Naeun hesitates before knocking, prompting Hyewon to do it for her. Aggressively.

She was never known to be patient.

Jihyo opens the door moments later, followed by the sound of an annoyed Hayoung. "I told you not to open the door for strangers!" She loudly scolds from another room. Jihyo rolls her eyes as she pulls Hyewon into a tight hug.

Naeun can't help but smile at the sight. It seemed that every time the girls were together after any amount of time apart, they interacted as if they hadn't seen the other for decades.

Her smile slowly fades as she lifts her gaze and spots Hayoung approaching, a mixture of worry and irritation of her face. Hayoung stops halfway to the door, her eyes locking on Naeun's. The two share an awkward stare before Naeun slowly remembers the pitiful look she saw in Hayoung's eyes at the Winter Festival and a feeling of deep shame crawls up her spine.

Naeun is the first to look away, opting to face Hyewon and Jihyo instead. The two were currently looking between Naeun and Hayoung, making Naeun feel even more embarrassed. "Now that you guys are done being weird," Jihyo cuts in, "Can we all go inside now?"

Hyewon giggles, while Naeun tries to hide her blush pink cheeks. Jihyo's taunt was nothing she wouldn't expect to recieve from Eunji, or even Chorong, but having an actual child be able to notice how awkward things are between her and Hayoung brought her to another level of embarrassment.

While Jihyo is distracted being scolded by Hayoung, Naeun lays a soft hand on Hyewon's shoulder. "Hey, I just remembered I had some stuff to do at home, so I'll have to go." She whispers. "I'll be back in an hour or two to pick you up, okay?"

"But I thought you couldn't leave me here alone because its rude." Hyewon replies a bit too loudly. Naeun's cheeks burn as she hears Hayoung's voice grow quiet. "I know but.. just don't worry about it, okay? I'll figure it out." She whipers back quickly. Hyewon shrugs in reply and follows Jihyo inside. Naeun makes sure to avoid looking at Hayoung as she turns to leave.

"Wait, please."

Naeun feels her feet stop instantly and quietly curses herself. So much for an easy visit. She mentally scoffs. "I have to go." She replies, her back still facing Hayoung. "Can we just talk for a minute? Please?" Hayoung begs. Naeun bites her lip before turning to face Hayoung. She wasn't angry with Hayoung, she'd determined this was true hours ago, but it didn't make her any less uneasy around the other woman. From the moment of Hyewon's unintentional slip, it seemed that things were destined to be rocky with Hayoung, and Naeun didn't kno