Mina stood there, staring at the door, trying to process who she just saw. It was Chaeyoung, right? she thought. Yeah. It couldn’t have been anyone else. Even without her uniform and bed hair, there was no denying that the person behind the door was her pretend girlfriend.

The Japanese attempted to turn the doorknob again but it was locked. She knocked on the door once more, but no response. It was then that another door opened behind her and out came Jeongyeon who was wondering what all the noise was about.

When the older one saw Mina, her eyes went wide. “Mina… W-what are you doing here?”

“Why is Chaeyoung in your room?” Mina got straight to the point.

Jeongyeon glanced at the closed door and then back at Mina. Her mind tried to formulate possible excuses she could give, but Mina wasn’t a fool. She would know it was a lie right away. Jeongyeon sighed. “That’s her room now. She lives here.”

“W-what? What do you mean she lives here?”

“I mean she lives here. And that’s where she sleeps.”

“Why?”

As Mina asked, the door slowly opened, revealing Chaeyoung with her hair brushed neatly and proper attire to be worn outside her room. She kept her head down, trying to avoid Mina’s gaze. The moment she looked up, she was met with a pair of curious eyes, begging for an explanation.

The youngest one felt tighten, as if something was blocking it. She wanted so bad to run downstairs and chug a glass of water, then come back up, possibly with an excuse to get herself out of it. But Mina’s eyes told her that she couldn’t lie to this woman. Not this time. Probably not ever.

“My mom’s the Yoo family’s housekeeper,” Chaeyoung finally answered. “Her and I live here.”

Mina stared at her, her brain processing the information. Then she turned her head to Jeongyeon, as if to ask for affirmation. The oldest one just sighed.

Their awkward silence was broken when Jeongyeon’s mom called out from the bottom of the stairs. “The food’s going to get cold!” she bellowed. “Don’t make me go up there!”

“W-we’ll be down!” Jeongyeon called back. She then turned to the two of them, “We better go down or she really will start marching up here and drag us down.”

Chaeyoung nodded and beelined through them. She quickly went down the stairs, trying to avoid Mina’s gaze.

Jeongyeon started making her way down, but before she could reach the bottom, Mina lightly pulled onto her shoulder. The older one stopped and turned to her with a questioning look.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” the Japanese asked. “That she lives with you.”

“She didn’t want you to know.”

“Why? Don’t you think it’s important I know where she lives? Especially since it’s with my ex.”

Jeongyeon shrugged, “Ask her.” Then she continued walking down and into the dining room where her mother and Chaeyoung were already seated across from each other.

She took a seat next to her mom while Mina took the one next to Chaeyoung.

An awkward silence permeated the dining table. Mina wanted to ask questions but not with Jeongyeon’s mother in the room.

Chaeyoung just kept her head down as she ate. She wanted, if possible, for Mina not to know at all during the entirety of their pretend relationship. But now that she knew, what did she think about it all? Is Mina giving me pity right now? Chaeyoung thought. Does she regret being in this situation with me now that she found out I’m poor?

She glanced up at her for a moment and saw the Japanese not taking her eyes off of her. Chaeyoung broke off contact and kept eating.

Jeongyeon took a bowl of natto from her side and placed it closer to the two.

“Oh, I don’t like natto, remember?” Mina said.

“But Chaeyoung does,” Jeongyeon said.

Chaeyoung slowly pulled the bowl closer to her, “Thanks...”

And then it was awkward once more. Mrs. Yoo, who seemed oblivious to the whole atmosphere, was the first one to open conversation. “Mina, have you met Chaeyoung by any chance?” she asked. “You two go to the same school.”

The Japanese gave a slight nod, “We have some classes together.”

“It would be nice if you could show our Chaegie around. I’m afraid she’s still in her shell and won’t try to make friends.”

Changie? Mina thought.

“I know how to make friends,” Chaeyoung started. “I just-”

“Choose not to,” Mrs. Yoo interrupted, finishing her sentence for her as if Chaeyoung’s said it plenty of times. “Yeah, yeah. Say what you want, but I think having a friend or two over is part of a healthy high school life.”

Chaeyoung gave a slight shake of her head and sighed. “I’m too busy with my studies to have time with friends. That scholarship won’t stay there on its own.”

“I’ve told your mother so many times that I could pay for your tuition, but she keeps rejecting my offer.”

“I wouldn’t want you to pay for it either, Mrs. Yoo. This is something we should take care of ourselves. You’ve helped us so much already.”

Mrs. Yoo smiled and then turned to her own daughter. “See, why don’t you follow Chaeyoung’s example and study once in a while.”

Jeongyeon replied with food in , “Why do you always bring the conversation back to me? I do study. Chaeng helps me sometimes.”

Chaeng? Mina listened to their conversation and although the house was like her second home, at that time, she felt out of place. She knew the family longer and she definitely felt close to them, but somehow, she felt like she was the outsider.

The front door of the house opened and Jeongyeon’s sister, Seungyeon, waltzed into the dining room. “Ah, Mina! It’s been a while.” She went over to her and gave her a hug, in which Mina reciprocated.

Seungyeon took the seat at the head of the table. “Oh, Chae, pass me the sauce.”

Chae? Mina furrowed her eyebrows as she watched Chaeyoung pass over the sauce plate. Why do I feel so distant…?

In an attempt to join in, Mina spoke about the front yard. “I saw that there were beds of strawberries out in the front,” she said. “How long have those been there?”

“Ah, those are Chaeyoung’s,” Jeongyeon said. “She planted those the moment she moved in.”

She’s into gardening? Or does she really just love strawberries that much? The Japanese realized how much she didn’t know about Chaeyoung. It was like this person was a complete stranger even though they’ve been spending a lot of time together during lunch and after school. Was Chaeyoung that closed off, or was I not paying attention at all? Mina thought.

“So, Chaeyoungie,” Seungyeon leaned in with a smirk on her face. “Who’s the guy?”

“What guy?”

“Don’t play coy with me. You like someone, don’t you?”

Chaeyoung coughed on her natto upon hearing her words. “Huh?!”

Seungyeon leaned back in her seat. “It’s obvious. You’ve been humming in the shower and when you’re gardening. You’ve been watching romance movies since Friday and just last night I saw you trying on my skincare products in the bathroom. Those are clear signs of a teenage girl who’s in love. So...” She smiled, “...who’s the guy?”

The younger one shook her head, all the while avoiding eye contact. “There is no guy and I’m not in love.”

Jeongyeon turned her eyes to Mina, in which Mina looked at her back, her head tilting slightly as if to wonder why her ex was looking at her in such a way. The blonde coughed, “Chaeyoung’s got a girlfriend.”

“Hey!” Chaeyoung and Mina both said at the same time, causing the two to look at each other. Seungyeon and her mother turned to the Japanese as well.

Chaeyoung turned to her unnie, “I don’t have a girlfriend. Now, can we please steer the conversation away from me and just finish eating? I have to study.”

“You can study later,” Mrs. Yoo told her. “Mina is here. Why don’t you three spend some time together?”

“I have softball practice,” Jeongyeon said.

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