Work Text:
the dorm had become a mess for these past few weeks, scattered item showing the casualty of the grueling promotion schedules. the girls, who finally achieved what their old self always dreamed of, were paying the price with yawns and exhaustion.
sleeping only a blink before the alarm blasted, dragging them awake into another dread of interviews, music shows, and fan meetings. early in the morning, late in the night. whenever it is, the deadlines urged.
every makeup, every smile, every three sets of aegyo, was just a cover to their tiredness beneath. and yet, they carried on to shower their love for the fans.
but hey, at least that hustle is all over now!
well, mostly.
“who the heck…”
yeah… not entirely.
“oh my god, no wonder it smells so–“ jiyoon cuts herself with a gag as she turns away.
aside from the outrageous mountain of clothes with some of it spreading on the floor like a volcano explosion, there exist something far much beyond incredibly worse. leftovers.
“guys, i told you to at least put your food away in the trash!” mai scolding the members with her arms crossed. considering that she’s the one who seriously take the dorm cleanness, she can’t just stand and let them undisciplined. “now whose mess is this?” she pressed.
within the second after, all eyes drifted to one person that presumably can caused the clutter of a stacking ramen cups.
“sorry unnie…” the expected person submitted to guilt surprisingly quick.
“we’ve talked about this over and over saebi. don’t you feel bad about others who had been cleaning your mess?” she briefly gestured to the members behind saebi, who had been silently standing by. “sarang has been keeping the dorm clean by willingly taking out our trash almost every day. the least everyone can do is handle their own garbage.”
“okay, okay, i promise to clean all of my mess! i’m really really sorry!” saebi apologized dramatically with her folded hands. her earnest apology would’ve been more convincing if the other members weren’t trying to stifle a laugh at how unintentionally adorable she looked.
mai only exhaled, turning softer. “it’s alright, that’s why we’re currently huddled together here.”
the sudden reminder of their gathering snapped the group to attention. the members glanced around, realization finally hits home.
“wait,” jiyoon piped up, eyes narrowing at mai.
“that’s right,” mai turned to the horrendous view of the disaster. “it’s time to clean the dorm.”
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—“
***
quite time had passed while the girls were tidily cleaning the dorm. they separated into chores and assignments:
mai and sarang responsible for mopping and sweeping the entire dorm.
koko and jeemin doing the dishes as they continued helping jungeun and jiyoon with the laundry afterwards.
saebi, meanwhile, roamed the dorm like a lone scavenger, collecting trash with the urgency of someone trying to redeem herself.
silence blanketed the living space, interrupted only by the faint sounds of scrubbing and sorting.
“ah, jeemin unnie, can you help me take the clothes basket in my room? there’s still some left there that we haven’t picked up.” jungeun said, sorting through a pile of clothes by the washing machine.
“oh, sure, of course!” jeemin replied, flashing her trademark sunny smile.
her long legs made quick work of the journey to the maknaez room. inside, she spotted the basket tucked neatly by saebi’s bed.
with confidence, she approached the basket that was filled with some clothes. she picked it out carefully and tidily to her arm before she picked out the last fabric inside.
it took her a millisecond before she realized what she witnessed with a scream. “WAHH—!!!” she stepped back with crazy speed and her soul almost pulled away.
“unnie?!” sarang peeked inside the room as she was the nearest to heard the yelp. jeemin was frozen in place with her head down and a hand on her chest.
“are you okay? what happened?” her voice laced actual concern.
jeemin slowly lifted her head, her fingers brushing her hair back in attempt to regain composure. she lets out a laugh as she glanced over at sarang, her embarrassment winning over.
“there’s a dead cockroach in the basket…” jeemin admitted while still ijboling.
“WHAT.” sarang eyes widened with the unexpected problem. “oh my god…” her face dropped soulless after knowing there’s a disgusting creature mixed inside her room’s basket that was filled with HER clothes.
“helloo, what’s with all the commotion?” mai then arrived to the room, eyebrows furrowing.
“there’s a cockroach in our basket all along…” sarang whined dramatically.
“oh…” mai saw jeemin who presumably the one that was unfortunate to discovered it.
“can you… take it out for me?” jeemin said with a sheepish grin, shamelessly dumping the problem on mai. “i need to bring these clothes to jungeun, so— yeah! thanks!” without waiting for an answer, she scurried past mai and disappeared.
mai only sighed in defeat, carefully taking away the dead cockroach with a tissue to the bin. she’s already resigning herself to her fate as the only one who is brave enough to handle the bugs. grabbing a tissue, she plucked the offending insect from the basket and tossed it into the bin with a flick of disgust.
“this dorm needs pest control,” she muttered, shaking her head as she returned to her cleaning duties.
***
by night time, the dorm had been altered into a pristine sanctuary, shimmering with the satisfaction of a day well spent. the girls stood in the living room, admiring their hard work as a wave of relief washed over them. cheers erupted, punctuated by sarang’s little victory jump of accomplishment.
they all collapsed onto the couches and floor, letting out deep sighs of exhaustion as the living room became their makeshift resting zone.
“i’m hungry,” saebi indifferent tone exposed through the peaceful quiet, her voice called the singular priority of her rumbling stomach.
“we should just order food tonight. i don’t think any of us have the energy left to cook,” sarang suggested, already too drained coming up with any other options.
“agree.” came the unanimous response.
“what do y’all wanna eat?” mai pulling out her phone in search for the food.
“teokbokki,” saebi declared instantly, her tone leaving no room for negotiation. the older members just laughed and nodded when the maknae mentioned her obvious favorite food.
“i mean, yeah, sure. i’m fine with that. how about the rest of you?” mai asked, glancing around the room.
“i’m good with anything,” sarang replied, followed by hums of approval from the others. but mai’s gaze lingered on jeemin, who hadn’t reacted or contributed to the conversation at all.
“jeemin, what about you?” she asked, her voice pulling everyone’s attention to the second oldest. saebi leaned in with a bright smile, clearly hoping for another enthusiastic vote for teokbokki.
“mhm… sounds good but i think i’ll pass dinner this time…”
the room fell silent, the group staring at her in collective disbelief. jeemin, being the biggest foodie in the group, chose to reject food?
“seriously???” jiyoon questioned with confusion, mirroring everyone’s thoughts.
“i’m not feeling quite well, i just don’t have the appetite tonight.” jeemin admitted, her voice softer than usual. she looked fainter than her already fair skin is.
“you should at least have a bite or two,” sarang urged gently. “you haven’t eaten properly all day, you know.”
but jeemin only waved her off with a weak smile. “it’s okay guys i think i just need a rest.”
the room grew quiet again. everybody exchanged glances, their unspoken worry mirrored in each other’s eyes.
mai then cleared her throat, “we’ll still get the teokbokki, and you can have just a little. If you’re still not feeling better, we’ll let you rest.”
jeemin hesitated but nodded reluctantly, knowing it wasn’t worth the argument. “okay, but only a little,” she relented softly.
mai quickly placed the order, and the group settled back into their seats. the warmth of their earlier celebration dimmed slightly as they kept an eye on jeemin, hoping a good meal and a little rest could bring her back to her usual self.
***
the next morning, the dorm was alive with the soft buzz of a new day. feeling rejuvenated after the deep cleaning and a proper night’s rest, the girls moved about like actual functioning humans for once.
over on the couch, saebi and koko went crazy with laughter, their giggles turning into full-blown hysterics. whatever they were laughing about was only for them to understand.
“what’s so funny?” junguen asked, raising an eyebrow when she lazily scrolled through her phone beside them.
the pair managed to calm their laughter just enough to catch their breath, though koko faltered with a wheeze as she saw jungeun’s face.
“we’re going out today,” koko announced, her tone far too mischievous for a simple outing.
“where, exactly…?” jungeun asked warily, already sensing trouble.
“to a fortune teller,” saebi chimed in, her excitement bubbling over.
jungeun blinked in disbelief. “a fortune teller? for what???”
koko shrugged, her smile growing wider. “i was curious. i watched many other idol doing a fortune telling on youtube, so i asked saebi if she wants and yeah, we booked a session.”
jungeun groaned, slumping back against the couch. “oh my god dude…”
***
later that afternoon, koko and saebi found themselves standing in front of a tiny, dimly lit shop wedged between a laundromat and a fried chicken shop. a faded sign above the door read madame’s estrella mystic visions in a font that looked like it hadn’t been updated since the ’90s.
“is this it?” saebi whispered, glancing hesitantly at koko.
“yup. looks… legit,” koko said, though her tone didn’t sound convincing even to herself. she pushed open the creaky door, and the two stepped inside.
the interior smelled faintly of incense, with thick velvet curtains draped over the walls. a small table sat in the center, adorned with a crystal ball and an excessive number of candles. from behind one of the curtains emerged madam estrella herself, an older woman dressed in layers of scarves and an aura of mystery.
“welcome,” she greeted dramatically. “who seeks the wisdom of the cosmos?”
koko nudged saebi forward, causing her to stumble slightly. “uh, hi, yeah, we do,” saebi stammered, her nerves getting the better of her.
“sit,” madame estrella commanded, gesturing to the chairs at the table. the two obeyed, exchanging nervous glances as the fortune teller lit another candle for added flair.
“what brings you here today?” estrella asked, her hands hovering theatrically over the crystal ball.
koko cleared her throat. “we, uh, want to know about our futures. like… what’s in store for us, you know?”
estrella nodded knowingly. “very well.” she waved her hands over the crystal ball, muttering something unintelligible under her breath. saebi leaned forward, squinting at the ball, only to jump back when estrella suddenly gasped.
“WHAT IS IT?!” saebi yelped, clutching koko’s arm.
“i see… great turmoil in your near future,” estrella said, her eyes wide.
“like… how near?” koko asked cautiously.
“very near,” estrella replied ominously. she paused for dramatic effect before adding, “you will face… an enormous mess.”
koko and saebi exchanged a look.
“wait,” saebi said slowly. “does she mean, like… our dorm?”
estrella’s gaze sharpened. “perhaps it is your dorm. or perhaps it is the mess within your peers .”
saebi frowned. “well, if it’s the dorm, we already cleaned it yesterday, so…”
estrella blinked, momentarily thrown off. she quickly recovered, adding, “but beware! The mess may return… in unexpected ways!” she shouted, making the young girls startled in their seats.
“how should we approach the problem later then?”
“my child, sometimes you just need to be patient and understanding. don’t just make hasty decisions. think throughly, trust your guts. with that, you may see the right path.”
for a moment, koko and saebi thought that was the most normal one the lady has said within the session. nonetheless, it felt deep to saebi for some reason.
madam estrella turned to saebi. “is there anything else you wish to know?”
saebi tilted her head in mock contemplation. “will i find love?”
“ are you trying to get into a scandal?!” koko shouted in whispers.
madam estrella gazed deeply into the crystal ball, her expression unreadable. after a long pause, she spoke: “i see… someone close to you. very close. someone who knows you better than you know yourself.”
saebi’s eyes widened. “oohh, who?”
madam estrella waved a hand dramatically. “the stars do not reveal names, only truths. but beware… love requires more effort than you think.”
saebi gasped in seriousness. “is it… koko unnie?”
koko recoiled. “what the heck.”
their bickering turned into a laughing session, leaving madam estrella shaking her head in defeat. “the stars weep for you two,” she muttered under her breath.
“wow this is amazing, my true soulmate might be you all along…” saebi turned painfully slow to koko.
koko looked away from saebi and changed the topic. “alright, anyways!” she smiled shamelessly as saebi lightly punched her arm.
after their personal questions had been answered (in the vaguest way possible), saebi and koko glanced at each other, silently agreeing it was time for the real inquiry.
“madam estrella,” koko began, leaning forward dramatically, her chin resting on her hands. “we have one more very important question.”
saebi nodded, adding her own theatrics by clasping her hands together. “we want to know about the future of our group!”
madam sat up straighter, her expression shifting to one of solemn concentration. “ah, a collective fate. this requires the alignment of the planets and the wisdom of the cosmos.” she waved her hands over the crystal ball as if she were stirring soup.
“ please don’t tell us we’re going to disband… ” koko whispered to saebi.
“ we just debuted hello??? ”
“ who knows?! ”
“SILENCE!” madam estrella snapped, her voice commanding enough to make them both sit up straight. she squinted into the swirling mist of her crystal ball, her eyes darting around as if reading an invisible script. “i see… a rise. a glorious rise. your group will reach heights unimaginable.”
koko and saebi exchanged excited glances, their hands gripping each other’s arms.
“but,” madam estrella continued ominously, “it comes with trials. difficult trials.”
“what… kind of trials..?”
madam estrella’s gaze locked onto them, her eyes intense. “you will face… many wardrobe malfunctions on stage.”
koko gasped dramatically. “NOOOO!!! not the pants slipping incident again!”
madam estrella’s nodded gravely. “yes… the stars see accessories… breaking... and heels—heels snapping mid-performance. perhaps even—” she hesitated, drawing out the suspense, “—hair extensions falling…!”
koko jaw dropped. “OH NO THEY GOT JEEMIN UNNIE TOO.”
“wait, wait!” saebi interrupted, holding up her hand. “are we going to win any awards?”
madam estrella smirked knowingly. “ah, yes. awards. i see… trophies in your hands. sparkling, golden. but beware…”
“what..?”
“beware of group speeches, ” madam estrella said darkly. “for one of you will inevitably forget to thank someone important.”
saebi and koko gasped in unison, imagining if they ever forget mentioning their main producers.
“it’s going to be you!” saebi accused, pointing at Koko.
“no way! that’s you!” koko shot back.
“neither of you,” madam estrella interrupted, her lips curling into a mysterious smile. “it will be someone you least expect.”
saebi and koko froze, their imaginations running wild. “jungeun?” they whispered simultaneously.
“do not attempt to name the culprit!” madam estrella barked, waving her hand. “the stars despise spoilers.”
koko leaned back, rubbing her head. “man, this is heavy. is there even anything good in our future???”
madam estrella glanced at the crystal ball again, and for a moment, her expression softened. “i see… friendships growing stronger. laughter echoing in the studio. songs that will bring more fans to you. your group will shine brighter than the north star.”
the duo’s eyes sparkled with excitement, their earlier worries forgotten.
“but,” madam estrella added with a serious expression, “you’ll still argue over food in the dorm. the stars don’t fix petty squabbles.”
koko groaned. “ugh, is this about me fighting over snacks with saebi?”
“because you’re a snack hoarder!” saebi snapped, pointing an accusatory finger.
madam estrella sighed heavily, rubbing her temples as the girls’ bickering escalated once again.
as they left the fortune teller’s lair, saebi turned to koko with a grin. “that was so fun! very worth the trip.”
“yeah! i should do this again someday.” koko brimmed brightly.
***
the next day, the group had another packed schedule to attend, but jeemin has to be absent, her fever keeping her in the sidelined.
it has been two days since the second oldest member fell ill. their manager summed it up to exhaustion, insisting that jeemin just need proper rest and recover before joining the team again. she spent all of yesterday in bed, with the occasional visit from the members to check on her, especially mai, her roommate. this was the first time someone in the group had fallen sick since they began living together.
at the evening of the same day, the members finally heading back home after a long day. the ride in the van was quiet, the exhaustion from their schedule catching up. saebi was already dozing off, koko and jungeun scrolled aimlessly through their phones, while jiyoon stared blankly out the window.
sarang, however, was fidgeting with her phone, her expression clearly disturbed. her particular chatroom was open, showing a string of the messages she sent unread.
“jeemin unnie, are you doing okay at home?”
“do you need anything?”
“it felt so weird without you today TT”
though not everyone could’ve noticed, but sarang seems to be the most concerned about jeemin’s condition.
when the van finally pulled into the parking lot, the members shuffled out, each dragging their feet toward the dorm. inside, they dispersed to their rooms, each heading off to their own priorities.
“i’m going straight to bed…” saebi mumbled groggily as she followed jungeun to their shared room.
jiyoon herself grabbing a bottle from the fridge before disappearing with koko.
meanwhile, mai hung up her jacket and headed to her room, intending to check on jeemin. but as she was on her way to the doorway, she noticed sarang following up just a distance behind her.
“uh…” sarang hesitated. “i just… um, wanted to check on jeemin unnie.”
mai blinked, then nodded with a small smile. “oh, alright.”
but when they stepped into the room, they only found an empty bed. the blanket was thrown back, the pillow slightly indented, but there was no sign of jeemin whatsoever.
“huh, where did she go?” sarang asked, glancing around.
“hold on, i’ll check the bathroom,” mai said, already heading out.
there were two bathrooms in the dorm, one in the maknaez room and another shared by everyone else. with some logic, mai headed to the shared bathroom, noticing the door was closed. she knocked lightly on the wood. “jeemin? are you in there?”
a muffled voice from the inside immediately answered. “WHAT!!! this is koko!!! i’m using the bathroom! hold on!”
mai froze, startled by the response. “okay… not jeemin…” she muttered, though her unease only grew.
if jeemin wasn’t there, then where could she be? she began searching the rest of the dorm, checking every corner and room.
meanwhile, sarang stayed behind in the room. she walked to the unmade bed, staring at the crumpled sheets and blanket as if trying to will jeemin’s location into her mind. as she turned to follow mai outside, her foot hit something small on the floor, making her yelp softly.
“ow—!! what the…” she looked down to the ground.
it was a ring. familiar and unmistakable.
“jeemin unnie’s ring…” sarang murmured, crouching to pick it up. she turned it over in her hand, frowning. “why is it on the floor?”
her mind raced with wild scenarios. clutching the ring tightly, sarang dashed out of the room to find mai.
“mai unnie!!!” sarang’s panicked voice echoed through the dorm as she sprinted toward mai, who was pacing around the common area with the rest of the group that she summoned.
everyone turned to her, startled by the sudden outburst. “what is it?” mai asked, her brows furrowing in concern.
sarang stopped in front of them, slightly out of breath, her hand clutching something tightly. “i found… i found her ring on the floor.”
the group gathered around as sarang held up the small silver band. it gleamed faintly in the light, but its presence in sarang’s hand sent a chill through the air. everyone knew jeemin never took off that ring. it was practically glued to her hand, only removed when absolutely necessary, usually for performances.
“why would it be on the floor?” jungeun repeated.
“she accidentally dropped it maybe? wait that doesn’t make sense…” saebi murmured with her own possibilities.
in the midst pf their tensing worries, the faint sound of a toilet flushing broke the in the air. moments later, koko emerged from the bathroom, drying her hands on the hem of her shirt. she paused at the sight of everyone huddled together, their expressions grim.
“yo, what’s going on?” she asked, casually stepping closer.
“jeemin unnie disappeared,” sarang explained, her voice cracking slightly as she clutched the ring tighter.
“WHAT?!” koko’s voice shot up an octave, her eyes widening in disbelief.
“okay, okay, everyone calm down,” mai interrupted, raising her hands to stop the growing panic. “let’s take a deep breath and think this through.” she turned to the group, her voice steady. “does anyone remember seeing or talking to jeemin this morning? anything strange? anything? at all?”
the members exchanged glances, searching their memories. but one by one, they all shook their heads, each more confused than the last.
mai sighed deeply, her frustration bubbling beneath her calm exterior. “alright. everyone, sit down in the living room. i’m going to call the manager and see if he knows anything.”
obediently, the group gathered to the living room. sarang lingered behind just a bit, still fidgeting nervously with jeemin’s ring. her mind raced with possibilities, each one more unsettling than the last.
“i’ll grab my phone from my room real quick,” jiyoon muttered, breaking the tense silence as she headed toward her bedroom where her phone was still charging.
the living room fell into an uneasy quiet as mai paced back and forth, her phone pressed to her ear. “come on, pick up,” she muttered under her breath, growing more irritated with each passing second. “ugh, he’s not answering…”
“maybe he’s busy,” jungeun suggested weakly, though uncertain.
before mai could respond, a sudden, blood-curdling scream rang out from the hallway, making everyone jump.
“AAAHHH—!!!” jiyoon came barreling out of her room, her face pale as a ghost, her hands flailing in the air.
“what happened?!” jungeun asked when jiyoon came rushing to her.
“there’s a cockroach in my room!” jiyoon wailed, her voice trembling with pure terror.
The tension shattered into sighs and facepalms.
“gosh, you scared me…” mai exhaled her holded breath
“i’m serious! it’s HUGE!” jiyoon insisted, her eyes darting nervously back toward her room as though the cockroach might chase her out.
“don’t worry jiyoon, i’ll deal with it later. right now, sit down. we need to focus on finding jeemin first.”
reluctantly, jiyoon allowed jungeun to pull her back onto the couch. “but seriously, guys… it was massive,” she mumbled, still visibly shaken.
no one responded; their focus had shifted entirely back to jeemin’s mysterious disappearance.
“god, what do we do now…” mai’s voice trembled slightly, betraying the calm she tried so hard to maintain.
“wait, guys…” jiyoon speaked up, her eyes lighting up with realization. “i think… i got a message from jeemin this morning that i haven’t opened yet.”
all heads whipped toward her in unison, the faint spark of hope flickering in the room.
“ what?! ” mai tone sharpened as she stared at Jiyoon. “why didn’t you mention this earlier?! where’s your phone?”
jiyoon scratched the back of her head sheepishly, letting out a nervous laugh. “uh… well… i sort of… dropped it when i ran out of the room earlier… so, um, it’s still in there. heh.”
the collective groan from the group was almost deafening. mai straightened her back and inhaled deeply, attempting to compose herself. “alright. fine. i’ll go get it.”
with mai leading the charge, the rest of the members trailed behind her, a mix of curiosity and dread hanging in the air. as they reached the doorway to jiyoon and koko dorm room, mai carefully pushed open the door.
the sight that greeted them froze them all in place.
“oh… my… god…” jiyoon’s voice broke the silence, her face twisted in pure horror. “It’s… ON. TOP. of my PHONE.”
the enormous cockroach, perched on jiyoon’s phone like it owned the place, wiggled its antenna lazily.
“wow…” mai muttered under her breath, momentarily stunned. “you weren’t kidding, that thing is huge. ”
“and… oddly tall…” koko added, her comment quite unnecessary but strangely ominous observation. the comment, while bizarre, sent an involuntary shiver down saebi’s spine.
determined, mai grabbed a thick wad of tissues from jiyoon’s desk. her eyes narrowed as she approached the bug, her movements calculated and precise. “be a good bug and—“
“WAIT!”
saebi’s sudden shout startled everyone, including the cockroach, which flinched ever slightly. mai froze mid-step, glaring at the maknae.
“what, saebi?” mai asked, exasperation clear in her voice.
“guys… what if… what if… that cockroach IS… jeemin unnie?” saebi’s voice was serious, her wide eyes darting between the insect and her unnerved group mates.
a heavy silence fell over the room as the others processed her words.
“saebi, this is NOT the time for jokes,” mai snapped, her patience wearing dangerously thin.
“i’m not joking!” saebi insisted, her voice rising in urgency. “koko unnie! remember what the fortune teller said yesterday? that ‘something disastrous in an unexpected way’ would happen? well… THIS could be it!”
koko’s brow furrowed as she looked up to recall the cryptic words from the day before. slowly, the fortune teller’s voice echoed in her mind:
“my child, sometimes you just need to be patient and understanding. don’t make hasty decisions. think thoroughly. trust your instincts, and you will find the right path.”
“…oh my god, yeah…” koko murmured, her skepticism wavering.
“guys, this is ridiculous,” mai cut in, her tone a mix of disbelief and exhaustion.
“but think about it!” saebi pressed on. “look at the size of that cockroach—it’s massive! it’s… it’s different! who else here is that tall besides koko unnie and me? JEEMIN UNNIE!”
“i mean…” koko hesitated, glancing at the others. “it is weird how her ring ended up on the floor. maybe she… shrank? or got cursed or something?”
sarang, who had been quietly fiddling with jeemin’s ring the entire time, looked down at the tiny object in her hand. slowly, her expression shifted, the absurd theory getting the better of her mind.
mai groaned, rubbing her temples. “this is insane. i’m catching it—”
“wait!” sarang’s voice suddenly broke through the tension.
mai stopped in her tracks, letting out a deep sigh. “what nowww…??”
“unnie, think about it,” sarang began, her tone urgent. “remember two days ago? before jeemin unnie got sick on the same night, she found a dead cockroach in the laundry basket, right?”
mai paused, the memory flashing in her mind. it was true, jeemin had complained about the incident, but she’d brushed it off as bad luck.
“what if that dead cockroach caused this?” sarang’s voice grew softer as she spoke, almost as though she was afraid of the answer.
mai stared at the cockroach again, the doubt in her mind starting to crack. the bug sat unnervingly still, its antennae swaying lightly in the breeze of the air conditioner. something about the way it just… stared back felt disturbingly familiar.
mai took a deep breath, her voice firm but hesitant. “alright. let’s test this theory.”
“if you’re in there… you can hear us, right, JEEMIN?” mai pressed her name, her gaze fixed on the cockroach.
“hey don’t yell at her…” saebi pouted.
for a moment, nothing happened. them, ever so slightly, the cockroach twitched its antenna.
mai remained unconvinced, her brows furrowing. “okay. if you’re really jeemin, prove it. get off jiyoon’s phone.”
the room fell into tense silence as they watching closely at the cockroach, waiting. slowly, it began to scuttle away from the phone, stopping a safe distance away.
“oh… my… god…”
“this can’t be real,” jungeun murmured, her eyes wide.
mai’s jaw tightened. she wasn’t ready to accept the impossible just yet. “alright. one more test. jeemin… climb the wall.”
the cockroach hesitated for a moment, then obediently began scaling the wall Mai had pointed to.
“no way…” sarang gasped, her voice trembling.
“jeemin unnie, if it’s really you… dance to izna!” saebi suddenly blurted, her face lighting up with the ridiculous suggestion.
“saebi she’s a cockroach!” mai snapped, shooting her a glare.
“well sorry, unnie,” saebi mumbled, though her grin betrayed her amusement. “i was just curious.”
mai sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to regain focus. “okay, we need to stop wasting time on nonsense. if this cockroach really is jeemin, then we need a way to… i don’t know… reverse whatever this is?”
“but how?” jungeun asked, her face pale. “what even causes someone to turn into a cockroach? this isn’t a fairy tale!”
sarang chimed in hesitantly. “what if it’s the curse from that dead cockroach? like… maybe jeemin unnie angered some kind of cockroach spirit?”
koko nodded seriously, as though the explanation made perfect sense. “it would explain the size and why she’s… oddly obedient. that’s so jeemin unnie.”
mai threw up her hands, her patience wearing thin. “okay, if we’re really going down this rabbit hole, what’s the plan? do we call an exorcist? find a witch? summon that fortune teller saebi and koko visited?”
the group fell into an uneasy silence, no one what to say. jeemin, the cockroach…remained still on the wall, as if waiting for their next move.
“what if…” jiyoon started hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper, “we ask her? maybe she knows what happened?”
mai gave her a skeptical look but didn’t dismiss the idea outright. “fine. worth a shot. jeemin, if you can hear us, uh… try to respond somehow. maybe… wiggle your antennas twice for yes?”
the group leaned in, eyes glued to the cockroach. for a moment, it didn’t move. then, as if to confirm their wildest fears, it twitched once, and shortly, twice.
sarang gasped audibly. koko nearly fell back onto the bed.
“oh my god, she is jeemin unnie!” jungeun’s voice cracked slightly.
“okay, okay, calm down,” mai said quickly, though her own voice wavered. she crouched slightly, bringing herself closer to the cockroach’s level. “jeemin, do you know what happened to you? antennas twice for yes, once for no.”
the cockroach’s antennas twitched once.
“no…” mai muttered, frowning. “alright, did this have something to do with the dead cockroach from the laundry basket?”
once, the antennas twitched.
“hm… maybe it’s an unknown curse that indirectly connects her with cockroaches.” koko interjected, looking serious for the first time.
“if that’s the case, shouldn’t there be a way to lift it? like… maybe there’s some kind of ritual we need to do?” jungeun trying to help with the thing she can come up with.
mai rubbed her temples, the stress of the situation finally catching up to her. “here, let’s assume this is a curse. how do we figure out how to break it?”
“maybe we could ask the fortune teller?” saebi suggested, her voice small but hopeful.
“that’s not a bad idea,” jungeun agreed. “she’s the one who gave you the warning, after all.”
mai straightened up, nodding decisively. “alright. we’re going there.”
as the group scrambled to put together a plan, the cockroach, aka jeemin, remained motionless on the wall, its antennas swaying gently. if it could sigh, it probably would have.
“don’t worry, unnie,” sarang crouching closer, glancing at the bug. “we’ll get you back to normal.”
“uhh guys, how do we… you know… transport her ?” jungeun pointed out a problem.
the group froze, all eyes falling on the cockroach clinging to the wall.
“oh no,” jiyoon whispered. “we’re NOT putting her in a jar or something, are we???”
“well, what else are we supposed to do?” mai deadpanned.
“you guys can’t just trap jeemin unnie in some random container!” saebi protested, crossing her arms. “she deserves better than that!”
“do you want to carry her in your hands then, saebi?” mai shot back, raising an eyebrow.
“…get. the. jar.”
minutes later, jeemin the cockroach sat inside a glass jar, her antennas twitching in what could only be interpreted as irritation.
“jeemin, don’t give me that look,” mai said, shaking her head. “this is the safest way to move you without anyone stepping on you accidentally.”
“or screaming and running away…” jiyoon side eyeing the cockroach in the jar.
“alright, let’s go,” mai declared, grabbing her phone.
as the group headed out the door, koko glanced back at the jar in mai’s hands and grinned. “you know, this’ll make one heck of an epic story if we fix this.”
the cockroach inside the jar twitched its antenna once, whether in agreement or annoyance, nobody could really tell.
as they made their way out the door, the group kept a safe distance from the jar, as if the cockroach inside might suddenly burst into a full-on jeemin drip intro performance at any second.
“i still can’t believe we’re doing this,” jiyoon mumbled, clutching her sweater like a security blanket. “taking a cockroach to the fortune teller like it’s a normal tuesday…”
“i mean, we are kind of carrying an idol in a bug form, so it’s not that weird,” saebi said, her eyes darting to the jar in mai’s hands.
“i can’t believe we’re hiding a cockroach under a jar like it’s the next big thing,” koko quipped.
“are you even listening to yourself right now?” mai sighed. “let’s just get this over with. the sooner we figure this out, the sooner we can get jeemin back to her normal self… and maybe even get her to stop bugging us literally .”
“oooh, good one, unnie,” saebi said, giving mai an exaggerated thumbs-up. “that was a good pun.”
“i didn’t mean it like that,” mai roll her eyes.
as they approached the fortune teller’s place, the group fell silent, all of them wondering how they’d explain this bizarre situation.
“so, uh, how do we even approach her?” sarang asked. “like, do we say ‘hey, we have a cockroach that might be our friend who got cursed, help us’?”
“maybe start with, ‘hey, we’re really sorry we didn’t take you seriously yesterday,’” jungeun suggested, her eyes pointing to saebi and koko.
they finally reached the fortune teller’s door, the door opened slowly, and the fortune teller’s face appeared in the crack. she looked just as cryptic and mysterious as before, her dark eyes twinkling. “you’ve come back so soon… i knew something was afoot.” she greets as she saw the two familiar faces and their new friends.
“uh, yeah, hi,” mai began awkwardly. “so, uh, about that prediction you told them yesterday…” mai turned briefly towards saebi and koko before returning. “you were kind of right. there’s, um, a cockroach here.”
the fortune teller raised an eyebrow, her gaze flicking to the jar in mai’s hands. “and that… cockroach… is important?”
“well, yes,” mai said, holding up the jar. “this cockroach might be our friend. it’s jeemin.”
the fortune teller paused, then looked at them as though she’d just heard the weirdest thing in the world. “you’re telling me your friend… is a cockroach?”
“well, we think she became a cockroach,” koko clarified helpfully. “there was a dead cockroach in the laundry, and it might’ve triggered something weird. so now, we need you to—”
before koko could finish, the fortune teller chuckled to herself, covering her mouth with a hand. “i see… so your friend’s become… a bug.”
“yeah, pretty much,” sarang said, nodding seriously. “so, what can we do to reverse it?”
the fortune teller took a long, dramatic pause, then slowly reached out and tapped the jar. “you must be careful. some curses are irreversible.”
the group froze.
“wait, so… is she stuck as a cockroach forever?” jiyoon asked, her voice shaking.
“oh, no, no, no,” the fortune teller replied, shaking her head. “she’s not a cockroach forever… but you’ll have to find the real cause of the curse.”
“you mean the roach in the laundry?” saebi asked, raising an eyebrow.
“no, no. it’s deeper than that,” the fortune teller said, looking at them meaningfully. “something or someone that is precious to her.”
the word ‘ something ’ made the girls start thinking objectively, her favorite snack, maybe her phone, or just her ring. but the moment they heard ‘ someone ’, their minds collectively shifted to an overly confident conclusion: “ obviously me.”
“hah... fine, we’ll figure something out. thanks for… whatever this was.” mai turned to leave, grabbing at the jar. “come on, jeemin, we’ll fix this. eventually.”
as they exited the fortune teller’s shop, everyone breaks away dramatically. “alright, next time we’re definitely just getting advice from a normal person,” mai muttered.
“yea, like a psychologist , not a fortune teller,” jiyoon said, her face deadpan. “i swear, if we keep going like this, we’ll have to go to a veterinarian for the next crisis.”
“not a bad idea,” koko said, grinning. “maybe they’ll know how to deal with jeemin’s unnie cockroaches phase .”
as they walked back to the dorm with the jarred cockroach in tow, the group tried brainstorming what the “something or someone” could be.
“i’m telling you,” sarang said, lifting up jeemin’s ring. “it’s gotta be the ring! it’s always the ring in movies and stuff.”
“that’s ridiculous,” mai said, balancing the jar carefully in her hands. “the ring is probably just a coincidence. it’s not like it’s cursed or something.”
“then why is it the only thing jeemin unnie dropped before turning into… well, this?” sarang said, pointing the ring to the cockroach.
“honestly, it makes sense,” koko added, crossing her arms. “jeemin never takes off that ring. it’s like her second skin. what if the ring is the key to her transformation back?”
“that’s insane,” mai replied, shaking her head. “rings don’t just transform people into cockroaches. this isn’t a fantasy novel.”
“okay, but hear me out,” saebi jumped in. “maybe it’s not just the ring. maybe the ring is, like, her anchor to humanity. and when she dropped it, bam! bug mode activated.”
“that sounds like something straight out of a low-budget k-drama, the same like that one plot where it’s about a person turning into what? a fried chicken???” jungeun lifted her shoulders.
“excatly!” saebi beamed. “and those are always right about stuff like this.”
by the time they reached the dorm, the debate had reached peak absurdity, with theories flying left and right about the ring’s mystical properties.
“alright, fine!” mai snapped, setting the jar down on the coffee table. “let’s test this stupid theory. sarang, give me the ring.”
sarang hesitated, holding the ring protectively. “what if we mess it up and make her turn into, like, a butterfly or something?”
“well at least it’s better than being a cockroach.” jiyoon remarked with sarcasm.
“then we’ll deal with it later,” mai replied flatly, snatching the ring. “okay, jeemin, if this is the key, we’re gonna figure it out right now.”
the cockroach in the jar twitched its antennas, almost as if it was rolling its invisible bug eyes at them.
“alright, here we go,” mai said, taking a deep breath. she unscrewed the jar lid carefully and placed the ring on the table in front of the cockroach.
everyone leaned in, holding their breath.
“okay, jeemin, if this ring is your lifeline or similar, uh… do something,” mai demanded.
the cockroach hesitated for a moment, its antennas quivering. then, to everyone’s shock, it scuttled over to the ring, gently tapping it with one of its creepy little legs.
“OH MY GOD, IT’S WORKING!” saebi shouted, clapping her hands like a seal.
“wait, what’s happening?!” koko yelled as the cockroach suddenly started glowing faintly, a weird golden light emanating from its tiny body.
“is this… real?” jiyoon whispered, clutching jungeun’s arm in fear.
before anyone could answer, there was a blinding flash of light, and everyone screamed, stumbling backward. when the light faded, there, standing in the middle of the living room, was none other than jeemin human again, albeit looking a little confused and very disheveled.
jermin blinked, looking around at everyone. “uh… what just happened?”
the room exploded into chaos.
“JEEMIN UNNIE, YOU’RE BACK!” sarang launched herself at jeemin, hugging her like she hadn’t seen her in years, followed by others.
“WHAT WAS THAT?! HOW DID THAT WORK?!” mai shouted, pointing at the ring like it had personally insulted her.
“i told you it was the ring!” sarang crowed, doing a little victory dance. “i’m a genius!”
“you’re lucky that didn’t backfire and turn her into a giant spider,” jungeun muttered, shaking her head.
“wait, wait, wait,” jeemin said, holding up her hands to stop the chaos. “why was I… a cockroach?”
everyone froze, exchanging guilty glances.
“uh… long story short,” koko said, scratching the back of her neck, “we think it’s because you dropped your ring, and some weird mystical curse activated.”
jeemin frowned, looking at the ring still sitting on the table. “seriously? this stupid thing?”
“hey, don’t call it stupid!” sarang protested. “it literally just saved your life!”
jeemin sighed, picking up the ring and sliding it back onto her finger. “i can’t believe i turned into a bug because of a piece of jewelry. this is the dumbest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“well, you’re back now, so… yay?” mai said, collapsing onto the couch. “but seriously, jeemin, you owe us for dealing with that nightmare.”
“yeah,” jiyoon added, glaring at jeemin. “you’re paying for my therapy bills after this.”
jeemin just laughed, shaking her head. “fine, fine. i’ll make us all dinner or something. but next time? let’s leave the mystical curses to the professionals, okay?”
as the group finally settled down, koko leaned over to saebi and whispered, “still think we should’ve tried using pizzas.”
saebi grinned. “maybe next time.”