♮Idol au
♮"I don't think I can do it."
"Of course you can, I believe in you.
Don't worry, okay?
I'll be right here backstage for you."
Book 3 in the Dreaming series
Book cover: @ chaaxou on instagram
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One month later
It was August. The bright yellow rays of sunlight burned into Hayun's eyes as she squinted, lifting a hand to shield herself from the harshness. The heat on her skin was almost comforting, a reminder that summer was still here, despite everything.
The past month had been cloudy and gray, as if the sun had decided to hide away, refusing to show itself.
She blinked away the spots dancing in her vision as her eyes adjusted. Her hand stayed raised, blocking the light that seemed too strong, too intense, almost unbearable after weeks of feeling like she was trapped in a fog.
From the doorway, she watched her younger siblings in the backyard. Jinwoo and Nari were running around, their voices rising in excitement and laughter. Nari's hair caught the sunlight, turning into a halo of gold as she chased Jinwoo around the swing set, her arms flailing as she ran, a grin stretched wide across her face.
Jinwoo was giggling, his cheeks flushed with excitement. He was always like that- quick, full of energy, like he had too much joy inside him and nowhere to put it. It filled the air around them, his laughter rising up, light and carefree.
Hayun felt a small tug at the corner of her mouth, smiling at the sight of them. She leaned against the doorframe, the cool wood pressing into her back, holding her up. She still felt weak, too weak, like every bone in her body was weighed down with something she couldn't shake.
Her muscles ached just from standing there, and she had to swallow against the dryness in her throat. She had spent the last month doing nothing but resting, trying to get better, trying to feel something close to normal again, but every day felt like a battle she was losing the more she watched her group continue without her.
Jinwoo's shout brought her back to the present, her eyes flicking back to them. Nari was falling into the grass, her laughter bubbling up, bright and unrestrained. Jinwoo threw himself down next to her, their small bodies rolling in the grass, lost in their own world.
She wanted to go to them, to feel the sun warm her skin like it used to, to laugh the way they were, without anything holding her back.
Hayun believed she was doing better but she wasn't 'healed' as everyone had expected. Most thought her hiatus wouldn't last this long, but it was concerning how far she fell both mentally and physically.
She hadn't had much contact with anyone, her members came to see her, the others tried to contact and call her, text messages stacked up. She occasionally did reply to let everyone know she was okay, but she needed a break from everything. Her phone was a toxic place to go on.
Jinwoo and Nari playing happily, their laughter carrying through the air made her feel at ease. As if all the suffering she went through to help raise them had paid off. She watched them, a smile on her lips and a softness of love in her eyes.
