Project IZ*ONE II

Chapter 11- Pitstop

"Oh, where are my manners? Come in! Come in! Chaewon told me about your current situation. We should get you inside before anyone sees!" She says.

~~~~

The inside of the mansion was even more impressive than the outside. Beautiful art pieces lined the halls along with chandeliers hanging overhead. As they walked, they also passed by intricate sculptures and rooms with fancy furniture. You truly wouldn't have guessed that Chaewon had grown up here with how she'd changed.

"Feel free to make yourselves at home. This is the first time that Chaewon's ever brought friends over after all." Chaewon's mom says.

"Wait, is this Chaewon?" Yena asks when she sees a portrait of a young girl in a school uniform.

"Yes, she never did seem to enjoy wearing that uniform. She always wanted to wear more casual clothes, but I was too stubborn." The older woman says, referring to how Chaewon wasn't smiling at all in the photo. The other girls tried but ultimately failed to hide their laughter trying to imagine Chaewon as a child. She must've been quite the handful.

"Yah, mom, don't embarrass me like that!" Chaewon whines. On the inside though, she was glad to see that her mother had changed and began to understand why she acted the way she did back then. Eventually, the group was led to their rooms that were definitely an upgrade over the dorms they had back on campus. Each guest bedroom was twice the size of their old dorms, and had a queen-sized bed with feathery pillows and a flatscreen television in front of it.

"Thank you for your hospitality, ma'am. We hope that we aren't causing too much trouble." Eunbi says while bowing.

"It's no problem at all! Just make sure my daughter stays safe. I hope you can finish your mission without a hitch. Go on and rest now, by the way. I'll let you know when it's time for dinner." Chaewon's mother says before leaving them be.

"Your mom's really nice." Nako says.

"Yeah, she's really changed..." Chaewon says with a smile.

"Anyway, you heard her. We should all get some rest. I told Chaeyeon through my copy to head over here instead-" Just as she says that, the doorbell rings again signaling their arrival. "Well, that couldn't have been timed any better. Alright, I'll head down and meet her."

~~~~

When Chaewon opened the door, she was greeted by Chaeyeon and her clone. The older girl didn't look tired at all, but her copy was definitely reeling from the trip, her complexion a shade of green.

"Hi, Chaeyeon-unnie, thanks for making the trip! You want to rest for a bit before going back or..."

"No need, Won-ah! I haven't been able to run this much in a while. Besides, I'm sure you can't wait to see Minjoo again~" The older girl says with a smirk. Chaewon can only roll her eyes and send her off after handing her a water jug. After Chaeyeon left, Chaewon now found herself alone with her clone at the front door. She was actually about to merge back with her when the copy spoke.

"I saw you drive Yujin and Wonyoung to get away a while ago. You think we can pass the test next time? I would've rather been in there than be carried by Chaeyeon-unnie again." She jokes, still trying to recover from the motion sickness. The barf bag did come in handy after all.

"Heh, I guess we should try it out when everything's over." Chaewon responds gingerly. Though all her clones worked independently, she realizes that she'd never actually had a conversation with one. In fact, she doesn't think she'd ever heard her clone speak when she was in the vicinity. There was only ever one Chaewon talking whenever there were multiple copies in the same area.