Imagine if you were thirteen-years-old, had no knowledge on the native language and travel 1,689km away from home all by yourself, just to go to Korea. The crazy thing was that all of these things happened just so Tzuyu could become a K-Pop trainee. Looking back at it, the young girl was lucky she wasn’t disowned by her parents from making such bad choices at a young age. However, Tzuyu doesn’t regret coming to Korea. The moment she stepped foot in the JYP Entertainment building, she knew that this was her future. She had always loved dancing but never took vocal lessons— making her more surprised on her capability. 

 

There were some downsides to being a foreigner in Korea— especially when you don’t know how to speak Korean. Tzuyu lived in a dorm filled with JYP trainees, which were mostly filled with trainees out of the country or trainees who didn’t live close to Seoul. The trainees would offer for her to hang out with them. Whenever they started laughing, Tzuyu would remain emotionless or even clueless, trying to figure out what the joke was. She was even shocked when Jihyo came up to her and said in Chinese. 

 

“I’m pretty.” Jihyo shows a bright smile as she pats Tzuyu’s head. The younger girl had a culture shock. 

 

She must be asking if she’s pretty.

 

Nonetheless, Tzuyu shook her head, showing that she agreed that Jihyo was pretty and was a rather very confident girl. After two years, Tzuyu was able to speak basic conversational Korean. She could hold a conversation well and go out to the streets, ordering food on her own. Although, she still had that cute accent, which made others not take her seriously. The reality girl group show “Sixteen” was announced and she was chosen as a contestant. Tzuyu was ecstatic, yet scared. This would be the final step in determining if she was made to be a K-Pop idol. Back home, when her parents were watching the show, they had told her that they thought Tzuyu was portrayed as the visual in the show. This made Tzuyu frustrated, she didn’t want to be seen as a pretty image on the screen. She wanted to be known for her talent. It was frustrating when they had vocal or dance challenges, Tzuyu would downgrade or stay to ‘Minor’. However, when they did the photoshoot. Tzuyu moved into ‘Major’ because she stood out in the group photo. Let’s not forget the constant teasing on her Korean pronunciation from Nayeon and Jeongyeon. It never really bothered her since she knew the unnies were just teasing her, but there were times where it hit her like a hurricane and she felt shy on her Korean. 

 

You’re nothing but a pretty face.

 

That was the cold hard truth Tzuyu realized when she was unexpectedly announced as a member of TWICE. It never hurts more when JYP told her that his decision changed when he saw how many votes Tzuyu kept getting each week. 

 

Popularity. She was only known as a pretty face and for her popularity. 

 

After a huge celebration and the shedding of tears from every contestant, except the young girl herself. Tzuyu went back to the dorm with mixed feelings— already doubting if JYP made the right choice. That’s when suddenly she forgot about her parents and her brother who was watching the show back at home. Oh, how Tzuyu wished she could fly back and jump into her mother’s arms. Tell them that after two years of hard work, she managed to debut. But this was Tzuyu’s new life, she was going to be busy from now on— meaning that she wouldn’t be able to go back home. She wouldn’t get to kiss Gucci’s forehead and get teased by her brother. She wouldn’t get to eat her mother’s cooking and listen to her dad’s stories about work. 

 

I want to go home. 

 

——

 

Momo cried for hours and hours. The blood rushed to her ears as she couldn’t hear what Sana was trying to tell her through her sobs. The sound of her heartbeat pounding so loudly, her mind trying to ignore the fact that Momo was eliminated from “Sixteen”. The dancing machine was officially never going to debut with her two best friends, Sana and Mina. She walked to the back of the set, taking one look at JYP and cried on the way to the dressing rooms. Momo didn’t care that the cameras were recording her, she was all on her own for now. She waits in the dressing rooms as she calmed down. 

 

“Momo...” Sana whispered. The other contestants finished the shoot and solemnly walked to the dressing rooms. The fellow Japanese ran into Momo’s arms, sobbing into her shoulders. Mina stood afar, not wanting to approach Momo, knowing that she’ll break down. The other contestants also stood afar as a few of them had tears in the corners of their eyes, having mixed feelings on the whole situation. 

 

“Unnie, I’m so sorry!” Natty cried out as she lunges onto Momo. The Japanese frowned at the fact that Natty thinks it’s all her fault. She crouched down as she held Natty’s hand. The little girl sniffled and Momo shows a sad smile. 

 

“It’s okay, Natty. I just want to let you know that you were always my favourite rival when it comes to dancing.” Momo teased in a soft tone. Natty nods as the corners of tugged. Momo walks towards Sana and Mina, and started to speak in Japanese. 

 

“I’m always going to be there for you, even if I’m standing in the crowds. I’ll support you two no matter what happens in the next few weeks.” Momo says with a serious expression. They both nod at her and Momo smiles as if she just wasn’t eliminated. 

 

Lies. She was hurting inside but she didn’t want Sana and Mina to know that. 

 

“See you at the dorms.” 

 

Momo left off, only saying those words. She didn’t realize how empty their original dorms were until she walked in, letting a long sigh. There were trainees who didn’t participate in the show, who were around doing their own things and looked at Momo with wide eyes. Momo quickly goes to her shared room and escapes from the questionable looks. It was official that Hirai Momo was no longer that confident girl. Whenever she danced, she can hear JYP’s words repeating in her head. The exact words of her elimination. Maybe Momo should go home for a little, her parents have been asking her how she has been since “Sixteen”. She ignored their messages and continued to go to the dance studio, practicing at least ten hours per day. Maybe Momo should give up— maybe, she should resign from JYP Entertainment and move back home. 

 

I want to go home.

 

However, Momo wasn’t the type to easily give up. She promised Mina and Sana that she would support them. That was when Momo decided if her best friends made it to the finals, she would go support them in the audience and then leave on a plane to go home after the show. Meanwhile, the girl will have to do something to kill time— I guess it’s time for Momo to practice even more. 

 

——

 

Mina was a new trainee at JYP Entertainment. She was a total mystery who had that scary aura. The way her hair covered her face and the way she walked— not to mention, her quietness. It all made it seem that Mina was unapproachable. They always say that the polar opposites always get along. That’s when Momo and Sana came in the picture. Once they heard she was Japanese, they started a conversation, resulting in the three vividly talking with each other. 

 

Mina felt as if she was at home. 

 

Having Momo and Sana by her side, definitely helped her ease into the unfamiliar country. The three would hang out and walk on the streets, buying all sorts of foods and talking about random things. Mina was shocked to hear that she was chosen to be in “Sixteen”. She was only a trainee for one year and was already chosen to be in a girl group project. Sana and Momo praised and congratulated Mina, telling her not to worry too much about the show. It scared her so much when JYP asked many questions related to her training. She even started shaking when she was first announced as ‘Major’. It disappointed her when she heard the reactions of other contestants.

 

“Mina... She isn’t someone who stands out to me.” 

 

Mina frowned at that statement but maintained a smile as she told herself that she’ll prove them wrong— and she did. She made it to the finals with Sana, but not Momo. She remembered yesterday before they went to their dorms, her and Sana had a very serious conversation. 

 

“I hope you make it, Mina.” Sana sincerely says. Mina shakes her head, showing a small smile. 

 

“How about instead of saying that, let’s just promise each other that we’ll do well?” Mina suggested, trying not to think about the ending of the show. Sana slowly nods as she wraps her arms around Mina. They stay like that, not speaking a word until Sana whispered. 

 

“Do you think she will be there?” The girl asked, referring to Momo. Mina nods in assurance. 

 

“Of course, she will.”  

 

——

 

Sana is going to go ballistic, how could her members not come to their practice? She waited for Dahyun and Minyoung in the practice room with Tzuyu— there was only a specific amount of time they had to use the practice room and it was very late into the night. They both sat against the mirrored wall and let out a long sigh. 

 

“What do we do now, unnie?” Tzuyu quietly asked, already noticing Sana’s change of behaviour. The latter let out a grunt of frustration. 

 

“Since they’re not going to come. Let’s just practice without them.” Sana bitterly responded and Tzuyu nodded, knowing it was a good idea to practice as much as they could. 

 

I have never been so mad. 

 

The next day, they had to do check-ups on their performance and it went horrible as the mentors said it was a total disaster. Sana and Tzuyu couldn’t agree anymore. Dahyun and Minyoung stayed silent as their heads dropped. Sana thought it was time put some sense into their heads and pulled the group into the halls. 

 

“Yah, do you know how long Tzuyu-ya and I waited for you two?” Sana asked in a threatening tone. Tzuyu looked down, already feeling intimidated by the Japanese. Dahyun and Minyoung shared a look of disappointment as they nodded. “Do you think I’m joking? I’m being as serious as I’ll ever be, you can’t let your teammates down like that.” Sana looked at them, expecting to get an answer out of the two. 

 

Silence.

 

Sana shakes her head in disappointment and left Tzuyu with Dahyun and Minyoung. The Taiwanese quickly looks at the two, almost giving them an apologetic look but then she forgot the whole situation they were in, so she shows her blank face and runs off to talk with Sana. 

 

“Sana-unnie!” Tzuyu runs out of the building and catches up to Sana. The girl turns around with her cheeks puffed. 

 

“Is it because of my voice that they can’t take me seriously?”, Sana innocently asked in concern. Tzuyu slightly furrowed her eyebrows and offered to treat Sana to buy bread at the bakery. The two sat in silence as Tzuyu takes a bite out of her pineapple bread. 

 

“I know what you mean...” She says, catching Sana’s attention, who had a mouthful of bread. “It’s hard to be taken seriously if you have an accent...” Tzuyu says and now it was Sana’s turn to frown at Tzuyu’s statement. They continued to talk about their struggles— well it was more like Sana saying everything and Tzuyu listened as she ate her bread.

 

“You know you didn’t have to do this, Tzuyu? I’m the unnie, I should be the one doing this for you.” Sana says in a light tone and Tzuyu grins. 

 

“It’s okay, unnie. We’re both foreigners. We’ve been through the same struggles, so why not help each other out?” The girl eloquently spoke and finishes her pineapple bread. Sana’s mouth gaped at how mature Tzuyu sounded ten seconds ago. From that day, Sana found another friend to confine to. 

 

——

 

“The last member is Momo! Congratulations!” The mentioned girl felt her heart beating so hard, she couldn’t feel when the eliminated trainees in the audience were hugging her to congratulate the girl for the unexpected turnout. Hirai Momo was numb that she had just debuted with JYP’s girl group. 

 

Sana and Mina sobbed next to each other as they welcomed the girl on the stage with tight hugs, not wanting to let go of their best friend again. It would be the last time that’d happen in their own eyes. Tzuyu never cried but she showed a small smile, also in the same state as Momo— in disbelief of everything that was happening around her. 

 

——

 

“Like Ooh Ahh-ge!” Jihyo shouted into their new dorm. TWICE’s official debut date was announced and the nation was getting excited to see JYP’s new girl group. The other laughed at how excited their leader was and rolled their stuff in the dorms.

 

“Yah, Sana! Why do you have so much stuff!?” Jeongyeon asked as she picked up a bag looking in it. She then looks over to Momo, who had a huge bag of stuff animals. “Heol!” Jeongyeon lets out a loud gasp as she inspects Momo’s collection. Then Mina walks by with two huge luggages. Jeongyeon’s mouth dropped at how much stuff the foreigners had. The other members noticed and started getting interested in their stuff as they went through their things with permission. 

 

“Y’know you can throw out these containers?” Jihyo asked and Sana cutely shook her head. 

 

“No way! Those are valuable!” She yelled in a high pitch as she snatched back her valuables from the member’s hands. Jihyo looks at Tzuyu who is trying to drag her heavy suitcase. “You too, Tzuyu?” Jihyo joked around and the maknae nodded. 

 

“It’s not our fault that we have so much stuff!” Momo whined as Jeongyeon kept complaining of how the girl will need to take care of her stuffed animals. The other foreigners nodded with Momo. Silence fell between the members as the Koreans realized that the four girls haven’t gone home since their trainee days. Nayeon spoke up, breaking the silence.

 

“It’s okay, we understand.” 

 

——

 

“Stop! Stop! I can’t understand what you’re saying Sana!?” The producer yelled out in frustration as the girl kept making the same mistakes with the lyrics. Sana looked down in disappointment, she really tried her best to nail the pronunciation. The producer sighed and waved his hand off. “Just come back tomorrow. We’re going have to catch up on your recording soon or else we’ll have to change the line arrangements.” Sana nodded and quickly bowed as she left the recording studio and went to go tell Chaeyoung it was her turn. Sana didn’t want to be bothered by anyone so she hid in the corner of the room, blasting out the music guide on her phone. 

 

“Red carpet gateun— Ugh!” She groaned out. It sounded bad, it didn’t sound nice at all. She slams her feet on the ground and continues to make the same mistake. That’s when she received a text from her mother. She was sent a photo of her parents, having a lovely dinner. Sana has never felt so lonely, she was always a lonely child and had a strong bond with her parents. She chuckled when she kept scrolling through the pictures that were sent from her mom in the past. She stopped at a photo where it was the three of them at an arcade. Sana was holding a stuffed animal that was from the claw machine. She lets out a sigh as she smiled. 

 

Ahhh... How I really wished I could be at home now.

 

Sana shook her head and turned off her phone. She walked out of the empty room and went to the next room where the other members were fooling around, singing to songs that were played by Dahyun on the piano. Sana grinned through the little window on the door as she stared lovingly at her new sisters. 

 

——

 

A scandal. It wasn’t even that far into their debut and they were in a scandal. It wasn’t any scandal, it was a political issue. The Korean members were in the dorms, intently waiting for the foreigners to come back from their shoot. Jihyo kept bouncing her knees up and down as she sat waiting on the couch. Nayeon and Jeongyeon were looking at their phones, seeing if there were any more articles on the issue. The foreigners were shooting “My Little Television” and laughed on the way home, they all had fun eating convenience store food and doing weird activities. 

 

“Mina-unnie was so funny trying to get up and down the ladder!” Tzuyu laughed out as she clutched her stomach— the seatbelt around her waist, restricting her from collapsing on the floor, dying of laughter. The Japanese members laughed but were also happy to see that their maknae was in such a good mood. Momo patted her stomach in satisfaction. 

 

“That jokbal was so good.” The car erupted in more laughter as Momo was in her own world, thinking about the delicious food. The manager smiled in the front seat, he’s never seen the foreigners so happy. The smile disappeared when he had received a text from the company. It was a link to an article and his eyes widened when he saw the maknae’s name in the title. 

 

“Chou Tzuyu Flag Controversy?” the manager muttered to himself as he read the whole article. They arrived at the dorms and the manager kept a fake smile as he helped the girls get out of the car. “Uh, have a good night girls.” The manager says in a tone that makes the other girls question him. However, they shrugged their shoulders as they bid him good night and went to their dorms. 

 

“I hope in the future, we can do a shoot similar to today’s!” Sana says in excitement as she opened the dorm room. The others quickly nodded, agreeing with her. They all froze on the spot when they saw the rest of the Twice members sitting silently on the couch, staring at them. The four swallowed hard as they felt the thick tension in the living room. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Mina quietly asked and Jihyo sighed, the leader approached the clueless maknae.

 

“Tzuyu... I think you’re in a big situation...” Jihyo caressed Tzuyu’s hair behind her ear, while Nayeon slowly gives Tzuyu her phone. The maknae takes the phone and reads the title of the article. Tzuyu’s mouth drops in shock and she slowly falls on her knees.

 

Tzuyu just made the hugest mistake in her life.  

 

——

 

“Tzuyu?” Chaeyoung and Dahyun popped their heads in their shared room with the maknae. The young girl was just sitting on her bed, staring blankly at the wall. Dahyun places her hand on her shoulder. 

 

“How did the meeting go?” Dahyun asked as Chaeyoung crawled on the bed to comfort Tzuyu. The flag scandal was now known by all of China and all of Tzuyu’s schedules were cancelled for the time being. Tzuyu was just told by the company that she needs to film an apology to China. All of this just for one simple mistake. Tzuyu buried her head into her hands, tears flowed down her cheeks. Chaeyoung and Dahyun were shocked as this was their first time seeing Tzuyu cry.

 

“I want to go home, unnies.” Tzuyu sobbed out and her two friends comforted her.

 

“I know you do...” Chaeyoung paused and glanced at Dahyun in pity. “But, you know why you can’t go home... Not right now”. Tzuyu sniffled as she nodded. 

 

This is what it feels like to be trapped in a room. 

 

Meanwhile, the J-Trinity line was trying to think of ways to cheer Tzuyu up. 

 

“Let’s sneak her out!” Momo exclaimed and Mina slapped her shoulder. 

 

“That isn’t going to help, you idiot!” Mina harshly whispered, worried the others might hear her. Sana shook her head.

 

“Momo is right. The only times Tzuyu has been out is to only go to the company.” Momo’s eyes popped out when she heard Sana agreeing with her. Mina looks at the girl like she’s crazy.

 

“We’ll get caught by the company and people will start asking her questions!” Mina tried to reason and Sana showed a smug smile. 

 

“I’m sure people won’t be out on the streets in the middle of the night.” 

 

The plan was decided. They waited for the members to fall asleep and Mina was volunteered to go in DaChaeTzu’s room. 

 

“Why me!?” Mina whispered as quietly as she could. They stood outside their door, trying not to make any sound. 

 

“Because you’re a ninja. Now hurry!” Momo slightly nudged Mina and the girl opens the bedroom door. They were lucky that Chaeyoung and Dahyun were heavy sleepers. Mina tiptoes towards the sleeping girl and quickly covers the maknae’s mouth. Out of reflex, Tzuyu grabs onto Mina’s hand, wanting to scream for help. Mina places a finger on , indicating for Tzuyu to be quiet. 

 

“Get dressed and go to the living room. Make sure you’re disguised.” Mina quickly instructed as she left DaChaeTzu’s room. Tzuyu watches her with wide eyes and pinches herself.

 

That definitely was not a dream.

 

Tzuyu quietly puts on warm clothes, a cap and a face mask. She sees that the Japanese members are in the living room, waiting for her, also wearing similar clothes to her. They smile at Tzuyu as Sana tells them it was time to go. They left their dorms as none of them spoke a word. Tzuyu was just glad that she was leaving the dorms without their manager. The four walked down the empty streets as Tzuyu kept breathing in the fresh air. Sana, who was leading the group, walked towards a river. They walked onto a port and Sana sat on the edge with her legs dangling. The others did the same as they let out a sigh of relief. Tzuyu closed her eyes, listening to the calm sound of the river’s current. 

 

“AHHHHHH!” Sana suddenly screams out, shocking the others. The crazy girl chuckles as she nudges Momo with her elbow. 

 

“What are you doing? Someone might hear us!” Tzuyu says in a worried tone. Sana starts giggling. 

 

“I’m letting out my frustrations by screaming. No one can even hear us. C’mon, Tzuyu. I know you want to do it.” The maknae’s mouth gapes at the sight of Sana screaming out to the river. Momo suddenly stands up and joins her. 

 

“I’M SO TIRED— AND HUNGRY!” Momo shouts and smiles to herself, feeling the adrenaline. Mina decided that she needed to let everything out as well. 

 

“I CAN BE LOUD TOO!” Mina yelled out, making Sana and Momo laugh at her. Tzuyu was still sitting and looked at them like they were crazy people. The three looked at her in anticipation and Tzuyu sighed in defeat, slowly getting up and placing her hands around — acting like it was a megaphone.

 

“I WANT TO GO HOME!” Her voice echoed throughout the river and the others sadly smiled at her. Tzuyu feels as if a weight was lifted off her shoulder. She continued to yell. “I WANT TO GO BACK TO TAIWAN AND NEVER COME BACK!” She stopped yelling and panted heavily as she stared at the river. She felt someone tap her back and turned around. 

 

“C’mon, Tzuyu. Let’s go home...” Momo quietly said and Tzuyu’s eyes widened in realization. 

 

Maybe home wasn’t always where she thought it was.

 

——

 

The foreigners grew less and less like themselves off camera— especially during their promotions for “Cheer Up”. Momo thought she was going to pass out from exhaustion every day. 

 

“Momo…” Mina nudged her with her elbow and ended up getting no response. “Momo?” She questioned again, they were in the car, leaving from a music show that they performed their title track and the girl looked a little too pale. 

 

Mina gasped as she shook their main dancer, only to get no response again. “Oppa, something’s wrong with Momo! I think she fainted!” She shouted out in concern before trying to wake up the girl by furiously shaking her. 

 

The foreigners were all sharing the same car and Tzuyu gasped as she looked back from her seat to see the dancer not saying anything in return and was completely knocked out. “Oh my…” Sana covered in shock and the manager looks at the four girls with wide eyes through the rear-view mirror. He makes a sharp right-turn, heading to the hospital immediately. 

 

“Uh-uh, try t-to give her some water!” He stammered out, clearly flustered at the situation as he kept his eyes on the road, not trying to cause any more incidents. 

 

“Give her some water!? SHE’S UNCONSCIOUS!” Sana shouted out to reason with the man before unbuckling her seatbelt to head to the backseat where Mina was panicking beside the girl that grew concern to everyone in the car. Tzuyu watched the three with wary eyes, not knowing how to handle the situation and Sana places the back of her hand against Momo’s forehead. “She has a fever.” 

 

“I should’ve told you, Sana-chan. I’m sorry!” Mina yelled out with tears b her eyes and the latter looks at her in confusion, Tzuyu also mirrors the same look. 

 

“What are you talking about, Mina?” Sana asked in a calm voice when internally she was freaking out as much as Mina was. 

 

The girl gulped, swallowing the hard lump down as she looked back at Momo, guilt rushing through her body. “She’s been starving herself since last Monday because the company said she needed to lose weight. She hasn’t eaten any real foods since!” She admitted, making everyone’s eyes bulge out at the sudden news. 

 

“What!? That’s almost one week, Minari!” The girl indirectly scolds her best-friend for not telling Momo any better or even telling herself the news and then looked back to the front, commanding for their manager to drive faster to the hospital. 

 

She then caught Tzuyu looking at the three wide with her doe eyes, evident that she was afraid of what would happen to her unnie. Sana showed a sad look as she tried to form a smile on her face. “She’s going to be fine…” Sana whispered to reassure the girl who nods like a lost puppy in response.

 

Mina also notices the maknae’s expression and frowned, remembering that the last time she saw that expression from Tzuyu was during the flag scandal. She will never forget the girl’s scared; vulnerable eyes. They arrived at the hospital and the three foreigners carried Momo with the help of their managers inside the hospital and the girl was already lifted from their arms when the nurses and doctors came to their rescue to question their manager who explained the whole situation. 

 

“She’ll be okay, right?” Mina whispered out as she tucked her hands in her jacket pocket. Sana notices the dry tears on her friend’s porcelain cheeks. 

 

Tzuyu frowned at the question as they both looked at Sana who seemed to be the reasonable person to confine to at the moment. The girl nods at the two of them as she wrapped their arms around them. “She’s Hirai Momo. If she can survive Sixteen, she can survive anything.” She lightly joked, earning tiny smiles that crept on their faces. 

 

Mina softly pushes Sana. “Never make that joke again.” She warned, letting out a humble laugh as the others laughed with her, sadness evident on their faces. 

 

——

 

Cheer Up promotions were finally over and Sana was glad that she never has to say “Shy Shy Shy” in front of the camera again (although Sana was very wrong about that because she didn’t expect for the next few events that TWICE had to attend, all of the interviewers would ask her to do the iconic line). The group would soon be releasing a new album with their title track TT. 

 

It was safe to say now that Momo was eating more than what she needed to eat— Mina blames herself for the spoiling the girl, but nonetheless seeing Momo happy, made the other foreigners happy. They watched with pure joy as the raccoon look-alike stuffed her face in front of them until she stopped with an annoyed face, clearly annoyed and slightly creeped out her friends were staring at her with that joyful look. 

 

“Just confess your love to me and I’m all yours.” She proudly says with a cocky attitude and her annoyed expression turns to a slight smirk as the others laughed at her affectionate joke. Momo puts a spoonful of hot rice into and groaned at how good rice could be. “This is nice. We haven’t hanged out like this in a while.” Momo fondly remembers the last time of them hanging out was when they took Tzuyu to Han River to cheer the girl up. Tzuyu quietly smiles to herself, being reminded of the moment as well. 

 

Sana gently places her hand on top of Momo’s, coming in soft contact with the friendship rings that they made in Jeju Island along with the other members. Ever since that day, the members have been sporting the ring and have been proud to show it off in front of the cameras. “Sorry Momo, it must be creepy for you to have us watch you eat and also the fact that none of us are eating.” She looked around at their plates filled with food and then looked at Momo’s almost empty plate. Tzuyu adjusted herself in her seat, now feeling embarrassed that Sana was calling them (and herself) out. So, the Taiwanese started to eat her Spaghetti Carbonara and Mina followed suit. 

 

Momo looks at Sana with wide eyes, wondering how did the latter figure out her thoughts. She started to think if her group-mate was some sort of mind reader or maybe they were just hanging out too much. Sana showed a bright smile, ignoring Momo’s wide eyes before digging into her meal and the four of them were quiet for the rest of the meal as TWICE always enjoyed good meals by not saying anything. 

 

They walked home in the dark, feeling brave and confident as the night time was never a scary time for them. In fact, it was their only time where they got to do things that didn’t involve fans asking for their autographs or taking secret pictures of them. Momo felt so bold that she didn’t bring a mask with her and skipped along the road with Sana giggling behind her as she wore a black cap and glasses. Tzuyu and Mina, the quiet ones, wore baggy sweaters and put up their hoods to not risk being recognized. They were speed walking behind the jolly duo where Sana almost fell twice and making sure they weren’t loud enough to cause any ruckus on the streets.

 

“Unnies, wait up!” Tzuyu harshly whispered, out of breath as she started to jog to walk beside the two. Mina following her actions as she went to the other side. The youngest of them grabbed Momo’s arm, commanding for the oldest of them to stop skipping and Sana laughed at the sight of Momo pouting. 

 

“Oh c’mon, Tzuyu!” They never got to goof off in their free time because they were always resting. Sana showed her puppy dog eyes and the mentioned girl grunted as she released Momo’s arm. The Japanese started to skip again, feeling happy that her fellow Japanese friend has backed up for her. Mina gave a smug look to no one in particular, knowing that Tzuyu could never deny Sana’s puppy dog eyes because she knew the youngest had an undying love for dogs. One of their phones started to ring and Tzuyu lets out another grunt, still frustrated at what happened earlier. 

 

“Seriously unnie, how loud is your ringtone!?” She harshly whispered again, not wanting to cause attention on the streets as she gestured at Momo. The latter was slowly pulling out her phone from her sweater pocket, feeling falsely accused by the youngest. Meanwhile, Sana and Mina were dying on the streets as they clutched their stomachs, feeling pain from laughing too much. 

 

“Sorry,” Momo whispered with a cheeky smile and then answered the phone once she saw it was their manager calling. “Oh hello, manager-unnie.” She spoke loud enough to grab the attention of Sana and Mina who immediately stopped laughing to go closer to hear the conversation on the phone but Momo pushed them away as she sensed the serious tone from the manager. She walked away to have some privacy, leaving the other three in confusion.

 

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Mina was the first one to question the girl’s absence and Sana shrugged her shoulders as they watched Momo’s face grow with concern from the distance. Usually, if the managers called, Momo would always put the phone on speaker to let the others listen to their conversation. 

 

Momo walked back with cautious steps and slid her phone back into her sweater pocket. She rocked back and forth in her spot, aware of the questioning looks from the foreigners but she ignores them and instead tells them that they needed to go back to the dorm as quickly as they can. Momo was the first to lead the way as the other three watched for a few seconds, still confused about what was going on. They had many questions running in their head but they all chose to not ask as they could sense how tense Momo was from the phone call. They followed Momo in silence, wondering what storm was waiting for them when they arrived home. 

 

——

 

Mina never asked for this to happen and she knew as a matter of fact that she has never taken that picture with Bambam from GOT7. So she never understood why the company had announced they did take the picture and confirmed that they were only friends and not dating. She was confused and frustrated because now her turn to be jailed in the dorm was here. Mina was excused from her schedule for a week and could not go out to any of the fanmeets which in her defense, probably made the situation even worse because it looked like Mina was hiding away from something. She even received texts from the GOT7 member, apologizing about the scandal even though it wasn’t his fault and they both joked around at how the company was only doing this for the drama— which may have not been a joke now that Mina thinks about it.

 

So here she was, sitting in her room in the dark because she was receiving death threats for something she didn’t even do. The curtains were completely closed and Nayeon was starting to get concerned for the ballerina. She always knew something was wrong from the picture scandal but at the same time, Mina brushed it off knowing the picture wasn’t real. However, the other day Nayeon sensed something off about Mina but she couldn’t put her finger on it. The eldest of the group stood outside the bedroom door. It was technically her bedroom too so why was she so afraid to barge in and ask how Mina was doing? She took a deep breath as she was about to knock on the door before she was interrupted by Momo. 

 

“Unnie, what are you doing?” The girl had a water bottle in her hand and she took a sip of it, already regretting it because the only liquid Momo drank was soda. 

 

“You don’t drink water.” Nayeon raised a brow at her, quickly changing the topic and Momo got all defensive as she pointed the water bottle at her. 

 

“Yes, I do.” 

 

“No, you don’t.” 

 

“Yes I— Wait a minute, I know what you’re doing.” Momo’s eyebrows knitted together as she took a deep breath, feeling heated from Nayeon’s personal attack but she decided to tell the truth. “This water bottle is for Dahyun. Now, it’s your turn.” She patiently waited for the eldest to say something. 

 

Nayeon sighed as she banged her head against the door, not caring if Mina could hear them anymore. “I was going to go check up on her.” Momo’s mouth turns into an ‘o’ shape and she crossed her arms. 

 

“So why aren’t you going in there?” Momo knew the eldest would always go for the opportunity to hug her members and she knew Mina would love to get a hug right now, but she had to admit the sight of Nayeon’s forehead against the door was amusing. 

 

Nayeon banged her head again and groaned out. “I don’t know, okay?” She then used her fist to punch the door out of frustration. “Am I not a good unnie to the members?” She always felt like she wasn’t doing her job as the eldest because Jihyo always did most of the work for the group and she always regrets that for her best friend. She wants Jihyo to act her age and have fun.

 

“What!? Of course, you’re a good unnie!” Momo exclaimed out of shock, she then grabbed the latter’s shoulders and made the latter face her. “When Tzuyu felt embarrassed that she couldn’t do the laundry because she never learned how to use the machine, who helped her instead of laughing at her like the other trainees did?” Nayeon hesitated for a second before whispering her own name and Momo smiled to herself as she continued. “When Chaeyoung was crying in the sauna alone, who was there to listen to her? When Dahyun’s grandmother passed away, who was there to comfort her? When Mina first moved here, who was the first person to talk to her in English so she could be included in the conversations? When Jihyo’s song wasn’t approved by the company, who was there to blast it on the roof of our dormitory?” Nayeon laughed at the memory and Momo continued with a bright smile, knowing that she was cheering up the girl. “When Sana scraped her knee in front of the choreographers, who ran around the company yelling for a bandaid? When Jeongyeon needed to joke around to relieve some stress before she went on stage, who was always there to join in on the jokes?” Nayeon swore she was going to cry at how sincere Momo was speaking about herself. “And finally, when I felt my dancing wasn’t good enough, who was always there to compliment me?” 

 

Momo showed a bright smile before patting Nayeon’s shoulders. “Even before TWICE happened, you were always a good unnie to us.” Momo walked away to the School Adventure Meal Club’s room to give Dahyun her water bottle and Nayeon was in awe of what just happened. The door finally opened to reveal Mina barefaced with no makeup and in a long shirt that went up to her knees, Nayeon showed a small smile and Mina showed a weird look at her, pretending she was emotionally okay but she was on the verge of bawling her eyes out. 

 

“What the heck are you doing, unnie? I kept hearing banging noises on the door— “ Nayeon pulled the ballerina in for a tight hug and Mina first resisted the hug before letting herself give in and she started to cry on Nayeon’s shoulder. 

 

Nayeon started to caress the girl’s soft hair and hugged her tighter, not caring if she couldn’t breathe at the moment. “It’s okay, Mina. I’m here for you.” Nayeon whispered in English and Mina started sobbing at the language that had once welcomed her when she first moved to Korea, her chest heaving up and down. 

 

“U-unnie!” She wailed out, feeling slightly embarrassed that she was crying in the middle of the hall and her nose brushed against the latter’s neck. Nayeon could only smile as she rubbed Mina’s back, feeling happy that Mina broke down— which isn’t something you should be happy about but Nayeon knew Mina was never the one to show her emotions that often. 

 

Mina ended up telling Nayeon everything especially about the death threats and Nayeon comforted her on the floor in the middle of the halls, ignoring the thankful looks of the foreigners who walked by and were grateful to have the eldest unnie in their lives. 

 

——

 

“Can you believe it’s been three years since our debut?” Jihyo questioned in the waiting room of Music Bank. They finished performing “Yes or Yes” and decided to order food in (as always). Everyone responds with comments saying how crazy everything has been and how much everyone grew up. 

 

“Our little Tzu Tzu grew up.” Nayeon cooed as she pinched the girl’s cheeks who did not give consent for the latter to do so. They all laughed at the annoyed look that Tzuyu secretly shot at Nayeon who was now busy pinching Chaeyoung’s and Dahyun’s cheeks. “Our maknaes have grown up to become women.” The eldest gushed and everyone else nodded in agreement. They were all finally the age of becoming adults which meant that they were allowed to do “adult” activities, which the eager Jeongyeon and Momo had already taken care of planning their activities with the maknaes. Chaeyoung and Tzuyu had also graduated and remembered when they came home, they saw the managers wearing party hats, making noises with these kazoos and the members held a cake with a candle for each of them. The sight made the two laugh but they were still thankful for the cute little surprise. 

 

“My hangul has improved a lot.” Momo boasted with pride and everyone replied by saying how proud they were of the Japanese. Momo had also developed a new language that has become a hit in their fandom which was “Momo Language”. The language where Momo describes everything with circles and only the members could understand what she was truly saying, and that made the language even better. 

 

“We even learned some Japanese from our masters.” Dahyun referred to the other two Japanese members who helped her out when they had no schedules planned. She thought Mina would be the strict teacher and Sana would be the fun teacher but it turned out it was the complete opposite. Mina showed a proud smile to Dahyun and playfully messed up her hair. 

 

“Well, I’m surprised at how quickly you guys picked it up. I think you guys can speak Japanese more fluently than me.” Mina joked around and remembering the time when TWICE first went abroad to Japan and the Japanese members were worrying about their Japanese skills because they have been speaking Korean constantly. 

 

Nayeon placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder and showed her bunny-tooth smile. “We have many accomplishments to share but right now, the staff says we need to go on stage for the end of the show.” Everyone groaned and Nayeon decided it’d be nice to treat the girls to a meal. 

 

“How about we go get some barbecue after? My treat.” The eldest announced, receiving loud cheers as they left the room with anticipation to eat barbecued beef and some of them were chanting the meals they wanted to eat tonight. Sana and Nayeon were the last ones to leave the room and the Japanese turned her head at the eldest. 

 

“Thank you unnie.” She says with sincerity. Sana always wished she could show a way on how to show her thanks to the members. They have looked after as if they were her family from the beginning and Sana who has come from a small family will always be thankful for TWICE. Nayeon chuckled at the girl as she wrapped an arm around her and they walked towards the steps of the stage. 

 

——

 

Sana apparently wasn’t thinking when she posted her Instagram post about the transition between the Heisei and Reiwa eras— that’s what the company said to her. Instead of being locked up in the dorms (which is what she’d rather do), she was forced to go every schedule “pretending” that everything was fine. But she later saw on the internet that all of the fans could see she was truly disappointed with herself by the negativity she received on the internet. 

 

Sana isolated herself, not wanting to talk to any of the members, not even the foreigners who was persistent on being by her side but she repeatedly denied and pretended to fall asleep on her bed. When most of the time, she cried herself to sleep. She knew Jihyo could hear her, she knew Mina could hear her and she definitely knew Nayeon could hear her because of the sad looks she gave in the next morning. However, everyone knew Sana needed to be alone and she was so glad for everyone to understand the space that she needed right now. Her parents texted constantly, asking how she was and she would reply with short text messages, assuring that she was okay and was eating well. That was a lie. Sana barely goes out to eat with the members anymore or even goes out of her room to eat food they ordered in. 

 

She knew Tzuyu was the most concerned because she was once also in the same situation. The young girl would ask if Sana wanted to go for a walk even though they both knew the managers has forbidden them to do so but Sana declined the offer, not wanting to pour her feelings onto Tzuyu. She didn’t want the youngest to feel the same thing that she had once felt when she was only sixteen-years-old but one night, Tzuyu asked again and Sana was startled to hear that Tzuyu would not take no for an answer. 

 

“Get up from your bed right now.” Tzuyu demanded in a low voice and Sana thought she felt shivers from how cold the latter’s voice was. Tzuyu frowned at the sight of the Japanese lying on her bed and facing the wall, she thought it looked almost pathetic. Sana didn’t have any energy to move any of her limbs so Tzuyu decided to pick her up, shocking the girl even more. 

 

“Tzuyu, what are you doing?” Sana harshly whispered, not wanting to wake up the other members in the room. 

 

Tzuyu proceeded to take her out of the room in her arms and said with a straight face. “We’re going to Han River.” The atmosphere was tense, it wasn’t like the last time they went to the Han River. Sana saw the other two Japanese members were waiting for her at the door, wearing matching sweaters, a cap and Mom held a mask in her hand. “You’ll need to wear this, just in case…” Tzuyu muttered to Sana who looked stunned at the whole situation, was she really getting kidnapped by her own members just so they could go to Han River? Tzuyu puts on a black cap and nodded to Mina who nodded in response. 

 

They both linked arms with Sana who looked surprised at the action. “So you don’t run away.” Mina whispered, giving her an apologetic look. Instead of walking to Han River, Sana was more surprised to see one of their managers in the car waiting for them. 

 

“What the heck is going on?” She asked with a slightly annoyed expression as she saw the manager look at her in the eye through the car mirror. Momo sat in the passenger seat as Mina and Tzuyu sat on either side of Sana, still linking their arms with her. 

 

“Sana-chan, we’re worried for you. You’re looking as thin as ever.” The mentioned girl frowned as she looked at her own body, her legs were looking more frail lately. Momo sighed as she turned to look at her best friend in the eye. “You would do the same for us.” Momo admitted and the others nodded, knowing it was the truth. The ride to Han River was silent, they knew there was nothing else to talk about until they arrived at Han River. 

 

Mina and Tzuyu walked Sana to the exact spot where they last sat and breathed in the cold air, while Momo told the manager that she would call them when they were done talking with Sana. “Thank you so much, manager-unnie.” The mentioned girl nods in understanding, she was very proud of Tzuyu for thinking of the idea to bring Sana here and whispered good luck to the Japanese. Momo walked to where the three were at and could hear Sana refusing to sit with the two on the ground. 

 

“Just because you have been through a political scandal, doesn’t mean you understand what I’m going through!” Sana directed her harsh words towards the Taiwanese who then snarled at her. 

 

“I don’t understand? You mean I don’t understand that I can’t do whatever I want right now because the whole world is aware of my every move? The fact that I can’t go back to Taiwan without being reminded that I’m a traitor because I held up the wrong flag?”. Tzuyu stepped closer to Sana, their faces dangerously close to each others. “I know what it is like to feel helpless, that I’m just a worthless piece of nothing waiting to cause chaos for everyone else!” The Taiwanese shouted at the top of her lungs, tears threatening to fall out. 

 

“I understand, okay…?” Tzuyu croaked out as she slowly sat on the ground, placing her head on her knees and hugging her legs. Momo and Mina frowned at the sight and looked at Sana who tried opening but couldn’t say anything. She had tears falling down her cheeks and used the sleeve of her sweatshirt to wipe away her own tears. “I just wanted to help you, Sana-unnie…” Tzuyu whispered out as she quietly cried to herself. 

 

Sana kneeled down beside Tzuyu and tried placing her hand on Tzuyu’s knee but she roughly shoved off her hand, feeling angry that Sana wasn’t accepting any help. “Tzuyu-ya,” Sana softly called out but the girl didn’t respond and instead stared at the ground. 

 

Momo couldn’t stand the sight of the young girl and plopped a seat beside her. “Tzuyu, do you want to talk about it?” She knew the girl still had a lot to say about her scandal, even if Tzuyu didn’t want to admit it. 

 

“There’s nothing to talk about.” The youngest muttered out and Mina sat beside Sana, gesturing for the girl to sit with the view of the Han River in front of them. Sana hesitantly took a seat beside Tzuyu and crossed her legs to get comfortable. She knew they were going to be at Han River for a long time. 

 

“You’re right, I need help. I’m always happy but when something crushes my happiness, I feel as if I’m nothing. I don’t have any purpose in myself anymore because I’m like the Sun.” Sana sighed out and Tzuyu still has her eyes on the ground. “I’ve been told by someone that I bring happiness wherever I go, I guess you could say that I’m dangerous.” Sana lowly chuckled as she quickly glanced at Mina who was also smiling at the joke. “But I do need a better coping mechanism. I’ll eat more and I won’t lock myself in my room all the time when I’m sad.” Tzuyu finally looks at the Japanese in shock that Sana had already figured it out for herself. 

 

“Really?” Tzuyu croaked out and Sana lets out a breathy chuckle as she reached her arms out, waiting for the consent of a hug to happen. Tzuyu hesitantly leans towards the girl and Sana softly groaned out, wrapping her arms around the youngest. 

 

“Anything for you.” Sana softly pecks the side of Tzuyu’s head, and Momo and Mina smiled at the sight of Tzuyu softly smiling in the crook of Sana’s neck. 

 

“Y’know I thought it would be harder to persuade you to get better.” Tzuyu grumbled in a low tone, a little mad that she didn’t help out more. Momo laughed at how cute their youngest maknae was acting and wrapped her arms around two with Mina joining in on the group hug. 

 

“You’re not worthless, Tzuyu. You’re more than that, you’re our youngest who will always look after us.” Everyone’s eyes were on Momo and the eldest of the four looked at them with shining eyes. “And for that, I love you guys. I could never ask for anyone else to be my members.” 

 

“By members, we’re also including the other five right?” Momo groaned out loud in annoyance at Mina who giggled at the monster roar. Momo thought it was already implied that she was talking about the whole group. Momo then stood up from her seat, dusting her bottom from the dirt on the ground and brought her arms out like a God. 

 

“I LOVE KOREA!” 

 

Mina giggled at Momo’s voice echoing and decided to join in. “I LOVE TWICE!” She yelled in her loudest voice, earning a slap on the back from Momo who was proud of the girl who has stepped out of her comfort zone from years ago when she couldn’t speak louder than Chaeyoung whispering. Sana looked at Tzuyu who looked hesitant on joining in and she decided to drag the youngest from the ground and stood her up. 

 

“C’mon Tzuyu.” Sana wiggled her eyebrows and the mentioned girl was reminded of the last time they were at Han River. 

 

“I know you want to do it.” 

 

Tzuyu shot the brightest smile as she raised her hands up. “AHHHHHHH!” The three laughed at her and all yelled the same thing, all of them feeling their stress going away every-time they yelled out something. 

 

“TWICE IS MY FAMILY!” Sana yelled out with the proudest look on her face and Tzuyu followed suit. 

 

“TWICE IS MY HOME!” 

 

The Japanese members looked at her with a fond smile and they glanced at each other, nodding together. “TWICE IS OUR HOME! YEAHHHH!” They all joined hands with each other and secretly, the other members were watching them from afar behind a few trees and bushes, giggling at how silly the four looked. They would of course later explain the reason they were there was because they were concerned on the foreigners’ wellbeing but it turned out in the end, they were all okay because they had each other. 

 

Home is not always a location but rather a feeling that is elicited by others you love. 

 

Chaeyoung looked over Tzuyu’s shoulder and was impressed by her writing. “That’s beautiful, chingu.” The Taiwanese looked up to meet eyes with Chaeyoung and they smiled at each other. 

 

“Thanks, Chaeng.” She looked at her journal one more time before placing it on the bookshelf above their desk and they could hear Jihyo yelling at Momo to not start eating until everyone was in the living room, eating take out that they snuck with a couple of shoelaces tied together and watching TV dramas that Nayeon was obsessed with and was already watching in the living room. Meanwhile, Sana was being playful and teasing Dahyun who badly needed to use the washroom that was being used by Mina. And Jeongyeon was also joining in on the fun, grabbing a water bottle and pouring it back and forth into a cup. Chaeyoung and Tzuyu laughed to each other as they could hear Dahyun whining to Jeongyeon to stop doing her playful actions. 

 

“Hey, grab your phone and we can start playing ocean sounds. Maybe, she’ll pee her pants!” Chaeyoung lets out an evil laugh and Tzuyu sprinted to get her phone from her bed. They ran out of their room to join in on the fun with Sana and Jeongyeon. 

 

And that is the kind of home the TWICE members learned to grow up in and they wouldn’t ask for anything else.