Mina was a ballerina. Or, as the pun-loving Momo dubbed, Balle-mina. It was a lady-ish sport, fitting for a lady.

 Being born to a wealthy family in Japan, she was brought up to be a woman of grace and etiquettes. This entailed countless lessons and lectures on how to conduct herself in various situations, for various kinds of people she might encounter in later life. Thankfully, this upbringing went well in line with Mina’s quiet agreeable personality, so she saw it not as an annoyance but rather as helpful advice, taking everything to heart- not only the outward behavior aspect, but also the patient mindset much needed for interpersonal relations. When she left her home for Korea, Mina felt powerful. She felt like she was properly educated in both manners and talents, and that she was ready for any hardship ahead.

It couldn’t have been further from the truth. Well, at least not the manners part.

Only when she attempted to blend in with the rest of Twice did she realize how much of a far cry her education was to the real world. People paid no mind to diplomacy and decorum when things started to heat up, and concession- what Mina thought to be her strength- became a sign of weakness. She gradually came to realize critical things about the world, and herself as well: All her teachers were, after all, her parents’ employee; they were always walking on thin ice around her, showering her with praises even though it was undeserving at times. Over time it had built her level of self-assurance one too many times, and as a result, she was hopelessly under-prepared.

That said, the chance meeting with Tzuyu was a blessing in disguise for Mina. With the clueless catgirl, she could freely practice to harness her patience and endurance, so as to avoid falling into another of her passive-aggressive streaks she had become known for.

“Mina-unnie, why food here cold?” Asked Tzuyu, pointing at the fridge.

“Mina-unnie, why Tzuyu see another Tzuyu?” Asked Tzuyu, pointing at the mirror.

“Mina-unnie, why water fall from the sky?” Asked Tzuyu, pointing at the rain.

Explaining these difficult things to Tzuyu, along with many others, had been tiring and frustrating, but still she persevered. It was a chance of a lifetime in which what she did would bear no consequences, so she vowed not to succumb to her inner dark self.

Before long, Mina realized the power of proactivity. Afraid of being a bother, she avoided imposing on others unless it was absolutely necessary. But now, she actively looked out for things the catgirl might have questions about, and preemptively provide answers- ELI5 style, something she’d become proficient at. With this method Mina had, by some miracle, managed to give satisfactory explanations to all queries so far with little trouble.

Until last night, when an unusually dejected Tzuyu asked a question that threw Mina completely off guard. Almost choking on the water she was drinking, Mina took a moment to cough and wheeze before deciding that she must have misheard.

“Sorry Tzuyu, what did you say?”

“Tzuyu not understand. Why Momo-unnie hate Tzuyu?”

Now that she knew she wasn’t mistaken, Mina could not believe her ears. Momo hated Tzuyu? It was such a ridiculous notion that Mina could not even think of, let alone get behind. She had her doubts, unless Momo said it explicitly that she hated the catgirl, there was every chance that Tzuyu had a misunderstanding. Either way, Mina had to be sure.

“Did Momo say she hates you, Tzuyu-ah?”

“No.” A wave of relief washed over Mina. Tzuyu must have misunderstood things after all.

“Then it’s fine. She doesn’t hate you Tzuyu-ah. She likes you a lot, we all do.” Mina wrapped her arms around the younger girl’s shoulders affectionately.

“Tzuyu believe Mina-unnie, Mina-unnie never wrong.” As if to reinforce her words, Tzuyu buried her face in the crook of Mina’s neck, lovingly rubbing the place with her nose.

The smile Mina had on her face then, she carried all the way to sleep.

Her joy was short-lived, however, as she was held back by the hand by a grim-faced Jihyo the next morning.

“Mina, there’s something we need to do. It’s about Momo.”

_____

“Why are you guys here? Where is Tzuyu?”

“She is out with Jeongyeon and Nayeon today. They volunteered to teach her about flavors.”

“… You let them go out? For real?” Momo raised an eyebrow. Even she saw the problems behind this.

“They should be fine. Mina’s already told Tzuyu to listen to what they say, and the icecream shop is barely a dozen steps away. They should be fine.” Jihyo repeated, as if to reassure herself than Momo. In all honesty, she wasn’t so calm about this herself, and she would like nothing more than to be there with the guys just to make sure nothing went wrong. Still, she reminded herself, that this was more important.

“They will be okay. I mean, Tzuyu already knew what it’s like outside as a cat. As long as she’s not alone there will be no problem.” Mina saw fit to add, to reassure both Momo and her leader.

“Alright then…” Momo decided not to dwell on the topic. “Let’s just get to practice, then we can get something to eat!” She yelled excitedly, not noticing the slight frown around Jihyo’s eyes.

If anything, there was nothing unusual about Momo- airheaded, passionate about dancing, and equally zealous about eating.

“Momo-unnie, wait just a little bit. There’s, um, something we need to talk about.” Momo tilted her head in confusion.

“Eh?”

Despite the storm of thoughts raging inside Jihyo and Mina’s heads, Momo seemed blissfully ignorant of her friends’ predicament. This made it all the more harder for Jihyo to approach the issue at hand. Mina was out of the question, it was still beyond her to start a confrontation; it had already taken much out of her to be there, questioning her beloved friend.

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