Seolhyun spent the rest of the day at Hyejeong’s house, watching a marathon of Masterchef Korea with the twin sisters while she waited for Mina. She had to come home sometime. That’s what Hyejeong said.

It was almost dusk when she returned. Seolhyun hopped up from the couch, startling Youkyung, who had dozed off. “Is everything okay?” She was wide awake now.

Hyejeong leaned over, taking Seolhyun’s spot. “Everything’s fine.”

Youkyung stared back for a long second and then refocused on the carrot soup on the TV. Knowing what Seolhyun wanted to do without even telling her, Hyejeong nodded.

Mina started for the stairs without saying a word. “Do you have a couple of minutes?” Seolhyun asked.

“Not really,” she threw over her shoulder as she continued up the stairs.

Seolhyun followed her. “Well, if you only have a minute, then I’m taking up that minute.”

Stopping at the top of the stairs, Mina turned around. For a moment, Seolhyun thought she might push her down the steps, which would totally fail her make-up plans. “All right,” she said, and then sighed. “We might as well get this over with.”

Not the way Seolhyun wanted to start this conversation, but at least Mina was talking to her. Seolhyun followed her into her bedroom. Like every time before, she was overwhelmed by the amount of pink. Pink walls. Pink bed coverings. Pink laptop. Pink throw carpet. Pink lampshades.

Mina moved to the window seat and sat, crossing her slender ankles. “What do you want, Seolhyun?”

Seolhyun sat on the edge of her bed. All day, she had planned out this long speech, but suddenly, she just wanted to reach her and hug her tight. She wanted her best friend back. “I don’t know where to start,” Seolhyun admitted quietly.

A look of impatience pinched Mina’s delicate features. “Maybe start with why you lied to me for months?”

Seolhyun flinched, but she deserved that question. “The following nights after we fought Jin brothers, I don’t know what happened, but I connected with your sister. We... we think it was because Hyejeong had healed me before– my bleeding fingers. Somehow those healings had already blended us together.”

Mina’s shoulders tensed. “The first lie, right? She told me you were fine, and I was stupid for believing her. You looked... really bad. And afterward, when Hyejeong was gone, you didn’t act right. I should’ve known something was up.” She gave a little shake of her head. “Anyway, you could’ve told me the truth. I wouldn’t have flipped out or anything.”

“I know.” Seolhyun rushed to agree. “But we weren’t sure what really happened. We thought it would be best not to say anything until we found out. And by the time we realized we were connected somehow, everything... everything else was going on.”

“Jimin?” She spat out the name, dropping the piece of her hair.

“Her... and other things.” Seolhyun wanted to sit beside her, but she knew not to push it. “Things started happening to me. I would want a glass of tea, and the glass would fly out of the cupboard. I couldn’t control it, and I was so afraid of exposing you guys somehow.”

Mina looked at her then. “You told Hyejeong, though.”

Seolhyun nodded. “Only because I thought maybe she knew what was happening, since she healed me. It wasn’t because I trusted her more than you.”

“But you stopped hanging out with me.”

Seolhyun’s cheeks flushed with shame. She had made so, so many poor decisions. “I thought it was the right thing to do. That if I ended up moving something without meaning to around you, I didn’t want you to get caught up in it.”

Mina barked a short laugh. “You’re so like Hyejeong. Always thinking you know better than everyone else.” Seolhyun started to respond, but she went on. “I could’ve always helped you.”

“I’m sorry.” Seolhyun wished those two words could take back everything she had done wrong. “I’m really–”

“What about Jimin?” Her hard stare met Seolhyun’s.

“I didn’t know what she was at first. Honestly, I liked her because she was normal. She wasn’t like Hyejeong and I thought... I thought I didn’t have to question why Jimin seemed to like me.” Seolhyun laughed, the sound just as harsh as Mina’s. “I was an idiot. Right off, Hyejeong didn’t trust Jimin. I thought she was jealous or just being Hyejeong. But then there was this Kloom that came into the diner when I was with Jimin, and I found out what she was.”

Mina faded out and reappeared by her dresser, hands on her hips. “So, let me get this right. There was a Kloom, and never once did you think about telling me or any of the others?”

Seolhyun twisted toward her. “I did, but Jimin killed that one and Hyejeong knew. And we were watching for them–”

“Sounds like a lame excuse to me.” Was it an excuse? It was, because Seolhyun should’ve told them. She swallowed the sudden lump in . Mina’s eyes flashed bright. “You have no idea how hard it was to keep everything from you in the beginning! How worried I was that you’d get hurt just being around us and...” She stopped, closing her eyes. “I can’t believe Hyejeong kept this from me.”

“You shouldn’t be upset with Hyejeong. She did everything to stop this. It was my fault– that if I knew how to control my abilities, I could fight, I could help you guys. You would no longer need to protect me or be worried about me. I wouldn’t be your problem.”

Mina’s eyes snapped open. “You were never a problem to me, Seolhyun! You were my best friend. My first, only real friend. And yeah, I’m a little slow on how the whole friendship thing works, but I do know that friends are supposed to trust each other. And you should’ve known that I never saw you as being weak or a problem.”

“I...” Seolhyun puttered out, not knowing what to say.

“You never believed in our friendship.” Wetness gathered in her eyes, and Seolhyun felt like the biggest fool ever. “That’s the part that kills me. From the beginning, you didn’t believe in me.”

“I did!” Seolhyun started to stand, but she froze. “I made stupid decisions, Mina. I made mistakes. And by the time I realized how bad my mistakes were, it was...”

“Too late,” she whispered. “It was too late, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Seolhyun took a breath, but it got stuck. “Jimin was who she was, and everything that happened was because of me. I know that.”

Mina came forward, her steps measured and slow. “How long did you know about Yuna and Chanmi– hell, Youkyung?”

Seolhyun lifted her gaze, meeting hers. A huge part of her wanted to lie, wanted to say it wasn’t until Dr. Park confirmed it, but she couldn’t. “I saw Yuna at the grocery store. And then Jonghyun confirmed that if Yuna was alive, Youkyung had to be. We didn’t know if we could find her or get her back. We didn’t want to get your hopes up only for you to lose her again–”

Mina stared at Seolhyun like she didn’t even know her. “That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Let me guess, it was Hyejeong’s idea? Because it sounds like her. She’d want to protect me at the same time as she was holding me back, hurting me.”

“Hyejeong–”

“Don’t,” she said, turning away. Her voice shook. “Don’t defend her. I know my sister. I know she has good intentions that usually just . But you, you know how much losing Youkyung hurt. It wasn’t just Hyejeong who lost her . I may not have moved the house off the foundation, but a part of me died the day I was told she was dead. I deserved to know the moment you thought she was alive.”

“You’re right.”

“Okay. Okay... all of that aside. If you had told me about what was going on with Jimin, Minhyuk and I would’ve known what we were walking into. We still would’ve done it, believe me, we would’ve gone into that house to help you, but we wouldn’t have been blindsided.”

Seolhyun’s throat seized up. Her shoulders sagged under the weight. Saying sorry wasn’t going to smooth that over, not for Mina or her. All she could do now was move forward and try to make up for it.

The anger seeped out of Mina as she watched Seolhyun. Walking back to the window seat, she sat, tucking her legs against her chest. She rested her cheek on her knees. “And now you guys are making another mistake.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Seolhyun said. “We really don’t.”

“Yes, you do. We could take care of Jimin and whoever she’s told.”

“What about Youkyung?” Seolhyun asked quietly.

Mina didn’t answer for a long time. “I know I should be able to put aside how I feel about Jimin for her, but I can’t. It’s wrong. I know. But I can’t.”

Seolhyun nodded. “I don’t expect you to, but I don’t want things to be like this between us. There’s got to be a way...” Pride went out the window. “Damn, I miss you, Mina, and I hate that we haven’t been talking and that you’re upset with me. I want to get past this.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Tears burned the back of Seolhyun’s throat. “What can I do to fix this?”

“You can’t. And I can’t, either.” Mina shook her head sadly. “I can’t fix Minhyuk’s death. I can’t fix why you and Hyejeong think working with Jimin is a good thing. And I can’t fix our friendship. Some things are just broken.”

The next day...

Seolhyun spent Tuesday morning with her mom. She wanted to spend time with her.

Tonight, Hyejeong and her were meeting Jimin. Only them, per her request. Jonghyun and Yonghwa were going to play parking-lot spies as backup, since Mina and Youkyung, for very different reasons, had been banned from coming within a mile of the place.

There was no telling what was going to happen, though. This could be Seolhyun’s last Tuedsay, her last anything with her mom. And that made the whole experience bittersweet and scary. So many times over breakfast and while she wanted to tell her what was going on, but she couldn’t. And even if she could, the words probably wouldn’t have come out. Mrs. Kim was having fun, thrilled to spend time with her daughter, and Seolhyun couldn’t bring herself to ruin it.

But the what-ifs haunted her. What if this were a trap? What if the AOE or Icarus took them in? What if she became Yuna and her mom never heard from her again? What if she moved back to Seoul to escape the memory of Seolhyun?

Hyejeong made no sound as she eased Seolhyun’s door open and slid though, a wicked glint in her eyes. “Your mom’s asleep?”

Seolhyun nodded.

Hyejeong shut the door behind her. Seconds later, she was sitting beside Seolhyun. “You’re worried.”

How Hyejeong knew was beyond her. Seolhyun started to tell her that she wasn’t worried, because she hated the idea of Hyejeong stressing out over her or thinking she was weak, but Seolhyun didn’t want to be strong right now. She needed comfort. She wanted her. “Yeah, a little.”

Hyejeong smiled. “It’s going to be okay. No matter what, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

She ran the tips of her fingers down Seolhyun’s cheek. Seolhyun realized then that she could have both. She could freak out a little on the inside and need her, but she could still be strong enough to get up at six and meet their fate head-on.

Wordlessly, Seolhyun shifted, giving her room. Hyejeong slid under the covers, throwing a heavy arm over Seolhyun’s waist. She curled against her, resting her head under Hyejeong’s chin, her hands folded on her chest. Using her fingers, Seolhyun drew a heart above Hyejeong’s, and she chuckled.

They lay there for a couple of hours. Sometimes talking and laughing quietly, making sure they didn’t wake Seolhyun’s mom. For a while, they dozed together. Other times, they kissed and the kissing, well, it took up most of the time.

Hyejeong was just so damn good at it.

Seolhyun’s lips felt swollen as she grinned at her. She loved running her fingers through the nape of Hyejeong’s neck, straightening the strands out and watching them spring back into place. And Hyejeong liked when Seolhyun played with it. Closing her eyes, Hyejeong tilted her head to the side so Seolhyun got better access, much like a cat stretching to be petted.

Ah, the little things in life.

“Hyejeong–”

Footsteps trotted down the hall. Hyejeong faded out above her, reappearing at Seolhyun’s desk chair. Grinning shamelessly, she picked up a book as Seolhyun fixed herself.

“Book’s upside down,” Seolhyun taunted, smoothing her hand over her hair.

Laughing under her breath, Hyejeong turned it over and cracked it open. With seconds to spare, Mrs. Kim knocked on the door and then opened it. Her eyes shot from the bed to the chair.

“Hello, Mrs. Kim,” Hyejeong said. “You look well-rested.”

Seolhyun shot her a look and then clamped her hand over , stifling her giggles.

Her mom arched a brow. Her expression basically read WTF, and Seolhyun almost lost it. “Good evening, Hyejeong.” She turned to her daughter, eyes narrowing.

“Sorry. We didn’t want to wake you.”

“How considerate, but the door stays open.”

When her footsteps receded, Hyejeong chucked the book at Seolhyun’s head. Seolhyun raised her hand, stopping it so that it hovered, and snatched it out of the air. “Breaking Dawn? Nice reading material.”

Hyejeong’s eyes narrowed. “Shut up.”

Seolhyun giggled.

***

There was no laughter as they pulled into Diner Dash’s parking lot a little before six. Looking over her shoulder, Seolhyun saw Jonghyun’s SUV parked in the back. Seolhyun seriously hoped he and Yonghwa paid attention.

“The AOE isn’t going to bust up in here,” Hyejeong said, pulling out the keys. “Not in public.”

“But Jimin could freeze the entire place.”

“So can I.”

“Oh. I’ve never seen you do that.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, you have. I froze the truck. Remember? Saved your life and all?”

“Ah, yes.” Seolhyun hid a grin. “You did do that.”

Hyejeong reached over, flicking Seolhyun gently under the chin. “Yeah, you better remember that. Plus, I’m not a show-off.”

Opening the door, Seolhyun laughed. “You? Not a show-off? Okay.”

Hyejeong shot her a grin as they headed in. Seolhyun scanned the restaurant for Jimin, her gaze dipping over the natural rock clusters jutting out of the floors and beside the booths, but she wasn’t there yet. The server seated them in a booth near the back, cozied up to the roaring fireplace.

A waitress appeared, wearing a bright smile. “Hyejeong, how are you doing? Haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Good. How about you, Haein?”

Of course Seolhyun had to give her more than a passing look, since the two were on a first-name basis. Not out of jealousy or anything. Yeah, right. Haein was older than them but not by much. Maybe early twenties, but she was really, really pretty with all that black hair piled up in thick curls, surrounding a porcelain complexion.

Okay, she was beautiful... as in, Felix beautiful.

Seolhyun sat straighter.

“I’ve been real good,” she said. “I stepped down from managing since the babies. Working part-time instead, since they’re a handful, but you and your family should visit soon, especially since...” She looked at Seolhyun for the first time, and her smile drooped. “Since Youkyung has come back. We would love to see both of you.”

Total alien, Seolhyun thought.

“We’d love to do that.” Hyejeong glanced at Seolhyun and winked slyly. “By the way, Haein, this is my girlfriend, Seolhyun.”

Seolhyun felt a ridiculous surge of pleasure as she extended her hand. “Hi.”

Haein blinked, and Seolhyun would swear her face got even whiter. “Girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend,” Hyejeong repeated.

She recovered fast and shook Seolhyun’s hand. A faint spark jumped from her skin to Seolhyun’s, and she pretended not to notice. “Nice to meet you,” she said, quickly releasing her hand. “Uh, what can I get you two?”

“Two Cokes,” Hyejeong ordered.

Haein skedaddled off after that, and Seolhyun raised her brows at Hyejeong. “Haein...?”

Hyejeong dropped her arm over the back of the booth and stretched out her legs. “Are you jealous, Seolhyun?”

“Pfft. Whatever.”

Haein returned with their drinks and asked if they wanted to wait until their friend joined them to place their orders. That was a big fat no. Hyejeong ordered triple set of sandwiches while Seolhyun decided to eat the fries.

“Nothing’s going to happen,” Hyejeong said, voice low. “Okay?”

Putting on a brave face, Seolhyun nodded as she looked around the diner. “I just want to get this over with.”

Not even a minute later, the bells above the door jingled and before Seolhyun could glance up, Hyejeong stiffened beside her. Hazel eyes came into view, locked on their table from the door.

Jimin was here.

She had a confident air about her as she walked up to their table, but it had nothing on Hyejeong’s deadly swagger or the cool and arrogant smile she was wearing that instant. It was a purely predatory look.

Suddenly, Seolhyun wasn’t sure a public place was a good idea.

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