Momo sat on the bed next to Mina, who was reading a book. Momo, who disliked reading, spent her time scrolling through social media, giggling whenever a funny video appeared. Mina is easily distracted, but she must admit that Momo's tiny giggles made her heart flutter as well.

Momo muttered to herself, "Sana sent a message," but Mina overheard her.

"What did she say?" the woman asked, her gaze still fixed on the book she was reading. She flipped to the next page, expecting Momo's response, but instead heard a faint scream of excitement. "Why? What is it?" she asked, her expression more interested this time.

"Look," Momo said, holding up a photo of Nayeon, who was struggling to stack the rocks. "She's with Ms. Lim," she added, though it was obvious.

"I thought they hated each other?" Mina muttered, surprised by what she was seeing. It wasn't long after Momo told her about the incident at their wedding, and then suddenly the two ladies seemed to be now getting along. "Since when did they become close?" she inquired, pushing the phone down with her index finger to focus on Momo.

"Uh," Momo murmured, unsure what to say. She must be cautious, or Mina will suspect her of keeping something. "They eventually reconciled," she reasoned. "I made Sana apologize to Ms. Lim."

"You know, I can't have my best friend clashing with my boss," she continued. "It went pretty well. As you can see, they're currently hanging out."

Mina nodded, still taken aback. Momo could finally breathe out properly after seeing that the woman approved and had no idea that she was making things up.  "That's very nice," Mina replied happily before gently pulling Momo's arm so the woman could lean on her. "Didn't I tell you I'd be at Nayeon's birthday dinner?"

"Yeah," Momo agreed.

"Things got a little heated back there," Mina admitted quietly. "And I noticed Nayeon was really stressed out, so I figured she might be having trouble breathing," she continued, causing Momo to worry as well.

"She left early, and we didn't get to say goodbye, but she did send me a message stating she was sorry for leaving so suddenly."

"It wasn't a big deal, and I understand," Mina added, while Momo merely listened silently, her hands playing with her wife's fingers. "I would've escaped too if my family had argued like that on my birthday," she chuckled, prompting the other woman to nod her head, gently chuckling. "Anyhow, I'm surprised she got away just to see Sana."

"Don't you think it's a little cute?" Momo asked, making Mina hum. "They're just like us, Ms. Lim and Sana," she went on. "They argue a lot, but they get along better than they realize."

"I kind of want Sana for Dahyun, though."

"What are you saying?" Momo asked, her lips puckering in dismay. "Ms. Lim and Sana would make a more adorable couple," she stated, strongly disagreeing with Mina.

"Do you think so?" Mina questioned, trying to think up an image of the two in her mind. "But you know Nayeon isn't into romance," she stated, "and I doubt she ever will be."

"Miracles happen," Momo replied, still attempting to persuade Mina. "Doesn't Miss Lim refuse to make friends with anyone? But look at her now doing silly things with Sana," she tried to say. "It's an unexpected sight to see."

"Well," Mina said, chuckling and nodding. "I have to agree with you there."

 

 

 

"Have you already made a wish?" Sana inquired, her gaze fixed on Nayeon, who was staring at the stacked rocks. She seemed satisfied with herself after a period of time trying.

After a few seconds, Nayeon glanced at Sana and stated, "I did," which made Sana even happier. Her joyous giggles were accompanied by small jumps. Nayeon couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief at how the other was acting. "I'm happy for you!" the woman exclaimed as she approached Nayeon. Sana held those two hands, shaking them with excitement.

"Hey, hey," Nayeon said, concerned that the rocks would be knocked off. "Be careful with the rocks," she said, adding, "I'm not going to get frustrated over doing that all over again."

As a result, Sana gasped. Her gaze quickly moved down to the rocks, trying to see if she had ruined it. Fortunately, it wasn't, but she noticed how both of her hands were still holding Nayeon's. The woman was also watching how tightly Sana's hands were gripping hers, which was even more humiliating.

"Oh," Sana murmured, letting go immediately. She pretended to cough, then chuckled nervously. She was speechless for reasons she couldn't understand. "Uhm," she murmured, averting her gaze as her cheeks reddened.

At the sight of that, Nayeon could only smile. She had successfully flustered Sana countless times before, but this one seemed different. "I can hear your heartbeat from this far," she managed to tease the woman.

"What more if we hugged?" Nayeon was trying to irritate Sana, and she was succeeding. "Or kissed the way we used to—"

"Stop!" exclaimed Sana. Her brow furrowed, and she appeared to be about to give up on any discussion with Nayeon. "How come you're so annoying?" she inquired, only to elicit a hearty laugh from the other. "What's so funny now?"

"I'm going to stop," Nayeon remarked. "Stop being angry."

"Whatever. It's your birthday, so I should be nice to you."

"I like that."

"I don't," Sana said, rolling her eyes.

"Sana-yah," Nayeon said suddenly, gaining the attention of the other woman. "I don't really want to go home," she continued.

"How is that my problem?" Sana asked, but then quickly remembered that she had to be nice. She eventually sighed and said, "I live nearby."

"Nearby?" Nayeon inquired, somewhat confused. She knows where Sana lives, and it's close to Sayuri's salon. "Do you now live somewhere else?" she inquired.

"I don't really live with my aunt and uncle," Sana felt compelled to say. "At least not before Momo and Mina got married," she explained. "The three of us live together, but they, of course, needed to move out to a house of their own."

"Ah," Nayeon said as she nodded her head.

"I also don't like living alone; being alone isn't my thing." "So, I lived with my aunt and uncle for a short while."

"And then you felt the need to be alone?" Nayeon speculated, prompting Sana to nod in agreement.

"You know I'm not on good terms with my uncle," Sana acknowledged. "I mean, it's just me who's trying to get away."

"I understand you, missy," Nayeon answered immediately. "I'm not going to pass judgment on you or anything."

"Hmm, I appreciate that."

"To your... house then?" Nayeon inquired, and because Sana had already suggested it, the woman could no longer refuse.

 

 

Dahyun drove to Nayeon's house the next morning, hoping to see the woman. She didn't get an opportunity to give her the present last night because Nayeon had left early. To be honest, Dahyun didn't want to put up any effort, especially for Nayeon. However, she believed that this gift would be useless to her, thus it must be handed to someone. In the end, she had purchased it as a birthday present for Nayeon, so it has to go to the woman.

"Isn't she here?" Dahyun inquired, having rang the doorbell for the sixth time. She then looked at her wristwatch to see what time it was. But then, she realized that it didn't really matter what time it was, because today was Sunday. Companies shouldn't be as busy.

"Whatever," she replied as she pushed it over the threshold. She groaned and asked herself, "why did I even think about getting you a present?" She could only shake her head, unsure how to respond to her own question. Dahyun eventually chose to turn away, but while she was walking, she was stopped by a familiar person's mere presence.

"Yoo Jeongyeon," she said flatly.

"It's lovely to see you here, Ms. Kim," Jeongyeon said, stopping to engage in the brief conversation. "Did you see Ms. Lim?" she said, prompting Dahyun to shake her head. "So... why are you here?"

"I wanted to see her, but she didn't seem to be around," Dahyun replied. "I rang the doorbell six times in a row, and no one answered."

"She's not there either?" Jeongyeon whispered to herself, the end of her brow, wondering where Nayeon might have gone without notifying anyone.

"So, she's also not in the company?" Dahyun inquired, overhearing Jeongyeon's whisper. "Well, I don't really care," she remarked smugly, patting one of the other woman's shoulders. "All right, Yoo Jeongyeon, I'll get going."

Even after Dahyun had walked away, Jeongyeon stayed in the same position. For some reason, she couldn't help but be worried about Nayeon. Aside from the woman acting strangely and distractedly inside their workplace, she suspects that something is amiss with the woman's health. She had discussed it with Jihyo as well, and the woman had told her that she had noticed how serious Nayeon's anxiety about things was becoming. This could potentially be the cause of her distraction, but they can't be sure.

 

 

Nayeon awoke due to the harsh sunlight streaming in through the slit in the drapes. She considered getting more sleep for the first time because the bed was so cozy.

But then she realized she wasn't in her own house. Nayeon sat up immediately, with only one eye open, to gaze around the room. Her gaze was drawn to the other bed, where Sana had slept the night before.

"Where is she?" she wondered as she checked the other unoccupied bed.

The truth is, Sana could just get rid of the other two beds and have the entire house to herself. After all, the contract she signed states that she, Momo, and Mina are the legal holders for the next five years. She has another two and a half years left.

Perhaps it is only that the woman is unable to live in the realities of being alone. At the very least, having three of everything may give her the impression that there are other people in the house.

"Sana-yah," Nayeon remarked calmly, "where are you?" she questioned, appearing like a clingy child who can't let her single parent alone for a moment. "Sana!" she exclaimed, cutely (she'd never take it), this time as she puckered her lips.

Nayeon had no idea that Sana had left early today to perform an errand. She only realized this morning that she had run out of groceries. All that remained were the snacks she had purchased with Momo and Mina at the time. They don't expire immediately, so she didn't have to worry about them that much.