There are people looking, who’d listen… I wanna keep up… I wanna…

“Do better… Now we’re- nine.” Chaeyoung mumbles. Feverish, she couldn’t get up. She has fallen ill to a point she couldn’t participate on the first leg of Twicelights Japan.

Nayeon and Momo are on her bedside. Dahyun and Tzuyu are packing Chaeyoung’s stuff. As the room gets crowded, Mina and Jeongyeon stay out. Sana and Jihyo just got back with the manager from assisting in reports and Chaeyoung’s earlier flight schedule back to Korea. They join them.

“How’s Chaengie?” Sana asks.

“Still the rebel kid that she is even when barely conscious”, Jeongyeon puffs out. “Hopefully this is just body reaction to season changing, nothing more serious.”

The girls have seen Chaeyoung suffer from nightmares that’s likely affecting important rest. Hearing her dongsaeng’s deliria, Jeongyeon would like to renounce the possibility of the trauma taking over the maknae.

Jeong looks to Jihyo and pans to the door insinuating the leader to check on Chaeng, “Yah you might wanna go in there.”

Jihyo daunted clocks the knob. Before she enters, Mina expresses something she would like to do for Chaeyoung. “Jihyo I’ll take Chaeng’s parts”, Mina says.

Chaeng sang Mina’s during the Feel Special promotions. Now the situation calls for her to do the same and Jihyo understands that. The leader nods, “I’ll let the others know and get them ready” then she steps in to the room.

“Mina said she’d fill in Chaeng’s. Proceed to rehearsals. I’ll follow in a bit”, Jihyo states. Nayeon, Momo, Dahyun, and Tzuyu leave the two.

Shortly, Chaeng mumbles again. Jihyo moves to her side and lends ears. Chaeng utters, “Waegure? This- we don’t deserve…”

Jihyo calls her, “Chaeyoung-ah.”

Chaeng half awakes. Jihyo unnie, I- thought it’s okay to be loved regardless. Living in this lie is haunting. It is “Not okay.”

“Unnie, mian I…” she tried to tell something.

Jihyo suddenly hears a knock. It’s the staff that would take Chaeng to the airport. She goes to answer. But the rebel maknae tosses her arm to the leader pausing her and whispers, “I’ll fight.”

Jihyo finds herself reflecting on Chaeng’s words while on rehearsals. She tells Jeongyeon about it, “Baby Beast holding on to the rebellion.”

“What’s with the face? Aren’t you gonna do the same?”

“After the grand fan meet, I’m inclined to let go now.”

Jeong’s eyes widen, mockingly chuckles.

“I’ve poured my guts out in my recent mag interview STILL on fighting stance, clearing our name to anyone.” Jeongyeon sighs, “Just- One more amongst billions in this world. To let them know of truth. We’re in too deep to quit.”

She had a solo shoot with Marie Claire for its November 2019 issue in time for her birthday. Being perceived as Jihyo’s driver to Daniel’s place as per Dispatch’s article, Jeongyeon subtly fought by emphasizing how important image is to her.

She spilled on the mag, “I clean up because it’s not nice to look at messy things. Especially in the waiting rooms where people come and go. It’s like Twice’s face, our image.”

Further, Jeongyeon is making it known that she’s the one who get to decide for herself and not be used by anyone. She says “The fact that I myself made a particular decision, not others. It’s important for me to not regret or look back on decisions I’ve already made. I can’t blame anyone for it.”

In line to this consciousness, she adds “I worry for no reason. That makes my body tired. I don’t know if I should throw away my desire to take care of everybody.”

This is where Jeongyeon is coming from. She’s still in this fighting attitude that she’s unlikely to let go.

“The more we hAVE TO LET GO.” Jihyo sighs, “We’ve said and done our best. It’s tiring. I can’t stand seeing anyone of you like this anymore. All because of- my name written on that stupid article.”

“So, what you’re gonna do now? Carry on your own living this LIE?!”

Jihyo freezes up. She knows the next question that needs to be asked is “How?” Her sensitive heart still remembers the time she carried a mental wound on her own. It was from the despair of waiting long to debut. She was distressed that she had neglected her physique gaining so much weight.

Her current state is entirely different than before. Now a renowned celebrity in full bloom, the impact of receiving both compliments and hate are magnified. Jihyo who has built reputation by authenticity finds them taxing including the good wishes on her framed-up dating.

What would her life be like if she had carried this load alone? Jeong reminds her, “Have it your way had you not become Twice. Since it’s not the case, you can’t blame us in wanting to carry it with you.”

Jihyo gives in. Nodding, she says “Gurae. And I thank you all for that. I just meant that we don’t have to try so hard anymore. We’ve done our part feeding our truth to the world. Swallowing it is totally on them.”

These knock sense to Jeong that she calms down. “Mian. I’m being nosy again, aren’t I?” They break this little strain by giggles.

Jihyo lifts her face catching a glimpse of Sana across the stage and says, “I’m just- gonna live.”

She looks back to Jeong, “That’s what I want for everyone too. What we’ve gone through definitely changed us forever. I’m not quitting the fight. More like, letting our lives speak for itself. The ones who heard our loudest wouldn’t need more. To those who didn’t…”

Jihyo sees Sana approaching. The leader focuses on every step closer Sana makes. Jeong takes notice on the way they look and completes the other’s thought, “Forgive them. For they have failed to listen attentively.”

She shakes head and chuckles by herself for realizing her pettiness, “Right~ It’s the companies who confirmed it. Not you. Plus, here I am witnessing you idiots being all...”

“Ha?”

“god herself NOT LISTENING”, she’s about to slap her. The leader flinches. In the last minute, her hand hangs on Jihyo’s shoulder instead “I said I’m sorry. You’re not living a lie, it seems.”

Sana arrives and embraces her partner just as Jeongyeon flees with a smile and arms over her head showing Jihyo a heart. The blonde Japanese asks the leader, “How’s my Jihyo feeling?”

“Loved”, she answers with eyes closed as she’s squished. “Genuinely.”

This is the kind of love Twice has thrived on boosting their strength to survive another day. Tonight’s concert is filled with such and is witnessed by many as Mina successfully took over Chaeyoung’s parts.

Strengthened so much so that Nayeon and Momo initiate a Vlive right after the show. That goes with the fact that they’ve been avoiding food most of the day to prevent from throwing up during the run. It’s only now they’re able to eat in peace.

Momo munches on curry while the others are seen come and go with their own supply. Jihyo who has finished up now leads the broadcast. She scrolls through the comments and reads out the safe ones. The ones she’s confident about. Sana is behind reacting with her.

“Woolwa you’re so pretty”, Jihyo reads one with a contraction of Woori Twice and is fond of it. She wonders how it come about. She repeats upon learning from Sana.

“It means, Our Twice.” Sana then suggest of naming back, “Let’s call Once, Woolce.” Shortened for Woori Once which means, Our Once.

Our Once, isn’t it nice to be called ours? Like how it makes special feelings to truly belong to someone. “I love it”, Jihyo says.

“Come here”, Sana puckers as she tells her. She goes in for a peck on the cheek. Smiley Jihyo leans back going out of frame. As soon as muncher Momo who is seated beside notice them, Sana gives up.

Jihyo returns to frame and blurts out, “I love this filter effect.” Sana hits Momo who’s shooting Jihyo a look. Instead of turning to her puberty fit versus Jihyo once again, Momo bows down going back to munching food.

A day after, the girls have arrived back to Korea. Chaeyoung in a better state watches the recorded clip of the Live at the dorm. Momo joins her.

She stumbles on the part where Jihyo is making Dahyun choose between Sana and Momo. The maknae clings to the latter leaving the partners stick to themselves naturally.

“Yah those two”, Momo reacts on the partners inadvertently turning her into a third wheel.

“Heh, would’ve picked unnie had I been there.”

Momo cuddles baby Chaeng, “It’s okay. Dahyun and Nayeon-ie got me.”

Sooner on the clip, Momo who’s caressing Dahyun’s hair confessed that she had curry by hand. Chaeng laughs out on this scene, “Unnie! ~ Aw, poor Dahyun-ie…”

Momo who has just been observant of their situation banters with rebel Chaeng, “We pulled through and lightened the load. Jihyo is becoming bright again, isn’t she?”

“She’s letting go.”

“Oh, you know?”

“Yeah we’ve talked. Knowing her as a mediator keeping peace, I expected it. Glad she has fought first and did everything before doing so. And since she’s directly the one written on paper, of course I’d support what she’d set on.”

Chaeyoung then declares “But, I’d still fight.”

“Eh?”

“Things that really matter are clearer now. Knowing what’s genuine allows us to protect and cherish those that are precious better. Living on is Jihyo unnie’s style.”

Chaeng adds “Anyway, I’ve let her know I’m ready. WE are ready, rather… Whenever she’s in need. As for me, I’d fight in my own way.”

Soon, they hear the door swing. It’s Mina who follows through a different flight schedule away from the usual airport crowd waiting for Twice. She goes straight to Chaeng whom she dearly missed and covered for proudly announcing, “I made it!”

Both her performance in Twicelights and arriving back safely from Sapporo are achievements on its own. Mina is made comfortable wherever she goes. The handmade shoes written with ‘Doing small things with great love’ indeed do wonders.

The shoemaker Chaeng welcomes her, “Knew it! Thank you Minari.”