“Mommy! Do you know where Daddy hid the scraper?”

Mina whines, as soon as Jeongyeon drives away with Sana in the passenger seat.

That tone reminds Jihyo of the little Mina, her baby girl.

She looks at Mina and suddenly, her daughter is three feet tall again, standing by the door wearing leotard and tutu.

Jihyo smiled with tears forming in her eyes imagining the eight-year-old Mina walking to her.

Mina has always been the prim princess of the Yoos. She never whines unless she wants to do something immediately or to get what she wants.

Jihyo knows it, of course, she remembers her daughter whining about enrolling in a ballet school.

Whining about attending the concerts of the groups she likes.

Whining about buying a bigger bottle of ketchup.

Whining about learning how to drive.

Simple things. That is what Mina whines about.

“Ma, you look so weird right now,” Mina says, feeling the weirdness coming from Jihyo’s stare.

Jihyo closes her eyes and shakes her head.

“Can you give mommy a hug?”

Jihyo requested emotional.

Mina gives her a more confusing look.

“I just hugged you earlier,” Mina says.

“But Mommy needs a hug from Penggu,” Jihyo acts cutely.

Mina gave her a disgusting look.

Jihyo threatens her daughter by narrowing her big eyes.

“You know that does not work with me, Ma. Now can you please tell me where did Daddy hide the scraper.” Mina says impatiently.

Jihyo rolls her eyes.

Something has never changed, Mina being demanding about the things she wants to accomplish.

“It should be somewhere in the garage. Why did you need it?” Asks Jihyo curiously.

“Need to scrape that wall inside my room.” Answers by Mina seriously.

“Really? You are.... scraping it. Why?” Asks Jihyo in disbelief.

“What do you mean why?” Mina dissents.

She questions her mother on why would she ask such question, isn’t it obvious?

Why Mina wants to scrape the wall off.

She answers anyway, thinking that her mother really has no clue.

“It makes Sana uncomfortable.”

Mina looks in another direction turning a bit red.

Jihyo knows what Mina meant, and that made her smile. Mina loves Sana.

But then, she thought of something.

“And you told her that?”

Jihyo questions, putting herself in Sana’s shoes if Jeongyeon said that to her. She will fire up in jealousy.

“Told who? What?” Mina asks innocently.

Jihyo shakes her head and sighs in frustration, sometimes even her does not know why Mina is so oblivious.

“Did you tell Sana that you want to remove the wall of MiMo because she looks uncomfortable?”

Jihyo clarifies emphasizing every word.

Mina furrows her eyebrows thinking what is her mommy’s point.

Jihyo sighs again.

She went to Mina and rubs her daughter’s arms using her warm palms.

Mina is surprised on the sudden touch but eases on it as it is her mother who is touching her.

“Of all the great things, you can get from me, why did you not get any except my pretty face? Why did you get your daddy’s’ oblivion?” Jihyo says while Mina is looking at her weirdly.

“What are you talking about? She said that she was not even jealous about that wall and she even stopped me from removing it.”

Mina answers nonchalantly.

Jihyo ticks her tongue while shaking her head, she thinks that Mina lost her social skills.

“Look Penggu! You don’t say that to your girlfriend, that - that you are doing something involving your ex because of her because it means that you are only doing it because of her, and not doing it because you want to.”

Jihyo tries to explain.

She rattles whenever she wants to say a lot of things but could not say it because of too many things going in her mind;

Such as, she wants to explain to Mina that it is a big NO, NO, to use the ‘because of you blah blah’ in situations like that.

Such as, she wants to teach Mina some social skills and be able to read between the lines.

Such as, she wants to blame Jeongyeon on giving Mina that oblivion, and so on.

Jihyo’s mind is crowded.

“But I am doing it because of her, because I have her now and Momo is – “ Mina stops, biting her lower lip.

She can’t seem to continue her words.

Jihyo just looks at Mina, empathetically.

Her thoughts stopped from coming in. There is only one thing in Jihyo’s mind now.

“Do you still have feelings for Momo?”

And she let it out.

Mina slowly meets the eyes of her mother.

Jihyo reads uncertainty.

Mina closes her eyes, she will lie if coming back home, hearing Momo’s name, knowing how successful she became and seeing the wall, did not resurrects some feelings that she thought were long gone.

Jihyo likes this, Mina is uncertain because it reminds her that her daughter needs her still.

“It is normal, Penggu. Momo has always been a part of your life, a part of our lives and walking back to the same road could remind you of the great things that you shared together.” Jihyo says gently caressing Mina’s head.

“But I know, you know, I know you know it.” Jihyo sings the infamous introduction to Twice’s 1 -10.

Mina chuckles.

Jihyo smiles and continues.

“On how much Sana affects you.”

Mina meets her mother’s eyes.

If there is one person in the world who understands her more than she can understand herself that is Yoo Jihyo, her mommy.

“Sana is different.”

Mina mumbles looking down, that got her thinking.

Her heart started to beat so fast like it is Knock knock knock knock, knock in her heart.

The thought of Sana’s multiple expressions clouds her mind.

The thought of the pranks Sana did to her, makes her smile.

The thought of Sana acting cute, makes her bite her lower lip.

The thought of Sana scolding her because she got sick, makes her feel important.

The thought of Sana hinting to take things to the next level, makes her feel appreciated.

The thought of Sana’s genuine smiles, makes her heart burst in her chest.

The thought of Sana’s sleeping angelic face, makes her want to stay with her forever.

The thought of Sana, not being beside her makes her want to die.

How can she think that she still have feelings for Momo, when just the thought of Sana makes her want to run to her and tell her how much she loves her.

Mina realizes something. As cliché as it sounds, she wants to spend every living second, she has with Sana.

Because Sana makes her feel that intoxicatingly euphoric state. She loves everything about her.

She lifts her head up to meet Jihyo’s eyes.

“Ma,” Mina calls in a discerning tone.

Jihyo meets her eyes.

“I think she is the one.”

Mina says in the truest manner she can, showing all the affection she could possibly have.

“Sana is the one.”

Jihyo stares through her daughter’s eyes for a minute, containing the tears forming in her eyes.

Knowing her daughter had finally found the one makes her happy. She knows Mina is always certain and will not say something she did not mean.

“If that is the case then you have my blessing.”

She says and her daughter jumps on her for a hug whispering, thank yous and I love yous.

Jihyo hugs back, then she smirks, she is still the boss because she got the hug she wanted.

Mina pulls away and looks at her mother in the eyes with worry this time.

“Ma, do you think dad will approve her?”

Jihyo looks at her daughter with uncertainty. Getting Jeongyeon’s approval will be the hardest and she knows it.

She took a deep breath and smiles to Mina.

“Of course, she will, she wants you to be happy.”

‘If she did not, I will make her’ Jihyo thought.

Inside the Car SaJeong

The moment Sana hops in the car, she knows that this ride will be awkward.

And it is, silently awkward.

She looks at Jeongyeon from time to time and tries to open to say something but she just ends up nodding, roaming her eyes all over the place trying to enjoy the scenery of the forest.

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