Eunji

Suji and I enter quietly and the elevator doors slide shut behind us with a soft ding. She’s standing next to me, staring at the floor, as the space between us fills with tension.

I hear her breathing, it’s fast and shallow. I want to say something, anything. But I can’t find the words.

I walked in on something that she obviously didn’t want me to see, or even know about and I have no idea how to react.

The elevator starts to move, and the silence becomes deafening. The only sounds are the hum of the machinery and the occasional ding of the floors. I bite my bottom lip, looking up at the display, counting the seconds until we reach our floor.

It’s been only a few seconds but it feels like an eternity as the tension stretches time.

I swallow and glance at Suji, hoping to catch her eye. But she’s still looking at the floor, her face flushed. Her lips too, but I don’t know if that’s from kissing Nova or if it’s makeup.

My cheeks heat at the thought, as I stifle a small smile.

But there’s a twinge of anger to how I am feeling, and I realize it stems from the confusion I feel.

Yes, our company doesn’t allow us to date publicly and they do highly discourage us from even dating at all, and even if we do end up dating, there’s a whole arduous process we have to go through which includes that all parties involved sign an NDA in order to make sure any intimate relationship we get into remain private from the public eye.

That was the case with me when I started dating this guy last year, granted we only lasted for five months, but everyone who knew about it had to go through the process.

And that was the same for Hana when she met this guy she was interested in and they went on a few dates, even if it didn’t really last.

That was even the case with Suji with her recent actor ex. Which we all know ended badly because we all know about the relationship and we all signed a document that warned against revealing any hint of information about it.

I’ve known Suji for four years; she is one of my best friends.

How could she hide this from me?

Does she not trust me?

Does Management know about her and Nova?

Was I the last person to find out or do the girls not know too?

I want to ask her, to confront her, to understand her. But I also don’t want to hurt her or make her feel worse than she looks right now.

I want to be supportive, respectful, and compassionate. But I also want to be honest, and authentic, and true to how we are, how we have always been to each other.

I clear my throat and finally break the silence. “So, you and Nova are...”

She flinches at the sound of my voice.

She nods but avoids my eyes still.

I can tell she feels guilty and exposed, knowing that I had seen her with Nova. The girl from a group we are supposed to be competing with.

Is she afraid of what I would think?

What the rest of the girls would think? Is that why she kept it a secret?

I hope she knows that I wouldn’t judge her.

I actually admire ATLAS in a way.

Their fans have good taste, and they’re a great group with spectacular performances and chemistry.

I want to know more, but I also don’t want to pry.

Giving in, I ask, “How long have you and her been...?”

She hesitates, then answers, “Five months.”

I gasp, my eyes shoot to my forehead. “Five months?!”

I open my mouth to say something else, but before I can, the door of the elevator opens, forcing us to stop as Hana and Lilly wave at us.

“There you are!” Hana links arms with us. “We’ve been waiting! Come see the light show!”

As we follow Chief Soo-ah and the waitstaff, they swing open the doors to the terrace, unveiling a spectacular sight.

“Wow!” Lilly gasps beside me, her eyes wide with wonder.

We step into the illuminated space, adorned with fairy lights, creating stars with our faces on them. The fairy lights are strung along the terrace railings, casting an enchanting glow.

The lights paint mesmerizing patterns in the air—swirls, sparkles, and bursts of brilliance. They move in sync with our song My Love, My Night from our debut album, matching each beat and melody with flashes of color and shapes.

Suji shakes her head in disbelief, her mouth agape. Chief Soo-ah, this is--”

“Beautiful!” Yoonah exclaims with a slight squeal, clapping her hands.

The waitstaff welcomes us to our comfortable seating, inviting us to settle and take it all in.

Chief Soo-ah steps in front of us and reveals, “So I’m sure you may have forgotten by now, but a few months ago, we invited each one of you girls to a secret interview and gave you a name on a piece of paper, and asked you to talk to the camera and say what you were grateful for them for.”

The girls and I all gasp, remembering as we exchange surprised glances. We had no idea what that was for.

“Well, this is the result of what you all said about each other,” Chief Soo-ah says with a smile and steps aside as it begins.

The gentle hum of excitement grows as Chief Soo-ah signals at someone to start it.

A collective gasp escapes us as beams of light, synchronized with our music, pierce the night sky. The terrace becomes a canvas for a dazzling display of colors and patterns that move in harmony with the rhythm of our song.

Then on the now blank canvas of the terrace wall, a projector unveils footage of us from an interview conducted months before. Each one of us, one by one, with sincerity and gratitude in our eyes, expresses heartfelt thanks to the staff, for their unwavering support, dedication, and hard work. The footage also captures candid moments of us sharing anecdotes, laughter, and words of appreciation, at moments we didn’t even know were being filmed.

A huge smile spreads across my face as I watch. Hana leans her head on my shoulder as she tries not to show the glistening of her eyes. I wrap my arm around her.

Then the footage transitions to a new room, and we watch Lilly step in. She unfolds a piece of paper and reads out Hana’s name. She looks at the camera with a bright smile and starts to gush about Hana and how lucky she is to have her in her life as a friend and as a group member. She praises her talent, her kindness, her humor, and her cooking skills. She tells her how much she admires her and how much she means to her. We all watch with awe and affection as Lilly pours out her heart to Hana.

I chuckle, feeling the wetness of Hana’s tears on my shoulder as I feel her shake. Lilly taps on her shoulder and they hug as the video ends with Lilly telling Hana that she’s the most amazing person and to never stop cooking delicious food.

We all swoon as the next one starts. This time it’s Yoonah, and the same thing happens. She gushes over Wo-young after reading her name on the note, then Hana’s video plays, then it’s Wo-young’s turn to gush over Yoonah, and the girls and I can’t contain my tears as we move closer to each other. Tears of gratitude fall from our eyes, Wo-young grins from ear to ear even as she cries, and Suji reaches out to squeeze Lilly’s hand.

 Then finally it’s me appearing in the footage, and I open my note to read Suji’s name. I remember all the words I said about Suji that day and how thankful I am for her. And they are still true now, as we share a glance as my interview plays. I tell her how much I appreciate her friendship, her leadership, her courage, and her passion. I tell her how much I respect her and how much I care for her.

In this moment, I realize that I will always support Suji and that no matter what she chooses to share with me or not, that will never change the way I feel about her.

Suji’s interview starts to play as she reads my name and we share a small smile before I get up to sit closer to her, taking her into a hug.

“I’m here for you, always.”

She nods against my shoulder, sniffing. “I know. I love you, you know that right?”

I smile. “I do.”

We barely have the time to pull apart before the rest of the girls engulf us into another big, suffocating hug. We laugh and cry and hug and kiss.

Then the footage seamlessly transitions to messages from the staff members, who are now projected onto the terrace wall. Each staff member takes a moment to express their admiration and recount memorable experiences.

As the projections come to an end, the terrace is bathed in a warm, golden light. The last images on the wall are those of the staff members offering heartfelt farewells and well wishes for the upcoming tour.