It doesn't make sense.

Her life has gone perfectly for the most part but why are more misunderstandings entering her marriage life and disrupting her happiness? 

Kang Seulgi, already turning twenty-nine years old, has yet to figure out why in the world she can't communicate with her wife properly. She adores the fact that the group still releases digital singles once in a while and makes a surprise appearance for their fans but her career as a dance instructor in the company is a top priority. Being the breadwinner was a wonderful decision, considering that her wife finally gets to go back to studying and taking better care of her family. The burden gets heavy sometimes, naturally, yet thinking of their little family of their own back at home really gets her drive going. It's practically the only source of motivation for Seulgi to carry on working long hours every day. Of course, if she had a choice, she would rather be at home taking care of her baby with her wife.

“What are you playing at? I know you’re doing something behind my back, Kang. Until you admit it to me, you can forget about sleeping in the same room.”

Those were the last words Seulgi heard from her wife before she began the cold war – it’s been almost a week since they’ve spoken like civilised human beings. She might be the more rational one with a much calmer disposition but when Seulgi is tired, both their tempers do nothing but rise higher. It sure as hell isn't fair that Joy gets to throw a tantrum as and when she pleases just because her studying is giving her stress... but Seulgi understands completely. Joy is the only breadwinner for her family because her siblings are still studying and she still contributes to their household expenses every month like they agreed to.

The truth is, Seulgi knows how much Joy pushes herself and it's to the point where Joy simply collapses in bed with tears flowing down the sides of her eyes. On even worse days... gosh, it's really one of the worst things to witness.

“I don’t know what I did wrong...”

“Stop whining first,” Wendy wants to bang her head on the table; her members are still the same after so many years. Her best friend is still one of the whiniest people she knows and it no longer sits as well with her as it did before. “Did you do something to make her jealous or insecure? You know how she is, Slug... I’ve reminded you so many times.”

No matter how many times Seulgi has wrecked her brains trying to figure out the basis for this, she can’t find a reason for her wife to blow up at her. In fact, she didn’t even get a chance to greet her wife that day, Joy had greeted her with one of the iciest glares she has ever seen. Of course, Seulgi isn't going to be even more stupid and continue to pester her wife with hugs or kisses and the likes of it. Despite all of that happening though, Seulgi can't help but worry about what Joy is keeping to herself. If Seulgi had actually made her jealous or done something to make her mad, Joy wouldn't hold it in for so long. There is definitely something more to the story than this whole little tantrum; it could very well have something to do with their lack of time spent together. 

“Kang Seulgi, are you listening to me?!”

“Sorry, Wan. I was thinking about something...” Seulgi sighs, throwing an arm over her eyes in exhaustion. She hasn’t been sleeping well at all, her wife isn’t there for her to stare at or even cuddle. It’s no surprise as to why Seulgi can’t catch a break. “I miss her so much but she always looks so angry and I don’t want to start a fight again.”

A part of Wendy feels terrible for her best friend, knowing that Seulgi probably has no bad intentions. She is practically the eye in the sky when it comes to her members, mostly because they automatically come to her or Irene for advice on how to deal with their personal matters. It isn’t her place to say a single thing though – it is a problem that Joy and Seulgi eventually have to solve on their own. What’s the point of constantly giving advice when neither of them will learn that way? Furthermore, Joy and Seulgi have matured so much as a couple; there’s no way they can’t get over this tiny hurdle. Perhaps it is going to be one of the ways in which Seulgi learns about her wife's innermost feelings that is usually hidden from the rest of the world.

It is so, so important for Joy to start opening up to her own wife before more problems are caused by the lack of communication. Joy still confides in Wendy the most, probably because they've been doing it since debut days. Truthfully, Wendy wants to see some change in that but she's afraid that Joy will begin pushing everyone away instead. The last time that happened, Wendy had gotten half scared to death and ended up crying through the night. 

“Look, whatever it is... Sooyoung's not a tough nut to crack anymore. You know there are some things that still soften her heart effortlessly.”

A light bulb seemingly appears over Seulgi's head; there was a solution staring at her face the whole time and she missed it. She almost screams in excitement, jumping up from the sofa with her phone in hand. “Oh my God, I got it! I know what to do now. Thank you so much, Wannie! BYE!”

“WAIT WHA—”

“Yah, Kang Seulgi!”

Irene stares at her wife with a bored expression, an arm supporting her frame. She already knew this was going to happen; giving the couple advice always resulted in their calls getting cut off. Sometimes, it's such a waste of time conversing with her members when they're encountering such a tiny obstacle. With a shake of her head and a sigh, Irene gently runs her finger through the tiny toddler's hair. 

“I can’t believe she did that... ugh, Kang Seulgi is irritating me. I’m going to ignore all her calls if she ever comes crying to me again.” Wendy huffs, leaning back against the sofa with her legs huddled to her knees. 

“No, you won’t.”

“No, I won’t,” Wendy shrugs defeatedly, her head tilting backwards to rest against the soft cushion of the sofa. Who is she kidding? She'd be the last person to ignore her members' calls if any of them ever do.

When she feels a change in movement on the sofa, Wendy turns around to see what it is and her features soften immediately – their tiny baby just rolled off Irene’s chest and lies on the sofa with her body curled slightly. Wendy tilts her head slightly, staring at the young infant with so much love in her eyes. She still loses track of time every now and then, especially when she stares at her baby. Now that they’ve moved so far together, Wendy often wonders how she’d feel when the baby finally grows up and goes on to preschool with other kids. Will she be like the clingy mom and not want to let go or will she be the one chasing her to school with a baseball bat?

Moving her gaze to Irene this time, Wendy feels her breath get taken away when she stares at her wife. She will never forget the memory of Irene in a white wedding dress, her hair tied up that day so she could show off her collarbones and shoulders. As if Wendy could get any more embarrassing (everyone knew it wouldn't have any effect but...) at the ceremony itself, she had started babbling her vows in tears. 

“She’s grown a bit, huh?”

“Yeah…” Wendy looks up at Irene with one of the brightest smiles, hand now patting the infant’s bum tenderly. She can't take her eyes off her wife at all; it almost feels creepy with how hard she stares sometimes. “She’s going to grow up so well and go to school before we even know it.”

Irene giggles at the sentiment; she can already foresee what the whole process is going to look like. Even in her dreams, Irene always sees the two of them holding onto each hand as they walk towards the school. A baby always has a possibility of causing a tiny bit of distance between a couple in the beginning but not this time; Irene will never allow that to happen for as long as she can help it. A child should be bringing a couple closer together instead of the opposite, which is exactly what her parents never taught her. When she grew up, she did so feeling like an absolute burden because her family members were always too busy to care about what she did at home or at school. When they did... it was reluctant and never heartfelt no matter how hard they tried. 

No way in hell is the same thing going to happen to her family too. 

“Don't you cry when it happens. It's a part of growing up,” Irene teases, poking the tip of Wendy's nose.  

Wendy's lips simply form a pout, her eyes taking in the sight of their little baby sleeping so peacefully with her face nuzzled into her mother's chest. She wants to be as peaceful as her own child, knowing there is nothing better in the world than to be held so closely by her wife. Ever since Irene gave birth, there hasn't been a night that Wendy doesn't think of being pressed against Irene's body for warmth. Their baby sleeps in between them with several pillows on either side so they don't accidentally crush her, which is a good thing because neither of them have to keep running to and fro from the crib and back to bed. It might not seem like it but it also gives Wendy the opportunity to admire both her wife and her tiny look-alike at the same time. 

Her thoughts are soon interrupted by someone holding her nose tightly, and Wendy snaps back to her senses - the tiny toddler has her fist wrapped around Wendy's sharp nose. There is a rather mischievious gaze in her eyes, almost comparable to her mother's when Irene is up to something and no one knows about it. 

“Aigoo, why are you pinching my nose?” Wendy coos at the toddler, her hands holding onto the latter's tiny hands so warmly. She can't help but poke at her baby's squishy cheeks, squealing in excitement when the baby begins giggling along with her. “Oh my God, you truly are your mother's flesh and blood! You're so, so cheeky!”

Irene would have retorted with a snarky comment, judging by how confidently Wendy had made that comment. She knows what exactly Wendy is trying to imply, because Irene is the touchiest person ever and everyone knows that. In fact, Irene misses having her wife to herself. More often than not, Wendy is always hustling and bustling throughout the house because of their baby's needs; she might not realise it but Wendy is the one holding the fort over their head. Whenever Irene wants to get something for their baby, her wife is already almost done with whatever it might be. The smallest things like preparing their baby's milk or changing her diapers, Irene adores how fast Wendy gets to doing it and without any complaints at that. Most parents would still be a bit reluctant to go near baby's poop but not Wendy... 

And it might sound dumb, but Irene feels luckier every day knowing that Wendy still chose to propose to her eventually. She knows their lives aren't always going to be so smooth and serene every day but baby steps are the key to success.

“Time to give you a little rinse!” Wendy exclaims, picking her baby up into her arms with a light swing in the air. She doesn't pay heed to her wife; one glance and she knows there is something on Irene's mind that needs to be sorted out. Turning around with a loving smile, Wendy makes sure to mouth a few comforting words to her wife. “Take your time... we'll be waiting for you. I'll take care of her.”

“Thanks, babe.”

Her eyes don’t leave the sight of Wendy carrying their baby girl in her arms so carefully, almost as if she was carrying something so, so fragile that could disintegrate if it was squeezed even a little too tight. Wendy's thoughtfulness and kind heart remains the same even after so many years, though it could have possibly increased now that their baby is growing up. Just when Irene thinks she already knows Wendy inside out and the limits to how soft her heart can be, the latter only surprises her even further by doing something out of the blue. Irene must have done a thousand and one good things in her past life to have been able to get a wife like Wendy – she never fails to think about it whenever she’s free.

The ups and downs have been countless, ranging from minor to extremely serious ones. Despite what the people around them might think, there are still some arguments that result in extremely petty actions too.

“Umma! Where are you?!”

Irene can’t hide her growing smile at Wendy’s extremely failed attempt of mimicking an toddler’s voice – why is her wife literally the most adorable person on earth? She doesn’t bother responding to that loud claim and starts jogging to the bathroom. No matter what she might expect or is prepared for, she was nowhere close to prepared for the sight that’s going to greet her in a few seconds.

“I’m he—SON SEUNGWAN!”

The boisterous giggle coming from the tiny toddler breaks the awkward silence between her parents; her tiny hands slap the surface of the water again and again, wanting more attention from her mothers.

Irene wants to laugh at her wife but at the same time, she knows there's going to be a lot of things to do once their bath is done. This is the exact reason why Wendy isn't usually the one giving their baby a shower. Wendy gives her more of a mess than their precious jewel does, which is odd considering Wendy doesn't like having an extra mess to clean. Seeing the more relaxed and comfortable side of her wife is always good, but Irene can already predict how pampered their daughter will be during her childhood. Both of them were the pride of their families and had pressure on their shoulders to make their parents even prouder, not being showered with gifts or toys like other children were.

That alone is reason enough for Wendy to do it differently with her own child, judging by how decorated the baby's room is and the different decorations above the crib. Irene did warn Wendy several times that the room wouldn't be used often but it didn't seem to go in.

“Wow… are you the one taking a bath or is Seunghyun?”

“I am still upset you gave her that name,” Wendy changes the topic immediately. She wipes her face off with a towel, letting Irene take over the soaping of their little girl. “I told you my name was similar to a boy’s and you gave her something that sounds masculine too.”

Rolling her eyes at her wife’s sensitivity, Irene actually acknowledges that she didn’t seek Wendy’s permission when thinking of names. She could remember the horror of listening to Wendy’s own ideas – Joojoo, Hyunjoo, Baejoo… – No way is she ever going to let Wendy name their children. Plus, it’s not like Wendy didn’t immediately fall asleep after taking one look at their baby girl in the bed. Irene would have thought Wendy collapsed but the loud snoring sounds had given her away so quickly. She didn’t have a choice because she already knows the few suggestions Wendy would make and those are all a no-go for sure. It wasn't that difficult to appease the latter though; Wendy had immediately relented and showered her with kisses when Irene said she could name their next baby.

“Oh, you’re tired of the water?” Irene coos, gently carrying her little princess out of the tub. She can’t help but laugh heartily as their baby girl continues to try and splash her other mother with more water. “No more of that, sweetheart. Come on, let’s go and get changed so we can look real pretty for Mama here.”

Wendy blushes a light pink behind the towel; Irene never fails to remind her that the only person Irene would look pretty for is her and her alone. The mere thought of Irene going to such lengths just to make sure she looks good for Wendy is a major factor in their marriage. She knows just how lovely her wi