Sana woke up that day with her arms empty. 

Now, where in the world did Mina go? she asked herself, stretching before sitting up. She groaned loudly, like usual, then when she finally did sit up, she spied Jeongyeon and Nayeon on the latter’s bed, watching something on the phone together as they cuddled close. 

Sana rubbed her eyes and looked around her own bed, then on the floor, because, well, she had a really bad habit of kicking Mina off the bed sometimes. 

Jeongyeon took out her earphone, most likely seeing Sana’s movements from the corner of her vision. Her face broke out into a grin before she threw her head back to laugh and accidentally knocked heads with Nayeon. “Ow! Watch it!” Nayeon punched Jeongyeon, who apologized immediately.

“Sorry, Nayeonnie. Look at Sana, though.” The younger Korean pointed at Sana’s hair, causing Nayeon to laugh too. It was sticking up ridiculously, the baby hairs going this and that way. 

“Whatever,” Sana said as she rolled her eyes and sat up straight. “You’re just mad that I still look y like this.”

Jeongyeon pretended to barf while Nayeon winked at her. 

Sana got up and stretched, casually peeking at the clock next to her. She smiled, happy with the hour. She still had plenty of time to get ready.

“So, hey, it’s your turn today, right?” Jeongyeon said, ignoring Nayeon’s pleading to hurry up and go back to watching their video. “You’ve slept like a rock, and it’s pretty late. In fact,” she said, looking at the clock, “you slept all day! Aren’t you going to plan everything out? Aren’t you taking Mina on a date today? Or did you forget and oversleep?”

“No, my date idea is going to take place later today. In fact, it’s taking place right before the sun sets!” Sana’s heartbeat quickened at the thought of her date idea. It was going to be so much fun!

“Oooooh, what do you have planned?” Nayeon asked, momentarily forgetting about the video she had so desperately wanted to continue. Any light gossip was a bit more fun.

Sana thought about it before saying “Well, I’m not telling yet. I think it should be a surprise for you guys as well. But I do have a question that might hint at it: Do any of you have any clue about what to wear when it’s cold outside but you’re definitely going to get sweaty?”

“Not me. I think it’d be a good idea to ask Jihyo, since she took her roller skating the other day. But she’s with Producer Park Jinyoung right now, for a meeting. Nayeon and I saw her leaving. She’ll be back soon, I think,” Jeongyeon said, being very helpful. Sana made a mental note to ask Jihyo later. It was kind of important since the activity was outdoors.

The winter days are way too short , Mina thought to herself as she watered Chaeyoung’s strawberries. She looked out of the window and saw that the sun hadn’t set yet, but it was about to, and it felt like she hadn’t gotten anything done. Would she even have time for a date? It was so late! Where was Sana?

With a heart full of worry, she set the watering can down then caught sight of Sana’s reflection in the window. She spun around, her heart already in . Had her thoughts summoned her somehow? Was she here to take her out?

“I’m glad to see you back to watering those strawberries!” Sana smiled, her eyes disappearing behind her cheeks. “Looks like Jeongyeon’s date helped you with that, right?”

“Yeah, it did.” She didn’t want to talk about that right now. She wanted to ask Sana if they were leaving anytime soon. But she felt like it would be rude to interrupt Sana’s small talk. “I also helped Jeongyeon a lot, I feel like. She needed some cheering up.”

“I’m glad. Jeongyeon tends to see herself as less, even though she’s our protector, basically…” She drifted off, noticing the way Mina was jiggling her leg. Sana laughed, realizing that Mina was anxious to get to the date already. “Right! We can talk about all of this later. I’m sure you want to go on that date now, right?”

Mina tried not to nod too quickly. “Yes! It’s my last date! I think I went crazy today trying to figure out what it is! I don’t think I did anything except think about it.”

“Well, I hope it doesn’t disappoint! Let’s go get dressed!” Sana spun around on her heel and headed straight for her room. “Pick something warm, but not too warm. You might get sweaty.”

Mina nodded, thinking about wearing something like what she wore for Jihyo’s date. “Uh-oh. Why? Can I ask? Or will that spoil the surprise?”

Sana stopped and turned to look at Mina mysteriously. “I guess I can give you a hint. A really big one. And maybe one I should have asked since the beginning: Do you… know how to ride a bike?”

Mina tugged on the hood of her jacket and gave Sana an excited thumbs up. “Ready!”

Sana smiled endearingly, then walked the bicycle onto the small road that hugged the riverbank. 

“I’ve got to admit, this isn’t what I expected at all,” Mina said, following right behind her older friend. “Well, I wasn’t really expecting anything, but I had all day to fantasize about today’s date and more or less imagined you’d take me out to karaoke or something.”

“That was one of my first options, actually!” Sana grinned at her from atop her bike. “But this sounded a little more fun. Do you not mind being in the cold, or should we leave?”

“No, no, I like this, actually. Thanks for worrying. Jeong, Momo and Nayeon always talk about it, you know? Always saying ‘Oh, you guys should totally go cycling, it’s so fun!’ and stuff like that, so I’ve wanted to go for a while, but I never thought it would be on a date!” Mina saw that Sana had already hopped on her bike and did the same, trying her best to stay side-by-side. “I like it a lot. Especially since it’s so late at night.”

“Good! I was a little worried about the weather, because obviously I don’t want you to get a cold just because of my date idea, but it’s not too cold! It’s almost... perfect, I think.” Sana turned her bicycle a little to avoid running into a jogger, then giggled at Mina. “Maybe if there were less people it would be better, but I can handle it.”

“It’ll probably dwindle down to much less once the sun sets,” Mina offered, flicking her eyes toward the skies. The sun, bright and lovely, was just about to rest. The bottom edge of it was about to touch the horizon, creating beautiful streaks of red, orange and yellow above them. “Then we can have a little more privacy.”

“Hopefully! If not, it’s okay. As long as I’m with you.” Sana’s words made Mina lose her balance somewhat, making her ride a little less smoothly for a few seconds. After gaining control of her arms, she cruised next to the older Japanese again, who giggled softly. 

Why did that happen? Why did I lose control? Mina asked herself that but wasn’t sure of the answer. It wasn’t like Sana had never directed sweet words at her. In fact, Sana was the one who did it the most out of all the members. It was an odd day if Sana didn’t compliment anyone or say something slightly cheesy. 

Mina huffed, focusing on the road ahead of her again. It was silly of her to get flustered about it.

Sana, from the corner of her right eye, watched Mina as she talked to herself. She thought it was cute, the way the younger girl did that. Her eyes would lower themselves, and her lips would move slightly, as if she was actually talking. But it was always under her breath, always inaudible. 

Sana smiled to herself. What a cutie.

When the sky began to darken, Sana and Mina stopped for a second to drink up the moment. The sun was half hidden now, sending out its brightest colors as a goodbye.

“You know, watching the sun set together like this is kind of romantic,” Sana whispered, laughing at Mina’s expression. “What? C’mon, I’m serious! I’m feeling those vibes right now!”

Mina had to hide her blush behind a hand, not knowing that Sana was hiding one too.

“It is! Don’t you feel it? If we were in a drama, this would totally be the moment where the two leads confess or something. Like, they’d look at the sunset, then at each other at the same time, grin, then go in for the kiss!”

“I think you watch too many dramas. I’m gonna have to take your laptop away from you,” Mina mumbled, sure that Sana had gotten that straight off that one drama all of the girls were currently into. “Besides. Sunsets are way too sad for that.”

Sana’s eyes seemed to ask her a question. How?

Mina shrugged. “I don’t know. They’re just sad. I don’t know how you got those romantic vibes, but right now I’m feeling some type of melancholy. Maybe it’s the cold weather adding to the effect.”

Sana pursed her lips. “Something on your mind? You can tell me, you know. It won’t ruin the date.”

Mina pursed her lips as well, eventually finding herself biting into them as she thought about it. She hadn’t really thought about anything specific when she said she was feeling melancholic. “Nothing is on my mind, I guess. That’s just how sunsets make me feel.” Mina watched as the final section of the sun disappeared, all of the color in the sky draining. “I probably just think too deeply about things.”

“That’s fine. Tell me about that then.”

Mina shook her head. “Let’s cycle. I don’t want to bring down the mood.”

“Mitang…” Mina turned to face Sana, who was pouting. “Didn’t you hear me? If we talk, it won’t ruin the date. I meant it.” The older girl reached for Mina’s hand and squeezed it. “What do sunsets remind you of?”

After giving her a deep sigh, Mina looked at the sky again. Black. 

“I dunno. Good things ending, I suppose. The sun represents good things, like happiness, right? So when it sets, it’s like those things going away— it sounds dumb, I know, but that’s what I think. Or what I feel in my heart when I see sunsets.”

Sana grimaced a little, shedding some humor on whatever this moment was. “Well, yes, okay, that was a little pessimistic.”

Mina laughed, but Sana raised a hand to let her know she wasn’t finished. “However, however! I understand! I really do! I’m not a big symbolism user. Symbols, well, I see them as fragments of what I want to say, hardly ever giving everyone the full picture. I tend to prefer being direct so I don’t lose my listeners. But I obviously get why you’re reminded of that. The sun represents the day, everyone knows that, and it’s when you’re out and about, having fun and enjoying things.”

Mina nodded, happy to hear that her friend didn’t think she was weird. Of course she wouldn’t. She was Sana.

“But have you ever thought about what follows after? What the Moon, and by extent, the night, represents?”

Mina shook her head. She overthought things, but not too often. “I haven’t.”

“Look up,” Sana ordered gently, and she did. Mina raised her eyes to the sky and waited for the older girl to continue.

“What do you see?”

Mina frowned. “Y-you mean besides the sky?”

Sana laughed next to her, and Mina followed after. “Yes, Mitang, but what else? Look closer.”

Mina felt like she was in a Disney movie, with Sana being a wise elder telling the young and foolish protagonist to look into a pool of water and tell her what she sees. She gave up after a few seconds, though, not understanding what Sana wanted her to see. 

“Mina… the stars!” Sana waved her hand above both of their heads. “Don’t you see them?” 

Oh . Obviously Sana wanted her to look at the stars. Mina felt so ridiculous as she looked up again and saw a beautiful ribbon of stars flowing in from the galaxy. How could she have missed it? It’s like they weren’t there at all just seconds ago, only appearing when Sana commanded them to. “I see them. Sorry. I don’t know why I didn’t before.”

“Maybe you were overthinking?” Sana was looking at the stars too, now. “Too invested in seeing the night in a negative light to see the beauty.”

“They’re pretty,” Mina observed. “I love to look at them, you know, when I remember that they’re there .” She got a chirp of laughter from Sana.

“Me too! How much do you know about science, Mitang?” After Mina shrugged, a little thrown off by the sudden subject change, Sana elaborated. “Do you think we’d be able to see the stars if the sun was always up?”

“Oh, that’s an easy one. No, we couldn’t. The sun’s light is way brighter than the faraway stars’. The blue in the atmosphere practically drowns out the light from them.” Mina knew that Sana knew this. It had been a rhetorical question. But for what?

“See? The sun going down isn’t always a bad thing. When would we ever see the stars? When would we be able to see our favorite constellations?”

Mina nodded, understanding dawning on her. “You’re right. And when would I be able to lay my eyes on the moon, who’s mysterious pull draws me close at night?”

“Very poetic,” Sana giggled out, “but very true. Without the sun going down, when would we rest, Mitang? When would the people go home to see their families?” Sana motioned for Mina to follow her, wanting to talk and walk their bikes along the path. “The nighttime represents a time to relax, to sleep, to finally rest after a long day.” 

Mina nodded as she looked up at the sky. The moon and her sisters were twinkling, shining as bright as they could.

Sana glanced at Mina as they walked, the younger girl seemingly in awe of the skies and it’s gifts, as if it were the first time she stepped out to gaze at the celestial bodies. How cute, she found herself thinking again.

“It’s gorgeous,” Mina whispered, and Sana couldn’t help but reply “Yeah, you are.” Mina didn’t catch it, and Sana was okay with that, because, really, she wasn’t in the right headspace to explain that the stars reflecting off her younger friend’s eyes were currently sending soft shivers down her spine. And how would she be able to explain that the subtle glow of the moonlight made Mina’s golden skin glow too?

She especially wasn’t ready to explain the sudden supernova exploding inside her chest, breaking down all that Sana had seen in Mina and creating a new understanding for her feelings for the younger girl.

Sana paused momentarily, grateful that Mina was still musing, or else she’d ask why Sana had stopped walking so abruptly.

It was just– Sana had, for a moment, thought the feelings for Mina were new. But they weren’t new. She’d always harbored feelings for her friend. And the feeling, it was...it was—

“—Love!” Sana was so giddy about finally putting the pieces together that it bubbled out of her. 

Mina noticed, finally, and looked away from the heavens to give Sana a questioning look.

“I just realized how much I love you.” Sana decided to be honest and simple.

Mina smiled an embarrassed smile, the big kind that grew so wide that she tried to hide it behind her jacket sleeves, but Sana loved it. Gently pulling Mina’s sleeves away, the older Japanese girl hoped the Moon saw Mina’s smile and understood that it wasn’t the only thing that brought light in the darkness. “Don’t hide it! I love your smile!”

Mina tried to purse her lips, but a giggle escaped them when Sana’s bicycle fell to the ground.

Sana shouted and picked it up, her face turning pink in the night, which Mina found so endearing that she let go of her own bicycle and hugged her friend tightly. “I love you too, Sana.”

It was an incredibly cold night, but at that moment, both Sana and Mina were sharing each other’s warmth with each other.

When Mina let go, she shivered because of the loss of contact. She exhaled then, letting loose a cloud of vapor. 

“Hey,” Sana said, picking up Mina’s bicycle for her, “let’s head back to the van! It’s getting really, really cold, colder than I anticipated!”

Mina nodded and hopped on her bike, then pedaled hard to pass Sana. She looked back to wink at her. “Good idea! Last one there is a loser!”

Sana fumbled to get her bicycle poised for riding, stunned by how fast Mina was on the bike. 

Soon enough, they were side by side, race forgotten. Or, well, not forgotten, but Mina remembered that this was a date and that it was a good idea to spend it talking to Sana. 

“I hope we don’t get sick,” Sana mumbled, glad she decided to dress extra warm today. “Our comeback is in…”

“...Two days,” Mina finished for Sana, who sent her a thankful smile. “Yeah, imagine performing for the showcase with a runny nose! It’s hard enough already to dance, but when you’ve got a cold and can hardly focus, it just becomes ridiculous.”

Sana laughed, enjoying the air running through her hair, even if it made her colder. “Didn’t Chaeyoung go out in a short sleeved shirt for your date? It’s a miracle the baby didn’t get sick!”

“Yet!” Mina added, sure that their date wasn’t the only time their younger friend went out like that. 

About halfway down the path back to the van, both girls slowed down, completely breathless. Sana decided to hop off the bike and walk it the rest of the way while Mina decided to stay on, waddling along.

“You know,” Mina began, after a long and comfortable silence, “for someone who claims they prefer straightforwardness, you sure did know how to help me just now, explaining that the moon is a symbol for rest and everything.”

Sana giggled, her eyes twinkling in the dark. “Silly. Just because I don’t use symbolism that much doesn’t mean I don’t know how it works. Besides,” she added, switching sides on her bike so she was walking closer to Mina, “It wasn’t that great at all. I feel like someone else would have said everything more… more intelligently, I suppose. It’s not my forte, for sure, but I sensed the sun thing ran a lot deeper than you let on, so instead of waiting for someone more eloquent to help, I decided to try it out.”

“It really did help, Sana. Thank you.” Mina thought about it before speaking again. “This time it wasn’t something specific, but in general, I’m always pessimistic about things. I’m grateful for you girls.” Mina reached out to hold Sana’s hand, even if for a brief moment. “These dates have made me think a lot. Of where my train of thought always leads, of my decisions, how I see myself… Stuff like that.”

“Really?” Sana tapped her chin. “How so?”

“Well, for one, in my pessimism, I assume my problems are so microscopic that I don’t deserve to voice them out loud. Because other people are going through worse than I ever could.”

“You think so low of yourself?”

Mina nodded, then shook her head immediately, as if she changed her mind. “Yes– well, no, not anymore. That’s my point. I used to, but all of you have taught me so much about myself– and about yourselves. After being with you guys for so long, you’d think I already know everything about you. But that’s not true!” Mina took a deep breath, one that seemed not unhappy, but the exact opposite. “Somehow, I managed to find a way to see the world differently in eight days. And I feel so much lighter."

Sana smiled to herself, pleased with what she was hearing. It wasn’t really in her plans to have Mina learn so many new things, but this was turning out to be so much more! “I’m… I’m really glad to hear that, Mitang. Can I admit something to you?”

“Shoot.”

“All of this started about eight days ago. Remember?”

Mina tried to remember what she was around that time. “Oh– that’s when I was watching Doctor Strange.”

“For the billionth time, yes.”

Mina blushed. “It was the sixth time.”

Sana let out a loud giggle. “I know! I was teasing you!” She quickly reached out to ruffle the younger’s hair before continuing. “On that day, I wondered how you could possibly spend so many hours being stationary. It seemed so...boring to me. You know how I am. I need to move around, do something, or else I feel like I’m gonna go insane!”

“Trust me, I know.”

“Well, I wanted to get you out. I wanted you to remember that there was a world beyond the ones you see on your screens. But I felt like maybe it was asking for too much. I mean, you really like spending time like that, so who was I to change that?” Sana looked up, happy to see there was still a long way before they reached their managers. “I talked to the members, and we came up with this. Nayeon said that we could use this time we have – before the comeback – to take you out on a short date. That way, you still spent time doing what you wanted to do, like in the morning or something, while spending time with us when we go out for dates.”

Mina nodded, wondering for a moment what she ever did to deserve such thoughtful friends like this. They still let her do her thing, but also eventually took her out to stretch her legs and enjoy some quality time together. “And Nayeon came up with that?”

“Yes,” Sana grinned at her, “She has her genius moments. We couldn’t come to a conclusion, a good plan, until she came up with this. You have her to thank for these dates.”

“And you, Sana.”

Me? Sana asked herself, wondering why in the world the younger Japanese girl was crediting her at all. “Why is that?”

“Sounds like you’re the real catalyst to me.” Mina held up a finger. “You came into the room.” Another finger. “You worried about me.” A third finger. “You wanted me out of the house to enjoy company.” A fourth and final finger after saying “You consulted the group and, consequently, created 8 whole different dates. Sounds about right when I say you started this whole thing.”

“I guess so,” Sana chuckled. “Didn’t think of it like that at all but I can’t argue with facts.”

“You shouldn’t argue with me at all anyway,” Mina pouted. Sana had to hold her hand back and not grab one of Mina’s squishy cheeks. She really was so cute!

“Yeah, yeah, no arguing with the cutie,” she opted to say instead. She casually glanced ahead of them and her heart dropped at the sight of their van not too far away. The date was over. 

Was this all that she wanted to do? All she wanted to say to Mina? It felt like it was too short, even though it definitely lasted longer than two hours. Something was missing, she didn’t know what it was, and soon, it would be too late to do or say it because they were about to go home. She worried about all of this when she felt a tug on her sleeve. 

It was Mina, who looked worried. “Is everything okay?” She got off her bike and shifted awkwardly. “You have a look on your face, like you’re disappointed or something.”

Sana felt bad for letting it show on her face, but she’d never been good at hiding her feelings. She was more of a heart-on-her-sleeve-24/7 type of girl. “I feel like this wasn’t enough. Like there’s still so much that I need to say to you. So much I wanna do with you.” 

Mina blinked. “Uhm, then why don’t you?”

“We’re about to go home?” Sana didn’t mean to end the sentence as a question. She was just unsure, still, of what was missing.

“And?” Mina asked, a small smile forming on her lips. “You’re acting like we don’t literally live together in the same dorm, don’t sleep on the same bed.”

“I don’t know what it is that I’m missing, but I feel like I’ll figure it out too late. And I feel like it would be hard to say it privately. You don’t like going out too much, and I think eight days in a row of leaving the dorm is too much for you. I don’t wanna keep forcing you out of our room. You’ll hate it.”

“Don’t be too sure of that,” the younger said, somewhat slyly. “I think I’m kinda liking this ‘hanging out’ thing you started.”

Sana felt the smile tugging at her lips. “Really?” She felt her heart lift up at the thought of Mina leaving the dorm more often to have fun and get to know her friends better. “But– but you're not doing it out of guilt, right? Just because we make it sound like you’re the worst homebody ever doesn’t mean you have to change yourself–“

“No, Sana, it’s fine!” Mina interrupted, quelling the uneasiness that was growing in Sana. “I’m not changing anything. To be truthful, I needed this push. You guys might not think so, but I see now that I was pushing you all away, just a bit. I was refusing to spend time with you, wittingly or not. I’m gonna be more than just Mina the K-pop Idol and Mina the Homebody.”

“What else are you going to be?” Sana asked.

“Mina the Friend,” she replied. “ Your friend.”

“So that means…” Sana started, and Mina finished.

“...that I’ll be spending more time with you and the other members. If you ever figure out what it is that you feel you’re missing today, tell me and I’ll go out with you. No matter the day, no matter the time.”

The rush that Sana felt when Mina said it like that… Gosh, she really was in love with her friend.

“Okay! Let’s go home then! The van looks on, so it’s gonna be toasty once we put the bicycles inside and get in!”

Sana saw Mina mumble something to herself again, and it sounded strangely like when is it not on?

hii i hope you enjoyed this! if you did, maybe consider supporting me by either retweeting the tweet in this link that promotes this fic or maybe looking through here c: no pressure tho!