“I’m in love with Mina.”

At the certain words of her model, Chaeyoung’s hand froze before the canvas, dripping the bright vermillion onto her bare leg. She turned to the eldest of the three, wondering if she’d heard Tzuyu’s words as well, and the eyes looking back confirmed it.

Dahyun shut the book she had been studying and set it to the side, knowing there would be more for Tzuyu to say.

Tzuyu played with her fingers, no longer in the modeling position Chaeyoung has asked her to pose in. She didn’t look nervous, exactly, but a bit unsure. “I know you girls feel it too. Right? We all come back with the same expressions.”

“What expressions, exactly?” The older Korean asked, her leg shaking. Was it because of the cold room or because of what they were talking about? “I want to make sure I know what you mean.”

“It’s a dreamy expression. A twinkle in your eye that I’ve never seen before, but have read about in books, so I recognized it. It means you’ve fallen in love. And finally admitted it. I’ve... been watching all of you, since I was the first one to go on a date and you’ve all had it. No exceptions.”

Dahyun nodded thoughtfully, giving Chaeyoung the strength to admit it too.

“So we’re all in love with Mina,” Tzuyu sighed, seemingly coming to terms with it. She looked relieved.

“Yeah... When I came back from the picnic with Minari, I washed the cut on my nose in the sink. I looked up and-“ Dahyun paused, blushing a bit. She could still recall the reflection that stared back at her. “-all I could see was how I had some kind of look in my eyes. D-does that make sense? I had feelings before that feel like I’d buried deep beneath my soul. Spending those hours with Mina forced them to resurface and it was like a shroud had been lifted away from my eyes. I think my hands literally shook from the realization.”

“Wow,” Tzuyu replied, thinking back to her date with Mina. She’d had a similar reaction, violently doubling over after Mina had sent a wink her way.

“And- and it’s not like we were purposefully shoving the feelings away, right?” Chaeyoung jumped in excitedly. Once she saw everyone recover from her sudden outburst and nod in agreement, she continued. “We weren’t really aware of them. Going on that date with Mina made them surface.”

“Definitely. And once surfaced,” Tzuyu added, “it made sense right? When I realized I was in love with her, I couldn’t help but think ‘Ah, yeah, of course I’m in love with Mina’.”

The room was silent with girls full of awe. Everyone felt the same.

Dahyun played with the hem of her shirt as she thought about how to word her next question. 

“Do you think... the older members feel the same? The ones that have been on a date with her already?”

Tzuyu pulled her covers over herself, finally noticing the frigid cold of their shared room before saying “We definitely can’t be the only ones feeling this.”

“So...were the dates we had with Mina really the missing key?” Chaeyoung agreed with Tzuyu, and wanted to know if they had all coincidentally unlocked that love at the same time.

“Looks like it.” We really aren’t joking when we say ‘Twice is One’, huh? Tzuyu asked herself as she giggled. We’re too alike in even these kinds of situations.

Three heads turned in surprise when there was a light knock at the door. 

“Mina!” They all exclaimed in unison, momentarily confusing the girl as she peeked her head in.

“Oh- hey, sorry, did I interrupt something?” They all simultaneously shook their heads, with Tzuyu jumping up to usher the girl in.

“We were talking about stuff, but you’re a welcome distraction, Minari,” Chaeyoung chimed in, moving things away to clear up some space for Mina. She finally noticed the bright red paint on her leg and turned a similar deep red when Mina laughed lightly at her. She ran to change into something less stained.

“Well, it’s almost bed time, so hopefully it wasn’t going to be a long talk you guys were going to have. We may not have schedules right now but a good sleeping schedule is always important!” Dahyun and Tzuyu nodded, sending looks in Chaeyoung’s general direction because somebody in that room had the worst sleep schedule possible. “But anyway, I’m not here to boss you around. I just came in to ask if I could spend the night with you guys?” 

Chaeyoung jumped out of the closet in fresh sleeping clothes and right into Mina’s arms. “You wanna sleep with us?”

“Yeah! Is that okay?”

Dahyun looked away from the bed she was fixing up. “Of course! It’s been a while since we’ve done this,” she said, alluding to the earlier years in their career when the four youngest members of TWICE would set up makeshift beds on the floor and curl into each other. It was a tradition they all missed dearly.

“Yay! Then I’ll bring my stuff too! It’s cold as heck in here, so ‘too many blankets’ does not exist right now. I’ll change into some pajamas as well. Be right back!”

Once Mina was out of the room, all three of the roommates rushed to the center of the room in excitement. There was a mix of emotions and words, with 'Do you think she heard us talking about her?', 'I missed sleeping together so much!' and 'I call middle spot!' being shouted, and they continued doing so until Mina came back, arms full of pillows and blankets.

Dahyun rushed to help the oldest girl with the heavy load while Chaeyoung dropped down to adjust her own blankets on the floor so that Mina could start putting hers down.

Tzuyu stood to the side, her heart melting at the sight of some of her most favorite people getting ready to spend the night together. Truth was that she had wanted to bring it up multiple times, the fact that the four of them stopped sleeping together as often as they used to, but had come to fear being called a clingy baby. She wasn’t a baby for wanting to cuddle her friends at night, she understood now, and they had all equally missed the tradition. It was comforting, really, to know this.

Tzuyu’s train of thought was interrupted when Chaeyoung loudly snapped her fingers in front of her face. “Earth to Tzuyu! Come on! I’m freezing and I’m tired, a combination that can be fixed when you come to bed.”

“Okay,” Tzuyu rolled her eyes. “I get the center spot, though.”

Dahyun watched as her friends all chattered about how they should position themselves. Chaeyoung wanted the center spot but Tzuyu argued that her legs were too long to fit anywhere else and therefore she deserved the center. Dahyun stiffly raised a hand and was pleasantly surprised to see that the two youngest girls stopped arguing to hear her speak.

“Whoa, captain of the School Meal Club demands your attention!” Mina teased, zipping her lips too, to respect Dahyun’s supposed authority. 

“Gosh, they’re usually not like this, I promise. You should see them when you’re not here, Minari. They even speak over me sometimes. They’re just trying to impress you!”

Chaeyoung groaned and Tzuyu smiled after saying “Perhaps!”

“What were you going to say, though?” Mina seemed to be all ears, so Dahyun cleared .

“I say Mina gets the center. She’s the guest after all, and a very special one at that. Tzuyu, you can come over here and sleep where I was planning to. There’s more leg room here if we move the boxes under the bunk bed.”

No one, not even Chaeyoung, argued with that sound logic. They moved the boxes and switched around until they were in their comfortable spots, and though they typically talked for a while about their day before conking out, it was clear they were all pretty tired that day, as the four friends fell asleep within minutes of resting their heads.

Mina felt the love buzz at around 3 am, if the School Meal Club’s clock was set correctly (which it usually wasn’t).

It felt exactly as it had those nights ago in her room with Nayeon, Jihyo and Sana and she was glad that she knew the cure to it now: lots of kisses here and a few cuddles there.

The cause of this love buzz was apparent too. The four most recent dates she had been on had also been like a dream.

Thanks to Momo, she had managed to escape the claws of a deadly plan that she herself had devised. To think that she had almost gone on that scary diet only days before a comeback… Mina shivered. She wouldn’t have had the strength to last a single day like that. 

Momo had also proven her deep and endless affection for Mina that day, demonstrating that she still cared about Mina’s opinion on the matter. Instead of angrily forcing her to eat food while calling her stupid for even thinking that it was a good idea, she gently confronted her about it and let Mina speak her mind, to get to know her reasoning. Eventually she gave Mina incredibly sound advice and helped Mina come to the conclusion herself that the diet was a terrible idea. The younger girl was so full of gratitude toward Momo, once again remembering how wise and loving Momo was.

The date with Dahyun went so smoothly that it almost felt like second nature to be with her. After being taken care of so tenderly by Momo, Mina could only reflect that back to Dahyun, happily fixing up her small wound as the leader of the School Meal Club let herself be babied.

The talks with her, the date, all of it was so perfect, even down to the small talk Mina had about her parents and how much she looks up to their relationship. She’d thought it was a boring topic, but Dahyun listened intently and even asked questions. But the moment most precious to her was when it was revealed to Mina that Dahyun looked up to her and respected all of the advice that she had to offer. Mina felt so appreciated at that moment, previously having felt that her words never had any kind of impact on anyone. She loved being proved wrong like this.

Mina turned to her left to find the silhouette of the very girl she was thinking about, Dahyun. She couldn’t see her very well but knew she was on her stomach, with her head turned to the side to allow her to breathe. That’s how Dahyun slept all the time, and Mina knew this time was no exception.

She leaned over and kissed the only bit of skin the younger girl had exposed: a bit of her chin poked out from under the blanket. Perfect, really, just enough for Mina. The smooth skin felt so soft under Mina’s lips. 

“I love you, Dahyunnie. You’ve given me so much strength,” Mina whispered as Dahyun shifted closer to her. Mina responded with what was natural– she wrapped an arm around her and cuddled her until she was sure Dahyun was sound asleep again. 

Mina’s mind slowly drifted back to her other dates as she held the School Meal Club leader.

The day spent with Jihyo had been an incredibly meaningful one. To this day, she still laughs at herself for being so envious of Jihyo’s friends and thinking that Jihyo didn’t love her the way Mina did. Her strong leader proved just how much she meant to her, and didn’t just stop at that. She even invited her to hang out with her friends! Mina was so grateful to spend time with Jihyo as TWICE, but spending their free time together was always different, in the best way.

She also exposed her frail side to her and allowed Mina to comfort her. Mina had always figured that the life of a leader was no fun and games, but for Jihyo to take off her armor for once and show her a more vulnerable side… The side that worried that she wasn’t making the best decisions for the group when she was, in fact, doing the correct things out of love. Mina was glad for that day, because if not, Jihyo would never have known that she can confide in Mina, and the rest of TWICE, her struggles with making decisions. A good girl group, including the leader, is always comprised by girls willing to communicate everything. That’s how they make it work.

Before slowly letting Dahyun go, she kissed her newly exposed temple, then turned to the girl to her right, Chaeyoung. The youngest of the Koreans slept similarly to the oldest of them, Nayeon; her arms were wildly thrown wherever they felt more comfortable, and with hanging open. Mina shook her head and tried closing it, but it was like trying to close a nutcracker’s mouth. It just opened right back up.

It was endearing how cute she looked in her sleep. Mina couldn’t help but compare it to her usual looks. When the girl is awake, she exudes a powerful I-don’t-care-what-you-think aura, but right then, the Chaeyoung before her was no more than a small baby. 

That thought overpowered Mina and she leaned in to kiss Chaeyoung’s squishy cheek. Her eyes fluttered open and had trouble focusing on Mina.

“Minari…?” She raised her head, but Mina saw that Tzuyu’s head was resting on Chaeyoung’s shoulder, so she lightly pressed on her chest to keep her down. Chaeyoung then noticed Tzuyu’s head on her shoulder as well and laid back.

“What are you doing up?” she asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

Mina laid back down as well and turned to Chaeyoung. She wasn’t sure how to explain it, but she tried her best. “I can’t sleep. I’ve got this overwhelming urge to show that I love and appreciate you three and it won’t go away unless I do it right now.”

Chaeyoung smiled sleepily and lovingly moved some hairs away from Mina’s face. “Did you know we all love you too, Minari?”

Mina gripped the hand on her face and kissed Chaeyoung’s palm. “I think I do. The dates aren’t over yet but every single one of you so far has made me feel like I matter.” A tear fell down her cheek and Mina found out she was crying, not sad tears, but tears of joy.

Chaeyoung caressed her cheek and wiped the tear away, flashing Mina a sleepy-yet-signature charming Chaeyoung smile. “You’ve always mattered.”

Mina sniffled and pressed herself against Chaeyoung, feeling the happy tears spill freely.

A bit of time passed, Mina’s tears were dry and Chaeyoung was snoring again. Mina gently removed Chaeyoung’s arms from around herself and got up, not once forgetting that Tzuyu still needed her kiss. No, her heart would never let her forget about everyone's baby.

Tzuyu was sleeping peacefully, but her arms and legs were uncovered, a problem very common for her, as she was ridiculously taller than what Chaeyoung’s tiny blanket could handle.

Mina stepped over everyone and grabbed an unused blanket from Dahyun’s bed. Carefully making her way back, she adjusted the blanket that was already on Tzuyu so that it covered her torso, then added the new blanket so it warmed her legs. 

Mina crept under the newly placed blankets and smiled as Tzuyu automatically wrapped her arms around her. It seemed impossible, but somehow it filled Mina with even more love than she already had in her heart. It spilled over and Mina kissed Tzuyu in multiple areas, going from eyebrow to eyebrow, cheek to cheek, and finally ending on her forehead.

She heard someone moving around and raised her head to see that Dahyun’s head was now resting on a smiling Chaeyoung’s chest. All three girls looked so happy in their sleep and Mina hoped that she had something to do with it. She hoped that the love she poured into her kisses made its way into their dreams and sweetened them.

Mina observed the girl in her arms, remembering the way Tzuyu had dismissed her own pain away earlier that day, and how at that moment Mina lacked the words and actions needed to help her. The date with Nayeon had taught her many things, however, one of those being that sometimes an embrace full of genuine love went a long way. 

Mina held Tzuyu tightly, whispering to her how proud of her she was and how brave Tzuyu is for being so far away from home at such a young age, hoping that they reached Tzuyu’s thoughts and alleviated some of the pain in her heart.

Mina knew that she also alleviated some pain in Nayeon’s heart.

Nayeon always acted so confident, so much so that it was jarring to see her so insecure. The date had happened only hours ago but it still rippled itself into right now, making Mina wonder what it was that made Nayeon feel like she was unloveable. She’s always been loveable! Nayeon had so much selflessness in her that she had braved four entire hours in an aquarium! She hadn’t let it show at all and even played around with Mina, reenacting an old music video of theirs and imitating the funny looking fish.

Yes, Mina was sure that she’d love Nayeon no matter what, just as Nayeon had promised Mina. The hug they shared halfway through their date may have been all Nayeon needed to know that Mina loved her, but Mina was glad to solidify everything and show the older girl that she meant it with her questions and actions. 

Mina smiled and thought about it all, from date #1 to date #6, and how much she couldn’t wait for tomorrow and the day after that, because it meant that Sana and Jeongyeon, the only girls left, were going to give her more amazing days that she could look back on when days got tough.

And so, she closed her eyes, her love buzz finally satisfied, and drifted off to peaceful sleep in the arms of only a fraction of her beloved friends.

The night turned to day and Tzuyu opened one eye. She saw the girls surrounding her and Mina in her arms, and a rush of affection entered her bloodstream.

She heard a doorknob jiggle and turned in time to see Jeongyeon sneak a peek inside the room.

“Hey Tzu,” she said, not even trying to be quiet, “Momo ordered breakfast, so tell everyone to come get some!” 

None of the girls stirred even a fraction of a centimeter at the loudness of her voice, so Jeongyeon rolled her eyes and told Tzuyu that she’d make sure there was food left for them. She closed the door as gently as she had opened it.

Tzuyu found that she, too, didn’t want to move around yet, very comfortable thanks to their shared body warmth. She figured she might as well sleep until they all woke up. She adjusted herself a bit and glanced once again at the slumbering Mina. 

She wasn’t sure if her guess was correct, but Tzuyu felt that Mina had decided to sleep with them not only to restart an old custom of theirs, but also to provide some comfort after what she had confessed to earlier yesterday.

What Mina didn’t know is that she always dealt with the pain of being so far away from her blood family in a healthy way: she thought about the new family she had made here in South Korea. Eight older girls that loved her unconditionally and provided guidance gave her the bravery she needed to stay in this strange new country. Something new she also thought about now was her love for Mina, and the chance that maybe she loved Tzuyu back with the same energy. 

Tzuyu’s lips curved into an easy smile before letting another round of sleep blissfully embrace her.