PEEK A BOO

seven

"Sooyoung! Sooyoung, wake up!"

Suddenly, Joy felt something cold behind her back. She tried to open her eyes - well, tried - and saw Irene holding a bucket of water. She groaned and closed her eyes again. "I'm still sleepy, unnie. What's up?"

"What's up? Your mission is what's up." Irene replied and walked to the door. "The both of us will have lunch with Jihyo and Nayeon at Myeongdong. You know what to do." Without any more words, she left.

Two weeks have passed since Tzuyu's death. Sad to say, it seemed like the CEO's plans are slowly progressing.

JYP Entertainment announced that Twice will have a one year hiatus due to personal problems. They claimed that one of Tzuyu's relatives died that's why she went back to Taiwan and the Japanese line went back to Japan.

The fans were furious after they've heard the news. Their Likey promotions weren't done yet they stopped because of what happened.

Now that they were meeting Jihyo and Nayeon, Joy doesn't know what to expect.

•

"Hey, girls." Jihyo greeted them with a small smile and sat on the chair in front of them, with Nayeon following her actions. "How have you been?"

Their booth was located at the farthest point of the restaurant where no one could find and recognize them. It was safe, especially for idols.

"Hello. Still the same. Promotions and everything." Irene smiled back and glanced at Joy. "How about you? I'm really sorry for what happened... you know, with Tzuyu's..." She trailed off.

Jihyo chuckled. "No, it's okay. It wasn't Yeri's fault." Nayeon nodded. "The restaurant got sued by the company. And us... well, we're trying to move on."

"There's only five of us at the dorm. One by one, the members are leaving. You've heard the news, right?" Nayeon spoke. "So now, all we do is pretend like it never happened instead of crying our eyes out."

Joy teared up. All of this was caused by them. They killed Tzuyu because of their CEO's great desire for success and money.

'I'm really sorry, Nayeon." Joy apologized genuinely.

"Don't be." She smiled but it was obvious that she was trying not to break down. "Tzuyu was getting tired of the idol life before this even happened. I'm just happy that for once, she could finally rest."

"I think that was the sign that Twice won't finally come back anymore." Jihyo wiped a tear and continued speaking. "We've won daesangs that we didn't even deserve, we've had numerous songs, we've captured the hearts of many, and we've been declared as the New Nation's Girl Group. It's time to give others a chance to shine."

"But... that can't happen! What about everything you've worked hard for?"

"We have a lot of awards for that, Joohyunie. I don't think we need more." Nayeon chuckled. "Anyway, aren't you guys hungry? Let's order!"

But before that could even happen, her phone rang.

"Oh. That's odd." She frowned. "I gotta answer this call. Must be important. I'll be back." She stood up and went outside the restaurant, leaving the three.

Irene pinched Joy's wrist and the younger girl's head turned to her. "Go." She mouthed.

"I gotta go to the bathroom. I'll be back real quick." Joy announced and practically ran on her way out, surprising Jihyo.

"She must have a really bad stomach, doesn't she?"

•

Moments later, Joy returned. Her face full of sweat.

"You looked like you just took the shit of your life." Jihyo commented, sipping on her Sprite. "Have you seen Nayeon?"

"No, I haven't." Joy replied and sat down. "After I went out of the bathroom, she wasn't outside."

"Huh?" Jihyo frowned and checked her phone. "Oh, wait. I got a text from her." She read it and then looked at the girls. "She said she had some business to do and doesn't know when she'll be back."

"That sucks." Irene said. "Let's just eat. Don't want all of this to go to waste, do we?"

For once, Joy felt ultimately scared.