The Unexpected Rhapsody || ✅

Chapter 26

The moment Hana had seen the maknae bent over the toilet state, she had lost her voice. Suddenly, it wasn't Haein sitting there, but Hana herself. She could picture hundreds of other girls who were 'ashamed' of their bodies- something she once could never tolerate. But somehow, she had fallen into the very same trap.

Hana wanted to scream. She wanted to run away. She wanted to cry until her eyes ran out of tears.

But that was when she saw Haein again.

And then, wisdom struck her like a lightning stroke and with God's grace, no tears dared to escape.

She had to stay strong. For herself, for Haein and for WEnUS, she had to.

She rushed to the younger and rescued her out of the prison she had built around herself.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry."

These were the only words revolving inside her head and had managed to slip out of her mouth as she hugged the little girl who now bawled her heart out.

But who was Hana apologizing to?

To Haein.

To herself.

To all the people who had to go through this.

.

.

"For the past few days, Haein was struggling a lot due to those hateful comments," begins Hana, "To the point where she had become extremely bulimic."

The three elders gasp.

Rubina is the first one to get up and rush to the youngest. She wordlessly envelopes the fragile girl into a hug.

Haein breaks down in the warmth.

"How can you be so stupid?" yells Stacy as she stands to her feet abruptly. With teary eyes she continues, "Why would you hurt yourself? How can you be so weak?"

Hana flinches at the tone of her voice and the truth in her words. She shudders as if those words were directed towards her.

Well, those words are applicable on her as much as they are on Haein.

Yoonseul puts a hand on Stacy's shoulder to calm her down. Wiping off her wet cheeks, she speaks, "If you were struggling, why didn't you talk to us? Are we outsiders?"

Haein vigorously shakes her head.

"Then why?" Yoonseul's voice cracks. "I thought we were a family. I feel so betrayed right now."

"Eonnie, please don't say so," Hana speaks in a thick voice.

"Why the hell not, Hana?" Stacy erupts again. "What she did was wrong. If I'd known tha-"

"Yoonseul and Stacy!" Rubina silences the crowd as she scolds them. "Stop making this all about you."

The eldest sits down next to the maknae on the mattress as she continues, "But, you shouldn't have hurt yourself like that, Haein-ah. We can't bear to see anyone of us like that. We haven't even debuted yet and a hurdle as small as those comments shouldn't have the power to bring us down."

Hana questions why Rubina was not their leader in utter admiration.

Rubina glances around the room for a while and notices the gloomy dark cloud which hangs overhead. The four of them have tear-stained cheeks and bodies which either shake in fear or heave up and down in rage; while there sits Hana, with an unreadable expression on her face.