Fire Escape

It’s very rare for one place to hold such a special place for a number of people at once.

Usually people have a spot they deem ‘special’ or a place they hold fond memories for one particular area mostly due to childhood nostalgia. The fire escape was different though, it was one small space that had bonded nine girls from every walk of life. It had been the backdrop for every big moment in their lives thus far and it would forever be remembered as their place. Their special place hanging above the streets of Seoul. The group were up there now, all stood in the darkness watching the nights sky explode into patches of light. If we were to freeze this moment we’d see a group of girls thoroughly content with their lives - happy.

If we look to the far left we find the small Yoo-Im family. They were the reason the group had gathered on there that night, it would be their last night as residents of the building. They and their daughter Jae-Yun were going to move to a small house nearby. The group had gathered to say goodbye to their friends, though it wasn’t really a goodbye. They’d still come visit but it was the end of an era. Jeongyeon stood with her are round Nayeon and one hand on Jae-Yun’s shoulder. Vaguely she thought back to the nights she’d spend out here waiting for the lights to change, counting the seconds to calm down during one of her episodes.

She thought back to the time she met Nayeon and how for the first few months they were together they would use the fire escape to meet each other in secret. It made their lives easier, it brought them closer together. The spot she was standing in now was the spot in which she had asked Nayeon to marry her. It had been a thought she had been turning over for a while but for some reason that moment, that night was perfect. Nayeon was the love of her life and sure, she could be a narcissist when she wanted to, but Jeongyeon knew that Nayeon loved their family more than she would ever admit…more than she could ever put into words.

Nayeon stood with her head on Jeongyeon’s shoulder watching the lights glitter across the sky. She thought back over her own times out here, the proposal, the decision to adopt Jae-Yun. Without the fire escape she wouldn’t have so much, Jeongyeon would never have met her again. Jae-Yun wouldn’t be in their lives. Jae-Yun was all Nayeon had ever wanted, a child that she herself had raised, making her into a good citizen. She was proud of Jae-Yun and while she still worried at times about her daughter, as only a mother could, she knew that her daughter would grow up just fine. She had the best Unnie’s in the world, they would always look out for her - they would keep her safe on the rare occasions she and Jeongyeon couldn’t. They hadn’t told the group yet but there would soon be a new addition to their household, they planned to announce it once all the paperwork had gone through.

The family would move out the next day, the group all booking off work to help them. They’d go on to adopt a little boy and in a few years time they’d adopt another little girl. Jae-Yun would be the best sister she could, looking out for them the way that she had observed her own Umma Jeongyeon looking after Tiger-Unnie. They would live happily, they’d go through their life not missing a thing. But mainly they would be happy, the couple would raise their children in house filled with love and laughter. When Jae-Yun turned eighteen she would ask to see her father and they would struggle, but ultimately it would be her choice. However, as she would reassure them, they were her parents he was not. She deserved answers and one day she would get them.

Next to the family Momo was gripping on to Dahyun’s hand, glad she was able to do such a small thing. Momo remembered when Dahyun had prepared that big confession, they had danced together for the first time. She smiled as she remembered how nervous she was to ask her, how Momo (for as dumb as she often appeared) had figured out what was happening after minutes. Sure, everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong and their road had not been easy. But Momo had been patient and loyal, now she was finally able to reap the rewards of that. The big rock on her wedding finger marking what Momo’s pure love had earned her. She would like to think the fire escape had made her wiser, it had allowed her a place where she could make mistakes and not be judged - she could learn from what she did wrong.

For Dahyun who squeezed Momo’s hand gently, the fire escape was where she felt safe. Her therapist had told her to think of a safe space and she had immediately thought of the spot she was in right now. She was proud of her progress, proud that no matter what happened to her she had been able to overcome it - to learn to let people in. Now she could hug Chaeyoung, she could high five Tzuyu…she could be intimate with her fiancée. It was able to solidify that Momo’s arms were where she felt safest, like when her parents tried to pull her from her apartment and Momo kept holding on to her. Momo held her and would never let go, ever. So Dahyun had vowed that she would hold on to Momo for the rest of her life, she would replicate her patience and her care. Because Momo deserved it.

Eventually, the duo would marry and have their own little family. They’d go through the harrowing process of IVF and would lose twice before finally getting their son. Dahyun wanted to raise him to take after his mother, to be patient and kind. To not feel the need to be anything other than himself, he ended up marrying Yeji (Jeongyeon and Nayeon's youngest daughter) which led to a number of arguments between Momo and Jeongyeon over her son’s worthiness. Not because Jeongyeon didn’t like the boy but because nobody was worthy of her daughter….especially after catching them in bed together. In the end it was their children’s happiness that was important. Momo and