Chapter 29: Heartstrings and Goodbyes

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Dani let out a shakey sigh... "I'm quitting Source Music..." she admits.

...

The room was engulfed in a thick, heavy silence so profound that it felt like time had come to a halt. The air seemed to hang with suffocating tension.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura's voice cut through the silence. "You're quitting?"

Dani bit her lip as she wrestled with her words. "After everything that's happened," she began, "I've come to realize that it's not worth it anymore. The late nights, the exhaustion, the endless effort... I guess I'm just tired of it all."

Sakura's arms tightened across her chest, her brows furrowing in frustration. "What do you mean by 'everything'?" she pressed. "You've been so distant lately that we don't even know what's happening with you!"

"Kkura-Unnie..." Chaewon warned.

"No, seriously? What does 'everything' even mean to you?" Sakura asked.

Dani swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry as she grappled with the weight of her decision. "It's..." Dani began, her voice faltering as she struggled to find the right words to weave a delicate tapestry of lies that would shield her friends from the painful truth.

"Is this about Bang Gui Nam?" Sakura's interjection pierced Dani's thoughts like a dagger, sending a panic coursing through her veins. Did Sakura know the truth? Did she figure it out?

"Are you sleeping with him?" Sakura suddenly ask. Afraid of what the answer would be.

Dani's eyes slightly widened at the thought. "Is that what you think?" She asked.

"I'm asking you," Sakura snapped, her patience thin as she pressed for a definitive answer.

At that moment, Dani made a choice. "Then yes, I am," she confessed. "I've been sleeping with him for months," she admitted, her tone cold and distant, a facade to shield her friends from the painful truth she dared not reveal.

Sakura scoffed. "It all makes sense now," she declared, her voice laced with bitterness. "All of the late nights, your high-profile solo projects... you've been sleeping to the top!"

Dani's breath caught in her throat, her mind reeling with the weight of Sakura's accusation. She wanted to protest, to explain, but the words stuck in her throat. Instead she bit her tongue.

With a heavy heart, Sakura rose from her seat, her movements stiff with pent-up emotion. "I-I can't do this..." Her voice wavered, raw with hurt and disappointment, before she turned on her heel and walked out the door.

Yunjin's voice trembled with disbelief and hurt as she sought confirmation from Dani. "I-is it true, Dani-Unnie?" she asked, her eyes pleading for reassurance amidst accusations and betrayal.

Dani's heart clenched at the sight of Yunjin's vulnerable expression, knowing all too well the sacrifices she had made to pursue her dreams of debuting.

"I-I'm sorry, Jinnie..." Dani said "...it just sort of happened."

"Are you really leaving?" Eunchae's voice trembled with a mix of disbelief and sorrow. Her eyes searched Dani's for a glimmer of hope amidst the impending loss.

Dani met Eunchae's gaze, her heart aching at the pain reflected in her big round soulful eyes. "I am," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper as she struggled to maintain her composure.

Eunchae's fingers traced the delicate contours of the bracelet adorning her wrist, her touch lingering as if trying to hold onto the fleeting moments they had shared. "Did you give this to me because you're leaving?" she asked, her voice barely audible as she wrestled with the truth.

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