DREAM TEAM is a mess with lee dayeon nowhere to be found.
it's almost been three weeks. she hasn't stepped foot into the studio at all. and though youngmin is aware of her returning back to daejeon, he hasn't gotten a call from her like she had promised. he would tell the rest of dream team about her leaving, but he remembers the text she sent him about keeping it a secret. her excuse? 'not wanting to worry anyone.'
youngmin accepts that maybe she'd already gone back to her hometown without telling him; he didn't mind that she'd broken her promise. furthermore, if he were in her shoes, he wouldn't want to see him either. just why on earth would dayeon want to see youngmin out of all people — youngmin who had promised her so many things, yet crushed them all and hurt her the same way woong did? if it is true that dayeon had already gone back, it's justifiable.
"she told me," areum finds youngmin on one quiet day after open classes. "daejeon, right? i'd figured that you'd know about it. she was stressed out like crazy about the whole taking a break thing, and you and woong and everything," she sighs. "i don't know when she left, though."
youngmin blinks. "did she leave already?"
areum nods. "you didn't know? i don't know when exactly, but the last time i checked her socials, she's back home with her dad. probably late last week or somewhere there," she explains. "you didn't see her–"
"no," he tells her shortly. dayeon blocked him off her account, then. and everyone else. "i just thought she'd tell me. but there's no obligation for her to do so."
the younger girl frowns. "i'm sorry."
woong on the other hand is sick to the stomach. after telling dayeon he still loved her on impulse, then suddenly it's as if she's vanished into thin air — how can he not feel as though his insides are twisting? he can't help but feel like he's the reason why, like he's the one that pushed her into this mess. if he didn't meddle into her relationship with youngmin, she needn't see him with hyori, and she wouldn't have come back running to woong all over again. if she didn't come back to him, he wouldn't have said those words again. he wouldn't have make everything spiral down like before.
dayeon is difficult to reach, on top of it all. his texts are all unable to be delivered, and she'd blocked everyone off her social medias. while a part of him respects that she wants her privacy, the other part just wants to make sure she's safe. and an excuse to see her.
leading up to the fourth week of dayeon missing, woong manages to get a hold of saerin, a close college friend of dayeon. but his efforts were gone to waste because she too refused to tell him anything, let alone give a hint about her whereabouts.
"please," he doesn't really care if he seems desperate anymore. "i just want to know. it's almost been a month and everyone back in the studio is worried."
saerin huffs. "i can't tell you anything. but i know the last person she talked to was im youngmin," she doesn't quite meet his eyes. "please let her go in peace, jeon woong. i can't remember the last time i saw dayeon truly composed and not knocking her brains out about something related to you and him."
woong looks at her, lips parted slightly. "if you truly care about her, please, please don't meddle anymore. she obviously has her reasons for not wanting to be in anyone's reach," she frowns. "especially you."
