Nako stares up at the night sky as she sits on her balcony, knees hugged to her chest. Layers and layers of blankets and hoodies are piled upon her as she breathes winter air, a portable heater keeping her company through the night. Fukuoka is warmer than Seoul, she thinks, at least in terms of the weather. While Seoul is dropping into the negatives, freezing her to the core, it's at least a bit more comfortable here in the country she calls home.

But in terms of people... Well, this past decade she's never been luckier. Growing up among a group of girls and women who support and love her to bits, performing her heart out to hundreds and thousands of fans, and finding her soulmate in a woman who has blossomed from a girl, growing up together and sharing secrets and slowly but surely becoming known as the two aces of their generation - Tanaka Miku will never let her go.

Of course, the most recent years have been the most hectic. So much has happened, from moving to Seoul, fighting through tough times in a merciless survival competition to debuting again in a new girl group in unfamiliar territory, to becoming one of the most popular groups in the world. Everyday since then she's been so busy with practice and photoshoots and concerts and language classes that she's just totally forgotten how to breath until-

It happened.

Suddenly all their schedules were cancelled. Rumours, baseless or not, started to spread. And she and eleven other girls - her family - were left in limbo. No one knew what was going to happen. Depression and anxiety and unanswered questions and yet...

Life went on. They slowly started to rebuild themselves. Now that there was time to actually take a breather, they did. Food could finally be enjoyed. Eyes could finally be closed for at least eight straight hours. Smiles started to bloom again.

If Nako was to take a good look around, she would have definitely agreed that this was exactly what they had been needing for a while now. A good break. Because she knew, they all knew, their fans would always be waiting for them to return. It's more apparent in real life now, if the warm greetings at the airport (warm is an understatement, lovingly loud is more accurate) were anything to go by.

Somehow she had missed it, the cacophonous clicking of cameras, the flashing lights and attention-grabbing shouts and all their fans and fan-masters. This time, even the reporters were waving at her, wishing her a friendly welcome back.

It also didn't hurt that her HKT members were all huddled around in the airport in what she supposes must have been their most stealthy disguises, waiting for her to land in Japan. The ride back to Fukuoka was nostalgic, her original family talking over each other as they fought for her attention until they all eventually fell asleep.

(She fell asleep too, comfortable in the warmth of home.)

Now she swipes at her runny nose as she recalls fond memories. She wonders what the Korean members of her group are doing in the dorms now. Have they gone back to their respective houses, spending time with their parents like her and Sakura and Hitomi? She wonders whether Yuri has gone back to Busan, wonders whether Yena has bugged her until the younger girl finally relents to introduce Yena to her parents.

She wonders whether Eunbi is feeding Hyewon, whether Chaeyeon is calling Sakura to herald in the New Year together. Are Chaewon and Minjoo cuddled together somewhere, with Minjoo resting on her shoulder as they send silly pictures of themselves to Hitomi?

Are Yujin and Wonyoung sleeping?

Nako picks up her phone and considers calling them. Kids need their sleep to grow, according to Eunbi, but she thinks they've done enough growing to last a lifetime. Besides, knowing them, they'll probably be fighting to keep themselves awake to see fireworks heralding in the new year, or celebrating with friends and family. If they were still at the dorms, Yujin might be playing games or hanging out with Hyewon, while Wonyoung would no doubt be pampered silly by Eunbi.

Nako puts her phone down again and sighs. Her breath turns to mist. She closes her eyes and rests her head on her knees, hugging them close. Her long hair drapes past her scarf and shoulders, brushing the wooden floor. She shouldn't be sitting out in the cold, but she quite likes being outside by herself sometimes.

A lone girl against the world.

She hears a gentle tap on the glass door. It's probably her mother, she thinks, telling her to go back into their warm house. She turns around, ready to ask for a few minutes more.

And she meets two pairs of eyes, brilliant like stars in the midnight sky. Fighting back goofy grins, shoulders slightly slouched as they peer through the thick glass. And they stare and stare and stare at each other until they can take it no more and the door slams open.

Nako is swept up by two pairs of arms, shouts and laughs echoing in her ears. Messy brown hair tangle in hers, lips pressing on cheeks and fingers and lips. When she is placed on the ground again, her legs nearly collapse under her. She has to cling on to the balcony railing as she raises a shaky hand to cover her foolishly grinning mouth because-

What in the world is Ahn Yujin and Jang Wonyoung doing here, miles away from Seoul?

Yujin and Wonyoung settle themselves down on the balcony and pat the space between them. Yujin stretches her hand out to Nako and pulls the petite woman down. Wonyoung flicks a large blanket and drapes it over all three of them, and together she and Yujin huddle together to keep Nako warm.

"When?" is the first word Nako says when she finds her tongue.

"This morning," Wonyoung divulges, "we took the plane after yours left."

"It was my idea!" Yujin announces, puffing out her chest.

"Yeah, but who had to buy the tickets?" Wonyoung asked, sniffing. "You child, you didn't even understand the instructions on the website."

Yujin narrows her eyes at Wonyoung. "Don't try to act smart. Eunbi bought the tickets for us."

Nako chuckles and places her icy fingers on the girls' hands. "And why did you make Eunbi buy plane tickets for you two? You should be celebrating New Year with your family, you know."

Yujin and Wonyoung immediately turn to her, confusion and apprehension apparent on their faces. "You're our family," they say, words laced with sincerity.

Nako feels her eyes starting to water. She swipes at them with the back of her hand and laughs. "You know that's not what I mean."

"I know, but I'll be so lonely without you, though," Yujin mumbles, holding Nako closer, nearly pulling the girl into her lap if it wasn't for Wonyoung's firm grip on Nako's waist.

"We don't want you to be alone on New Year's either," Wonyoung adds. "You're always assuring us that you're fine, but we're here for you. We'll always be here for you." Saying that, Wonyoung leans in and plants a kiss on the crown of Nako's head. Not wanting to be beaten, Yujin quickly grabs Nako's hand and brushes warm lips across her cold fingers.

Blessed. Nako is blessed. Her gratitude and love for the two girls nurture a merry fire in her heart, burns her skin and sets her alight. With reddened cheeks she gets to her knees and pecks Wonyoung on the lips, then turns around to pull Yujin into a heart-fluttering kiss. Blushing furiously, she curls back up under the blanket. "I know," she whispers.

Somewhere in the distance, a clock chimes. A sharp whistle sets off a spark that explodes into colourful fireworks in the ink-filled sky. Under the bright lights, Nako says, says to the two people in her world who had flown here to celebrate the New Year with her, two girls who would do anything to keep her happy and safe, two members who always makes it known that she will always have a place to return to in an unfamiliar country, two women who have captured her hearts since the very beginning and forevermore:

"Happy New Year, and I love you."