When it came to her members, Jihyo was all too aware that she had a hard time saying no to them. She didn't like witnessing their disappointed yet understanding smiles, but Jihyo needed to put her foot down at times for their sake. Courtesy of Jeongyeon’s constant reminders, she would never be able to live down the time she almost agreed with Momo’s idea of trying to finish six plates of her favorite food in one sitting. The pout that Momo sent her way and how it looked so genuine made Jihyo feel that much worse for doing what she knew was the right thing.

She was sure everyone acknowledged this weak spot of hers, but most of them didn't attempt to take advantage of it on a regular basis… if most didn’t include Nayeon. Unfortunately, Nayeon always tried to drag Jihyo into her shenanigans. Maybe that was why Jihyo didn’t feel as guilty when she turned down Nayeon’s ideas. Or maybe it was because Nayeon remained unfazed despite the rejection, her smile only growing wider as she persisted.

Today was no different as Jihyo lifted the curtains to peek through her window. The usual green was replaced by white as snow descended to the ground. She was glad that they didn’t have a schedule for once. Even though she loved winter, she preferred to stay inside to bask in the warmth of the heater.

Jihyo walked outside of her bedroom, her steps careful as she went around Dahyun and Tzuyu’s sleeping figures. She wasn’t surprised by the unusual silence because she knew it was still too early for anyone else to be awake. Letting out a yawn, she grabbed a mug from the counter and wondered how she should spend her day off. Still under a wave of fatigue, she lazily stared at her favorite mug— dark in color and decorated with small stars—as she poured the hot chocolate. While the mug slowly became warm to the touch, she sighed in bliss, taking in the aroma of the cocoa.

Silent pleasures like this rarely came Jihyo’s way and she knew to appreciate these scarce moments. She blew on her hot drink before closing her eyes and taking a sip. Maybe she would allow herself to sleep once more. She hadn’t been able to get much rest ever since their comeback started.

“Oh hey, you!” Jihyo knew she had to appreciate those instances of peace because it wouldn't be long before they left her as they always have. She opened her eyes to see that Nayeon leaned on the counter in front of her, eyes bright. Her black hair was done in little buns and Jihyo thought it looked cute on Nayeon. “I see you're up bright and early.”

Setting down her cup, Jihyo sent a smile her way. “Good morning, unnie.”

Nayeon stared at her for a moment and Jihyo wondered if something was wrong until Nayeon lifted her hand to conceal her snickering, which didn’t work.

“Am I missing something here?” Jihyo raised an eyebrow.

With a wide grin, Nayeon reached forward until she poked the side of Jihyo’s lip. “You have a chocolate moustache.”

Jihyo’s eyes widened before hurriedly wiping the cocoa away with her sleeve. “Thanks,” she muttered out of obligation.

“You’re welcome,” Nayeon chirped.

She glanced at Nayeon, who was still staring with her chin propped with both hands, before focusing her gaze on her drink. Jihyo let the heat of the cocoa rise and hit her cheeks, knowing that she could pass off her tinted face as a sign of the cold. “So why are you up so early?” she asked. “Wouldn’t you rather sleep in a little more? We don’t have any plans today.”

“Music to my ears everytime I hear that.” She playfully jabbed Jihyo’s stomach, causing the latter to recoil and wrap her arms around her sides. “But it sounds like you’re just trying to get rid of me so you can have some privacy. Hate me that much, huh?”

Jihyo scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. You know that’s not true.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Nayeon teased. “We both know that you love me.”

Being used to the cameras zooming in and observing her wherever she went, Jihyo knew how to hold a straight face, but Nayeon was able to see past her facade every time. Jihyo was unsure whether it was because of how long they’ve known each other or because Nayeon’s age simply made her more perceptive. Nayeon’s smile gave away nothing and Jihyo thought that her own face gave away everything.

“You want something,” Jihyo declared. “What is it?” Nayeon always acted nicer when she tried to persuade someone. Jihyo found it greasy rather than sweet.

Nayeon hummed, darting her eyes away as if in thought. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“If you say so.” Jihyo lifted her mug and took another sip.

“Okay, you twisted my arm!” Nayeon swiveled in her chair and waved her hand. Jihyo felt the corners of her lips lift behind her mug. “So you obviously know that it's snowing today.”

Jihyo could have denied what she said to poke fun, but decided against it and nodded. Sarcasm was more Nayeon’s thing. She her top lip to avoid another round of teasing from the latter. She noticed Nayeon was looking at her and she rolled her eyes. “Yes, unnie. I looked out the window.”

Satisfied, Nayeon continued. “And despite going out in the snow almost everyday, it was only to do promotions and spend time with our fans.”

Finally seeing where this conversation was leading, Jihyo nodded and tried not to make her lack of enthusiasm show. “Right…”

“That means we should seize the day and have a snow day!” Nayeon pumped her fists in the air.

That idea contradicted with Jihyo’s ideal way of relaxing, but how could she miss the chance of having fun with her friends? “Alright,” Jihyo relented. “We’ll wait for the girls to get up and we’ll all get ready.”

“What?” Nayeon frowned. “No way! By the time they all wake up and get ready, the snow won’t be fresh anymore.”

“Does that matter?” Jihyo asked.

“Of course it does!” Nayeon crossed her arms and puffed her chest in a way that made Jihyo look at her with doubt. “Haven’t you ever laid down on the snow first thing in the morning and made snow angels?”

The brief glare that Nayeon sent her way made Jihyo almost laugh when she immediately replied, “No, not really.”

“C’mon!” Nayeon’s voice took a desperate tone as she rounded the counter and clung to Jihyo. “It’s not fun by myself, but I don’t want to wait. Go out with me, please?”

Jihyo’s eyes darted to their interlaced arms then to the cuckoo clock that was hung on the kitchen wall. Knowing Nayeon, there was more planned than she let on and Jihyo already felt the imminent exhaustion that would focus on her shoulders. Denying Nayeon wouldn’t be hard. But as she felt Nayon tighten her hold on her arm, a weight in her stomach told Jihyo to prevent the words from leaving her lips. It wasn’t the guilt that would go through Jihyo when she said no to her members, but rather regret at the possibility of letting an opportunity like this pass by.

It was only seven in the morning and Jihyo would much rather get a well-deserved rest, but she simply couldn’t deny the girl in front of her. She was certain she was going to regret this. “Fine,” she breathed.

Nayeon perked at that, baring her teeth as her grin widened, and Jihyo tried to not think of the underlying reason behind it.

“Good,” Nayeon said and tugged Jihyo closer as they walked out of the kitchen. “Let’s hurry before it’s too late.”

“You don’t want to at least change into something more warm?” Jihyo asked, noting how they were walking away from the bedrooms.

“Oh, you worry too much,” Nayeon said with a wave of her hand. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

“Frostbite,” Jihyo answered, “then having everyone cry over us when we’re gone.”

“But if we die, they won’t follow our example,” Nayeon returned.

A retort was on the tip on Jihyo’s tongue, but the desire to voice out her concerns died after spotting something out of place in her living room. “Wait.”

Nayeon groaned, but complied when Jihyo shushed her. Jihyo leaned forward against the couch, eyes growing soft when she saw Sana and Momo sleeping. Sana yawned and snuggled into Momo’s shoulder. “Why are they sleeping here?” Jihyo turned to Nayeon. “I thought there was enough room for them to sleep.”

When the company decided to allow the girls to end promotions early, Jihyo felt that it was appropriate to visit her mother. Though they called each other now and then, she still felt lonely not being able to smell her mother’s cooking or see her face. So when her mother mentioned how the house looked lonely, Jihyo promised that she would come by soon. However, that promise didn’t include eight more girls that ended up trailing Jihyo.

Nayeon overheard Jihyo talking on the phone and asked to come with, who was heard by Jeongyeon and wanted to come along, and the cycle continued until the eight girls begged to meet Jihyo’s mother. Jihyo was relieved that her mother wasn’t upset by her friends and rather welcomed them, doting especially on Tzuyu and Sana.

“I saw them in one of the guest rooms with Jeongyeon when I last saw them,” Nayeon shrugged. “Maybe they came here to watch television and fell asleep.”

Staring at the duo, Jihyo let out a sigh. “I’ll be right back,” she said before turning around and heading down the hall.

“Hurry up or the snow—”

“I know, I know,” Jihyo interrupted to stop Nayeon from raising her voice. “The snow isn’t going to just get up and walk away. Have patience, unnie.”

She hurried down the wall until she reached one of the closets, quickly returning with a blanket that she placed over Sana and Momo. Jihyo ignored Nayeon’s stare as she checked if the sleeping duo were covered from head to toe. “I slept here before, I know how cold it gets.”

“Yeah, of course,” Nayeon said, but didn’t look like she was paying attention. She pointed to the front door. “Can we go now?”

Jihyo watched Nayeon bounce on the balls of her feet and quirk her eyebrows. She thought that if Nayeon kept that up, she would be able to stay warm despite her thin clothing. Opening the door, Jihyo shivered as a burst of air hit her. “G-go ahead,” she uttered as she slipped on dress shoes.

Nayeon wasted no time running out the door. Jihyo took notice of the girl’s fuzzy slippers as she closed the door behind her. At least she bothered to protect her feet, Jihyo thought to herself.

“Jesus,” Nayeon crossed her arms to bring some heat into her hands. “It’s freezing out here.”

“Maybe that has to do with the fact that you wanted us to go outside in our pajamas,” Jihyo said. She rubbed her hands together as she pretended to not see Nayeon scowl at her. However, she was sure her twitching lips gave herself away.

She peered up, blinking as she took in her surroundings. Now that she wasn’t limited to the perception of the windows, Jihyo was able to see the whole neighborhood covered in snow. Without all the skyscrapers and traffic to cloud the sky, the snow was pure white. It’s been so long since she saw a sight like this.

“Wow,” Jihyo uttered. “It’s beautiful he—” Insteading of spotting Nayeon as she turned around, she was met with more white as snow struck her face. She sputtered and wiped the snow off, freezing as she felt the snow seep into her knitted sweater. However, heat reached Jihyo’s face when she made out the sound of laughter. Nayeon placed her hands on her knees and the snow that lingered on her fingertips wasn’t necessary for Jihyo to find the culprit.

“Real mature, unnie!” Jihyo knelt down to scoop a pile of snow and sculpted it into a snowball. She didn’t earn her revenge though, for Nayeon ducked in time and ran down the porch.

Nayeon’s cheeks lifted as her eyes squinted, delighted from Jihyo’s reaction. While her arms and legs jittered in the cold, Jihyo’s face burned. “Wow!” Nayeon cupped her face with her hands. “I didn’t expect that from our careful and dutiful leader.”

“You get back here!” Jihyo held snow in both her hands and she saw Nayeon grit her teeth before she ran for her dear life. Every throw Jihyo gave was short, at best her snowballs knocking against the back of Nayeon’s ankles. It would have been considered an accomplishment if it weren’t for the fact that the snow they walked on reached that level.

Soon Jihyo ran out of breath and the snow skidded in front of her as she halted her steps. “T-that’s it,” she heaved. “I give up.” She her heels and inched her way back to her house.

“Hey!” Nayeon whined. “Where are you going?” Jihyo responded by waving her hand as she walked up the porch. Before she was able to twist the doorknob, an idea lit up in her head and she froze. She grasped the knob and counted, certain that Nayeon was staring at her now.

“Unnie!” she called. “I can’t open the door!”

She heard Nayeon scoff. “Yeah, right,” she said. “I’m not falling for a trick like that.” And yet, the sound of scuffling reached Jihyo’s ears and she bit her lip to contain her composure.

“I’m serious,” Jihyo said. “My front door is always jammed and I forgot about it until now.” That part wasn’t a lie. “I tried opening the door and it won’t budge. Try it out yourself.”

Silence was what Jihyo was given for a response and she began to wonder if Nayeon decided to wait until she admitted that she was bluffing. But Nayeon’s breath touched her shoulders and Jihyo knew that the former was a er.

“Move aside,” Nayeon said. “Maybe you aren’t pulling hard enough.”

Jihyo took a few steps back and let Nayeon occupy her spot. She was careful to not make a sound as she crouched down and sweeped up as much snow as her hand could carry.

“You know,” Nayeon rubbed her hands together, as if preparing herself. “You should ask your mom to get someone to fix the door. You can give her the money if she can’t afford it, since you’re basically—” She cut herself short with a shriek as Jihyo perfectly aimed the snowball at her head.

Nayeon swiveled her head to glare at Jihyo. “You’re going to pay for that.”

Motivated with the satisfaction of finally getting Nayeon back, Jihyo stuck her tongue out and booked it out of there.

Jihyo was reminded that Nayeon was more athletic than she looked when she turned around and saw the latter gaining on her. Realizing that her end was inevitable, Jihyo concluded that the best course of action was to stop in her tracks and pelt Nayeon with as much as possible. Nayeon followed her action after the second batch of snow clung to her hair and both their fields of vision were scattered in white. The laugh that left Nayeon’s lips provoked one from Jihyo herself and she continued to hurl snow despite the ache in her arms.

She opened her eyes when she realized when she didn’t feel slush hit her, in time to see Nayeon dash towards her. Oh no was her last thought before her back dove into the snow and Nayeon’s arms were wrapped around her waist.

Groaning, Jihyo lifted her head and met Nayeon’s gaze. Snow slipped off one of Nayeon’s buns and Jihyo swore her stomach was going to cramp as well if she kept laughing at this rate. She believed it wouldn’t have mattered when she felt Nayeon’s body shake against hers and a laugh followed suit.

When they reached a comfortable silence, Jihyo stared up at the sky and Nayeon remained using Jihyo as a pillow.

“Hey,” Nayeon breathed. “You wanna know something?”

Jihyo waited a moment for her breathing to even out. “What?”

“Your aim ,” Nayeon insisted. “I had to hold myself back for you to even have a chance at hitting me.”

“You’re unbearable, unnie.”

Nayeon snorted and lifted herself up to look at Jihyo. “I think I’m being very bearable, leader.” She flashed a smile and Jihyo rolled her eyes. Another pause appeared in front of them because Jihyo had nothing else to say.

“You had fun, right?” Jihyo was surprised with how quiet Nayeon sounded.

“Of course I did.” Not wanting Nayeon to see through her, Jihyo turned her head to the side. She overlooked the cold numbing her cheek. “I always have fun when I’m with you.”

A hum from Nayeon made Jihyo curious as she peeked at the girl’s face. She blinked when she saw that Nayeon’s smile was soft. “That’s good,” she said. “I did too.”

“You know,” Nayeon shifted to settle on the snow beside her. Jihyo didn’t like the missing weight. “I missed this. Like it’s fun and all with everyone else but—” She stopped and Jihyo watched Nayeon dart her eyes away.

“But?” Jihyo urged.

Sighing, Nayeon closed her eyes for an instant before turning to Jihyo. “But I miss the times when it’s been just us.” She reached down to interlace their fingers. “I miss you.”

Nayeon’s red cheeks were bright like the snow. Normally, Jihyo would have dismissed it as an effect of the weather. But Jihyo was all too aware of their adjoined hands and remembered her own attempt of hiding her blush.

She wouldn’t have done this when they were trainees. She wouldn’t have done this while they were aiming for their goals. She wouldn’t have done this yesterday. However as the snowflakes descended, Jihyo thought that this was an exception. Nayeon was always an exception somehow.

Jihyo leaned closer and closed her eyes when their lips touched. Pride swelled inside her when she caught Nayeon’s eyes widen in comparison, noting that she fooled her twice today.

“I like you when you’re like that,” Jihyo admitted when she broke away. “When you’re honest.”

Nayeon let go of Jihyo’s hand in favor of covering . “Oh.”

As time passed by and Nayeon refused to meet her gaze, Jihyo frowned. She realized that she didn’t ask for permission, the regret eating at her as each second ticked by. “Did you not like it?”

“It…” Nayeon struggled. Jihyo fought the need to tremble. “It reminded me of the snow.”

Jihyo’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Nayeon lowered her hand and Jihyo’s worry was replaced by exasperation when she saw a smirk grace her features. “It was cold.”

Scoffing, Jihyo shoved Nayeon’s shoulder. It didn’t have much strength behind it. “Of course it is.”

“It was also soft like the snow,” Nayeon scooted closer and threw an arm over Jihyo’s waist to bring her closer.

“I take back what I said about liking it when you’re honest,” Jihyo buried her face into Nayeon’s shoulder. “Go back to acting like a child and showing that you have a crush on someone by teasing them.”

Nayeon laughed and pressed her lips against Jihyo’s forehead. “I didn’t know you were into that.” She was rewarded a loud groan and a slap on the back.

“So do you want to talk about this now or later?” Jihyo asked.

“Definitely later,” Nayeon said. “At the moment, I have something else in mind.”

“Oh?” Jihyo withdrew to look at Nayeon. “And what would that be?”

“Getting out of the snow immediately. My is freezing.” Jihyo froze and she comprehended too late that she messed up when the smile on Nayeon’s face grew. “Why? Did you want to do something else?”

“Um—”

“Canonball!”

Jihyo had no time to react as she whipped her head in time to witness Momo and Jeongyeon jump towards them while Nayeon screamed, “Jeongyeon, don’t you dare!” The next thing she knew, five bodies were all on top of two suffocating bodies. Jihyo glanced up to see Mina and Tzuyu spectating the event rather than participating.

“Get off me!” Nayeon squirmed, but couldn’t break free from everyone’s weight. “All of you are jerks!”

“You’re the jerk, unnie!” Sana argued. “Why did you have fun with Jihyo and not bother to wake us up?”

“There was no way I was going to wait for all seven of you to wake up,” Nayeon shot back.

“Okay guys,” Mina was careful as she stepped down the porch steps with her hands behind her back. “You should get off them now. They both look like they’re going to faint.”

“Yeah,” Jihyo forced out. Despite everyone being skinny, she had a limit of how many people she could support. She patted Chaeyoung’s head softly. “That’s a good idea. Please get off.”

Jihyo sighed in relief when the perpetrators relented and stood up, sitting up as she dusted the snow off her hair. Thank god for Mina.

“I have a better idea,” Mina suggested. Jihyo stopped wiping away the slush in her sleeves and turned to Nayeon, who stared at Mina in apprehension. Their fears came true when Mina finally settled her hands on her sides, revealing the two snowballs she was holding. “We can still have snowball fight. Seven against two.”

“Mina, are you still upset with what I did two days ago?” Nayeon asked. Mina didn’t say anything as she offered a snowball to Tzuyu. “I really meant it when I apologized.”

“Are you guys ready?” Jihyo knew it was too late for Nayeon to make amends when she saw Sana sculpt her fifth snowball and Chaeyoung have a glint in her eyes. She was brought to her feet when Jihyo grasped her wrist and yanked her to her knees.

“Evasive maneuvers!” Nayeon yelled as they ran for their lives.

“After them!” Jihyo didn’t pay attention to the source of the voice, but she didn’t need to look back to know that everyone was now after them. She knew that agreeing to Nayeon would lead to her being exhausted.

The fight was a mess. Even if Nayeon was a master at snowball fights, she was no match for seven girls that were just as skilled. However, Momo felt bad for Jihyo being alone and went to their side and where Momo went, Sana was sure to follow. Eventually, there were no teams at all and Jihyo couldn’t contain her laughter as she managed to land a hit on Nayeon’s chest.

Everyone was collapsed on the snow when the battle was over. The only exception was Tzuyu as she scraped snow off her head. Jihyo couldn’t tell if it was because nobody dared to harm Tzuyu or she just managed to dodge everything. Good for her.

“All in favor of stopping the snowball fight because they’re dead tired say I,” Jihyo announced.

She heard seven people respond while one person gave incoherent mumbles. One by one, the girls began to lift themselves up and retreat to the inside of Jihyo’s home. Jihyo walked up to Nayeon, who was still too spent to make an attempt of moving. “Hurry up, unnie,” Jihyo offered a hand and Nayeon gladly took it. “We won’t be able to talk about what happened if you get frostbite.”

“Sure we can.” Nayeon didn’t loosen her grip on Jihyo’s hand as they walked behind their friends. “Well, you can talk about it at least. I won’t be able to say anything back.”

“If you say so.” Jihyo smiled. “You know what, unnie?”

“What?”

“I’m glad that you wanted to be alone with me. I had fun with everyone else of course, but…it would have been a lot different if we brought them along.”

Humming, Nayeon poked Jihyo’s cheek. “Of course you are. You ended up kissing the one you’re madly in love with, after all.”

Jihyo sighed and rubbed her forehead. She remained silent, refusing Nayeon the satisfaction of her reply. However, she did give Nayeon a peck on the cheek to shut her up. Jihyo saw Nayeon’s cheeks burn as the latter turned away. A smile crept up on Jihyo’s face. Despite not giving her body the rest it deserved, Jihyo couldn’t picture a better way to spend her short vacation.

“Hey!” Sana yelled as the duo finally caught up to them. “Why won’t the door open?”

Jihyo felt Nayeon stiffen as she turned to her. “I thought you were lying about your door being jammed,” she whispered.

“I thought I did too,” Jihyo lifted her free hand to cover .

They spent the rest of the morning banging on the door, waiting for Jihyo’s mother to let them in. Okay, maybe her break could’ve been more ideal. But Jihyo still wouldn’t have changed anything.
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[Author's Note:] Hi guys, sorry it took me so long to upload this. I've been pretty busy with moving ang preparing for my college, so I didn't have time to write. Next time I'll be sure to not upload a summary of a new fic until I at least finished most of it so you guys don't have to wait that long. Anyway, thank you for being patient :)

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