Chapter 40

The sun is up and the first thing Chaeyoung noticed was the different ceiling. She squinted her eyes and tried to recollect what happened yesterday. A small sigh escaped in her mouth. Everything felt surreal for her. Now, she's in a building where not so normal people like her lives.

She sat up and stretched her back like a cat. A yawn came to her and she rub her eyes to clearly see things around. She's in a room not so big but not so small. It's actually cozy to see. Just a second after, a knock came to her door.

"Come in." She answered. The door opened and Momo's head peeks from the gap.

"Hey breakfast is ready." Momo smiled to her.

"Oh I'll just tidy up here and then go down." She smiled too and started tidying the bed.

"Okay- oh and don't forget to talk to captain today." She reminded before leaving the door and closing it. Chaeyoung chuckled to the enthusiasm. She was living alone since she entered college until Mina came to her life again and live with her. Mina is not a cheerful person so having a morning like this makes things fresh.

She sighed in satisfaction after cleaning the bed. Taking her phone in hand, she goes down to the kitchen where five girls was dining already. All eyes turned to her.

"Good Morning Chae" Jihyo greeted her. She has a mask covering her upper face again. The older woman already explained to her why so it's not really a surprise now. It's just she's not used to it.

"Morning unnie." She greeted back and sat beside the girl.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked with a smile then casually sips her coffee.

"I did. Where is Mina?" Chaeyoung noticed that Mina wasn't with them.

"She goes for a run every morning." Jihyo shrugged. Chaeyoung just nodded and started helping herself to eat. It wasn't even after the first bite that the girl with pinkish hair asked her a question.

"Hey are you Mina's lover?" Sana asked in excitement. Chaeyoung almost choked on her food. Gosh, good thing I have not swallowed it yet.

"I-I'm not." She answered. Chaeyoung met her yesterday along with Dahyun. Mina filled her with the basic informations about them but she didn't know the girl could be this straight forward.

"Really? I thought you are." She frowned.

"They are not, yet." Tzuyu joined in. Chaeyoung could feel her face heating up from the topic.

"Oh isn't that the same? Why not do it now?" Sana asked to no one cluelessly. Dahyun sighed and turned to her lover.

"Unnie, not everyone is shameless as you." she commented and continued eating.

"I'm not shameless. I'm just confident." Sana smiled proudly. Momo took the bacon and then put some into Sana's plate.

"Aigoo you must be hungry." She said with a face saying how-pitiful-of-you.

"Woah how did you know Momoring? you must have cared for me so much." Sana answered innocently. Momo's face drop from the reaction. Chaeyoung smiled at the attempt of Momo to tease the girl but greatly failed.

"It's okay unnie." She patted the older's shoulder. Momo turned to her with a pouting face.

"What do I do Chaeng? Sana can't be saved anymore." Momo let out a sigh.

"Dahyunie why can't I be saved? am I in danger?" Sana asked her lover innocently. Dahyun pursed her lips and turned to Sana again. She blinked while still staring at her and then let out a sigh herself.

"Eat." She took her own spoon and then feed the girl. Sana happily accepted it. Chaeyoung laughed at the cute couple. The breakfast continued with a comfortable atmosphere. When they finally finished their food, Tzuyu offered to wash the dishes and Sana helped her with it. Chae took the chance to talk to her unnie.

"Captain can I talk with you for a moment?" She started.

"Sure let's go to my office."

...

"So you are saying that Mina was the reason why you lost your memory and about your powers?" Jihyo has her face in a complicated expression. She herself don't know what to do on such situation. Chaeyoung's condition doesn't help much.

"Yes"

"And there is a limit to it right?"

Chaeyoung nodded.

"Our abilities are pretty contradicting. So you want me to train you how to properly use it?"

"Yes unnie I-"

"I got it." Jihyo smiled. Her demeanor is calm and she look composed. Slowly, her eyes changes into blue. Chaeyoung stared at it, quite amazed. Her eyes is already back to its normal color because Momo made her drink something to suppress the ability last night.

Jihyo smiled, but her eyes doesn't show any hint of happiness to it.

"Chae if you will touch me, you'll see everything right?" She stood up from her seat and walk to the window. There, she could see the empty neighborhood.

"I think so unnie." she answered, not quite sure why Jihyo is acting indifferent.

"Then I will tell you everything first. I am dying Chae."

Chaeyoung stopped, her thoughts stuck on its own. Jihyo calmly turn to her with the same smile she always shows to reassure everyone, to not make them worry.

"Unnie what are you saying? That's not-"

"It's true. I know my fate ever since I discovered that Mina and you are connected. As the leader of the group, I can't show weakness. I can't let them down and I won't." She continued to look outside the pretty empty scenery on the other side of the glass.

Chaeyoung lowered her head. Tears started to form in her eyes. She can't think of a world without her Jihyo unnie that always guided her. She's like a real sister to her, a very responsible and trusted person.

"Y-you look so healthy how..." she trailed. Her voice is starting to crack itself from the suppressed cry.

"I am but it won't be long until my powers took its toll. For the last time, I want to guide you all to a peaceful life before I go. No organization, no killing, just the life to live without harming each other." Her voice was so calm that Chaeyoung thought the older woman already accepted her fate.

"But we need you unnie. You can't just leave like that." A silent tear escaped from her eyes. Chaeyoung can't hold it anymore. She wanted to stay strong but after hearing Jihyo's confession, she can't bear to think of the weight the leader is carrying for all of them.

"I know but I can't. I myself wanted to stay but my body is at its limit. I told Momo about it not long ago but she said, she herself can't reverse the effect. This is the price I have to pay just like everyone." Jihyo silently cried herself while still staring outside. She brushed the tears away and force a smile.

"This is unfair. It's not your fault just like all of us. No one is at fault here, no one begged to be like this!" she said with anger building up for those people behind the organization.

"The world is unfair itself." She smiled and turned to face Chaeyoung who's already crying. She still can't accept it. "I have a favor for you Chae. This is something only you can do."

Chaeng tried to set aside the sobs and look at her gentle unnie who was smiling at her with comforting eyes.

"Can you take care of Mina? Stop her when it's too much, support her when she needed someone to lean on, I'll be passing my baton to you. Even though my best friend can't remember me I still think of her as one." She chuckled. But for Chaeyoung that only made her cry more. "Aish don't cry too much. I'm still alive you know? save it when I die." She joked but Chaeyoung just cried even more.

Jihyo started to panic from the crying girl and approached her. She pulled the crying cub in her arms and started coaxing her with comforting words. Just then, Chaeyoung's ability activated itself, and since she is touching Jihyo's bare arms, she started seeing what she feared.

That ended for two hours of her crying in Jihyo's arms.

...

Akira entered the apartment of her friend but Jeong wasn't in the living room. She figured she will be in her room and might be crying her eyes out and she wasn't wrong. Jeongyeon sat on the bed hugging her knees and burying her head on it. She could hear small sniff coming form the woman.

"Aigoo who dumped you?" She commented. Jeong instantly looked up to with a puffy eyes from the constant crying.

"Akiiii what should I do? I was so hurt that I told her to go." She cried. Akira mentally slap herself.

"Is that why you look like a dying ostrich? Come on. It's not like you broke up with her right?" Akira deadpan. She approached the woman and sat beside her. Jeong didn't answer but another wave of tears came to her. Akira panicked seeing the weeping girl.

"Wahh I shouldn't have said those words." She cried. Akira blinked and pursed her lips. She actually have no idea how to comfort a friend. She just sat there and then started patting Jeongyeon's back until she stopped crying and fell asleep.

After tucking the girl to sleep, she gave a last glance at her sleeping friend. She can only shook her head and sighed.

People in love is so complicated.

"She fell asleep." She announced on the woman sitting silently at the sofa. It was Nayeon who look like a kicked puppy and is also crying.

"Thank you." She managed to say between the sobs. Akira sat beside her without saying anything.

"I'm sorry if I judge you before." Nayeon started. Akira smiled and shrugged.

"Nah it's not your fault. I hurt your friend so it's a natural reaction. It's not like I care for anyone's impression aside from my friends." She sighed and slump on the sofa.

"Tch Jeong is pretty attached to you now." Nayeon sniffs and her sobs started to subside. Somehow, Akira's presence doesn't bother her anymore. Is it because of Jeong and her stories about the girl?

"So am I." She chuckled. "I might started bad for you guys but I'm a good friend myself just like any other people. We act differently based on who we are with. I lost my humanity but I still want to live like one." She said nonchalantly. After hearing her words, Nayeon started seeing the woman in another light.

"You're not bad yourself huh." Nayeon smiled.

"Oh you smiled!" Akira noticed and pointed it out. The smiled turned into a pout. Nayeon denied it.

"I didn't"

"Oh sure you did." Akira teased. Nayeon didn't answered on that because she actually did. Jeong was right about this girl being a walking positivity.

"Anyways, I'll be leaving. I just came to comfort my friend. You should talk when she wakes up. She was crying saying she didn't mean it. Ugh why fight? you should have trusted her more you know? The person who stood by her for how many year was you. You can actually read her by the back your palm. Hell, why am I even saying this?" Akira scratched her head in frustration. Nayeon looked at her like a scolded bunny she is . Aki wanted to roll her eyes but stop herself. Don't want to see her throwing another fit.

"I should go. Rest." She turned around and wave her hands.

Why do I feel like I'm being a nagger like Chaeyeon now?

...

Author's Note:

I saw some post in twitter about this hahaha it'll be okay and I'll give a nice ending but not until I satisfy myself with the angst hahaha let's all embrace it~