I know that it's been a long time, I am sorry for that. I am trying to finish this story, it probably won't be very consistent because of my schedule. Take care everyone! And thank you.

Would it make sense to claim that the next two months of her life were both dragging on endlessly and flying past at the blink of an eye? Mina could only describe them in such a way. It was quite…more difficult than she anticipated. Being a normal family with Haru. It wasn't even entirely because Haru was a difficult person to deal with. He was actually pretty manageable and Mina didn't feel like she was going crazy. The worst part was the way her sisters and friends were acting. Of course, Jihyo and Dahyun were supportive and gentle. But the rest was giving her a hard time. It wasn't that they didn't talk to her. They just reminded her every hour about how stupid they thought she was acting. It was coming from Tzuyu the most, as they lived in one apartment. And they still tried to make her change her mind. She just wasn't ready. She was most likely too blinded by the way Chaeyoung was enjoying her days in their new situation. She was excited all the time, always wanting both Mina and Haru around her. And she wanted them to talk too. Though Mina didn't have much to talk about with him, apart from talking about Chaeyoung. Which, turns out, wasn't an endless topic. Therefore their conversations couldn't have been too interesting or affectionate, the way Chaeyoung wanted. But Mina had to admit that it was far better than arguing, insulting, and bringing up mistakes. 

She probably had to admit that she became exhausted from their predicament a month in. It was all too much for her. The expectations and the disapproval kept chewing her out. And she didn't feel like she could complain to anyone about it. Because that would be a confession of regret and stupidity. Even if she told just Jihyo. Jeongyeon would find out easily and then it would be like an avalanche, everyone would learn of her regret and guilt and make her feel even worse. And so she really tried to hide her discomfort from everyone. And she thought that people didn't notice. Even if they did, nobody confronted her. 

A part of her yearned for someone to confront her. No matter how unreasonable it was. She knew that everyone was just scared that they would make things worse if they went beyond 'how long are you going to act dumb?'. They wouldn't tell her in her face that she hated her decision and that she wished to take it back. Or maybe they weren't calling her out on purpose, to make her feel even guiltier. Which would be fair. She deserved such treatment from them. 

There was one thing that made the whole two months harder. The way Sana completely avoided her. At work, after work, like Mina didn't exist anymore to her. Mina thought that she might be able to handle such a situation. But it was more painful than she anticipated. She didn't want to bother Nayeon with that. So she mostly tried to inquire Sana's colleagues about it. But they always told Mina that Sana had no time to meet with her. Which Mina understood as a polite way of telling her to back off. Not a shocking response to the thing Mina pulled off. No matter the circumstances. So she left Sana be. No matter how much she was hurting over the situation. No matter how much she started thinking that maybe doing all of that wasn't worth it after all. And perhaps, it was too late anyway. Mina had to adjust, accept. She wasn’t made for a sweet life, for being selfish. She had to stop asking Nayeon about Sana, stop asking the workers about that too. She had to move on. It was something she could do, even when she saw Sana in the hall, as she was waiting for the elevator with Chaeyoung. She didn’t try to call out, didn’t try to reach out. She let Chaeyoung pull her inside the elevator. 

“Mommy, why are you sad?” The tiny voice made Mina return from her thoughts and she plastered a tiny smile on her face.

“I was just thinking.” She replied and smoothed Chaeyoung’s hair affectionately. Chaeyoung pursed her lips cutely and just nodded. 

“Can we all sleep in one bed today? It’s Friday and we can watch movies.” Mina had no intention of saying no. Even if she wasn’t particularly looking forward to it. 

“Of course, we will ask your dad about it when he’s back.” Chaeyoung smiled at her and it seemed like she was already thinking about which movies to pick. Mina let her be, she had to prepare herself for another round of awkward times with Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and probably Tzuyu and Dahyun. However, when they entered the apartment, it was empty. Which was suspicious. At least one of them should’ve been there. Perhaps, it was better that no one was there. One day without getting passively attacked seemed great. She also had time to get ready to spend the evening and the night with Haru. In a much closer proximity than she anticipated. She had to think of something. She didn’t get much time to think though, as she had to prepare food, clean a bit, play with Chaeyoung, and actually ask her friends and sister where they were. And the answer she got was that they were busy. Tzuyu just sent a side-eye emoji. That was a fair response in Mina’s opinion. 

Then Haru came back and there was no time for any explanations as Chaeyoung immediately told him all about her plan. The next thing, she was on the couch, under one blanket with Chaeyoung, as the three of them focused on the movie. Mina tried to act like she was enjoying herself. As soon as she noticed that Chaeyoung was asleep, she got up from the couch and went out onto the balcony without a word. In theory, she only had to be on her spot when Chaeyoung woke up. But what if she woke up in the middle of the night? Wasn’t that whole act supposed to become easier with time? Because it was much harder to do it the more time passed. 

“You’ll freeze out here.” Mina hugged herself as she finally felt the cold on her skin. And then she felt a weight on her back. It was a blanket.

“I’ll be fine. You can get ready to sleep.” Mina said without even looking at Haru. 

“You should stay with us. Chaeyoung wakes up during-”

“Yes, I know that.” Mina shot back, even though she didn’t mean to. 

“You seem pretty upset today. What happened?” He asked, uninvited. 

“I don’t think that it’s your problem.” She heard Haru sigh, rather heavily. She hoped that he would give up on interrogation. 

“I’m just trying to help. We are a team.” She wasn’t one to lose her temper and make a scene. But at that moment she felt like she needed to scream. 

“Then respect me and leave me alone.” As she said it, calmly, she felt his hand touch her shoulder and instinctively she jerked away. 

“I am not your enemy. I really want to form a good bond between us for Chaeyoung’s good. But you keep making it difficult.” She inhaled deeply to keep herself together. 

“I am trying. But I need space.” 

“One day, you’ll see that this was the best decision. Come back to the couch.” Haru finished their conversation and Mina heard him walk back inside. She relaxed slightly and shut her eyes tightly, in an attempt to drown her…many feelings. Then walked back in, stoic expression, she didn’t look his way at all. She took her place on the couch and hugged Chaeyoung to her chest. That action helped her calm down. Though that didn’t mean that she slept well, or at all. She just couldn’t shake the overwhelming…regret…loss.

“I KNOW WHO THE PROBLEM IS!” Sana stormed into the apartment, thankfully at least Nayeon was inside so she didn’t look that crazy.

“Do YOU want to kill me?!” Nayeon exclaimed back, her hands over her heart, as she was trying to stabilize it beats. Sana ignored the complaint and jogged closer. She flopped next to Nayeon on the couch and stared at her with huge eyes.

“I am the problem!” She was quieter that time for Nayeon’s sake.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“About Mina! And this whole thing with Chaeyoung and Haru.” Nayeon stared back at her with furrowed eyebrows. 

“Yeah, you are definitely a part of thi-”

“No, listen.” Sana caught Nayeon’s shoulders and shook them lightly. “I saw Mina and Chaeyoung when I returned. I mean, they avoided me before we could get close. But once I stopped looking at Mina, I saw the way Chaeyoung was glaring at me, the way she dragged Mina away immediately. She didn’t want me to talk to them. She didn’t want me to talk with Mina. She hates me!” Sana finished, breathless, with teary eyes.

“But why? , she heard him call you those names!” Sana nodded sadly and Nayeon caught her hands in support. “I am so sorry.”

“Yeah, but we know who is the problem. And we can fix it easier. It’s not just Mina suddenly deciding to be with Haru, it’s…I don’t know…” Sana didn’t want to say it out loud. But it was pretty obvious what the goal was. 

“Oh, I'm going there.”

“What?!” Sana asked quickly and grabbed Nayeon’s arm to stop her from going out. “You really think that's a good idea?”

“I certainly think that she has to cut it short.” Nayeon said adamantly. 

“Yeah, obviously. But maybe we shouldn't do that at this hour. And I think that we should discuss it with others too.” Nayeon sighed with annoyance and they returned to the couch. 

“We gotta talk it out with Momo and then maybe we should get at least Tzuyu involved.” 

“Yes. I hope that we can fix this mess.” There was a better chance now. But Sana was still scared that Mina wouldn't want to be with her anymore. That it was too late. 

“We gotta. Can't let Mina actively destroy her life.” Nayeon's determination was palpable. She wasn't going to give up until all of the problems were resolved. 

Jeongyeon and Jihyo sounded reluctant through the phone when they received the call from Nayeon. And they looked even more so when they arrived at Nayeon, Momo, and Sana's apartment. Not that it was unusual. Even if they decided to fix their relationships it was still fresh. And Nayeon didn't explain much so they didn't know why they had to come over. But there would be no way that they didn't agree to help. So Sana assumed, as Mina's best friends, they would jump at every occasion to help her. But when Nayeon finally let them know what was up, their apprehensive attitude didn't disappear. Or more like, Jihyo's attitude didn't disappear. 

“Ok, explain like I am 5, why don't you want to help?” Nayeon was standing in the middle of the room, hands in her hips, a permanent scowl on her face. 

“It's not that we don't want to help. I just think that trying to directly influence the situation will make Mina try to escape even more. I told you that she is much more disagreeable with Hair nowadays. This whole ‘let’s leave her alone with her choice and see how she reflects on everything and gets rid of Haru on her own’ is better.” Jihyo sounded absolutely convinced that she was right. It was obvious in her posture and her tone of voice. But not everyone was that patient. 

“Can't we join the two ideas?” Momo suggested, her hand reaching out to pull Nayeon on the couch before she burst out. 

“Like? What do you propose?” Jeongyeon asked with curiosity, as they watched Nayeon breathe deeply.

“Oh, well, I just gave the idea out.” Momo admitted, embarrassed. They fell silent, their brains trying to figure out the best course of action, the plan that was going to combine their ideas. Sana knew that she was the problem, she knew that Chaeyoung hated her. So wouldn't the situation get easier to solve if Chaeyoung didn't have all those negative feelings toward Sana? There would need to be a way to achieve that. 

“We have to get Chaeyoung to like me again.” Sana stated, not adding anything else as she didn't think that her idea of just talking to Chaeyoung directly was good. The rest observed her for a moment without a word. 

“We could talk about you in superlatives around her. Make sure that she sees that you're not a homewrecker.” The title was a small punch in her stomach. 

“I don't think it'll be enough.” Jihyo added, her expression focused. “We need to make her see how unhappy Mina is. Which will be difficult, Mina is great at hiding in front of her.” Jihyo seemed to already have an idea of how to solve it. She didn't elaborate much more though. 

“So you know what to do? Should we let Tzuyu know?” Nayeon tried to get a bit more from her. Though it wasn't successful.

“Just give me a few days. I can make it work. And let's maybe let Tzuyu have some time away from more drama. She needs some peace to focus on her studies.” Jihyo assured. Though with the limited information it didn't make them less worried. But they decided to trust her. That was all they could do. Sana had to hope that it would work out for the best. For everyone's best sake.

It was not becoming any easier. Actually, Mina started noticing that she began showing her sadness and anger around Chaeyoung. When she was absentmindedly going over her everyday tasks. She would realize when Chaeyoung would call out to her or tug on her arm. And she felt that there's a frown on her face. She would quickly shake it off and make sure that she was smiling. She hated herself for that. She wanted to keep Chaeyoung in a positive environment. And she was doing a bad job at it. She had to get a grip. Jihyo noticed it all as well. And she convinced, forced in all honesty, Mina to take an afternoon out with Nayeon while Jeongyeon and Jihyo were going to take care of Chaeyoung. She expected that Nayeon would try to convince her again. But that wasn't exactly the case. But something was different with Chaeyoung. She would stare at Mina, quite often. Just staring. When Mina asked her what was wrong, she wouldn't say a thing. And it made everything even worse. Jihyo had a lot to explain.

“It's kinda hurtful that you think we said something to Chaeyoung.” Jeongyeon said with a roll of her eyes. The response was not surprising. 

“She's been just staring at me and she won't talk about it with me. And it happened after you two spent the afternoon with her.” Jeongyeon let out an exaggerated sigh. 

“We didn't say anything bad. We asked about how she's doing and how it has been going at home, because you don't seem too happy when you're with us.” Jihyo admitted and it was all Mina needed.

“What? Why would you tell her that?!” Mina's voice was a bit louder and her arms became more animated.

“Because it's true and Chaeyoung told us that she will check for herself and let us know if you're sad or not” Jeongyeon added and that whole staring started making sense.

“That still doesn't answer my question.” 

“We think that once Chaeyoung realizes that you're unhappy with Haru, she'll stop being angry at Sana.” Mina froze. She wasn't sure how they figured out what the real reason behind everything was or if it was a good thing. “Sana told us that she figured out this is the reason.” 

“It'll be much easier when she realizes that Sana isn't an enemy.” Jeongyeon sounded more supportive and comforting than before. Mina didn't know what to say. She couldn't find anything. As she still couldn't admit that she regretted her choice. But she also didn't want to deny everything anymore. So she sat there with her head hanging low. Jihyo and Jeongyeon moved closer to her to give her a comforting hug. She had to hope that it would all end well. One day.

Whether the whole idea that Jihyo and Jeongyeon came up with worked, Mina couldn't tell for a couple of weeks. Yes, Chaeyoung was more attentive but she wasn't asking about anything related. Mina also kept trying to make it look like everything was fine. Though Haru noticed that Chaeyoung was acting a bit different. Though he didn't try to confront Mina immediately. Or more like Mina avoided any situation where he could do it. She knew that the moment would arrive and she would have to explain everything. It seemed like the time had come though. Chaeyoung was sleeping already and Mina didn't lock herself in the bathroom for an hour at that time, though she should have. Haru entered her room without as much a knock. Mina turned around in the chair to face him. He looked at her without a word.

“Am I supposed to guess what you want?” He wasn't surprised with her angry tone anymore. 

“What did you tell Chaeyoung?” He didn't sound much calmer. Which wasn't a good sign. 

“I tell her a lot of things. That's what happens when you talk with someone.” Mina didn't want to explain herself to him. But he didn't seem amused with her response. 

“She's much less excited and she told me that you are sad and she needs to know why so she can help you feel happy.” Mina pursed her lips and looked away to hide her worry and guilt. She knew that whatever Jihyo and Jeongyeon did wasn't very good. 

“I didn't say anything about that. But you can pretend to be fine for that long.”

“No one's forcing you to pretend.” He replied quickly.

“So you want me to act depressed from now on?” She asked with a mocking tone. 

“You can try to appreciate what you have and be happy with your family.” He stepped closer, his expression showing signs of the boiling emotions.

“I appreciate what I have. I would never take being a mother for granted. But don't call us a family.” Mina had never let those words leave her lips before. But their family was dysfunctional. It was a family only on paper.

“Then what are we?! We are married, we have a daughter, that's the simplest definition of a family!” His voice was too loud. The walls were not very thick, a child's sleep wasn't that deep.

“Don't raise your voice. Family consists of a group of people that care and love each other. I don't think it applies for you and I, and it never will. You know that.” Mina kept her voice quiet in hope that it would make him calm down a bit. But it didn't seem like the case.

“It’s because of that girl.” 

“No, it's about you trying to get some sort of pitiful revenge on Nayeon.” She retorted and it didn't make Haru happy.

“Are you implying that I don't love my own daughter?” Mina could hardly believe the words that left his mouth.

“When have I even said that? Just admit that you're trying to do everything to keep Nayeon away from her family and that you're doing all of it to make yourself feel better. Because Nayeon didn't want to spend her life suffocating with you, so you're trying to keep me here to prove how great of a person you are.” It was pretty relieving to get those thoughts off of her chest. It was always there, but she could never say it out loud before. 

“She left all of us, without as much as a word. She doesn't deserve to be a part of our life.” He was right in front of her, his right hand wrapped around her arm, the hold gradually became stronger.” And you decided to take Chaeyoung as your own. Fooling around with some stranger.”

“Haru, you're hurting me.” She grasped his arm and tried to push it off. He let go, leaving the throbbing feeling in Mina's arm. He seemed taken aback by his behavior. Which was a good sign. “I think that you should go to your room.” He left without another word. And after a few minutes when the adrenaline wore off, Mina broke down in tears that didn't seem cathartic enough.

But there was something that escaped Mina's perception. Even if she always tried her best to prevent such situations. Even if she tried to make sure that Chaeyoung was asleep when she left the room, that time the little girl wasn't sleeping yet. And Mina was going to find out about that soon.