There's always room for another

Chapter 23: 3.10 - the light at the end

unsure about this chapter, so please let me know if it doesn't feel right!

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It wasn't until recently that Yongsun had found any real reasons to get up in the mornings. Those first few months were hard, until she threw herself into her work. Then it was the comeback, when things seemed to be taking a turn for the good. There was a blip when she found out Byulyi had returned, but it had gotten better after their talk two weeks ago.

Now -

Now Yongsun woke up with some of her old energy. Surprised herself to find some of her old eagerness to get to work. Revelled in the feeling of things falling into place again, her life beginning to make sense. Because there was a new routine of sorts in place now, fragile as it was.

Mamamoo was gearing up for another comeback in two months. This was their real return, they'd all decided. That it was the comeback where they really showed off that they weren't the same group, for sure. But that they weren't all that different. They'd just grown, even. And for the better.

It had always been about the music, Yongsun mused as she stepped into the shower to get ready for rehearsals. From the beginning, for each of them. Their love for music, their passion to perform, to sing. That was what had brought them together, and helped them through some of their hardest times. And that was always what Mamamoo was about. Loving music and sharing that with the world.

So Yongsun found herself humming their latest title track as she stood under the water. Massaging her shampoo into her hair helped calm her as she ran through how her day would look in her head. First there were rehearsals, and then a company meeting to discuss stuff like costume and performances. Then it was lunch, but Yongsun found her heart begin to speed up when she thought of the afternoon, because that was when Byulyi would come.

It had started after Yongsun had come over and they had had that conversation. Byulyi had asked, quietly, if she could come watch some of their practices. It wasn't that Byulyi was set on returning to the group, she'd made that very clear quickly. But that she wanted to spend more time with them.

And Yongsun - her heart aching in the softest way - had quickly agreed, telling her to come whenever she wanted.

(Byulyi's face hadn't exactly lit up, but her entire frame seemed to rise and fall with released tension.)

(Yongsun found herself wondering when she would get to see that familiar grin again.)

And so it was that Byulyi had become a semi-permanent fixture in their rehearsals. She didn't join in, and didn't talk much, but she watched. Intently. With her legs crossed under her and her back straight. Yongsun had walked into the practice room the first time Byulyi had come and found herself smiling wide. "You want to pick our warm-up song?" she'd asked, as she set her bag down next to Byulyi. The other woman blinked owlishly up at her, lost, until she admitted that she didn't know many songs. So the girls had taken advantage of the moment to introduce her to some of their favourite hits courtesy of a crazy, goofy dancing session. Byulyi had declined the invitation to join in, despite everyone cheering her on, but Yongsun contented herself with the way she'd watched them with such joy on her face.

(It was an expression she had worn often, before.)

(It was no less stunning now, after so many months without seeing it.)

Today, they would be showing their finished title track choreography to the company for evaluation, so Yongsun was pretty excited about it. Byulyi had expressed that she liked it a lot, her gaze bright and intense as she looked into each member's eyes in turn to tell them what she liked about the performance. Wheein had teased that they should be paying her to be their new PR person, since she had nothing for praise for them. Byulyi had blushed at that and ducked her head.