To be fair she’s never really asked about Yujin’s extended family.

She knew Eunbi from college but they would only hang out with Yujin and even then the topic of their families never came up. Minjoo hadn’t even known Eunbi had a sister, always assuming that Yujin took on that role considering their relationship.

They’re standing down the hallway from the rehearsal hall, far from everyone else. Minjoo’s pacing back and forth so much that Chaewon’s convinced she could burn a hole through the floor if she kept moving.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were here for the wedding?” Minjoo speaks in a loud whisper.

“How was I supposed to know that when you said you were here for a wedding to think that we’d be going to the same one. Millions of people get married everyday, and I know for a fact that there’s five other weddings happening this weekend in this hotel as well...” Chaewon huffs at the accusation, she’s not even sure what she’s being blamed for. “Also I was hardly about to tell a stranger my schedule regardless.”

“Stranger?” she scoffs in disbelief.

“Oh, I’m sorry - are we friends?” Chaewon crosses her arms and her head slightly, for someone who was shorter than her, Chaewon had an immense powerful aura - one that Minjoo never thought the polite stewardess could have. There’s no more pleasantries between them, at least not in comparison to last night. “We only slept together last night...”

“That’s not what I mea- ” she stops abruptly. Minjoo knows she’s right. She thinks back to last night and all of the questions she could’ve asked, would’ve asked - if she knew, if they both knew. “Look I’m sorry. It’s just this was a huge mistake.”

“Ouch,” Chaewon winces.

“That’s not what I meant either!”

“Well you really need to figure out what you mean before you speak.”

Chaewon notes how Minjoo’s expression darkens by the moment, everything she felt written like a novel on her face through the wrinkle lines that formed in the way her eyebrows furrowed and lips curved downwards into a pout.

Chaewon loosens up and tries to release the tension in her shoulders, “So the woman you’re still in love with who’s getting married is…my baby cousin…”

Minjoo wants this to be a bad dream. A really bad dream. But if there’s one thing that Minjoo has learnt best how to do is to remove herself from situations she didn’t feel comfortable in. She turns around and starts walking away from Chaewon, “Where are you going?”

“I just need some fresh air…” Minjoo shouts back at her.

“Minjoo, it’s fine…” Chaewon chases after her. “Honestly, why are you even stressing?” she grabs Minjoo’s arm but the taller woman swings her arm backwards to get away. She sees the hurt in Chaewon’s eyes and a wave of guilt washes over her. “Look, I don’t know what to say - but I’m sure that this is all fine. We’re going to continue acting like we don’t know each other and in a few days when the wedding is over we’ll never have to see each other again. No one will ever find out.”

“Yah Kim Chaewon! Kim Minjoo! What are you two doing here?” Eunbi rushes down the corridor towards them with her handbag over her shoulder. “Are you both ready?”

“Ready?” Chaewon asks, looking at Eunbi.

“Yeah, Minjoo said she’d join us for lunch today.”

“Look unnie, I’m not feeling all too well…”

She puts her hand to her stomach and also her forehead and lets out a puff of air. She’s really not feeling well but this isn’t something that you can see either so it’s hard for her to sound convincing.

“Nope,” Eunbi shakes her head, “I’m not taking no for an answer. Let’s go!” She fills the awkward space between the two, linking arms with the both of them as they head out.

+

“What have you been doing since?” Eunbi asks after only taking a quick glance at the menu. She seems far more interested in what Minjoo has to offer as opposed to looking at the food apparently.

Minjoo twiddles her thumbs and tries to focus on Eunbi entirely, but she catches glimpses of Chaewon from the corner of her eye regardless, seemingly not paying attention to the conversation as she scans the menu.

“Oh, nothing much. You know me, I spend days practicing in between performances. I’ve been picking up some photography as well since there’s always so much to see in Japan.”

“Yah, you rascal. You were meant to invite me over once you settled. It’s been three years and you still haven’t.”

Chaewon laughs out loud, lowering her menu, “Unnie, I’m certain that the issue isn’t about Minjoo-sshi here inviting you, it’s whether or not you’d take a holiday and travel.” Minjoo is surprised to see Chaewon talking so casually despite everything. It’s probably all the training she goes through, learning to deal with a variety of social situations. Afterall when you’re thousands of meters in the sky in a small tin box, if something gets awkward there’s really nowhere to run.

“She has a sister who’s a flight attendant and she still wouldn’t travel with me. At least I had Yujin to accompany me on trips...”

“I know,” Eunbi rolls her eyes and kicks Chaewon under the table. The younger of the two winces in pain and moves her chair away from her and closer towards Minjoo. “I just wanted to give her a hard time because she hasn’t even been bothered to return home to visit her friends in the past three years. The next time we’ll see you is at someone’s funeral, you rascal.”

“Unnie, I’d at least visit you on your deathbed,” Minjoo says this so sincerely that it makes Chaewon burst out into laughter at Eunbi’s reaction. The older woman was rendered speechless by Minjoo’s innocence.

“Yah! It’s still years from now! That’s my point…”

Minjoo tries to keep a straight face but finds it too hard with Chaewon laughing beside her to maintain. She chuckles at first and turns back to Eunbi with a mischievous grin on her face. The oldest of the three glaring at the both of them.

“Maybe it’s a good thing you two have only met now, would’ve been hell on earth having you two together.”

“Unnie, you wouldn’t want to encourage this would you?” Chaewon tilts her head towards Minjoo and smiles sweetly, raising her finger to her cheek, trying to act cute and innocent. The only thing Minjoo notices is how close Chaewon’s head is to resting on her shoulder but the issue of proximity and Chaewon seems trivial when she remembers that she’s been in her pants.

Minjoo instead lets herself get carried away by the atmosphere and releases some of the tension she had been holding in her shoulders.

“Yah, don’t corrupt Minjoo, she’s innocent.”

“If she’s friends with you and Yujin she’s already corrupted!”

Eunbi sticks out her tongue playfully and Chaewon mimics her. They feel a bit reminiscent of the way Eunbi and Yujin sometimes acted as well. There was no doubt that Chaewon wasn’t part of the same family.

“Are you seeing someone?”

Minjoo wrings the cloth covering the table, “N-no,” she stutters, so apparently aware of Chaewon despite the fact that she didn’t seem to be paying attention anymore as she skims through the menu.

“Why?”

“Well, I mean does anyone ever know the answer to that?”

“Sometimes. Like are you not looking? What aren’t you looking? Is there already someone and you’re not there yet?” Eunbi claps her hand and points her finger at Minjoo causing Chaewon to jump in her seat. Maybe she had tuned back out.

“No, I’m not looking.”

“Why?” Eunbi asks and Minjoo lets out a groan from the back of .

This is why she hates weddings. For some reason one couple getting married seems to make others think it’s ok to discuss everyone else’s relationship status.

“What about you?”

There are probably far more interesting things to talk about rather than the topic of her non-existent love life. There’s nothing deep about her not being in a relationship. She just hasn’t found the one, nor is she looking. Minjoo’s more of a let-it-happen-natrally kind of person.

“I’m still with Hyewon. Going on eight years...”

“Still not married yet though,” Chaewon drawls from behind the menu and flicks the page.

“Giving you some time to catch up, baby sis,” Eunbi leans over and pinches her cheeks. Chaewon rolls her eyes and swats Eunbi’s hand away with the menu. “You know mum’s disappointed you didn’t bring anyone to the wedding. She told me to keep an eye out for any of Yujin’s single friends to introduce you to.”

Chaewon wants to laugh. “Mum’s always disappointed, I’m not breaking new ground with anything.”

Their mother’s idea of happiness for her was to always stay by her side in Korea instead of flying all over the world, settling down with someone and starting a family.

“Don’t make it awkward in front of Minjoo,” Eunbi says in a hushed tone but still loud enough for Minjoo to hear.

“Honestly it’s fine, so long as you’re not dissecting my love life go for it.”

Chaewon grins, mimicking Minjoo’s expression whilst Eunbi looks at the both of them with narrow eyes. “You two…” she draws an invisible line between the both of them, “You’re like two peas in a pod… I don’t know if I like this”

+

There’s an incessant knock at her door that drives her insane - more so since she’s trying to take a nap in the afternoon. Afterall she hadn’t had the chance to nurse her headache when she was thrown into the spotlight and her body was beginning to catch up to her.

“There’s a sign-” she’s about to combust at the person on the other side of the door when she realises it’s Yujin leaning against her door frame.

“W-what are you doing here?”

“So I need your help.”

“What do you mean?”

“Can you put on some shoes?”

“Where are we going?”

“Please don’t ask, just put on some shoes…”

Minjoo reluctantly slips into the pair of shoes by the door and lets Yujin take her by the hand, whisking her away from her room.

+

Minjoo’s always had a problem saying no to Yujin. So much that she had to move countries as an excuse to not see her.

She’s standing in the giant ballroom with the entire bridal party, feeling completely under prepared for what was about to come. “So Chaewon’s partner for the wedding isn’t here yet and we were wondering if you could fill in her place before the wedding.”

“I can’t dance. Nor do I know the choreography.”

“It’s alright, don’t tell Wonyoung but everyone’s pretty much forgotten it as well. We’re using you as an excuse to go slow and re-learn the choreography.”

“Yah, do you want to die?” Minjoo says through gritted teeth, voice low and stern.

“No, which is why you’re here…” Yujin rolls her eyes and immediately changes her tone and posture when she notices Wonyoung walking towards them. “Baby,” Yujin calls out to the other girl.

Minjoo shudders, the pet name almost sounding like nails on a chalkboard in the way that Yujin says it.

“Are we ready yet? They’re going to do a slow run through before we figure out our formation.” Minjoo’s eyes follow Wonyoung’s hands as they slide down Yujin’s arm and laces themselves together. “Thanks for helping us Minjoo unnie...” Wonyoung winks and skips back into the middle of the dancefloor with Yujin as they both take their starting position.

The main couple starts dancing first together before the entire bridal party is meant to enter, twirling around them in a graceful display and then dancing off again so it ends with them. At least that was the gist of what Yujin had told her.

“You can’t say no, can you?” Chaewon stands beside her and crosses her arm, nudging her slightly.

“What makes you say that?” Minjoo snorts, letting herself be the of the joke. She turns around and looks at Chaewon’s hand, waiting for hers. Minjoo grabs her hand and lets Chaewon guide her on where to place them. She knows she should be watching the instructor’s guide but she feels a bit too preoccupied with the scent of vanilla coming off Chaewon’s head.

They side step awkwardly trying to get used to the proximity and adjusting their bodies so that they melded together better. This didn’t seem to be an issue when they were together last night without any clothes, in fact if she thought about it, Minjoo remembers how easy it was to match rhythms with Chaewon. She also remembers how impossibly smooth her skin was and the way-

“Are you a good dancer?” Chaewon asks, interrupting her train of thought.

Minjoo feels a fire rip through her cheeks. She swallows hard and meets Chaewon’s eyes briefly.

“I don’t know, never really tried. You?”

“A bit of a prodigy if I do say so myself.”

Minjoo wonders how she so effortlessly ignores everything that has happened between them in the last forty-eight hours whilst Minjoo lives in fear of being caught. If Yujin found out that she slept with her cousin Minjoo couldn’t imagine ever facing her again.

Before Minjoo knows it Chaewon’s twirling her around on the spot and it’s not long before she lands back in her arms.

“Showing off now?” Minjoo asks breathlessly.

“This isn’t even the half of it,” Chaewon takes the lead, and picks up the pace, spinning them both around on the dance floor.

“This isn’t even dancing anymore,” Minjoo laughs out loud, throwing her head back and gripping onto Chaewon even tighter as the force from the spinning threatens to tear them apart.

“What’s wrong? Can’t keep up?” Chaewon teases and it riles Minjoo up. She stiffens up and her feet lock up sending Chaewon dipping backwards. Minjoo sees the quick flash of shock in her eyes as she tumbles right into Minjoo’s arms.

“You caught me,” Chaewon pants, hand curled around Minjoo’s neck. They’re both still in the position, trying to regain their focus from the excessive spinning.

“Ladies! Focus!” the dance instructor shouts at them and Minjoo quickly stands her up.

They giggle like they were in high school, caught out by their teacher. “Yah, what was that,” Chaewon playfully smacks her shoulder. Minjoo straightens herself out and clears , offering her hand out again for Chaewon to take.

“M’lady,” Minjoo snorts.

+

They drag her out to dinner that night with them - Wonyoung, Yujin, Chaewon, Eunbi and her partner Hyewon.

Minjoo hates it.

She had only intended to be back in Korea temporarily and yet she’s found herself ed into every conceivable social situation she had wished to avoid.