Final Puzzle Piece || SKZ 9th Member

"I got you"

Stray Kids members were heading back to Korea after finishing their overseas schedule for the KCON event. The performance was a blast as usual, expecting no less from them. Although it was only their second year of their career, they had gained popularity outside South Korea. Therefore, it was no wonder their fans were currently swarming the airport, resulting in it being more crowded than on regular days. They wanted to see their idols before the group left the country and wouldn't return for some time.

When the members arrived, the situation was actually still under control. The fans kept their distance from them and moved along slowly and orderly without any possibility of chaos. But the moment they stepped through the entrance, more fans who had already waited for them inside the building joined the crowd and formed a larger mass around the nine members.

That was when it started to get messy. The crowd became rougher as they suddenly picked up the pace when they saw the idols getting away faster to prevent mayhem from happening. This made the desperate fans panic and turn violent. They didn't hesitate to harshly push whoever it was in their way just for the sake of having a better view of their favorite. It provoked others to do the same and created a chain of endless body collisions.

Kala, who initially walked with Jeongin, fell behind the fast steps. She wasn't a slow walker, quite the opposite in fact. But because some fans managed to reach the members too close, this too-nice girl let them walk first in front of her and ended up walking at the very back. From behind there, she witnessed how the bodyguards had a hard time trying to put the fans in order again.

The other members were a couple of steps ahead, and their gap from Kala was widening as the fans filled the space between them. If the boys looked back and tried to find her now, they certainly would struggle to spot her among the sea of people. But it seemed that they hadn't realized their girl maknae was left behind.

Trying to stay calm when she didn't see their manager or other staff nearby to keep her safe, Kala tightly clutched onto her backpack straps for dear life. She regretted her choice of outfit this morning to wear a bucket hat and a mask because looked like the bodyguard didn't recognize her as one of the Stray Kids members when he shoved her shoulder to keep her in the same throng as the other fans.

The push was not harsh nor strong. It was relatively gentle but firm. Yet, Kala crashed with the fan who also failed to see her face and thought she was one of them. The close proximity of her and the fan made the impact of their bump come out like Kala intentionally pushed her.

As a predicted reaction, the fan wasn't happy and pushed her back a little too hard. While Kala was sure this fan would never do that if she knew it was her, she wasn't expecting to be given the revenge push, even after she muttered an apology. For the cherry on top, the rapid movement of the crowd from behind thwarted Kala's effort to steady herself.

The airport floor was cold when it came in contact with her skin. Its shine reflected the blurry, unclear image of her grimacing face. Despite that, Kala swiftly recovered and tried to get back on her feet, propping her arms as support. Not even halfway up, someone accidentally kicked her left arm, sending her back to the floor. She winced when many following feet trampled the same arm that was being kicked. Bad luck, bad timing. She should've known the second she bit her tongue during breakfast this morning, the rest of the day wouldn't go well.

Kala usually had a pretty good tolerance to pain, but dear God, this was intense. Especially when a pair of wedges blindly landed hard steps on her left arm. She felt her wrist twisted, a painful squeak drawing out from her mouth. Meanwhile, her right arm tried to protect her head the best she could. At least she wouldn't have any brain damage after this.

Surely, the crowd began to lessen in the back as they continued to march. Kala finally could stand properly with her right hand. Her left forearm and wrist were throbbing. She felt like she wanted to cry; it hurt so badly. The worst scenario was probably a bone fracture, considering all those heavy kinds of footwear that stomped on her. Good thing she was right-handed.

Swallowing the pain, Kala walked while holding her left arm. She removed the mask she was wearing, a heavy sigh escaping her mouth. When her INFJ instinct told her that she would have a bad day, being trampled wasn't on the list of potential misfortunes, so she didn't anticipate handling this ill-omen, and the next thing she knew, she was already crying.

Now where was Jeongin when she needed him? Kala wanted him to cry with her while she yelled out any curse words she knew for the shit that befell her today. Honestly though, what did she do to deserve this?

Between her quiet sniffles, Kala halted midway as she watched the crowd in the front split into two, and just like an angel sent by heaven, Hyunjin appeared in the middle of it, tracking back to her with an illusion of skylight shining his way.

Maybe it was the pain in her arm, maybe it was the frustration of being pushed and trampled, maybe it was the exhaustion from the schedule, or maybe it was her period mood, but Kala cried harder when she saw the older boy.

Earlier, Hyunjin was actually walking in front of Kala and Jeongin, so he knew they were the last members after him. But when he wanted to put the two youngest first at the passport checking, he didn't see Kala beside Jeongin. The maknae boy thought she was with Seungmin the whole time because the two were usually in the same car. However, Seungmin claimed that they had gotten separated when they entered the airport building.

Realizing Kala was missing, without thinking any further, Hyunjin walked back to look for her. He asked some bodyguards to come with him to maintain the fans at a safe distance so no one would get hurt. It didn't take long to find Kala straying alone there while bawling her eyes out and looking like a lost child. His legs pumped even faster, face plaguing with concern.

"Hey, you okay?" was his first question when he reached her. "What is it? Are you hurt?"

Still sobbing, Kala nodded and showed him her left arm, which had reddened and was swollen by now. She didn't utter a single word, just crying like a toddler whining to her parents. It wasn't her usual self to be this crybaby. The first day of the period was fully at fault for the breakdown.

Hyunjin softly grabbed her left arm, checking it. "What happened?"

"I-I fell, and my arm got trampled," Kala whimpered. "I think it broke."

Worry was blatant in Hyunjin's eyes upon hearing that. He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his free hand, having never been able to see her crying. "It's okay, I got you now." He then enveloped her shoulders, holding her injured arm ever so gently like it could just come off her body anytime. "C'mon, let's get to the others first."

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quick question of the day: i've been debating whether to make this book with more than 100 chapters or should I just keep it brief with less than 100?