2 months later

Four figures manoeuvred their way through an isolated lot, sniffles being heard by one of the girls. One of them held onto the hand tighter, hoping to provide some comfort to the distraught person. She hated people crying around her – always seeking to cheer them up instead. But, they were in a place where she knew that wasn’t reasonable so she did what she could in their situation. They were in a cemetery; what could she do?

They reached a stop and one figure stepped forward, the other three giving her space as they let her do as she wished. She crouched in front of the tombstone, placing a bunch of flowers by the name. She sighed heavily as she looked on, having mixed feelings about what she wanted to say and express.

“You deserved better. You could’ve done a lot more in life but you were different from the others. The path you chose was the one you believed was correct and no one was there to guide you. I wish you would’ve told me and asked for help. I wish we weren’t in this situation right now. I might regret a lot of things when it comes to you but I still learned a lot from you, so thank you. For once, rest in peace.” She mumbled, wiping her tears and standing up.

“She didn’t even deserve half of that.” Mina mumbled.

“Hey! Don’t say that about a dead person!” Nayeon scolded, hitting Mina’s shoulder. She groaned in pain and Nayeon’s eyes widened in realisation. “Oh my gosh I’m so sorry!” She squealed, holding on to Mina’s shoulder in worry.

“How do you forget that the bullet wound is there!” Mina whined, walking away from the grave. Nara chuckled behind the two of them, Sana lingering behind.

“Come on, this place feels creepier by the second.” Mina added, shuddering as she jogged ahead of the other three.

Nayeon sighed, shaking her head before she gazed back at Sana. “Are you okay?” She asked. She seemed to be in her own world.

“Yes. Just thinking.” Sana answered, giving a small smile.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t want you to be sad. Cheer up.” Nayeon frowned, nudging her shoulders. Sana nodded, walking alongside Nayeon as they headed back to the car.

“Nara, sweetie, don’t run!” Mina called out, chasing the little girl.

“For god’s sake, can you get better already? She’s like a cloud of depression!” Nayeon said in frustration.

“I’m on crutches, what do you think I can do?” Tzuyu responded, rolling her eyes.

“Walk! She gets sad about the tiniest things!” Nayeon scoffed.

“I’m right here, you know?” Sana whined, seating herself next to Tzuyu who placed her arms around her shoulder. Tzuyu have her a kiss on the cheek and Sana grinned, returning the kiss.

“Eww, gross. Can you not do that in front of us?” Mina and Nayeon whined, covering Nara’s eyes. The two girls groaned and shuffled to the side as Nara squished beside them.

“I can’t believe it’s been two months.” Nayeon muttered.

“Why can’t you? My leg is almost healed.” Tzuyu pointed out.

“You know, I felt like you were less annoying at the airport.” Nayeon retorted, getting ready to drive.

“Wah, I feel so loved.” Tzuyu guffawed, shaking her head.

“Is it just me or has Nayeon become more savage after whatever happened?” Sana murmured.

“That’s what happens when you try to be cool and shoot, but aim in the wrong place.” Mina chuckled, quietening down when Nayeon glared at her.

“Would you like me to misfire again? Maybe I’ll catch your other shoulder? Or your heart?” Nayeon responded with venom.

“But you already caught my heart.” Mina giggled.

“The two younger than us are already engaged, by what about us!” Nayeon scoffed.

“In time Bunny.” Mina chuckled, sticking out her tongue at Nayeon.

Sana and Tzuyu watched, disgust evident on their faces as they watched the two continuously flirt in front of them shamelessly. Nayeon scolded them when Sana had kissed Tzuyu’s cheek but these two were just being unbelievably corny. It was so hard to believe that they were the same people they’d met at the airport.

“You guys know you have a kid in the car.” Tzuyu pointed out, effectively separating Mina and Nayeon from each other.

“You know, you never explained what happened that day.” Sana pondered.

“Well, there’s nothing much to say other than the fact that Nayeon misfired and shot me instead of Momo.” Mina scoffed.

“We know that bit!” Sana and Tzuyu groaned.

“How about what happened to Momo?” Tzuyu asked bluntly.

Nayeon sighed heavily, glancing over to Mina and nodding, allowing her to explain what happened rather than herself. Despite the fact that she disliked Momo towards the end, it didn’t really change the fact that she pitied her life and that her death affected Nayeon. Momo might have been a liar and a manipulator but she was probably a good person once upon a time. It won’t hurt to leave a flower on her grave, would it?

“Well, after she left you two and came to us, Momo did try to talk to her but Nayeon didn’t let her. Instead, she tried to rile me up into believing that Nayeon never loved me in the first place. That of course caused the two of us to fight and Nayeon thought it would be a good idea to shoot Momo. But the recoil of the gun changed the course of the bullet and it landed on my shoulder instead of Momo.” Mina started, Nayeon squeezing her hand in reassurance.

“Nayeon immediately dropped the gun when she realised she’d misfired and as a result, it ended up in Momo’s hands. At first, we both thought that she was going to shoot our way, so I pushed Nayeon behind me but instead, she broke into tears and sank to the ground, holding her head in her hands. She kept saying ‘sorry’ repetitively like a chant, not listening to us when we told her to calm down. Momo… she dropped the gun and it fired by accident, hitting her in the stomach. The emergency crew couldn’t save her.” Mina finished off, sighing heavily.

Silence filled up the car as Mina completed her recap. No one knew how to respond to what had happened and even if had been two months, Nayeon could still remember every single moment like it had just happened yesterday. It was a traumatising experience that she didn’t think she’d ever experience in her life but here she was, thinking of how everything had changed in one day. Nara had never questioned what had happened that day and to this date, Nayeon believed that her daughter had a slight idea of the chaos that had ensued back then.

For Mina, the first few nights, her sleep was plagued with nightmares of the taunting that she had experienced. She constantly recalled each wound that was inflicted upon her body during her fights with Momo – even the ones she had hidden in her mind. Nayeon had talked her into doing therapy and also, moving in together and there was an improvement in her lifestyle. Though, there are still countless nights where Mina wakes up soaked in sweat, fearing for the safety of both Nayeon and Nara. Though her gun is placed in her bed side cabinet, she has a constant fear that it may not be enough.

There was that fear that was one thing but she also feared that what Nayeon felt for her was something that had resulted from being in too much pain. Momo had left a deep scar along Nayeon’s heart and whatever happened in the airport could’ve been a replacement for that pain. Mina could’ve been the substitute that Nayeon sought instead of Momo. Sure, Mina’s been hanging around Nayeon and Nara a lot since she’d moved in but Mina couldn’t help but question Nayeon’s love for her. All these years later, Mina was still irrevocably in love with Nayeon but was it the same case for Nayeon?

“Mina?” Nayeon called out quietly, bringing her out of her thoughts. The three girls at the back had fallen asleep with the traveling they’d completed by coming out to the cemetery.

“Hmm?” Mina responded, staring at the desert area they were driving through.

“You know that I love you, right?” Nayeon confessed, frowning as she noticed Mina’s look of dejection.

Mina nodded and Nayeon decided to drop the subject, worrying over the thoughts that were possibly running through Mina’s head. Of course, she had noticed that Mina was a little more distracted than usual ever since Momo had attempted to get her to doubt the feelings she held for Mina. There are times where Mina plays along and acts flirty but then there are times where she remains aloof and refuses to interact. Maybe she needed to take some time to talk things out with Mina because it was honestly driving her mad.

She loved Mina with all her heart and she’s surprised that Mina is possibly thinking about it. Okay, well, it makes sense since Nayeon did get married and did supposedly move on but she thought she made it clear to Mina that she was the one that she wanted? There was really never a time where Nayeon had forgotten Mina, even when they parted ways. How was she meant to make it obvious to the idiot that she was always the one she loved?

“Unnie, you missed the turn.” Tzuyu mumbled sleepily.

“Oh? I must have been distracted thinking about something. We’ll just take the next one.” Nayeon replied, trying to get rid of all the thoughts in her head.

The five of them arrived safely at Nayeon’s home. Nara was still asleep and Mina carried her to her room, tucking her in. Tzuyu sighed as she exited the car, leaving Sana asleep in there for a moment before she had a talk with Nayeon.

“You’re thinking about something, what is it?” Tzuyu muttered.

“It’s okay, I think.” Nayeon sulked, kicking an invisible pebble.

“Is this about Mina Unnie?” Tzuyu asked, already having figured it out in the car.

“There just something that is currently irking me about our situation.” Nayeon grumbled.

“Your situation? You mean relationship wise? Or as in past wise?” Tzuyu questioned.

“Relationship wise. I feel like we’re walking on thin ice. One minute she’s happy with me and then the next she’s distant. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong but I feel like she doesn’t believe I actually love her.” Nayeon ranted.

“If you think that’s the case, then you should do something to show that you love her. You have the chance to talk to her now since Nara is asleep – use it.” Tzuyu pushed.

“You two aren’t staying over?” Nayeon frowned, thinking on how to act upon Tzuyu’s advice.

“I think I’ll just head home with Sana. We have to go to the dress fitting in a few hours. And, I don’t think I want to deal with anymore of your savage comments.” Tzuyu scoffed, crinkling her nose.

“Yeah, whatever you say. Drive safe.” Nayeon said, chuckling as Tzuyu struggled to get Sana on her back and to their car.

She was going to have her talk with Mina and it was going to happen right now. She honestly felt like she was going to go insane if she didn’t sort things out between them. Nayeon had seen the change on Mina’s face when she mentioned Sana and Tzuyu’s engagement – she just hoped she didn’t push her away too far.

Walking towards Mina’s room, Nayeon knocked on her door, sneaking inside. Mina was laying down on the bed, staring at her ceiling – probably thinking like she always did when she was overly stressed about something.

“Mina? Can we talk?” Nayeon requested, biting her lip as she waited for a response. Her hands were shaking in nervousness.

“Mhmm. What’s up?” Mina responded as she sat up.

“You know, as much as I know a lot about you, sometimes I really wish I knew what goes on in that head of yours. I know you think a lot about everything. I know about the gun you’ve placed next to your bed because you’re scared. I know you’re not sleeping well at night sometimes. I know you skip therapy lessons occasionally. But I don’t know why you’re distancing yourself away from me. I love you more than anything in my life Mina. I’ve never ever stopped loving you but if it’s my love that’s scaring you away then I’ll stop.” Nayeon confessed, crying softly.

“Shhhh. It’s not that Nayeon.” Mina cooed, walking towards Nayeon and wiping away her tears. “God, I love you so much it really hurts when I’m away from you even for a little while. But you know me enough to be able to tell that when I fear something, I think about it a lot. Nayeon, there’s a lot I fear about us. I’m not questioning that you love me but I want to know if I’m just a replacement of Momo to you. I don’t want to be a replacement to you Nayeon.”

“I promise Mina, you’re not a replacement. If anything, Momo was a replacement for you – someone I wanted to show my love to.” Nayeon whispered, failing to stop her tears.

“You wanted to love Momo?” Mina asked in confusion.

“No! I meant that I wanted to show my love to you!” Nayeon groaned, shoving her face in her palms. “All I’ve ever wanted is to love you.” She muttered.

Mina sighed, suddenly feeling guilty for questioning Nayeon’s love for her. In a way, they both suffered on their own because of the love they had for the other. The difference was that Nayeon believed in Mina but Mina didn’t believe in Nayeon.

“I’m sorry.” Mina apologised, holding on to Nayeon’s hands and placing a kiss on them both.

“I’m trying to show you that I love you for who you are and not because of Momo but I don’t know what I’m saying anymore.” Nayeon whined in embarrassment.

“I think I got the message.” Mina teased, kissing Nayeon’s forehead and her eyes, trailing soft kisses to her nose before capturing her lips.

Nayeon fisted Mina’s shirt, pulling her closer as Mina s her arms around Nayeon’s waist. How was it possible that Mina still had the power to make it seem like Nayeon’s heart was on cloud nine? Nayeon was about to pull away when Mina chased her lips for a few seconds more, tilting her chin up.

“We can work on things together.” Mina whispered as she leaned her forehead against Nayeon’s.

“Slowly.” Nayeon added, agreeing completely.

There was no rush to see where things would go.

They can take as much time as they wanted.

Even if Nayeon wanted to get married as soon as possible.

But she won’t be mentioning that to Mina anytime soon.

A/N: wow, honestly, it's hard to believe this story has come to an end (let's not discuss the fact that it had more updates that my other fics :P)
It's been an amazing journey of a lot of confusion and a new genre that I hadn't really explored but I felt like I was satisfied with how it all ended. I know I could've done better in a lot of aspects and I still have a long way to go when it comes to my writing but my main goal is to always make you guys happy. So I hope this story pleased you and that you enjoyed it! If you didn't, that's okay too. I understand that some people have different tastes. I feel like this genre isn't my strongest suit so I might just stick with fluffy ones (wouldn't you all love that? :P)
Indeed, I was actually meant to kill of Tzuyu but last minute, I decided not to do that. I don't really think I scared anyone at the beginning by making you believe it was Tzuyu, did I? Additionally, the end for this could make it possible for a sequel but that's for sometime in the late future!

I'd like to take this time to thank everyone who has read this, commented and voted on it. It truly means the world to me when I see that I've received a notification of any of those. Thank you to those that actually subscribed! It was an open story yet many still subscribed, so thank you so much. Also, there have been many people who have supported me and helped me keep going when I was down and demotivated. Thank you for pushing me and cheering me up when I felt like this story was heading towards a terrible end. (I specifically thank MOORACE, TheChoding, STMN_9, srey_lyn and my senpai, LeonaMarli :P)

And to all the upvoters: [satzuitsreal, srey_lyn, Dementedeye70, -Myobu-, cowiscow, bochan39, hot_batSICA, 16medel22, Rarasmx, mjeongnam, hyunhye, sanashy, naZiKenji, alpha678, LeonaMarli, Dawnieee, T01BLQS, linkin, Idkwhatami, jiyonie, RyanChing1101, TheChoding, melodiusnocturne, Shillainn, STMN_9, autumninseptember, YzzaMae, TheMEWTZU, TW_NaYeon, altaire, PrincePrankster, icicleflock, MOORACE, musicxweirdo, Chimyy, bunnyonce] thank you all so much <3

I'm sorry if I missed out on your name but I hope you know that each of you, no matter if you're a ghost reader, a loyal reader or a passerby - I treasure you all.

You keep me going!

Let me know if you want me to put up a Q&A chapter :)
(If you read this all, you deserve a cookie 🍪)
- Z.