“Come on, go ask Mina out already, you coward!” Dahyun practically growled out.

Jeongyeon stopped in her tracks as she was entering the kitchen, feeling attacked suddenly.

“Excuse me?”

Dahyun spun around, not realizing that anyone would overhear her. “J-Jeongyeon?”

The older Korean laughed awkwardly and shuffled up to the younger member, wrapping an arm around her. “Were you talking to me, or..? Because if you were, let me tell you, you’ve got your days confused, buddy. It’s your turn today.”

“No way!” Dahyun shook her head profusely and hugged Jeongyeon back. “I would never! I was just...talking to myself. I-I’m just…” She trailed off, unsure of how to word it without using self-deprecating words.

“Can’t work up the courage to go up to Mina and ask, right?”

Dahyun thanked the stars Jeongyeon always knew what was going on with her. “Yeah. I’m scared. She’s seemed to have a nice day with every single person so far and that’s making me feel pressured. Like, I feel like I’m not good enough to make her as happy as the others have. My idea isn’t as cool or as creative as the others’ were. The moment I tell her what we’re going to do, I feel like I’ll have to look away for a second to give Mina the chance to deflate and look disappointed without worrying about hurting my feelings.”

She felt like she had said too much, but Jeongyeon has always had an aura that comforted you and made you feel like you could tell her anything.

“Dahyun, it’s okay. Mina loves you! She loves all of your ideas, and she’ll love this one! I promise!”

Dahyun scowled slightly. “You don’t even know what my idea is, though.”

“See? Even I love your idea, and I don’t know what it is.” Jeongyeon laughed and played with Dahyun’s hair, patiently waiting for the girl to let go of her torso.

“Hmm. I guess.” It really was a nice thought, but… “I’m going to be sincere with you. I’m just all messed up from yesterday. It was my turn, but Momo begged me to switch days with her. It gave me a whole day to think about where I was going to take her and everything, and…”

“And it made you second guess everything, huh? Like suddenly your idea felt like an awful one?” As Jeongyeon said this, Dahyun wondered if maybe Jeongyeon was able to read minds. She was way too good at this.

“Yes…”

Jeongyeon looked straight into Dahyun’s eyes. “We all love you and your unique ideas, dork. I can pretty much promise you that Mina is gonna love whatever you choose to do with her today. Beyond that, there’s not much else to tell you.” Jeongyeon carefully removed Dahyun’s arms from herself and turned the younger girl in the direction of Mina’s bedroom door. “Don’t think about it anymore. Just go.”

Dahyun went. With a little shove from Jeongyeon, of course, but she needed it.

Maybe Jeongyeon is right, Dahyun thought. She really didn’t have to overthink everything. Mina had never done anything to make her feel like she’d reject her or undervalue her.

Yeah! Of course Jeongyeon was right! Mina would love her idea!

Yeah! Yeah!

Dahyun strode into Mina’s room and… almost turned right back around.

She was not expecting Mina to be accompanied by Jihyo.

They were both knitting together, working on different ends of what looked like one scarf. They seemed totally focused on what they were doing, so they didn’t notice the youngest girl at all. That was good news for Dahyun, who lost all courage at the sight of their leader. Maybe if she just snuck out and pretended she was never there, she cou–

“Ack!” Dahyun tripped on something and hit her head against the floor, her arms immediately coming up to cradle her head. She could barely hear the two older members drop their knitting needles over the loud thumping in her head.

“Jihyo, she tripped on Nayeon’s shoes!”

Mina’s shouts were probably not even shouts at all, but it seemed Dahyun’s ears were sensitive right now, so she shut her eyes tightly and gripped her head even tighter in an attempt to drown her out.

“God d–“ Jihyo stopped herself before cursing in front of Dahyun. “Jeez, I’m going to scold her when she gets back! This is the- oh my god, Dahyun, are you okay? You’re bleeding a little.”

Dahyun felt Jihyo touch her nose and groaned in pain.

“N-noooo… don’t touch it,” she whispered, unable to gather the strength to speak any louder.

“I’m sorry! I don’t think it’s broken, Mina. There’s no bleeding from, like, within the nose. Only the cut on the bridge is. What do you think?”

Mina leaned close to Dahyun with a worried expression. Dahyun avoided her eyes, self conscious about the closeness, even at a time like this.

“It’s swelling, but that can happen even if it’s not broken, so I’m not too sure either. Dahyunnie, can you breathe through your nose?”

She tried it and found that she could. Nodding at Mina, she rolled on her side and let out a curse, surprising both Jihyo and Mina. Jihyo was about say something about it, but maybe it was best to let her express her pain for the moment. She’d talk about her language with her at a different time.

“S-Sorry, it slipped out…” Dahyun sat up with the help of Mina.

“It’s fine.” The Japanese girl studied her nose for a second before saying “I think you’re going to be fine. If you can breathe, then your nasal passages aren’t blocked, I believe. That’s good. I don’t think it’ll be necessary to visit a doctor. Dahyun? Do you feel like you’ll need a doctor?”

“I don’t. The pain is fading away everywhere except where the cut is.”

“Okay. Jihyo, could you get some bandages and alcohol?”

Jihyo got up and ran to the bathroom to fetch what Mina asked for. Meanwhile, Mina helped Dahyun get up.

“The cut isn’t bleeding anymore. It was at first but it’s stopped, thankfully. When Jihyo comes back with the alcohol, I’ll clean you right up, okay, Dahyunnie?”

Dahyun felt her face flush. “I mean, I can clean it myself, Mina.”

Mina laughed and gently pinched Dahyun’s cheek. “I know, but you’re my baby. I feel like I have to.”

“Waaah, I’m not a baby,” Dahyun whined, not pushing away Mina’s hand.

“You’re not a baby, you’re my baby.”

The Korean girl was sure that her own face was as red as Chaeyoung’s strawberries, the ones by the windowsill.

“Okay, okay, you win. But please don’t tell Chaeyoung you babied me, she’d make fun of me for a whole week!”

Mina made the okay sign with her hand just as Jihyo walked in with everything that was needed. Using her own phone as a mirror, Dahyun watched as Mina wiped the cut on her face with a cloth and alcohol, then as she carefully placed a butterfly closure on it. It looked much bigger than she had imagined, and with the butterfly closure, it was bound to attract more eyes.

“There we go. It should heal super quickly with the butterfly bandage, Dahyunnie.” Mina studied the cut for a few more seconds before closing the first aid kit and handing it to Jihyo. “Just check on it and clean it up whenever you remember to.”

Jihyo sighed and angrily kicked Nayeon’s shoes, making one of them fly across the room. “I’m gonna go. I have to call and scold Nayeon for not doing what I’ve told her to do a billion times! I told her they’d cause someone to trip eventually…” She turned to Dahyun and her expression softened. “I’ll tell her to come home and apologize to you, Dahyun.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Dahyun waved her hands, really not wanting to attract more attention than she already had. She was so embarrassed about this whole thing and just wanted to forget about it. “You can scold her for leaving her shoes all over the floor, but I don’t need an apology. Really, Jihyo, it’s fine.”

“Fine. That’s up to you.” Jihyo turned to Mina. “I think we’ve knitted enough for today. I’m going to take a bath now, okay?”

Mina nodded, her hand softly rubbing Dahyun’s hair. Once Jihyo left the room, Mina pulled Dahyun onto the bed she shared with Sana and pulled her close.

“Dahyun? You’re actually okay, right? That was a nasty fall.”

“Yeah,” Dahyun replied, getting lost in the way Mina held her. “My only problem is that the bandage could attract a lot of eyes if I go out. People might take pics and post them with captions like 'That looks so ugly' or 'Her face is ruined now!'”

“Ah.” Mina nodded. “Don’t worry, you don’t look weird. Momo and I recently talked about the pressure idols feel to look perfect, even when we're not. You have a cut that needs protection from the environment, Dahyun. The bandage is necessary, and people are going to have to deal with the fact that you're human. The bad Netizens never really care about us. They say things to make us feel bad about ourselves and never bother to look at the facts. Besides, it makes you look kind of cool.” Mina got off the bed and held up her fingers like as if she was holding a camera and looked at Dahyun through them. “In fact, you look like the cool main character of a video game with the butterfly closure. Maybe people will write articles praising you for looking cool or something? The butterfly closure makes you look tough, like you’re living in a post-apocalyptic world and you just got patched up."

“Like a weathered hero, huh?” Dahyun giggled. “Only you could turn this dumb cut into something interesting, Mina.”

Mina jumped on the bed and laughed as she smothered Dahyun in hugs. “Because you do look like a cool video game character! Everyone likes those tough protagonists that know a thing or two about fighting, like Lara from the Tomb Raider series.”

Dahyun had no idea who Lara was, but if Mina liked her, then she was totally okay with being compared to her.

“Do you like scars or something, Mina?”

“Hmm. Yeah, I think I do. It’s like moles to me; they add character to a person!”

“So,” Dahyun felt a sly smile form on her face, “Is that your type? A guy with scars or something? If they ever ask us a question regarding our type on a radio show, you know what to answer now!”

“A...guy…with scars?” Mina frowned. Something about it felt wrong. “I don’t know. Maybe.” Something was off about that thought, so she decided to change the subject really quick. “What about you? What’s your type?”

“Well,” Dahyun said with a laugh, “it sure isn’t a man with scars on his face! I haven’t thought about it much, to be honest. I want to focus on our career first, then, maybe when we’ve been active for a while, start to think about starting a relationship.”

“Just because you’ve thought about your ideal type doesn’t mean that you’re totally ready for a relationship, Dahyun. It’s just a fun little thing to think of.”

“Perhaps,” Dahyun said, her fingers finding their way into Mina’s, “but either way, I really haven’t thought about it. Maybe I will. Maybe I’ll find out that I’m also into people with cool facial scars.”

Mina didn’t respond. She just played with Dahyun’s fingers.

“Mina? Did you hear me?”

Despite trying to avoid it, Mina was, unfortunately, thinking about what Dahyun had said before. Was a man with cool scars really the kind of person she looked for? That didn’t seem right. But how could it be wrong? She was definitely attracted to tough characters, especially those with scars! She tried to think of characters she had really liked as a child.

Samus Aran of the Metroid series, Lara Croft of the Tomb Raider series, Bayonetta, Yuna from Final Fantasy… Wait—

“Mina!”

Mina was in the middle of realizing something when Dahyun snatched her hands away from her grip.

“Huh? What?”

Dahyun rubbed her hand. “You were squeezing my hand really hard. It kinda hurt.”

Mina frowned and grabbed Dahyun’s hands again, this time rubbing them gently. “I’m so sorry. I was thinking about something and I guess I didn’t realize I was tightening my grip on them.”

“I guess it’s fine. What were you thinking about?” The Korean relaxed once more, noticing how easy it was to do so in Mina’s presence.

What was Mina thinking about? It seemed like every trace of it had completely escaped her. It was sad, because Mina was fairly sure that she was about to come to a realization of some sorts. Something within herself told her so. “I’m not sure. I lost my train of thought.”

“Oh. Sorry, Minari. All I had said was that I’ll think about what my ideal type is. What’s yours? You sound like you’ve thought about it!”

“Well, I’m not too sure about it either. All I know is that I want something as cute as my parent’s relationship.”

Dahyun leaned her head on Mina’s shoulders, thinking about the Japanese girl’s parents. “Really? Is it something you look up to?”

“Yeah, actually. They’re not perfect, of course, but they work out their problems immediately! They don’t let things stay bad. My dad is just as good of a listener as my mom is, so both feel appreciated and like their opinions matter in the relationship.”

“That sounds like an amazing relationship where they both put their all into it!”

Mina laughed and squeezed Dahyun’s hand. “Absolutely. They’re also totally down to give up things for each other. Not really big things that sound silly, but small things.”

Dahyun sat up. “What do you mean? Small sacrifices?”

“Mmm. For example, my father loves chocolate. He could eat a whole bar if he wanted to, but he always shares half of it with my mother. He knows he won’t be satisfied with the half he got, but it’s a small thing that, in the grand scheme of things, won’t really matter. Some people would think it’s no big deal, but I know better. Sometimes the tiniest gestures mean the most.” Mina paused and shook her head. “That didn’t make sense, did it?”

Dahyun smiled and shrugged a little bit. “I understood what you meant. And that’s cute. They’re kind to each other always, and it’s something that I’ve always noticed whenever we see them! You’re very lucky to have such amazing examples of what a relationship should be like!”

“Thank you! Sorry to bore you with this talk about relationships. You probably came in here looking for something, right? You don’t usually come into this particular room for no reason.”

Dahyun’s shoulders stiffened. “Umm. Well it wasn’t a boring conversation at all. It was nice. and I pretty much started it! B-but, yes, I came in here for a reason…”

“Is...is it your turn?” The excitement in Mina’s eyes was unmistakable. Dahyun didn’t expect to see Mina get so excited at the prospect of hanging out with her. Feeling emboldened by this, Dahyun nodded.

“Y-Yeah! It’s my turn to take you out!”

Mina jumped off the bed. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get ready!”

Dahyun watched as Mina got dressed, a smile plastered on her face. Mina? Getting this excited for her? She’d been afraid that her idea for the date would , but maybe...maybe no matter what, Mina would appreciate it a lot. Jeongyeon had absolutely been right!

“Where are we going?” Mina asked, pulling her shoes on.

Dahyun hopped off of the bed and smiled at Mina. “You like picnics?”

Mina jumped up and down, clearly excited. “I’ve wanted to go on a picnic since forever! But wait, isn’t it freezing cold outside?” She pulled out her phone and checked the weather.

“Nope!” Dahyun stepped closer to Mina and allowed her to check the temperature. “It’s unusually warm today, especially for this time of year. So we better hurry, because we won’t be the only ones to notice the good weather! Everyone else is going to steal all the good picnic spots!”

Mina put her phone away and frowned a bit. “Wait. Where are we going to have the picnic?”

“Oh. Nowhere special. Just... the Han River.”

Mina’s eyes widened and her heartbeat quickened. “You’re right, let's go now before all the good spots are taken! Is the van ready?”

“Is the van ready?” Dahyun repeated, quirking an eyebrow. “No? I just now managed to tell you about the picnic, silly!”

The van had been ready.

Mina had no idea who had informed their managers that they were ready to go, but somehow, when they went up to the managers to tell them about the picnic, they had already known and had preemptively started the van.

Mina was sure that somewhere out there, there was a god specifically for making sure that Mina didn’t have to wait for the van to heat up.

Dahyun, on the other hand, was quickly texting Jeongyeon to say thanks, both for helping her work up the courage and for informing their managers of her plan.

Glancing out the window, Mina excitedly watched the cool skyscrapers whiz by. She couldn’t believe she was going to the Han River! It’s not like she hadn’t ever been there before. She’d been there many times, both as a trainee and as a debuted idol, but that didn’t matter. Each and every time she went to the Han River, it was like going for the first time. The view was just...breathtaking. Whoever designed the park, Mina hoped they got a nice check.

She looked down at the cute picnic basket on her lap. In it were two American-style ham sandwiches, a few water bottles, two cans of Pocari Sweat, and some jellies. Dahyun insisted they only bring that, in case there were also street vendors around. She promised Mina that she’d buy her anything if there were some vendors, and Mina wouldn’t deny the younger girl that pleasure.

As Mina daydreamed about the day she was about to have, Dahyun scrolled past a few images on her phone.

Lara? From some Tomb Raider series? That was her? Dahyun scratched her head. She supposed the girl on her screen looked a little cool, but Dahyun was sure she herself looked a lot cooler. Mina had practically swooned at the sight of Dahyun’s scar, after all.

She scoffed quietly and, as she locked her phone, she suddenly became aware of herself. Why did she care so much? Why did it matter to her whether Mina found her cooler than some fictional character?

Maybe her insecurities were rearing their ugly faces again. That was fine. Spending time with her friends always helped her ease any worries she had, and, well, today was just the perfect day for that! Mina always listened intently to anything Dahyun told her, whether it was about insecurities or just any random thing, and gave her excellent advice.

Mina lightly touched Dahyun’s hand. “Dahyunnie? You’re staring off into space.”

She blinked a few times before looking at Mina. “I was?”

“Yeah, you were! I guess we’ve both been thinking too much, huh?” Mina laughed and leaned into Dahyun. “I hope we don’t do that during the date. We have to talk to each other, right? This is why we’re out here! To enjoy each other’s presence!”

Dahyun had short circuited at the word “date”.

Had she heard that right?

“Date?!” Dahyun asked, a little too loudly for her liking. The manager sitting in shotgun gave her a shocked look. Dahyun bowed and apologized, feeling a blush creep down her neck.

“Yyyyes? Date!” Mina cocked her head. “Is this not technically a date? Us hanging out and spending time together?”

Dahyun felt her hands shake in excitement. A date with Mina… Never had anything sounded so right.

“Ah, well…” Dahyun completely forgot what Mina had said after mentioning they were on a date. Good thing their managers called out that they had arrived!

“Do you want us to come along?” One of their managers asked, and Dahyun thought about it. The idea didn’t appeal to her at all, so she suggested they stay in the van. Or do anything they wanted, as long as her and Mina got private time.

“Okay, then, I’m sure I don’t have to go over the rules with you two. Keep a low profile, so keep your heads down most of the ti–“

Dahyun threw the door open and jumped out. “Yes, head down, call you if anything goes wrong, don’t stray too far. We got it. Come on, Mina, let’s go before all of the good spots are taken!”

Mina followed wordlessly, waving goodbye to their managers before shutting the door closed.

“Dahyun, what’s the hurry?” Mina said after a bit of walking. “You didn’t even say goodbye to the managers…”

Dahyun shrugged, eyes scanning for a good spot to sit. “Dunno. Guess I just want to start our date already?”

Mina rolled her eyes. “Okay, but don’t be so hasty next time. Be nice! They drove us all the way out here!”

Dahyun poked Mina’s side and gave her a playful grin. “Yes, dear, I’ll apologize when we get back. Let’s go already, though.”

Mina bit her lip. “Dear?”

Dahyun was already walking toward an empty spot, but spun around quickly to reply. “Yes, honey?”

Mina giggled and rolled her eyes once again. “Gosh... Where’d that come from?”

Dahyun wasn’t sure either. “I think I’m just excited! I’ve waited, like, four days for this, and it didn’t really hit me until now that it’s finally happening! Sorry if it’s too much, I’m just getting rid of the excess excitement, hehe.”

“It’s cute,” the Japanese girl noted. “So it’s okay. You’re not like this with me that often. Usually it’s with Momo and Sana that you get all cute and flirty with, so it’s a little surprising, you know?”

Dahyun couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows at this. “Do I? I mean, mostly flirt with SaMo? I’ve never noticed this.”

Mina slowed with Dahyun, finally reaching a good secluded spot. Mina set down the basket and began unpacking things. “Really? You do it so often that our fans have started noticing it too. You’re not very subtle about it, so it’s weird to hear from you that you’re not aware of doing it.”

Dahyun smoothed over the blanket, distracting herself as she waited for Mina to finish. A blush crept up her neck at the thought of their fans knowing that she was weird and flirty. “It’s not, like, really bad, right? I don’t do it to the point where it’s cringy, right?”

“No,” Mina looked up from the basket for a second, “but I do get a little envious.” She ended it with an attempt at a wink. Dahyun laughed and joined Mina in the middle of the blanket.

“No need to be envious,” Dahyun said as she unwrapped a sandwich, “I’m here now. All of my attention is on you.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Mina replied, showing Dahyun her disarming gummy smile.

They enjoyed their sandwiches in comfortable silence, exchanging goofy expressions every now and then to try and make the other laugh.

“You know, at first I’m always really nervous,” Mina said at one point, after she finished her sandwich.

“Hmm?” Dahyun munched on the last of hers, looking over to see Mina in a contemplative state.

“On all the dates I’ve been on with you guys. I’m always nervous, and I don’t understand why. You guys are my group mates. I’m with you almost 24/7, and yet, when it comes to these one-on-one interactions I’ve been having with the members, I’m scared to do something wrong or say something dumb. Like they’re strangers or something and you don’t know what they think of you.”

“It’s a little odd. But you’re not nervous right now, right?”

Mina shook her head. “No. You guys always make me feel comfortable immediately. Like my body suddenly remembers that I’ve known you guys for years and it says ‘Oh, okay, let’s relax’. It’s kind of dumb, but I wanted to let you know.”

“It’s not dumb! Just a little weird. Everyone get nervous or insecure sometimes though! Even around people you’ve known for a long time!” Dahyun knew this from experience. Just earlier she was scared to ask her to go out on this date! “But I’m really glad to hear you’re not nervous right now.”

“You being silly always helps the nerves go away.” Mina poked Dahyun’s side and laughed when Dahyun jumped away.

“What do you mean?” Dahyun asked as she rubbed her side, pouting.

“You know when we go on variety shows, right? We’re always really nervous and scared to talk? We’re afraid to slip up on television and therefore end up looking really stiff?”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Dahyun had no idea where Mina was going with this.

“Every time, every single time, you throw yourself into the spotlight and do silly and fun things to make us laugh and loosen up! The PDs will put on music and you jump up from your seat and start doing random dances and crazy faces!” Mina waved her arms like as if she was pretending to be Dahyun on a variety show. “Then another member jumps in, usually Momo, to make sure you’re not the only one that looks funny, and before you know it, all of the TWICE members are jumping around and having fun! That’s when the real fun starts and the MCs seem to be more comfortable around us. Literally all thanks to you.”

“I-I mean, I don’t think it’s all thanks to me. It’s not always… Actually, is it always me?” Dahyun was a little shocked at Mina’s observation. She didn’t think anyone cared or even noticed her sacrificing her pride.

“It’s always you,” Mina scooted closer to Dahyun. “I like to think that we’re as popular as we are all because of you. People invite us all of the time to appear on their shows because we’re fun and talkative, guess why? That’s right, because of you!”

Dahyun hid her face in Mina’s lap. “R-really? You think so?”

Mina played with the younger girl’s hair. “I do. You’re so funny and cute, Dahyunnie. I wish I was just like you. I wish I could be wild and crazy and help people loosen up.”

“If you want to help me look like a fool on television, then be my guest,” Dahyun said, not opening her eyes. She was really relaxed in Mina’s lap.

“I’d have to be funny for that to work, though.”

The young Korean cracked an eye open. “You’re funny, Minari. Don’t say that.”

Mina put all of Dahyun’s hair on top of her face and laughed as Dahyun tried to blow it out of the way. “I’m not as funny as you. I would just make everything awkward.”

Dahyun reached up and touched Mina’s face. “First of all, you’re very funny. Not awkward at all! Don’t say you’re not, please. Second of all, you don’t have to worry about making people laugh to let loose. What you always do is good enough.”

Mina let herself melt in Dahyun’s touch. “And what is it that I do?”

“You listen to people. There’s been many times where I’m worried about something and it bothers me a lot. Like, I couldn't focus on anything except the thing that was bothering me. It could’ve possibly distracted me from a performance or whatever we were about to do, but you always talked to me about it. Listened to me carefully and gave me advice.”

Mina bit her lip, wondering if it was enough. Dahyun seemed to sense this, as she pulled Mina down closer to her, their faces extremely close. The Japanese girl stared into the younger girl’s eyes.

“It’s just as important as making others laugh,” Dahyun began, making sure to keep her eyes locked onto Mina’s. “Life isn’t always about laughing away everything. What you do, which is keep your ears open to us, is necessary too. Talking about what worries us and letting everything out is so therapeutic, Mina, and when you give us advice, it's even better.”

Dahyun had no idea what was going on with herself. All of these words were slipping out like as if she’d been holding them back for so long. Maybe it was because they were finally alone, or maybe it was the fact that Mina was close to Dahyun. Really, really close.

“You’re incredibly important, Mina. Not just to the team, but to me too. You really have no idea.”

Mina was surprised. She hadn’t really thought about how important she was in the group. Before, she had honestly considered herself as useless. She’d really felt like she didn’t have a role in the group, no real purpose, unlike Jihyo, who’s clear purpose was being a main vocal and their leader. But what Dahyun was saying… It really struck her how much she was appreciated for just being herself and listening to others.

“Is all of this true?” Mina asked Dahyun, her heart melting at Dahyun’s words.

Dahyun nodded wordlessly, seriousness etched on her face. Mina laughed in delight and kissed the younger girl on the forehead. It was a tender one, full of love and gratefulness.

Dahyun’s stomach growled and Mina laughed once more. She got up and dusted herself off, reaching a hand out to help Dahyun up, as she was still on the blanket laying down. “I’m still a bit hungry, too, so let’s find a street vendor and eat a bit more! You promised!”

Dahyun was frozen, staring at Mina as she walked away, searching for a street vendor. Her hands were shaking, not from the breeze, but from the sudden realization that maybe girls like Mina were her ideal type.

Dahyun sat up and shook her head. No, it wasn't girls like Mina. It was...it was Mina. She was in love with Mina, plain and simple!

Dahyun got on her feet and ran after Mina, overwhelmed by the fact that she finally understood her own feelings.

Mina heard a shuffle behind her, so she turned around, not at all expecting the bear hug that came only seconds after.

“Whoa! Dahyun? Are you alright?”

“It’s you! It’s you!” Dahyun buried her face into Mina’s chest, her words a little muffled. Mina didn’t know what to do other than hug her back. What did Dahyun mean by that? It’s you?

Dahyun squeezed Mina one last time before peeling herself off of her.

“What’s wrong?”

Dahyun shook her head, a big smile spreading across her face. Nothing. Absolutely nothing was wrong. “I just, I just got this immense need to tell you that-“ Dahyun faltered, excited about saying it out loud, “Th-that I love you! With all of my heart!”

Mina giggled, and, oh, how beautiful it was to Dahyun’s ears. It always had been, but now the Korean girl finally understood why she had always found it so addicting. Mina reached out and grabbed Dahyun’s hand, holding it tightly. “You’re such a cutie. I love you too, Dahyunnie!”

Dahyun had offered to buy Mina anything she could possibly want from the long line of vendors set up along the sidewalks of the park at the Han River. Mina swore that she was okay with the hotteok and tornado potato she already had, but promised she’d let Dahyun know if she wanted anything else.

Now they were in the back of the van on their way back home, both girls leaning against each other with their hands connected tightly. Dahyun thought Mina was asleep until she heard her whisper.

“Dahyun? Thank you.”

“For what, Mina?”

“For today. You really helped me realize my own worth. Sometimes I read comments on the internet and let the ones that call me ‘useless to the group’ get to me, but I see those are wrong.”

Dahyun scooter closer to Mina and wrapped her arm around her. “It's like you said, Mina. Netizens will criticize us for everything, but they're wrong about us more often than not. You’ll never be pointless, Mina. We say it to the fans all the time, and they’re not empty words: ‘Twice is not Twice without all nine members.’ We all have multiple purposes, and not one is more important that the other.”

Mina smiled to herself. “You’re right.”

Dahyun grinned. “I love you.”

“You already told me that,” Mina replied, the smile evident in her voice.

“I know, but I’ll tell you as much as I can. I love you a whole lot.”

Mina sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. “I love you too, Dahyun.”

Dahyun rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and accidentally peeled off a little bit of her bandage.

Oh, she thought to herself, I had completely forgotten that I had this on! Mina had once again helped her with an insecurity. Before, she had thought that it would bother her for the rest of the day and not be able to focus on anything else, but after talking with the Japanese girl about it, she had not even felt the thing on her face at all!

She turned to Mina and shook her shoulder, trying to get her attention. "Hey, Mina, look, you even helped me out with this! Mina?"

Mina was fast asleep on Dahyun's shoulder, snoring lightly, completely unbothered by Dahyun's attempts to wake her up.

"Cutie," Dahyun whispered, deciding that she could talk to her about it in the morning.

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