|Aera's POV|
"She's clearly hiding something." I groan as I fall down on my bed.
NaHee knows more than she's telling us. She's hiding it from us. Why? There's got to be a reason behind her secrecy. JuHee might know something.
"Where's my cute little, JuJu?" I chirp as I hurry out of the room.
"We're in NaHee's room. Why?" JiSu calls out suspiciously.
"I just want to talk to our little JuHee. There's no reason in particular—where is she? Do you know where Sun is? Who she's with? Are you hiding something from us? Did NaHee tell you something?" I ask as I fall down on the bed next to them.
"I don't know anything. What would I hide?" JuHee gives me a look of confusion as she rolls onto her side to face me.
"I don't know. I just hate not knowing what's going on. I'm worried. SunMi's been kinda bummed out after today's fan meet. I don't know if it was just overwhelming for her or what, but she hasn't looked too hot since we got home." I sigh as I lay my head on JiSu's thigh.
"She's fine, Aera. SunMi isn't stupid. She can take care of herself. Besides, NaHee said she's with someone. If NaHee is okay with her being with them, she clearly knows that they won't hurt her. If you're so worried about her, try calling her." JiSu suggests as she runs her fingers through my hair.
"You're right—hand me your phone." I hold my hand out for her phone.
"Don't call a million times. Just try it once and if she doesn't answer just go back to bed." JiSu groans as she places her phone in my hand.
"I will call her as many times as it takes." I state firmly as I sit upright and search through her contacts for SunMi's number.
"Aera!" JiSu snaps as I hop out of bed and run toward the bathroom. I slam the door behind me and lock it before clicking on SunMi's number.
"JiSu—what's going on? Why are you screaming?" NaHee asks as she closes the front door behind her.
"Aera has my phone and she's planning on calling SunMi until she answers." JiSu whines as she pounds on the door.
I sit on the edge of the bathtub and hold the phone to my ear. I kick at the towel on the ground before hanging up. She's not going to answer. I set JiSu's phone on the counter and stare at my reflection in the mirror.
I'm just trying to look out for her. I'm worried. Aren't they? It's SunMi. She's the most fragile person I've ever met. She's secretive and all I want to do is protect her.
"Aera, she's okay. I promise. She'll be home before you know it. Just come on out and give JiSu her phone." NaHee mumbles softly as she presses her ear against the door.
"Just let me try one more time." I pick up JiSu's phone and sit on the ground.
My finger lingers above SunMi's number. I want to try again, but what if I'm just causing more problems. I lock the phone and set it on the ground. As I go to stand up, something catches my eye.
"Aera—come on out. I'm sure she'll get ahold of us soon—especially if she's not here yet." NaHee does everything she can to try and get me out of the bathroom.
I shut her out and crawl toward a gold object next to the toilet. I pick it up and turn it over in my hand. It's the bracelet SunMi is always wearing she never lets anyone touch it. Why's it in here?
I get to my feet and slip it in my pocket before grabbing JiSu's phone. I unlock the door and slip out. I place JiSu's phone in her hand and make my way to my bedroom. I want to get a better look at the bracelet.
"Aera, don't cause more problems." NaHee calls after me as her phone goes off.
"Who is it? Is it Sun?" I immediately spin around and grab the phone from her hand.
"Aera!" NaHee tries to take it from me before I can answer, but I move too quickly for her.
"Sun! Where the hell are you? You should've told me if something was wrong before you just up and disappeared." I snap as I hold my arm out to keep NaHee away.
"Why do you have NaHee's phone—never mind—can I talk to NaHee?" Sun asks tiredly.
"Fine, but don't expect me to make your bed for you." I groan as I hand NaHee her phone. I spin on my heel and head directly for the bedroom.
"Wait—What? SunMi, are you sure?" NaHee asks as she makes her way toward the front door.
"What the hell is going on?" I hurry after her, but she shuts the door behind her and stands in front of it so I can't go out.
"That's not a good sign." JuHee mumbles as she stands beside me.
"I'm sure it's nothing." JiSu insists as she makes her way to the window to look out at NaHee.
"It's something. I told you guys something was wrong with SunMi! If it was nothing NaHee wouldn't have went outside so we can't hear her. I'm going to get my sweatshirt so I can go looking for her." I turn back toward the bedroom, but stop as NaHee slips back into the house.
"Aera, she's fine. She's going to stay at home for a few days then she'll be back. She's just a little homesick." NaHee tries to reassure me, but something seems off.
"You're not telling us something. We're not stupid, NaHee. Just tell us what's wrong. Where's my Sun? Why isn't she here? More importantly, why did you go outside to talk to her if everything was fine? You're leaving us out of everything. This is our life, too. We can't debut without Sun. We can't do anything without her. We need her. So just tell us what the hell is going on." I go off on a rampage as I try to keep myself from crying.