So this chapter is a bit of a mix of things. I hope that it's still readable. And as always, thank you all for reading and keeping up with this! I hope that you're all doing well and take care!

 

 

She thought that the length of the walk would help her calm down. She even felt like it was working. But when she saw Dahyun greet her with a warm smile that faltered once Tzuyu's anger was apparent. And Tzuyu couldn't help but let loose. She stormed inside Dahyun's room and let out a heavy cry of frustration. 

 

"I can't do it!" She threw her arms into the air and covered her face with her hands as the tears started rolling. Dahyun was by her side in a glimpse. She wrapped Tzuyu's sobbing form in her arms and just held onto her until there were no more tears. Tzuyu could've stayed like that forever. Away from the family drama. Away from Nayeon.  But she also knew that Mina and Chaeyoung would've missed her. Mina was also probably seriously worried about her. But it would've been fine if she stayed with Dahyun for one night.

 

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Dahyun asked carefully once they were far into watching a chick flick, that Tzuyu didn't even know what the movie was about. They didn't say anything up until then.

 

"What is there to talk about? She came over, said some stuff, and Mina ate it all up." She summarized her version of the meeting. Dahyun reached out to Tzuyu's head and started smoothing her hair. Which was distracting her from her feelings.

 

"Maybe Nayeon is honest?" Tzuyu scoffed mockingly.

 

"Right." Dahyun stopped her hand movement and slid her hand to Tzuyu's cheek, where it lingered.

 

"Why don't you wanna see if she's honest? What are you actually scared of?" Tzuyu looked at Dahyun with questioning eyes.

 

"You know what."

 

"I want you to say it." Dahyun was getting annoying, but she was also sweet and Tzuyu couldn't get upset with her in any way.

 

"I don't want to welcome her back just for her to leave again." Tzuyu said in a soft voice. Dahyun changed her position on the bed so that she could bring Tzuyu into a hug. 

 

"You have to tell her that. Say that if she's not going to stay with you, you don't want to have anything to do with her." Tzuyu inhaled deeply. The smell of Dahyun's fabric softener filled her lungs and brought comfort. 

 

"But I can't even look at her without wanting to cry. I don't understand how Mina managed to stay so collected and clear-minded." Dahyun squeezed her tight before replying.

 

"Then cry. And don't even think of saying that you don't want her to see you cry. And I'm sure that Mina was a mess inside. But she needed to stay strong for you and for Nayeon." She knew that Dahyun was making sense. Even if Tzuyu didn't like that fact. She just wished that she could be like Mina. 

 

"Can I stay over tonight?" 

 

"I thought that went without saying." Dahyun allowed the topic to fade away and chuckled at her own response. "But let Mina know."

 

"Stop making her look like my mom." Tzuyu groaned but pushed herself up to take her phone and send Mina a short message informing her of her whereabouts.

 

"If you didn't live with her, I would stop." Dahyun said jokingly and opened her arms to welcome Tzuyu back in her embrace. Tzuyu finished her task and crawled back to her position. 

 

"She wasn't this protective before. Being a mother changed her." Dahyun laughed lightheartedly at Tzuyu's comment.

 

"It's a good thing though. You do enjoy getting babied." Tzuyu regarded her girlfriend as the funniest person alive, but that comment was a personal offense.

 

"I do not. It's annoying and stupid." She huffed and snuggled closer to Dahyun.

 

"Right. As if the scoff you give her wasn't just an act because once we're out of her sight you're grinning like a child." Dahyun continued her teasing and strengthened her hold on Tzuyu once she felt her girlfriend's attempt at escaping the hug.

 

"This is defamation. If you ever mention this to her." Dahyun only started laughing again at the feigned threatening tone.

 

"I'm so scared. I definitely won't even think about it around her." Tzuyu sighed, she was sure that Dahyun was truly going to keep it to herself. Mina finding out that Tzuyu enjoyed it when she was treated as if she was a child again, was not something she needed. She clung to that dynamic quite desperately. Nayeon was pampering Tzuyu nonstop back then, but Mina kind of stopped once she entered high school. And when Nayeon left and Mina started giving her an overload of affection, Tzuyu was able to survive the worst part of the new situation. "But I know that it's important to you." Dahyun said in a soft voice and kissed the top of Tzuyu's head. 

Tzuyu simply hummed to confirm the statement. And they didn't feel the need to say anything else. They returned to the movie, even though they had no idea what was going on even more than before. But it was never about the movie. It was about listening to Dahyun's even heartbeat and feeling her warmth. And the way Dahyun's hand was caressing her hair. And the soft kisses to her head. Tzuyu got lost in all of those things. Right to the moment sleep took over her mind. Even in her sleep, she was sure that Dahyun was still doing all of those small things that meant so much. She regretted falling asleep though, as she missed many more hours of just them being close to each other. 

 

She decided to wait for Chaeyoung to fall asleep before talking with Haru. Even if it was going to turn messy. Though, she would've felt better if Jihyo and Jeongyeon were next to her throughout it all. She couldn't keep them in her home forever. Tzuyu was going to stay with Dahyun so she had no choice. And she needed to be self-reliant. As for their parents, she would tell them after the weekend.

Before Haru could start preparing himself for bed, Mina knocked on the door to Tzuyu's room, which he was currently occupying. He allowed her to come in and so Mina pushed the slightly opened door to enter. He was finishing dusting his work outfit and then hung it on the closet. Mina stopped after taking two steps in.

 

"Can we talk?" She began cautiously.

 

"Sure. I checked the site of the aquarium and they have quite a few interesting exhibitions. We should go there tomorrow. Chaeyoung is also determined to go there." He replied with a smile at the mention of Chaeyoung. 

 

"I'm fine with that. But that's not what I wanted to talk about." Haru hummed and moved to sit on the bed. Mina stayed in her spot.

 

"Ok, tell me." 

 

"The meeting with Nayeon went well. She apologized, sincerely. She wants to be back in our life. We agreed to meet again on Sunday." Mina informed calmly and then waited for whatever was coming.

 

"So you know after one conversation that she's honest?" He countered with a mocking tone.

 

"Don't forget that I am her sister. I could tell when she was making up a story." Mina wanted to believe Nayeon. And she was given no red flags about the whole situation. But Haru had a different view on that.

 

"She was making up a story for nine months. Did you notice anything then?" He pointed at her with his hand, as if he caught her in a lie. And Mina sensed that something was off. She just didn't realize that it was that severe. 

 

"I did notice. But I was oblivious to the extent of it all." Mina defended herself and he rolled his eyes.

 

"That's what you're saying to make yourself feel better for dropping all of the pain she caused just because she said sorry one time." He scoffed and then crossed his arms.

 

"You can't tell if someone changed unless you give them a chance. That's what I'm doing."

 

"And then she's going to do the same thing. What will you do then? You're just accepting the possibility of getting your heart broken again? Because for me one time was enough." Mina sensed actual sadness in his voice. And she did feel a bit bad for him. After all, he always seemed honest in his feelings for Nayeon. Then she just left him.

 

"I know that she hurt you too. And of course, you don't have to give her another chance. But I decided to do it. Therefore, I can deal with the hypothetical repercussions of my choice." They were quiet for a few seconds. Mina started to think that he wasn't going to say anything else and she was going to just leave. But as she was about to turn around he spoke up again.

 

"And what about Chaeyoung?" Mina truly didn't want to bring her up in this conversation. But she couldn't ignore him.

 

"She told me that she isn't sure if she wants to meet Nayeon. I'm not going to force her." He nodded.

 

"Good. So I'll take her somewhere on Sunday when you're meeting up with Nayeon." Mina sighed with relief. Their conversation went much better than she could've ever anticipated. 

 

"Thanks," Mina replied shortly. "We should leave tomorrow around 10."

 

"Wake me up if I oversleep." 

 

"Just set an alarm." She rolled her eyes at the request.

 

"Oh, come on. I miss getting woken up by Chaeyoung. Can't you do it just once?" Haru complained and Mina turned around to make her leave.

 

"I'll ask her about it in the morning." She gave in.

 

"Thank you. Sleep well." She waved her hand and left the room. Now she had to prepare herself for half a day of dealing with him and not looking like she wanted to die. 

 

Saturday started with a big surprise. Chaeyoung was up first, fully functional. In fact, she woke Mina up at 7 with giggles and jumping on the bed. And even if she almost got a heart attack, she couldn't be angry. 

After a couple of minutes of cuddles, Mina decided to send Chaeyoung to Haru. And of course, the little girl ran to wake her dad up with excitement. Mina used that time to get ready for the day. And what a day it would be.

 

The very beginning was fortunately calm. They ate breakfast and talked with Chaeyoung about whatever she was telling them. The topics included the dream she had about a talking sock, her dream of becoming a painter, and whatever her friend from kindergarten told her. Then it was pretty much the time for them to leave. Mina had to admit that the more she watched Chaeyoung's joy, the less stressed she was about the day. She could handle Haru for a few hours if Chaeyoung was there.

 

The car ride was quiet. But once they arrived at their destination and they entered the area, Chaeyoung was back to being talkative and loud. She grabbed her parents' hands and dragged them around from one aquarium to another and asked them questions about the fish swimming around. At one point Chaeyoung started wondering with worry if she had been eating the fish from the aquarium. Mina and Haru had to explain to her then that the fish they ate were from the open waters and nobody was going to eat the ones from the aquarium. They even bought three shark plushies, one for each. They looked like a normal, happy family. And Mina could barely believe it. Because Haru did not make a single snide comment. And it wasn't like they were ignoring each other. Perhaps, Chaeyoung was enough to distract him from whatever feelings he had for her at the moment.

 

They finished their visit around 3 pm. And the way back home in the car wasn't as quiet as the previous ride. 

 

"I loved today." Chaeyoung exclaimed happily from the backseat. Mina turned around to meet her eyes.

 

"It was a fun day." She replied with a bright smile.

 

"All thanks to our little cub." Haru followed in a sweet voice.

 

"I want to go with you again." Chaeyoung said with a hopeful, and honestly begging, expression. 

 

"Of course, we'll go out many more times." Haru reassured. 

 

"Ok! I always wanted to go more, but you were somewhere else, daddy." They were going into uncomfortable territory. Because Haru staying with them wasn't supposed to be permanent. Mina knew that it was going to happen. That Chaeyoung was going to get her hopes up once he started living with them again. 

 

"Even when we don't live in one place, we can still go out together, ChaengChaeng." Mina tried to burst the bubble as gently as possible. Though it was still going to be disappointing.

 

"Daddy will go away again?" Chaeyoung asked in an alarmed voice. Mina closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

 

"You know that we love you, Chaeyoung. And just because I am going to live somewhere else, doesn't mean that I won't see you every day, we always do." At least, Haru wasn't making it more difficult than it had to be. She had to appreciate him for that.

 

"But everyone in kindergarten lives with both mommy and daddy, but not me." What was she supposed to say? She didn't want Chaeyoung to feel like there was something wrong with her or with them. But she also couldn't pretend that they were a real loving family until Chaeyoung was an adult. 

 

"Chaeyoung, everyone is different and has different families. There are things that you have that others don't. But that doesn't mean that there's something wrong with you. You're smart, a talented painter, and we love you very much." Those probably weren't the best words that were going to eliminate every negative thought in Chaeyoung's head. But she couldn't think of anything better. 

 

"Exactly. The important thing is that we love you, little cub. And I'm not going away any time soon." Haru backed her up again. And at that point, Mina was really confused. Because it was way too much cooperation for him in one day. Of course, she didn't complain. But she had a bad feeling about it. She couldn't tell what Haru was trying to achieve through that behavior though.

 

"Then can we go tomorrow too?" 

 

"You'll go with your dad, ok? I have to go to the university and meet with Nayeon." Mina was honest. Even if she knew that it was not going to make Chaeyoung happy.

 

"But I don't want to go without mommy." Chaeyoung said angrily and crossed her arms with a pout. 

 

"We'll go somewhere and then in the evening we'll do something together with your mom." Haru tried to lift the mood up, but they only heard a soft hum. Chaeyoung didn't say much after that. 

 

Tzuyu was home once they returned from their day out. And that actually lifted Chaeyoung's mood up. She started telling Tzuyu and using her whole body to show the different fishes she saw. And Mina was sure that Chaeyoung was a serotonin boost for Tzuyu as well. So she let them be and didn't bother them. 

But she needed to talk to Tzuyu. And the best time was at night when they were already in bed already. She waited for Tzuyu to get in after she went to take a shower last. When she did, Mina allowed them to stay in silence for a short while. 

 

"I'm going to meet up with Nayeon tomorrow." Mina started, pushing Tzuyu to ask if she had to join the sister time too.

 

"Have fun. I'll be with Dahyun tomorrow." Mina pursed her lips.

 

"One conversation won't harm you, Tzuyu." Mina said softly and in response, Tzuyu turned away from Mina. 

 

"I'm not ready." Mina reached out with her hand to Tzuyu so that she could smooth her back under the duvet.

 

"Ok. Just remember that you're always welcome to join." 

 

"Yeah, whatever. Better tell me how you managed to survive today?" Tzuyu changed the subject, but Mina knew that she was going to remember those words.

 

"It was surprisingly normal and as you witnessed, Chaeyoung had a lot of fun." Mina chuckled softly and moved her hand higher to smooth Tzuyu's head. 

 

"Stop babying me." Tzuyu grumbled and tried to shake Mina's hand off, but it didn't work. She sighed, defeated. "So he wasn't an insufferable prick today?" 

 

"No. He was cooperative. Nice." Mina answered, still in a bit of disbelief.

 

"He's 100% planning something." Mina hummed in agreement.

 

"But I don't have the strength to worry about it now." 

 

"Fair. Just be cautious." Tzuyu said with concern. 

 

"I know. Let's sleep now." Tzuyu didn't argue with her. Mina stopped her caressing and let Tzuyu rest in peace. She her side, facing away from Tzuyu, and closed her eyes. She slowly dozed off, hopeful for a better tomorrow. And for a positive meeting with Nayeon.

 

“Ok, I feel like the odd one out. Why do you two look so gloomy?” Momo asked after an hour of listening to sighs and like 2 Adele albums. They were supposed to spend a fun Saturday afternoon, but her two friends were acting all dramatic on their couch. 

 

“I don’t know if I can handle spending time alone with Mina tomorrow…” Nayeon replied in a low tone and sighed heavily. That was understandable. But Sana was worrying. Her expression resembled a child that was caught red-handed when stealing candies. 

 

"I'm feeling Nayeon's emotions? I'm an empath." Sana said, trying to be convincing, but it didn't work.

 

"Not an empath…aren't we supposed to be best friends?" They both bored their eyes into her. She felt heat reach up to her face. She definitely could not tell them the reason for her negative mood. 

 

"I'm fine. I really am just feeling Nayeon's struggles. I believe that you can handle it. You did well yesterday." She tried to divert the attention from her quite awkwardly. Nayeon and Momo decided to let her be with a sigh. 

 

“Sana’s right. You managed the talk really well. And I’m sure that you two will be talking nonstop about everything that happened in the 5 years that you were apart.” Momo tried to sound encouraging and hopeful, though it truly wasn’t her job. 

 

“What if she thinks that I am a loser? I can’t tell her that for a few months, I was partying and not doing much else.” Nayeon whined cutely and slumped lower on the couch. 

 

“Mina values honesty. I am sure that she’ll be grateful if you are honest about it.” Sana said with a barely concealed smile. 

 

“Somehow I think that she’s right. Sana was honest and see where it got us. You’re going to hang out with her tomorrow.” Momo pointed at Sana with her hand to physically back her claim up. Nayeon inhaled deeply and held the air in her lungs for a few, long, seconds. Then she exhaled slowly. 

 

“You’re right. I can’t let the anxious thoughts win. Let’s do something fun so that I can stop overthinking and Sana can stop…doing whatever you’re actually doing.” Nayeon smiled brightly before glancing at Sana with a bit of concern.

 

“See? That’s what I’m talking about. I had to take a free day for this and I’ve wasted half of it on watching you two losers.” Momo grabbed Nayeon and Sana’s hands and pulled them up. Then all three started getting ready, even if they had no idea where they would go. In reality, the place wasn’t that important. They would have fun anywhere as long as they were together. 

 

Despite all of the efforts, Nayeon was still worried. It was most likely irrational. But she simply wasn’t fully confident that she wouldn’t cause more trouble. She tried to stay collected though. She woke up early to work out for an hour or so and hopefully relieve some of the anxiety. She talked Momo into driving her to an outdoor gym and then she was supposed to go back to their apartment on foot. When had gone out, Sana was still asleep. When she came back around 9 am, Sana was still lying on the couch in her hamster onesie. Nayeon ignored her. If Sana didn’t feel comfortable with revealing what was eating her up, she wasn’t going to force it out. So she walked straight to the bathroom after greeting Sana, whose only response was a low hum.

Actually, Sana wasn’t sleepy anymore. She was pretending so that no one would try to bother her. She couldn’t hundred percent say why her mood was terrible for the week. Usually, that was her favorite part of the week. But now, and honestly, since the previous week, those two days were the hardest to get through. She was giving it a lot of thought, truly. And of course, she wasn’t stupid, she could find a believable reason. She simply chose to deny it and she searched for a different one. 

She sighed and thought that perhaps she had to get up before Nayeon was done with her shower. So, she pushed herself off the couch and shuffled to the kitchen to pick a breakfast for herself. Sana wasn’t looking forward to cooking, so she grabbed cereal and milk. As she was preparing the bowl and then as she started eating back on the couch, Sana began wondering about her day plan. What was she going to do? She might’ve not been subjected to being alone for a whole day, but Nayeon would leave her for a few hours. So what was she supposed to do with herself? She sighed heavily and lifted the spoon to her face to take another mouthful of her cereal. Perhaps she should go out and roam around aimlessly. Maybe she would’ve found a fragment of joy in nature. 

Her pity party was interrupted by the ringing bell. She pushed one last spoonful of cereal into and walked toward the door. Sana very much didn’t care if she was presentable. A stranger’s judging look wasn’t going to make her feel bad. 

She opened the door and immediately regretted the fact that she did it in a hamster onesie, hood up, bowl with cereal in her right hand, and milk mustache above her lip.

 

“Mina?! Hi, what are you doing here?!” Sana exclaimed in panic. “This is so embarrassing.” Her shoulders fell and the big hood fell lower on her face. Mina giggled melodiously.

 

“Hi, don’t worry. It looks comfortable and cute. Chaeyoung has a dragon one.” Sana forgot about any embarrassment in a heartbeat and her face brightened with a girn. 

 

“So you’re saying that we would have a blast on a sleepover?” She asked with tiny arm waves, somehow she managed not to spill the milk. 

 

“Certainly. But if you make her an offer like that, there’s no backing out.” Sana tried with all of her strength not to squeal like a little girl. 

 

“I’m known for keeping my promises.” She answered while puffing out her chest. Mina watched her with a smile that Sana couldn’t really name. And Sana felt her whole body heat up as it always did when Mina did nothing else but observe her. But suddenly, the smile changed into an awkward one and Mina finally replied.

 

“I believe you. I actually wanted to ask if it would be ok with Nayeon to meet at 3 pm at my apartment?” 

 

“Oh, yeah, absolutely. We don’t have anything to do today.” Sana said a bit awkwardly.

 

“I see, you can join us if you want.” Mina’s proposal took Sana off guard. And she replied without thinking about it one bit.

 

“I’d love to. Yes. Nayeon is quite worried that you two would be awkward and just sit in silence.” Mina nodded and pursed her lips. 

 

“Frankly, I’m worried about the same thing. So it wouldn’t be horrible to have you there.” Mina admitted bashfully.

 

“I’ll make sure not to leave any space for silence. You’ll be fine, I am sure of it.” Mina nodded reluctantly but her smile seemed confident.

 

“Thank you, Sana. I should better be going. See you later.” 

 

“See you.” Sana replied with a grin and Mina walked away a bit awkwardly. Sana closed the door and then made her way back to the kitchen, giggling to herself. 

 

“What are you giggling about? Seriously, recently your mood swings are concerning.” Nayeon entered the kitchen and eyed Sana with a slight frown. 

 

“You’ve just missed Mina. She told me to meet her at 3 pm at her apartment. Also, she invited me to join you, so you don’t have to worry about being awkward.” Sana informed her friend and finished putting the bowl and the spoon in the dishwasher. Nayeon grabbed the kettle to fill it with water.

 

“You opened the door like this?” Nayeon eyed her friend up and down, a weird look on her face.

 

“Oh god, don’t remind me. I thought that it would be a postman or something. But it was her and I wanted to die for just a second.” 

 

“I’m concerned that you wouldn’t have a problem opening the door dressed as a hamster.” Sana shrugged and patted Nayeon on the shoulder to calm her down.

 

“I don’t care what they would think of me.” Sana dismissed the whole situation, though that didn’t make Nayeon less concerned. 

 

“So now that you inserted yourself into the meeting, go take a shower and wear something normal.” Nayeon took Sana’s hand off her shoulder and gestured toward their bathroom with a smile.

 

“I didn’t insert myself. She invited me!” Sana whined and crossed her arms. She looked way too silly to take her seriously though so Nayeon couldn’t help but laugh. Sana grumbled something under her breath and walked away. Nayeon returned to her task of making tea and deciding what she should eat. Though her mind became a little bit clearer thanks to the news Sana brought her.               

 

“Why do you look more nervous than I do?” Nayeon asked, confused, as Sana kept fixing her outfit before Mina could open the door for them. And it wasn’t even anything special. They were dressed in their everyday clothes. Jeans and shirts and all that. 

 

“It’s…you know, I’ll act more nervous so you’ll stop worrying so much?” Sana replied, sounding very much unsure. But Nayeon didn’t get a chance to say anything else, because Mina opened the door and welcomed them inside. They followed her into the living room and they sat by the table. 

 

“Please, ignore the toys. I’ve just come back and I guess Chaeyoung doesn’t have to clean when I am not home.” Mina apologized, but Nayeon and Sana didn’t even notice the mess on the floor until it was pointed out to them. 

 

“Come on, leave it. It’s not a crime.” Sana chuckled and tried to stop Mina from frantically gathering a bunch of toys in her arms. 

 

“It’s fine. It’s part of having a child, right? I remember how messy Tzuyu was with her toys.” Nayeon joined in and Mina gave up with a sigh. She let the toys fall back on the floor and in a second she was back on her feet.

 

“Yes, though I thought that Chaeyoung learned how to clean after herself.” Mina explained and put her hands on her hips. Nayeon had to admit that she was staring at her sister. It’d been too long, so seeing her filled her with happiness.

 

“Oh, it’s always like that. Even Momo knows where to put her dirty clothes and yet I still have to gather them from her room’s floor sometimes.” Sana said it with a joking tone, but Nayeon knew that story was true. 

 

“That definitely reassured me. She’s going to continue even as an adult.” Mina laughed and it seemed to relax her. “I know what Sana drinks, but I was wondering if you changed your taste, Nayeon.” 

 

“Unfortunately, I was influenced by Momo and Sana and now I drink the same thing they do.” Nayeon decided to join the relaxed atmosphere and made the statement sound accusatory. Mina nodded with an easy smile and walked into the kitchen to prepare everybody’s drink.

 

“She knows what you drink?” Nayeon was getting even more suspicious at how comfortable Sana and Mina interacted with each other. Sana told them that she’d been hanging out with Mina during their breaks at work. She obviously told them about the progress she’d made in reuniting Nayeon with her sisters. But that was it. So whenever Sana let something slip up, it was shocking how much she knew about Mina after three weeks.

 

“We spent breaks together, we eat lunch. Of course, she knows what coffee I like.” Sana said a little defensively. 

 

“Right…” 

 

“Give me five more minutes. I should’ve been all ready for you.” Mina walked back with an apologetic smile.

 

“We’re not in a hurry.” Nayeon tried to reassure her. 

 

“Yes, Sana said that you’re free today. But to be honest, I didn’t expect you to be working as a waitress.” Because of course, Mina knew that. Thanks to Sana, no doubt.

 

“Well, it’s all thanks to Momo. I wasn’t really into it at first, but now I know that it can be fun sometimes.” Mina was watching her intently the whole time she was speaking. It was a bit pressuring if Nayeon could say so herself. But she assumed that there was a reason for that.

 

“It’s good to know that you could count on someone.” Mina managed to say before the sound of water boiling interrupted her speech. 

 

“Oh, I’ll help you out.” Sana sprung from her seat and joined Mina in the short walk to the kitchen. 

 

“Thank you again. It is somehow more comfortable with you around.” Mina said softly while pouring the water into a teapot. Sana saw that the coffees were waiting fully finished on the counter.

 

“You’re doing great. As a friendly advice, do ask her about the things she likes about Japan.” Sana whispered with a playful wink and grabbed the cups to run away from the room after she realized that she winked. 

And Mina listened to Sana’s suggestion. Once she was back, she started the conversation and Nayeon spent dozens of minutes mentioning all of the things she saw and did. Like the trip to the mountains and the subsequent cold Momo caught and how she had to take care of her. About times they’d gone by sea and how Sana wanted to learn snorkeling but gave up after almost drowning. Or about the time when she wasn’t that good in Japanese and kept mixing up intonation and couldn’t communicate with the store clerks, while Momo and Sana were laughing at her. Mina simply listened attentively. She laughed with them. She laughed with Nayeon…that was quite unbelievable. She enjoyed that time. It wasn’t like she ever wanted to spend her time with her older sister this way anymore. She simply lost a little bit of hope each day until she accepted the fact that Nayeon would not be a part of their life. And yet there she was right in front of her.

 

“We have to make it a thing. You know? We will drag Momo into it as well and maybe Jihyo and Jeongyeon will agree to join. So we can slowly become friends.” Sana said hopefully and there was no doubt that everyone was on board. 

 

“Yeah, I think that it’s going to do us good.” Nayeon replied with a quick laugh. Mina nodded with a thoughtful expression and looked up to say something but in the end, nothing left her lips because they heard the door open. Mina checked the time and then got up from the chair as a high-pitched voice called out to her. Nayeon froze completely. She had no idea what to do, or what to say as she saw the little girl run into her mom’s embrace. And then another pair of footsteps joined in.

 

“Chaeyoung, why are you back early?” Mina asked softly after Chaeyoung detached herself from her, but when she noticed the smiling Sana and mortified Nayeon, she hid in her mom’s arms again.

 

“Chaeyoung wanted to go back home. I didn’t want to force her to stay.” Haru’s voice made Nayeon’s stomach turn uncomfortably. She could feel his eyes on the back of her head. No doubt, he came early on purpose.

 

“Go wash your hands, Chaeyoung. I will say bye to Nayeon and Sana and then you can tell me all about today.” Mina smiled gently and pushed Chaeyoung away to help her move. The little girl followed the request while staring with wide eyes at Sana and Nayeon. Sana waved at her happily and Chaeyoung’s tiny hand mimicked the movement reluctantly. 

 

“Hope that we didn’t interrupt anything.” He spoke up again and Nayeon felt anger boil inside of her. 

 

“In fact, you did.” She answered and stood up so that she could face her ex-boyfriend. He looked almost the same. Though his hair was longer. He looked at her with a matching level of disgust.

 

“Well, forgive me for coming back early to my home.”

 

“Haru, Chaeyoung’s here.” Mina reminded with concern.

 

“I know. I’m not doing anything. You’re the one that is bringing them into our home.” Nayeon couldn’t stand him. Her jaw clenched and she fought with herself so as not to burst.

 

“Show at least a bit of respect to others.” It was new though, that Mina was standing up to him. Back when Nayeon was still with them, Mina kept quiet and mostly went along with whatever he said. So it was a nice change.

 

“I’m giving back the amount of respect I was given.” Haru said simply and eyed Nayeon again. With superiority. Nayeon wanted Chaeyoung to walk back into the room before she would just punch his face.

 

“Just go to Tzuyu’s room, if you can’t hold a normal conversation.” Nayeon glanced at Mina and she would’ve been scared herself if that glare was directed at her. But Haru only scoffed and walked away. The atmosphere wasn’t right even after they heard the door closing. “I am so sorry.”

 

“As if it was your fault.” Sana was quick to comfort Mina, she reached out with her hand and put it on Mina’s arm to smooth it a little.

 

“How are you tolerating him? How have you managed not to kill him in 5 years?” Nayeon turned fully toward Mina and all she saw was a shrug.

 

“Chaeyoung. Tzuyu, Jihyo, and Jeongyeon. I wouldn’t have survived without them.” 

 

“How could our parents agree to this treatment?” Nayeon continued with her questions. 

 

“To keep up appearances. I could not be a single mom at the age of 18. And they didn’t want to let go of their granddaughter. Also, he is quite fine with them.” Mina explained and took a short break to take a few deep breaths. “And I am sure that Chaeyoung hid in her room.”

 

“Go to her.” Sana spoke softly and with one more squeeze of Mina’s arm, she let go and was ready to leave with Nayeon. And Nayeon, honestly, wanted to hug Mina at that moment. But she wasn’t sure if it was the right time. So she left with a sad smile and a wave.

 

Mina was not in the best mood. She hadn’t been since the moment Haru walked back into the apartment while she was with Sana and Nayeon. She was sure that it wasn’t Chaeyoung who wanted to go back so badly. He must’ve talked her into that. But she didn’t have the strength to fight. She decided to let it go and make sure to figure out a different place for their meetings with Sana during their break at work. Their little lunch meeting was all she was looking forward to. 

Before she could enjoy her time, her father called her into his office. She hoped that it was something insignificant, like asking her to sign something. But she was terribly wrong about it. 

She stared at the paper in front of her, as she was leaning over it. 

 

“What is it?” She asked, not quite sure what was the meaning of it. The paper contained information about an international business event that would be held at their hotels. She just didn’t know why he was showing that to her, because she was supposed to supervise the renovation of the southern hotel building.

 

“Why didn’t you tell us that you’ve met her?” Her father’s voice was dripping with disappointment. And Mina didn’t need to hear a name to know who he was referring to.

 

“How do you know that Nayeon is here?” She asked instead, but after a few seconds of thinking it was quite obvious who did it. “He told you.”

 

“We thought that it was clear. We don’t consider her a part of this family anymore. And yet you’re trying to accept her back. I’m truly disappointed.” Mina expected that reaction and she was fully prepared for it. So it wasn’t hard to keep her head high.

 

“Nayeon is here to fix the things she broke. Not cause more issues.” He raised his hand to silence her.

 

“I don’t really care about that. She made her choice. Now, you’ll be transferred. I want you to supervise this event.” Mina was going to take it, as long as it didn’t make her lunch breaks with Sana impossible. “And your mother and I think that Chaeyoung should stay with us for a while. Haru will be joining us too. You can visit, of course, but it’ll be best if you stay at your apartment.”

 

“Are you in-” Mina started, boiling inside, but she was shushed again.

 

“She lives too close to you. We won’t allow that.”

 

“You can’t take Chaeyoung away!” Mina raised her voice, her fists were clenched so that she could keep a bit of composure.

 

“We’re not taking her away. You are welcome to see her. We just don’t want her near that woman.” Mina opened to say something, but he didn’t let her speak. “Also, do me a favor and let our head architect know that she’s fired.” Mina was absolutely stunned at that point. She couldn’t believe anything that he said. She felt powerless, as she felt her body tremble. was closed and no words could leave . Her life was crumbling in front of her and she was too much of a coward to say anything. She couldn’t even blink. How was she supposed to tell Sana that she was fired? How was she supposed to tell Chaeyoung that she had to go live with her grandparents? How could she allow all of that to happen? How could they do all of that?