-

You Will

-

"Chaeyoung-unnie."

It was Ella's voice that finally snapped her out of her daze. Chaeyoung blinked repeatedly, breathing still heavy as she tried to register what was going on around her again.

Ice cream. Park. Ella.

"Right, uhm, Ella." Chaeyoung stuttered out. She flinched even just listening to her own, hoarse voice. "I-I'm sorry. I zoned out real bad for a second there."

She took a deep breath, eyes closing for a second in an attempt to clear her mind. Chaeyoung felt her sister's hand land on hers, rubbing softly. She looked back ahead, only to be met with Ella's soft, reassuring gaze.

"Unnie," The eleven-year old leaned in, her side pressing on the blonde's. She smiled up at a now weary-looking Chaeyoung, attempting to reassure her, somehow. "It's gonna be okay."

Chaeyoung wanted to answer to that. Something. Anything. Is it? Jisoo's departure has definitely fucked her up, tearing her apart from her concentration, almost even her sanity. Chaeyoung hated to admit it– that it was hard for her to function normal, anymore, without Jisoo.

And, no, Chaeyoung isn't losing her mind over that. (At least, she tries to convince herself.) She can't lose focus completely. She has to look somewhere else, focus on something else, someone else.

She looks at the girl leaning against her, and she saw Ella smiling up at her. Ella. Her precious baby sister Ella. Her Ella, that Cheyoung thought she'd already lost for good.

Yet, here she is, right in front of her, smiling up at her, telling her it's going to be okay.

It was almost impossible for Chaeyoung to keep going with Jisoo's absence, to stand back up after losing someone she loves. Her Jisoo.

But Ella is there, and Chaeyoung had lost her once, too.

"I know, sweetie." I wish. Chaeyoung tried to hold back a sob as she pulled her little sister in for a tight embrace. But she failed, anyway, biting her lip as she sobbed uncontrollably on the fabric of the little girl's jumper. "My love... I love you so much, Ella."

She shuts both of her eyes when she felt Ella bury her face at the crook of her neck, her heart almost throbbing straight out of her chest.

Ella sighs, tightening her grip around her older sister as well, keeping her closer. "I love you too, Chaeyoung-unnie." She whispers, ducking her face into the exposed skin of Chaeyoung's neck. "Unnie," Her voice was almost hesitant when she calls out again, and Chaeyoung didn't miss a bit of it.

She hummed softly, encouraging the girl to continue. Ella sighed.

"Will I ever get to meet her? Maybe one day?" She asks, uncertainty present in her tone. "When it gets better?"

It was a question that broke Chaeyoung into tiny little pieces, like that of what she's become when Jisoo walked away from her, completely, permanently. I don't know. She wanted to say that to Ella, because she didn't want to give her false hopes. She knew that Jisoo, somehow apparently, has claimed her own spot in the little girl's heart, as well. She's the person responsible for their reunion in the first place, and Chaeyoung knew Ella is going to remember that forever.

No one has ever made her Chaeyoung-unnie happier than her Jisoo-unnie.

But Chaeyoung had always been afraid of hearing the thruth out loud, herself, and she dreaded the anticipation of what Ella would feel if she tells her I don't know, so she resorted to the easiest way out, the coward's way out.

"You will, baby." She whispers softly, hand stroking Ella's hair comfortingly, as if it does the exact same effect on her. She neeeded it. "One day, when it gets better."

It was a lie; a promise Chaeyoung knows for herself was already long broken even before she said it out loud, and she feared sharing the excruciating pain in her chest with the now hopeful little girl in her arms.

-

"Hey, Chip," It felt like a deja vu, watching Lisa storm in without consent before heading straight for the fridge and going through it like she owns the place. Chaeyoung rolled her eyes. "So, I was having this conversation with Momo earlier today, right? There's this huge business gala she's hosting with the Kim's on Monday."

The Kim's. Chaeyoung could only wish that Kim was Kim Jisoo, but it's probably just Kai and Jennie.

"That's good."

"It is." Lisa returns. She shuts the door of the fridge before leaning against it, facing the blonde on the living room couch as she took a sip from her beer bottle. "Kai said he's bringing this friend of his as plus one. I forgot his name, though. Chanyoung? Chanwoo? Whatever."

Chaeyoung lets out a breathy chuckle, shaking her head as she turned her focus back on the movie playing on the television screen. "Well, looky here. Is Miss Lalisa Manoban finally taking the big first step in moving on from her best friend's wife?"

Lisa scoffed, eyes squinting towards the teasing blonde, watching as Chaeyoung took a huge gulp of water from her glass with a big smirk on her face.

"Shut up. And what are you talking about, anyway? Kai wants me to set him up with you."

The statement instantly had Chaeyoung spitting her drink out, liquid spilling all over her living room floor. She coughed out repeatedly, eyes shut tight as she strated to see stars, (it's honestly been quite a while since she last saw them,) Oh god, is it finally my time? Lisa rushed towards her, too, hands rubbing the blonde's back as she failed to restrain uncontrollable chuckles.

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes, pushing the laughing Thai by the arm when she finally caught her breath again. "Lisa!"

"What?" The latter wiped a stray tear now starting to fall from her eyes. When her laughter died down slowly, she cleared her throat, shaking her head at the exasperated blonde. "Look, if you don't want to, I can just go tell Kai. I'm sure he'd be okay with you going stag, too."

"Uhh, yes, please?" Chaeyoung exclaimed sacastically, eyes rolling at the still snickering Thai, who's now sitting next to her. She shook her head in disbelief before mumbling under her breath. "Thank you, Lis." Her tone was more genuine this time, smiling at Lisa gratefully for not asking for further explanations, (she already knew the answers, anyway.)

Lisa smiled, pulling Chaeyoung by the shoulder so she'd lean against her side and shuffling her hair in a mess.

"Don't mention it."

Out of nowhere, Lisa's phone started to blast from where it was sitting at Chaeyoung's kitchen counter. She lifted an eyebrow, staring expectantly at the Thai whose attention was only focused on the movie in front of them. "Dingus, that's your phone." She says, elbowing the Thai on the stomach.

However, Lisa just waved her off. "Yeah, don't worry. It's a Saturday night. That's probably just Seulgi asking to grab some drinks or something."

Chaeyoung nodded, convinced that the call might not be something work-related after all. And so she let her body sink deeper against Lisa's side, hand clutching the Thai's that's around her shoulders and closing her eyes, feeling extreme exhaustion slowly take over her.

Well, not until the message went straight to Lisa's voicemail.

(And both of their hearts dropped abruptly on their stomach at the familiar husky voice that came seconds after.)

"Hey, Lali, it's me. Sorry, I was out for dinner with the Im's earlier so I missed your call. Ring me back when you can."

-