“No, you don’t understand, I’ll literally die!”

Jeongyeon grimaced, never one to enjoy Nayeon’s ear-piercing screams in her ear. “You literally won’t, Nayeon, please calm down.”

Nayeon wormed her way into Jeongyeon’s arms and sighed dramatically. Jeongyeon was absolutely right, she wouldn’t die, but the embarrassment she was about to feel would be just as bad. Probably.

“I give myself an hour! If I don’t find anything within an hour, I’m a failure and don’t deserve Mina as a friend!” Nayeon knew that right now her younger friend was trying her best to not strangle her. A peek told her that her intuition was correct. 

Jeongyeon’s eyes were closed and her breathing was strangely even, most likely meaning that she was trying to keep her cool. All she needed was two fingers on the bridge of her nose and the typical Annoyed Jeongyeon pose would be complete.

“Look,” Jeongyeon said, her eyes shooting open and hyper-focusing on Nayeon. “Why don’t you just take her to the aquarium? Instead of worrying yourself to death trying to find a ‘super cool and totally different’ date idea, think about Mina and her interests instead. She loves going to the aquarium whenever we’re overseas and never seems to get bored of it.” Nayeon was about to say something when Jeongyeon interrupted. “Yes! I know it’s a super basic date idea! However, let me reiterate: think of Mina and her interests.”

Fidgeting under Jeongyeon’s fixed gaze on her, the oldest girl seemingly thought about it.

Frustrated, Jeongyeon threw Nayeon off of herself and got up, dusting herself off to symbolize ridding herself of any fault if Nayeon didn’t take her advice.

“Stop being such a drama queen and go talk to Mina. I think she’s done FaceTiming her dog.” With that, Jeongyeon walked out, leaving Nayeon face down on the floor.

Not wanting to move, Nayeon stayed in that position for a while longer and thought, a sinking feeling settling over her.

Once again, Jeongyeon was right. This whole plan of theirs to take Mina out was always about taking her out to places she’d enjoy. 

Nayeon had focused so much on trying to take the youngest of the Japanese girls to something totally new, an experience that Mina was sure to never forget, that she forgot that there were plenty of options out there that, sure, weren’t extraordinary in and of themselves, but could still create unforgettable memories. All she truly needed was herself and Mina. 

However, there was one factor that Jeongyeon wasn’t taking into consideration: Nayeon’s fear of water. 

Secretly, it hurt Nayeon to think that her best friend had forgotten about that. They’d spend hours upon hours talking about their fears, just them two talking about what cumbers them and how they deal with it. 

Maybe Jeongyeon was just too frustrated to remember, or maybe didn’t think Nayeon’s fear of water was that suffocating. 

Nayeon looked at her watch, sighing dejectedly. She didn’t have much time. She’d take Jeongyeon’s suggestion and endure the endless water tanks.

Anything for Mina.

Mina waved at her phone, Tzuyu imitating the action shortly after. 

Mina’s mother waved back, adjusting the angle so that the girls could see Ray one last time. Ray sniffed the phone and whimpered, as if aware that this was goodbye. 

“Bye bye, Ray! Be a good boy, okay?” Mina waved intensely before the camera focused back on her mother. “Goodbye, mom! Take care of yourself, and tell dad I miss him!”

Mina’s mother smiled and nodded, then looked at Tzuyu. With a bit of hesitation, she said “It was a pleasure to speak to you once again, Tzuyu. Take care of yourself and of all of my girls! Good luck with the comeback!”

Normally this phrase wouldn’t come as much of a shocker, but Mina’s mother had delivered it in near-perfect Mandarin.

Tzuyu’s shy smile turned into a big proud one, touched that Mina’s mother had bothered to speak in Tzuyu’s mother tongue for her. “Thank you so much! Take care of yourself as well,” she replied back in Mandarin.

When the call officially ended and both girls were staring at a blank screen, Mina turned to Tzuyu and thanked her for joining her.

“Not a problem! There’s really no need to thank me!”

Mina shook her head. “On the contrary. There’s a huge need. Do you know when was the last time I called my parents?”

The youngest of the two shook her head.

“About two months ago. I really was that anxious about being forgotten that I neglected my duty as a good daughter. Good daughters call their parents often and update them on their life, or even just make small talk, you know? So, really, Tzuyu, thank you for taking the time to talk to me and remind me that while my fear was understandable, it was ultimately unfounded.”

“Anything to help you, Mina. Besides, I got something out of this too! All of this led to this FaceTime call, where I found out your mom speaks Mandarin! How long has she known how to speak it?”

“Well,” Mina said, looking to the side to see if she could recall her mother ever mentioning that she was learning the language. No such memory came to mind. “I can’t really say she ever told me. Did you like it?”

The younger nodded her head, a somewhat forlorn look in her eyes. “It made me suddenly nostalgic. I miss my home. My mother. Gucci.”

Mina wanted to comfort her but found that it was difficult. She had no idea what she could possibly say to assuage the Taiwanese girl’s pain. What could she say, other than ‘I’m sorry’? 

Tzuyu scratched her hair awkwardly, noticing the struggle in Mina’s eyes. She wasn’t sure what was going on in that head of hers, but maybe it was a good idea to change the subject. “Oh well. I’ll deal with it, I guess. Like I always do.”

Mina’s heart broke a bit and she began to say something when Nayeon stepped into the room. She petted Tzuyu’s head, as she always did whenever Tzuyu’s head was within reach, and waved at Mina.

“Hey, Mina! Hi, Tzu! How did the call go?”

Tzuyu’s sad demeanor was suddenly replaced by a happy smile and she beamed at her friend. “I got to talk to Ray for a bit. He seemed to like me a lot!”

“I think every single animal on the planet loves you, Tzuyu,” Nayeon said truthfully, still running her hand through the younger’s hair. “But I’m glad to hear that. Maybe one day when we go to Japan, we can visit Minari’s house and meet him in person! I’m sure he’ll go absolutely wild!”

Tzuyu’s dimples appeared, accompanied with a slight blush. “Maybe. I heard from our managers that after this comeback, we’ll finally promote the Japanese song we recorded last year! You think that maybe we can do it then?”

“Of course you can, girls,” Mina jumped in, excited at the thought of possibly having some kind of sleepover with her girls. Even though they lived together at the dorm, all of them sleeping in Mina’s room would be totally different and way more fun! “My mom has always begged me to bring you all over so we can eat together. We can totally make it work this time!”

Tzuyu shook her fists in happiness. “Good! I’m super excited about it! Can’t wait for the Japanese promotions! But, hey, we can talk more about it later. For now…” She gestured toward Nayeon. “It looks like you came here for more than to ask how the call went, right? I’ll go now. Good luck!” The last bit was said with a wink directed at Nayeon. 

Thank you, Tzuyu, Nayeon thought. She would really need it.

Mina stood up suddenly, half scaring Nayeon. “Tzuyu! Wait! Later, uh, at night… let’s... talk. Okay? About, you know..?” She didn’t want the youngest group member to think that she hadn’t tried to comfort earlier because she didn’t care. All feelings needed to be addressed and soothed. Tzuyu’s were no exception, and Mina wouldn’t let a single day go by before she got to have a talk with her.

“Okay. I’ll be waiting for you, then.” Tzuyu’s calm smile stilled the slight fear in Mina’s heart. 

Now, back to Nayeon. The older girl’s awkward and stiff posture told Mina everything.

“Nayeon? Are you next?”

The older girl exhaled nervously, hoping that Mina wouldn’t hear it. She put on the biggest smile she could and raised her arms into the air. “Yes! I’m your next date, Minari! I would say ‘Get dressed’, but it looks like you already are?”

“Yes, I wanted to look good for the FaceTime with my mother and Ray,” Mina said as she looked down at herself. “I also did it to be ready for my date, of course.”

“Okay, well, I’m definitely not dressed yet, as you can tell by my house clothes. Could you tell the managers to start the van? It’s extra cold today and I don’t want to have to wait too long for it to heat up.”

She didn’t have to ask Mina twice. The Japanese girl threw on the warmest sweater she owned and all but ran down the stairs.

By the time she reached the van, she could see that the lights were on and that two of their managers were sitting inside, rubbing their hands together to create friction and warm themselves up.

Breathlessly, Mina gently knocked on the van window. 

“Hello, Mina. What’s wrong?” One of them asked with a kind smile. He rolled down the window, and Mina could now clearly see the confusion in his eyes. 

“What’s going on? Why is the van on?” She hoped it didn’t come off as a rude question, but quite frankly, she was upset that somehow the vehicle was already on.

The two managers exchanged confused looks before returning to Mina. “Huh? We, uh, were about to fill up the gas tank. One of the other managers told us that two of you would go out today, so… You know, we wanted to get prepared for that.”

“I see,” Mina pursed her lips and nodded, feeling like this vehicle was otherworldly.

Was this thing ever off?

Mina watched as the manager filled up the gas tank, then turned back to the girl next to her.

Nayeon’s pink cheeks complemented her eye makeup today, and with her white coat, she looked like a beautiful doll. 

“What?” Nayeon asked with a smirk, catching Mina staring. 

“Hm? Nothing. You look beautiful today is all.”

Somehow, Nayeon’s cheeks turned even more pink and her confident smirk disappeared. Mina laughed lightly, amused by the way the oldest of them all still got flustered when she was complimented.

“H-humph, only today? Was I ugly yesterday?”

Both laughed, knowing she was only joking. It was something Nayeon replied with often, usually when Jeongyeon complimented her beauty.

“Of course not,” Mina said, deciding to play along anyway. It was always fun to play along with anything Nayeon started. “Every day. Somehow even when you’re not trying.”

Nayeon’s face could not get any redder, so instead it decided to start sweating. 

She wasn’t sure why, but today, of all days, Mina was really getting to her. She could feel something deep within her chest move, and it wasn’t just her heart.

“Do you really think so?”

“Mhm. I hope I’m just like you in a few years. You’re not much older than me, of course, but hey, nothing wrong with wishing to be as beautiful as you, right?”

Nayeon nervously coughed into her fist, hoping it wasn’t too late to hide the fact that she was getting super flustered by Mina’s compliments. 

A while later, Mina looked outside the window just in time to see a large cluster of glass buildings grow into view. She practically slapped Nayeon’s hand in an attempt to grab it, excitement evident on her face.

“I think I know this place… It’s… COEX, right?” 

“That’s right! Do you know what’s here?” Tension filled Nayeon, even as she did a little dance in her seat for her friend. Did Mina know what was located here? If she did, would she really like it, like Jeongyeon said?

“Uh, I can’t remember very well… A giant library, right? The Starfield library, specifically. Are you taking me there?” There was no disappointment in her voice, which was nice, but Nayeon knew that once Mina found out the actual reason they were here, her reaction would be wildly different.

“Hmmm. Am I? Or is there something else here? Can you not remember? Tzuyu and I were talking about it recently!”

Mina pouted as she thought. There wasn’t anything that popped up in her head besides the library. While that was interesting, the Japanese girl knew better than to think that Nayeon would take her there for their date. No, there definitely had to be something else. 

As she pulled out her phone and began searching for answers, a small memory of when Tzuyu and Nayeon were talking about their fears appeared in her mind’s eye. Before Mina even hit the enter button on the search bar, she remembered.

“Nayeon! No way!” The younger girl started squealing happily, startling Nayeon a bit. Mina dropped her phone but paid it no mind. She was too busy gripping the older girl’s forearm. “Th-the COEX Aquarium? Is that it? Are we going to the COEX Aquarium?”

Nayeon flashed her cute bunny teeth at her. “Bingo! Do you like it?”

“I’ve always wanted to go here!” Mina said as she nodded. She stuck her nose into the window, anxiously watching as the buildings got nearer.

“Are you excited?” Nayeon asked as she watched, already knowing that Mina would nod again, but more excitedly this time.

“Of course! It’s been so long since I’ve been to an aquarium. Last time I went to one, it was the Lotte World Aquarium.”

Nayeon smiled, internally chiding herself for ever having doubts about anything Jeong said. “I looked this aquarium up a little bit ago and it seemed to have the best experience for couples.”

Couples?!

“I– I mean, like, you know, people on- on dates!”

“I know what you meant, Nayeonnie. That’s what we’ve been calling it this whole time. Dates. Remember?”

“R-right. Yeah, it’s good for...dates. And families. It’s very interactive and beautiful. I just know you’ll love it!”

The managers eventually found a place to park the van and they all started getting out one by one.

Nayeon helped Mina off the van, her mind stuck on the fact that this was, in fact, a date. 

This really wasn’t the first time the two of them went out alone, right? Why did this time feel so different?

Followed by their female manager, they entered the area the aquarium was located under, the COEX mall, and paid for their tickets. As Nayeon looked around, relief flooded her as she saw that not many people were here. A few families here and there were around, but not so many that Nayeon couldn’t spend some comfortable time alone with her date.

As soon as she could, Mina grabbed Nayeon’s hand and pulled her toward a large hallway toward the first exhibit of many, “Story of Korean Fish”.

The room was dark, making it easier to see the indigenous fish in their brightly lit fish tanks.

“It’s so pretty here” Mina said after a while, looking at Nayeon with those pretty eyes of hers.

The dark area made the fish and the extra large fish tanks look more intimidating than they normally did, and focusing on Mina’s eyes was the only thing that kept Nayeon grounded.

“Yeah it is. Absolutely beautiful.” Mina gave her a smile, the kind where she closes her eyes and smiles really big and Nayeon felt like she was floating a bit.

What’s going on with me?

Mina looked over at the next tank and gasped, running over immediately to view whatever fish caught her eye, but during the split second between when Mina was in Nayeon‘s view and when she wasn’t, Nayeon saw something peculiar. It seemed impossible but…

“Nayeon, look! This one is making a funny face!”

Nayeon lost her train of thought, shaking her head to clear it.

Mina was crouching, pointing at a specific fish, and once she made sure that Nayeon was actually looking at her, she imitated it. She puffed her cheeks as much as she could and crossed her eyes briefly, looking almost exactly like the fish in question.

Nayeon let out a laugh similar to a bark. Mina blushed, looking sheepish, but did it again in hopes of hearing Nayeon’s genuine laugh again. Could Mina say it was like music to her ears? It was addicting.

After begging her to stop in order to finally breathe, Nayeon wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed happily.

“That was too cute,” she said, shaking her head.

Mina pouted. “If that was so cute, then why did you laugh?“

Nayeon joined Mina and crouched beside her.

“Because you were being silly and cute. The two words don’t always contradict each other.” She pulled Mina closer and pointed out a different, sillier looking fish.

“Watch this,” Nayeon said, after making sure not too many people were around, and in her cheeks, placing her hands on them, to imitate gills.

To say that Mina’s laugh was simply ‘beautiful’ would be a crime. It was beyond that, even when it turned into a snort. Her eyes disappeared behind crescents and her gummy smile made a long-awaited appearance.

In the corner of Nayeon‘s eye, she saw a scene similar to one she’d seen just before, and now Nayeon had no doubt that it was possible— every single fish in the tank before the two girls was swimming closer, as if they were pushing their way to be in the Japanese girl’s line of sight.

She was still laughing when she noticed all of the fish nearing her, but clearly paid it no mind because she just looked away and covered her smile with her hand.

Nayeon, however, knew that, somehow, Mina was attracting the fish.

Wow, even these guys are attracted to Mina.

But was Nayeon attracted to Mina? It only took another glance in the younger girls direction to confirm that, yes, she absolutely was.

Nayeon‘s lips blurted it out before her mind could really process it.

“I love you,” the older girl said, and it felt liberating. The cloud obscuring Nayeon’s eyes was now gone, and she suddenly understood why being with her friend hit differently. Why her compliments meant so much more, why her laughter was the most refreshing song Nayeon had ever heard.

Because she loved her!

Blurted or not, it was what Nayeon‘s heart really felt, so seeing Mina’s smile grow after hearing the confession made it melt a little.

“I love you too!”

Nayeon almost missed it, she was so distracted by the thundering in her chest.

“Y-you do?”

The younger girl brought her finger up to her chin, as if in thought.

“Well, now that you ask again, I’m not so sure…”

Nayeon cracked up and pushed Mina lightly.

“I mean, like, I know you do, but sometimes it’s just– I don’t know. Hard to believe, I guess. You know?”

Mina pouted. “Hard to believe? How come?”

Oh, boy.

Nayeon felt the tears welling up in a split second, recalling all the articles she’s read where they say she looks like a bully.

“Just...it is.” A shrug.

Mina shook her head and stood up, pulling Nayeon along with her.

“You’re lovable, and that’s final,“ Mina said.

The next area of the COEX Aquarium was the “Garden of Korea” exhibit, where fish freely swim under perfectly-sculpted dioramas of Korean water gardens and architecture.

Mina let go of Nayeon‘s hand and ran behind one of the few large cylindrical fish tanks.

Nayeon stifled a laugh as Mina‘s face became distorted.

“You look goofy,” she said.

“Maybe so. But you’d still love me even if I looked like this forever, right?“

Though this was an odd question, Nayeon nodded. Of course she would.

“Ok. Why? Why would you still love me even if my face was three feet long and my eyes were a foot apart?”

“Uh…” Nayeon shook her head. “Why are you asking me this?”

Mina peeked from behind the tank, an impish smile on her face.

“You’ll see. Just answer.”

“Oookay. I’d still love you because...well, because without the pretty face, you’ve still got a laugh that… that makes my heart beat like crazy. And a personality so beautiful that I sometimes feel like if it manifested as a physical thing, it would be almost blinding.”

Beaming, the girl behind the tank ran ahead, forcing Nayeon to look for her.

Mina‘s question really got her thinking. Everyone always complemented Nayeon’s beauty, but had they ever stopped to admire anything else? Nayeon‘s hard work, her talents, her kindness?

As she hid, waiting for Nayeon, Mina’s phone buzzed. Checking it quickly, she smiled to herself, and then at Nayeon when the girl finally spotted her.

As if in a dreamy movie, Mina turned to settle her eyes on the approaching Nayeon. Bathed in blue light, Nayeon’s warm eyes rested on Mina.

They stood on opposite sides of a tank, and Mina felt playful.

“Romeo..!” Mina called.

“Juliet..?” 

Making their way toward each other, eyes still locked, their hands eventually touched.

For a moment, they were the only ones in that aquarium.

Mina was the first to break the silence.

“I was a bit jealous of Tzuyu for landing the part of Juliet in What is Love, so thank you for playing along with me.”

“Anything.”

Nayeon found that her fingers were still intertwined with Mina’s smaller ones when the younger girl used the connection to pull Nayeon into a hug. 

“Wh-What?” Where was this coming from?

Mina tightened the embrace.

“I can’t believe you don’t see it. Your inner and outer beauty.”

“What the- what are you talking about suddenly?”

Mina pulled Nayeon into a more secluded area of the aquarium, shushing her all the way there.

“The stuff I asked? The answers you gave me, the things you’ve done for me, don’t think you’re unlovable at all, after reflecting on those things.”

Nayeon rested her head on Mina’s shoulder.

“Everyone would answer what I did, though. You’re perfect, from your smile to your ballerina steps, fingertip to fingertip, the innermost parts of your heart to the tip of your cute nose.”

Mina blushed and crinkled her nose, poking it through Nayeon’s hair.

“But only you could say it as sweetly, and mean every single word.”

Mina slowly leaned and kissed the top of Nayeon’s head.

The smile that crept onto Nayeon’s features was hard to hide. Mina could feel it on her shoulder, the smile spreading through Nayeon’s face.

“I doubt that I’m the only one that would, when we’ve got seven members that all love you. But what you said about ‘doing things’ for you, well, I don’t think I’ve done much.”

“Wrong. Not every girl out there would be willing to take their date to a place that happens to house their biggest fear.”

Mina felt the weight lift off her shoulder.  The tearful-yet-confused expression Nayeon gave Mina made her pull her into a tight hug again.

“Jeongyeon texted me to remind me to take care of you. Because you’re terrified of fish and deep water. But I‘ve known. So thank you, Nayeon, for willingly throwing yourself into this super uncomfortable situation to accompany me to this dreamy aquarium.”

They stayed like that, just embracing each other, until their manager finally caught up to them and gave them a funny look for holding each other next to a screaming child.

Slowly, they separated, but with their pinkies intertwined.

As Nayeon stayed back to watch as Mina petted a stingray, they continued their conversation.

“I hope these words of mine help you realize that you’re lovable. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the members and I love you so much.”

Nayeon grinned happily.

“Yeah, all of it was super helpful, but I think that the embrace would’ve been enough. Sometimes, in the darkest times, a hug is all that is needed to express the love one feels.”

Mina paused to reflect on this. Was a hug really that meaningful? Would it really be enough to speak entire messages of comfort? It was entirely possible, if Nayeon said so.

“Hmm. Thanks, Nayeonnie!” Mina walked to Nayeon’s side and kissed her cheek.

Nayeon looked at Mina from the corner of her eye, the tips of her fingers resting where the kiss had been placed. “For what?”

“You just helped me out with something.”

Nayeon smiled and let out her bunny teeth. “Anything for you, Minari.”