Llana arrived at the majors' dorm and entered the passkey on the smart doorknob.
'click'
She pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to be met by darkness.
She froze for a second. "They're not back yet?" she muttered, checking her phone.
9:17 p.m.
Practice usually ended at nine, and by this hour the dorm should've been loud with laughter and nonsense.
but then she remembered.
"Pabo, Llana."
Llana clicked her tongue and lightly bonked her forehead. Right. PD‑nim's concert was this Saturday. Of course they'd still be practicing.
She turned on the living room lights, then dragged herself toward her room, too tired to think about anything else.
As she about to open her door she heard a faint crying.
Sniff… sob…
Her breath caught in her throat, as her mind raced through every possible explanation.
'ghost'
The word pop-up in her head.
She heard many ghost stories and this one isn't rare.
The crying ghost.
A chill slid up her spine as goosebumps rose on her arms. Her mind immediately went into fight or run mode.
But one thing about Llana, she did not run from her fears.
Her pride would never survive the shame of running, so she would rather fight and die.
But at this point, with how fast her heart was beating, she was certain she would die from fright before she could even fight.
Llana perked her ears.
Was it gone?
"Am I just hallucinating?"
Then the sound came again, and it was coming from her room.
Llana swallowed hard and started singing hymns under her breath. She had heard that demons and bad spirits hated them and would flee as soon as they heard it.
She pushed her door open, and the sobbing stopped instantly.
'Huh? Did it actually work?'
She hesitated, surprise rising in her chest. Feeling strangely confident, she sang louder, her eyes squeezed shut. Reaching for the light switch, she kept her eyes closed, afraid of what she might see if she opened them.
"Pfft… hahaha."
Llana slowly opened her eyes. What greeted her was laughter.
"Tzuyu?" she said weakly.
"Ne," Tzuyu giggled. she was in her own world crying out the emotions pent up in her chest. when she heard someone singing a hymn, she froze and stopped.
Then she saw Llana with her eyes tightly closed, singing at the top of her lungs, one hand still frozen on the light switch.
She looks.....silly that she forgot crying and started laughing instead.
"You almost gave me a heart attack," Llana muttered. "I thought I was haunted."
Tzuyu wiped her face, still laughing. She could not stop. Llana's expression kept replaying in her head, and the more she thought about it, the harder she laughed. Just moments ago, she'd been struggling to breathe through tears. Now, she could barely breathe from laughing.
"You were singing like you were about to fight a demon."
"I thought I was," Llana said, finally letting out a breath. She closed the door and leaned against it, pressing a hand to her chest.
Only then did Llana noticed.
Tzuyu's eyes were red. Not from laughing, but from crying. Tear tracks were still visible on her cheeks, she was hugging a pillow tightly to her chest like it was her only support.
"…Did something happen?" she asked quietly, concern lacing her voice.
"I just… felt like crying," Tzuyu said after a moment. Her voice was soft, almost embarrassed. "That's all."
She missed her family. She wanted to see them, to hug them. She wanted to hug her mom and cry in her arms, she hadn't see them in a while.
Earlier, her unnies had asked her to go out with them, but she made an excuse, saying she was tired and wanted to sleep. Instead, she curled up on her bed and cried alone.
Llana didn't push.
She walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and pulled her into a side hug.
"If you want to cry," Llana said softly, "then cry on my shoulder."
Tzuyu leaned into her, and the tears started flowing freely until she finally sobbed.
Llana didn't say a word. She just stayed there and let her cry. It was the first time she had ever seen Tzuyu like this.
At some point, without either of them realizing it, the room grew quiet.
They fell asleep hugging.
Llana woke up to unfamiliar sheets and a faint scent that wasn't hers. It took a moment for her to remember she was in Tzuyu's bed.
Its already morning.
The space beside her was already empty, the pillow neatly set aside.
She sat up, stretched, and let out a small yawn before slipping out of bed.
As usual, she went through her routine. She freshened up, exercised, took a shower, and ate, letting the calm of the morning settle in.
She still had two songs left to record today. Tomorrow afternoon, she had a photoshoot scheduled for her mini-album, and after that, she would attend PD-nim's concert as part of the audience with the minors.
'Ding'
Llana took out her phone and saw a message. It was from Dahyun.
Dahyun had been unusually quiet these days, barely sending messages. Llana couldn't help but worry, though finding a moment to talk seemed impossible with their conflicting schedules.
Llana tapped on the notification and read Dahyun's message.
[Llana....are you free right now?]
[I was wondering if you want to hangout with me right now?.]
[Sure Unnie, I'm free at the moment, lets hang out together. ]
Llana paused for a moment before replying. Her schedule for the day wasn't too hectic, and she actually wanted to hang out with Dahyun, they hadn't spent time together in a while. She could finish recording the last two songs later. It wouldn't take long anyway.
[....can you go in the minor dorm? I'm alone here currently.]
[Sure, I'll be right there.]
Llana agreed immediately. She hadn't been inside the Minors' dorm yet, and this might be the only opportunity she'd get.
[Thank you, Be careful on your way]
_
Not long after, Llana arrived at the minors' dorm.
She took out her phone and called Dahyun.
"Dahyun-unnie, I'm at the door."
"Ne~ wait for me," Dahyun replied before ending the call.
Llana didn't wait for long, after a few moments, she heard the soft shuffle of footsteps approaching.
The door unlocked with a quiet click and swung open.
Dahyun appeared in the doorway, her hair tied in a messy bun. Wearing a yellow sweater and a white jogger pants.
"Llana!" Dahyun's face lit up the moment she saw her. Her eyes brightened as she broke into a wide smile before pullingLlana into a tight bear hug.
"I miss you, Dahyun-ni," Llana said just as enthusiastically, hugging her back without a second thought.
"I miss you too!" Dahyun pouted slightly as she pulled away. "We barely get to see each other these days. The schedule between majors and minors makes it so hard to meet."
"Come inside, ppalli," Dahyun said, guiding her in by the arm. "Have you eaten?"
"Ne~ I already ate. How about you?" Llana replied, glancing around as she stepped into the Minors' living room.
"I have. Welcome to the Minors' house!" Dahyun grinned. "Come on, I'll give you a tour."
"Ne~"
The minors' apartment wasn't as bad as Llana had expected. It was smaller than the majors' place, sure, and the limited space made everything feel a bit cramped. Some furniture and items clearly left behind by the previous tenants added to the clutter, making the rooms look even more crowded but despite that, it felt lived-in, warm, and strangely comforting.
"Do you want to watch TV?" Dahyun asked, glancing back at Llana with an expectant smile.
"Sure." Llana smiled and nodded.
"Then, let's watch together. Have you seen our show?" Dahyun said, grabbing Llana by the wrist and pulling her toward the living room.
"Oh… I haven't yet," Llana admitted.
She blinked as the realization sank in the moment Dahyun said it. She really hadn't watched it.
'..not even episode one.'
Heat crept up her cheeks at the thought.
"Oh. Not even one episode?" Dahyun stared at her, momentarily speechless. 'Who doesn't watch the show they're participating in?'
Every contestant watched it the moment it was released, some out of excitement, others to analyze themselves on screen.
Everyone did.
Except Llana.
She hadn't even given it a thought.
No.
She hadn't even remembered.