Chaeyoung bites on her thumbs nervously as she waits backstage. The album has already been released on digital sites, and despite all the (expected) negative comments, all the songs have been charting well on the digital charts, the title track never dropping below #5 after release even with all the strong competition from other singers. But this is the first time they are performing after the scandal, and the nervousness is setting in again. What will the fans’ reaction be? Will she get rotten eggs to the face again? There’s no more time to worry, because Jihyo gathers them up to do a final cheer before the lights dim and the staff gestures for them to enter the stage.

It’s you (it’s you)

It’s you (it’s you)

You’re the only one for me (it’s you)

It’s you (it’s you)

I don’t need anyone else, its only you to me

Even if you ask again, it’s only you to me

Even if you have another love already

I can’t forget you, I can’t turn back

Right when my glare was sharp

Right when I was nailing a nail deep inside my heart

I chose you without any regrets

Yes, it’s you

Oh I don’t care what anyone says

No matter who curse at me, I'll only look at you

If I am born again, it will be only you

Tik tok Tik tok - Even as time goes by

Oh when I tell you I love you thousands of time

Even if my heart is on fire and as my lips dry

If I am born again, it will still be only you

Tik tok Tik tok - Even as time flies

The main dance part is here, and the crowd goes wild, the reaction better than expected.

Oh oh only for you oh oh only for you

Oh oh only for you oh oh only for you

Oh oh only for you oh oh only for you

They stand in their ending position as the fans cheer and the camera flashes go off, proud smiles on their faces. They move from their spots, panting as they stand in a line, ready to greet the fans and press who are here at their comeback showcase.

“2, 3.” Jihyo starts the count and, “Hello, we are TM!” Everyone chorus together.

The fans cheer fervently while waving their light sticks, and the members start waving to the crowd. They greet the crowd individually, and Chaeyoung is surprised to hear loud screams for her after she finishes her self-introduction. It makes her a little emotional and very thankful to see that the fans still support her even after her ‘scandal’.

“Everyone, how was the song?” Nayeon asks as she adjusts her microphone and the fans just scream out positive words of liking and loving the song.

“We are glad you guys like it! We, especially our producer Chaeyoung-nim, have worked very hard at this album.” Dahyun teases Chaeyoung by calling her politely, but the latter just shakes her hands and head to deny Dahyun’s words. 

They interact some more with the fans, play some games and sing a few more songs from the new album before calling an end to the showcase with the performance of their new title track. It’s time for the members to give their last comments to wrap up the showcase, and Chaeyoung is the last one to say it. She looks at the fans endearingly, trying to make eye contact with every single one who is inside the hall (impossible, but she tries) and starts her speech.

“Do you guys like the album?” She asks hesitantly, not knowing how to talk to the crowd because she left all the talking to her unnies during the whole showcase, preferring to keep mum for fear of the backlash.

“Yes!!!!” The fans scream in unison and it brings a small smile to her face. “I’m glad.”

“Erm… I’m just very glad and thankful that you guys are still here, listening to the music we put out. I know the past few months haven’t been easy as our fans, but I promise you that the unnies and I will continue to make music as long as you guys are here to listen to them. Your support means a lot to us, and there’s really nothing else I can say other than ‘thank you’ and ‘I love you’.” Chaeyoung says sincerely, hoping the fans understood the deeper meaning behind her words and bow, nearly folding herself into half.

The fans scream loudly and there are scattered screams of ‘It’s okay!’ and ‘We love you!’ from around the hall and Chaeyoung waves gratefully, blinking back the tears in her eyes. “Thank you guys.”

Jihyo smiles brightly and proudly at Chaeyoung, as if telling her, “see, I told you it will be fine” before turning back to the crowd. “Let's say our last greeting. Until now, it has been,”

“TM! Thank you!” All five members chorused before bowing and they wave before the lights dim and they get ready to showcase their new title track for the first time.

If you smile at me like that

(Girl, don’t you know?)

It’s hard for me to not feel anything

I’ve already had several cups of coffee baby

But why do I still feel like I’m in a dream?

If my friend saw me, he would’ve cursed at me

I’m ashamed of being like this or saying this

But in front of you,

I was never like that

You’re unfair

Are you being selfish? (stop it)

Your eyes, your nose, your lips

Are they still going to be pretty no matter how much I look?

You’re unfair

Just stop right there

You’re dangerous, dangerous,

Take it slow (Oh my)

Girl, girl, be my love

We drank coffee every day

(My baby yeah)

Girl, girl, be my love

We talked on the phone every night (babe)

Girl, girl, be my love

It’s time that you come to me

Oh baby falling let’s fall in love

(Oh my)

They wave goodbye to the fans and Chaeyoung is the last one on stage, reluctant to leave. She makes sure to wave to the fans on the first floor, second floor, third floor.

“Get home safely!” She calls out to the fans who are also not leaving yet and shoots a last heart at them before heading backstage. The moment they are backstage, Chaeyoung’s legs give way, causing her to tumble to the floor. The members are at her side in an instant, checking on her.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Jihyo asks as she squats down to check on Chaeyoung worriedly.

“Unnie… they don’t hate me. They don’t hate me!!” Chaeyoung exclaims as she throws her arms around Jihyo, excited that the fans still support her and the group. (She still can’t stand though, the nervousness and the relief making her lose the strength in her legs.)

“Of course they don’t, you silly bean.” Jihyo chuckles as she hugs Chaeyoung back. Nayeon just coos, whereas Jeongyeon just mutters “Idiot” with a fond smile on her face and Dahyun pulls the two older members into the hug too, making it a massive hug parade.

“Hey, why are we not invited?!” A shrill voice calls out.

They all turn to look at the source of the sound, and Dahyun detaches herself from the hug instantly, running to tackle the newcomer. “Sana-chan!”

Sana and Dahyun are like magnets, irresistibly attracted to each other and unable to keep themselves off each other. The other TM members just look on grossly as the two of them start to eat each other’s faces out. Chaeyoung looks past the couple to see someone behind them, and she instantly brightens like a child who has gotten sweets.

“Minari!” She calls out and Mina smiles as she makes her way over to the former, the two hugging instantly. “Why are you here?”

“Your unnies invited us to come and watch your comeback showcase. You did a good job, Jaeng Jaeng.” Mina taps Chaeyoung on her nose gently, finding her girlfriend so cute. With the help of Mina, Chaeyoung finally gets up from the floor, but her unnies starts teasing her.

“The song is pretty decent but the lyrics, oh god.” Jeongyeon mocks throw up. “It’s the cheesiest title track we ever have.”

“Yeah, what ‘are your eyes, nose, lips going to be pretty no matter how much I look at them’?” Dahyun is finally done with smooching Sana, and is joining in on the teasing with messed up lipstick.

Chaeyoung narrows her eyes at her two best friends, those two are the ones who should not be teasing her like this when they are the ones who have asked for her help to write even cheesier songs, just unrevealed yet. “Yeah sure, tease me all you want. Right? ‘Without you, I am a sad song’-ssi?” She looks at Jeongyeon with a wicked smile, seeing how the girl turns pale at the mention of the title of her self-written song.

“Oh, and what about you, ‘You are the only one’-ssi?” She turns to look at Dahyun instead, who immediately claps as she laughs, trying to drown out what Chaeyoung is saying. But it’s too late, because Sana turns to look at her, curiosity piqued.

“Aww am I really? Why don’t you let me listen to the song! You don’t have to be shy (shy shy)!” She coos as she engulfs Dahyun in a hug, and the latter just flails her arms around, demanding to be saved from the hug monster that is her girlfriend.

Jihyo just laughs as she watches Sana and Nayeon bothering Dahyun and Jeongyeon. “This is the one moment I’m glad I’m single.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to find a partner for you too.” Chaeyoung says as she pats her leader on the back. She was the one who brought Sana and Dahyun together, since she was the one who suggested to cast Sana as their music video lead. To some extent, she would like to claim some credit for Jeongyeon and Nayeon being together too, after all, they got together because she broke up with Nayeon. Far-fetched as it is, Chaeyoung believes in her ability as a matchmaker (since she has brought these two couples together), and she is determined to do the same for Jihyo.

“Forget it.” Jihyo rolls her eyes as she waves her off and walks off, heading for the waiting room where their other guests are waiting. “You guys hurry up with your PDA, our parents are waiting for us!”

The TM members know, since it’s a tradition to invite their parents for their comeback showcases, but the two Japanese girlfriends of the two members don’t. Their responses are extremely different, with Sana immediately squealing and hyperventilating. “Your parents are here? What should I do? How am I going to greet them?” 

Dahyun holds her girlfriend by the shoulders, hoping she will calm down. “Honey, it’s fine, my parents are super cool.”

Sana only calms down for a second before she screams again. “Our make-up! Oh dear god you should have told me earlier before I started eating your face!”

“But I liked it.” Dahyun grins sheepishly, only to be met with a hit on the shoulder by Sana (“But your parents won’t!”) as the latter drags her off, probably to fix their make-up before going for the imminent meet-the-parents session.

Mina on the other hand though, is hyperventilating on the inside, totally out of it even as Chaeyoung waves her hand in front of her face. “Minari?? Are you okay?”

“Huh? Yeah…” Mina blinks a little as she absorbs the information. “Your parents are here?”

“Yeah, don’t worry, they are really cool. And actually, they are really excited to meet you.” Chaeyoung scratches the back of her head sheepishly.

“They are?” Chaeyoung’s words just makes Mina even more panicky. Why are they excited to see her? How much do they know about her? Do they know she was the one who broke Chaeyoung’s heart the other time? Are they going to oppose to their relationship?

“Hey, hey.” Chaeyoung calls out, holding both of her hands to anchor her back to reality again. She seems to realize the internal turmoil Mina is going through, running her thumbs across the latter’s knuckles. “It’s going to be fine, alright? I didn’t tell them much, just that I’m dating someone and that she’s really pretty and nice and cute.”

Chaeyoung teases and Mina just hides her face in the crook of the former’s neck, not wanting her to see the blush on her face. She’s slightly more assured after hearing her girlfriend’s words, but there is still that wisp of doubt in her head. “But what if they don’t like me?”

“Who cares? The most important thing is that I like you.” Chaeyoung says it like it’s the simplest thing in the world.

“Stop teasing me.” Mina whines even though her heart is warm at her girlfriend’s affectionate words. Chaeyoung chuckles, and she can hear it reverberating through her chest, her whole being shaking from the laughter.

“Alright, alright. I will stop, but we really have to go.” Chaeyoung says as she tugs on Mina to pull her along to the waiting room where all the guests are at. “You’ll have to meet my parents sooner or later anyway.” 

Mina blushes again at the innuendo of Chaeyoung’s words. “Is that a proposal?”

“No.” Chaeyoung answers so quickly that Mina is slightly hurt. Does she have no intention of marrying her?

“When the time comes, I’m just going to kidnap you to the altar and marry you. Be careful and watch your back, it might happen anytime.” Chaeyoung jokes as she leans closer to Mina, squinting her eyes at her while smiling. Mina just laughs as she shakes her head at her girlfriend’s dorkiness. The jokes have calmed her down considerably, so much so that she doesn’t realize they are already at the entrance of the waiting room.

It’s crowded, filled with the family and close friends of five people, and she sees Sana already talking animatedly with who she assumes to be Dahyun’s parents, as the girl stands beside her with a proud smile on her face. She doesn’t have much time to compose herself, because Chaeyoung calls out excitedly for her parents.

“Umma, Appa!” Chaeyoung lets go of Mina’s hands to run to her parents to engulf them in a hug. They pat Chaeyoung on the head proudly, and exchange a few words before she steps back and turns around, gesturing for Mina to join her. Mina her lips before walking towards them, trying not to show her nervousness as she maintains a small smile on her face. She stops beside Chaeyoung, who just rests her arm around her shoulders.

“Appa, Umma, this is Mina.” She introduces and Mina nods with a small smile.

“Hello Auntie and Uncle.” Mina greets shyly as she bows to the elderly couple.

“Hello Mina, it’s nice to finally meet you when we have only heard about you.” Mrs Son greets as Mr Son just nods at her.

Mina smiles sheepishly. “All good things, I hope.”

“Definitely.” Mrs Son replies with a smile of her own while Chaeyoung just smiles as she watches her girlfriend interact with her parents.

--

The meeting is brief because TM had to leave to prepare for their next schedule soon, and their parents were already bidding goodbye to them even though they have barely met for half an hour.

“Don’t skip meals even if you are tired, okay?” Mrs Son chides Chaeyoung with a frown as she pats her on the bum affectionately. “You are a grown up, don’t make us worried about you.”

“Mom~” Chaeyoung whines at how her mother is babying her, in front of her girlfriend no less! She tries to signal to her mother using her eyes, and the older woman just laughs when she gets it. “I’m sorry Mina, she’s still my baby, please forgive me.”

“Mom!” Chaeyoung is beyond embarrassed at this point in time while Mina just laughs, finding the interaction endearing before anything else. “It’s fine, I think she’s a big baby too.”

Chaeyoung glares at Mina as she points a finger at her. “Not helping.”  

Mr Son hits her daughter on the head, causing Chaeyoung to yelp as she clutches her head. “Yah you little brat, where are your manners, pointing at other people like this.”

The man has mostly remained silent for the whole meeting, and has strike Mina as aloof. She was a little scared of him, taking his silence as dislike for her.

“You are going to scare off my future daughter-in-law.” He says then, and Mina flushes deep red as she hides her face. Now she knows it isn’t the case.

“D-DAD!” Chaeyoung screeches in embarrassment as her parents burst out laughing at how flustered she got. “Go,” she says as she pushes them towards the door, wanting them to leave as soon as possible.

“Okay, okay we will leave, but come back for dinner when you are free, alright?” Mrs Son says as she is being pushed. “You too, Mina!”

Mina replies with a small “Yes”, still too flustered by Mr Son’s words.

--

Chaeyoung comes back to the waiting room after sending her parents off to see Mina sitting on one of the couch, spacing out, probably still reeling from her dad’s words. She shakes her head as she settles down beside her girlfriend. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Mina startles a little at her sudden appearance, but leans against her shoulders when Chaeyoung sits beside her. “Nothing much.”

“You know, you can just take what my dad said with a pinch of salt.” Chaeyoung guesses correctly what Mina is brooding about as she drapes an arm around Mina’s shoulder, kissing the girl on her forehead.

“I know, but… I mean I wouldn’t mind if it actually happens…” Mina mumbles as she hides her face in the crook of Chaeyoung’s neck. The latter just freezes, unable to believe what she just heard. The girl she ran over, the girl she thought was unattainable, the girl who left her, the same very girl is in her arms, telling her she doesn’t mind marrying her? She was joking about kidnapping her to marry her earlier, but to have Mina explicitly say yes makes everything feel very different.

“Minari.” She pulls Mina away from her and sees the blush on her cheeks, which confirms that she isn’t hearing things, and that her girlfriend really did say that. “Are you saying you want to marry me?”

“Well… are you saying you don’t want to?” Mina tosses her question right back at her and she blinks rapidly.

“Of course I want to, but I’m happy where we are now.” Chaeyoung says sincerely as she looks at Mina carefully, hoping that the girl was on the same page as her on this. Thankfully, the girl doesn’t look hurt, and even looks a bit relieved at her words. They are both still very young after all, and she doesn’t see the need to rush into it.

“To be honest, same.” Mina breathes out in relief as she smiles, her gummy smile in full bloom.

“Well, married or not, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, that’s for sure.” Chaeyoung utters out as she stares star struck at her girlfriend’s beautiful smile, thinking that she has fallen in love a little harder for her again today. They don’t need a piece of paper, or the eyes of the law to validate their love; the look in Mina’s eyes as she looks at her is enough (and she’s sure that love and adoration in Mina’s eyes is reflected in her own as she stares at her).

"Me too." Mina whispers as she leans in to kiss Chaeyoung. "Me too."

--

a/n: i was wrong, epilogue incoming

also, happy 2nd anniversary twice!