The Idol who can't smile

Chapter 6.

My eyes fell on Minji, but I couldn't say anything. The camera was focused on Minji as she talked about our comeback. We all looked at Minji, but in my mind, the scene in her room kept replaying. It's been exactly 4 months since that happened.

Minji briefly turned her head to me while speaking. This caused her to stutter slightly, and she quickly turned her head away again. I swallowed as well. But I continued to look at Minji. If I were to look away now, the shippers would go crazy and analyze our behavior.

In these 4 months, our ship name has taken off. New videos kept coming out where we looked at each other or simply talked. Some even analyzed our behavior, and it's truly incredible what people come up with. But what's even more fascinating is that very few people were actually correct.

I felt Danielle's arms around me and leaned back a bit. Her arms were around my neck, while I leaned my back against her legs. This time, I was sitting on the floor to keep my back straight. Lately, I'd been developing a bit of a hunch from always being forced to sit on the couch. Apparently, they all wanted to be respectful.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Unnie," Hyein said softly. She stood by the door with her suitcase, looking at me with sad eyes. I raised my finger, as if warning her, "No tears. We'll see each other again in a few days," I said immediately. Hyein sighed sadly and looked at me for a while. She then opened her arms and pulled me into a hug.

I hugged the much taller girl back, "Now go. Your mom and dad are already waiting for you. Don't keep them waiting, and give them my regards," I said and playfully tapped her butt. With that, she moved towards the door, no longer looking at me with those sad eyes, "I'll be back as soon as possible, Unnie," she said and waved goodbye.

Amused by the younger girl, I let out a small sigh but waved back. She was the last one to be picked up. Everyone else was picked up earlier in the morning. As for me, I stayed in the dorm. After all, I had no one to go to. I only had my father at home... but he definitely didn't want to see me. So, I decided to spend our days off alone here. It was alright. I was used to being alone anyway.

With a sigh, I closed the door and went to the living room. There, I turned on Netflix, which we all shared since we usually watched things together. I decided to start one of the K-dramas that had been on my list for so long, but I never got around to watching.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was Korean Thanksgiving Day. Luckily, we had three days off. Today was September 28th, the most important day. However, I spent this day at home, at least after finishing up here.

As often as before, I stood in front of that door, unsure whether I should really ring the bell or just leave the food at the doorstep. I sighed once again and decided to ring the bell. It didn't take long for the all-too-familiar nurse to open the door. He smiled at me warmly.

"Nice to see you today. Have a good Chuseok," he said with a wide grin. He opened the door a bit wider and took the few bags from my hand. He watched as I took off my shoes, "I'm sorry that even on a day like this, you have to take care of my father," I said, bowing slightly.

The older man waved it off, "Oh no, Yumi will take over later in the day. We've arranged it so that both of us can spend the day with our families," he informed me, and I nodded in understanding. "But it's nice that you're here. Your father will surely appreciate it," he added as he led me into the living room.

There, I saw my father immediately. He was in his wheelchair, staring at the television. He was watching something, but he changed the channel as I entered the room. I looked at the nurse, "Well... let's hope so," I said softly as I then approached my father.