“If a god came down he could take me now / cause in my mind, we will always be / singing our hearts out, standing on chairs / spending our time like we are millionaires / laughing our heads off, the two of us there” ­ - millionaires, the script.

PAST

College's fun. Really, no sarcasm there. College's fun. Nayoung thought college was fun, because she also thought pain and suffering and dying were fun. So, college was very fun.

She told herself this as she downed her ninth cup of coffee that day. Hey, maybe if she drank about ten more cups of coffee she’d have a heart attack and die and wouldn't have to take her finals anymore. That was a comforting thought.

And you know what made college better? Revising your notes during an ungodly hour in your best friend’s apartment while she wasn't around to take care of her girlfriend and the breathing thing inside her womb, immediately stopping everything every time she heard the shout of-

“Nayoung!”

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes and throw or break anything (or, really, just wreak havoc anywhere), Nayoung stood from her place on the floor and entered the bedroom. “Yes?”

“I want ice cream.”

“For ’s sake, Chaeyeon, it’s 3-ing-AM and I haven’t finished revising my notes for my final exam in history later this afternoon and you’re asking for ice-ing-cream?!” was what she wanted to yell, but Chaeyeon was looking up at her with wide, teary eyes and pouting lips.

Besides, she was a good friend (why else would she be here taking care of this almost-nine-months old pregnant princess?), she didn’t yell at really sensitive friends.

Also, just a few more days and that baby’s out of Chaeyeon’s womb and, yay!, peace and rest for the whole squad. “Sure, let me check the freezer if you have some.”

“I just ate the last one.”

Nayoung sighed. “I’ll go visit your girlfriend in the store then.” Just as she was about to leave the room, she asked, “Should I call Suhyun or Eunwoo and ask them to look after you while I’m gone?”

“I’d rather you call Sejeong. Suhyun and Eunwoo will probably set the house on fire.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” she deadpanned, receiving a chuckle from Chaeyeon. “Fine, I’ll go call Sejeong. You can handle yourself for five minutes, right?”

“Sure, I can.”

-

She hung up as soon as she entered the convenience store. Raising a hand as a greeting, she walked past her clearly tired best friend and stopped in front of the freezer. “Hey, what flavor do you think Chaeyeon would want to eat now?”

“She can’t eat ice cream, it’s almost 4 am,” Heehyun shouted from the counter.

Nayoung didn’t reply and instead studied each sweet, sweet flavor stacked neatly inside. “She likes strawberry, right? She does.” She took a pint of Strawberry ice cream, one Vanilla, and a Cookies N Cream one for Sejeong. As she was about to go to the counter, she rolled her eyes and took a Coffee one too.

“I told you she’s not allowed to eat ice cream!”

“Look, Heehyun, I’m in the middle of breaking down so can you please just ing shut up?” Nayoung snapped, taking out her wallet and paying. “Get the coffee one. And why aren’t you reading your notes, do you want to stay another year in college just for History?”

“Contrary to the popular belief, I do review. And I’m already satisfied with my knowledge on that subject. I am from a family full of people who memorize everything, y’know.”

She shrugged. Family wasn’t really something she’d want to talk about now. “Are you taking her to your hospital? Chaeyeon?”

“No. My mom might kill her there.”

“It’s the nearest one here.”

Heehyun scowled. “No.”

“Fine.” She shrugged, feigning defeat. “But, seriously, maybe you should swallow your pride just a bit and let Chaeyeon get the treatment she needs. You do know that she’s delicate, right? This whole pregnancy thing’s a huge risk and you’re not taking her to the best hospital-”

“If you suddenly had a child and she wanted to be a singer, would you bring her to your mom?”

She paused. No, she wouldn’t. “I don’t see why that’s of any importance right now.”

“You act so high and mighty, like I should forgive my mom for disowning me and let her men get a grip on my girlfriend’s and our child’s lives. But you can’t even forgive your own mom.”

“What happened between me and my ‘mom’ is different, okay? She didn’t even visit her own mom the whole time she was at the hospital! It was your mom who visited Gram every day, not my mom. She doesn’t care for family.”

In one swift motion, Heehyun grabbed hold of Nayoung’s sleeve and pulled her close. “She does, it’s you who doesn’t.”

“Yeah, me? And you care so much about our family, huh? Is that why she sang a song about mother and daughter bull while you rapped to it? Is that it?”

Heehyun let go of her sleeve and swayed backward, keeping a safe distance between them. “It was a rap song. My mom clearly can’t sing to save her life. You clearly can’t rap. Why is it so wrong that we rapped and sang like we can?”

“Because she’s my mom,” she replied, leaning in to let Heehyun see the anger in her eyes. “She’s my mom and it doesn’t matter that I can’t rap and your mom can’t sing. Seeing you both singing a song about being a family while your own family watch from afar is not cool.”

“You don’t even treat her as your mom anymore.”

She scoffed. “And that makes it okay for you to steal her?”

Her friend returned her icy glare, baring her teeth. “I wasn’t stealing her. Ever since we were kids your parents were like my parents and vice versa. Even until my dad left my mom for another woman and your dad just disappeared. We went through everything together, we’re a family. It’s not just me and your mom, not just you and my mom. It’s all six of us.”

Six of them. As if it ever was six of them. It always was just the two of them alone with a whole lot of babysitters or just same old Gram. Their parents were rarely there, until, of course, they were but not for their own kids – for the other one.

She stared back and it might’ve been a lifetime they spent glaring at each other if some teenage kid didn’t come in right that moment and cleared his throat. They pulled away from each other, still glaring daggers, then Nayoung took the bag and left.

-

“Your girlfriend’s an ,” she announced to the apartment as she stepped in, still enraged. She found Sejeong and Chaeyeon on the couch with Chaeyeon covered in several blankets and Sejeong reading a book in Philosophy. “, when’s our final exam in Philo, Sejeong?”

Sejeong looked up and sent her a tired smile - one that immediately gave energy to Nayoung’s tired heart. “Tomorrow.”

“Damn it, I haven’t reviewed a single thing. You better help me out tomorrow,” she grumbled, passing by the kitchen to take three spoons and placing the ice cream on the table. “Here, Chae.” She handed the strawberry one to the pregnant woman.

“Wow, the great Kim Nayoung asking for my help? You sure you don’t want to pass?”

“Oh, off, you’re my only source of hope. I obviously can’t copy Eunwoo’s and Suhyun’s answers. Heehyun’s, well-”

“An ?” Chaeyeon offered.

Nayoung shrugged. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“What happened?”

“Family.” The two nodded and Nayoung almost laughed. Just 'family’ and they understood. “I just don’t get why she won’t let you give birth in her mom’s hospital.”

“Because she hates her mom as of this moment,” Chaeyeon answered truthfully, shrugging. If she were to be honest, every night she thought about how much she ed up Heehyun’s life over and over again simply by existing. And it was tiring.

But then come morning and she'd see Heehyun staring at her with those eyes full of love and suddenly she couldn't care. She just wished Nayoung and Heehyun could also overlook the bad things and focus on the good things when dealing with their moms.

“Yeah, she hates her mom. Yippee. It’s not like she’s the only one. She keeps on sticking by my mom’s side. Well, news flash, a dancer can’t save your life once something complicated happens!”

“That’s an absurd argument, Nayoung. You really should review Philosophy,” Sejeong countered.

But Nayoung didn’t care. Humans were funny like that, they forget all sane arguments and focus on being petty when their emotions were too much. “The point is, my mom’s my mom and her mom is her mom.”

“You know what? Just continue revising your notes,” Sejeong grumbled, pushing the notebook and book towards Nayoung. “You also have that removal exam for Physics, right?”

She sighed, remembering her grade of incomplete in Physics. She reviewed for that exam a whole week before because she absolutely adored the subject. But then there was a false alarm about Chaeyeon’s pregnancy and they (both her and Heehyun) had to run to the hospital minutes before the exam.

And they have to take a removal exam days before Christmas wearing costumes (because apparently their professor is an and will add a few points to their exam scores depending on how much she likes their costumes) to graduate on time because the class was only offered every first semester. There was no way in hell they’re going to stay another year just for Physics.

“I’m tired.”

Sejeong nodded, quite tired herself. “Go on, sleep. I’ll take care of Chaeyeon.”

“I don’t need anyone taking care of me.”

She laughed. “Of course you do, Chae. You’re pregnant.”

Nayoung nodded. “Yeah, if you didn’t need anyone to take care of you, I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d be at home revising my notes in peace.”

Out of the corner of her eyes, Nayoung saw Sejeong shift uncomfortably at the mention of ‘home’. She instantly felt guilty, remembering the little confrontation she had with Sejeong a few days ago about home.

Chaeyeon sensed the tension and obnoxiously the TV. “How about we all watch cliché dramas about the same old rich guy with crazed mother falls in love with lowlife girl? Huh? All this stress college brings won’t be good for our health.”

“It’s not like you’re stressed by college. You don’t even go anymore,” Sejeong argued, sitting beside her with a thud.

Nayoung followed her, sitting on Chaeyeon’s other side. “How about you try getting a princess injected inside you and having to nurse it for nine months, huh? Let’s see how much better your life will be then.”

Sejeong sent her a sarcastic smile. “I’d rather wait a few more years.”

-

Come the middle of December and Nayoung already wanted to die. Just a few more days of suffering and she’d get her well-deserved rest. But that also meant just a few more days before her removal exam in Physics aka judgement day and although she reviewed a lot, her anxiety was still at it.

The day of the exam, she dressed in her Wednesday Addams costume (make-up courtesy of Suhyun) and jumped in her car, driving by Heehyun’s apartment to pick her up. The girl was wearing a Jack Skellington attire with her face white as snow and a frown seen even in her eyes. They haven’t talked since their fight in the convenience store. And they definitely won’t talk now.

Nayoung never knew they can be this quiet.

Even as they sat beside each other (because they’re preschoolers and were seated alphabetically), they didn’t talk. Nayoung kinda liked it. It was peaceful.

Just as their professor was stacking the test papers and about to hand them out, Heehyun took out her phone and read a text. Nayoung watched her facial expression turn to shock, then fear, then joy, and lastly, panic. Heehyun turned to her, eyes wide. “Chaeyeon’s water broke!”

“What?!” she exclaimed, garnering stares from a few students. “, why now?”

“I don’t know but I need to be there!”

Nayoung nodded then abruptly stood up. She ran to their professor, with Heehyun following her right behind. “Can we re-schedule this exam?”

“Why?”

“You know Jung Chaeyeon? Um, only daughter of really rich guy, princess-y, can dance great?”

“Really, really pretty,” Heehyun added and Nayoung nodded.

Their professor merely stared blankly at them.

Nayoung cleared . “Um, you see, she’s going to give birth in a few hours or so and we really need to be there.”

“Why?”

They paused. Why? “What do you mean?”

Really, their professor’s gaze could rival Chaeyeon’s cold ones. “Do you hold her ?”

“It’s been months since I last did but-”

Nayoung slapped Heehyun’s shoulder, glaring. “Uh, no.”

“Then why does she need you to be there?”

“Because… moral support?” Their professor shook her head. Did all old ladies have sticks up their asses? “Look, this is a very important part of her life – our lives – and we need to be there.”

“Is it your kid?”

Nayoung widened her eyes, is their prof stupid? “It’s our whole group’s kid! We all suffered during the past nine months and we’ll raise that kid together, all eight of us. She’ll have eight mothers.”

“Cute. Now go back to your seats because I am not staying in this god forsaken campus another day just to give two incompetents like you another chance to take the exam. If you really need to go cheer by the sidelines as a child drops out of your friend, you’re free to go. And free to stay another year in college. Your choice.”

Heehyun advanced forward, eyes twitching. “Don’t you know who I am? I am Jack Skellington, king of Halloween, and you dare disrespect me?!”

“Damn it,” Nayoung grumbled, pulling Heehyun back from a mildly freaked out professor. “Once we finish, we’re free to go?”

“Of course.”

Heehyun and Nayoung looked at each other, newfound hope in their eyes. Then they ran to their seats and straightened their things. “For Dani,” Nayoung muttered, raising her pen.

Heehyun nodded and tapped Nayoung’s pen with her own. “For Dani.”

-

That must have been the fastest Nayoung had ever done on a test. And maybe they kinda bombed it but they’d worry about the results another time. They ran to their professor and handed their papers before running out to the parking lot, hearts beating fast. Nayoung took out her phone and dialed Suhyun’s number.

“Hey Nayoung.”

“Where are you all?”

“A few more minutes before we reach the hospital. I’m with Eunwoo and Haein. The traffic is horrible. Chaeyeon’s dad had to send a helicopter to pick up Chaeyeon, Sejeong, and Im and send them to the Ki hospital. I mean, Chaeyeon’s family’s wealth is absurd. And that’s coming from someone that was literally spoon-fed until her 8^th year of existence.”

“Ki hospital?” Heehyun looked up at her, alarmed. “Why there?”

“Well, it’s the closest hospital here. Besides, I think it’s the only hospital near with a parking lot for helicopters.”

“It’s not a parking lot.”

“Gee, Nayoung, sure, educate me about helicopter parking lots while a breathing creature’s about to come out of our dear friend’s and say ‘peek-a-boo’. Set your priorities straight. But seriously, don’t use a car.”

“What the are we supposed to use, then?”

“I don’t know, but if you use a car, Dani’s already a year old before you reach the hospital.”

Nayoung groaned, of course all misfortunes come to them right now. “Fine, fine. I’ll go find a way to get there faster. Tell Chaeyeon to wait for us.”

“You’re asking me to tell a pregnant woman to wait for you? She waited long enough, you er.”

“Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind, okay, you ?” she yelled to her phone before hanging up. Her exasperated gaze met Heehyun’s worried one. “Let’s go find Hayi. And, um, pass by the apartment to get my camera.”

“What for?”

Nayoung sent her a bewildered look. “This is Dani’s birth. We need to have pictures.”

-

“Have I ever told you that you’re as amazing as the girl in Three Idiots?” She smiled, channeling all brightness left in her into that forced smile. Which wasn’t a lot. “Because, you know, you are.”

Hayi raised an eyebrow (both at Nayoung’s statement and their costumes). “You never did.”

“Well, you are.”

Heehyun nodded, lips bleeding from chewing too much and fingers restless. “You are.”

“What do you need from me?”

“Can we use Red?”

Eyes widened, eyebrows raised. “What? My motorcycle?”

“Her motorcycle?” Heehyun echoed, eyes shaking as she stared at Nayoung. “We’re using her-”

“You taught me how to ride it and- and you said I’m a pro, right? Can we use it?”

“You don’t have a license, Nayoung.”

Heehyun’s eyes widened a bit more. Nayoung had never seen her so lost and clueless and afraid since the first time they were asked to go to a dentist. “You don’t have a license, Nayoung!”

“Yeah, but the thing is, Chaeyeon’s about to give birth and we need to be there. Eunwoo, Suhyun, and Haein got stuck in traffic for about an hour or so and I doubt Chaeyeon can wait for another hour. We need to be there.”

She sighed, weighing her options. If she let them use it, she wasn’t sure Red woul still come back in one piece; if she didn’t, Heehyun would probably combust in nervousness. “Fine, but I better be known as the cool aunt by that baby.”

“Well, that’s easy, she won’t really have another cool aunt anyway. Thanks!” Nayoung grinned, bouncing. She took the keys and helmet from Hayi and they ran to the motorcycle in the parking lot.

Heehyun was still fidgeting with everything she touched. “Are you sure you can drive us there?”

Nayoung shrugged, letting Heehyun climb on the motorcycle behind her. “If ever we get on an accident, an ambulance will take us to the hospital and that’d be quick. Either way, we’ll end up in the hospital. It’s a win-win situation.”

-

“We’re here!” they yelled as they ran in the halls of the emergency rooms. They spotted their friends at the other end, beckoning for them to run faster.

They did, and quite frankly, Nayoung was dead tired from all these running and riding and running again. That was enough exercise for two months, she concluded.

“What happened is she oka- ouch!” Sejeong grabbed her wrist before she falls on her face. She muttered a thanks before standing straight and looking at her friends. “Where is she? How is she?”

“She needs Heehyun right ing now,” Haein said, harshly pushing the dazed rapper into the emergency room and throwing in a ‘have fun!’ before closing the doors.

“Have fun?” Suhyun repeated incredulously. “Have fun?”

Haien shrugged. “This is a pretty big day, it should be filled with happiness.”

“When did you two switch souls?” Nayoung asked through short breaths. “Water, please.”

“How was your exam?”

She looked up at her same named friend as she gulped down the water Sejeong kindly handed her. “I’m pretty sure we failed it miserably and we’ll have to stay another year in college, but what matters is right now.”

“I just realized the first time Dani’s going to meet Heehyun, she’s wearing that costume,” Eunwoo speaked, eyes wide. “If this isn’t an iconic moment, I don’t know what is.”

“We’re turning into an awful sitcom,” Haein voiced out as her lips curled upwards in disgust. But then she smiled and the others laughed. “We’re FRIENDS 2.0.”

“FRIENDS is not an awful sitcom, you ! And we’re not as great as FRIENDS, come on,” Nayoung disagreed, then she nudged Im jokingly. “Go adopt a pet monkey then maybe we’ll be as great as they are.”

Im stared back emotionlessly, obviously done with their bull. The others groaned at her. She pulled Suhyun to her side and said, “But I already have a pet monkey.”

“Jerk!” Suhyun exclaimed, pulling away and slapping Im’s shoulder.

They all laughed at this and continued joking around as Chaeyeon and Heehyun battle all forms of evil inside the emergency room just to get the kid out of Chaeyeon. It was what they do best – laugh and pretend everything was sure to be okay whenever they weren't so sure.

-

Heehyun emerged the room an hour later, forehead sweating and eyes dazed, streaks of black running down her cheeks. They stood and gathered around her. She looked up, eyes watery. “She’s… she’s here.” With shaking hands, she lifted up a white handkerchief. Several pairs of eyes focused on the print on it – a bloody footprint less than the size of three of Im’s fingers.

Sejeong gasped, tears filling her eyes. There was a mutter of ‘oh my god’ and another of ‘holy ’ – most probably Suhyun and Eunwoo. Im stood there, a huge smile breaking her usually careless expression. Haein sobbed.

Nayoung hugged Heehyun tight – the others follow. After a few moments of dramatic and cringe inducing hugging, Heehyun pulled away. “You guys want to see her?”

“We can?”

She nodded. “Just wash your hands first.”

Without further ado, they lined up by the sink and washed their hands thoroughly. Then they followed Heehyun inside the room.

There she was, Chaeyeon, holding a toy-like baby in her arms, a smile brightening up the dull hospital room. She looked up at them – eyes as watery and happy as their own – as she held up the baby weakly. “Dani-ah, look at your aunties.”

“Don’t say that,” Nayoung muttered and she raised her eyebrows – surprised that voice sounded so thin and emotional. She cleared . “You make us sound like we’re old.”

Eunwoo was first to step forward, although hesitantly. “She’s… wow. Pregnancy isn’t a myth.”

Haein also took a step. “Can we- um, can we hold her?”

Heehyun nodded and took Dani from Chaeyeon, putting the little child in Haein’s arms. Haein immediately started crying harder and handed Dani to Eunwoo. “She’s alive.”

“Damn, you sound like Dr. Frankenstein,” Suhyun teased but the usual mischief was absent from her tone. She in a sharp breath. “But wow, she’s alive.”

“You’re parents,” Sejeong told Chaeyeon and Heehyun, happiness lacing her voice. “You’re officially parents. As of the 23^rd of December, year 2010, 7:13 PM, you’re Kim Danielle’s parents.”

Chaeyeon smiled at her, shaking her head. “Actually, it’s kinda like we all are.”

Nayoung abruptly took her camera from her pocket and handed it to a nearby nurse. “Can you take a picture of us?”

The nurse nodded and they all gathered around Chaeyeon, handing Dani to her.

“1… 2… 3…”

Sejeong complained about Im standing before her, making it hard for her to be seen in the frame.

“1… 2… 3…”

Suhyun told them she blinked and Eunwoo said she wasn’t ready.

“1… 2… 3…”

They all settled and smiled for the camera, faces devoid of any worries and smiles as genuine as can be, looking like a family of misfits fitting together.

As Nayoung took her camera back from the nurse and studied the pictures taken, she smiled. This would be a new addition to her photo journal, and her new favorite.

They continued admiring Dani enthusiastically, all happiness and smiles. That moment, it was the moment Nayoung would never in her whole life forget. A proof that things and situations could change so easily and drastically. Because none of them could’ve suspected that moment that it would be the last picture of all eight of them in one frame until the next four years.

-

It was midnight and they were all sprawled around Chaeyeon’s hospital room. The others were tired but Haein’s still awake so both Nayoung and her walked to the place where the babies are.

“Can you believe Chaeyeon carried that in her for nine months?” Nayoung asked, forehead leaning on the glass and finger poking it, pointing directly at the baby with the “Kim Danielle” on the crib thing. “Can you believe that was the source of our suffering for nine months?”

Haein chuckled. “I just can’t believe the nine months is done. Can you believe nine months passed since it started?”

“Can you believe we’re graduating in a few more months?”

“Can you believe we’re actually graduating?”

Nayoung shook her head, also laughing quietly under her breath at the ‘can you believe’ game they were playing. “You think things will change then?”

The older of the two shrugged. “Probably? I mean… isn’t that inevitable?”

Nayoung sighed, pouting. She leaned her forehead against the glass once more. “I wish it wasn’t.”

“Nayoung-ah?”

They both look up at the newcomer and Nayoung grinned widely. “Better Ki!” she greeted as she hugged the woman. “Are you here to check on Heehyun’s kid?”

Dr. Ki didn’t return the smile. “She doesn’t have a kid.”

Nayoung shrunk back, shoulder sagging. “Still not accepting it?”

“Never will,” is the woman’s answer as she stared through the glass. “I never will.”

The look in her eyes said the exact opposite though, and Nayoung saw it. “Sure,” she replied, eyes also going back to Dani. “She’s really healthy. The pushing and screaming and cursing the world part went by pretty smoothly. The ride here was torture though.”

Dr. Ki nodded, side-eyeing Nayoung. “Is that why you look like a little kid on the way to school?”

“I am Wednesday Addams, for your information, you old lady. But you don’t know her anyway because you’re old.”

“Ah, the Addams family. For your information, that was during the time I was a kid.”

“You were just a kid then? Weren’t you in your fifties?”

Dr. Ki slightly smiled. “.” She finally noticed Haein standing awkwardly beside Nayoung. “You’re either Sejeong or Haein but seeing that Nayoung isn’t blushing madly around you, I’m guessing you’re the latter.”

Haein’s eyes widened and she immediately bowed as Nayoung rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to hit the doctor. “I am.”

“You’re Suhyun’s girl?”

“What?” Nayoung almost laughed at how wide Haein’s eyes became. Haein shook her head multiple times. “I’m not- I’m not. I never was. I never will-”

“Darling, Eunwoo and Nayoung both have big mouths so I know everything,” Dr. Ki told her as she smiled gently. “Don’t worry. Suhyun’s a keeper. Promise me you won’t ever hurt her.”

“I’m not-”

“Will you? Promise me, I mean? She’s like my kid. They all are. I’ve been there since they were born. Much like how you’re here ever since Dani’s born. You’ll all probably raise her together much like how me and my friends raised Heehyun and her friends together. And once someone hurts Dani – it’s not something that can be stopped – you’d all be heartbroken, I’m sure.”

Haein nodded meekly. “We will be.”

“That’s why I need you to promise you won’t hurt Suhyun purposely,” Dr. Ki mused, raising her pinky. “Pinky promise. It’s the most sacred of all promises, right?”

Again, Haein nodded. Then she linked her pinky with Dr. Ki’s. “I promise, I won’t.”

“Great,” Dr. Ki muttered, taking her pinky back and gaze going back to Dani. “Please don’t tell Heehyun I was here.”

Nayoung nodded. “Sure.”

“I’ll be going then. There’s too much to do. I just-” wanted to check on my daughter’s kid, was what Nayoung knew she wanted to say, “-wanted to check on the babies here. There were a few problems with the machines here a few weeks ago and I needed to make sure they’re okay now. It was nice seeing you both. It was nice meeting you, Haein.”

They both smiled weakly in return and watched as the doctor walked away from them, composure as calm as ever.

But Nayoung knew she wasn't at all calm, and so she wondered if her mom also secretly cared for her too, despite her lack of everything her mother wanted.

She concluded that was highly unlikely and went back to gushing about Dani while worrying about the future with Haein.

-

“Hey, why are you still awake?”

Nayoung looked up from her seat on the balcony of Chaeyeon’s room. She smiled at Sejeong. “Can’t sleep. As usual.”

Sejeong sat beside her and looked up at the night sky with her. “Winter is a good time to stargaze, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Nayoung.”

She turned her head and sent her a quirked eyebrow. She noticed Sejeong’s lower lip bleeding and knew it was because the girl always chewed on her lips when she was thinking too much about something. Resisting the urge to wipe the blood, she replied, “Yeah?”

“When you said the apartment wasn’t our home, what did you mean?”

She averted her eyes quickly and looks back up at the sky. “Nothing.”

“That obviously didn’t mean nothing.”

“Do you want me to be honest?”

“Please.”

She poked her tongue out between her lips and them. “Home is where you go back to after a tiring night, isn’t it? It’s not something you leave every time. That’s why our house in Gangnam isn’t a home to my parents. That’s why the house next door isn’t home to Heehyun’s parents. Because they always leave. You know why our apartment isn’t our home, Sejeong?”

“Because I always leave?”

She nodded. “And you know who your home is?”

“Joonyoung.”

“Exactly.”

“You’re wrong.” Nayoung raised an eyebrow at her. “You really are, Nayoung. Sure, you’re right that the apartment isn’t my home. But it’s not Joonyoung either. It’s you.”

Nayoung scoffed, mocking.

“I’m not lying. It’s really you. You’re the one I want to go to when the world crashes down and you’re the one I want to go to when I want to celebrate. You’re also the one I want to go to when I just don’t want anything particular to do – when I just want to watch the sky turn bright and listen to the busy streets down below. You’re my home.”

“I wish I can believe that, Sejeong. Because you’re my home and wouldn’t it be fantastic if we were each other’s homes? We wouldn’t need anyone else.”

“Maybe we already don’t need anyone else,” Sejeong replied. Then she shrugged. “Except, of course, the little ball of sunshine and six idiots inside.”

Nayoung sat up straighter and finally conceded to the temptation of wiping the blood from Sejeong’s lips. She smiled, albeit weakly. “Maybe.”

But things weren’t supposed to be that easy. Just because you say something doesn’t mean you won't do otherwise. Just because you love someone doesn’t mean they’d love you back.

The sun rose a bit later. And it didn’t only mark the start of the day, it also marked the start of the end.

A/N:

So, yeah, everyone please sue me for lying when I said I'd update more frequently. My brain just didn't have enough energy to think and write. Besides, the sem still hasn't ended. (I swear it never does, send help!!) Also, one more week (i think) and summer classes start, so maybe I'd be able to write more then because I write when I'm procrastinating (don't be like me). But no promises. I hope you liked this chapter.