Yeji knows Mina isn’t normal like if given the chance of reality some ambulance will come in and proclaim that her best friend is actually an escapee from some notorious Psych Ward. The reason why Yeji is having some obnoxious thoughts again?

Is the state of Mina.

Yeji stared at her friend, waved another hand as if any second her friend will become united with the dust seeing how passive Mina is, “I know you’re weird but isn’t this taking it another level?”

No response.

The Korean lass tried another one but this time showing a picture of her mother which immediately made the Japanese woman to cough its life away, “What the hell are you waving your mom’s pic for?!” Mina cleared glaring at her best friend. Yeji rolled its eyes, “You tell me, you look like a thumb sore. What the hell is wrong with you?”

Mina sighed, glancing around the buzzing crowd around them – they are currently on what we call girl’s date as after the birthday trip Mina is somewhat dissipating into air and that’s been weeks ever since Yeji have seen her best friend being at least normal in front of others.

It became concerning that even their classmates were weirdly looking at them.

Mina is enough as the only concerning foreign object in my life.

And, Yeji is also somewhat curious due to how similar sullen her mother’s mood is ever since the old woman’s birthday. Hence, the only goal of Yeji in today’s trip is to find out what the hell occurred when she passed out along with her brother.

“Mina!”

“What!”

Yeji took a deep breath fixing her eyes seriously at her best friend, “You ed my mother, didn’t you?”

“How about I start ing over your whole life, hm?” Mina smiled to which immediately sent the Korean lass into hugging herself, “Why are you so violent?!” Yeji whined.

Mina rolled her eyes, taking a sip from her latte that they’ve ordered for ages already – they are currently sitting in a café somewhere in Seoul – the Japanese lass sighed, fixing her eyes outside the café. The Japanese lass really have been mulling over things over for quite good few weeks but that’s perfectly normal when you get your heart broken over things.

“I’ve been rejected by your mother”

Now it’s Yeji’s turn to cough her sweet drink who somehow turned sour due to the sudden drop of news, “You confessed?!” Mina glared at her friend which prompted the latter to immediately shut her coughing, “I mean, how and when the hell did you do it?”

“It was at her birthday. Just exchange of gifts then that’s it”

“You’re not telling me something”

Mina sighed, “I told her that I couldn’t quite be sure of what I’m reading between us if it’s just some awkward air or what might be a situation where we’ll make out–”

Yeji cut the Japanese lass off, “I’d reject you too if I was my mom”

“Not helping!” Mina grumbled to which Yeji made her to face palm herself, “You took things too fast!”

Yeji for the first time ever heard the usual cool demeanor be broken down into a series of whining – It seems she really likes my mom ­– as Mina cover her face with her hands, “I was just asking! Not like we’d date anything right away”

Yeji uttered, “You’re thinking of bedding her already. Ugh, Mina, that really sounds nasty”

“It’s not like you’ll get on with us” Mina muttered, “Forget about that! It’s not like we’ll even date”

“I’m not sure about that” Yeji sighed this time remembering her mother’s dampen mood for the past weeks, “My mom’s mood has been sullen for weeks ever since her birthday and of course, just like a mother she wouldn’t talk about it with us. It’s not like she’ll open about it either even if we ask and–Why the are you shedding tears?!”

Mina felt angels singing above her hearing that she’s not the only who is affected by this situation on how things ended before they can even start, “God is still out there saving me”

Yeji deadpanned, “No, you’re already have been forsaken when you started pining older women with child–it’s a good thing my mom is sad about it, isn’t it?” Yeji knows she only looks like a dragon but her lifespan is nowhere of one as to why she opted not to continue her words before the fork Mina is grabbing enters her skull.

“Well, how about you try to clear it with her?” Yeji offered after a while of trying to stop the falls from Mina’s eyes, “I don’t like seeing her like that, after all” the Korean lass softly muttered getting the Japanese lass off guard.

Even though her best friend is nowhere recognizable as the daughter of the woman she likes and often scraps the nonexistence patience of Mina she knows that the Korean lass hates seeing her mother not being its normal self. Furthermore, knowing how her mother has been sacrificing for the sake of her twins.

“Will it be okay for me to meet her, though?” Mina pondered remembering the crestfallen face of the older shaking its head away as a disapproval to Mina’s question that night. Remembering it clearly, a soft sigh passes through her lips.

Yeji uttered quickly, “How about this Christmas? Your parents are not here, so come spend it with us”

Mina nervously chuckled, “I’ll be going back home for Christmas”

“What?!”

“I know your dumb but didn’t know you’re a walking piece of dementia. I went back last year too and got you a souvenir? Hello?”

“Fine, but new year!” Before Mina can even utter a protest Yeji spoke once again, “You went back home earlier last time”

“Fine”

Yeji grinned.

--

Yeji doesn’t make friends easily, she’s a somewhat perceived as an odd kid in her earlier days and even though it passed off when she entered her senior years in high school, it still feels hard to be friends with her peers due to what happened in her childhood.

That’s why, her making promises with someone is a big deal, moreover to someone who has an actual feelings for her mother that she recognized which explains the predicament Mina is currently in as she is meet with cold shoulders as it’s been a month long since after New Year when she finally made a comeback appearance in Korea.

This time Mina can gladly say that it’s not on her why her status suddenly mimicked a dead person but she’ll worry on that later because Yeji is really hellbent on ignoring Mina’s presence after a whole month of posting missing pictures of Mina in the whole neighborhood. Let’s just say that Hyunjin had to punch their printer just so the damn thing could stop printing Mina’s both wanted and missing posters.

Mina feels like it’s easier to beg the Lord for forgiveness rather than the maddened Yeji, “Can you please forgive me? I’m about to kneel here” Mina whined as she walks side to side with the muted Yeji who only shot her a glare. It’s their dismissal period.

Knowing what could only lift Yeji’s anger towards her is her suffering, Mina offered herself – literally, “I will do anything you want. Please, Jesus, you don’t even go around coming back from the dead and here I am begging your forgiveness–”

Yeji cut off, “Anything?”

“Y–yes. Come on, now. This wasn’t my fault this time”

Yeji grumbled, “Still, you could’ve at least return any of my messages? Internet?”

Mina sighed, “Got everything confiscated. I’ll explain it but first forgive me, please?”

“You said you’ll do anything” Yeji gave her friend a stink eye, “Anything?” Mina gave her friend a weird look as she replied with, “Except prison, I want to leave my records clean please”

“You really said anything?”

Mina felt horrified as she cleared , “Okay, maybe I can bury the body for you”

“Anything, right? Then great?”

“What great?”

Mina should have not asked or rather she should have not made such luxurious offer because right now she felt like she’s being cursed – Mina always feel that she’s cursed – with the curious look she’s receiving from Hyunjin and the cold shoulders both from the daughter and the mother who hasn’t given Mina single glance and all did the formality like Mina is a grown mushroom in their garden. Mina feels like doing the deed of stabbing herself.

“Uh, you’re back?” Hyunjin asked a painfully obvious question. Mina forced out an awkward smile, “Yeah, been two weeks since Yeji started to treat me like I’m a corpse–” Mina had to save her lungs from the sudden punch in her sides.

Hyunjin smiled not noticing Mina almost seeing the light, “Great to have you here. It costs a printer by the way”

“A what?”

“Nothing. Guess you’re gonna stay over for the weekends?” Mina nodded on Hyunjin’s inquiry which prompt the young man to continue, “Both mom and Yeji were smiling earlier–”

A sudden cough from the old woman who have yet to show Mina any greeting and sense of familiarity is currently having her ears down to nape showcasing a full-blown shade of red which Yeji exactly mirrors of. Yeji grunted, “Why are you such a blabbermouth?!”

Hyunjin shrugged picking up his plate, “That too. Did y’know that she thinks that maybe you run off because she’s missing a vocabulary or two that’s why she started reading the thesaurus?”

“Damn your mouth!”

“She what?”

Nayeon cleared , “Language”

Mina can’t hold it back anymore so she slightly chuckled from the current event she’s witnessing earning the embarrassed looks of the mother and daughter who has been giving her the cold shoulder treatment. Hyunjin grinned at her as if the young man knows the situation before taking his way off with the statement, “I’m gonna shower!”

“Hey! No fair! I said we’re gonna go first!” Yeji stood hurriedly running after his brother who ran as well leaving the two alone in the table while the effect of the Korean woman getting thrown out by the bus from her own son is still very evident.

Nayeon quickly stood up, “I’ll clean here. Go join Yeji”

“I’ll help”

Nayeon refuted immediately, “You’re a guest. It’s alright”

Mina pressed her lips into thin line knowing how she’s currently at the edge, however, stubborn being her middle name is no miracle as she started picking the plates as well getting a look of warning from the older woman, as if telling her not to cross anymore lines.

“You’re mad” Mina quietly uttered, catching the gaze of the older who sighed in return. Nayeon smiled forcefully, “Now, why would I get mad towards Yeji’s friend?”

That really burns.

Mina stood muted, just continuously picking the plates and striding towards the kitchen prompting to hear another sigh from the Korean lass. Mina placed the plates neatly, glancing towards the older, “Can I help you wash them?”

“No”

Mina took the gloves and opened the faucet immediately which earned a frustrated sigh from the older before Nayeon took the gloves away from the younger as she gently moved the younger away from the sink before reassuming the position, “I said no. Go upstairs”

“I’m not your child”

Nayeon arched her eyebrow, “You’re a child”

And that hurts where it hurts.

“And you’re mad” Mina hummed shoving down the throb of pain in her chest. Nayeon stood muted as she focused on the dishes while Mina leaned her back on the sink as she uttered, “I have an explanation on why I suddenly went away with no contact”

Nayeon scrubbed harder, “That’s nice. Explain it to someone who want to listen, like my daughter for example”

“You don’t want to hear?”

“No”

“Why?”

“I don’t think we have that sort of–” Nayeon’s words stopped halfway upon feeling the sudden hands on her scalp with the action of collecting her hair in which definitely did more than one thing towards the older. Mina secured the hair with her hair tie while Nayeon gave her a look – rather a glare while Mina hummed, “I can’t see your face. I, at least want to see it even when you’re hellbent mad on me”

“We’re done talking” Nayeon rebuked with her nape in the color of red once again. Mina hummed, “That’s not an effective parenting”

“What?”

Mina shrugged, “You talk when there’s something wrong with Yeji or Hyunjin, right? Let’s talk”

“You’re not my child”

“You said I’m a child”

Nayeon sighed, “You’re acting like one”

“Because you wouldn’t talk like an adult” Mina answered gaining a flared expression from Nayeon, “Are you saying it’s my fault?”

There was a visible frustration from the tone of Nayeon, “I don’t think so. None of it was your fault”

God, she’s even pretty when angry.

“Glad you know” Nayeon uttered turning her back from the Japanese lass who stood solemnly behind the older from the earlier actions of tying the older’s hair. Mina uttered softly, “I’ve miss you”

Nayeon clenched her hands on the plate she’s washing and she’s dearly afraid that anytime soon it’ll break, and furthermore afraid for her feelings when she felt the head of the younger on her shoulder blade, “I’ve miss you. Like really miss you”

Nayeon felt her whole body flaming hearing the words of the younger, “Get off”

“Please don’t hate me” Mina weakly uttered.

Nayeon sighed, feeling the throb in her chest, “Please go”

--

“So explain” Yeji crossed her arms while Mina smiled while sipping the alcohol beverage in her hand with her puffed eyes as if she was punched right in the eyeball. The influence of alcohol that Yeji had snuck off when Nayeon finally rested in her bedroom uncapped Mina’s feelings of being rejected once again from the woman she likes.

Mina sniffed, “Explain