Jieqiong always thought that Nayoung was something she wasn’t recognized for. People would take one look at her and label her as someone less. Less talkative, less expressive, less adventurous, and the list goes on. But for Jieqiong, Nayoung was someone who was too….. too-ish.

Too organized, too loving, too careful, too caring, too nice, too warm, and to be downright honest, too good to be true.

“You slept with her?!”

Eunwoo couldn’t stop laughing, Yewon had her signature smile on that Jieqiong believed could outshine the sun, to which she guessed meant “go get some!”, and Yebin…. Yebin took it upon herself to start a slow clap, a picture perfect image of futility since no one else slow clapped with her.

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Jieqiong felt heat crawl up and spread across her face like wildfire. She made a mental note to stop making them come over as a group.

“So…. what… else…. happened?” Eunwoo managed to say in between sharp inhales.

She thought for a while. Nothing much really happened, save for them cuddling, the agony she felt when she woke up to an empty space again because Nayoung purposely left early, and the slight tug on her heart strings when she read a note beside her that says, “last night was an exception. the spare key’s on the counter, and you still smell like velvet sugar.”

Nope. Nothing much happened.

“I smell like velvet sugar.” Jieqiong says, earning her skeptical looks. “Oh, and sixteen more days to go.”

xx

Nayoung escaped early to solitary confinement that is Minkyung’s dorm and was rather surprised to see Siyeon already there playing with her phone.

They gave each other a nod of acknowledgment before she set herself down on the sofa beside the younger girl.

“You could’ve bothered to send a text first,” Minkyung suddenly came out of the kitchen, still pyjama-clad, and made her way over to the two. Nayoung guessed Siyeon came here way too early and bugged Minkyung nonstop. “So what bothers you this early in the morning?”

“Im here for the wifi,” Siyeon nonchalantly replies, not even bothering to look up. “and breakfast.”

Heads suddenly whipped towards Nayoung.

Her lips parted but nothing came out. She wasn’t so sure how to tell Minkyung (even with proper context), so she takes her time to fish out the right words.

That was until Siyeon spoke up.

“She slept with Kyulkyung.”

“You what?!”

The youngest showed the text message on her phone and went back to playing with it. Yebin.

Nayoung now only had two options: a) she would let Minkyung scream at the top of her lungs for a good hour or so, beat Yebin and throw her body at the very bottom of Han River, or b) go into specific detail and let Siyeon do the judgment because she was too good at debates for her age.

She decided to go with option b, going through everything that happened except for the little details like carefully watching Jieqiong in her slumber, or how she couldn’t resist the smell of her strawberry blonde hair and how she gently moved it off Jieqiong’s back and placed it over her shoulder just so she could mark a kiss on her nape when the pink-haired girl would occasionally toss and turn.

Or the fact that every effort she had done to forget Jieqiong went to absolute .

And so she left before she could fall any deeper all over again, and now here she is with Minkyung and Siyeon bombarding her with questions.

Where’s Kyungwon when I need her?

And as if on cue, said person suddenly walks through the door with beads of sweat on her forehead probably because of her morning jog.

“God, you would not believe the—“ she stops on her tracks and eyes Nayoung, then her pyjama-clad dormmate, and lastly, Siyeon. She smiles warmly. “Hey, princess.”

Siyeon reciprocrates the smile, although a tidbit warmer.

She tears her gaze away from Siyeon and looked at Nayoung.

“I heard you slept with Kyulkyung.”

She sighed before Kyungwon added,” Oh, and I have a favor to ask.”

xx

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I kid you not,” Kyungwon hands her all sorts of coloring materials. “And besides, I filled in for you when you didn’t pick Siyeon up from school.”

Nayoung could only stare at the five year old kid sitting on her newly bought couch.

Babysitting. Kyungwon asked her to do babysitting.

Now she originally didn’t agree to this a week prior but Minkyung crossed her heart that she would help.

But Minkyung wasn’t here. No. She just suddenly had to go to a study session. (can also be read as suddenly had to go to a Mario Kart battle with Siyeon and Yebin)

Another glance at the kid in her living her room made her inquire, “Why do I have to babysit again? I’m pretty sure Eunwoo would be better at this.”

“Because Eunwoo still has a thesis to finish, I have a club meeting, and Kyla’s a delight.” So the kid’s name was Kyla. “And you’re good with kids! Remember when Somi—“

“Somi was easy to handle, mainly because….”

“Because?” a perfectly arched brow was produced by Kyungwon.

“….because Kyulkyung was there to help.” Nayoung didn’t know if she was seeing things but she swore she saw Kyungwon try to fend off a giggle at the mention of she-who-must-not-be-named’s name.

But Kyungwon was quick to straighten her composure. “Let me repeat myself. Kyla. is. a. delight.” each word was partnered with her finger poking Nayoung’s chest. “And there’s something I forgot to tell you.”

On cue, there was a knock on the door.

Oh God, no.

xx

Nayoung was never good with kids, so her entire world slowed down when she sees Kyla just about ready to jump from one couch to another. She lunges forward, stopping the five year old in an instant. Kyungwon would never forgive her if she let Kyla anywhere near anything that looked like certain death.

“Don’t do that.” her voice was stern yet laced with relief.

Kyla could only look at her with wide eyes before wrapping her tiny arms around Nayoung’s neck. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want to get hurt by the lava.”

Nayoung had the most mixed up expression ever.

Jieqiong was at the side, fighting the urge to suppress the smile that was itching to flash on her face. There’s no way, none at all, is she blowing this up now. Regardless of how badly she wants to let it all detonate.

Jieqiong believed that Eunwoo was, in another life, probably her soulmate. She would do anything for the girl, they were a dynamic duo. Without Eunwoo, well, she would just be the dynamic uno. So when Eunwoo was straight up panicking last week about babysitting a kid and somewhere along the lines of an unfinished thesis, Jieqiong volunteered to help with the babysitting.

Jieqiong was stupid enough not to see that Eunwoo and Kyungwon conspired against her, and now she’s in Nayoung’s apartment for the second time, ruining the nine days or how many more on the Nayoung-Jieqiong-experiment calendar.

Zhou Jieqiong, you will not smile. You’re doing this for Eunwoo. Zhou JIeqiong, you will not smile. You’re doing this for Eunwoo. Zhou Jieqiong, you will not smile. You’re doing this for Eun—

“You look prettier when you’re smiling.”

She looked up to see the source of the voice, a bit disappointed to realize that it was Kyla who said it. Not Nayoung.

Well, it used to be Nayoung to shower her with such words. But those were just withering memories now.

Hint: those memories are nowhere near the process of withering.

“You’re pretty too.” she complimented back, not before taking a quick glance at Nayoung who was too preoccupied fiddling with Kyla’s jet black locks. It used to be her hair that Nayoung would play wi—

Such thoughts should not be entertained, Jieqiong thought. And anyhow, she shouldn’t be jealous of a five year old.

“Be careful, the lava might hit you.” she teased.

Kyla’s eyes lit up and all Nayoung could do was groan.

Jieqiong thought that Nayoung should let loose and let the kid have fun. She thought, if Nayoung wasn’t so careful enough, maybe she would’ve taken Jieqiong’s hand right there instead of Kyla’s little ones since they weren’t a perfect fit for Nayoung’s.

If Nayoung wasn’t so careful, she would’ve at least spared her a second glance.

Jieqiong wants to get rid of her calendar with the crossed out days. And she probably will when she gets home later.

Because if Jieqiong were to be honest with herself, she hella wants Nayoung back.

IOI has a total of 5 wins now and a lot of napink has been happening off stage and now there's going to be a pledis girlz concert with IOI AND I AM CRYING BLOOD I LOVE MY GIRLIES SO MUCH AND I LVOE HOW NAPINK STILL HAPPENED IN PG'S VLIVE EVEN WITH EUNWOO THERE LIKE SAME EUNWOO SAME