It’s a cold day. She is tired, which has become the new normal. When she gets tired, she gets cold. So she is often cold.

She is also hungry.

Nothing new there either.

However, she is also feeling annoyed and that’s not quite as common. The days after their debut have been happy and busy, so all the small things that would normally bother her, don’t bother her as much anymore. She could go without eating and sleeping for a quite some time. Maybe so long that she would just drop from exhaustion. Thankfully there are other people to look after her so that she will never reach that limit.

She gets out of the car, blinking at the sun that shines but doesn’t warm her. Sleepy Momo trails behind her, while Sana talks about a new web drama that she has been watching. It has a cute male lead and all that. Mina tries to nod and make agreeable sounds every now and then, but she isn’t really listening. She hopes Momo is, or Sana is going to give them a hard time.

Thankfully, they get inside were the rest of the group is waiting and Sana has to stop talking. The other members wouldn’t understand anyway, as she has been speaking Japanese the whole time.

Everyone else is there except Jihyo. She had gone home earlier as the manager had driven by her house to drop her there. She would be back the next day. Never mind about her…

Mina takes a long shower and starts to feel gradually better, but can’t shake off the slight annoyance. She goes to the kitchen and takes some salad out of the fridge. She loves salads, but it’s different when you have to eat them all the time. She sits down by the table and looks at her meal. It looks the same as every day.

The whole eating business seems like another task.

Nayeon and Dahyun enter the kitchen. They chatter happily about nothing in particular and act like Mina isn’t there. The Japanese girl feels grateful, as she would rather just be left alone. When she gets one of those moods her members are usually very understanding. They have learned to read her so well, that they know exactly what to do.

Except sometimes she wishes that they still tried to engage with her. There is a difference between being left alone when one wants and being lonely, but often those two things get mixed with each other.

The only person who seems to understand the paradox is Jihyo. When Mina is in her own world, the older girl won’t bother her with talking, but won’t leave her either. Mina can recall several peaceful moments with the leader as they sit in the kitchen, or on the couch, both busy doing something, but still sharing the same space.

Mina must admit that she is surprised how well they get along. On the surface, they seem quite different, but on the inside… Why can’t she stop thinking about her?

God, the salad is dry!

Mina drops the fork on the table and makes the other two girls jump. They stare at her as if she has just materialized from somewhere. Like she hasn’t been present the whole time!

Mina puts away the plate and the fork with a slightly more force than is necessary. She can feel Nayeon and Dahyun watching her every move, but she couldn’t care less. At least now they can see her!

When she is done she grabs her water bottle and storms out of the kitchen. All she wants to do is to go to bed and sleep the day away.

Before she gets there, she is interrupted by Momo who steps on her way on the corridor.

“Mina-chan, would you like to watch a movie with me, Jungyeon and Sa- -“

“No,” Mina snaps, and the word is like a bullet swishing past Momo’s head. The blonde looks stunned, in a lopsided way that is so unique to her. That and the spacing out.

Mina doesn’t want to stay and watch as the other girl starts stuttering something so she just walks past her and enters her room in a couple of strides. She closes the door behind her.

Finally.

The silence is palpable.

Mina breathes in and releases it slowly.

She can practically hear the other members whispering in the living room, even though she can’t hear anyth