A/N: Tzuyu is turning eighteen. Jeongyeon, Momo, Jihyo and Mina are twenty-one years old. Sana is twenty. Dahyun is nineteen. Chaeyoung is eighteen. Nayeon is thirty. 

It would be a lie to say that Tzuyu has never acted her age. In the eyes of her family, she was their precious maknae who had the mind of a six-year-old, but in the eyes of strangers, her tall height could make her pass as an adult. 

Sadly, she was legally at the youthful age of seventeen and had always walked home to an empty house. All of her sisters were off to university or pursuing their life-long careers. They have all managed to get in the same university and decided to stay in a dorm they all rented, leaving Tzuyu and Chaeyoung alone in the house with Nayeon. It wasn’t like she hated the idea of having to stay with the two, she’d just never realized that the house could be so quiet without the six girls. 

She remembered when Momo and Jeongyeon were the first ones to graduate high school. Every one of them was crying tears of happiness as they watched Jeongyeon receive an award and an eager Momo was running up the stage to get her diploma. Then, it was Mina, Jihyo and Sana’s turn. Jihyo made their mother proud by being chosen as the valedictorian and was dearly missed by the other students. Meanwhile, the sisters gave the three graduates white flowers and Nayeon brought them to a restaurant to eat black bean noodles— Along with JeongMo complaining in the car that Nayeon never did this tradition during the time they graduated. Lastly, Dahyun had recently graduated as one of the top students in the school as she managed to have excellent grades and participate in many school activities and clubs. She is now taking the exams to get accepted into university and is working full time as a piano teacher.

Tzuyu pushes the password in and opened the door with plastic bags of groceries in her hand. “I’m home!” She called out, waiting for a response but was met with silence. She sighed out as she placed her school bag on the floor and walked into the kitchen with the grocery bags. 

It was currently 7:22 pm and the girl knew her mother was at work in JYP’s company— Which is no longer a dance company and is now an entertainment company. JYP has begged the girls to agree with the idea of becoming a girl group, but they all shrugged the idea, not being interested in becoming a K-Pop idol. 

She was hoping that Chaeyoung would be home but knowing how the small girl was always coming home late. Tzuyu’s hopes were gone. She placed the bags on the table and looked around the empty house. 

Next week was her birthday, meaning that her unnies would be coming home soon…

They better… 

—— 

7 Days before Tzuyu’s Eighteenth Birthday 

Nayeon woke up with a smile on her face as she looked at the breakfast on her bed, made from Chaeyoung and Tzuyu. There was a small note that stood beside the plate. 

“It’s not Jeongyeon-unnie’s cooking but we tried our best. I won’t be here for dinner, like always.” The mother rolled her eyes, knowing who wrote the first part of the note and she noticed the handwriting has changed after the first sentence. “While the small midget goes out to have fun and not care about having a job… I will be at work, but you can trust your youngest to be at home for dinner. We love you, eomma!” Nayeon giggled at the line that continued from the word “eomma” to the end of the page, knowing that Chaeyoung got mad at what Tzuyu wrote about her and tried to take the pen away. 

She holds the card to her chest and sadly smiles at the breakfast, she is suddenly reminded of Jeongyeon’s cooking and wondered how her six daughters were doing.

“Hm…” Nayeon hummed to herself as she looked at the penguin clock that she stole from Mina. “I don’t think JYP will mind if I take a day off.” She muttered to herself as she took a bite of the PB&J sandwich, hopping off her bed.  

Meanwhile, in a dorm filled with six girls that were yelling at each other… 

“JEONGYEON!” Dahyun yelled out with her face filled with ink drawings. She runs out to the small lounge room with her fist balled up, ready to punch her oldest sister. Jeongyeon runs to hide behind Momo, who slaps her hand over her own mouth, shocked at the sight. 

“Oh my, Dahyun.” The dancer says in shock but had an amused grin on her face. Dahyun angrily frowns, looking at the mirror that was behind her. 

“LOOK AT ME!” She wailed out in despair. “I have to teach a lesson today, unnie!” She her hand, trying to smudge the marker off her face. “Why isn’t this coming off!?” Dahyun questioned as she looked at a guilty Jeongyeon. 

The oldest girl nervously chuckles at her as she held the marker in her hand, now reading the label “PERMANENT”. Dahyun puts the two together and started to growl at her sister. 

“YOO JEONGYEON!” 

Momo sits back in the comfy bean chair, watching the whole thing as she ate her bag of chips. Meanwhile, Mina and Sana were arguing with each other. 

“You can’t wear that, Mina-chan.” Sana spoke in Japanese as she wore a strict stern on her face. Mina rolls her eyes as she continued to check herself out in the mirror, ignoring Sana. “Hello, Mina?” She annoyingly asked, making Mina groan at her. 

“Why not?” Her eyebrows furrow and Sana gives her an obvious look. 

“It’s my shirt!” The girl scoffs and the latter does the same. 

“You’re my sister!” Mina argued back. 

“What!?” Sana asked in a baffled voice. “When did we make this rule that we share everything because we are sisters?” She looks at the ballerina in confusion and Mina smirks at her in response. 

“Shall I get the book out?” She wiggled her eyebrows and Sana squinted her eyes at her. 

“We never wrote any of that!” The girl refused to be proven wrong by Mina. They continued to argue whether if the rule was written in the “book” they call, “The Sixteen Rules of Being Adopted”, which is just a bunch of construction paper tied with old rubber bands that the Japanese girls wrote in when they were in fifth grade. 

“HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL ALL OF YOU PEOPLE? FIGHT AFTER EVERYONE WAKES UP!” A grumpy Jihyo bursts in the room with her eye mask on her forehead. Sana and Mina stop talking and look at each other to mumble a quiet apology to Jihyo. The angry girl huffs as she stomps into the living room where Dahyun had Jeongyeon in a headlock and Momo was sitting peacefully as she watched TV. 

“Momo!” Jihyo groaned out in frustration when she received a shrug from the girl who wasn’t doing anything but eating. She hastily separates Dahyun from Jeongyeon with her bare hands and managed to sneak in a smack on the back of Dahyun’s head, earning a loud yelp from the girl. She then looks at Jeongyeon and does the same. 

“OW! Jihyo!” Jeongyeon whined out like a little kid and the latter rolls her eyes at her as she pushed Jeongyeon and Dahyun on the couch beside Momo. 

“Sit down and stay.” She commanded with fierce eyes as she went to go get Sana and Mina. Jeongyeon shrinks in her seat as she patiently waited in her spot, while Dahyun proceeds to glare with flaring eyes. Minutes later, Jihyo came back with a tight grip on Sana and Mina’s ears as she tugged the two to the living room and they yelled out in unbearable pain. She then flings the two towards the direction of the couch and they immediately sit like puppies. 

“We’re sorry!” Sana yelped out with fearful eyes as she clasped her hands together, praying to not get an extra beating. Everyone else but Momo mirrored the same actions as Sana and Jihyo quirks an eyebrow at the hopeless girls. 

“Yah… You guys are seriously hopeless.” She tsked at everyone and Dahyun shows a small smile. 

“You still care about us.” Dahyun says in a knowing tone, making the other delinquents nod their head in agreement. “You wouldn’t throw us out on the streets.” 

“Oh, great idea!” Jihyo sarcastically says, putting a mental note in her head that Dahyun suggested the idea and Jeongyeon glares at the girl who immediately looks down. 

“Thanks a lot, Dahyun.” The oldest muttered under her breath as she played with the pillow beside her. Meanwhile, Momo giggled to herself as she watched a variety show on TV. Jihyo squints her eyes at the girl and grabbed the remote from to turn off the television.

“JIHYO!” Momo yelled out in despair as she raised her hands in confusion, making Jihyo flick her forehead. A hard noise was heard and Sana winces at it, knowing that must’ve really hurt her sister. Momo rubs her forehead, no longer in a cheerful mood and Jihyo sighed. 

“Guys, this is crazy. We can’t keep living like this if we’re only going to fight.” She says in a tired voice, making the others give each other looks of pity. They never meant to hurt Jihyo. 

The oldest first looks at the person she caused harm to. “She’s right… I’m sorry, Dahyun.” Jeongyeon says in a sincere voice as the latter grabbed her hand to hold. 

“I accept your apology, unnie.” Dahyun shows a wide smile, knowing that her sister was only pulling a prank. Sana took this as her cue to look at Mina and adjusted her shirt the girl was wearing. 

“You know Minari...” She paused and placed her hands back on her lap to fondly smile at the girl. “That shirt looks good on you.” Sana complimented, making Mina show a gummy smile as the girl wrapped her arms around Sana’s waist. 

“Thank you, Sana-chan.” The girl quietly whispered, making Jihyo smile at the sight. Momo also smiles at her youngest sisters and she placed the bag of chips down to go give Jihyo a tight hug. 

“We’re sorry, Jihyo.” She used aegyo, knowing that was the latter’s weakness and Jihyo giggles at her as she lightly pats Momo’s head. Then, Momo’s phone on the table went off and the girl quickly checked it to see Tzuyu’s text. 

[Maknae] 

Good morning, unnies! Have a good day :) 

Momo shows Jihyo the text with a small smile on her face and the latter mirrors the same expression. 

Dahyun asked with raised eyebrows. “Is it Tzuyu?” Momo nodded at her, making the girl frown at the absence of her two younger sisters. 

“She still sends those morning texts? Ah, how cute.” Sana gushed and Mina slaps her shoulder as she remembered something. 

“Next week is Tzuyu’s birthday!” She shouted out and Jeongyeon points at everyone. 

“We need to give her the greatest gift of all, something that Nayeon would never think of giving her.” Everyone nods at the oldest sister and Jihyo raised an eyebrow at Jeongyeon who was now smirking. 

“Like what?” She asked in a hesitant tone and Jeongyeon giggled like a little fangirl as she sat on the edge of the couch, faintly whispering the answer. 

“A dog.” She said, making everyone drop their jaws. Jeongyeon looks around to be confused by their expressions. “C’mon guys, you know how much Tzuyu loves dogs! She’s almost an adult and apparently, she’s been getting lonely…” She quietly confessed with an upset look, making Dahyun frown even more. 

“What do you mean, unnie?” She asked in a confused voice, wondering why she didn’t know anything about this. 

Jeonyeon scratches her head as she explained. “Since we’ve been gone, Tzuyu has been saying in our video chats that the house is always empty.” They all frowned at the sudden news and Jihyo firmly nods to herself. 

She points in the air with a proud stance. “Then, it’s settled. We must find a dog within a week to make our precious maknae happy!” 

Tzuyu remembered when she was only five-years-old and was forced to follow Nayeon around on the multiple jobs she had. The furniture shop was okay except the young girl would always fall asleep “testing” the new beds and would get scolded by Nayeon. The best job that Tzuyu loved was the pet shop. Not only did she get fond of the worker Jungkook, it was also the place she first met Chaeyoung and Nayeon. She remembered that she was walking home from daycare because her father refused to pick her up or even do anything with her, but according to the law, Tzuyu had to go somewhere. The Taiwanese obviously didn’t know any Korean so she couldn’t read any of the signs but judging from the little bunny on the store sign, Tzuyu was smart to assume that it was a pet shop. 

Her eyes lit up when she saw the tiny golden retrievers happily playing with each other in the display window and Tzuyu got sad. She envied that the puppies had siblings to play with when she didn’t have anyone to contact for emergency purposes. 

Tzuyu always remembers that specific moment because she looks to back to see how much things have changed. Currently, she is working in the same pet shop, is in a family with eight girls and had made amends with her father. Her father was no longer an alcoholic and always tries his best to write Tzuyu letters, whether it was short ones saying what he had done in the past day or really long ones where he would pour his whole heart out, regretting everything he has done to Tzuyu but he still believes that his daughter belongs with Nayeon. 

“Yah, Yoda?” Jungkook called out, trying to get her attention. Tzuyu shakes her head as she blinked multiple times, looking at her co-worker. “You have a customer out there.” He smirked as he nudged his head towards the little boy outside who was staring at the display window with his parents. 

She smiles in amusement at the familiar memory as she walked towards the window with light steps. The little boy is suddenly scared, thinking he was in trouble and Tzuyu shows the warmest smile. “Come inside.” She mouthed out, waving her hand in. The parents smile at each other as they nudged the little boy inside the store. 

“Do you want to play with them?” She asked with sparkling eyes and the boy shyly nods. Tzuyu giggled as she picked up one of the puppies from the window and placed it into the boy’s arm. “Hold him tightly, okay? You don’t want him running away, do you?” The boy eagerly nods as he smiled at the puppy in his arms and the parents kneeled down to eye-level to ask their son if they wanted to adopt the puppy. Tzuyu smiles at the sight and sighed to herself, it made her miss her own family. Her unnies and eomma. It had been awhile since they all got together for a proper meal. 

Maybe, Tzuyu will go visit her dad today.

Nayeon parks the car and pulled the keys out. She drove two hours through traffic just to see her six crazy daughters. She wondered if they were fighting or if anyone was even home. Nayeon loudly knocks on the door, patiently waiting for someone to open the door. 

She was confused to see a calm Jihyo opening the door, the mother remembered the last time she came, she almost got a pie to the face. 

“Eomma!” Jihyo yelled out, extremely happy that Nayeon was here. She lunged herself and wrapped her arms around Nayeon, confusing the mother even more. 

“What the heck?— “ She mouthed out before Jeongyeon burst in the room with her arms out. 

“EOMMA!” She shouted out as if she hasn’t seen the woman in years. The oldest daughter joins in on the hug and Nayeon shrugged off the questions that wanted to escape as she tightly embraced the two. 

“We missed you.” Jihyo whispered in a sincere tone as she brightly smiled, Nayeon slowly nods at her, trying to get used to the calm atmosphere in the dorm as she looked around, making sure no one was behind anything and was about to attack the girl. 

The two girls smile with all of their teeth as Jeongyeon called for Sana who was also home, while Mina, Dahyun and Momo had already gone off to work. Jihyo continues to show a perfect smile and Nayeon was starting to get nervous at what was happening. 

Sana comes running into the room and launches herself on Nayeon. “Eomma!” She excitedly yelled out as she sat sideways on her lap and snuggled her head in the crook of Nayeon’s neck. All Nayeon could do was chuckle as she patted the latter’s head. 

“I miss you too, Sana. Next time, I would appreciate a hug, rather than a tackle. I’m only thirty-years-old.” The mother old age and Sana obediently nodded with a playful giggle. 

Jeongyeon offers store-bought cookies, along with a cup of warm milk to Nayeon and sat back in front of her. “Here, eomma.” The oldest smiles again and the weird behaviour was starting to freak Nayeon out. Usually, Jeongyeon doesn’t say her name twice in a day. 

The woman looks at Jihyo, demanding an answer on why the three were acting so nice. “Okay, spill it you three. What do you want? Money?” She quirked an eyebrow and Jihyo shook her head in denial as she clasped her hands together, still having that dreamy look on her face.

“Of course not. We would never ask for that! You’ve already supported us, eomma.” She answered in appreciation and Sana held Nayeon’s hands, doing her signature hand massage on them. 

Jeongyeon wiggled her eyebrows as she leaned closer to her mother. “We just wanted to ask you something.” 

Nayeon raises her eyebrows in confusion as the three girls stared at her with hope and excitement in their eyes 

All of this to ask me something? It must be serious. 

Sana breathed out as she placed her hands on Nayeon’s face, shocking the girl. “Eomma.” She looked at her with a stern expression and spoke in a serious tone. “We want to adopt a puppy for Tzuyu’s birthday.” The girl said in a firm tone and they all waited for Nayeon to show any sort of reaction. 

The mother stayed blank as she let the information process in her head. 

Puppy... 

Nayeon blinks at the three as she spoke in a high-pitched voice. “What?” She tilted her head and Jihyo groaned. 

“C’mon, eomma!” Jihyo stood up to sit beside her mother. “We know you heard what Sana said. What do you think?” She asked excitedly, although it wouldn’t technically be her dog, she’ll still help Tzuyu take care of the puppy. The sisters were rather excited about the idea of their gift to the maknae. 

Nayeon’s mouth gaped at the three. “I-I don’t know. Will Tzuyu be able to take care of the dog?” 

“She works at a pet store for crying out loud.” Jeongyeon whined out, only hoping for her mother to approve the idea.  “Besides, we’ll help her with the puppy!” The girl offered, making the other two nod their heads in agreement. 

The mother sighs as she looked at their hopeful faces. “Okay.” She accepted the offer with a small smile and her three daughters went crazy. 

“WE’RE GETTING A PUPPY!” They all yelled out with pride. 

“Tzuyu is getting a puppy, which will be staying at our house.” Nayeon corrected with a smug smile on her face, making the others cutely frown at her. 

“We can still come visit, right?” Sana asked in a sad voice. 

“And stay over?” Jeongyeon added with a hopeful voice.

Nayeon chuckles at them as she ruffled Jihyo’s hair. “How many times do I have to tell you three? It’s YOUR house too!” She said, making them laugh at the realization. The four continue to catch up on what was happening in each other’s lives and in the middle of the conversation, a thought occurred in Nayeon’s head. “What made you think of giving Tzuyu a puppy?” 

Sana and Jihyo look at Jeongyeon who was the one to first think of the idea. “Well, ever since Tzuyu was first adopted, I always knew she had a weak spot for dogs, especially for her stuffed animal, Minjoong. I’m just surprised that Tzuyu never asked for a dog in the past years.” The girl voiced out her opinion and then continued to explain. “Lately, Tzuyu has been texting me, saying that she feels lonely nowadays and I guess I feel bad that I can’t be the better sister and be there for her…” Jeongyeon frowned and Nayeon rubbed her shoulder to comfort her. 

“We just want to give Tzuyu a little chingu.” Jihyo frowned and Sana furrowed her eyebrows. 

“Speaking of chingu, you need to scold Chaeyoung more! Where does that little brat go every day?” Sana eyed her mother who also had no clue about her daughter. 

“I will talk to Chaeyoung soon and explain the whole plan about Tzuyu’s birthday, if she comes home before I pass out on my bed. In the meantime...” Nayeon checked her phone for the time. “I should head back to have a nice dinner with our maknae. She seemed to be very excited about it.” The mother gushed, making the daughters awe at her.

“Please.” Jeongyeon begged with pleading eyes as she placed a hand on Nayeon’s shoulder. “Accompany the girl for the next few days. She’s still young at heart.” 

Nayeon smiles at her in return as she meekly nodded. “I know.” She whispered and left with the three saying their goodbyes and hoping their mother doesn’t get stuck in traffic. 

“Hello, dad.” The young girl kindly greeted as she took a seat across from the man. He warmly smiles as he slides a slice of cake in front of his daughter. Tzuyu nods her head in appreciation and took a bite out of the cake. Tzuyu texted her dad on late notice, asking if he wanted to meet in GFriend’s cafe. She was glad to read that her father was happy to come. She was also proud of herself that she remembers her sign language. 

“How is Nayeon?” He silently asked. Tzuyu was used to this growing up, what else could she do with her deaf father? Force him to talk? 

“She overworks herself sometimes, but she’s doing great.” Tzuyu sincerely answered, earning a small smile from her father. He had never been so happy to have a proper conversation with his daughter. 

“Tell her to take care of her health first. And I hope you’re taking care of her too. She’s getting old. Thirty, huh?” He teased and Tzuyu playfully scoffed as she looked surprised at her father. 

“Dad!” She yelled out, earning some looks from the other customers. Tzuyu meekly smiles as she leaned on the table and started to mouth her words out. It wasn’t like she needed to speak out loud in the first place. “I am taking care of her. I’m the only one who is always around in the house.” 

“Good.” He nodded at her in admiration. “I’m so proud of you, Tzuyu. You grew up to be so beautiful and kind. Your mother would be very proud.” He fondly smiles at her and Tzuyu smiles at the thought of her mother. 

“Thank you, dad.” She held her father’s frail hands and they continued to talk about whatever came in their mind. Meanwhile, Sowon watched the two from behind the counter. She had to admit that after all of these years of proving himself, she still didn’t trust Mr.Chou. She thought if she looked away for one-second, Tzuyu would disappear with him and that’s the last thing Sowon wanted. 

Umji sighed as she waved her hands around to get her manager’s attention. “Unnie, you need to stop. How long have you been doing this?” She questioned with a concerned tone. Sowon sighs as she shakes her head. The younger worker places a hand on Sowon’s back, assuring the girl. “She’s safe. He’s harmless.” 

“He wasn’t harmless when she was five-years-old.” Sowon grunted in anger and Umji shakes her head in amusement, the two have had this talk way too many times. 

“People change for the better. He has changed so he can sit in front of his daughter.” The worker pointed at the two happily conversing as she whispered in her ear. She then left to go tend to the customers, meanwhile, Sowon stays in her spot as Umji’s word repeated in her head. 

Tzuyu sighed again when she looked around, sitting at the empty dinner table. She has been waiting for her mother for about an hour now. Her phones beeped and the young girl eagerly looks at it. 

[Fake Maknae] 

I’m sorry, Tzu. The traffic is holding me up. 

You should start eating without me. 

Tzuyu frowned at the suggestion and typed on her phone. 

[Real Maknae] 

I’d rather wait for you, eomma.

She breathed out through her nose and laid back in her chair as she placed the phone on the table in front of her. She closed her eyes as she thought to herself that she should just get used to this every day. 

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard someone open the front door and wondered if it was Nayeon just teasing her. Tzuyu opened her eyes to see Chaeyoung standing in front of her. Her eyes go wide at the presence of her chingu. 

“Chaeyoung? You’re here?” She whispered in disbelief and the latter shamefully nods at her. 

The girl takes a seat beside Tzuyu and looked around the table to see that it was empty. It made Chaeyoung sad. “Yeah…” Her voice is weak as she fidgets with her hands. Tzuyu looks at her in confusion. 

“I thought you wouldn’t be home for dinner.” She quirked an eyebrow and Chaeyoung shrugged her shoulders. 

“I thought so too…” It wasn’t a total lie. She wouldn’t be at home if it wasn’t for Mina calling her to yell at the girl to run home to accompany Tzuyu. “But I realized something.” The smaller girl admitted as she realized on her way home and looked at Tzuyu in apology. “I’ve been the worst sister lately. You’re always taking care of us and I don’t do anything.” She shyly rubs the back of her neck and Tzuyu continues to look with despair at the girl. “That’s why I’m going to change. I’ll start going out less and I’ll find a job!” She excitedly offered and Tzuyu shows a warm smile. 

“Really? You would do that?” Tzuyu asked, still in disbelief and Chaeyoung chuckles at her. 

“Of course. Anything to make our maknae happy.” She admitted with a dimpled smile. 

Tzuyu blushes at the statement as she looked down. “I am happy…” She whispered, embarrassed that she probably seemed like the depressed one in the family and Chaeyoung gives her a knowing look. 

“Sure, chingu.” Chaeyoung playfully slaps her shoulder and Tzuyu laughs at the contact. The two prepare the dinner for themselves and made sure to save food for Nayeon. As they did so, they caught up on each other’s lives and talked about how much they missed their sisters. It was one of those days that Tzuyu genuinely felt happy to have one of her sisters eat dinner with her. 

——

2 Days before Tzuyu’s Eighteenth Birthday 

“We’re going to get a puppy!” Sana excitedly yelled out in the car and Jeongyeon who is sitting in the driver’s seat rolls her eyes at her in the rearview mirror. 

“Sana, please stop jumping in your seat.” She cooly instructed, looking back at the road and Sana frowns at her oldest sister, making Momo giggle at the sight.

“Sorry, unnie…” She quietly apologized but the thought of meeting puppies for the day immediately made her beam out. “I’m just so excited! What if we meet a Shiba Inu?” She asked everyone in the car with total curiosity. “We can adopt it and name it, “Sana”! Tzuyu always told me that I looked like one.” She quickly yapped out, clearly in her own world as the other sisters ignored her.

Momo shakes her head in amusement. “We’re never having sugary cereal for breakfast ever again.” She stated out loud and Dahyun nods her head in agreement. 

“Agree.” When they were young, Nayeon never allowed them to eat the specific food because Jeongyeon always cooked delicious and ‘healthy’ foods. Today, the six girls were in a rush and Jihyo managed to find chocolate puffs in the pantry. Dahyun looks at the “Shiba Inu” again who is annoyingly bouncing her knee up and down. “Unnie is way too hyper.” She then looks over to Mina who is sitting beside her. “How are you, Mina?” Dahyun asked with slight concern at the girl who is slightly shaking in joy. 

“I’m great!” Mina beamed out as she widely smiled at the girl, showing her