Epilogue
24Hours
"Mina, wake up, we're about to land." Nayeon said, pushing the long black locks away from her closed eyes.
The younger girl grunted, shifting in her seat. She opened her eyes and met Nayeon's.
"My shoulder's a good pillow, huh?"
Mina smiled. She arched her back and stretched her arms to release the tension in her muscles, while Nayeon woke Tzuyu up (who also thought Nayeon's shoulder would be a good pillow). Mina didn't know how she was able to sleep through the whole flight with so much anxiety and excitement, but she was glad she did.
It had been a year since Momo left to Korea and became a trainee. It had been a year since the last time they'd seen each other.
Momo and Sana were both accepted in JYPE. They had just a couple months to learn the most Korean they could before departing to a complete foreign country, with a foreign culture and people.
Leaving Mina and Tzuyu behind was one of the hardest things both sisters ever had to do. But they held on to the promises they made to each other – that they would be strong, no matter how hard things became in the meantime.
And weren't things hard...
No matter how much they thought they prepared themselves for living as trainees, they couldn't have possibly been ready for what it was really like. The intense, long training hours every day, the extreme diets, the lack of sleep, the mental exhaustion.
The fact that they were foreign only made everything harder. In their already full schedule, they had to find time to take Korean lessons. And making friends in the company was not the easiest task, especially if you could barely hold a conversation.
And if that wasn't enough already, they spent weeks without even talking to their girlfriends, friends or family, because they weren't allowed to have a phone. They missed them so much, to a point they actually wanted to give up. And at a certain point, they asked themselves if it was worth it. All the pain, both physical and mental... would it be worth it one day? Was that really what they wanted to do with their lives?
But every time they doubted themselves and their choice, Momo and Sana had each other. That alone could carry them through it all, but there was also the promise Tzuyu and Mina had made them – they would audition every single month until they were accepted.
And so, one year later, Tzuyu, Mina, and Nayeon auditioned together and got accepted in JYP.
It wasn't easy for Mina to leave her mother behind, but with her blessing and support she found the strength to do it. Even her father was proud of her.
Victoria was happy to see her daughter walk the same path she once did before she had children and opened a dance school. Pinky herself was motivated by her sister's success and was accepted in a different company. She would, however, leave a few weeks later than Tzuyu.
As for Nayeon, she missed her home country, and the city she used to live in until she was ten. She couldn't help but feel lonely and a little envious of Mina and Tzuyu, who would see their girlfriends everyday, while she had to leave her boyfriend, Jungwon, back in Japan. But Jungwon would meet her in Korea as soon as he finished college, to pursue a musical career.
---
No one told either Momo or Sana they would be travelling to Seoul, and much less that they'd been accepted in the company.
Mina couldn't keep her body quiet in the taxi. She tried to look outside the window, to get a good look at the city that would be her home, but her heart wanted to jump from her chest, while she picked on her nails and tapped her feet furiously. Nayeon noticed, and s her hand to grab Mina's.
"I hope that's all excitement."
Mina gave her a half smile.
"I don't know. I'm excited, alright, but I'm just as nervous." Mina sighed.
"Well, that's only natural, since you're going to see Momo again." Nayeon grinned.
Tzuyu sat by the other window, supporting her chin on her hand.
"How are you feeling?" Nayeon asked, seeing her so thoughtful.
"Overwhelmed." She simple answered, meeting Nayeon's eyes for a couple seconds.
Nayeon sighed and giggled to herself. She placed her arms around the girl's shoulders and pulled them closer.
"Be happy. You're about to see the people you miss so much, and we're going to live our dreams together!"
Mina and Tzuyu smiled. Even though Nayeon was only two years older, she acted like a mom, and they were glad they had her in their lives.
---
The trip was faster than they expected. The residential building they were going to live in was five storeys tall, and walking distance to the training building. They still had no idea with who they would be living with. They didn't even know if Momo and Sana were in that building as well.
If there was a bunch of people per apartment, it would make sense if they were to stay with Momo and Sana, since they all came from Japan. At least, it made a lot of sense to Mina.
One of the company managers, a short girl, with a bob cut and round glasses was waiting in the building hall, and would be showing them their apartment.
It was in the third floor. A large area with a small kitchen, two bathrooms and three bedrooms. It wasn't bad, at all – the house looked and smelled clean, modestly decorated and in good conditions.
They followed the manager into one of the rooms – the empty one, the one the three of them would share. They chose their beds and started unpacking their things, waiting for further instructions from the manager.
Nayeon let her body fall to her bed with open arms and a smile on her lips.
"It's happening." She muttered, still audible in the deep silence of the room.
"It is." Tzuyu muttered back, sitting in her bed with crossed legs.
Mina tried to sit down too, but she still couldn't stop her jittering body. She could only wonder where Momo was, what was she doing, and especially, who were the people living in that same house.
When would she even be able to see her? The continuous waiting only made her stomach twist with every passing second. After they settled in, the manager took them on a tour of the company.
Mina widened her eyes at the sight. It was as if reality just hit her, finally – because she was about to enter the JYPE building, as a trainee.
Mina was so struck she forgot about Momo for a split second. But that didn't last long, as they walked by the dance studio and she heard a familiar song play. Mina’s heart stopped and the knot on her stomach grew to the point she felt sick.
Her feet moved on their own, making a stunned Mina follow Nayeon, Tzuyu and their manager. But when her mind came back to her body, she stopped moving.
“Is everything okay?” The manager asked, surprised by how pale Mina looked.
“I’m sorry, I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll catch up in a minute.” And she stormed back, hoping they would continue their way so they wouldn’t be able to tell what she was up to.
Mina stood in front of the door, her trembling hand finding its way to grab the doorknob. The song was still playing inside, starting again. Was it playing on repeat?
For a second, Mina actually thought she was growing crazy. But she blamed it on Momo.
So, without giving it any more thought, she slowly turned the doorknob. She peeked inside and contracted. There was only a girl, so focused she didn’t notice Mina. She had long, brown hair, and Mina automatically noticed the absence of her bangs.
She wanted to stay still and watch her dance, but the wait had been way too long already. Mina stepped inside, closing the door behind her and finally met Momo’s eyes in the mirror.
Momo froze, and only her eyes widened. They stood like that for several seconds, trying to figure out if their eyes weren’t playing a bad joke at them.
Mina took a small step closer, and another, until she closed any physical gap between their bodies, hugging her from behind. Her arms squeezed Momo's stomach so hard she was sure she was unable to breathe.
“Mina.” Was the only word Momo’s lips could verbalize, even though Mina couldn't hear it over 24 Hours playing in the room.
Mina trembled, with tears falling on Momo’s tank top. Just as before, Mina was hit by reality. The reality where Momo was beside her again.
Momo turned with much difficulty under Mina’s strong grip, and looked into her shining eyes. She didn’t understand what was happening, but she could think about that later.
Hoping there were no cameras in the room, Momo cupped Mina’s cheeks and leaned for the moment she had been waiting for in the past year.
The sweet, soft kiss soon became urgent and sloppy, like they had to make it up for all the time they hadn’t tasted each other’s lips.
Momo was aware that someone could come in, but did it matter? Mina was in her arms, Mina’s hands were touching her so roughly, yet with so softly, and her lips were on hers.
After what it felt like an eternity, they pulled away, panting. Mina took a good look at Momo’s features. One year went by, but Momo seemed younger. Her eyes though, were the same. They still shined like they used to when they met Mina’s. And her smile was even more beautiful. Maybe because Mina didn’t remember the last time she saw it, so she had to rely on photos and memories.
“I wish I could stay, but I told them I needed to go to the bathroom, so I need to go back.” Mina said.
Momo frowned.
“Who’s them? W-Where are you going?” Momo asked in panic, like Mina was going to leave her forever.
“No time to explain now, I’m sorry Momoring. Just tell me, where are you living?”
“The... dorm?”
“Third floor, apartment C.” Mina stated, instead of asking.
"Y-Yes."
Mina grinned and leaned to peck Momo’s lips.
“See you later, then.”
---
Nayeon and Tzuyu couldn’t believe what Mina told them. Tzuyu also couldn’t believe they were going to live under the same roof as their girlfriends. Well, she didn't know if Sana was there too, but there was no way she wasn't, right?
Back in their new home, they killed time in their room until the other girls came back. The smile on Mina's face wouldn't disappear, and it was now Tzuyu's turn to be anxious.
"What if she's not living here?" She asked, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them.
"Of course she is! If Momo's here, Sana's here too. We arrived together and got the same room, if they arrived together, they're probably also sharing a room." Mina sat beside her and comforted the worried girl.
"We can check the other rooms to see if her stuff is there." Tzuyu suggested innocently.
Nayeon chucked, and Mina threw the both of them a judgmental look.
"What if it's not them? Such a good start you'd have with whoever found you snooping around."
The front door opened, its sound spreading through the walls and making the girls look at each other.
"T-They're here." Mina whispered, feeling the knot on her stomach again.
"Sana..." Tzuyu got up and rushed towards the door.
"Wait!" Mina grabbed her wrist in time, making Tzuyu look back at her with a frown. "Let's surprise Sana. Stay here. We'll tell her to come here."
"What if she's not here?"
Mina cupped the taller girl's cheeks and fixed her eyes on hers.
"She must be."
Nayeon nodded in approval. Tzuyu sighed and sat back on her bed, trusting them.
Tzuyu watched as they left the room. Her thumping heart was the only thing she could hear alongside the faint voices outside. Her breathing became shallow as she heard her high-pitched scream. She didn't have the time to process the information, much less when she heard heavy steps towards her room. She got up and turned to the door, as it swung open.
Sana took her hands to her opened mouth, gasping loudly. No matter how much Tzuyu wanted to move, her body was paralyzed. Thankfully, Sana stepped inside, closed the door, and launched towards her. Tzuyu caught her in her arms, and losing her balance, she fell back, landing on her bed with Sana.
They embraced each other, kissed, rolled until they fell to the ground, laughing and crying.
"You never cry." Sana said, wiping Tzuyu's tears and letting her own roll down her cheeks, with a smile on her lips.
"I don't cry when I'm sad, but I do when I'm happy."
Sana stared deep into Tzuyu’s orbs and kissed her again.
---
In the living room, they met their new housemates – Jihyo, who shared the room with Sana and Momo, and in the other room stayed Jiwon, Somi, a Canadian-Korean girl, and a Thai girl named Natty. It was cool how multicultural that house was.
After having dinner together, they spent a couple hours chatting and getting to know each other. Mina was sitting in the sofa next to Momo, resting her head on her shoulder. Even if she wanted to stay awake and participate in the conversation, she was too tired and sleepy to keep her eyes open. Momo noticed, smiling and caressing her cheek.
“I’m gonna take her to bed." She announced, not loud enough to wake her up.
Momo got up and grabbed the sleeping girl bride style, carrying her to her room. She closed the door and after finding out which one was her bed, she laid Mina down. Momo kneeled beside the bed and stared closely at her girlfriend.
Was it real? Was she really there, living in the same home as her, following the same dream as her? They would be working and living together since that moment, and Momo was sure that was the happiest moment of her life. Tears started rolling down from her eyes, as she cupped Mina's cheek.
Momo got up, ready to go back to the living room. She wasn't able to take even a step, when a warm hand grabbed hers.
"Stay." Mina whispered.
Momo looked back to find Mina with a small smile. Momo smiled back and laid down beside Mina, the latter snuggling close in Momo's chest. They stayed silent for a couple minutes.
"I love you." Mina whispered.
"I love you too, Minari."
A few more seconds of silence followed.
"Momo?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
"What for?"
"Following your dream, and not giving up, despite everything. I know how hard the last year was. If it was for me, I can't imagine how it was for you."
Momo didn't know what to say, so Mina continued.
"I know it's not gonna be easy for us. I know how people here see same gender couples, and I know we need to be careful. If the company finds out about us, or Sana and Tzuyu, it's over. But still, I couldn't ask for more."
Momo reflected on Mina's words for a couple seconds.
"Yeah, you're right. As long as we have each other, I know we can go through everything."
"Let's promise each other... no matter how hard things are, we'll surpass it together. Let's find strength and support on each other."
"I promise."
No more words were needed. Momo pulled Mina even closer, kissing her head and closing her eyes, breathing in the scent she missed dearly.
---
About half an hour later, Nayeon and Tzuyu entered their room, finding Momo and Mina sleeping in Mina's bed. Nayeon sighed, chuckling at the sight.
"I think it's time you swap rooms with Momo. I bet Sana's waiting for you."
---
A/N: This ending was totally unexpected, so I hope it all makes sense and I sincerely hope you liked it.
I left it purposely "open" so you guys can imagine what happened next. They could debut as Twice, or debut as another group, or even get caught by the company and expelled. Really, it's up to you! And I would like to know what you imagine, so please let me know your ideas and opinions ^^
As usual, I wanna thank my girlfriend for the constant amazing job in editing my stories and help me with the plot and ideas and everything (which includes correcting my stupid grammar mistakes and cutting out unnecessary that I always write xD) <3
Editor's note: I think her progress is visible by the fact I didn't have to correct "disbelieve" even once in this story. I also want to thank all the readers for letting me see her smile every time she sees your comments and love <3
(she's so cute dfiubsdguisdgiandsigna ;__;)
Anyways, I wanna thank everyone that read this story too, for the constant support, comments and votes, and a special thanks to Twicetastic, who never gets tired of complimenting my work c: <3
My next fic is up guys! We'll have Chaeyu this time :D
Thank you everyone <3
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