Our Past and Perhaps Our Future?

A New Leader

I'm not in the mood to write this update's preview so yeah. Ima just ask how is everyone then get going.

LIA POV:

I woke to my girlfriend bouncing up and down on my bed trying to wake me up, she landed like a banana split on my leg and fell on to the floor. Her eyes started watering at the 'pain', ah jinjja, what a kid.

"Lia-yahhhh why did you push me off!" she whined and shoved me with her giraffe arms.

"Deo! Shin Yuna, deo!" I glared at her then picked up a pillow to throw at her but she smacked it straight out of my hand then nudged my head. She ran out of the room to the kitchen, giggling, "Sloth!", and threw the pillow in her hand at my face when I got in a metre's radius of her.

"Yuna- wait!" I called out and she skidded to a stop, falling down on her butt, my baby starting whimpering at the second pain that morning and plopped down on the nearest couch.

"It hurts- where's Yeji unnie, Chaeryeong unnie and Ryujin unnie?" She suddenly asked and looked around with her eyes alert and strained. "Aren't they usually awake before us?"

She's right! Ryeongchae and Ryuddaeng would most commonly be in the kitchen at this time but no waft of breakfast could be smelled inching its way out to the other rooms, Yeddeong would be somewhere by the snacks bar munching on an unmelted chocolate bar since she's not allowed in the kitchen after setting off a fire but ani, the fridge's closed. The entrance door creaked open and Yuna uttered a heartfelt sigh, I looked up at what she was so relieved about and felt the pounding in my chest ease down to a reasonable pace. Ddaeng and Ryeong came through the door and when they came nearer to us my eyebrows furrowed. The brunette had obvious whiplashes on her arm, her clothes were slightly torn from what looked like bite marks (thankfully there was no blood) and her eyes made it look like she'd been crying for three hours. However the same couldn't be said for Ryujin. She had a gash of blood trickling down her cheek and some drips from right below her chin - a prick, maybe? - plus signs of her hands being bound together (you know, when your skin turns white or the thing binding you reflects its outline on your skin.

"What's wrong Lia unnie? Why are you staring at us like that?" The older of the two asked me innocently. I glared at Yuna to go back to our room before replying.

"Why don't you answer that?" I snapped at them like a vicious dog clouded by a fog of rage, my eyes glaring at them with the burning heat of a furnace and my face paled with rage, and my hand curled up in to an iron fist. Getting no reply I marched up to my shared room with Yuna and slammed the door behind me making sure it was loud enough for them to hear. I'm not mad at them, I want to kill the person who did that to the two. My phone dinged and I groaned. The maknae looked at me in confusion but quickly shrugged it off and went back to her games, she's not involved and should never be.

Ryeong Chae 😇

Come downstairs unnie,
we need to tell you
something

                                                    You can just tell
                                                    me now

Aniyo, it's important

                                                   Whatever you
                                                   say is important

Please unnie?

                                                   Arasso, should
                                                   Yuna come?
                                
Too young.

Now you coming?

I left her on read and went down to meet the two girls whsoe glossy eyes tears streamed down from, I crouched down next to them and stroked their hair in reassurance. Ryujin held her face in her hands as she tried to hold in wails and Chaeryeong let out gasps in stifled, shuddering sobs. She tried muttering some words but her lack of breath failed her, I glanced up at the older and she continued for the younger yet it was with a shaken voice as she did.

"Ye-Yeji... sh-she's dead..." she muttered, husky with emotion and a sob welling out in her throat. I felt the walls around me fall down as she said these words, my face contracted to one with pain and misery: jaw chattering, my mouth twisted into a grimace and my eyes took on a gloomy expression. Ryujin paused, wiped the tears off her face with her fist before continuing.

"Why must the world be so cruel? Why is it like the way it is? Yeji... she's always been a kind soul, she's always been there for you as a friend and for the us as a leader and a sister, she's been so understanding to us even during hardships when it would be easy to just let us suffer. When I say 'as a leader' it's not to say that she is dominant over us and takes advantage over her role, in fact she's the opposite. She's always been a kind, careful person and she cares about other people's feelings... just by the way she talks you know that she's not like those abusive leaders in movies. She's never made fun of us when we cry even though she's the only non-crybaby out of our friendship group," she stopped and chuckled bitterly. "I know she has emotions so I'm always touched by how she puts us in front of her. She's too kind and pure for what had happened to her."

[This was also a thank you to our leader Hwang, I combined what all the members said about her into one passage Kamsamida Leader Hwang, fighting~!]

Chaeryeong and I could only nod our heads in agreement as she said these things, everything she'd stated was a fact, for once she didn't try to lie herself out of a situation. None of us had noticed our maknae come downstairs until she chimed at us with worry.

"Unnies, are you crying?" She asked and looked at us, anxiety strewn across her face.

"A-ani."

"I have eyes, what happened?" She sat down beside me and wrapped her arms around me stomach, attempting to calm me down.

"She's gone." Ryujin replied, her voice coming out in cracks.

"Who?"

"Ye- Yeji un-unnie, damn it hurts to call her that now."

I felt a head find its way up to the crook of my neck and tears started forming puddles on my shoulders, my baby was crying.

Ddaeng Ddeong

The doorbell rang and, being the only stable member, Ryujin went up to get it, she exchanged a few words with whoever it was and came back with fury blaring in her eyes. She tossed the sheet to Chaeryeong and she gasped as she did. When she finished, she tossed it to me and dragged her lover to the balcony to (most probably) vent out everything. This is what it read:

To: Lee Chaeryeong
From: Jinyoung Park

Lee Chaeryeong,

I was fast to be informed about the unfortunate death of your leader, Hwang Yeji. I send all my condolences to you and the group members but now is not the time to be emotional.

You have had the longest training time, deeming you as the new leader of ITZY. I hope I can trust you from here on out, take care of yourself Leader Lee. If something comes up in the group remember to speak to me about it.

Yours pd-nim,
JYP

No signature, just a demand. It was blunt and brazen, no emotions. Doesn't he feel ashamed for acting so inhumane? I hope he does because he deserves it.

I used to look up to you, Jinyoung, but now I only have pity.

Annyeong.