They helped Haru move back into his apartment. They didn't talk that much. They didn't feel the need to force any conversation anymore. And Chaeyoung was fine, kind of. Mina knew that she wouldn't be fine fully, not for a long time. But she was going to do her best to help her through everything. She hoped that she would manage. She wasn't alone though. Jihyo and Jeongyeon were always there for her and she knew that they were not going to leave her alone. Tzuyu was younger but Mina knew that she was dependable, she was also excited like a child when she could move back into her room. And Nayeon promised to stay. Mina somehow didn't doubt her. Momo was a fun person, someone who really cared for her friends. As for Sana…Mina tried not to think about her. As it was far too distracting. And she just wasn't sure if she deserved to think about her. She acted immature, she hurt Sana. There was no way that she could just go and talk to her again. That would be childish, condescending even. Mina wouldn't feel like it's right. She wasn't sure how to approach her though. She had so little experience with relationships, especially with romantic ones. She didn't want to make things worse. She had to involve her friends in this. Nayeon as well, as Sana's friend she should know about everything. And as much as Mina wanted to stop thinking about Sana, it proved impossible in the end. She sighed and tried to go back to the document she was working on. But as she noticed the time her mind brought her back to Sana. To their lunch dates. Mina swore that she was not like that. She would never act all sappy. And yet that was exactly what was happening. Mina couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not. But after a moment of thought, whether it was awful to act that way, she decided that it wasn't. It was worth it when it was about Sana. And she wanted to see Sana. She was too self aware to just seem her out though. She truly had to discuss it with everyone first. 

 

“Miss Myoi!” Mina's heart almost jumped out of her chest when the forceful voice reached her ears. And it belonged to her secretary, who didn't look one but apologetic for giving her boss a heart attack. 

 

“You scared me.”

 

“I wouldn't have to if you picked up your phone one time from the 5 times I called you and then answered when I was calling out to you normally.” Mina very rarely felt embarrassed, but this was one of those moments. She cleared and pretended that she wasn't just thinking about Sana a little too much.

 

“Forgive me. What is it?” She kept her casual tone and even managed to smile like usual. Though her secretary definitely wasn't fooled.

 

“Your father wants to meet you today. He said at your family house, 5 pm.” That was unexpected. It's been a while since they had actually interacted in any way. 

 

“Thank you, miss Kim.” Her secretary nodded and then left Mina's office. Thankfully, without commenting on her strange behavior. Mina wasn't sure what to expect. They either wanted to see her to give her another ultimatum or maybe…just maybe wanted to apologize. She had to wait for a few more hours to find out though. 

 

She told Haru to bring Chaeyoung back at 7 , so that she had time to talk to her parents and also process everything that would happen. Her father didn't wait for her, so that they could go together, which wasn't shocking. She didn't rush to get there, she took her time to prepare herself mentally, she also listened to music. Her favorite classical pieces. That never failed to bring her emotions to the front. But the time had finally arrived, she tried to hide all signs of doubt in her body while waiting to be allowed inside of her family house. It felt so much bigger without her and her sisters around. 

 

“Come in, Mina. Join us.” Her mother smiled at her invitingly, being the more approachable out of their parents. Mina followed the instruction, her father o served her like a hawk. Mina remained collected. 

 

“It was a surprise to receive an invitation from you two.” She explained, not knowing how else to start the conversation. She was also sure that they didn't want to do small talk either.

 

“You have completely lost your mind.” 

 

“Thank you, father. I'm honored.” Her response was obviously sarcastic and it wasn't appreciated by her parents one bit.

 

“Mina, you must know that divorcing Haru is not a good idea.” Mina wasn't even questioning how they knew about the divorce. She was sure that Haru's parents reached out to Mina's family. 

 

“I have the right to terminate my own marriage.” The displeasure was palpable. It was suffocating. Mina couldn't give up though. Just like always. 

 

“How do you imagine this? Young, divorced, single mom, people are already talking about you.” To him, to her whole family it was always about that. About what everyone else said. 

 

“I don't care what people say. Neither Chaeyoung, Haru nor I were happy in this arrangement. I want all the best for Chaeyoung and I realized that giving up on myself and staying in this marriage will just destroy all of us.” They both scanned her meticulously. No mercy. She held her head high. 

 

“There's acting on impulse and there's fulfilling your responsibility. Marriage is a lifelong investment.” It was quite weird that they were trying to keep her in the marriage though. 

 

“You don't even like Haru that much. Why are you so adamant on this?” They seemed rather uncomfortable with her question. 

 

“We want a normal life for Chaeyoung. Your marriage with Haru allowed for this. Divorce, her biological mother staying here, your…acquaintance with another woman don't create this life.” Mina pretended that those words didn't hurt her. Having the unconditional love and support of your parents was indispensable. But Mina was tired of not meeting her parents’ standards. If they couldn't think of her needs, she shouldn't bother with them at all. 

 

“I'm sorry that you think that way. Don't bother, you don't have to worry about me or my family. You can fully focus on yourself from now on.” Mina was leaving. She saw no reason to continue their conversation. It would just end with them fighting or Mina breaking down. She needed to be strong. She needed to stand her  ground. She had enough people that loved her for all of her, not just when she met a certain criteria.

 

“Mina, wait.” Her mother halted her before she could walk out of the room. She shouldn't have stopped, her legs remained in place though. 

“Why do you insist on allowing Nayeon to move back into your life?” 

 

“And why are you giving up on your marriage for a woman you met a few months ago?” Mina could just walk out. She could ignore it all. She moved back to her spot on the chair, she knew that she had to look them in the eyes. 

 

“Nayeon has matured. She has a job, she keeps a good relationship with her friends, she puts in the effort to apologize and make it up to us. We're family. And I'm not giving up my marriage for a woman. I'm giving it up because I'm not happy with it. I will never be happy in it. I tried to stay in it for years, nothing changed, there's no reason to remain in it, just to destroy myself and the people I care about.” The three of them stared at each other in silence for a moment. Mina had no idea what they would say to that. But she was ready for everything. She wasn't going to give up on her decision. 

 

“We don't know how to forgive Nayeon. But it seems like in the process we lost all of our daughters.” Mina couldn't deny her mother's words. She didn't even remember the last time Tzuyu talked to their parents. It was always Mina who stayed in touch with them. 

 

“Then stop pushing us away. One conversation with Nayeon isn't going to destroy your life. A few bigots bad mouthing me won't end your life. And when Tzuyu sees how you're trying, she'll come around. I don't want you to be alone either.” She spoke sincerely. She wanted them to at least give them one chance. Just so that their family could be whole again.

 

“And what if we don't find common ground?” Her father asked, looking much less strict, tense.

 

“That's ok. As long as you actually try.” 

 

“We need to think about this first.” She nodded, understanding. 

 

“That's all I can ask for. Thank you. I should go now.” They didn't stop her again. Their parting wasn't long. She just got up and left, with an awkward smile. She still shed some tears once she entered her car and drove back to her apartment. To enjoy the rest of the day with her family.

 

It was an uplifting experience, getting back home and seeing Tzuyu and Dahyun studying in the living room again. Mina missed them there tremendously. She let them be though, instead she made her way into the kitchen after asking if the two of them ate anything. Hearing that they ordered takeout wasn't something she liked but she let them be. She had to focus on making something for herself while not overthinking anything. Which that day proved it was quite the impossible task. Her conversation with her parents added to that as well. Mina was aware of the fact that she needed to give herself time, she couldn't rush anything. But somehow her mind wanted to just jump into everything without preparation. Which she didn't think would be wise. Sana also didn't deserve to be juggled around in such a disrespectful way. If Mina was going to be Sana's partner in the future she needed to prove herself, how much respect she had for her, how much she was willing to do, to improve herself. She was adamant, she wasn't going to give up again. 

 

“I know that you're not the loudest person but damn, are you going to say something?” Mina blinked a few times, stopping her hand midair, before she could put the spoon full of food into again.

 

“Eh?” 

 

“Don't mind her.” Dahyun laughed at their interaction. “Just finish your food.” 

 

“She came back an hour ago and said one sentence to us.” Tzuyu complained, with a little whine. 

 

“I'm sorry, Tzuyu. I'll give you attention now. How was your day?” Mina replied, her lips formed an easy smile, then she moved to a seat next to Tzuyu, her eyes not leaving her sister's face.

 

“Ok, go back to eating.” Both Dahyun and Mina burst into a small fit of laughter at Tzuyu's reaction. She tried to move away from Mina, with feigned annoyance. Mina caught her arm and hugged it to keep Tzuyu in place. 

 

“You seem free.” Dahyun's statement calmed them down a bit. Mina might've understood what that meant. She hoped that she could stay that way. 

 

“I definitely feel that way now.” 

 

“You can free me then.” Tzuyu tried to pull her arm away but Mina wasn't letting go. She was sure that Tzuyu wanted all that affection. 

 

“I don't want to. And you didn't answer my question.” Mina continued. Hoping that The two of them had been in a better mood as well.

 

“Today was nice. No boring lectures so that's a win.” Tzuyu nodded along with Dahyun's explanation. “Was your day boring?” Mina contemplated telling them about her meeting with their parents right then. But she thought that it was only right to do that.

 

“Our parents invited me for a short conversation. It was a bit difficult at first but they promised to think about talking to Nayeon.” The two girls looked quite taken aback. She didn't expect a different reaction. 

 

“They said that? What is it with people and coming around at the end of their life?” Tzuyu asked, overdramatic, to be fair. 

 

“Your parents aren't that old.” Dahyun said with a sigh.

 

“Maybe because now that I haven't been talking to them, neither of their daughters kept up with them.” Mina explained softly, smoothing Tzuyu's arm. 

 

“I’m not talking to them because they're acting like s.” She stood her ground. Mina had never blamed her for that. 

 

“I know. I am not going to force you to talk to them but I want to bring peace to our family.” Tzuyu sighed, a bit too heavily, clearly exaggerating it. “They are also going to try to accept my divorce.”

 

“That's amazing. You deserve to have your parents back in your life, actually showing support and care.” Dahyun always made sure to be the sweetest ever. Mina sent her a grateful smile, to show her appreciation.

 

“If it all actually happens I will consider giving them a chance.” Mina knew that Tzuyu would do it, just like she did with Nayeon. But she let her younger sister pretend to be like that, too cool for anyone. 

 

“That's great, Tzuyu.” Mina reached up with her hand to ruffle her sister's hair, which seemed to annoy Tzuyu more. She knew that wasn't the case though. 

 

“Can you get off me now?” 

 

“Tzuyu, we all know you are enjoying this.” Dahyun was all abroad for teasing her girlfriend. It earned her a small kick under the table. Mina did let go though, taking pity on her sister and so that she could finish her meal. Their conversation became more casual, as Dahyun and Tzuyu also returned to their studies. After that, thankfully, she was busy with Chaeyoung. Finally feeling like she was enjoying their time together to the fullest. Without much worry. She also had good expectations for the following day. She let Nayeon know that she would like to meet up with her, she also did the same for Jeongyeon and Jihyo. She knew what she needed to do. She hoped that her family would help her with that.

She bribed Tzuyu and Dahyun to take Chaeyoung to the playground for some time so that Mina could have the hard talk with Nayeon, Jeongyeon and Jihyo. They met in Mina’s apartment, she prepared something to drink and even something to snack on. When everyone showed up, she started from asking them about their day and what they were going to do the following day. Nayeon talked about a rude customer and how Momo almost cut off her finger. She had to reassure them that she was ok and it ended up as just a wound. Her finger was still attached fully. Jihyo had complained about her management and how ignorant they were, thinking that much more work could be finished than was humanly possible. Jeongyeon didn’t have any interesting stories from her work so she just talked about how difficult it was to deal with annoyed Jihyo. It caused a bit of a scene, which meant Jihyo pressuring Jeongyeon to explain how difficult it was to be around her. Unfortunately, Jeongyeon didn’t know what “shutting up” meant and she actually did describe everything. Mina could only sigh as Jihyo and Jeongyeon started bickering and then acting like they hated each other. Nayeon looked pretty terrified though, as if she witnessed a relationship’s ending. To Mina it was just the usual. And then finally it was her turn to talk about her day, or the day before that as well. She had to inform Nayeon of what had happened with their parents as well. 

 

“Our parents wanted to talk to me yesterday.” Mina started slow, to see the reaction everyone would give. And they were looking rather concerned and ready to rant angrily at the parents. 

 

“For whatever reason?” Nayeon asked, encouraging her to continue.

 

“Haru’s parents told them about our divorce. I guess they hoped that they could persuade me into changing my mind on this. I told them that I am not going to change my mind, that I can’t be with Haru anymore. And we almost ended up parting on a disagreement again. They stopped me before I could leave and then agreed to talk to you, Nayeon and think about everything.” Everyone looked shocked, but Nayeon was sitting there stunned, with open, her eyes unblinking. 

 

“That’s a good thing, right?” Jeongyeon spoke into the silence that ruled over them for a moment. 

 

“I think it is. Even if the outcome of this won’t meet our expectations, it’s always good to try.” She didn't want to be pessimistic anymore. She wanted to bring some positivity into her mindset and she believed her words. 

 

“You really are happier and it has only been a few days.” Jihyo pointed out, wearing an affectionate smile. Mina reciprocated it.

 

“Did they say when they want to meet me?” Mina shook her head. Nayeon seemed troubled, definitely panicking a bit. Mina reached out to hold Nayeon's hand, to bring her comfort.

 

“I think it's best if you set a date. It's important that you're ready to see them and of course, I'll come along with you if you want.” It seemed to have calmed Nayeon down a bit. Her hand squeezed Mina's in an appreciative gesture. 

 

“Hopefully it works out.” 

 

“Thank you, all. But I'll be fine as long as my sisters and friends are by my side.” It was a something Mina could agree with as well. She wouldn't mind it if it was just them. 

 

“It’s kinda weird. I’m so unused to you being so sappy.” Jeongyeon replied, teasingly, clearly over her annoyance with Jihyo.

 

“You’ll have to get used to it again then. If you’re capable of that.” And Jihyo wasn’t over her own upset feelings. 

 

“Well, I am the affectionate sibling in this trio. You gotta get used to it again.” Nayeon’s chest puffed out, her head stayed high, showing her pride in such a title.

 

“You WERE one, not anymore.” Nayeon’s act dropped quickly, her eyes focused on Jeongyeon, pressuring her to explain it.

 

“I am still one and will always be one.” Jeongyeon shrugged, pretending to be disinterested, but the smug gleam in her eyes was showing through.

 

“Mina kinda took that title away from you.” Nayeon’s head snapped to bore her eyes into Mina. 

 

“Since when are you affectionate?” That was a little bit of an exaggeration, as it wasn’t true that Mina was never showing her love to anyone. 

 

“Being a mom changed her.” It wasn’t even a joke, Jihyo was saying the truth. Nayeon leaving was also a part of that reason.

 

“She treats Tzuyu as her second daughter.” Jeongyeon continued, as Nayeon slopped in her chair with a pout.

 

“This feels wrong.” 

 

“It’s a natural thing. Especially, when everyone enjoys all this pampering.” Mina defended herself. She did start being more affectionate with Tzuyu because she knew that was something her younger sister needed. But as the time went by, she simply wanted to baby Tzuyu, she liked it as well.

 

“That should be the eldest sister’s thing.” Nayeon might’ve been making a scene just for the sake of making one. Which felt like the Nayeon she knew. 

 

“Mina became one when you left.” Jeongyeon countered and Nayeon sent her a disapproving scowl. Mina decided that it was the moment they should change the subject before they end up dealing with another quarrel.

 

“Anyway, I wanted to ask you about something, all of you I think.” With one last warning glare from Nayeon and a smug one from Jeongyeon, all of them gave Mina their attention. “I wanted to ask you what would be the best way of approaching my relationship with Sana.” 

 

“Honestly, just go talk to her.” Nayeon said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. But Mina didn't think so. 

 

“That's a good idea, but what's important to add, let her know that you aren't going to pressure her and you can just be friends.” Jihyo added her own perspective. Mina was more inclined to listen to her, maybe it was her bias.

 

“We all know that Sana doesn't want to be Mina's friend. Honestly, she will ascend if Mina just goes up to her and says that they should be together.” It was a bit too optimistic, even if Mina wanted to become more like that. She also just thought that it would be better to wait a bit, stay friends for a little longer before they moved to the next page. 

 

“Mina is in the process of getting a divorce and she met Sana only a few months ago. Let's not rush anything.” Nayeon rolled her eyes at Jihyo's answer. Mina would probably witness even more bickering between them like that. 

 

“Mina should just take a risk! She has a quarter of her life, she can go and get it.” Jihyo sighed, her eyes closed as she tried to calm herself, because at the end of the day it wasn't a life or death situation. 

 

“You really want Mina to get laid, huh?” Jihyo hit Jeongyeon's arm for those words. 

 

“I think that I'm just going to listen to Jihyo.” She agreed with her the most. Her opinion didn't sound like it was going to create more chaos. 

 

“As long as you don't fumble it again, I guess you can listen to Jihyo.” She sounded like it wasn't what she was hoping to hear, but Mina was glad Nayeon didn't try to convince everyone that her idea was better. 

 

“Then I'm going to talk with her tomorrow. I'll be honest about everything.” 

She didn't try to change her mind on her decision the following day. She knew what she wanted to do, she knew that she wanted it to be simple. Just a sincere moment between Sana and her. She tried to practice her speech, at least a little. She didn't want to leave any misunderstandings after all. It was, in many ways, one of the most stressful moments in her life. Especially because she was new to such relationships. She wanted to learn it all though. So that she could be the best for Sana. She decided that suggesting she should drive Sana to work wouldn't be appropriate. Mina set herself on asking her to meet during the lunch break. Not to immediately have a meeting the way they used to have but to have the conversation they needed and give Sana the space she needed. She asked her secretary to contact Sana and then waited for the time to come while busying herself with work. 

She was a bit surprised when she heard a knock on her office door. As she wasn't 100% sure that Sana would agree to this. 

 

“Come in.” Mina called out and sat straight in her chair, trying not to lose her composure. Sana walked in a bit reluctantly, not capable of looking Mina in the eyes. “Good afternoon, Sana.” She smiled invitingly, Sana's smile was shy.

 

“Hi, it's been a while.” She replied once she was sitting on the chair across the desk.

 

“Thank you for coming. It would be understandable if you didn't.” Mina thought that it was an appropriate opening to her incoming apology and confession. 

 

“Thank you for inviting me. I am happy that you have escaped the forced marriage. I hope that it'll open so many new and exciting opportunities.” The expression on Sana's face told her that there was no dishonesty hiding behind her words. Of course, there wasn't. 

 

“I'm feeling hopeful that everything will turn out well thanks to this. But it's something that I have to take agency on. It won't come by itself.” Sana nodded to Mina's words, clearly agreeing with everything. They fell into a small moment of silence. Mina observing Sana, Sana observing her own hands. Then with one big breath Mina decided to finally get to her point.

 

“I just wanted to-” They said at the same time. Bringing out a chuckle out of them. Then they both gestured toward each other, to encourage the other person to speak first.

 

“Maybe you should go first. You did ask me here.” Sana decided for them and Mina wasn't going to argue. She also thought that she should be the one showing effort after the months where Sana was the one doing that. 

 

“I invited you for an important reason. I treated you awfully. I ignored you for months, which was a calculated move. I was trying to do the right thing but it wasn't one. I ended up hurting many people, you included. I'm sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I am. I want to show you that I am not going to treat you this way again. That you're an important part of my life because I like you a lot. It is absolutely valid if you don't like me the same way and don't even want to be friends anymore.” Sana reached out to grasp Mina's hands that were resting on the desk, stiff, it made her relax. Sana was also smiling at her, warm. 

 

“I can't lie and say that I wasn't angry at you. I was going through a depressive episode to be honest. It was because I thought that you just didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore. That you hated me. But when I realized what the truth was, all that anger disappeared. I understand why you acted this way. And I absolutely feel the same way about you. There's no denying that.” Mina felt her chest become lighter. She expected this conversation to be harder, that it wouldn't be so easy to reach peace between them. But she was so happy that it was the case. 

 

“Thank you, Sana.” Sana let go of one of Mina's hands to wave dismissively.

 

“For what? It's something that happened and situations like that, when worked on correctly can strengthen the bond. You remember what happened with Nayeon, right?” She giggled melodiously. Mina was going to make sure that she wasn't the reason for Sana's misery again.

 

“I'm happy that's the case. I will do everything to never act like this again.” 

 

“I can tell.” Sana looked like she wanted to say something else. Mina didn't rush her, she simply squeezed her hands lightly “So…what are we?” That was a question Mina didn't expect to hear from Sana. But it was a nice surprise.

 

“I'd say that two people that are mutually into each other.” Sana laughed at her response, thankfully.

 

“I understand that you're just getting out of your marriage and Chaeyoung is still mad at me. She certainly showed that when we were playing with her recently. I got hit by pillows over 100 times.” Mina caressed Sana's hands apologetically. 

 

“I'm sorry for that. But she told me that you're not bad after all. And she said that it's ok for us to be together if I'm going to be happy. If it's ok, we…what is it called?”

 

“We can date?” Mina nodded, while Sana kept giggling quietly.

 

“I guess that's the term. I don't want to go into anything too quickly and cause more trouble and it'll be easier for Chaeyoung if we move slowly.” 

 

“I understand and I agree. Though it might not be too different to what we have been doing before.” That was a fair observation. Mina couldn't wait for more of their lunch dates, hanging out in her apartment, spending time with Chaeyoung, just being together.

 

“That's true. So does it mean that you'll join me tomorrow for our lunch date.” Sana's nodding was so frantic, Mina was worried she would hurt her neck. 

 

“Yes, absolutely. I will be here.” Mina had no doubt. All that was left to say was to talk to Chaeyoung about it. To Tzuyu as well. And then let the feelings guide her. 

 

“I will be waiting.”