LOONA: New Moon (LOONAverse series Book 3)

Episode 72 - Need U

Heejin's POV

For so long, I've dreamed of a place that we could call home. A home where we could always be together and always be happy. But life was never so easy for us.

We've faced so much sadness and hardship. Yet we kept fighting, to protect this planet we called home, to protect each other and the family we created.

Even Loona, to her very last breath, used all of her power, just for us...

But what do we do now? Now that this world we once called home is not the same as it once was. Despite everything we did, this planet, this universe...

Can we really call this place our home anymore?

...

"S-something... Something's wrong with Chuu-unnie!"

Everyone had ran out of the palace room, starting to gather around Chuu as Hyunjin cradled her in her arms. I watched from a distance, still unsure of how everyone was feeling about what just occurred.

"Lip-unnie, is she okay?" Choerry asked. "Is her soul becoming unstable?"

Lip-unnie sat there silently, her eyes closed tight. Then, as she opened her eyes, she looked... confused. No, it wasn't just that. It was an expression I had never seen from her before.

"Unnie?"

"She's... on Earth."

"Huh?"

"Her body is here, but her mind... Her soul is back on Earth. I could see it, she's back with her family. Living her life as if nothing happened."

"What?!" Yves-unnie's eyes widened. "What does that mean? Is she just dreaming?"

"No, it's not a dream. She really is there. And..."

"And what? What else?"

"She's... forgetting us."

"Huh..?! You mean... her memories are..!" Hyunjin's expression became even more worried.

"But... but we came all this way! We were all finally reunited! Why is she back there?! Why does she have to forget us again?!"

"Yves--"

"She doesn't deserve this! What the hell did she do, did any of us do to deserve this?! Why?!" Yves-unnie started crying, falling to her knees. She punched the ground in frustration, holding her head. "Why... Chuu was always... so happy... so warm and kind to everyone... Out of everyone, she's the least deserving of any of this... So why..?"

"Yves-unnie, listen to me," Kim Lip came forward, holding both of her shoulders. "I think... she wanted to go back."

"H-huh..?"

"Hyunjin," she then looked over to Hyunjin, who was just calming down. "You heard what Chuu said before she fainted, right? What did she say?"

*Flashback*

"...I ...I have to go back. Mom, dad, they're still... I wanna go home..!"

W-what..?

*End of flashback*

"She said... she said she wanted to go home. She was worried about her parents."

"Then that confirms it. I sensed a lingering feeling of longing in Chuu's heart. She still misses her family and her life on Earth. When we were stuck in the loop, we never got the chance to grow up. To truly live our lives to the fullest. I think that's why Chuu wanted to go back. She wanted to grow up. She wanted to do something before she left her family and her old life behind. Otherwise..."