Archive of Our Own

Yuha could still remember the first time she laid eyes on A-na.

It was during one of SM’s new trainee stage performances. Several trainees had gathered onstage, each waiting for their turn under the bright studio lights, but there was one girl in particular who immediately caught Yuha’s attention.

She had long hair, a chic, effortlessly cool appearance, and proportions that made her stand out even among the other trainees.

Yuha didn’t think much of it at first. She simply thought the girl looked cool—and, admittedly, incredibly gorgeous.

The lights in the room suddenly dimmed, signaling that the performance was about to begin. Yuha settled back into her seat beside Jiwoo, her longtime friend and fellow trainee, and turned her attention toward the stage.

“The tall one with black hair is gorgeous,” Jiwoo suddenly whispered into Yuha’s ear.

Yuha glanced at her before looking back toward the stage.

“Yeah,” she whispered, nodding in agreement.

She tried her best not to stare at one trainee for too long, quickly shifting her gaze toward the others whenever she realized where her eyes had settled. She definitely didn’t want Jiwoo noticing.

There was another trainee who caught Yuha’s attention too—unbelievably pretty in her own way.

Ian.

Ian had become a trainee around the same time as A-na, so it was only natural that the two had grown close. They were often seen together, and even from the audience, Yuha could tell they seemed comfortable around each other.

At the time, Yuha didn’t know either of them.

She certainly didn’t know that the girl she had casually noticed from across the room would eventually become someone she could never look at quite the same way again.

After the stage ended, Yuha, Jiwoo, and a few of the senior trainees made their way toward the newcomers to introduce themselves. They greeted the trainees one by one, exchanging polite bows and brief introductions before eventually reaching Ian and A-na.

A-na noticed the two girls approaching and lightly nudged Ian, who had been playfully messing around beside her. The two immediately straightened up, fixing their posture before offering a polite bow.

“Hello, my name is Yuna. Roh Yuna,” A-na introduced herself in a calm, composed voice.

Yuha paused for a moment, slightly caught off guard by how professional she was. Her eyes widened just a little before she quickly returned the bow.

“Yu Haram,” she replied, a soft smile forming on her face.

Up close, Yuha noticed that the girl seemed even more distant than she had from the audience. There was something detached about her, almost as if she were carefully keeping herself separate from everyone around her.

Yuha couldn’t tell if that was simply how she was or if she was nervous.

“I’m Jeong Lee-an,” the shorter girl beside Yuna introduced herself next.

“Choi Jiwoo,” her friend replied with a smile.

The introductions continued, simple and polite, but Yuha found her attention drifting back toward Yuna again.

Once the day was over, Ian and A-na found themselves sitting in the SM cafeteria, talking and messing around like they usually did. They were halfway through a conversation when A-na suddenly remembered the girl from earlier.

“The Haram girl from earlier seemed nice,” she said, taking another sip of her strawberry milk.

“Yeah. They were both pretty, too,” Ian agreed with a nod.

“I heard she’s been here for a long time, both her and Jiwoo unnie. Five years, I think.”

Ian’s eyes widened. “Woah. They must be on another level, then.”

A-na hummed thoughtfully, wondering what someone could possibly be like after training for that long.

Eventually, it was time for the senior trainees’ performance. Ian, A-na, and the other trainees made their way back into the room and settled down to watch.

The lights dimmed, and the music began.

The difference was immediately noticeable.

The senior trainees were on another level entirely. Their movements were sharp and synchronized, their vocals steady, and their stage presence commanded the entire room. A-na watched closely, taking in every detail.

Instead of feeling intimidated, she felt motivated.

I want to be that good.

Her eyes were particularly focused on Yuha and Jiwoo. She watched the way they moved, their expressions, their vocals—everything. There was something about watching them perform that made A-na want to work harder.

“You were right. They’re on another level,” A-na whispered to Ian.

“Obviously,” Ian scoffed playfully, earning a small laugh from A-na.

As the months went by, A-na and Yuha began seeing each other more often.

They ended up in the same dance classes, crossed paths during practice, and eventually started sharing similar schedules. What began as simple greetings slowly turned into conversations, and those conversations eventually turned into an actual friendship.

Yuha quickly learned that A-na was nothing like the distant girl she had first assumed her to be.

She was a complete prankster.

And energetic.

Far more energetic than Yuha could handle most days.

A-na was constantly messing around, teasing the other trainees, or finding some new way to annoy Ian. Somehow, though, Yuha never really minded.

Being around Yuna made her laugh more than almost anyone else.

Still, Yuha noticed there was a certain line between them.

A line that only a few people seemed to cross.

Ian was the clearest example. She and Yuna were practically inseparable, constantly teasing and bothering each other, but beneath all of it was an obvious bond. They trusted each other, looked out for one another, and always seemed to find their way back to each other.

It reminded Yuha a lot of her relationship with Jiwoo.

During one practice, A-na was once again causing trouble, chasing Ian around the room while Ian desperately tried to get away from her.

Yuha watched from the side, thoroughly entertained by the chaos.

“Yuna, how old are you again?” she called out sarcastically.

A-na abruptly stopped chasing Ian and turned toward her.

A mischievous smirk spread across her face.

“Fourteen!” she shouted before immediately turning back around and continuing to chase Ian.

Yuha laughed under her breath.

She wasn't much older than A-na herself, only a year but sometimes, watching A-na act like this, it felt like there was a much bigger gap between them. Or at least that's what A-na let her see. 

A-na, on the other hand, had grown quite fond of Yuha.

She was pretty, funny in her own way, and—did she mention pretty?

A-na wasn’t entirely sure if Yuha liked her in the same way she liked being around her, so she tried to keep her distance whenever she could. Although, somehow, it never really worked. No matter how hard she tried, she always found herself sitting next to Yuha, talking her ear off about how tired she was while Yuha simply listened and laughed.

Yuha had never been particularly good at expressing herself.

She was an introvert and a T—a terrible combination in some people’s eyes. She was calm, sometimes almost too calm, and rarely reacted to things the way everyone else did. Instead, she always tried to find a reason behind everything, preferring to think things through rather than immediately let her emotions take over.

But with A-na, it was different.

Yuha worried about all of the trainees, of course, but she found herself worrying about A-na a little more than the others. Maybe it was because A-na was younger. Maybe it was because she could be reckless without realizing it.

Or maybe Yuha simply cared about her more than she realized.

It took a couple of months before A-na finally came to her for advice.

Yuha was sitting against the wall of the dance practice room, taking a short break between practices, when the door suddenly opened.

A-na walked in.

She was fifteen now, the same age as Yuha—at least until Yuha’s birthday came around. She wore a black cap pulled low over her face, loose sweatpants, and a sweater that looked like it had been thrown on in a hurry.

Her footsteps were quiet as she slowly made her way across the room.

Yuha looked up at her, immediately noticing something was wrong.

She watched patiently as A-na approached before finally speaking.

“Yuna-ah?” Yuha asked, her voice laced with concern.

A-na quietly sat down beside her, crossing her legs before looking up.

Her eyes were red and glossy, like she had been trying desperately not to cry.

Yuha’s expression softened.

“Hey. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know what to do,” A-na whispered, her voice shaking slightly.

Yuha frowned. “What do you mean?”

A-na took a deep breath, staring down at her hands.

“I feel like I’m not improving. I barely get any sleep, and I’m hungry almost 24/7…”

She paused, swallowing hard.

Yuha didn’t interrupt.

She simply sat beside her, giving A-na the time to say whatever she needed to say.

“What if I never get better?” A-na continued quietly. “What if I don’t have it in me to catch up and debut?”

Her voice cracked slightly.

“I want to debut with you, Jiwoo and Ian, and I’m scared I’m not good enough.”

Yuha continued listening.

“What if—”

“Yuna, stop.” Yuha gently cut her off.

A-na looked over at her.

“You’re overthinking, okay?”

There was no panic in Yuha’s voice. No hesitation. Just the pure calmness that Yuha always radiated. (most of the time at least.)

She slowly wrapped her arms around A-na and pulled her into a hug.

A-na immediately melted into it.

The hug was warm and comforting, neither of them making any effort to pull away. For a moment, Yuha thought she could stay like this forever.

Until she suddenly heard a small choking sound.

A-na’s breathing had become heavy and uneven, clearly trying to suppress whatever was building up inside of her.

She was crying.

Yuha froze.

She didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t good with situations like this, and for once, her usual calm reasoning failed her.

But her hand moved on its own.

She gently began running her fingers through A-na’s hair, slowly petting it in an attempt to comfort her.

But Ana’s tears just continued, She knew the other girl was emotional but this was her first time seeing her cry. 

“Hey… hey, it’s okay,” Yuha reassured softly.

She slowly pulled back, gently taking A-na’s face into her hands, one on each side. Her thumbs lightly brushed beneath A-na’s eyes as she looked at her, trying to get her to focus.

“Look at me,” Yuha said quietly. “You’re going to be okay.”

A-na’s eyes met hers, still glossy with tears.

“You’re doing better than you think you are,” Yuha continued, her voice calm and certain. “You don’t have to have everything figured out right now. Just… breathe, okay?”

A-na nodded weakly, trying to steady herself.

Yuha gave her a small, reassuring smile. “You’re not alone in this.”

After that day, the two became inseparable.

A-na would come to Yuha whenever something was bothering her, and Yuha would always be there to reassure and comfort her. That quickly became their pattern.

Yuha eventually realized just how clingy A-na could be, but honestly, she wasn’t much better. They loved being around each other, and it was obvious to everyone around them.

On a random day A-na had written three letters to Yuha, expressing how much she liked Yuha and that she hoped she had liked her also. Yuha found it adorable, and kept the letters safely. She assumed it was in a friendly way of course, Ana saw Yuha as someone she could depend on and Yuha saw Ana as someone she adored. Friends just friends. 

A few years went by, and eventually, they met the other girls who would one day debut alongside them.

First came Carmen, then Stella, and finally Yeon, all joining within the same year. They arrived two years before Hearts2Hearts would debut.

Juun was already a trainee as well, having joined a year before A-na. Since they were the same age, the two would talk every now and then and slowly became familiar with each other.

And, of course, Yuha was the senior trainee everyone could rely on. She always tried her best to look out for the younger trainees and help whenever she could.

Then, one day, everything changed.

They were each called individually into a meeting with SM's executives. None of them knew exactly what it was about, but the second they heard the words, they could barely process what they were being told.

They were going to debut.

After years of training, practicing until they were exhausted, and wondering if all of it would ever pay off, they finally had their answer.

A-na immediately ran straight to Yuha’s dorm.

The second she saw her, she practically threw herself into her arms.

“Oh my god! We did it!” she exclaimed, her voice full of excitement.

Yuha was just as overwhelmed. She immediately tightened her arms around A-na, a huge smile spreading across her face as tears began filling her eyes.

“We did it!” Yuha said, laughing through her tears.

She had waited so long for this moment.

Years of training, countless practices, frustrating days, and moments where she wondered if she would ever make it had all led to this. It felt like everything she had worked so hard for had finally paid off.

As they prepared for their debut, everyone slowly grew closer. They spent almost every day together between practices, schedules, and preparations, and eventually, they were assigned dorms together.

Unfortunately, A-na and Yuha weren’t placed in the same room, but they were at least in the same building, which made the situation a little less disappointing.

The other members quickly noticed just how attached the two were. They were always together, constantly bickering over the smallest things, only to be laughing together again five minutes later.

Eventually, they earned themselves a nickname: the “married couple that fights, breaks up, and somehow always gets back together.”

Whenever someone called them that, Yuha and A-na would just laugh and play along.

A-na, unlike Yuha, was never secretive about how much she adored her. She was extremely expressive and had absolutely no problem claiming Yuha whenever she got the chance.

“That’s my woman,” she would say proudly, completely unashamed.

Yuha, being as oblivious as ever, would either laugh it off or immediately reject the statement.

“I'm not your woman.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not.”

A-na would just grin, completely unconvinced.

Despite all her teasing, though, Yuha was just as affectionate in her own way. She never missed an opportunity to show A-na how much she cared, whether it was sitting beside her during breaks, checking in on her after practice, or quietly making sure she was okay.

And somehow, they even ended up with matching wallpapers on their phones.

Totally casual.

At least, that’s what Yuha told everyone.

Then finally, their debut came.

It was an instant success. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world fell in love with the group, and Yuha quickly noticed that fans especially loved the relationship between her and A-na.

They started calling the pair Hanaz, and before long, they became one of the group’s most popular pairings.

At first, Yuha figured it was just fan service.

She was already used to A-na following her around everywhere and practically drowning her in affection, whether the cameras were on or not. It was just how A-na was with her.

A-na would get sulky whenever Yuha flirted with someone else, and Yuha would act offended by her jealousy.

“Why are you mad at me?” Yuha would ask.

“I'm not mad.”

“You're literally pouting.”

“I’m not.”

And somehow, it always ended with A-na apologizing.

That was their routine.

Until Yuha started noticing something different, a couple months after their debut. 

A-na had been spending a lot more time with Jiwoo.

At first, Yuha didn't think much of it. The two had always gotten along, and there was nothing strange about them becoming closer after debut.

But lately, it seemed like A-na was always with her.

They'd sit together during breaks, whisper to each other during practice, and laugh over things Yuha couldn't even hear. A-na would still come find Yuha eventually, but it wasn't as often as before.

And for some reason, Yuha found herself noticing every single time.

She told herself it was nothing, they were bound to be close. She didn’t have to be with A-na 24/7 but for some reason the sight still made her chest tighten. 

A-na, on the other hand, had started noticing how Yuha wasn’t as affectionate with her anymore.

It had started about two months after their debut. A-na would flirt with her like she always had, but instead of playing along or teasing her back, Yuha would simply brush it off.

At first, A-na tried not to think too much about it.

She told herself Yuha was probably just tired. They had been busy with schedules, practices, and everything that came with being newly debuted, so she tried to give her the benefit of the doubt.

But as the days passed, it became harder to ignore.

Yuha was still kind to her. She still talked to her, laughed with her, and cared about her, but something felt different.

A-na kept trying to get the same reactions out of her that she used to, only to be met with a laugh or a quick change of subject.

Eventually, she stopped trying.

She ignored it for as long as she could, until one night, lying awake in bed, the thought finally crossed her mind.

Maybe I'm making her uncomfortable.

And suddenly, every interaction they'd had lately started replaying in her head. The thought bothered her enough that she eventually got out of bed and went to find Ian.

If anyone knew her well enough to give her an honest answer, it was her best friend.

She made her way to the other dorm and found her in the living room, sitting on the couch with her phone in her hand.

“Ian?”

Ian looked up. “Hm?”

A-na hesitated before walking over and sitting beside her.

“Can I ask you something?”

Ian immediately put her phone down, already sensing something was wrong.

“Yeah. What happened?”

A-na picked at the sleeve of her sweater, staring down at her hands.

“Do you think I’m making Yuha uncomfortable?”

Ian blinked. “What?”

“I feel like she’s been.. Idk uncomfortable with me lately,” A-na admitted quietly.

“I’ll joke around with her or flirt with her like I always do, and she just… brushes me off.”

Ian frowned slightly. “Has she actually told you that you’re making her uncomfortable?”

“No.”

“Then why do you think that?”

“Because she’s different with me now.” Ian was quiet for a moment, thinking.

“A-na, you know Yuha. She’s not exactly the type to tell you something’s wrong unless you ask her directly.”

A-na sighed, leaning back against the couch. “I know. That’s why I’m asking you.”

Ian gave her a small look before nudging her shoulder. “Then talk to her.”

A-na immediately groaned. “I knew you were going to say that.”

“What else do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know. Something that doesn’t involve me having an actual conversation about my feelings.”

Ian laughed. “Yeah, good luck with that.”

“Okay, but listen. It’s not like she’s being distant or anything,” A-na continued. “I just… feel like I smother her sometimes.”

Ian tilted her head, studying A-na for a moment. “Maybe you could try distancing yourself a little,” she suggested. “Not completely. Just spend more time with the other members and give her some space.”

A-na frowned, picking at the sleeve of her sweater. “You think I should?”

“Maybe. It could help you figure out if you’re actually bothering her or if you’re just overthinking it.”

A-na nodded slowly, but Ian continued to stare at her.

“What?”

Ian shrugged. “Nothing.”

“No, what?”

Ian hesitated for a second before asking, “Do you actually have feelings for Yuha?”

A-na froze. Completely.

Her fingers stopped moving, and she stared at Ian like she had just asked the most absurd question imaginable.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

A-na opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Ian raised an eyebrow, trying to read the girl infront of her. “I mean, you’re always talking about her, you’re always looking for her, you get jealous when she gives someone else attention, and now you’re worried about whether you’re making her uncomfortable.”

A-na looked away slowly. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

Ian gave her a knowing look. “Doesn’t it?”

A-na stayed unknowingly quiet.  

For the first time, she actually thought about it. Why did Yuha’s attention matter so much to her? Why did it bother her when Yuha brushed her off? And why did the idea of Yuha becoming uncomfortable around her make her feel so awful?

Before she could respond, one of the dorm room doors suddenly opened. Yuha stepped out. Her hair was blonde now, slightly messy from sleep, and she looked like she had just woken up. She blinked a few times as she stepped into the living room, clearly still half-asleep.

She was pretty sure she had heard A-na’s voice from outside her room. What confused her was why A-na hadn’t come to say hello. Yuha’s eyes widened slightly when she spotted her pacing around the room.

A-na stopped mid-step. The second their eyes met, she froze.

Yuha stared at her for a moment before her expression shifted into a small pout. “Yuna?” she called, her voice still a little sleepy.

“Why didn’t you come say hi to me?”

A-na’s eyes widened.

Ian immediately looked between the two of them, trying very hard not to laugh. A-na had just spent the last few minutes worrying that she was smothering Yuha. And now Yuha was standing there wondering why she hadn’t given her attention.

“Uh…” A-na had absolutely no idea what to say. Her mind was still stuck on everything Ian had just asked her, and now Yuha was standing right in front of her, looking at her with that slightly sleepy expression that somehow made it even harder to think.

Yuha tilted her head, waiting patiently for an answer. “Did you not hear me?”

“I heard you,” A-na said quickly, forcing out a small laugh. “I was just—”

“You were just what?” Yuha asked, her voice still soft from waking up.

A-na glanced toward Ian, silently begging her to help. Ian only raised her eyebrows before looking back down at her phone, clearly enjoying watching her struggle.

“I was just talking to Ian,” A-na finally said.

Yuha nodded slowly, but the small pout on her lips remained. “I know, but you usually come say hi to me.”

“I know.”

“So why didn’t you this time?”

A-na swallowed. Because I was literally talking about you.

“I forgot?” she said, the first excuse that came to mind.

Yuha stared at her for a second, clearly unconvinced. “You forgot?”

“Yeah.”

“You forgot to say hi to me?”

A-na nodded, trying not to laugh at how genuinely offended Yuha looked. “I’m sorry.”

Yuha crossed her arms, pretending to be upset. “That’s mean.”

“I said I’m sorry.”

“You're going to have to do better than that.”

A-na raised an eyebrow. “What do you want me to do?”

Yuha's expression immediately softened into a small smile. “I don't know. Come here.”

She opened her arms, and A-na hesitated for only a second before walking over. Yuha wrapped her arms around her in a quick hug, resting her chin lightly against A-na's shoulder.

“Hi,” Yuha mumbled.

A-na's heart skipped in a way she didn't want to acknowledge.

“Hi unnie,” she replied quietly.

Yuha pulled away but kept her hands on A-na's arms, looking at her with a sleepy smile. “See? Was that so hard?”

A-na forced a laugh. “No.”

“Then why were you avoiding me?”

“I wasn't avoiding you.”

“You kind of were.”

“I wasn't.”

Yuha narrowed her eyes playfully. “You're acting weird.”

A-na immediately looked away. “I'm tired.”

“You're not the one who just woke up.”

“I know.”

Yuha studied her for another moment, clearly trying to figure out what was going on. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I'm fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” A-na said a little too quickly. “Actually, I just remembered I have something to do.”

Yuha blinked. “Right now?”

“Yeah.”

“What do you have to do?”

A-na paused.

She hadn't thought that far ahead.

“Laundry.”

Yuha looked toward the hallway, then back at her. “At this hour?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because…” A-na's mind scrambled for another excuse. “Because I forgot to do it earlier.”

Yuha stared at her, visibly confused.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

A-na gave Ian a quick look, silently asking her not to say anything.

Ian pressed her lips together, obviously trying not to laugh.

“I should go,” A-na said quickly, already backing toward the hallway. “I'll see you later, okay?”

Yuha nodded slowly. “Okay…”

A-na gave her one last awkward smile before turning around and practically escaping down the hallway.

Yuha stood there for a moment, watching her leave.

Then she looked at Ian.

“…Was she always this weird?”

Ian finally broke into a laugh.

Yuha frowned. “What?”

“Nothing, It's Yuna, she's always weird.”

Yuha glanced back toward the hallway, still confused.

Something about A-na's behavior had definitely been strange. She just couldn’t figure out what it was. 

Eventually A-na began spending more time with Jiwoo, It wasn't intentional, she just happened to be there and she understood A-na’h humour. 

It continued like that for weeks, so gradually that none of them really noticed when A-na and Jiwoo went from simply being close to practically becoming attached at the hip. If one of them was somewhere, the other was usually not far behind, whether they were practicing together, eating together, sitting in the dorm lounge after a long day, or simply wandering around the company building because neither of them had anything better to do.

Jiwoo laughed at almost everything A-na did, too, even when A-na wasn't actually trying to be funny, and somehow that only encouraged her to become even more ridiculous around her. A-na could make one stupid comment under her breath or pull some completely unnecessary expression during practice, and Jiwoo would immediately start laughing, which would make A-na laugh in return until both of them were sitting there trying to catch their breath over something that probably wasn't even funny in the first place.

Yuha noticed it more than she wanted to.

At first, she didn't think much of it because she knew A-na and Jiwoo were close, and honestly, she was glad A-na had someone she could be comfortable around. She had even found herself smiling when she saw the two of them together, especially when A-na was being her usual energetic self and Jiwoo was patiently entertaining every ridiculous thing she came up with.

But after a while, Yuha began realizing that every time she went looking for A-na, she was with Jiwoo.

It happened so often that it almost became a pattern.

If Yuha finished practice and wanted to ask A-na something, she would walk into another room only to find her sitting beside Jiwoo. If she went to the cafeteria because she remembered A-na had mentioned being hungry earlier, she would find the two of them sharing food at the same table. If Yuha wanted to show A-na something on her phone or simply felt like talking to her for a few minutes, she'd look around the dorm and eventually hear her laughing somewhere with Jiwoo.

And every time it happened, Yuha would tell herself the same thing.

It's fine.

There was nothing wrong with it.

A-na wasn't doing anything wrong.

Jiwoo wasn't doing anything wrong.

Yuha wasn't entitled to A-na's attention, and she certainly wasn't going to act like she was.

Still, there was something strange about realizing that someone who had once seemed to naturally gravitate toward her was now spending most of her free time with somebody else.

It wasn't even that Yuha wanted A-na to stop spending time with Jiwoo. She didn't. If anything, she liked seeing A-na happy, and Jiwoo seemed to bring out an easy side of her that Yuha hadn't seen as much lately.

The problem was that Yuha had started missing being the person A-na naturally looked for.

One afternoon, Yuha walked into the practice room after finishing another schedule and instinctively looked for A-na before she'd even put her bag down. She found her almost immediately, sitting on the floor beside Jiwoo with a water bottle balanced carefully on top of her head while Jiwoo watched with the kind of amusement that had become almost impossible to miss.

"Why are you doing that?" Yuha asked, staring at her.

A-na looked up at her without moving her head, trying desperately not to make the bottle fall.

"Because I can."

Yuha stared at her for a second, unable to decide whether she was being serious.

"...Okay."

Jiwoo immediately started laughing, and A-na's lips twitched into a grin as she tried even harder to keep the bottle balanced. It lasted maybe three more seconds before it slipped down and landed in her lap, making Jiwoo laugh even harder.

"I almost had it," A-na insisted.

"You absolutely did not," Yuha replied, and despite herself, a small smile appeared on her face.

A-na looked at her expectantly for a moment, almost as though she was waiting for Yuha to come sit beside her like she normally would, but when Yuha didn't move, the expression slowly disappeared.

Yuha hadn't even meant to hesitate.

She had simply stood there, suddenly aware that A-na was already having fun with Jiwoo, and for some reason she didn't want to interrupt.

"I was just looking for you," Yuha said after a moment, her voice quieter than she'd intended.

A-na nodded.

"Oh. Did you need me?"

Yuha paused.

She had no idea what she actually needed.

"No," she finally said. "It's fine."

Then she walked away.

She didn't understand why she felt disappointed as soon as she left the room.

She had found A-na, hadn't she?

That should have been enough.

But it wasn't.

The feeling only became more noticeable as the days passed, especially because A-na was still following the advice she'd gotten from Ian.

She was giving Yuha space.

Not completely, because she couldn't bring herself to suddenly act cold toward someone she cared about so much, but enough that Yuha would have room to breathe if that was what she wanted. A-na stopped automatically sitting beside Yuha during meals, stopped barging into her room whenever she was bored, stopped trying to kiss her, and stopped following her around the dorm just because she wanted to spend time with her.

Even when Yuha walked into a room, A-na made herself stay where she was instead of immediately getting up and going to her.

It was difficult.

Much more difficult than she wanted to admit.

Because every part of her wanted to go back to the way things had been before, when being around Yuha didn't require this much thought and she didn't have to constantly wonder whether she was standing too close, talking too much, or accidentally making Yuha uncomfortable.

But she remembered Ian's words.

Give her some space.

Let her come to you.

So that's what A-na did.

And, ironically, the more space A-na gave her, the more Yuha seemed to notice her absence.

Eventually, Yuha couldn't keep pretending she wasn't bothered by it.

It happened late one evening after practice.

Everyone had returned to the dorm, and the living room was relatively quiet, with a few members scattered around doing their own things. A-na and Jiwoo were sitting together on the floor, watching something on Jiwoo's phone while quietly laughing every few minutes.

Yuha was sitting on the other side of the room with Stella. She hadn't said much for the past twenty minutes.

Instead, she'd been staring toward A-na every few minutes without realizing she was doing it.

Stella noticed.

Of course she did.

She followed Yuha's gaze, then looked back at her.

"You've been staring at Yuna for like ten minutes."

Yuha immediately looked away.

"I have not."

"You have."

"I was looking over there."

"At Yuna."

"No."

Stella gave her a skeptical look.

Yuha crossed her arms and leaned farther back against the couch, determined to look completely unbothered.

Stella waited a few seconds before speaking again.

"Why don't you just go talk to her?"

"She's busy."

"She's watching a video."

"Exactly."

"That's not busy."

Yuha didn't answer.

Stella studied her face for another moment before letting out a quiet laugh.

"You're jealous."

Yuha's head snapped toward her.

"What?"

"You're jealous."

"I'm not jealous."

The answer came so quickly that Stella actually laughed.

"Okay."

"I'm not."

"Mhm."

"I don't know why you keep saying that."

"Because you keep looking at her."

"I'm allowed to look at people."

"Of course you are."

"And she's my friend."

"She is."

"So?"

Stella shrugged. "So nothing."

Yuha narrowed her eyes.

"You have something to say."

"I don't."

"You do."

Stella smiled slightly before turning her attention back toward the room.

"Fine. I'll ask you something instead."

Yuha already knew she wasn't going to like the question.

"Do you like her?"

Yuha went completely still.

For a second, she didn't even know what Stella meant.

Then it clicked.

Her expression immediately hardened.

"No."

Stella looked at her.

"That was fast."

"Because I don't."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

Yuha looked toward A-na again, but this time she forced herself to look away before Stella could catch her.

"She's just my friend," she said, quieter this time. "We've always been close."

"I know."

"I care about her."

"I know."

"So why would I like her?"

Stella shrugged.

"Sometimes you don't know you like someone until the thought of them giving somebody else all the attention you used to get starts bothering you."

Yuha frowned.

"That's not what's happening."

"Then what is?"

Yuha opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

She looked down at her hands, suddenly frustrated with herself.

"I don't know."

Stella's expression softened slightly.

"That's okay."

Yuha sighed.

"I just don't understand why she's acting so different."

"She's giving you space."

"I know."

"Because you were pulling away."

Yuha looked at her.

"I wasn't trying to."

"I know."

"I just... I don't know, I thought maybe I needed space."

Stella nodded.

"And now?"

Yuha hesitated.

Her eyes drifted toward A-na again.

A-na had just leaned closer to Jiwoo to see something on her phone, and Jiwoo immediately started laughing. A-na laughed too, covering her mouth with her hand while trying not to make too much noise.

Yuha watched them for a few seconds.

Then she quietly said, "Now I don't think I like it."

Stella smiled.

"Why?"

Yuha shook her head.

"Because I don't know."

She sounded genuinely frustrated now.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I was the one who started acting distant— in a way. And now that she's actually giving me space, I keep wanting her around. I keep looking for her, and every time I find her with Jiwoo, I feel..."

She stopped.

Stella waited.

"Feel what?"

Yuha swallowed.

"I don't know."

Stella didn't push her.

Instead, she simply said, "Maybe you should stop trying to figure out what you're supposed to feel and just pay attention to what you actually feel."

Yuha looked at her.

"What does that mean?"

"It means if you miss her, talk to her. If you want her around, let her know. You don't have to figure out what it means yet."

Yuha stayed quiet.

Then she looked back across the room.

A-na was still laughing with Jiwoo.

For some reason, Yuha suddenly wanted to be over there.

She wanted A-na to notice her.

She wanted A-na to look at her the way she used to.

She wanted to hear her say her name.

And that realization made her feel even more confused.

"I'm not jealous," Yuha muttered.

Stella laughed.

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it."

"I definitely was."

Yuha rolled her eyes, but there was the smallest smile on her face.

Still, Stella's question stayed with her long after the conversation ended.

Do you like her?

Yuha had denied it immediately.

She had been certain.

At least, she thought she had.

But after that night, she began behaving differently without even realizing it.

The next morning, Yuha found herself looking for A-na as soon as she woke up.

She walked into the kitchen and glanced around.

No A-na.

She checked the lounge.

Nothing.

Then she heard laughter coming from the hallway and found A-na walking beside Jiwoo, both of them talking about something that had apparently happened during breakfast.

A-na noticed Yuha and smiled.

"Morning."

"Morning."

Yuha watched her walk past.

Then, before she could think about it, she turned around.

"Yuna."

A-na stopped.

"Yeah?"

Yuha hesitated.

"...Come here for a second."

A-na looked slightly confused but walked over.

"What is it?"

Yuha didn't actually have anything to say.

She had simply wanted A-na to come over.

"I forgot."

A-na blinked.

"You forgot?"

"Yeah."

A-na laughed softly.

"Okay."

She turned to leave.

Yuha immediately reached out and caught the edge of her sleeve.

A-na stopped again.

Yuha looked down at her own hand, realizing what she'd done.

"...Can you stay for a minute?"

A-na looked at her carefully.

Then she smiled.

"Sure."

And that became a pattern.

Yuha started finding reasons to sit beside A-na.

She'd ask her to come watch something with her, even when she could have watched it alone. She'd wander into whichever room A-na happened to be in and casually sit nearby, sometimes saying absolutely nothing. She started asking A-na about her day again, started teasing her during practice, and occasionally caught herself reaching for A-na's sleeve or shoulder whenever she was about to walk away.

She didn't even realize how much she was doing it.

A-na did.

She noticed every single time, and that only made her more confused.

Because wasn't this what she'd wanted? Hadn't she spent weeks wishing Yuha would go back to how she used to be?

So why did it feel different now?

Maybe because A-na was scared to believe it meant anything.

She had already convinced herself once that Yuha's affection meant more than it actually did, and she wasn't willing to make that mistake again.

So even when Yuha sat beside her, A-na tried not to read into it.

Even when Yuha started seeking her out, A-na told herself it was probably nothing.

Even when Yuha quietly asked, "Where are you going?" whenever A-na got up to leave, she simply answered and kept walking.

She was still giving Yuha space.

The only difference was that now Yuha was the one constantly trying to close the distance. And neither of them seemed to understand what that distance between them actually meant anymore.

Eventually, A-na couldn’t deal with the mixed signals anymore. One minute, Yuha was all over her, joking with her and looking for her attention, and the next, she acted like A-na wasn’t even there. A-na had tried to convince herself that it didn’t bother her, but after a while, she got tired of wondering which version of Yuha she was going to get.

So she shut her out completely.

And everyone noticed.

They noticed how A-na would immediately get up and walk across the practice room whenever Yuha entered. They noticed how she suddenly had somewhere else to be whenever Yuha sat down beside her, and how she stopped going over to the dorm Yuha shared with Ian, Juun, and Yeon unless she absolutely had to.

It wasn’t subtle.

Still, nobody questioned her about it.

They figured A-na would talk about it when she was ready, and until then, they respected her space. Even Ian, who probably understood A-na better than anyone, didn’t push her for answers.

But eventually, it got to a point where avoiding Yuha became impossible.

That afternoon, A-na was sitting on the floor of her dorm’s living room with Jiwoo, the two of them half-watching something on the TV while scrolling through their phones. The dorm was unusually quiet, most of the others scattered around or resting in their rooms.

Then the front door opened.

A-na barely looked up until she heard familiar voices.

“Move, move, I brought something.”

She glanced toward the entrance.

Yuha walked in carrying a large container of cut watermelon, followed by a couple of the other members. She set it down on the table, and almost immediately, everyone started gathering around.

“Oh, finally,” Yeon said, already reaching for a piece.

“You act like you haven't eaten all day,” Juun teased.

“I haven't.”

“You ate an hour ago.”

“That was an hour ago.”

A-na stayed where she was, quietly watching everyone crowd around the table.

She hadn't expected Yuha to come over.

She especially hadn't expected her to walk straight toward her.

Yuha picked up a plate and carefully placed a few pieces of watermelon onto it before making her way across the room. When she reached A-na, she held the plate out toward her, a small, almost hesitant smile on her face.

“Do you want some?”

A-na stared at the plate for a moment.

Then she looked up at Yuha.

There was something about the way Yuha was looking at her that made her chest feel tight, but A-na quickly pushed the feeling down.

She didn't want to do this again.

“I’m good,” she said quietly. “I’m gonna go get some rest.”

Before Yuha could respond, A-na pushed herself up from the floor and walked past her.

Yuha stood completely still.

She watched A-na disappear down the hallway before hearing the soft click of her bedroom door closing.

The room went strangely quiet.

Everyone who had been gathered around the table had stopped what they were doing. Even Jiwoo looked toward the hallway, her expression uncertain.

Yeon was the first to break the silence.

“Doesn’t she usually love watermelon?”

Yuha looked down at the plate still sitting in her hands.

“She does,” she said quietly.

Her arms slowly lowered to her sides.

For a few seconds, nobody said anything.

Yuha forced a small smile, trying to act like it hadn't bothered her.

“Maybe she's just tired.”

But even she didn't sound convinced.

And across the hallway, behind her closed bedroom door, A-na sat quietly on the edge of her bed, staring down at her phone and wondering why, despite everything, she still felt guilty for walking away.

A-na ended up lying on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her mind was racing so much that she could genuinely feel a headache starting to form.

What if she thinks I hate her?

Why did I do that?

I mean, I know why.

Ugh.

She groaned quietly and rolled onto her side, burying her face into her pillow. She knew exactly why she had walked away. She just wasn't sure if she regretted it or if she was relieved that she'd finally stopped letting herself get pulled back and forth by Yuha's confusing behavior.

Eventually, after enough time had passed and she was sure Yuha and the other members had left the dorm, A-na finally dragged herself out of her room.

Jiwoo, Stella, and Carmen were still in the living room, sitting on the floor around a chessboard.

“That's not fair! You're clearly smarter than us!” Carmen complained after Jiwoo took yet another one of her pieces.

Stella immediately burst out laughing.

“How is that my fault?” Jiwoo shot back, giggling. “You agreed to play!”

“I didn't know I was playing against a genius!”

“You're just losing.”

“That's the same thing!”

A-na couldn't help but smile slightly as she walked into the room.

The three girls looked up when they heard her.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Jiwoo teased.

A-na stared at her.

“It's nine p.m.”

“Exactly, Nohsoongie,” Jiwoo replied, laughing.

A-na rolled her eyes before walking toward the kitchen.

“There's watermelon in the fridge for you,” Jiwoo called after her. “We saved some.”

“Oh. Thanks!”

A-na's expression immediately brightened as she opened the refrigerator, searching for the container.

Stella glanced at Jiwoo, then at Carmen, before looking back toward A-na.

“And she's back to normal,” she whispered.

Carmen followed her gaze.

“That's because Yuha left,” she whispered back.

Jiwoo immediately smacked Carmen lightly on the arm.

“Shhh!”

Carmen covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

A-na, completely unaware of the conversation behind her, pulled the container from the fridge and turned around with a satisfied smile.

“There was a lot left!”

“Because we saved it for you,” Jiwoo said.

They didn’t actually save it for her in all honesty, a few moments after Ana had abruptly left, Yuha had told the girls to stop eating it all. 

“Okay no more for you guys.” Yuha suddenly said as the girls around her were devouring the watermelon. 

“What why!?” Juun complained, trying to grab the container Yuha had taken from them. 

“Because Ana hasn’t had any and you’re all eating it all” She quietly said, turning around to put it in the fridge. 

Ian raised her eyebrows slightly, genuinely surprised.

“Since when did you care if she ate watermelon or not?” 

“Always” Yuha scoffed, keeping her voice playful 

The other members just looked at each other and moved back to the living room. Ignoring the clear tension that was just in the room a moment ago.

A-na oblivious to it all just smiled.

“You guys are the best.”

She walked back over and sat down on the floor beside them, opening the container and immediately reaching for a piece.

Stella watched her for a moment.

“So, did you sleep well?”

“Yeah.”

“You were asleep for like four hours.”

“I was tired.”

Carmen looked at Jiwoo.

“She's definitely avoiding the question.”

A-na looked up.

“What question?”

“Nothing,” Carmen said quickly.

A-na narrowed her eyes.

“You're being weird.”

“We're always weird.”

“True.”

Jiwoo laughed and nudged the chessboard closer to A-na.

“Come play.”

“I don't know how.”

“You know how.”

“I forgot.”

“You can't forget chess.”

“Watch me.”

Stella shook her head, laughing as A-na reached over and started messing with the pieces.

For the first time since Yuha had left, A-na felt like she could breathe normally again.

She didn't have to think about where Yuha was.

She didn't have to wonder whether she should talk to her. She could just sit there with the girls, eat her watermelon, and pretend everything was normal.

Across the room, however, Jiwoo kept glancing at her.

She didn't say anything.

Neither did Stella.

They both knew something was wrong. 

They just weren't going to force A-na to talk about it.

The avoiding continued.

For the next week, A-na became almost painfully consistent about it. She would still talk to Yuha when they were filming content together, still smile when the cameras were on, still laugh when Yuha made a joke because she couldn't exactly ignore her in front of everyone.

But the second the cameras shut off, it was like a switch flipped.

The smile disappeared.

The laughter stopped.

A-na would quietly move away, find someone else to talk to, or suddenly remember that she had something to do. She didn't make it obvious enough for the staff to question her, but it was obvious enough for Yuha to notice.

And Yuha noticed everything.

She noticed how A-na still avoided sitting by her during meals. She noticed how she would walk into a room and A-na's eyes would immediately scan for an escape route. She noticed how A-na could spend an entire practice laughing with Jiwoo and Carmen, only to become strangely quiet whenever Yuha came near.

At first, Yuha told herself she was imagining it.

Then she realized she wasn't.

Two weeks.

It had been two entire weeks of this.

By the end of the week, Yuha couldn't take it anymore.

Dance practice for their upcoming comeback had finally ended, leaving the practice room almost completely empty. Everyone else had already gathered their things and left, their voices slowly fading down the hallway as they headed back toward the dorms.

A-na was stuffing the last of her things into her bag when she realized she and Yuha were the only ones left.

She didn't look up.

Instead, she zipped her bag shut and slung it over her shoulder.

Just leave.

She could feel Yuha's eyes on her.

A-na pretended she couldn't.

She walked toward the door, trying to keep her pace casual even though she desperately wanted to get out of the room.

Her hand had just wrapped around the door handle when she felt a small tug on the back of her shirt.

She froze.

Slowly, A-na turned around.

Yuha was standing a few steps behind her, her hand still lightly gripping the fabric of A-na's shirt.

Her head was lowered, her shoulders slightly slumped.

For some reason, she looked almost like a sad cat that had been abandoned.

A frown or rather a pout clearly visible on her face.

A-na immediately felt guilty.

She pushed the feeling down.

“Yes, Yuha?” she asked carefully.

Yuha didn't answer right away.

She released A-na's shirt and let her hand fall to her side.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

A-na froze.

Her mind went completely blank.

“I—”

“You've been avoiding me for the last two weeks,” Yuha continued, her voice quiet but shaky. “Don't even say you haven't.”

A-na's eyebrows pulled together.

“I'm not.”

Yuha slowly lifted her head.

“You are.”

“Wh—No, I'm not?” A-na replied, feigning confusion.

The words came out more defensively than she intended.

Yuha stared at her.

“You leave whenever I enter a room.”

A-na looked away.

“You avoid me during practice.”

A-na's jaw tightened.

“You barely talk to me unless we're filming something.”

“That's not true.”

“It is.”

Yuha's voice was getting louder now, frustration beginning to seep through the hurt.

“I'll try to talk to you and you just walk away. I'll sit next to you and suddenly you have somewhere else to be. I ask you something and you give me one-word answers.”

A-na swallowed.

She knew every single thing Yuha was saying was true.

That didn't mean she wanted to hear it.

“You're acting like I don't exist.”

“I don't—”

“Yes, you are!”

Yuha's voice suddenly rose.

A-na flinched slightly.

Yuha immediately looked away, her expression changing the second she realized how loud she'd gotten.

“You just…” Her voice cracked, and she paused, seemingly trying to collect herself. “You just keep leaving.”

A-na stared at her.

She could feel the guilt eating at her again, but beneath it was something else.

Something sharper.

She felt cornered.

Like Yuha was making her feel guilty for something she had only done because she was tired of being hurt.

“I what, Yuha unnie!?”

Yuha looked back at her.

A-na's voice echoed through the empty practice room.

“I gave you the space you clearly wanted!”

Yuha's eyes widened, shocked A-na was raising her voice at her.

“I put myself first for once! I stopped following you around everywhere, I stopped waiting for you to decide when you wanted me around, I stopped acting like I had to chase after you every time you decided to give me attention!”

“Yuna—”

“No!”

Her voice cracked, but she didn't stop.

“I don't follow you around like a dog anymore, and suddenly I'm the problem?”

Yuha stared at her, something inside shattered. 

Her heart felt heavy and tears began to form in her eyes.

A-na’s breathing had become uneven, and she could feel herself getting angrier the longer she looked at Yuha. She turned around, reaching for the door handle, ready to leave.

But just as she was about to step out, she suddenly heard a quiet sob from behind her.

A-na slowly turned her head and saw Yuha covering her face, her breathing uneven as she tried to hold herself together. She was clearly crying.

A-na didn’t know what to do.

She shut her eyes for a moment before finally turning back toward the door and leaving, trying her best not to just run back and pull Yuha into her arms.

The hallway felt strangely quiet as A-na walked away.

Her footsteps echoed against the floor, each one making the distance between them feel heavier. She tightened her grip around the strap of her bag, staring straight ahead as she tried to convince herself that leaving had been the right thing to do.

It was.

At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

But the sound of Yuha crying wouldn't leave her head.

A-na slowed down.

She stopped completely.

For a few seconds, she just stood there, staring at the floor.

She wanted to turn around.

She wanted to go back inside and ask Yuha if she was okay. She wanted to forget everything she had said and make sure Yuha wasn't sitting there alone, crying because of her.

But then she remembered the reason she had started distancing herself in the first place.

A-na squeezed her eyes shut.

Don't go back.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to keep walking.

Back inside the practice room, Yuha remained exactly where A-na had left her.

Her hands slowly fell from her face as she stared at the closed door.

For a moment, she almost expected A-na to come back.

She waited.

Nothing happened.

Yuha wiped her face with the sleeve of her hoodie and took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself down.

She didn't understand.

She didn't understand when everything between them had become so complicated.

Yuha eventually made her way back to the dorm.

She kept her head down as she walked inside, hoping she could make it to her room before anyone noticed her. Her eyes were red, and she could still feel the tears threatening to spill again no matter how many times she blinked them away.

Unfortunately, Jiwoo happened to be stopping by.

The second Jiwoo saw her, her expression changed.

She noticed Yuha’s red eyes almost immediately, along with the way she kept her face turned away as if she could hide the fact that she had clearly been crying.

“Yuha?”

Yuha froze.

She quickly wiped at her eyes and tried to walk past her.

“I’m tired. I’m just gonna go to my room.”

Jiwoo watched her carefully.

Something was obviously wrong.

Before Yuha could get away, Jiwoo followed after her.

From the couch, Ian watched the entire interaction without saying a word. Her eyes followed the two girls down the hallway, her expression slowly becoming more concerned.

Jiwoo entered Yuha’s room behind her and quietly shut the door.

For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.

Yuha stood with her back turned, trying desperately to keep herself together.

Jiwoo didn’t push her.

She simply stood there, waiting.

That was all it took.

Yuha’s shoulders suddenly started shaking.

She covered her face with both hands, and the tears she had been holding back finally spilled over.

“Yuna is so mean,” she cried.

Her voice was weak and cracked, barely sounding like her.

Jiwoo’s expression immediately softened.

“Yuha…”

“I don’t understand,” Yuha choked out. “I don’t know what I did.”

She tried to wipe her face, but her hands were shaking too much to keep up with the tears.

“I—I tried to talk to her.”

Her voice broke.

“I tried so many times.”

Jiwoo slowly sat beside her, giving her enough space to breathe.

Yuha sniffled, staring down at the floor.

“She’s been avoiding me for two weeks.”

She paused, taking a shaky breath.

“Two weeks, Jiwoo.”

Another tear slipped down her cheek.

“She’ll talk to everyone else. She’ll laugh with everyone else, and she’s completely normal with everyone when we’re filming, but then the cameras turn off and…”

Yuha swallowed hard.

“She won’t even look at me.”

Jiwoo listened quietly.

“I kept thinking maybe I was imagining it,” Yuha continued, her words coming out unevenly. “I thought maybe I was being dramatic, so I didn’t say anything.”

Her eyes filled again.

“But she kept doing it.”

Yuha covered her mouth for a moment, trying to steady herself.

“And today after practice, she tried to leave again.”

Her voice became quieter.

“We were the only ones left, and she just grabbed her bag and walked away.”

Yuha looked down at her hands.

“So I stopped her.”

She took a shaky breath.

“I asked her why she was avoiding me.”

Her voice cracked.

“And she just said she wasn’t.”

Jiwoo frowned.

“I told her she was. I told her I noticed, and she just…”

Yuha’s face crumpled slightly.

“She got angry.”

A quiet sob escaped her.

“She started yelling at me.”

Jiwoo gently rubbed her back.

Yuha wiped at her cheeks.

“She said she was giving me the space I wanted.”

She shook her head quickly.

“But I never asked her to leave me alone.”

Her voice trembled.

“I never said I didn’t want her around.”

Yuha looked at Jiwoo, tears still streaming down her face.

“I just… I don’t understand how she got that from me.”

She took another shaky breath.

“She said she was putting herself first. She said she stopped following me around like a dog.”

Yuha’s voice broke completely.

“Do I really make her feel like that?”

Jiwoo immediately shook her head.

Yuha looked away.

“I never wanted her to feel like she had to chase me.”

She wiped under her eyes.

“I just thought…”

Her voice trailed off.

“I thought she knew I cared.”

Yuha’s breathing became uneven again.

“I thought she knew I wanted her around.”

She lowered her head, tears falling into her lap.

“When she started avoiding me, I kept wondering if she was mad at me. Or if I did something wrong. I kept trying to figure it out by myself because I didn’t want to bother her.”

She let out a shaky breath.

“But today I couldn’t do it anymore.”

Yuha covered her face again.

“I just wanted her to tell me what I did.”

Her voice was muffled behind her hands.

“I would’ve listened.”

She started crying harder.

“I would’ve fixed it if I knew what I did.”

Jiwoo stayed beside her, rubbing her back as Yuha tried to catch her breath.

“And then she yelled at me,” Yuha whispered.

She lowered her hands.

“She looked so angry at me.”

Her lips trembled.

“And I just stood there.”

Yuha wiped her face again.

“I didn’t even know what to say.”

She stared down at the floor for a long moment.

“Then she left.”

Her voice became barely audible.

“And I just stood there crying like an idiot.”

Jiwoo pulled her into a gentle hug.

Yuha immediately leaned into her, finally letting herself stop trying to hold everything in.

“I miss her,” she cried.

Her voice cracked as she buried her face against Jiwoo’s shoulder.

“I miss talking to her. I miss having her around”

She sniffled. 

“I don’t want to fight with her anymore, I just want my Yuna back.”

Jiwoo felt like she could feel her heart break for her friend at that very moment.

Yuha was never much of a crier. If she ever did cry, it was usually because she was overwhelmed or stressed, and even then, she would try her best to hide it.

But this was different.

This wasn't stress.

Yuha was genuinely hurt.

Jiwoo could tell by the way she was crying, by how hard she was trying to explain herself between shaky breaths, like she had been holding all of it inside for far too long.

Jiwoo gently rubbed her back.

“You really care about her that much, huh?”

Yuha nodded against her shoulder.

“I do.”

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“I don't know how to not care.”

Jiwoo's chest tightened.

Yuha pulled away slightly, wiping her cheeks with the sleeves of her hoodie.

“I just wish she would've told me.”

She sniffled.

“I would've listened.”

Her eyes became watery again.

“I would've done anything to make her feel better. I just didn't know she was hurting that badly.”

Jiwoo looked at her for a moment before quietly saying,

“Maybe she didn't know how to tell you either.”

Yuha looked down.

“Then what am I supposed to do now?”

Her voice cracked again.

“I don't even know if she wants me around anymore.”

Jiwoo didn't answer immediately.

Instead, she reached over and gently squeezed Yuha's shoulder.

“Give her some time.”

Yuha swallowed.

“I don't want more time.”

Her eyes filled again. 

“I've already had two weeks.”

She looked toward the floor, her expression completely defeated.

“Yuha listen to me.. Just let her come to you.” Jiwoo said quietly. 

Yuha just looked up, her eyes brimming with water. 

She had the saddest expression on her face, almost like a little cat that had been left alone, and Jiwoo felt terrible for her.

“I know it’s hard but Yuna is also having a hard time, okay?”

Yuha just nodded, the frown on her face not leaving. 

Meanwhile outside her shared room with Juun, the other members Ian, Yeon and Juun who were hanging out in the living room could hear almost everything. Everyone’s breathing got quieter, and they all turned their phones off to listen. 

“What the fuck did Yuna do..” Ian muttered. 

Yeon and Juun were just as surprised as Ian was. They didn’t think the sweet happy A-na could intentionally hurt anyone.

“I think.. Yuna is losing it” Yeon whispered. 

“More than losing it,” Juun sighed. 

The tension stayed for another week.

A-na continued avoiding eye contact with Yuha whenever they were in the same room. She would talk normally with everyone else, laugh during practice, and act like everything was fine, but the second Yuha looked in her direction, A-na would immediately look away.

And the guilt was eating her alive.

She kept telling herself she had done the right thing. She had needed space, and she had finally stood up for herself.

But every time she remembered Yuha crying in that practice room, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

One afternoon, Ian finally had enough.

She found A-na sitting alone in the dorm and crossed her arms.

“You need to stop being a bitch to Yuha.”

A-na immediately looked up.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I'm talking about.”

“No, I don't.”

A-na frowned.

“I haven't even done anything to her.”

Ian stared at her.

“You haven't done anything?”

“We just talked after all of you left what's wrong with that!?”

“And you think that's all there is to it?”

A-na rolled her eyes slightly.

“You don't even know what happened.”

“I know enough.”

“No, you don't.”

A-na crossed her arms.

“You weren't there. You don't know what it was like before she started acting like that.”

Ian stayed quiet for a moment.

A-na took that as a sign to continue.

“I was tired of always being the one trying. I was tired of feeling like I was annoying her. I needed space, so I took it. What's wrong with that?”

“Nothing.”

Ian's answer came so quickly that A-na paused.

“You're allowed to be hurt,” Ian said. “You're allowed to need space. I'm not telling you that you can't.”

A-na looked away.

“Then what's your problem?”

“My problem is that you're acting like Yuha didn't get hurt too.”

A-na's expression immediately became defensive again.

“I never said she didn't.”

“You're acting like it.”

A-na scoffed.

“You don't understand.”

“Then explain it to me.”

A-na opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Ian spoke again.

“Because from where I'm standing, you saw that she was hurt and decided to keep avoiding her anyway.”

A-na's face fell slightly.

“She wasn't even—”

“She was crying.”

A-na froze.

She knew Yuha had cried, but nobody else was there so how did Ian know?

Ian's voice softened.

“Yuha broke down in her room after your “conversation.”

A-na stared at her before it clicked.

She realized Yuha went back to her dorm and cried more.

“What?”

“She went back to the dorm and tried to act like she was fine. Jiwoo followed her into her room, and that's when she completely broke down.”

A-na's expression slowly changed.

Ian continued.

“She was crying so hard that everyone in the damn dorm could hear her sobbing.”

A-na didn't say anything.

“She kept asking Jiwoo what she did wrong.”

A-na swallowed.

“She kept saying she would've listened if you had just told her what was hurting you.”

The room suddenly felt much quieter.

A-na looked down at her hands.

Ian sighed before continuing.

“You don't have to forgive her right now. You don't have to pretend everything is okay.”

Then she paused again.

“But Yuna, you need to realize that you're not the only one who got hurt.”

A-na stayed silent, she didn't have an argument.

She just sat there, replaying Ian's words over and over again.

Yuha had cried.. badly because of her. 

It was a few days later when Yuha finally found A-na alone.

She was in the dorm kitchen, standing by the counter and scrolling through her phone while waiting for the microwave to finish.

Yuha entered the kitchen and stood in the doorway for a few seconds, gathering the courage to say something.

“Yuna,” she called out quietly.

A-na turned around, already knowing what was coming.

“Hello to you too, Yuha,” she replied, her face completely expressionless.

“Are you done acting like this? I've waited long enough.”

“What are you talking about? We've already discussed this,” A-na replied, turning back around just as the microwave dinged.

“You yelled at me and left,” Yuha shot back.

“I needed to be alone,” A-na said quietly.

“You had three weeks alone.”

A-na paused.

She slowly turned around again, her eyes already beginning to water.

“Is this not what you wanted, Yuha?”

Her voice was quieter now.

A-na couldn't hold it in anymore.

“Like I said before, is it because I'm not following you around like a lost puppy all the time?”

“Yuna—no—” Yuha tried to answer.

“Because it seems like every time we're normal, you randomly avoid any close affection with me,” A-na continued, trying desperately to keep her composure.

“All these mixed signals are messing with my head.”

Yuha just stared at her for a moment.

“What mixed signals are you talking about?”

A-na scoffed.

“See? This is exactly what I'm talking about.”

“Hey! You can't do that!” Yuha said, her voice raising.

“Do what? Say the truth?”

A-na remained completely calm, even though she was clearly fighting back tears. She turned away again, refusing to look at Yuha.

“Can you at least look at me while I'm talking?” Yuha asked, her voice rising again.

“I can't!”

A-na's voice suddenly cracked.

“I can't—”

She choked on the words, feeling tears finally slip down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away.

“Yuna, please.”

“Yuha, I was gonna come to you eventually, you know,” A-na began, her voice trembling. “You just couldn't wait?”

“I waited.”

Yuha's voice was firm.

“You know I waited.”

A-na went quiet.

She had no defense for that because she knew Yuha had been waiting patiently.

It had been a week since A-na had made her cry, and she'd spent every day since then trying to figure out how to let go of her resentment enough to finally talk to her.

“You can't keep treating me like I don't exist,” Yuha continued.

A-na slowly turned around.

This time, Yuha saw the tears clearly sitting in her eyes.

“I know,” she said weakly.

Her voice cracked.

“I know, and I'm sorry.”

She tried to breathe through it, but her composure finally broke.

“I just…”

A-na covered her mouth for a second, trying to stop herself from crying harder.

“I didn't know what else to do.”

Yuha stared at her before stepping towards her. She pulled A-na into her arms, A-na hesitated for a moment before she melted into her arms.. 

“You could’ve talked to me Yuna” Yuha whispered, her own tears forming. 

“I know..” A-na replied weakly 

“Im sorry for yelling and making you cry.” 

“Its okay," Yuna' Yuha reassured.

“It’s not okay” A-na said, releasing herself from the hug gently. 

She covered her face for a moment, trying to breathe through the tears.

“I just didn't know what to do anymore.”

Yuha's expression softened.

“What were you supposed to do?”

A-na lowered her hands.

“Tell you.”

“Then tell me.”

A-na stared at her.

For a moment, she couldn't say anything.

Then she took a shaky breath.

“I was scared.”

Yuha frowned.

“Scared of what?”

“Of you—making you uncomfortable”

Yuha's eyes widened.

“Not because you did anything bad,” A-na quickly added. “I was scared because I cared too much.”

Yuha went completely still.

A-na looked down, tears falling freely now.

“I kept telling myself it wasn't a big deal. That I was just attached to you. That I'd get over it eventually.”

Her voice shook.

“But I couldn't.”

Yuha didn't say anything.

“I'd get jealous when you were close with other people. I'd get upset when you pulled away from me. And then I'd feel stupid because I knew I had no right to feel that way.”

She wiped at her cheeks.

“So I started spending more time with Jiwoo, when I noticed you stopped being affectionate. Because I thought maybe if I stayed around someone else, I could stop thinking about you and give you space.”

Yuha's expression softened.

“And it didn't work.”

A-na gave a small, shaky laugh through her tears.

“No.”

She shook her head.

“It made me miss you more.”

Yuha stared at her.

A-na took another breath, finally forcing herself to look directly at Yuha.

“I’m in love with you, Haram,” she confessed.

Yuha froze, her mouth slightly parted.

“What?”

It was the only word she could manage.

A-na immediately panicked, realizing what she had just said. Her eyes widened before she quickly turned around, ready to run.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I sai—”

Yuha quickly caught her before she could get away.

A-na stopped and turned around, staring at her with wide, nervous eyes.

“Roh Yuna, you pabo,” Yuha laughed through her tears.

A-na blinked, still completely stunned.

Yuha smiled, tears continuing to fall from her eyes, before pulling her into a brief kiss.

A-na stiffened in surprise, clearly not expecting it.

Then, after a moment, she relaxed and kissed Yuha back.

It was slow and hesitant at first, almost as if neither of them could quite believe this was actually happening.

Then the front door opened, and Ian walked in witnessing the whole thing.

“Ew get a room.” She joked, staring at the two in the kitchen. 

A-na and Yuha immediately separated, flustered. 

“JEONG LEEAN” A-na shouted, before running after the younger girl who just sprinted across the dorm. 

Yuha watched and just laughed. 

The end happily ever after everything went back to normal.