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Singularity
Chapter Forty-Six
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SHE HAD been locking her door more. The action surprised the girls, especially since she didn't sleep alone. Minnie had to crash on the couch because of the action. Miyeon and Soojin stood outside the locked door, both staring at the entrance with worrisome eyes. "They said he was pretty civil," Minnie spoke from the kitchen, her mouth wrapped around a spoon full of cereal. "Yeah! Jimin said that he was almost pleasant to be around!" Eunnie agreed. Soyeon walked out of her room, her blonde hair pulled up into a messy bun, her fluffy robe adorning her slim build. They all eyed the youngest of the group. "But something is up," Miyeon voiced, her eyes flickering back toward the door. "She doesn't usually sleep this late and her door is locked." Soyeon snorted at Miyeon's worry. "He isn't here if that's what you're worried about. I caught him sneaking away late last night."

Soojin rested her head against the doorframe with a heavy sigh. "Maybe she's getting sick?" Eunnie pulled herself off of the couch and walked toward Sunny's door. "Or she could be tired. She's been working hard. Just knock and ask." Eunnie smiled at both Miyeon and Soojin before moving toward the bathroom. Soojin looked to Miyeon first, as if motioning for her to knock. But the eldest couldn't bring herself to do it. With an aggravated huff, Soyeon crossed the room and slammed her fist against the wood. "Sunny-ah! Wake up!" she shouted, ignoring the surprised looks of her members. Inside, Sunny almost tumbled off the bed at the loud banging, a scream almost ripping through her throat. She sat up abruptly, her eyes scanning the empty room. "I'm up!" she shouted back, her voice scratchy.

She scrambled out of bed with a heavy huff. Her eyes immediately found her phone. She swiped it from its place on her bedside table and opened up the camera app. "Oh," she gasped upon seeing her red and puffy eyes. With a frown, she poked at the tender skin. "Open up!" The loud banging continued until Miyeon shoved Soyeon away from the door. "O–One minute!" she called out. She picked up a jacket that was strewn across the floor and pulled it over her head, letting the hood sit on her head. She rubbed harshly at her skin, hoping to redden the rest of her face. She could always blame it on allergies. Sunny finally moved toward the door and twisted the lock, pulling it open to reveal Soojin and Miyeon. A frown etched itself across the oldest member's face as she took in Sunny's appearance.

It disappeared the moment Soojin's pointy elbow jabbed into her ribs. "Is something wrong?" Sunny asked quietly, trying to mask the roughness of her voice. Soojin and Miyeon both shook their heads with too much enthusiasm. Sunny lifted her eyebrows in questioning. "We just don't want you to sleep too late. It may mess up your sleep schedule!" Soojin explained with a forced laugh. She ran her fingers through her thick hair before settling them on her hips. "Besides, Eunnie is the last to shower out of all of us. You should shower next." Shyly, Sunny smelled the inside of the jacket before nodding. "Yeah, I should. Thank you for waking me up." Before Sunny could close herself back into the room, her eyes connected with Minnie's. "Hey! I need to speak with you!"

          "Oh–kay?" Sunny replied, unsure of what Minnie needed to say. Minnie stomped toward Sunny and pulled her into the room, shutting the door behind them. Unbeknownst to the older girl, her hand had fit almost perfectly against Sunny's bruise, causing the injured party to flinch. "Sorry—" Sunny quickly shook her head, shutting Minnie right up. The youngest straightened her hair beneath her hood. "What.. did you need to speak with me about?" she asked nervously. Minnie moved toward her bed, crawling onto the warm surface. "You locked me out of our room!" she exclaimed, pulling her blankets up around her shoulders. Sunny looked down to her shaky fingers. "I'm sorry. I'm probably the worst roommate to have," she laughed dryly.

Minnie rolled her eyes. Though she knew something was up, the fact she hadn't slept in her own bed for the past few days was irritating her. The couch was nowhere near as comfortable as her bed. "That's not the point, Chinsun. Even when Junhui's not here, you've been locking me out!" Sunny flinched at the anger within Minnie's tone. They had always gotten along so well. It was a surprise she got so irritated in the first place. "I know, Min, I'm sorry," she replied. She turned her back on the older girl and stripped off her jacket, leaving her in her large sleep shirt. "I want to sleep in my own bed! The couch is horrible for my back!" Sunny whirled around to face Minnie. She didn't need to hear this; she didn't want to hear this. "I get that!" she shouted. Minnie's eyes widened at her outburst before they found her arm.

"What is that?" she asked, pointing at the discoloring of Sunny's skin. The younger girl quickly covered it with her hand, ignoring the way just touching it made it throb. "I ran into something last night on the way home," she lied with a frown. Minnie didn't hesitate to cross the room and pry Sunny's fingers from the bruise. With her jaw set, the older of the two examined the injury before meeting Sunny's eyes. "You're a terrible liar, Chinsun. Did Junhui do this to you?" Her voice was tight with anger and worry for the young girl. Sunny wanted to nod and sob, flailing herself into Minnie's arms. She knew that the older girl would comfort her, and that the rest of the group would protect her and help her out of his situation, but she couldn't stop her head from shaking no. "I swear. I ran into something. It was too dark for me to see well," she repeated, releasing a shaky breath.

Minnie wanted to press her again, but the tears flooding Sunny's eyes showed her that she had pushed her limit. Any more of this would have sent her over the edge, and they would truly lose her. "You've always been so clumsy," Minnie joked, pinching the girl's cheek before shuffling away. "Where something with sleeves. I believe Soyeon is taking all of us out to lunch— well, dinner." Minnie noted the late time on her phone with a sigh. Sunny nodded, pulling the jacket back over her head. "Eunnie should be finished showering. Get your stuff and head that way. We don't have long." Sunny did as told, gathering her toiletries and clothes to change into. Without a second glance, she moved past Minnie and exited their room.

—

Why was lunch so awkward? It wasn't that they didn't have anything to talk about. The girls talked happily amongst themselves while Sunny nodded along, laughing every once and while as if she was truly listening. But her mind continued to falter and steer right back to the way Junhui held her down. She felt constricted in her Adidas jacket, but she knew that she couldn't take it off. If she did, her bruise would be visible to the rest of the group, and she could barely take the confrontation with Minnie — one of their most peaceful members — without crying. She rested her chin in her palm, letting the conversation around her float through her ears, her mind still cornered on the other night.

Her chest felt tight. It felt as though he was right there, his hand wrapped tight around her throat, her face flushed red as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. Just as she felt her stomach churn, a small voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Her eyes met Eunjeong's, the dark haired girl peering worriedly at her friend. "You okay?" The question felt like a weight, slamming into Sunny's chest like a moving train. The girl forced a small smile and nodded her head, her fingers instinctively moving to shield her hidden bruise. Eunnie smiled back gently, but the other girls didn't buy the silent reply. "You slept really late today. Are you feeling okay?" Miyeon questioned. Sunny drew in a deep breath, her chest heaving. "I'm okay. I guess I've just overworked myself lately," she hummed.

"Are you sure? It isn't like you to be so quiet," Soojin pressed. Minnie, sitting beside the Park twin, grabbed the girl's hand beneath the table and smiled. "We got into a little argument earlier, but we're good," she told the group, Soyeon's eyebrows lifting. "An argument? Over what?" Sunny scratched her cheek nervously before tucking her curls behind her ear. "Me locking the door. We came to an agreement, though. It isn't going to happen again." The girls all stared at Sunny as if she had grown a third head. Who was this quiet spoken, submissive girl? The person they had met took charge and spoke her mind. She was the whole reason Eunnie had opened up to the other group members. "Okay," Soyeon huffed. The girls all glanced toward their leader, surprised that she hadn't said anything.

"Okay?" Minnie repeated. Soyeon shrugged her shoulders, looking up to meet Minnie's wide eyes. "You two sorted it out between yourselves. Its better that you did that than spread it throughout the group." Sunny smiled. The memory of her words toward Soyeon echoed within her mind, taunting her. She had never been so wrong about someone. After tucking her hair behind her ear once more, Sunny spoke up. "You're a pretty good leader, unnie... I'm sorry that I ever doubted you." Soyeon's eyes met Sunny's and an unusual light seemed to brighten her dark irises. She nodded a thanks at the Park twin before the conversation from before reignited. This time, Sunny found herself listening in.

—

julia says!

so, i found myself falling into the nct
fanbase and i am slowly becoming a fan.

my biases so far are johnny, taeil, yuta, and jungwoo.

my favorite songs that i've heard are cherry bomb by
nct 127 and fireflies by nct dream.

AND I CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO SHOOT ME
BY DAY6