After last night’s heavily loaded conversation, Sana and Jihyo have settled into a slightly awkward friendship, which is definitely more than either of them expected at the beginning of this week. Tonight's the night of the rehearsal dinner so Mina, Nayeon and Momo keep everyone busy pretty much the whole day and Sana is more than grateful to have something else to focus on as she processes everything that has happened.

Sana feels good, she realizes as she sits next to Jihyo and Jackson to help them with napkin folding. Eunha was right: all this time she really was just trying to pretend that she and Jihyo never happened, and being able to acknowledge their past again without feeling like her heart is going to burst out of her chest is liberating.

She is also finally able to admit how nice it is to have Jihyo around again, even if things between them are far from the same as they used to be. She listens to Jihyo snark about Momo’s excessively pink choices of decor and it immediately brings a smile to her lips. Jihyo was her girlfriend for a long time, but she was her best friend for a lot longer than that, and Sana missed that friendship.

The day goes by quickly as they move from napkin folding to setting up flower arrangements. Jackson is shocked to find that Jihyo is actually really good at this, and Sana holds back a laugh. It’s petty, but it pleases her to know that there are still parts of Jihyo that she knows better than anyone.

By the time they’re done, the Hostel looks beautiful. The wedding ceremony itself will be hosted outdoors, but they’re having the rehearsal dinner and the reception on the parlour, which is why they all had to work so hard on making it look magical even though it gets little to no sunlight due to being mostly underground.

“Not bad, huh?” Jihyo says as they look around to see their finished product. “Hope Mina and Jeongyeon are going to like it.”

“They’re gonna love it.” There’s no doubt in Sana’s mind. Mina and Jeongyeon would be crazy not to love it. “You know, for someone who mostly wears black, grey and white, you do know your way around a colour wheel. Your arrangements look amazing.”

“Thanks!” Jihyo chuckles. “All it takes is getting into character, really. Whenever I was in doubt I closed my eyes and asked myself what would Momo and Nayeon like and then just went with whatever I came up with.”

“Wasn’t this supposed to be Jeongyeon and Mina’s wedding?”

“As if any of them can tell apart daisies from daffodils.” They both laugh. “They might be the ones getting married but Momo and Nayeon are the real bridezillas here. I’m pretty sure that if it were up to Mina we would be in City Hall right now.”

“I know, right? I was shocked when she told me they were gonna do the whole ceremony thing. She doesn’t like big events.”

“You know Jeongyeon, though. She’s been waiting her whole life to throw a big party just to celebrate how much she loves Mina, and now she finally gets her chance. I bet that’s the only reason Mina agreed to this whole thing.”

“Yeah, I get that.” Sana looks straight into Jihyo’s eyes as she says it and they both blush. There was a time in which Sana would have done anything if she knew it was important to Jihyo, and she knows that the feeling was mutual.

Momo yells that dinner will be starting soon so they separate as they both go change into their formal wear. She strips down to her underwear and starts applying her makeup, going for something not too flashy but still elegant.

(As she puts on lipstick she notices she’s chosen Jihyo’s favourite shade but tells herself it’s just a coincidence).

She’s surprised to hear knocking on the door and for a second she worries it might be Jihyo, but it’s Mina’s voice that comes through. “Can I come in?”

“Of course!” She replies, eyes still fixed on the mirror as she applies her mascara. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out there greeting the guests or something?”

Only then she looks at Mina, and god is she stunning. Her hair has been curled but not styled, her makeup is minimal, just how she likes it, and her dress is tight and black, its fabric covered in a purple flowery pattern that throws Sana back to when they were all so young and Mina’s hair used to be that exact colour.  “Well, I’m ready and no one’s here yet so I thought I’d check if you need some help zipping up.”

She points to the clothes she’s hung up near the bed. “I’m going pantsuit for this one actually, but thanks.”

Mina closes the door behind her and Sana realizes she’s not actually there to help Sana dress up. “So… you and Jihyo seemed awful close today.”

Of course. Even on her own wedding rehearsal dinner, Mina’s natural observance skills get the best of her. It doesn’t bother Sana as much as she thought it would, in fact, it even makes her smile.

“Yeah… we had a pretty long talk last night. It was good.”

“ Talk … sure…” Mina says suggestively, and Sana wonders if she’s back in 7th grade.

“We really did just talk, alright?” She rolls her eyes. “I don’t think any of us could handle any more than that right now.”

“I know, I know, I was just kidding,” Mina smirks. “But I’m really glad you guys worked things out.  It seems… I don’t know, natural? It’s like you’re always at your best when you’re around each other, even if it’s just as friends.”

Sana’s cheeks heat up and she doesn’t really know how to reply to that so she just smiles at Mina, hoping she will understand. 

Sana knows exactly what Mina means, Jihyo has always complimented her in a way no one else has, and within that one day they spent together she already feels different. Lighter, more at ease.

(She realizes maybe she’s not ready for this feeling to go away).

It’s not news to anybody that Sana is beautiful. As Jihyo leaves her and Jackson’s room, too impatient to wait for him to finish combing his precious hair, she’s already expecting Sana to look as stunning as ever. Still, when she finally does lay eyes on her, she’s taken aback anyway. Sana is always beautiful, but in those fitted linen pants, white dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up, suspenders and that dark red lipstick that suits her so well, she’s looking a lot more than beautiful. 

She looks hot.

(Jihyo catches herself staring at the couple of undone buttons near Sana’s cleavage, wondering what it would feel like to undo the rest of them, but she shakes the thought away quickly).

Sana doesn’t seem to notice her staring, too busy watching Jihyo with an awestruck look of her own until Mina breaks their spell by clearing . “I get that you guys both look amazing but may I remind you that I am supposed to be the centre of attention here.”

The three of them laugh, and so much time has passed but it still feels just like when they were 17 waiting for the limo to take them to prom and Jihyo is glad she came back for this. It would have been a real shame to miss it.

“You look gorgeous, Mina,” Jackson says as he finally leaves the bedroom, flirty as ever with his hair perfectly styled just as he likes it.

“You too, Jackson.” She replies with a smile, and if Jihyo didn’t know Mina she might actually think she was flirting too, but they all know she only does it to tease Jeongyeon, who is already looking at the two of them with her brow furrowed in confusion. She looks like she’s about to say something, but she’s interrupted by the sound of approaching voices.

“Looks like our guests are finally here!” Jeongyeon says excitedly, her annoyance at Jackson already forgotten. She really does have the attention span of a puppy.

Jihyo braces herself, knowing exactly what’s coming her way. She spent the day so focused on assisting with the decorations and on her newfound friendship with Sana she barely thought about this moment up until now. She knows she can handle this, especially after last night, but it’s not going to be easy.

Her father is a lot different from how Jihyo remembers him. It’s only been a little over three years, but he looks like he’s aged ten, his hair thin and greying, his cheeks hollow and sunken, his forehead covered in wrinkles she doesn’t think where there when she left. Still, the smile in his lips as he holds Tanyah arm looks light and genuine up until the moment it fades as he lays eyes on Jihyo, replaced by a gasp of shock.

She feels someone coming to her side for support and for a moment she assumes it’s Jackson, but it’s not his fingers that wrap themselves around her's comforting. She glances at Sana and she looks as surprised as Jihyo is at the gesture, like she didn’t actually intend to do it. Jihyo gets it. Between the two of them, looking out for each other is just instinct. She squeezes Sana’s hand, silently thanking her for the reassurance.

Jackson is soon standing next to them, sensing that something is wrong even though he has no idea of what it could be. He looks at them waiting for an explanation, and Jihyo is about to say something when Sana uses her head to point from Robert to Jihyo discreetly.

“Oh.” He whispers, the family resemblance strong enough for him to put the pieces together. “The dad .”

“That’s the one,” Jihyo mutters nervously, tightening her grip on Sana’s hand. “I’m gonna go talk to him.”

“Do you want us to come with you?” Sana asks promptly, her tone filled with concern.

Jihyo can’t help but smile in appreciation while looking at Sana and Jackson, both hoarding around Jihyo like a wall, ready to protect her. She couldn’t ask for a better support system.

“It’s fine guys, I promise. It’s probably best I go through this on my own.”

For a moment Sana looks like she’s about to argue, but instead, she nods in agreement, giving Jihyo’s hand one last squeeze before letting it go and accompanying Jackson to greet Mina’s parents.

Jihyo’s dad hasn’t moved from his spot, still staring at her wide-eyed as if he’s seeing a ghost. Tanyah seems worried, but he whispers something in her ear that convinces her to leave his side and go.

“Hey, Robert.” Is all she says as she gets to him, keeping at least a 3 feet of distance between them.

“Jihyo...” His voice trembles and his eyes are watery. He has always been an emotional guy. It’s a wonder he managed to stay married to her mother for so long. “I didn’t expect you to be here.”

She shrugs, trying to seem casual. “It was kind of a last minute decision.”

“Well, I’m really glad you came.” He looks like he wants to ask about a million questions, but he’s afraid he’ll scare her off. “How have you been, Jihyo?”

It’s sad to think that he really has no idea. When she turned 18, Jihyo’s parents made her the owner of 5% of their gigantic company, so when she left she no longer needed to rely on them for money, all of it was already legally hers. She hasn’t spoken to either of them since she left other than replying the occasional text message with no or ok just to let them know she’s still alive. It’s cruel, she knows it is.

“I’m good.” She smiles politely. “Really good, in fact. How about you, dad?”

They both wince as she says the word, dad. Neither of them has heard it in a very long time.

“I'm doing well.” His grin seems contrived. “About as well as a man can be after losing both his daughters.”

Ouch. He says it out of sadness, not anger, but Jihyo still feels like she was just punched in the guts. Thankfully, she recovers quickly.

“I'm not lost, Dad, I just… needed some time.”

She expects some sort of comeback but he just nods. “I get it, Jihyo. I do. Your mother and I… We were so caught up in our own pain after what happened to Seoyeon we forgot how to be your parents. And it was right when you needed us most. I don't blame you for leaving, Jihyo, I just blame myself for letting you go.”

Jihyo just stares at him in silence, not knowing what to say. She didn't think he'd admit his mistakes so easily. Her parents, however well intended, were always very proud people. Maybe spending these past few years with Tanyah has helped him reflect. Jihyo is happy for him. She hopes her mother is doing well too, though she's glad she doesn't have to see her any time soon. She's already beaten her yearly quota of difficult conversations and that one's gonna have to wait for another time.

“So…” he starts, realizing Jihyo has spaced out on him. “It's nice to see you and Sana together again.”

Jihyo had forgotten just how embarrassing her dad can be sometimes.

“We're not together. Not in the way you're thinking, at least.”

“Why not? You always did bring out the best in each other.”

“Not always.” Jihyo bites back, and suddenly she wishes it was her mother instead of her dad in front of her. Her mother may be heartless most of the time but at least she wouldn't confront Jihyo about her love life.

“The months after Seoyeon's death were hard on all of us, Jihyo. We all did things we regret, but I hope that maybe, with time, we can repair some of what's been broken. I know some things will never go back to the way they were, but perhaps we can use the pieces that are left to build something new.”

She knows he's not just talking about Sana anymore, but she doesn't allow herself to hope, especially not when it comes to Sana.

“Maybe with time that's possible.” She concedes. “But I’ll be flying back to Busan in two days. There is no time.”

Robert doesn't seem convinced but does not press any further. “Well… that's too bad, then.”

(Jihyo thinks it's too bad, too).