for all members.

Still human.

And Carmen was the place Jiwoo secretly leaned on.

Yuha observed Jiwoo for a few seconds.

Then said softly,

"We'll bring her back."

The room grew slightly quiet again.

Jiwoo raised her eyes.

Yuha's gaze was serious now.

"However it takes."

Stella nodded.

"Yeah."

A-na lazily raised her hand from Yuha's thigh.

"We're family."

Ian immediately added dramatically,

"Fast and Furious vibes."

"Please shut up," Yuha murmured.

But everyone still smiled small.

Because that was indeed how it felt.

They weren't just a group.

Not just coworkers.

They were family—too sticky, too noisy, too chaotic.

And maybe precisely because of that, they'd made it this far.

Ye-on leaned her small head briefly on Juun's shoulder.

Quietly.

Slowly.

Juun didn't say anything.

Didn't pull away either.

Just let it happen.

While Ian now went back to lying down while babbling nonsense.

"When Carmen unnie comes back, I want to throw a party."

"You want to throw a party every day," Stella said.

"I also want to cook."

"We'll all die of poisoning," A-na replied.

Ian ignored that and pointed at Jiwoo.

"Then Jiwoo unnie has to confess."

Jiwoo immediately stared at her flatly.

"Go to sleep."

"AHA so it's true."

"No."

Yuha smiled crookedly.

"Denial."

Stella held back laughter.

"Even though your gaze at Carmen is already like a drama soundtrack."

Jiwoo closed her eyes, exhausted.

"I'm moving dorms."

Ian immediately laughed hard again.

And that night continued like that.

Warm.

Noisy.

Full of messy but genuine love.

While out there, the world might still be cruel to Carmen.

Still full of mean comments and people who didn't know her.

But in that small room, Carmen was loved so much it nearly defied reason.

---

The rain hadn't stopped outside the dorm.

It was past two in the morning.

The living room was still filled with the exhausted bodies of members after that night's emotional drama.

Ian had finally fallen asleep half-curled on the floor hugging a sofa pillow.

A-na was completely unconscious on Yuha's thigh.

Ye-on was asleep small on Juun's shoulder.

And Jiwoo was still sitting near Carmen who slept on the long sofa.

The leader hadn't slept at all.

Her gaze still occasionally fell on Carmen's small face.

As if afraid that if she closed her eyes too long, Carmen would disappear.

Stella actually couldn't sleep either.

Her mind was too loud.

Too full.

So when Carmen's phone on the small table suddenly vibrated softly, she reflexively picked it up.

At first, Stella only intended to check if it was a family message.

Or maybe staff.

Because since Carmen transformed, Stella had been the one most often helping reply to important messages using Carmen's account.

But the screen that appeared was the X app instead.

Carmen's burner account.

Random username.

Profile picture of a capybara wearing sunglasses.

Very Carmen.

Notifications kept coming.

Dozens.

Hundreds.

The timeline was full of reposts.

Mentions.

Threads.

And something in Stella's face immediately changed.

Because even without fully understanding Indonesian...

she knew the tone of those posts wasn't normal.

Stella frowned slightly then opened the translate feature.

At first, she hoped it was just a normal fanwar.

K-pop fandoms did fight often.

She was used to it.

But the more she scrolled, the more her face paled.

"...what even is this..."

Yuha, who hadn't fully fallen asleep, opened one eye.

"What's wrong."

Stella didn't answer.

Her hand started trembling small.

The timeline of Carmen's burner account turned out to be dominated by the Indonesian Hearts2Hearts fanbase.

Fansites.

Update translations.

Cute clips.

Fancam edits.

Normal.

Until one large thread appeared on the timeline.

Many reposts.

Many angry quote tweets.

And screenshots.

Screenshots of group chats.

WhatsApp.

Facebook groups.

Telegram.

The title alone already made Stella feel sick.

She opened one image.

Then froze.

The room was still quiet.

Only the sound of rain.

And the breathing of sleeping members.

While Stella read sentence after sentence with wide eyes.

Disgusting comments.

Cheap fantasies.

Members' bodies discussed like objects.

Performance photos cropped and turned into crude jokes.

Some discussed thighs.

Waists.

Chests.

The way they moved on stage.

The way they sweated.

The way they smiled.

And Stella immediately felt half-dead with disgust.

"Fuck..." That small voice made Yuha finally sit up.

"What's wrong?"

Stella turned slowly.

Her face was completely pale now.

"...they're talking about us like..."

She couldn't continue.

Yuha took the phone.

At first, her expression was normal.

Then slowly went flat.

Too flat.

Dangerous.

Because Yuha was the type who, the angrier she got, the calmer she became.

"Shit."

Stella immediately looked at Carmen, who was still sleeping small on the sofa.

And suddenly everything made sense in the most painful way.

This burner account.

Why Carmen often stayed up late.

Why she secretly scrolled the timeline until morning.

Why sometimes her eyes looked empty after checking her phone.

She was seeing all of this.

Alone.

Secretly.

Stella swallowed hard.

Because most of those posts were in Indonesian.

Carmen's mother tongue.

Her own country.

And there was something deeply painful about that fact.

As if Carmen had to watch people from her own country treat the members she loved like cheap fantasy objects.

Not idols.

Not humans.

Not friends.

But consumable material.

Yuha kept scrolling slowly.

The longer, the more disgusting.

There were screenshots of fanboys in a Facebook group discussing "which member is most suitable to be a fantasy girlfriend."

Some edited member photos with vulgar captions.

Some saved slow-motion videos of specific body parts and shared them widely.

Some discussed their bodies in detail as if they weren't real human beings.

And the most nauseating part for Stella—some even used Carmen's name.

Saying Carmen "should be proud" because Indonesian male fans liked their group.

"This is sick..."

Yuha massaged her temples hard.

"How can people say these things without shame."

Stella shook her head slowly.

Her eyes grew hot.

She looked again at tiny Carmen sleeping while hugging Jiwoo's hoodie.

And her chest felt tight.

Because now she could imagine adult Carmen.

Sitting alone at night.

Scrolling the timeline.

Reading all of this.

Then swallowing the disgust and sadness alone.

Maybe pretending to be fine in front of them the next morning.

Maybe quietly reporting to the agency.

Maybe blocking those accounts one by one.

Maybe crying.

Maybe not sleeping.

And not telling anyone because she didn't want to burden the other members.

Stella covered her mouth softly.

"Oh my God..."

Yuha finally opened the DM of Carmen's burner account.

And they grew even more silent.

Because it was full of draft reports.

Account links.

Screenshots.

Messages to internal staff emails.

All neatly organized.

Carmen had been handling this alone.

Without telling anyone.

Without complaining.

Without making the group panic.

There was one draft message that hadn't been sent yet.

In Korean.

Carmen's writing.

"Indonesian male fans are starting to cross the line. Please monitor certain communities before this spreads further to Korean forums."

Dated two weeks ago.

Stella immediately felt her eyes go completely hot.

She nearly cried.

Because of course Carmen did that.

Of course she chose to carry everything alone.

Carmen was always like that.

If there was a problem, she first thought about how to protect others before herself.

Yuha leaned back wearily against the sofa.

Her gaze was empty now.

"I hate the internet."

Stella gave a small bitter laugh.

"I thought it was just regular haters..."

Yuha shook her head.

"This is worse."

And it was worse.

Because hatred was sometimes visible.

But these people called themselves fans.

Claimed to support.

Claimed to love.

But treated them like fantasy characters to be used however they pleased.

Not caring that the members might be reading.

Not caring that idols were humans too.

Not caring about boundaries.

Stella scrolled the timeline again.

And it turned out the issue had been trending on X since yesterday.

Many female fans were angry.

Many large accounts were calling for mass reporting.

Long threads about female idols being constantly sexualized in fandoms.

About male fans creating disgusting group chats.

About fancams being cropped and spread with vulgar captions.

About how social media now gave space for strange people to gather and reinforce each other's behavior.

There were also fans discussing how both male and female idols were often verbally harassed by obsessive fans.

And the more Stella read, the more she realized Carmen might have been seeing all of this every day.

Alone.

As the only Indonesian member.

Maybe Carmen felt ashamed.

Felt guilty.

Even though it wasn't her fault.

Not at all.

But Stella knew Carmen well enough to know what was in her head.

Carmen must have been thinking:

"If I hadn't debuted..."

"They wouldn't be subjected to this..."

"If I hadn't promoted in Indonesia..."

"Maybe those weird fans wouldn't have appeared..."

And that thought made Stella want to cry.

Because Carmen always blamed herself for things she couldn't even control.

Jiwoo, who had been quiet, finally spoke softly from the sofa.

"What did you see."

The leader's voice was calm.

But Stella knew Jiwoo immediately realized something was wrong.

Yuha and Stella exchanged looks.

Then Stella handed the phone slowly.

Jiwoo read for a few minutes.

Silence.

The longer she read, the colder her expression became.

Not ordinary cold.

Cold enough to make the room feel like it dropped several degrees.

Her gaze was sharp.

Her jaw tightened.

And Stella knew.

Jiwoo was truly furious now.

"I'm going to kill someone," Yuha said flatly.

Jiwoo didn't answer.

But her gaze said she agreed.

The three of them stayed silent for quite a long time.

Watching little Carmen sleep.

A girl who had perhaps been bearing disgust, fear, shame, and anger all alone.

Because she didn't want the other members to get hurt.

Because she always tried to be the bridge between the group and their Indonesian fans.

Because she loved Hearts2Hearts too much.

And that was precisely what was most painful.

Stella sat down slowly near the sofa.

Her hand gently stroked little Carmen's hair.

"Unnie..." Her voice nearly broke. "You must be so tired..."

Carmen shifted slightly in her sleep.

Mumbling incoherently.

Then, reflexively searching for Jiwoo's hand.

Jiwoo immediately grasped the small hand gently.

Her gaze softened instantly.

A brutal contrast to the coldness on her face just a few seconds ago.

And for the first time that night, Jiwoo finally understood something.

Perhaps the reason little Carmen was so afraid to sleep yesterday wasn't just because of this strange change.
Perhaps deep inside, the adult Carmen was just too exhausted.

Too full.
Too often bottling everything up on her own until her own mind finally gave out.

---

That morning began with the sound of crying.

Not the sound of Ian falling off the sofa.

Not A-na screaming because Yuha kicked her in her sleep.
Not Stella panicking over a cockroach.

But the small, hoarse cries of Carmen.
And it instantly woke the entire dorm up in a matter of seconds.

Jiwoo, who had been sleeping half-sitting next to the sofa, immediately opened her eyes.
"Carmen?"
The crying grew louder.

Little Carmen was now sitting on the sofa, sobbing.

Her hair was a mess.
Her cheeks were red.
And her small face looked incredibly frustrated.

"What's wrong?" Jiwoo asked quickly, approaching carefully.
But the moment Jiwoo tried to pick her up, Carmen gently swatted her hand away.
"Don't want to..." Her voice broke.
Jiwoo stopped immediately.
That uneasy feeling returned.

Ian, who had just woken up, nearly fell off the sofa.
"What now?!"

A-na came out of her room, still half-asleep.
"Is the world ending?"

Yuha, with her hair disheveled, appeared from the kitchen holding a glass of water.
And less than two minutes later, the entire dorm gathered back in the living room.
Morning chaos.

Carmen was still crying.

And worse, she looked incredibly uncomfortable in her own skin.

Her hands kept tugging at her clothes.
Wiping her face.

Scratching her own little arms slowly.

As if everything felt wrong.
"Hot..." she mumbled through her tears.
Even though the AC was freezing.

Ye-on quickly grabbed a tissue.
"Unnie, here..."
But Carmen only got fussier.
"Don't want to..."

Stella sat down slowly near the sofa.

"Does your stomach hurt?"

Carmen shook her head hard.

"Then what is it, sweetie?"

The little girl's crying broke again.

And this time, her words made everyone freeze.
"...everything is weird..."

Her childish voice sounded confused.
Afraid.

As if she herself didn't understand what was wrong.
Carmen hugged her own small body.
"Uncomfortable..."

Jiwoo immediately held her breath.
Because there was something in the way Carmen spoke now that sounded more lucid.
More like the adult Carmen trapped inside this little body.

Ian tried to approach while making a funny face.
Usually, that worked.
But this time, Carmen just cried harder.
"I don't like it..."
Ian immediately backed away in panic.
"Okay, okay, I'm ugly today."
Yuha rubbed her tired face.
"She's overstimulated."

And it certainly looked that way.
The lights were too bright.
There were too many noises.
Touching her made her more anxious.
Even the blanket on her body was constantly pulled away as if it irritated her skin.

Juun finally turned off the TV that had been playing softly.
The room instantly became quieter.
Ye-on dimmed the living room lights.
A-na sat a bit further away so it wouldn't feel too crowded.
They all started moving carefully now.
Because it was obvious Carmen was overwhelmed.

But still, she kept crying.
Refusing to eat.
Refusing to drink.
Refusing to be hugged.
Even when Jiwoo sat quietly near her, Carmen still looked restless.

Stella watched everything with an aching chest.
All night, she couldn't stop thinking about Carmen's burner account.
All those disgusting posts.
All the things Carmen had kept to herself.
And now, seeing Carmen cry like this, Stella felt like she was looking at someone who was finally too exhausted to pretend to be strong.

Ian crouched in front of the sofa, panicking.
"Unnie, please don't cry..."
Carmen only pouted more.
"I don't like it..."
"About what?"
Carmen shook her head quickly.
She couldn't explain it.
And perhaps that was the most painful part.
She didn't even have the words for the discomfort inside her.

Jiwoo finally spoke softly.
"Let's give her some space."
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Jiwoo sat a bit further from the sofa.
Not approaching.
Not touching.
And one by one, the other members backed away too.
The room felt more open.
Calmer.
Carmen was still sniffling.
But her cries began to subside.

Stella observed the small face for a long time.
Then suddenly, she remembered something.
"Wait."
Everyone turned.
Stella stood up slowly and walked to the small speaker near the TV.
Ian blinked.
"Are we doing karaoke?"
"Quiet."
Stella quickly scrolled through the playlist on her phone.
Then, a few seconds later...
a light, cheerful intro filled the living room.
Hearts2Hearts' song "STYLE" began to play softly. The bright dance-pop track with its cheerful rhythm and groovy bass was known for its warm and playful vibe.

Carmen, who had been crying, immediately quieted down a bit.
Her eyes blinked slowly.
Because of course, her body and mind still recognized the song.
Their first comeback song.
The song that always made Carmen the most excited.

Stella sat down slowly near the sofa.
Then, with a small, soft voice...
she started singing along.
But she made it cute.
Very quiet.
"Neon wae neul ttwineunde~"

Ian instantly froze.
Because Stella was usually too shy to sing casually like this in the dorm.
But now, she kept going.
"Jinjja jaemisseo~"
Her tone was made to sound adorable.
Warm.
Like a lullaby.

Carmen looked at Stella slowly.
Her crying began to stop.
Stella smiled slightly, then continued singing while cutely bobbing her head.
"Easy peasyyy~"
Yuha immediately covered her mouth because she almost laughed.
Because Stella genuinely sounded like a young mother right now.

And more surprisingly, Carmen started paying attention.
Truly paying attention.
Her hands, which had been trembling, began to still.
Her eyes followed Stella.
And when the chorus came in, Stella leaned in a bit closer, singing softly.
"I like your styleee~"
She pointed at little Carmen with a smile.
"Cute styleee~"

Ian almost burst into tears right then.
"OH MY GOD."
Carmen blinked a few times.
Then slowly, she moved toward Stella.
Very slowly.
As if still hesitant.
Stella didn't force her.
She kept singing softly with her arms open.
And finally, Carmen came closer.
Slowly climbing onto Stella's lap.

The entire dorm held its breath.
Because since morning, Carmen hadn't let anyone carry her.
But now, she was leaning her small frame against Stella's chest.
Still pouting a bit.
But not rejecting her.

Stella immediately hugged her carefully, still singing softly.
"My typeee~"
Her hand gently rubbed Carmen's back in rhythm with the song.
And Carmen finally stopped crying completely.
The room became incredibly silent, save for the song playing.

Ian sat down, staring emotionally moved.
"I want to be sung to too..."
"No one wants to carry you," Yuha said flatly.

Jiwoo watched Carmen for a long time.
Her gaze looked a bit relieved now.
Because for the first time since morning, the small body looked relaxed.
Her head rested on Stella's shoulder.
Her eyes were half-closed.
And occasionally, her lips moved slightly hearing their own song.

Stella kept singing softly until the song ended.
Then, when the music stopped, Carmen tugged lightly at Stella's hoodie.
"Again..." Her hoarse voice was so small.
Stella immediately smiled gently.
"Okay."
And the song played again.
For the third time that morning.
While the rain was still falling outside the dorm.
And all the members sat quietly, watching Carmen finally calm down in Stella's embrace.
As if, for a brief moment, the music had truly managed to bring a piece of her home.

---

That afternoon, the atmosphere in the dorm was much better compared to the morning. At the very least, Carmen had eaten a few spoonfuls of porridge, stopped crying, and was now back to her life's mission: being a tiny threat to the peace of the entire Hearts2Hearts member.

The victim this time was Ian.
Again.
For some reason, Carmen had discovered the shocking fact that humans have belly buttons.
And ever since discovering this revolutionary piece of information twenty minutes ago, Ian's life had turned into hell.

"Carmen..."
Ian was already lying flat on the living room floor.
"I'm begging you..."
Carmen was sitting on her stomach.
Serious.
Very serious.
Her hands were busy touching Ian's belly button.
"Cute."
"THAT IS NOT CUTE."
"Button."
"IT'S NOT A BUTTON."

Unfortunately, no one was helping Ian.
Because A-na and Juun had become the accomplices of the little criminal.
A-na held both of Ian's hands.
"Stay still, for the sake of science."
"I am not a test subject!"
Juun, who was sitting casually near them, held Ian's legs so she couldn't escape.
"Don't move."
"YOU TOO?!"

Carmen immediately inserted another small finger toward Ian's belly button.
Ian instantly convulsed.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH GOD STOP."
Tears.
Laughter.
Screams.
Everything mixed into one.
Ye-on even had to cover her face with a pillow because she was laughing too hard.
Stella had been recording since five minutes ago.
Yuha didn't even pretend to care anymore.
She sat on the sofa drinking iced coffee.
"Finally, someone is suffering more than me."
"I'm a victim!"
"Good."

Ian tried to escape.
Juun immediately pulled her legs back.
"Sit."
"WHY ARE YOU ALL SO MEAN."
Carmen giggled happily.
Her eyes were sparkling again.
A stark contrast to this morning.
And honestly, that was the main reason no one was actually saving Ian.
Because seeing Carmen laugh like this made everything feel lighter.
Even if Ian had to sacrifice her dignity.
And perhaps also her internal organs.

"I found a belly button," Carmen said proudly.
"Congratulations," Yuha replied flatly.
"It's deep."
"Thank you for your research."

Ian was gasping for air now.
Her face was red.
Her eyes were watering from laughing too hard.
"Juun unnie..."
"Hmm?"
"Help..."
"No."
"Traitor."

A-na patted Ian's shoulder.
"You're a hero today."
"I'm a casualty of war."
"Hero."
"Victim."

Carmen patted Ian's stomach.
"Again."
Ian almost cried for real.
"Why is my life like this."
The living room was once again filled with laughter.

But amidst all the chaos, Jiwoo looked quieter than usual.
She sat at the dining table, staring at her laptop screen.
Her gaze was focused.
Occasionally opening files.
Occasionally reading something on her phone.

Yuha, who had been observing, finally stood up.
"What's wrong?"
Jiwoo looked up.
Then closed the laptop slowly.
"Let's talk for a bit."
Her tone was serious enough that Yuha immediately followed.
They moved to the table near the kitchen.
Still able to see Carmen and the others.
But far enough to talk more peacefully.

Yuha sat down, crossing her arms.
"I can already guess the topic."
Jiwoo nodded.
"Last night's posts."
Yuha's smile vanished instantly.
The room, which had been full of laughter, felt a bit heavier.

Jiwoo opened several screenshots on her phone.
The screenshots Stella found last night.
Comments.
Group chats.
Posts.
Disgusting fantasies.
Harassment.
Objectification.
Everything.

Yuha let out a long sigh.
"I still feel like throwing up every time I see that."
"Me too."
Silence for a few seconds.
The sound of Ian screaming from the living room could still be heard faintly.
"AAAAA DON'T TOUCH MY BELLY BUTTON AGAIN."
Followed by Carmen's laughter.
And that only made Jiwoo more certain about what she wanted to do.

She stared at Carmen for a moment.
Then turned back to Yuha.
"We can't just stay silent."
Yuha immediately nodded.
Without hesitation.
"Agreed."
Because this was no longer about ordinary haters.
Not about malicious comments.
Not about a fan war.
This had crossed into a different territory.
A territory that made someone feel unsafe.
That made an idol afraid to open the internet.
That made a person treated like an object.
Not a human.

Jiwoo opened a document she had been preparing since morning.
Yuha's eyes widened.
"You made a report?"
"I couldn't sleep."
"Of course you couldn't."
There was a list of accounts.
Links.
Screenshots.
Dates.
Times.
Platforms.
Everything was neat.
Very Jiwoo.

Yuha scrolled the screen.
The more she read, the flatter her expression became.
Dangerous.
Because that was the sign Yuha was truly angry.
"I thought it was just a few accounts."
"No."
"Oh my god."

Jiwoo leaned back slowly.
"We need to request stronger protection."
Yuha nodded.
"Monitoring too."
"And legal action if necessary."
Yuha paused for a moment.
Then looked at Carmen again.
The little girl was now patting Ian's belly button while laughing like a mini villain.
She didn't look at all like someone who had possibly been reading disgusting things alone for months.
And that made Yuha's chest ache.

"What do you think..."
Jiwoo looked up.
Yuha continued slowly.
"How much has Carmen seen?"
Jiwoo didn't answer immediately.
Because they both knew the answer was likely painful.
"I don't know."
Then, softer.
"But probably more than we think."

Yuha looked down.
Her fingers tapped the table slowly.
"I hate that."
"Me too."
"I mean..."
Yuha sighed.
"She's always protecting us."
Jiwoo fell silent.
Because it was true.
Carmen often seemed the most relaxed.
The most cheerful.
The easiest to laugh.
But precisely because of that, many people forgot how much she kept to herself.
Especially as a foreign member.
As the only Indonesian in the group.
As someone who often felt she had to be the bridge between two worlds.

Yuha stared at the screen again.
Then snorted.
"If I see this account in person, I'll go crazy."
"I know."
"I'm serious."
"I know too."

For the first time that day, Jiwoo smiled faintly.
Very slightly.
Yuha replied with a thin smirk.
"Alright."
She closed the laptop.
"We report."
Jiwoo nodded.
"To the manager first."
"Then the legal team."
"And the cyber response team."
"If necessary, all of them."

They finally formulated a clearer plan.
Making a list of priorities.
Gathering evidence.
Determining which accounts needed to be reported first.
Which ones had the potential to break the law.
Which ones needed to be monitored.
Everything was done calmly.
Professionally.
Because they knew this wasn't about revenge.
This was about protection.
About boundaries.
About making sure no member ever had to face all of it alone again.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Ian finally managed to escape.
She ran around the sofa.
Carmen chased her with tiny steps.
"Men want belly button!"
"NO."
"I want!"
"THAT'S MINE."
"Belly button cute!"
"MY BELLY BUTTON IS NORMAL."

Stella laughed until she almost fell off her chair.
A-na joined in chasing Ian.
"Catch her!"
"WHY ARE YOU JOINING?!"
Juun, usually the calmest, stood up and blocked Ian's path.
"Juun unnie!"
"Surrender."
"TRAITOR."

Carmen finally caught Ian again.
And the victory was celebrated with loud laughter that filled the entire dorm.
Jiwoo and Yuha turned their heads simultaneously.
Seeing Carmen laugh.
Seeing her cheeks flush.
Seeing her eyes sparkle.
And for a moment, both of them fell silent.
Because they realized the same thing.
Whatever was happening.
Whatever they had to face.
They would protect it.
That laughter.
That happiness.
That person.
So that she would never have to bear everything alone again.

---

At some point, Ian finally surrendered to her fate.
Truly surrendered.
No more trying to escape.
No more negotiations.
No more hope.
She lay on the living room carpet like a victim of a natural disaster.
While Carmen sat comfortably on her stomach.
Her hands still busy with the most important research object in the world.
Ian's belly button.

"I surrender..."
Ian stared at the ceiling.
"I accept my fate."
"Good," Yuha said from the sofa.
"Quiet."

Carmen patted Ian's stomach lightly.
"Belly button."
"Yes."
"Cute."
"Yes."
"Deep."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I don't know either."

A-na immediately fell over laughing.
"You're broken."
"I've passed the five stages of grief."
Juun, who was sitting on the floor near them, nodded casually.
"Acceptance."
"Exactly."

Unfortunately, just when everyone thought Ian's suffering was over...
Carmen stuck her little finger into Ian's belly button again.
And Ian exploded.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH MY GOD!"
Her body arched.
Her legs kicked the air.
Tears started rolling down from the corners of her eyes.
Carmen actually joined in laughing.
Laughing hard.
Laughing until her body shook.
And for some reason, seeing that made Ian unable to stop laughing either.
"STOP!"
"Nooo!"
"I CAN'T TAKE IT!"
"Cuteee!"
"I-I HATE THAT WORD!"

Now Ian was truly crying.
Not out of sadness.
But from being too ticklish.
Her tears flowed without stopping.
Her face was red.
Her breath was ragged.
Stella even had to hold onto the table so she wouldn't fall from laughing so hard at the sight.
Ye-on had already buried her face behind a pillow.
Meanwhile, Yuha was busy recording.
"Please keep this for future blackmail material."
"IAN IS DYING BECAUSE OF A BELLY BUTTON."
"I'm still alive!"

Then something unexpected happened.
Carmen, who had been laughing...
suddenly stopped.
Her eyes blinked.
She stared at Ian.
Stared at the tears on Ian's face.
Then her little lips started to tremble.

Ian was still laughing, gasping for air.
But Carmen looked confused.
Very confused.
"An unnie..."
Ian wiped her eyes.
"Hahahaha... what..."
"Why crying..."
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Oh.
She thought Ian was sad.

Little Carmen's face instantly turned panicked.
Tears began to pool in her own eyes.
"Eh."
Ian immediately sat up.
"Eh eh eh."
Too late.
Carmen started crying.
"Sorry..."
Ian panicked.
"NO."
"Sorry..."
"I'm not sad!"
Carmen only cried harder.
And now the situation had become completely absurd.
Ian was crying from laughing too hard.
Carmen was crying because she thought Ian was crying.
Finally, both of them were crying together.

The living room instantly descended into chaos.
"Oh my god..." Stella muttered.
"Why did this turn into a drama." Yuha massaged her temples.
Ye-on looked like she wanted to help but didn't know where to start.
Juun just let out a long sigh.
Meanwhile, Jiwoo stood up from the dining table and approached quickly.
But before anyone could intervene...
Carmen suddenly hugged Ian.
Tight.
Her small arms wrapped around Ian's neck.
"Sorry..."
Ian froze instantly.
Because good lord.
How could she possibly be mad.
How could she possibly be sad.
She would gladly let her belly button be poked a thousand times if it made Carmen laugh.

Ian quickly returned the hug.
"I'm not sad."
Carmen shook her head, sniffling.
"Sad..."
"I was laughing."
"Crying."
"Because it was ticklish."

Carmen still looked unsure.
Then, with the typical logic of a child...
she did the only solution she knew.
She kissed Ian's cheek.
*Smooch.*
Brief.
Soft.
Exactly how a child comforts someone they love.

The room fell silent for a fraction of a second.
Ian froze.
Carmen stared at her with wet eyes.
"All better..."
Ian blinked.
Then her chest exploded with affection.
"Oh my god..."
Before anyone could stop her, Ian kissed Carmen's cheek back.
*Smooch.*
"Don't you cry either."

Carmen wiped her eyes.
Ian wiped her own eyes.
They were both still sniffling.
Still teary-eyed.
But now much calmer.
The sight was so sweet that Stella had to look away.
"I want to cry."
"You cry easily," Yuha said.
"I'm sensitive."

Jiwoo, who had been worried earlier, finally let out a sigh of relief.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly.
Because Carmen was no longer panicking.
And Ian no longer looked like a victim of belly button torture.
Although, barely.

"I love An unnie," Carmen mumbled softly.
Ian immediately clutched her chest.
"I won."
"What?"
"I won at life."

A-na threw a pillow at her head.
"You're being dramatic."
"But she said she loves me!"
"She says she loves everyone."
"Let me be happy."

Carmen finally let out a small laugh again.
Her crying had completely stopped now.
And Ian, who almost died from ticklishness a few minutes ago, laid back down on the floor.
Resigned.
"Alright."
"What?" Stella asked.
Ian stared at the ceiling.
"My belly button now belongs to the public."
"Disgusting."
"Revolutionary belly button."
Yuha immediately threw a second pillow.
And the living room was once again filled with laughter, while Carmen leaned comfortably next to Ian, completely unaware that she had just made the entire dorm melt again.

---

That afternoon, chaos arrived right when everyone was starting to feel their lives were already complicated enough.
And of course, that chaos came in the form of Carmen's phone ringtone.

Stella, who was putting a water bottle into her bag, immediately turned her head.
Jiwoo, who was tying her shoelaces, looked up.
Yuha, who was lying on the sofa, immediately sat up.
Because they all recognized that ringtone.
A special ringtone.
For family.

"Don't tell me..." A-na muttered.
The phone screen lit up.
The name that appeared made the entire living room freeze instantly.
Mama ❤️

"Oh no."
"That's her mom."
"That's her mom!"
"That's her mom!" Ian repeated at three times the volume.
"Why are you panicking?" Yuha grumbled.
"Because I'M PANICKING."

The phone kept vibrating.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Little Carmen, who was sitting on the floor, turned her head in curiosity.
"What?"
And that made everyone panic even more.
"Don't answer!"
"Don't scream!"
"Don't let her see!"
"Why am I panicking too?!"

The situation instantly turned into a national emergency meeting.
Jiwoo stood up.
"Okay. Calm down."
"HOW?" Ian almost jumped.
"That's Carmen's parents."
Even Ye-on, usually the calmest, looked tense.
Because there was no way they could say:
"Hello auntie, Carmen turned into a two-year-old."
They would definitely be taken to a psychiatric hospital.

The phone vibrated again.
Stella stared at the screen.
Then took a deep breath.
"I'll answer."
Everyone turned.
"Are you sure?"
"I chat with them the most using Carmen's account."
It made sense.
Because over the past few days, Stella had indeed been helping reply to Carmen's family's messages.
Her accent and English were also quite clear and polite.
Jiwoo nodded.
"Not on speaker."
"Obviously."

Stella answered the call.
Instantly, the entire dorm turned into a cheap spy movie.
Yuha immediately turned down the TV volume.
Ian covered her own mouth.
A-na covered Ian's mouth.
Juun just realized a major problem.
Carmen.
Because Carmen had stood up and was walking towards Stella.
Curious.
Very curious.
"Who is it?" Her voice was loud enough.
Everyone immediately glared.
Juun's eyes widened.
In a fraction of a second, survival instincts took over.
She grabbed Carmen.
Lifted her.
Then stuffed Carmen inside the oversized black hoodie she was wearing.
"MPH!"
Everyone froze.
Including Carmen.
The little head was now sticking out of the hoodie's collar like a kangaroo joey.

Ian covered her face.
"I can't take this."
Ye-on almost choked on her water.
Even Jiwoo had to look away because her shoulders were shaking.
Meanwhile, Stella had started speaking on the phone.
"Hello, Auntie."
The warm voice of a woman could be heard faintly from the phone's small speaker.
"Oh, Stella?"
"Yes, Auntie."
"Where's Carmen?"
The entire living room tensed up again.
Stella smiled stiffly.
"Ah... Carmen is out."
"Out?"
"Yes."
*Don't get nervous. Don't get nervous. Don't get nervous.*
"She went out with Jiwoo."
Jiwoo, who was standing near the table, immediately pointed at herself.
Her expression:
*Why me?*
Stella looked back at her:
*Because you make the most sense.*

Inside Juun's hoodie, Carmen started moving.
Because it turned out this was fun.
Her hands touched something.
Juun's stomach.
Carmen's big eyes sparkled.
"Wow."
Then... *squeeze.*
Juun froze instantly.
Her stomach, the result of years of training, was being kneaded like bread dough.
*Squeeze* again.
Juun closed her eyes.
*Don't laugh. Don't laugh.*

On the other side, Stella was still lying politely.
"Yes, Auntie, they went out to get coffee."
"Coffee again?"
"Yes."
"That child's habit."
Stella laughed nervously.
"Hehehe..."
Inside the hoodie.
*Squeeze.*
*Squeeze.*
*Squeeze.*
Carmen was now genuinely busy playing with Juun's abdominal muscles.
Because to her, it was funny.
"Hard," she whispered.
Juun almost died.

Ian, watching from a distance, immediately collapsed onto the floor.
Her shoulders shaking up and down as she suppressed her laughter.
A-na was biting her own arm.
Yuha turned her face to the wall.
Ye-on was as red as a tomato.
While Juun was still trying to look normal.
Even though there was a child inside her shirt kneading her stomach.

Stella was still holding on.
"How's practice?"
"It's good, Auntie."
"Is Carmen eating?"
Stella fell silent for a fraction of a second.
Because technically, Carmen had only eaten half a bowl of porridge that afternoon after the national drama.
"She's eating."
"Good."

Juun almost laughed.
Because right at that moment, Carmen pinched her stomach.
Small.
But mischievous.
"Mm!"
Everyone immediately turned their heads.
Stella's eyes widened.
Carmen's mom on the phone immediately asked,
"Whose voice was that?"
The brains of all the members stopped working.
Juun reflexively coughed.
"KHEM."
Then deeper.
"KHEM KHEM."
Stella immediately seized the opportunity.
"That's Juun."
"Ah."
Thank god.
"Is she sick?"
"No, Auntie."
"Thank goodness."

The call finally neared its end.
Everyone was almost crying in relief.
Until Carmen suddenly managed to stick her head further out of the hoodie.
And said loudly,
"Juuuun!"
Juun immediately covered Carmen's mouth.
Thankfully, her voice was muffled by the hoodie.
Carmen's mom sounded confused.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, Auntie!"
Stella answered too quickly.
Silence.
Very silent.
Then the woman laughed softly.
"You girls are so funny."
"Ahahaha..."
"Take care of Carmen, okay."
That sentence made the whole room go quiet for a moment.
Because inadvertently, it felt touching.
Take care of Carmen.
If only she knew.
Right now, they were indeed doing that every second.
"Yes, Auntie." Stella's voice softened.
"We'll take care of her."

The call finally ended.
The moment the phone hung up, the entire dorm exploded.
Ian rolled on the floor.
"I want to die."
A-na collapsed onto the sofa.
"That was the most stressful moment of my life."
Yuha clutched her chest.
"I could hear my own heartbeat."
Ye-on was still covering her face.

Meanwhile, Juun finally opened her hoodie.
And Carmen emerged like a kitten coming out of a sack.
Messy hair.
Red cheeks.
Wide smile.
"I was hiding!"
"Yeah," Juun said.
Flat tone.
But the corners of her lips lifted.
Because honestly.
For the past five minutes, she had almost lost the battle against the little hands constantly kneading her stomach.
"Hard," Carmen commented again, patting Juun's stomach.
Ian immediately screamed.
"SHE HASN'T MOVED ON FROM THAT STOMACH."
Carmen laughed.
Juun finally couldn't hold it in anymore.
A small laugh escaped her lips.
And that instantly made everyone freeze.
Because Juun rarely laughed out loud like that.
Ye-on, seeing it, immediately smiled slightly.
Secretly.
Because to her, Juun was indeed the most beautiful when she laughed.

Meanwhile, amidst the chaos, Carmen just laughed in satisfaction.
Completely unaware that five minutes ago, she had almost given the entire Hearts2Hearts a collective heart attack.

---

Late afternoon approached evening, bringing with it someone who made even all the members feel awkward.
Not because the middle-aged man was creepy.
Quite the opposite.
He looked incredibly ordinary.
Gray shirt.
Black slacks.
Thin glasses.
Carrying an old leather bag.
If you passed him on the street, you'd probably think he was a university professor or a counselor.
But the fact was, this was the man Manager Kang managed to find after almost a week of searching through various possibilities.
Doctors had been consulted.
Psychologists had been consulted.
A full medical checkup had been done secretly with the company's help.
The result?
Normal.
Too normal.
Carmen's body was healthy.
Her brain was healthy.
No injuries.
No illnesses.
No explanation.
And that was exactly what made everything make even less sense.

That night, the dorm's living room felt much quieter than usual.
No Ian running around.
No A-na bothering Yuha.
No Stella playing funny videos.
Because everyone was focusing on one thing.
Carmen.
Who, since the afternoon, had become fussy again.
Very fussy.
Worse than yesterday.
She didn't want to be away from Jiwoo.
Even when Jiwoo just stood up to get a drink, Carmen would immediately cry.
When Jiwoo went to the kitchen for two minutes, Carmen called out to her until her voice was hoarse.
It was the same now.
Carmen sat on Jiwoo's lap, hugging their leader's hoodie tightly.
Her eyes were red.
Tear stains visible.
Her little fingers clutched Jiwoo's arm.
And every time she looked at the strange man, her face would instantly change to fear.
"No..." she whispered.
Jiwoo immediately rubbed her back.
"It's okay."
Carmen shook her head quickly.
"No..."

The man observed them for a long time.
Not approaching.
Not forcing.
Not taking out strange objects.
Not chanting spells.
Not doing anything that would make everyone imagine a "shaman" from a drama.
Instead, he just sat and observed.
For a very long time.
Manager Kang looked just as confused.
"So..."
The man raised a small hand.
"Wait a moment."
Then went back to observing.
A few minutes passed.
Silence.
Only the sound of the AC.
And occasionally, Carmen's small whimpers.
Finally, the man spoke. "May I ask something?"
Jiwoo nodded.
"Ask."
"When was the last time Carmen truly rested?"
Silence.
The members looked at each other.
No one answered immediately.
Because the question sounded simple.
But it turned out to be difficult.
Very difficult.
Stella frowned.
"Days off?"
Yuha gave a hollow laugh.
"She worked during her days off."
A-na nodded.
"True."
Ian immediately added.
"Even on holidays, she still opens her laptop."
Juun, who had been quiet, chimed in.
"She's always researching."
"Researching?"
"Trends."
"Content."
"Fan engagement."
"Language."
"Indonesian social media."
The more they explained, the quieter the room became.
Because without realizing it, they began to notice something.
Carmen rarely rested.
Very rarely.
When other members rested, Carmen opened her laptop.
When other members slept, Carmen scrolled through social media.
When other members played games, Carmen brainstormed content ideas.
When other members took a holiday, Carmen kept working.
Silently.
Without ever complaining.

The man nodded slowly.
As if piecing something together in his mind.
Then he looked at Carmen.
His gaze was soft.
"May I come closer?"
Carmen immediately hugged Jiwoo tighter.
"No."
The man smiled slightly.
"It's okay."
Then he sat back.
Not forcing it.
Not trying to touch her.
And that, ironically, made some of the members relax a bit.

After almost an hour, the man finally spoke again.
The words that came out made the entire room fall silent.
"I don't think something took Carmen away."
Silence.
Manager Kang blinked.
"Huh?"
The man continued calmly.
"I think Carmen is the one hiding."
Everyone froze.
Even Jiwoo, usually the calmest, looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
The man looked at little Carmen.
Then looked at them one by one.
"Have you ever seen a child who is overly exhausted?"
"Of course."
"They cry."
"They get angry."
"They fuss."
"They refuse to eat."
"Because their body is asking them to stop."
The room became even quieter.
The man continued.
"Adults are like that too."
"But the difference is..."
"We are forced to keep walking."
The man's gaze fell on Carmen.
"And then one day, the mind can't take it anymore."
No one interrupted.
Because everyone was listening.
And everyone was starting to feel uncomfortable.
Because somehow, it all made sense.
"The human body is strange."
"Sometimes, when it's too hurt..."
"Sometimes, when it's too tired..."
"Sometimes, when it's too lonely..."
"The mind seeks a safe place."
Carmen stared at the man with wide eyes.
The man smiled faintly.
"Perhaps Carmen's safe place is the time when she didn't yet have to be strong."
Silence.
Stella immediately covered her mouth.
Yuha stared at the floor.
Ian stopped moving.
Juun let out a long sigh.
Because they all knew.
Carmen had always been strong.
Too strong.
She never became a burden.
Never asked for help.
Never complained for long.
And maybe that was exactly the problem.

The man spoke again.
"I'm not saying this is magic."
"I'm also not saying this is a curse."
"Besides, I work more with humans than ghosts."
Some of the members almost laughed.
But they stopped themselves.
Because their chests felt heavy.
"Then how do we bring her back?" Jiwoo asked softly.
For the first time that night, the voice of Hearts2Hearts' leader sounded fragile.
Because this was the question she wanted an answer to the most.
The man thought about his answer for a long time.
Then smiled slightly.
"You don't bring Carmen back."
Everyone was confused.
"What do you mean?"
"You welcome her back."
Silence.
The man pointed at Carmen's small chest.
"If someone hides because they're scared..."
"Don't force them out."
"Don't pull."
"Don't yell."
"Don't rush."
"Watch over them."
"Accompany them."
"Wait."

Jiwoo looked at Carmen.
Her hand gently stroked the girl's hair.
The man continued.
"Carmen has been a shoulder for others to lean on for too long."
"Now it's her turn to lean."
Stella started crying.
Silently.
Because it was true.
So true.
All this time, Carmen had always been the unnie.
Always the comforter.
Always the mediator.
Always the one who laughed first so others would laugh too.
And maybe no one realized that someone like that could get tired too.
Very tired.

Carmen suddenly wiped her eyes.
Then called out softly.
"...Jiuwu."
The leader immediately turned.
"Yes."
"Don't go." Her childish tone was small.
But it was enough to make everyone's chest in the room tighten.
Jiwoo immediately answered without hesitation.
"I'm here."
Carmen clutched her shirt.
"Promise?"
"Yes."
"Promise."

The man observed the scene for a long time.
Then nodded slowly.
As if he had just found the final piece of the puzzle.
"She's afraid of being left behind."
Jiwoo froze.
Because that sentence felt too accurate.
Too close.
Too painful.

The man stood up slowly.
"I'll be honest."
"I don't have a magic cure."
"I don't have a magic ritual."
"But I do have a suggestion."
Manager Kang immediately took notes.
The man smiled.
"From now on."
"Don't talk about comebacks in front of Carmen."
"Don't talk about work."
"Don't talk about pressure."
"Don't talk about social media."
"Forget about it all for a few days."
"Do things that make her feel loved."
Ian immediately raised her hand.
"We've been doing that."
The man chuckled.
"Keep doing it."
"And then?"
Stella asked softly.
The man looked at Carmen once more.
"And when Carmen finally feels safe..."
"She will return on her own."
Silence.
No instant answers.
No grand rituals.
No dramatic scenes.
Just a solution that felt incredibly human.
Very simple.
And precisely because of that, it made sense.

That night, after the man left, no one spoke immediately.
They just sat together.
Watching Carmen, who was getting sleepy in Jiwoo's arms.
And for the first time since all this happened...
they were no longer focused on finding a way to force Carmen back.
They focused on only one thing.
Becoming a safe place.
Because perhaps, all this time, that was what Carmen needed most. Not answers.
Not miracles.
Not instant solutions.
But the opportunity to finally rest from a world that had asked her to be strong for too long.

---

Ever since the night the man brought in by Manager Kang arrived, the atmosphere in the dorm slowly changed.
Not drastically.
Not like a miracle that instantly made everything okay.
But it changed little by little.
Like people who finally realized they had been running too fast.
And now tried to walk.
Slowly.
More humanely.

No more talk about comebacks in front of Carmen.
No more schedule discussions.
No more sudden meetings.
No more complaints about social media.
If there was a call from the company, they went into their rooms.
If there was an important email, they discussed it quietly.
If there were developments regarding the harassment and cyberbullying case, Manager Kang and the company team handled everything.
At least for now.
Because for the first time since debut, Carmen didn't need to be the strong Carmen.
She just needed to be Carmen.
Or rather, little Carmen, who was very mischievous.
Very.
Very.
Mischievous.

And that morning, the victim was Yuha.
"NO." Yuha's voice echoed in the living room.
"LET GO."
Carmen laughed.
Her little hands were still gripping the ends of Yuha's hair.
Very tightly.
Yuha, who usually looked like royalty, was now on her knees on the floor.
Because Carmen wouldn't let go of her hair.
"I'm serious."
*Pull.*
"Ow!"
*Pull again.*
Carmen laughed harder.
"I like it."
Yuha closed her eyes.
Counting her patience.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Failed.
"Carmen."
*Pull.*
"CARMEN."
*Pull.*
"I'm going to sell you."

Ian, who was eating cereal, immediately choked.
"AHAHAHAHA."
Stella almost fell off her chair.
A-na immediately started recording.
"Quick, upload it to the group."
"Don't."
"This is funny."
Juun, who was reading a book, even had to lower it because Yuha's voice was starting to sound like someone losing their sanity.
Meanwhile Carmen?
Not scared at all.
She just stared at Yuha.
Then...
Imitated her.
Exactly.
"Carmen."
High pitch.
Fierce face.
Eyebrows furrowed.
Lips pouted.
Even the way Yuha sighed was copied.
One hundred percent.

The living room instantly fell silent.
Then exploded.
Ian fell off the sofa.
Literally fell.
A-na even hit the floor laughing.
Ye-on covered her face.
Stella was almost in tears.
Juun turned her face away because the corners of her lips were lifting too high.
And Yuha... Yuha froze.
Because that was genuinely her.
Exactly.
No difference.
Carmen pointed at Yuha.
Then imitated her again.
"CARMEN."
Childish voice.
Fierce face.
Chubby cheeks.
A faux-intimidating stare.
Ian couldn't breathe normally now.
"I want to die."
A-na slapped her own thigh.
"THIS IS SO FUNNY."
Yuha pointed at Carmen.
"You."
Carmen immediately pointed back at Yuha.
"You."
"You're naughty."
"You're naughty."
Stella immediately shrieked.
"OH MY GOD."
Yuha clutched her chest.
She lost.
She truly lost.
Usually, she was the best arguer in the group.
The quickest to retort.
The most sarcastic.
But now her opponent was a two-year-old mimicking everything she said.
There was no strategy to face that.
"Carmen."
"Carmen."
"Stop."
"Stop."
"I'm serious."
"I'm serious."
Ian immediately rolled on the floor.
"I CAN'T TAKE IT."
Even Jiwoo, who was doing a puzzle with Ye-on, had to look away.
Because if she laughed in front of Yuha right now, they might start a war.

Yuha finally sighed.
Then stood up.
"Fine."
Everyone immediately grew suspicious.
Because her tone was too calm.
Very Yuha.
Very dangerous.
Carmen also blinked.
Yuha smiled.
A smile that made A-na immediately whisper,
"Oh no."
Ian nodded.
"Oh no."
Yuha walked to the kitchen.
Then returned carrying something.
Ice cream.
Carmen's eyes instantly sparkled.
Target locked.
Yuha sat casually on the sofa.
Opened the ice cream lid.
Took a spoonful.
Then ate it herself.
Carmen froze.
"Eh?"
Yuha ate again.
Slowly.
Gracefully.
Annoyingly.
Carmen stood up.
"Yuhaaa."
Yuha didn't turn.
"Mmm."
"Yuhaaa."
"Mmm."
"Ice cream."
"Yeah."
"Ice cream."
"Yeah."
"Is there any?"
"Mine."

Carmen stared in disbelief.
Betrayal.
The greatest betrayal in history.
Ian immediately whispered to Stella.
"She's getting revenge."
"One hundred percent."
Carmen walked quickly.
Climbed onto the sofa.
Then sat right next to Yuha.
Staring at the ice cream.
Staring at Yuha.
Staring at the ice cream again.
Yuha kept eating.
Unaffected.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Fifteen seconds.
Finally, Carmen gave up.
She rested her head on Yuha's shoulder.
Then said with the sweetest voice ever.
"Yuha is pretty."
Everyone immediately turned their heads.
Yuha too.
Because that was Carmen's ultimate move.
And they all knew it.
Effective.
Very effective.
Yuha tried to hold on.
"Just because I'm pretty?"
Carmen nodded.
"Yes."
"And?"
"Smart."
Yuha tried not to smile.
"And?"
"Good."
Ian immediately yelled.
"LIAR."
"QUIET."
Carmen was now hugging Yuha's arm.
"Yuha is good."
Yuha lost.
Totally.
Absolutely.
She sighed.
Then scooped up a little ice cream.
And gave it to Carmen.
Cheers immediately filled the living room.
"YEAAAAA."
"YOU LOST."
"YUHA LOST."
"I knew she would lose."
Yuha glared at everyone.
"Shut up."
But her smile was already showing.
Small.
Thin.
Impossible to hide.
Carmen laughed in satisfaction while enjoying the ice cream.
Then a few seconds later, she pulled Yuha's hair again.
"CARMEN!"
"CARMEN!"
And the entire living room broke into laughter again.
Because that was how their days were now.
No talk about work.
No pressure.
No numbers.
No internet comments.
Just eight girls in a dorm.
Playing.
Joking.
Being annoying to each other.
Loving each other.
And after a long time, Carmen looked genuinely happy.

---

The following days passed with a strange rhythm.
Strange in a good way, because for the first time in months, Hearts2Hearts actually had time to breathe.
Manager Kang was still busy.
The company was still busy.
The legal team was still busy.
But the eight members in the dorm?
They were experiencing something that felt almost like a vacation.

Ian even made an official announcement one morning.
While everyone was having breakfast.
Ian stood on a chair.
Raised her spoon.
"I would like to say thank you."
No one paid her any mind.
"To Carmen unnie."
Carmen, who was busy spreading jam on bread, turned her head.
"Hm?"
Ian placed a hand on her chest.
"The hard worker who secretly gave me a day off."
Silence.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Then...
*WHACK.*
A spatula strike landed squarely on Ian's arm.
"Ow!"
Jiwoo didn't even look sorry.
"Sit down."
"I'm just being grateful."
"Sit down."
"I'm a human being full of gratitude."
"Sit down."
Ian finally sat down.
Rubbing her arm.
"Domestic violence."
"You live too comfortably."
"I'm a victim."
"You're a drama."
Carmen laughed until she almost fell off her chair.
And as usual...
when Carmen laughed, everyone automatically smiled.

That afternoon, the weather was nice.
The Seoul sky was pale blue.
The spring breeze blew gently.
The dorm's usually empty balcony was finally in use.
Juun sat in a small chair near the balcony railing.
A glass of iced coffee in her hand.
In front of her, Ye-on was holding a book she hadn't actually read for five minutes.
Because they were talking.
Casual chatter.
Unimportant.
But enjoyable.
"Did you really watch it until the end?"
Juun asked.
Ye-on nodded.
"I couldn't sleep that night."
"That's three seasons."
"I know."
Juun chuckled.
Ye-on smiled along.
They didn't realize.
Behind the balcony door.
There were two criminals.
Ian and Carmen.
They were peeking.
Very impolitely.
Very blatantly.
Ian even brought chips.
"Why are they talking for so long."
Carmen peeked too.
"Mysterious."
"Yeah."
"Mysterious."
Ian immediately pointed.
"See."
Carmen nodded seriously.
Like a secret agent.
Even though half of her body was still visible from behind the door.
Ian squinted her eyes.
Analyzing.
"They're weird."
"Weird."
"Suspicious."
"Suspicious."
"Fishy."
"Fishy."
Carmen didn't know what fishy meant.
But she nodded anyway.
"Fishy."
Ian felt she had the best investigation partner in the world.
"Operation disruption begins."
Carmen immediately raised her hand.
"Yes."
"Go in."
"Yes."
"Ruin the mood."
"Yes."

On the balcony, Ye-on was telling a story about a drama she watched.
Juun listened, occasionally smiling slightly.
Honestly.
They had indeed been talking more often these past few weeks.
Not anything strange.
Or at least they tried to convince themselves of that.
Because Juun was comfortable with Ye-on.
And Ye-on was comfortable with Juun.
As simple as that.
Right?
Right?

The balcony door suddenly opened.
*BAM.*
Juun and Ye-on turned simultaneously.
Ian appeared.
Followed by Carmen.
With expressions like police officers who just raided a drug syndicate.
Silence.
Very silent.
Ian pointed.
"What are you doing."
Ye-on immediately blinked.
"Huh?"
"What are you doing."
"Talking."
"Why."
"...because we can?"
Ian wasn't satisfied.
She pointed at Juun.
"And you."
"What about me."
"Why are you sitting so close."
Juun looked at Ian.
Then looked at the chair, which was almost a meter away from Ye-on.
"Are you blind."
Ian ignored that.
Then pushed Carmen forward.
"Carmen. Interrogate."
Carmen immediately pointed at Ye-on.
"Why."
Ye-on started laughing.
"Why what?"
"Why."
Ian nodded proudly.
Good question.
Very investigative.
Ye-on held her head.
"I don't know what to answer."
Carmen thought.
Then pointed at Juun.
"Why."
Juun looked up at the sky.
She knew this was going to be long.
Ian crossed her arms.
"You two are suspicious."
"What's suspicious."
"You're always talking."
"Everyone talks."
"But you two do it often."
Ye-on was now completely red.
Not because there was something.
Or maybe there was.
She didn't even know herself.
But being accused so blatantly clearly made her shy.
Ian stepped closer.
"I've been watching you."
"We're not criminals."
"Not necessarily."
Carmen immediately hugged Juun's leg.
"Fishy."
Juun almost choked on her coffee.
She even laughed.
A rare laugh.
And that only made Ye-on even less able to look at her.
Because every time Juun laughed, Ye-on always felt her heart do something weird.
Ian immediately pointed.
"SEE."
"What."
"You laughed."
"So?"
"Fishy."
"What kind of logic is that."
Carmen nodded vigorously.
"Fishy."
Ye-on finally covered her face.
"I can't take this."
Ian was even more convinced.
"See."
"See what."
"You're shy."
Ye-on let out a small frustrated sound.

Juun finally stood up.
Done.
She had had enough of dealing with two weird humans today.
But as soon as she stood, Carmen immediately raised both hands.
Asking to be carried.
Juun's instincts worked automatically.
She lifted Carmen.
And that was a huge mistake.
Because now Carmen had a higher vantage point to interrogate from.
Her round eyes stared at Ye-on.
For a long time.
Very long.
Then...
"Pretty."
Ye-on froze.
Ian froze.
Juun froze.
Carmen pointed at Juun.
"Pretty."
Then pointed at Ye-on again.
"Pretty."
Ian immediately opened her mouth.
"Oh."
"Oh no."
"Oh no."
Ye-on wanted to disappear.
Right now.
Today.
Move countries if necessary.
Juun closed her eyes.
Because Ian's shoulders were already starting to shake.
A bad sign.
A very bad sign.
Ian looked back and forth between them.
Then the most annoying smile in the world appeared.
"Oho."
"Don't."
"Ohoho."
"Ian."
"OHOHOHO."
Ye-on was as red as a tomato.
Juun regretted ever knowing Ian.
Meanwhile, Carmen didn't understand what was happening.
She was just happy.
Because she managed to make everyone react.
And to little Carmen, that was very funny.
Very, very funny.

---

That day was actually going normally.
Normal by Hearts2Hearts' standards.
Which meant there were at least three minor disturbances, two murder threats from Yuha to Ian, and one incident involving Carmen eating a cute sticker because she thought it was candy.
So yeah.
Normal.
Until Stella discovered a national tragedy.

Stella's scream was heard from her room.
"AAAAAAAAAA."
The entire dorm reflexively turned their heads.
Ian, who was eating chips, almost choked.
Yuha dropped her phone.
A-na ran out of her room.
Even Jiwoo, who was folding clothes, stood up.
"What's wrong?"
Stella came out of her room with a completely destroyed expression.
In her hand was a lip tint.
Or rather, the remains of a lip tint.
Because the tip was broken.
Its contents were smeared everywhere.
And the cap was full of bite marks.
Silence.
Very silent.
Everyone turned to one direction simultaneously.
Carmen.
Who was sitting nicely on the carpet.
Holding the lip tint cap.
There were still traces of pink color on her fingers.
And worse, on the tip of her nose.
"Oh." Ian said.
"Oh no."
Carmen looked at everyone.
Then looked at the lip tint.
Then looked at Stella.
Her small face looked incredibly innocent.
"Pretty."
Stella closed her eyes.
"Pretty?"
"Pretty."
Stella stared at the ceiling.
Searching for patience.
Searching for enlightenment.
Searching for a reason not to cry.
"That was limited edition." She whispered.
Yuha immediately backed away.
Because she knew.
She knew very well.
Stella was indeed soft.
Stella was indeed sweet.
Stella was indeed loving.
But when it came to her prized possessions?
It was over.
"That was limited edition..." Stella repeated.
Her voice broke.
Carmen blinked.
Not understanding.
"Pretty."
Stella finally sat on the sofa.
Crossed her arms.
And turned her face away.
Silent.
Very silent.
Which made everyone immediately know.
Oh.
She was sulking.
Big time.
Very big.

A-na immediately whispered to Ian.
"Oh no."
"Oh no."
Yuha nodded.
"Oh no."
Because Stella was famous for her sulking.
When she was upset, she didn't yell.
Didn't scream.
Didn't argue.
She just went silent.
And that was far more terrifying.

Carmen observed for a few moments.
Then walked closer.
"tella?"
No answer.
"tellaaa?"
No answer.
Stella didn't even turn her head.
Carmen started to get confused.
She tugged the hem of Stella's shirt.
"tella."
Still silent.
Carmen's big eyes started blinking rapidly.
Because in child logic, a friend suddenly refusing to talk was scary.
"tella..."
Still silent.
And slowly...
Carmen started to pout.
Because she felt ignored.
Even though she was the one who ruined the lip tint.
But well... she was also a child.
Her logic was different.

Five minutes later, the situation became even more absurd.
Because now both of them were sulking.
Stella sat on the sofa.
Pouting.
Carmen sat on the floor.
Pouting.
Back to back.
Exactly.
Ian stood between them.
Looked left.
Looked right.
Then sighed.
"I'll be the mediator."
"I didn't ask you to," Stella said.
"Men didn't ask either," Carmen said.
Ian closed her eyes.
"I want to go home."
"This is your home."
"Oh right."

Juun, watching from the kitchen, almost laughed.
Ye-on was even secretly recording.
Because the sight was too cute.
On the left was Stella.
Adult.
Twenty years old.
Sulking.
On the right was Carmen.
Physically two years old.
Sulking.
And their expressions were almost identical.
Ian crouched in front of Stella first.
"Stella unnie."
"Hm."
"Forgive Carmen."
"No."
"It's just a lip tint."
"It was limited edition."
Ian nodded.
Made sense.
She moved to Carmen.
"Carmen."
"Hm."
"You apologize."
"I'm not wrong."
"You ate the lip tint."
"Didn't eat."
"Bitten."
"Different."
Ian wanted to cry.
"Why am I the one handling this."

Because there was zero progress, Jiwoo finally intervened.
She picked Carmen up.
Carried the little girl to another sofa.
Far from Stella.
Carmen immediately hugged Jiwoo's neck.
Still pouting.
Her cheeks puffed out.
Exactly like an angry hamster.
Jiwoo sat casually.
Letting Carmen sit on her lap.
And as per their habit of late, the little hands immediately moved to Jiwoo's face.
Touching her lips.
Pulling gently.
Playing with the shape of Jiwoo's lips like a stress toy.
Jiwoo let her.
She was used to it.
Didn't even react anymore.
"Why are you pouting?" Jiwoo asked softly.
Carmen pulled Jiwoo's lower lip slightly.
"tella naughty."
Across the room.
Stella immediately turned her head.
"I'm naughty?"
"You naughty."
"Me?"
"You."
Ian immediately fell to the floor laughing.
"OH MY GOD."
Stella pointed at herself.
"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO RUINED MY LIP TINT."
Carmen immediately hugged Jiwoo.
"tella mad."
"Because you ruined her stuff."
"But tella mad."
"Because you ruined her stuff."
"But tella mad."
Jiwoo suppressed a smile.
Because well, technically, that was true.
And child logic couldn't be defeated.

Carmen was now busy pressing Jiwoo's lips again.
Making their leader look like a fish.
Yuha, seeing this, immediately took a picture.
"This is for future blackmail."
"I will confiscate your phone," Jiwoo said flatly.
"I have a backup."
"Of course you do."
Carmen was still pouting.
"tella mean."
Stella immediately stood up.
"I am not mean."
"You mean."
"You ruined my lip tint."
"You mean."
Stella stared at the ceiling.
A-na was almost dead from laughing.
Even Juun had to cover her mouth.
Ye-on leaned against the wall.
While Ian was still trying to be the mediator.
And failing completely.
"Alright," she said.
"Let's make peace."
"No," Stella answered.
"No," Carmen answered.
Simultaneously.
Silence.
Then the entire dorm exploded again.
Because even the way they answered was the same.
Ian pointed at them both.
"You two are actually the same person."
"Quiet," Stella said.
"Quiet," Carmen said.
Simultaneously again.
Ian finally surrendered.
Truly surrendered.
She laid down on the floor.
Staring at the ceiling.
"I'm not paid enough for this."
Jiwoo gently rubbed Carmen's head.
Still letting her play with her lips.
While across the room, Stella remained pouting.
And so it went for almost the next hour.
The two sweetest people in the dorm.
Both sulking.
Both stubborn.
Both refusing to back down.
Driving the entire Hearts2Hearts slowly out of their minds.
And according to Ian, it was even more exhausting than an eight-hour non-stop practice.

---

At first, everyone still thought the little argument was funny.
Because it was funny.
Very funny.
Two equally stubborn people sulking at each other.
And usually, conflicts like that would resolve themselves in a few hours.
Or even a few minutes.
But as the afternoon went on, Jiwoo began to realize something.
Carmen wasn't actually mad.
She was sad.
The difference was subtle.
But Jiwoo knew her too well.
Even in a state like this.
Carmen was still Carmen.
Still the person who found it hardest to see others disappointed in her.
Still the person who would blame herself first.
And it showed when Stella finally stood up from the sofa.
Without saying a word.
Then walked towards the balcony.
The glass door slid open slowly.
*Click.*
Closed.
The living room suddenly felt quieter.
Jiwoo felt the small body on her lap tense up.
Carmen's hands stopped playing with her lips.
Her eyes followed Stella's figure.
Until she disappeared onto the balcony.
Then teared up.
Instantly.
No crying.
No sound.
Just big eyes slowly filling with tears.

Jiwoo immediately knew.
Ah.
She misunderstood.
She thought Stella left because she hated her.
Carmen turned her head slowly.
Looking at Jiwoo.
That gaze made Jiwoo's chest feel crushed.
Because even without words, she knew what Carmen was thinking.
"tella left..." she whispered.
Jiwoo stroked her hair.
"Yeah."
"Mad." A slight pause. "Because of me."
Jiwoo didn't answer immediately.
Because she knew if she said "no" now, Carmen wouldn't believe her.
Instead, she asked softly.
"Are you sad?"
Tears immediately fell.
One.
Then two.
And Carmen nodded.
Small.
Heartbroken like a child who lost their best friend.

On the other side of the room, A-na was lying down with her head on Yuha's lap.
A position that surprised no one anymore.
Because they were just like that.
Loud.
Clingy.
Annoying.
But close.
A-na watched Carmen.
Then let out a dramatic sigh.
"I want to adopt Carmen."
Yuha almost choked on her drink.
"Huh?"
"I'm serious."
"A-na."
"Look at her."
A-na pointed at Carmen, who was wiping her tears with the back of her small hand.
"She's too cute."
Yuha immediately hit A-na's stomach.
*WHACK.*
"Ow!"
"Don't talk nonsense."
"I'm serious."
*WHACK.*
"Ow!"
"Quiet."
"But she's cute."
*WHACK.*
"I could be a good mother."
"You can't even wake up in the morning."
A-na fell silent.
"...That's not the point."
Yuha hit her again.
Ye-on, watching from afar, immediately laughed softly.
Juun shook her head.
"One day I'm going to lose my mind because of them."
"Same," Ian replied.

Meanwhile, Jiwoo wiped Carmen's cheeks.
Then nodded toward the balcony.
"Do you want to see Stella?"
Carmen immediately nodded.
Fast.
Very fast.
"Yes."
"Do you want to apologize?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to be honest?"
"Yes."
Jiwoo smiled faintly.
Then lowered her from her lap.
"Okay."
She didn't need to be told twice.
The moment her feet touched the floor, Carmen ran.
Literally ran.
Rushed little steps.
Making Ian reflexively yell, "Careful!"
But Carmen had already arrived first.
The balcony door opened.
Stella was sitting in the small chair.
Wearing one earphone.
Staring at the afternoon sky.
She actually wasn't that mad anymore.
Her annoyance had passed half an hour ago.
She just needed some alone time.
Until suddenly...
"tellaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Stella turned her head.
And saw Carmen running toward her.
Red eyes.
Red nose.
Messy face.
Like she had just survived a national tragedy.
"Oh."
Stella immediately sat up straight.
"Carmen?"
Too late.
Carmen had already crashed into her.
Small arms immediately wrapped around Stella's waist.
And her crying broke.
"HUAAAAA."
Stella panicked.
"Eh?"
"HUAAAAAA."
"Carmen?"
"I'm sowwy..."
Stella immediately melted halfway.
Because the crying, childish voice was too miserable.
"I'm sowwy..."
"Yeah."
"I'm sowwy..."
"Yeah."
Her crying only got louder.
"I'm sowwy..."
Stella rubbed her back.
"It's okay."
"But I'm sowwy..."
"Yes, I hear you."
Then Carmen lifted her head.
Wet eyes.
Red cheeks.
And said something that made all the members eavesdropping behind the balcony door instantly freeze.
"Men will steal Jiuwu's money."
Silence.
Stella blinked.
"Huh?"
Carmen nodded.
Very serious.
"Men steal Jiuwu's money."
Behind the door.
Jiwoo closed her eyes.
Of course.
Of course her name was brought into this.
"I buy liptiiiiint."
Stella froze.
Carmen continued with the most sincere face in the world.
"I replace."
"...."
"I steal Jiuwu's money."
"...."
"I buy."
"...."
"I'm sowwy."
And done.
Stella lost.
Totally.
Absolutely.
Destroyed.
Because how could she possibly stay mad after hearing that?
How?
Even Yuha, known for being fierce, immediately covered her face.
Ian was already crouching on the floor.
A-na almost crashed into a wall from overwhelming cuteness.
Ye-on bit her lip to hold back a smile.
Juun turned her face away.
And Jiwoo... Jiwoo was genuinely considering whether she should be offended for being made the target of a heist.

Stella finally laughed.
A small laugh.
Then wiped Carmen's cheeks.
"Don't steal Jiwoo's money."
Carmen blinked.
"No?"
"No."
"But liptiiint?"
"I'll buy it myself."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Carmen still looked doubtful.
So Stella finally pulled the little girl into her arms.
Hugged her tight.
Very tight.
And at that moment, all remaining anger genuinely vanished.
Because what was in her arms right now wasn't an idol.
Not the oldest unnie.
Not someone who always seemed strong.
Just Carmen.
Carmen, who was terrified that someone she loved was mad at her.
And that made Stella's heart melt without a trace.
"It's okay," she whispered softly.
"I'm not mad anymore."
Carmen stopped crying.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Carmen immediately smiled.
Just like that.
As if the rain had just stopped.
Then without warning....
*Smooch.*
She kissed Stella's cheek.
And Stella immediately lost the rest of her defenses.
"Oh my god."
She whispered.
Behind the balcony door.
Ian wiped fake tears.
"I'm moved."
Jiwoo hit her head.
Softly.
"Ow."
"Quiet."
A-na hugged Yuha again.
"Seriously."
"No."
"I want to adopt Carmen."
*WHACK.*
The third hit of the day landed on A-na's stomach.
And this time, even Yuha herself failed to hide her smile as on the balcony, Stella hugged Carmen tightly while Carmen kept explaining her various little criminal plans to replace the ruined lip tint.
Including selling Ian.
Which Ian immediately rejected very loudly from inside the dorm.

---

That night, Seoul felt calmer than usual.
The sky hung low over the Han River.
The city lights reflected on the water's surface like thousands of fallen stars choosing to live on earth.
For the first time in weeks, Hearts2Hearts went out together.
Not as idols.
Not as a group preparing for a comeback.
Not as eight girls who had to think about cameras, comments, sales figures, and algorithms.
They just walked.
With hats.
Masks.
Big hoodies.
Glasses.
A disguise that even made them mock each other.
Ian said they looked like a group of amateur thieves.
Yuha said Ian looked like a potato given legs.
A-na laughed until she almost tripped on the sidewalk.
And Carmen... little Carmen laughed the hardest.
The sound of her laughter blended with the night wind.
Light.
Free.
Liberated.
No one talked about work.
No one talked about cyberbullying.
No one talked about comebacks.
They ate fish cakes from a street cart.
Bought cotton candy.
Listened to Ian deliberately sing off-key until Stella threatened to push her into the river.
They lived like girls their age.
For a few hours.
Just a few hours.
But enough to make everything feel worth it.
And when they finally returned to the dorm near midnight...
everyone was exhausted.
Even Ian.
Who usually had the energy of three hyperactive children combined.
Ye-on fell asleep first.
Still hugging a pillow.
Juun, who originally intended to read a book, even fell asleep while sitting.
A-na lay sprawled across the sofa.
Yuha complained about her back for five minutes before falling asleep first.
Stella still managed to check messages from her family before finally dozing off.
Manager Kang had gone home.
The dorm slowly sank into silence.
Only the sound of the AC remained.
And the dim night light.
In the room she had been sharing, Jiwoo lay in bed.
Little Carmen was asleep on her chest.
A position that had become a habit over the past few weeks.
Her small hands were still clutching the end of Jiwoo's shirt.
As if afraid of losing something.
Jiwoo looked down.
Staring at that sleeping face.
How many nights had it been?
She no longer counted.
Two weeks?
Three weeks?
Maybe more.
Time felt weird lately.
She stroked Carmen's hair slowly.
Then smiled slightly.
"You must be tired."
No answer.
Only the steady, small breaths.
Jiwoo stared at the ceiling.
Then closed her eyes.
And for the first time in a long while, she fell asleep without fear.

Outside the window.
The night wind moved slowly.
Thin clouds passed by.
The moon emerged from behind the Seoul sky.
And something changed.
Not suddenly.
Not dramatically.
Not like a flash of light in a movie.
More like the first snow falling.
Almost imperceptible.
Almost invisible.
But real.
Very real.
In the room.
Carmen's breathing changed.
Slightly deeper.
Slightly heavier.
Time passed.
Minute by minute.
Hour by hour.
And slowly, something that had been hiding began to return.

A dream.
Initially just a dream.
Carmen stood alone.
On a beach.
Not a beach in Korea.
She knew this place.
Knew it too well.
Black sand.
Waves.
A vast sky.
Bali.
Home.
She hadn't dreamed of home like this in years.
Since becoming a trainee.
Since moving countries.
Since chasing a dream that was too big for an ordinary girl.
The sea breeze blew her hair.
Warm.
Gentle.
And in the distance, there was someone.
A small child.
Facing away from her.
Wearing a yellow dress.
Long black hair.
Little legs running in the sand.
Carmen knew her.
Because it was her.
Herself.
The little version.
The version that laughed without fear.
The version that didn't yet know malicious comments.
Didn't know failure.
Didn't know loneliness.
The child turned.
Then smiled.
The round eyes that all the members had seen every day for the past few weeks.
"Carmen." The small voice called.
Carmen approached.
Slowly.
"Hey."
The child laughed.
"You took a long time."
For some reason, tears began to fill Carmen's eyes.
"I know."
"You're tired." The small voice was so soft.
So understanding.
And that broke Carmen's tears.
Because for the first time, someone said that.
You're tired.
Not *you have to be strong*.
Not *you have to endure*.
Not *you have to work harder*.
Just *you're tired*.
And it's okay.
The little child approached.
Took her hand.
Warm.
Real.
"I'll protect you for now," she whispered.
"Now it's your turn to go home."
The waves came.
The wind blew.
And slowly...
the small figure began to fade.
Carmen panicked.
"Wait."
The child smiled.
Just like always.
Just like every time she laughed with her members.
"You're not alone anymore."
Carmen's tears fell harder.
"I'm scared."
"I know."
"I'm still scared."
"I know."
"Then what?"
The little child pointed at something.
Behind Carmen.
She turned her head.
And saw them.
Jiwoo.
Stella.
Yuha.
Juun.
A-na.
Ian.
Ye-on.
They were all there.
Smiling.
Waiting.
Holding out their hands.
And for the first time in so long, Carmen realized something.
She wasn't fighting alone.
She hadn't been alone for a very long time.
The little child let go of her hand.
"You can go home now."
Then vanished with the wind.

Carmen woke up.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Her eyes felt heavy.
Her body felt weird.
Like she had just slept for years.
She blinked.
Once.
Twice.
The ceiling.
The room.
The night light.
Familiar.
Very familiar.
But...
something was wrong.
Why was her position weird?
Why did it feel like she was lying on top of something?
And why did her body feel bigger?
Carmen lifted her head.
Then froze.
Jiwoo.
Jiwoo was underneath her.
Asleep.
With one arm still wrapped around her waist.
The leader's face looked peaceful in her sleep.
And Carmen immediately stopped breathing.
"...huh?" Her voice.
Normal.
Not a childish voice.
Not a little kid's voice.
Normal.
Adult.
She froze.
Then looked at her hands.
Her hands.
Not small hands.
Not toddler hands.
Her own hands.
Carmen's hands.
Adult.
Real.
Carmen immediately sat up.
Her heart was pounding so hard.
What happened?
What...
What?
Memories came like a flood.
Fragments.
Laughter.
Tears.
Ian.
Belly button.
Yuha.
Stella.
Juun.
Ye-on.
A-na.
Jiwoo.
Weeks that felt like a dream.
Or maybe it was a dream.
Carmen looked down.
Then realized another fact.
"...why am I not wearing clothes?"
Her face immediately turned red.
Thankfully, there was still a large blanket covering her body.
Then she remembered.
The child's clothes.
That ripped.
That were too small.
Oh my god.
"Oh my god."
She covered her face.
Embarrassment hit her like a truck.
At that moment, Jiwoo stirred.
Slightly.
Her eyelids opened slowly.
Still sleepy.
Still half-conscious.
Then she looked at Carmen.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Four seconds.
Time stopped.
Jiwoo froze.
Carmen froze.
They stared at each other.
Then Jiwoo's eyes widened.
Completely widened.
"Carmen?"
Her hoarse voice nearly broke.
Carmen swallowed hard.
"Hi..."
And at that exact moment, tears filled Jiwoo's eyes.
Just like that.
Without warning.
Without control.
Carmen had never seen her like that.
Never.
Jiwoo sat up so fast the blanket almost fell.
Her hands were trembling as she touched Carmen's face.
As if afraid this was a dream.
Afraid that if she blinked, it would all disappear.
"Carmen."
Once more.
Softer.
More fragile.
And Carmen finally cried too.
"Yeah."
Jiwoo laughed.
Tears.
Laughter.
Mixed into one.
And before Carmen could say anything, Jiwoo hugged her.
Tight.
So tight.
Like someone who had finally found home after being lost for too long.
"Carmen."
"Yeah."
"You're back, I missed you."
Jiwoo's tears fell on her shoulder.
And for the first time, Carmen realized how huge the fear the girl had been hiding was.
How hard she tried to look strong.
How long she had waited.
"I'm home, darling," Carmen whispered.
And outside the window, the first rays of sunlight began to appear on the Seoul horizon.
Illuminating the city.
Illuminating the river.
Illuminating the little dorm where eight girls dreamed.
And after a long journey.
After the tears.
After the fear.
After all the things logic couldn't explain.
Carmen finally came home.
Not to Bali.
Not to Indonesia.
Not to the past.
But to the place that had secretly become her second home.
To the people who waited for her.
To the family she chose herself.
And in Jiwoo's arms, who refused to let her go for the first time after what felt like so long, Carmen felt truly home.

---

That morning, the Hearts2Hearts dorm felt like a room that had just been given a second breath.
Not noisy.
Not explosive.
Not so silent it felt empty.
Just warm.
Warm in a way that was hard to explain, like a blanket freshly dried in the sun, draped over the shoulders of the most tired person in the world.
Morning light pierced through the living room window, falling softly on the wooden floor, the slightly tilted sofa, the small table cluttered with water glasses, and eight women who had barely slept last night because they were too busy crying, laughing, hugging each other, and making sure that one of them had truly returned.

Carmen sat on the longest sofa.
No longer the small body that had panicked everyone for the past few weeks, no longer the childish voice clinging to the edge of every breath like a too-real weird dream. She was back to the self they had always known, like a twenty-one-year-old woman who too often hid her exhaustion behind a smile, too often carried the world alone on shoulders that looked small but turned out to be stronger than many people's.
Her hair was still a bit messy.
There were pillow marks on her cheek.
And the oversized shirt belonging to Jiwoo that she wore still hung loosely on her body because her actual sleepwear had genuinely torn apart when all the chaos ended.
But strangely, not a single member looked at her like she was something fragile and afraid to be touched.
They looked at her like someone who had just returned from a long journey.
Like a house that had finally opened its doors again.

Ian was the first to wake up and fully realize Carmen was completely back to normal.
The loudest, the one with no brakes, the one who was most often the source of chaos, actually woke up the quietest that morning. As if even her own body knew that something very important was happening and she shouldn't destroy it with a voice that was too loud.
Ian sat on the carpet, eyes still half-swollen from sleeping only a few minutes, then turned to the sofa.
She was silent.
Carmen was also silent.
And after a few seconds, Ian covered her mouth with both hands.
Her tears fell immediately.
"Unnie..." The voice broke.
Not like panicking.
Not like the exaggerated drama she usually did for fun.
But breaking from relief.
From longing.
From all the fear that had been clinging to her bones for weeks finally finding a place to come out.
Carmen immediately stood up.
Her steps were fast, but still gentle.
She got off the sofa and knelt in front of Ian, who could no longer hold back her tears.
"Why are you crying again?" Her voice had returned to normal, but there was a trace of hoarseness at the end.
Ian laughed through her tears.
"Because I'm relieved, you idiot."
"Don't cry."
"I can't."
"Why can't you."
"Because you're back."
That sentence made Carmen's chest instantly feel full.
So full.
Like something small and warm was growing right beneath her ribs.
Carmen let out a slow breath.
Then without thinking twice, she hugged Ian.
Ian immediately let out a stifled sound that was almost like a small sob, then hugged back so tightly, as if letting go even a little would mean Carmen might disappear again.
A-na, who had just come out of the bathroom, stopped at the doorway.
Seeing the sight.
And immediately covered her own mouth.
"Oh my god..."
Stella, who appeared behind her, fell silent too.
Then her right eye teared up.
Yuha stood in the kitchen stirring coffee, staring at them for a long time before finally letting out a tiny sigh, like someone trying to pretend they weren't too moved even though her chest was already shattered from the inside.
Juun, usually the calmest, also suddenly lost her habit of controlling her expressions.
Even Ye-on, the shyest and the one who most often hid her feelings, stared at Carmen like she had just seen the sky after a long rain.
And Jiwoo.
Jiwoo just stood near the dining table.
Not moving.
Not speaking.
Her hands were still holding the same glass of water she'd had for half an hour.
Her eyes stared at Carmen like someone holding everything back just so she wouldn't collapse before she even managed to greet her own home.
Carmen finally let go of Ian.
Turned her head.
And her gaze met Jiwoo's.
There were no poetic sentences in the world enough to describe that expression.
Like someone who had just been pulled back from the bottom of the sea and finally saw familiar light.
Like someone who held their breath for too long and was finally allowed to exhale it all.
Carmen walked slowly toward Jiwoo.
Very slowly.
And Jiwoo, who was usually always the first to move, actually waited.
Waiting with slightly trembling hands.
When Carmen finally stood right in front of her, Jiwoo held her breath.
"Carmen."
Just that name.
But the way Jiwoo said it sounded like a prayer.
Like fear.
Like gratitude.
Like something too fragile to hold too tightly.
Carmen stared at her for a few seconds.
Then suddenly her eyes grew wet.
And Jiwoo, seeing that, immediately panicked, though not enough to look panicked.
"What's wrong?"
Carmen shook her head.
Then laughed softly while crying.
"I'm the one who should be asking you that."
Jiwoo didn't answer.
She just looked at Carmen, then without a word, pulled her into a hug.
This time it wasn't a panicked hug.
Not a hug to hold a small, frightened body.
Not a hug to make sure Carmen didn't fall.
This was a different hug.
Calmer.
Deeper.
More like home.
Carmen immediately closed her eyes.
Her head fell onto Jiwoo's shoulder.
And at that second, the entire dorm felt like it stopped moving.
As if the world was giving them space.
Giving them a morning that belonged only to them.

Stella finally cried first among the rest.
She covered her face with her hands.
"I really can't take this..."
A-na also wiped her eyes.
"Stop, I'm going to cry too."
Yuha glanced at them.
"Don't cry yet. Breakfast will taste salty."
Ian immediately kicked the carpet softly.
"Then why am I crying?"
"Because you're dramatic."
"Because I'm moved!"
"Because you're loud," Yuha replied flatly.
But even Yuha finally smiled.
Just a little.
Very little.
But enough to tell everyone that she too had surrendered to her own feelings.

Carmen finally released the hug from Jiwoo slightly.
Still close.
Still touching.
But enough to look at everyone.
And suddenly she realized something.
They had all changed.
Not physically.
Not their faces.
But the way they looked at her.
There was something different.
More careful.
Softer.
Deeper.
As if they had all been through something together, something that couldn't be explained to the outside world, something perhaps too strange to tell without sounding crazy, but still left a real mark on their chests.
Carmen looked at them one by one.
Ian with swollen eyes.
A-na trying to pretend to be strong but her shoulders still trembling slightly.
Stella crying the most obviously and not bothering to deny it.
Yuha always keeping her calm impression even when her soul was also shattered.
Juun being quiet but clearly processing a lot of things.
Ye-on holding the hem of her own shirt while looking at Carmen with soft, grateful eyes.
Then Jiwoo.
Closest.
Quietest.
Hardest to read.
But also the clearest in her love.

Carmen let out a small sigh.
Then, with a quiet and honest voice, she said,
"Why do you all look like you just came back from a war."
Ian immediately laughed wetly.
A-na patted the table.
"Because we actually just did."
"A war with who?"
"With life."
"Exaggerating."
"I'm not," Stella answered, wiping her face. "I'm not exaggerating. I'm just very emotional."
Yuha pointed at her.
"If you say emotional, that means everyone needs to be on high alert."
Stella immediately threw a sofa pillow at Yuha.
And the room broke into laughter again.
It wasn't a loud laugh.
Not a noisy laugh.
But a living laugh.
Unforced.
Born from relief after a fear that was far too long.

Carmen looked at them with a chest that oddly felt full again.
Safe.
Warm.
Full.
And for some reason, she suddenly wanted to cry again, but not out of sadness.
Because she just realized how long she had forced herself to hold so many things alone.
How all this time she was afraid of bothering them.
Afraid of looking weak.
Afraid of making people worry.
Afraid of being a burden.
When what she was hiding was exactly that.
Everything they had been afraid of all this time, she had kept to herself in the quietest place inside her.
Now, as they all sat in the same living room, in the simple morning light, Carmen felt something inside her slowly crack, then flow out.
Not a wound.
Not fear.
But something much softer.
Acceptance.
That she didn't always have to be strong.
That she didn't always have to be the calmest.
That there were eight people in this room who would still be there, even if she fell, even if she cried, even if she didn't know how to explain what she felt.

Stella finally stood up and walked to the kitchen.
"You guys eat breakfast first. I'll cook something easy."
Yuha looked at her suspiciously.
"Your version of easy is often terrifying."
"Quiet. I can cook."
"Just remembered a few days ago you almost burned the toast."
Stella pointed at Yuha.
"Because you bothered me."
"There's no connection between being bothered and burnt toast."
"There is."
"There isn't."
"If you don't believe me, let's debate again."
"Stop debating in the morning," Juun cut in, sighing, though the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
A-na immediately approached Carmen and ruffled her hair lightly.
"Are you hungry?"
Carmen nodded.
"But I want to help."
Ian immediately pointed at her.
"No. You sit. Today you are a guest of honor."
"I'm not a guest."
"Yes you are. You just came back from hell."
Carmen laughed softly.
Then looked at them again.
"Thank you."
Everyone fell silent.
Because that voice, though simple, sounded so deep.
Ian immediately sat on the floor in front of Carmen.
"Don't say thank you."
"Why."
"Because we're the ones who should be saying it."
Carmen blinked.
Ian rubbed her own nose, then spoke without her usual exaggeration this time.
"You've taken care of us for too long. You've always been the one to look out for us first. You were tired, you were scared, you were hurt, you stayed quiet. So now it's our turn."
Stella, hearing that from the kitchen, closed her eyes for a moment.
Yuha also turned her head slowly.
Juun looked at Ian like she just heard something more mature than usual.
Ye-on looked down, biting her lip.
And Jiwoo, who was still standing near Carmen, finally raised her hand and gently stroked the back of the girl's neck.
"Listen to her."
Carmen looked at them all one by one.
Then tears welled up again.
"Don't."
Jiwoo's voice was soft.
"Don't hold it back."
That sentence was simple.
But its effect was like a door being opened slowly.
Carmen closed her eyes.
Her tears fell, one or two drops.
But this time she didn't look away out of shame.
Didn't hide her face.
Didn't wipe them away quickly so no one would see.
She just cried softly.
And one by one, the members approached.
Not all at once.
Not in a crowd.
But as if they understood that this was a moment that needed to be allowed to grow on its own.
A-na was the first to pat Carmen's shoulder.
Ian, who then rubbed her back.
Stella, who came out of the kitchen and handed her a tissue.
Yuha, who knelt beside the sofa and placed a glass of water.
Juun, who stood behind, her hand touching Ye-on's shoulder because the maknae was also starting to tear up.
And Ye-on herself, with a small voice, said,
"Unnie isn't allowed to hurt alone anymore."
Carmen looked at her.
Ye-on immediately grew flustered, but kept speaking.
"If unnie is sad... tell us."
"If unnie is mad... tell us."
"If unnie is tired... tell us."
She let out a short breath.
Then added in a voice almost disappearing from embarrassment,
"I... we... we want to listen."
The room fell silent again.
But a good silence.
A silence like an empty room right before the music starts.
Carmen stared at the maknae for a long time, then smiled slightly through her tears.
Then she reached out and gently touched Ye-on's cheek.
"So good."
Ye-on immediately blushed to her ears.
A-na laughed softly.
"She's going to faint."
"No," Ye-on denied too quickly.
Yuha looked at Carmen, then said softly, far softer than usual,
"We promise too."
Carmen turned.
Yuha sighed.
"From now on, no one is allowed to carry their burdens alone."
Ian immediately nodded vigorously.
"True."
Stella added while crossing her arms over her chest.
"If something's wrong with you, say it."
A-na followed.
"If I'm being annoying, tell me."
Ian snorted.
"If you're annoying, that's a daily fact."
"I'm serious."
"So are we."
One by one, they started speaking.
Not because they needed to sound smart.
Not because they wanted to create a dramatic moment.
But because for the first time, they genuinely wanted to say it clearly.
Juun, with a calm voice rarely used for things like this, said,
"We'll share the burden. Not to make it half as light, but so no one falls alone."
Carmen looked at her for a long time.
Then Jiwoo, who had been quiet, finally lifted her face.
Her gaze fell on Carmen.
Then to all the members.
And her voice when she spoke sounded soft, clear, and slightly hoarse.
"If I see any of you keeping something to yourself again, I'll be mad."
Ian immediately raised her hand.
"You're always mad."
"This is serious."
"Well I'm serious too."
Jiwoo stared at her flatly.
Ian immediately surrendered.
"Okay."
Jiwoo looked back at Carmen.
"Including you."
Carmen was silent.
Jiwoo stepped closer.
"You're not allowed to say it's fine when it's actually not fine."
Carmen bit her lip.
Her eyes teared up again.
Jiwoo sighed.
"If you're tired, say it."
"If you're scared, say it."
"If you're mad, say it."
"If you want to cry, cry."
Her voice grew softer.
"Don't make me guess on my own."
That last sentence made Carmen crumble a little.
Not out of sadness.
But because she finally heard clearly how deeply the person in front of her cared.
Carmen nodded slowly.
Then said in a small voice,
"I promise."
And at that moment, Jiwoo pulled her into a hug.
Not a long and heavy hug like before.
This was a warm hug full of agreement.
Acceptance.
Safety.
Unconditional love.
Carmen closed her eyes.
And for the first time in a long time, she didn't feel she had to hold everything together alone.

The days after that flowed in a much softer way.
Not without problems.

Not without schedules.

Not without exhaustion.

But something had permanently changed among them.
They started asking each other more honestly.

"Have you eaten?"

"Are you tired?"

"I'll walk you to your room."

"If you want to be quiet, be quiet first. I'll stand guard."

Little things.
Simple things.
But those were exactly what made a house feel alive.
They started sharing more.
Not just belongings.
Not just food.
But also the things they had been hiding.

Ian shared when she was afraid of not being funny enough as an idol.

Stella admitted she often cried secretly when she felt she wasn't good enough, even if she looked the brightest on camera.
A-na, who always seemed relaxed, softly said that sometimes she liked to act tough even though she was actually the most afraid of being left behind.
Yuha, who seemed the most logical, admitted that she often held back a lot of emotions on her own because she felt everyone else was already making enough noise without her breaking down too.
Juun, who rarely spoke much, said that she often felt she always had to be strong because people relied on her to be stable.
Ye-on, with her small voice, said that she had always been afraid of talking too much for fear of being a nuisance.
And Carmen listened to all of it.

One by one.
Without interrupting.
Without preaching.
Without giving empty answers.

She just sat there nodding, then hugged them in turn when words were no longer enough.
As if the world was slowly learning that strength doesn't always mean silence.
Sometimes strength means being brave enough to say, *I need you.*
And they learned that together.

One night, a few weeks later, after a long and tiring practice, they all sat on the living room floor eating instant noodles.
No cameras.
No staff.
No pressure.
Just the sound of slurping noodles.
Just the clink of spoons against bowls.
Just small laughs when Ian complained because Yuha took her egg slice.
Just Stella borrowing Carmen's blanket without permission and then protesting when Carmen pulled it back.
Just A-na lying flat on the floor because she was too full.
Just Juun and Ye-on finally falling asleep leaning against each other on the sofa after talking for too long.
And in the middle of it all, Jiwoo looked at Carmen.
They didn't need to speak loudly.
Didn't need to clarify.
Just a look.
Just a small smile.
And Carmen knew.
That night, and the nights after it, she would never truly carry everything alone again.
Because finally they understood the simplest, most important, and most touching thing of all they had been through.
It wasn't that they had to be perfect to be worthy of love.
But they were worthy of love precisely because they were fragile, funny, stubborn, messy, and human.
So human.

And if one day one of them fell again, the others would fetch her.
If one of them cried, the others would sit beside her.
If one of them lost their way, the others would hold their hand until the path became visible again.
No one had to walk alone.

No one had to smile while hiding the heaviest wounds in their chest.

No one had to pretend to be strong just to make others feel at ease.
Because now they had a promise.
A simple but massive promise.
A promise to look out for each other.
A promise to listen to each other.
A promise to not let anyone carry too heavy a burden alone.
And in the living room of the Hearts2Hearts dorm, under the dim warm lights, among the noodle bowls, sofa pillows, and the occasional burst of laughter, that promise felt alive.
Not like words.
But like a home.
Not like a sentence.
But like a hand always available to hold.
Not like an ending.
But like a new beginning.

A beginning where Carmen no longer needed to be afraid of being a burden.

Where Jiwoo didn't have to carry everything silently.

Where Stella didn't have to force a smile when her heart was broken.

Where Yuha didn't have to hold everything in through discipline.

Where Juun was allowed to be tired.

Where A-na was allowed to be fragile.

Where Ian was allowed to cry without shame.

Where Ye-on was allowed to speak without fear of being a nuisance.

Because they weren't eight strangers who happened to live in one dorm.
They were each other's home.

And that night, with the outside world still noisy, still cruel, still not always fair, Hearts2Hearts sat together as something far stronger than just a group.
They sat as a family.

Male or female didn't matter.
Camera flashes didn't matter.
Internet comments didn't matter.
The only thing that mattered was this.

That among them, no one had to hold up the sky alone anymore.

---

*The stars above Seoul were beautiful, but not as beautiful as eight girls learning that even constellations stay bright because they shine together.*