Nothing like listening to Twice and Chopin while writing heartbreaking things. Perhaps, I made myself devastated.

Jihyo and Chaeyoung met at Jumpin' Beans and decided to get home together. They talked about the situation that had occurred then. The two friends even tried contacting Mina again to experience quite a shock. The couldn't contact Mina because she didn't answer, they couldn't do it because such a number didn't exist anymore. They shared a look. They both knew that they just lost their friend. And to make their misery even worse, when they got home they found a trail of blood leading up the stairs. The two ran following the trail and it led them to the bathroom. Tzuyu was sitting on the toilet battling with bandages. Bloody tissues and a bottle with antiseptic were scattered on the floor. When Tzuyu failed to tie the bandage again she pulled it forcefully and dumped it on the floor, cursing.
"ing hell! What are you staring at?! Help me." Jihyo snapped out of her trance and kneeled in front of Tzuyu. She carefully took her bleeding hand and took the gaze off. There were many cuts, some still bleeding heavily and some not. Jihyo looked up at Tzuyu.
"What happened?" Tzuyu just looked away but hissed and turned her attention back to Jihyo, when the other pushed on her knuckles.
"Are you insane?!" Chaeyoung got closer to take a look. She noticed something shiny in one of the cuts.
"You have glass in those wounds. What have you punched?" Jihyo and Chaeyoung didn't look around the house after entering. They were focused on the blood. But they had a big cupboard with glass doors. 
"Can you just bandage it?" Tzuyu still sounded furious but she didn't yell anymore. That low voice made her scarier.
"We need to go to the hospital. I think you broke some bones. Can you move your fingers?" Jihyo let go of Tzuyu's hand and waited for some action. As soon as Tzuyu tried to do a minimal move she hissed and pulled the hand to her chest.
"You punched something else, didn't you?" Chaeyoung never saw Tzuyu like that. Her friend never got angry. Irritated, yes but not angry. Jihyo got up.
"We are going. Let's go downstairs." Jihyo and Chaeyoung headed for the door, Tzuyu didn't budge. They halted and stared at her.
"Mina-unnie...I think we lost her."

Nayeon was getting mad. She didn't know Mina well but she thought the best of her. And now, Mina is disappearing suddenly, without any concrete reason, ignoring everyone. Nayeon was angry with Mina. She hurt her friend and her girlfriend. That is outrageous. Momo and Nayeon came over to Sana as soon as they could. They were both done with the princess constantly sending messages and calling Mina. But they weren't saying anything. They did though when Sana let out a cry.
"What's wrong?" Momo stopped playing with one of the pillows and Nayeon got up from the chair to move closer to Sana that was lying in her bed.
"The number doesn't exist." Nayeon and Momo were taken aback. Sana's voice was so quiet and vulnerable that they were sure the princess will break down soon. They both hugged Sana and could only look at each other while Sana was sobbing in their arms. They had to do something but they felt helpless. What were they supposed to do when even Mina's friends didn't know anything. 
Sana fell asleep from exhaustion after the whole hour of crying. Nayeon and Momo sat on the floor before the bed and were just staring at the wall.
"I will kick her ." Momo shook her head. She knew Nayeon was just saying that. But if Mina really left like that without a reason then she will kick her as well. 
"We should go to the others tomorrow and work together. Maybe, we can find some clues" Nayeon snorted nonchalantly. 
"What are we, mystery inc.? We will only learn something if we meet with Mina. And she is doing everything not to meet us." Momo massaged her temples. They sat in silence for a moment until one of the phones buzzed. Nayeon stood up to check out which one it was and when it turned out to be hers, she read the message immediately. Momo waited for her friend to share the content of the text.
"It's from Jihyo. She said they went to the hospital with Tzuyu. She punched some stuff in their house. She also met with Mina's father." Nayeon paused and looked at Momo with a frown. "Apparently, we won't see Mina again. Even if he didn't say it explicitly, it was obvious." Momo glanced at the sleeping girl with concern. 
"Should we tell her?" It wasn't like Momo didn't want her friend to know about that. She just didn't want Sana to hurt even more than she already did. Nayeon understood it.
"We can't lie to her. No matter how hurtful it will be." Momo sighed heavily but nodded. 

Sana was hopeful. Nayeon and Momo took her to meet Mina's friends. She thought that perhaps they know what happened with Mina and maybe she is with them. But when she looked at the grave expressions on her friends' faces she lost all the hope. They didn't tell her anything. They just told her parents that they are going to an art gallery and be back in a few hours. The house where Jihyo and Mina lived was big but it wasn't fancy. It was simple. Sana thought that it was very Mina-like. They were let in by a tiny girl that Sana assumed was Chaeyoung thanks to Mina's many stories about her friends.
"Hi. Come in, Jihyo and Tzuyu are in the living room." She gestured in the right direction and waited until the three girls enter to close the door after them. 
In the living room, Jihyo and Tzuyu were sitting on the sofa not doing anything except for staring in the direction of the hallway. When Nayeon, Momo, and Sana walked in, Jihyo stood up and moved to greet them.
"I'm glad you could make it, guys. It's a pleasure to meet you, eh, my lady." Jihyo bowed to the princess and gestured for the newcomers to sit. Momo took Sana over to the armchairs next to the sofa and Nayeon sat close to Jihyo. She put her arm around Jihyo and caressed her back. 
"So, do you know anything? Yesterday I tried calling Mina and suddenly her number doesn't exist." Sana was the first person to break the silence. She couldn't stand not knowing anything. But it looked like no one wanted to answer her. "What is happening? Please, tell me." She pleaded with the most vulnerable voice any of them ever heard. Jihyo took a deep breath.
"I think we won't meet Mina anytime soon. Tzuyu went over to her house yesterday and Mina's father told her to go away because the longer she stays there the worse it is for Mina. And the deactivated number says everything we need." Jihyo looked at Sana who had fear in her eyes. 
"That can't be. Mina wouldn't do such a thing. She wouldn't leave, she loves all of you." Perhaps, Sana was right. But the facts were different. They only knew that Mina left to take care of her ill mother and stopped contacting them. 
"Of course. So, there must be a reason." Jihyo couldn't find any, though. She felt as if she didn't know anything about Mina. 
"How are we going to find out anyway? Her father threatened me when I went there." Tzuyu still wasn't looking at anyone in the room. Sana didn't know the minister well but he never seemed like a bad person. She hoped it had nothing to do with him. Your father treating you like a punching bag was heartbreaking.
"There must be a way." Sana exclaimed. She was looking around everyone in search of someone to back her up. "We need to help. We can't just sit and do nothing." 
"You are right. But we can't break into her house and kidnap her." Chaeyoung was only half-joking. She was thinking about doing this. Even if they would most likely get arrested. Then Sana got up suddenly and raised her hand to . "Hey, I'm joking." Sana shook her head at Chaeyoung.
"I remembered that there is a banquet in about a week. Every minister and their families are invited." The others thought for a moment. This sounded like a great opportunity but they had no affirmation that Mina would actually be there.
"She might not go, Sana." Momo put her hand on Sana's shoulder and tried to push her down on the chair. Sana took Momo's handoff.
"It's worth trying. I will get her alone. My mom will help and even Hidenori will, he's always supportive. Come on. We have to take that chance." Sana sounded desperate. It felt like she would lose her life if she didn't see Mina again. Nayeon and Momo witnessed such behavior before but the others were surprised. Mina told them that she was getting along well with Sana, though they didn't think it was this well. 
"Okay. We can try. We need to discuss what you should do so that the mission wouldn't fail." Jihyo agreed after a little thought and the other girls followed. Sana nodded with determination burning in her eyes. The group tried to foresee every possible outcome. The majority of them ended with Sana failing and it destroyed the princess's confidence gradually. Why was the world against them? There were two scenarios where Sana would successfully separate Mina from her parents and would have a few minutes to talk. It was up to her mother to distract the minister by taking him away from the hall or to knock him cold. It was obvious which idea belonged to Tzuyu and which they agreed on doing. All it took then, was waiting for the day of the banquet and rehearsing everything so that it will have a positive result.

Mrs. Myoui loved cooking. Especially, when she could do it for her family. She didn't fully understand why Mina started living with them again but she respected her daughter's privacy. Mrs. Myoui prepared french toasts and finished them with jam. With a big smile, she went to Mina's room. She was worried a little because Mina was spending a lot of time in her room, alone. Many times loud music was playing and she wasn't sure why her daughter was listening to Chopin at such volume where you can't even hear your own thoughts. Mrs. Myoui had to knock on the door as well. Mina never locked them when she lived with them before but started now. Her mind was creating so many stories as she tried to figure out what happened. Some of them were too dark and 
Mrs. Myoui stopped them. She didn't want her daughter to suffer so much. 
When she was in front of her daughter's room she didn't hear anything. She couldn't tell if it was a good thing or not. Mrs. Myoui knocked two times and waited with a warm smile for Mina to let her in. It took only a few seconds for the door to open. Mina seemed fine. Seemed. In her daughter's eyes, she could see sadness.
"How was your day? I made french toasts so let's eat and talk. You sit in your room all the time. I want to see my daughter sometimes." Mrs. Myoui laughed and Mina smiled softly. Mina let her mother into her room and before closing the door she checked the hallways for anyone watching. When she didn't see anything she closed the door. Her mother sat on her bed and gestured for Mina to sit next to her. Mina slowly made her way there. She had conflicting thoughts. She was happy to spend time with her mom but she was scared at the same time. That she would show something she shouldn't and her father would know. Mrs. Myoui showed one of the toasts into Mina's hand and led it to her daughter's mouth.
"It's delicious. Thank you." Her mom beamed. Mina munched on the toast so that she wouldn't have to talk. Her mother saw right through her.
"Don't avoid the conversation." Mina stopped eating. 
"It was fine. I did some work." Her answer was vague. Work was all she was doing for those few days she was in the house. It distracted her. Though, it wasn't always effective.
"Don't you play on your console? Back when you were little I couldn't get you away from games." Mina remembered those times. Sometimes, she wanted to go back to the time when she was a kid. But then she felt bad for thinking that way. That was when she hurt her father after all.
"I do. I am just busy nowadays." Mina was never talkative but she always talked a lot with her mother. Mrs. Myoui was getting more concerned.
"May I ask what happened that you came back home?" Mina froze for a split second and cleared after regaining consciousness. 
"We had an infestation. We had to move out for a while." Mina couldn't lie. She knew her mother won't believe her. Mina felt awful at that moment. She felt like that all the time recently.
"I see. Do you see your friends? You only left for school and came back immediately. Then you are locked in your room and I am sure no one would hear you over the loud music." Mina was visibly uncomfortable. 
"We can text, mom. We are fine." Mrs. Myoui knew her daughter was lying. It hurt her but she was respecting Mina's privacy. 
"You can always rely on me, Mina. Don't close on me. I can see you are sad." Mina didn't answer. She was in a dangerous situation. 
"I know. If there was something, I would have come to you. I am fine." Her mother observed her for a moment and made Mina even more uncomfortable. She was very close to breaking. But she was sure her mother won't believe her. She just wouldn't. And that made her lower her head and kill all the thoughts that told her to confess everything.
"I love you, Mina." Mrs. Myoui hugged her daughter after saying the words that Mina never heard from her father. Mina reciprocated the hug. 
"I love you too." Mina whispered. She only knew her mother heard it because she squeezed Mina. After a little moment, they pulled away.
"Don't listen to Chopin on full volume again. I keep dreaming of him and his music." Mina giggled at the joke. "I will go now. If you feel like going out of your cave, you know where to find me." Mrs. Myoui got up and exited the room, leaving the toasts for Mina. 
Mina felt a little better after the meeting with her mom. But it didn't magically fix everything. She was still helpless. She lied on her bed and fell into deep thinking. She knew it was unhealthy. She would make herself more hurt but she couldn't stop her thoughts.

"Did you notice that Mina acts weird?" Mrs. Myoui used the occasion of her husband being present earlier than usual and tried to get help from him. He shook his head.
"I think you are worrying too much." Mr. Myoui wasn't afraid of his wife finding out. To her, he was perfect. He loved his children and was a good politician. 
"Isn't it mother's job to worry about her children? She sits locked in her room all the time and she has sadness in her eyes. It pains me to see her like that." Mrs. Myoui was close to tears. Her husband pulled her into a hug and kissed her head.
"I understand. Mina probably needs to deal with this on her own. Besides, she always sat in her room and played games. Is it really that new?" Mr. Myoui tried to calm his wife. He knew she would trust him and wouldn't get involved. 
"You are right." Mr. Myuoi pulled away and kept his wife at the arms reach.
"Give her some space and time. You will see she will be alright. I promise." Mrs. Myoui nodded. She was very glad to have a caring husband. She felt like everything would really be okay like he said.
"Thank you. I won't pressure her anymore. Hopefully, she will come to talk herself." Mr. Myoui smiled reassuringly and pulled his wife for another hug.

Mr. Myoui stopped before Mina's room when he was going to his bedroom. It was unusually quiet. His daughter plays Chopin at full volume every day. He didn't hear anything today and his wife didn't as well. He couldn't decide if that meant trouble or if Mina just got bored of the pieces. Mr. Myoui got closer to the door and put his ear to the wood. Nothing. No clicking, moving, music. He pulled away. What was his daughter doing? But a thought came to his mind. What if she's not inside? Mina managed to sneak out a few times as a teenager. Until her father waited for her in her room one time and she never did that again. That's why he didn't like that Jihyo girl. She was the reason for Mina's misbehaving. But he let his daughter be friends with Jihyo. Just to observe. Mina was easily talking and laughing with that girl. She never did that with him. He wouldn't forget the day when Mina said her first words. Because she did it when he wasn't there. It wouldn't be bad, right? Except, she said her first words to him when she was 7. It hurt him. His daughter was always silent when he was around. His wife kept telling him that Mina only speaks to her, so he wasn't the only one. He didn't care. He watched all the fathers happily play with their daughters and there he was. Never with Mina, who clung to her mother as if her life depended on it. Mr. Myoui felt like Mina didn't love him. She never talked with him, played with him, only hugging him sometimes. He didn't think that there could've been a reason why Mina was so shy with him. He was a minister and was out of the home a lot. On some occasions was gone for a few months. But because his son didn't act like Mina, he thought the fault was hers. He decided to check if his daughter was still in her room. He had a spare key to all the rooms so he didn't have a problem with entering. Mr. Myoui pushed the door and saw Mina lying on the bed lifelessly. Worry struck him for a moment. He approached the bed and scrutinized Mina. She moved her eyes meeting his and after a second she closed them. All the creeping worry about Mina left Mr. Myoui. He stood straight and cleared his throat.
"You are making your mother worry. Stop. If you can't act maturely don't meet her. Also, get a grip. Look at yourself. You look pathetic. Do something productive." Mina didn't say anything. She was just lying with her eyes closed. But she heard everything clearly. She could always count on her father to make her feel worse.
"I'm glad to see you are going back to your old behavior. It would be easier for you to just tell me you hate me. But you prefer to hurt me more." He saw Mina grimace. Mr. Myoui stabbed the right place. "Also, if you were wondering why no one has been calling you. I deactivated your number. It won't bother us anymore." He left after those words. He waited before the door until he heard music playing. Then he headed for the master bedroom.

Mina knew her father made her go to the banquet just to spite her. He wanted to hurt her even more. To force her to watch Sana from afar and never approaching her. Or maybe there was a different idea. To make Sana walk up to Mina and force his daughter to destroy any good feelings the princess had for Mina. Mina was terrified. She was praying that her father just wanted her to watch and long for Sana. She couldn't hurt the princess. Mina was afraid that she would do it under her father's influence. Then she would fall so deep into self-loathing that she would never find her way back up. 
"Mina? Let's go. Everyone is definitely waiting for us." Her mother took her hand and pulled her with her. Her father only glanced at her. They were greeted at the front door and then led to the grand hall. Mina's heart racing like crazy. She had trouble breathing. But it was too late. The doors opened and the minister and his family came into the view of every guest. Mina looked at the floor to avoid the princess's eyes. She was sure that Sana spotted her immediately. And she couldn't bear looking into Sana's eyes. She will take this. She can suffer if it means Sana won't.