Perennial Beauty [GG Short Stories]

SUPERSTAR (Hanni) P.2 [TW]

'Always so caring... You never deserved any of this.'

"I'm sorry."

Minji's face immediately fell from her apology.

"No no n-no, no you're NOT!"

Hanni startled out of her somber daze from Minji's broken yell.

"You're not sorry! If you're sorry you wouldn't be hEre right now, you'd be inside, with u-us."

The younger girl frowned at Minji's voice cracking, keeping her silence.

But her eyes widened as their three younger friends began to walk up from behind Minji to see what the commotion was about.

"Guys, what's going on?"

Danielle froze as she saw how close Hanni was to the edge, even just half a step backward would be enough for the girl to lose her balance and fall.

"Han...ni...?"

Haerin's eyes widened from Hanni's slouched posture and dull frown, "unnie..."

Hyein wrung at her hands in worry, "Hanni-unnie, w-what are you doing over there?"

"..."

Their maknae frowned, "unnie... Please come back inside, it's cold out here, you'll catch a cold."

Hanni stared at all four of them, "I..."

She met Minji's gaze, her emptiness faltering at what stared back at her.

The eldest was struggling not to cry in front of any of them, her lips pursed with her eyebrows furrowed, her fists trembling at her sides.

A string inside Hanni snapped as she saw all of their stares towards her. The stares of four girls who were always with her, through thick and thin.

"I-I..."

'They've all been through so much hate... Everyone in this industry has...'

"I-I'm sorry..."

Hanni grew weak in the knees as she slowly started to kneel down.

'I'm so weak...'

"I-I-I'm s-so sorry..."

The girl covered her face with her hands as she started to tear up, feeling her throat tighten.

'I almost left them alone. Oh God I can't do that to any of them! Especially not to Hyein and Haerin... They're still growing up, they need all their older sisters...'

And as realization pulled through past the dark void within her soul...

Hanni began to cry.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I-I'm s-so sorry..."

Minji walked up to the bunny, crouching down as she gently rubbed Hanni's head.

"Hanni-yah..."

Her tone...

Was always so soft towards Hanni whenever she said her name.

Hanni tried to wipe away her tears, but Minji pulled away the girl's hands to see her face.

The older girl gave Hanni a trembling smile, "let us help you..."

She whispered softly, like she always did whenever she spoke to Hanni in the middle of the night before going to sleep.

"Let me, help you..."

Hot tears refused to stay hidden as a sad frown traced Hanni's lips, her body trembling from the tension.