“Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, it’s eating my clothes!” Jeongyeon tensed up as the deer kept the hem of her jacket in its mouth.

Chaeyoung burst into laughter as she watched her no-jam hyung cower in fear. As she was distracted, another deer approached her and started attacking the deer biscuits in her hand. The cub jumped in surprise and dropping the biscuits on the ground, ran over to hide behind Mina.

Jeongyeon laughed at her younger friend. “Karma!” She remained immobile as the animal kept close to her. “Momo, Momo, give this guy food or something. Get it off me.”

The Japanese shook her head frantically. She gestured at her outfit— a white, frilly top paired with light denim shorts. “I’m wearing really nice clothes today. I don’t want its saliva on it.”

“I’m wearing really nice clothes too!” Jeongyeon had on her favorite black, bomber jacket that was currently being chewed on by the stubborn animal.

The leader took the initiative and lured the animal away from Jeongyeon with biscuits. While the friends enthusiastically roamed around the park and took various pictures of the deers, Sana followed them far behind and blankly threw pieces of biscuits on the ground for the animals to eat. Her mind was still occupied with the morning’s events with Eunha and she couldn’t bring herself to join her friends on their fun.

Dahyun remained by her side, walking along with her as she took photos of her friends with her phone. She was very aware of Sana staring into space and precisely what it was she was thinking about, but she wasn’t sure if she should pry. As her girlfriend, Dubu thought that it was in her place to ask, however she didn’t want to rush Sana. She wanted her to take her time in sorting out her feelings, no matter how nerve-wrecking it might be for her.

“Sana-ssi, are you okay?” Jihyo had fallen back to them when she noticed the Japanese looking glum.

“Ah, yeah. I’m just not feeling too well.”

“Would you like to rest? We can sit over there on the grass,” she pointed at an empty field with less animals and people.

“Then, I’ll sit there for a bit. You guys can roam around.”

Jihyo turned to beckon to the rest of the group, “Yah, everyone! Let’s take a breather for a bit!”

“Ah, it’s okay. I can rest by myself,” Sana told her.

The leader only smiled, “We’ll accompany you. It’s a friendship trip after all.”

Sana was touched at the camaraderie and none of her friends uttered a complaint with resting. Instead, they remained as lively as ever. They played various games on the green grass, starting with their favorite— the mafia game, causing the Japanese to forget about her dilemma for a moment. Because of her friends, she was able to experience the fun she had forgotten at Nara Park. And seeing her girlfriend enjoy her time, Dahyun decided to put her worries aside as well.

~

On the way back, the group decided to stop by an onsen they spotted near the station. Revealing their bodies to each other weren’t particularly something that bothered them. Hot springs were a known concept all over Asia and therefore it didn’t really provide a sense of uncomfort. However, as the couple hadn’t gotten to that part of their relationship, Mina and Chaeyoung became shy with undressing in front of each other.

Chaeyoung tried to lessen her embarrassment by undressing as fast as she could and rushing towards the bath area. Therefore, by the time Mina had entered the outer area, the cub had already rinsed and entered the bath, having her back turned to the rinsing area as if to give Mina some sort of privacy.

The penguin gave herself a thorough wash, scrubbing every inch of her to make sure she was spotless clean before dipping into the bath. The whole time Chaeyoung couldn’t stop her restless heart from pounding. And when Mina finally entered the bath and was sitting next her, the sight of her bare shoulders was enough to make Chaeyoung turn bright red.

“Chaeyoung-ah, are you okay? Is the water too hot?” Jihyo appeared before her and was entering the bath.

The rest of them soaked into the water after washing. Nayeon commented as she entered, “I think Mina and Chaeyoung are embarrassed seeing each other .”

“Unnie, you’re not embarrassed?” Chaeyoung asked.

The oldest shook her head and slung her arm around Jeongyeon. “I have nothing to hide from her.”

The short-haired girlfriend snickered. “What are you talking about? You wouldn’t even take off the blanket around you the first time we slept together. Don’t act high and mighty now.”

Nayeon playfully gave her a slap on the arm. “Yah, who said you can reveal that? Do you want me to tell everyone about your weird es?”

“What weird es?” the maknae asked with an innocent look on her face as she pulled her hair up in a bun. Everyone with long hair had to pull their hair up to prevent it from touching the water. It was one of the customs in the hot springs.

“N-nothing!” Jeongyeon quickly covered her girlfriend’s mouth before she could utter a single word.

Meanwhile, Mina closed her eyes and focused on the heat of the bath. Her shoulders were quite tensed from the gaming she had done the night before using the hostel’s common desktop. She tried to calm herself by immersing her body to the benefits of onsens.

As Chaeyoung listened to her unnies bicker about various things, she found herself glancing at her girlfriend every now and then. She eyed her from her collarbones to her shoulders, to her bare face. She couldn’t tell if the heat she was experiencing was from the bath or from her excited heart. The cub slightly shook her head to get such thoughts off her mind.

When Chaeyoung was silently scolding herself for her indecent thoughts, Mina took a peek at her and couldn’t help but smile. The Japanese found her behavior unbelievably adorable. And as if to test her reaction, she scooted closer to her to the point their shoulders touched. Immediately after their skin made contact, Chaeyoung gave a slight jump that sent Mina giggling.

“I guess you’re pretty cute when you’re tensed,” the older one smirked.

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes. “How can I not be tensed when you look like that?”

“Hm? Look like what exactly?”

“Beautiful.”

“And?” Mina continued to and Chaeyoung knew it.

“Elegant.”

The Japanese nodded, gesturing for her to continue.

The younger one chuckled, “The girl of my dreams.”

“Now you’re just trying to flatter me.”

“No way. When do I ever flatter? I’m just stating facts. Ms. Myoui, you make my heart swell like no one else can.” Chaeyoung smiled and gave her shoulder a light, playful nudge.

The group had the onsen to themselves, therefore they chatted away in their normal tone instead of in hushed whispers. The couple moved somewhat away from their boisterous friends to enjoy their quality time together. They would speak about various things, like their own stories from childhood and the recent drama they saw. Chaeyoung would ask her about the games she played, which Mina appreciated because often times, she would have nobody to talk to about her hobby.

When Mina mentioned her stiff shoulders, Chaeyoung offered to give her a massage, not accepting a no. The Japanese had to crouch a little more so her girlfriend could reach her s