It was late afternoon and the five girls were at the Tokyo airport. They had already sat down in their respective seats: Momo and Sana on one side, with an empty seat between them, and Nayeon, Tzuyu and Mina on the other side.

Sana did nothing but snort 'I'm very happy to go home, but I had worked hard to learn the choreography in a few days and it was useless, since we won't compete'

'I'm so sorry, but if you don't want to throw away all your hard work you could join our group permanently. My parents have no problem introducing new people and as you know they love you'

'I have to concentrate on work, but I promise you I'll talk to Dahyun, she's still my boss' she leaned her head against the headboard of her seat 'are you happy to go home?'

Momo looked out the window, noting how the plane they were on lifted off the ground 'I don't know how I feel, I have a strange grip in my stomach since last night'

'We all noticed, you haven't even eaten and this is worrying of you' Sana took her hand, closing her eyes 'you have to take care of yourself'

The brunette didn't answer, noticing the amused looks of their friends sitting next to them.

'Sana is afraid of flying, that's why she always wants to sit next to Momo or Mina. What a coward' sang Nayeon with an amused smirk on her face.

Tzuyu chuckled, covering with her hand 'leave her alone, we've been teasing her enough these days, especially when she fell off her chair'

'You should have seen her in high school, she was tough in front of girls when she's actually pretty much a super cute and clumsy puppy' Mina added, getting a nasty look from the pink-haired girl.

'And would you be my best friend? Shame on you' she sulked.

Nayeon's eyes seemed to shine 'I absolutely have to tell my sister'

'Don't you dare!' Sana yelled, getting a rebuke from the man who was sitting across from her.

'Explain to me why you sent me to buy all this stuff to eat, we will never be able to finish all this food' complained Jeongyeon, placing the three bags full of food from different restaurants on the table.

Chaeyoung peered inside 'Mina asked me to act as if we were all going to have dinner together and so I did, thanks for buying everything'

'I would like to choke you right now, know that'

Noticing Chaeyoung's worried look, Dahyun decided to intervene 'leave her alone, she's nervous because my sister didn't even text her today'

'Now I understand a lot' the lowest chuckled 'talking about sisters: where is Jihyo? Soon we have to have the videocall' 

'She has a date with Suji, she was very apologetic, but it seemed rude to call off the appointment at the last minute. We'll have another dinner' she was arranging the food on the table, getting help from Jeongyeon.

Chaeyoung frowned a bit 'does Jihyo like Suji?'

Her friend thought for a moment before replying 'sincerely speaking? I think not, but she still wants to try and has my full support. I know that something has happened to her lately and having someone next to her will do her good' 

'You're such a good little sister, I still can't believe how much you've changed this year' Jeongyeon ruffled her hair jokingly 'don't look at me like that, it feels like I'm being threatened by a stuffed animal'

'I'll fire you soon' muttered Dahyun, wincing as soon as she heard the sound of the doorbell. When she opened the door her girlfriend jumped into her arms, kissing her all over her face.

'Surprise! I missed you so much' Sana was euphoric and held her tight 'I was convinced I was going crazy without you'

'What are you doing here?' Dahyun asked as she recovered from the initial shock 'didn't you have a competition after dinner?'

Nayeon kissed her cheek 'it was canceled due to some internal problems and they sent us all home' she passed her sister to throw herself into Jeongyeon's arms.

'I wasn't expecting you so soon' the bodyguard was smiling 'you are full of surprises'

'I didn't even send you a message just because I didn't want to make you understand anything, sorry for missing' she kissed her softly on the lips.

Chaeyoung pushed them slightly to the side to hug her future wife 'now I'm feeling good, it seemed to me to have lost a fundamental part of my body'

'You are the usual exaggerated' Mina looked at her amused 'but I must admit that for me it was the same'

Tzuyu hugged Dahyun, with a mixture of shyness and affection that made the latter's heart melt.

'The little girl is back too' she smiled, her long hair 'did they treat you well? I can have them locked up somewhere if they don't'

'Your girlfriend threw me a chocolate because I was teasing her, but otherwise I can't complain' she smiled with her dimple clearly visible: she liked to receive affection from Dahyun, she knew she was one of the few who could receive it.

'Next time I'll do a lot worse, it's war' Sana gestured to keep an eye on her.

Although there was noise and everyone present was laughing and joking, Momo had remained in front of the apartment door, looking around for something. Or someone.

Chaeyoung noticed it and decided to speak out 'Jihyo is on a date with Suji'

They all turned to look at Momo, noticing her look halfway between sad and angry. She was also torturing her hands and that gesture was enough for everyone in the room to understand what was happening.

Dahyun decided it was time to talk 'they went to the new restaurant that just opened, the one which is about an hour from here, the one near the elevated square' she looked at the time 'they should be eating right now'

'Take my car' Chaeyoung threw her car keys 'be careful though, you have to get to her safe and in one piece'

Momo swallowed hard and looked at all of them 'I'm sorry, I have to go to her' she opened the door and ran out of the apartment as fast as a person running away from a monster.

'You knew everything and didn't tell me anything?' Mina looked at her girlfriend seriously 'why didn't you talk to me about it?'

Before Nayeon even attacked her, Chaeyoung pointed her finger in Sana's direction 'she knew before I did!'

The girl with the pink hair opened wide 'you are a horrible person, you put me in the middle of an argument between you and your girlfriend!'

Jeongyeon hugged Nayeon from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder 'it doesn't matter who knew and who didn't, we have to cheer them on now'

'I agree with Jeong, now we have to think about them, we'll think about tearing you up later' Nayeon said, enjoying her girlfriend's embrace.

They all sat down at the table, too anxious to even eat.

Dinner was going well for the two girls at the restaurant, much better than Jihyo expected.

Yet something was missing and they were both aware of it, but this didn't stop Suji from courting the girl she liked 'you look really good dressed like that, you just need pants and a shirt to be beautiful. Plus the hair pulled up like this looks very good on you, you look like one of those women you see in drama' 

Jihyo smiled amused 'I'm not even remotely like those protagonists, but thank you for the compliments. You look good too' she took a sip of water so as not to have to keep looking into her eyes.

Suji took her free hand 'I would like to spend the night with you, although I'm sure you figured it out by yourself'

A waiter stepped in before Jihyo could respond, saving her from embarrassment 'I apologize for the interruption, but there is a person who wants to talk to you. I tried to send her away, but she was adamant and she is waiting for you out here' 

'Don't go, it could be some malicious person' Suji tightened her grip on her hand.

Jihyo looked first at Suji's hand and then at the waiter 'could you describe this person?'

'She has long black hair and bangs, she is not much taller than you and her patience is not her strenght as she almost physically attacked me because I didn't want to let her in. Everyone knows you need a reservation to set foot in here' he added the last sentence in an amused way.

Jihyo's heart started beating fast and she stood up without saying anything else, walking out of the restaurant. She noticed that parked in the small square, which was a few meters away from the restaurant, was Chaeyoung's car. Leaning against the car was a person with her back turned, but that Jihyo would have recognized even when blindfolded.

She walked in her direction, stopping a few steps away from her 'I thought you were in the middle of a competition in Japan'

'It was canceled, luckily I would add' Momo looked at her, memorizing what she was seeing 'luckily you got out'

'The waiter you attacked described you quite well' there was a hint of amusement in her voice 'why did you come here? You are definitely tired from the flight'

The brunette wiped her palms on her jeans 'I'm so tired, but I couldn't have gone to sleep without seeing you first'

Jihyo was gently scratching her neck, a sign that she was nervous 'we would see each other tomorrow'

'It would have been too late for what I have to do'

'What do you have to do?' Jihyo didn't understand where she was going to end the conversation.

Momo looked into her eyes, without looking away even for a second 'I want to tell you everything I feel for you, once and for all'

The other girl didn't say a word, she was afraid of stammering and having misunderstood.

'You know, when I proposed having it was for both of us to enjoy, nothing more, but after that time I started to change. I stopped seeing other people and, the few times I had meetings, I didn't get anything done. I am so frustrated that I would like to cry' she looked at the toes of her shoes 'I thought that, keeping you away, it would all pass to me, that it would be a stupid phase in my life destined to end soon, but it didn't. I kept going around and hurting you with my selfishness, because I wanted you only for me, but I didn't want to be yours'

Momo stopped speaking, looking for the right words, and Jihyo's eyes were bright with tears.

'Then I realized that for me it has never been just and that you aren't one of my many conquests. I realized that I was suffering for love, a love that I thought I could never feel for anyone since I don't know what it really is. I tend to forget many things, but I remember every little detail about you, like your habit of sleeping with one foot out of the blanket' they both laughed at the last sentence, risking to make tears come out of their eyes 'I like everything about you, but when you take your camera you become a strange and funny person and it is in those moments that looking at you makes me happy and fills my heart with joy and love'

Jihyo opened to speak, but Momo stopped her with a gesture of her hand 'I'm not done yet, sorry. When I arrived at your apartment with the others and didn't find you there, I panicked because I already knew who you were with. My heart was in danger of breaking into a thousand pieces, but I have decided to do something good for both of us and come here to tell you everything I feel for you. I'm not doing this to stop you, just to let you know that I have loved you every single time, even in my wrong ways. You are the best thing that could have happened to me, I really mean it. You have changed me, you have taught me so many things and you have loved me even though I have continually hurt you. You are a wonderful person, inside and out, and I have immense respect for you. I'm talking too much, better stop talking' she ran a hand over her face and looked back into her eyes 'I love you Jihyo, I love you like I could never remotely imagine'

Jihyo was crying silently, without taking her eyes off Momo's 'tell me I'm not dreaming, it would be too cruel'

'It's not a dream, pinch yourself on your arm if you want to be sure' Momo was touched by her reaction.

The other girl really pinched herself on the arm 'I'm not dreaming' she noticed shortly after, looking back at Momo. Having the person she loved in front of her, with the words that she had said still in the air and that look full of love in her eyes made Jihyo feel the happiest person in the world.

She took a few steps forward to reach her, finding herself in her arms sooner than she had anticipated. Momo gently wiped the tears from her face 'luckily your rimmel is waterproof or by now you would have been like a panda'

'Don't fool me, it's all your fault if I'm crying' Jihyo spoke like a little girl and hid her face in the brunette's neck 'you're lucky because I love you too or I would have punched you already'

Momo chuckled at those words, slowly taking her face in her hands 'you know how to shut me up, but if you don't want to be prepared because I have other things to use to make fun of you'

The kiss that Momo was hoping for came as soon as she stopped talking, as Jihyo immediately rushed to her lips.

Initially the kiss was passionate, as usual, but they slowed down and began to kiss gently, taking all the time they felt necessary. They were both sure this was their real first kiss and they found it perfect.

Momo ran a hand into Jihyo's low ponytail, while with the other was holding her close 'I love you, I love you so much'

Jihyo laughed at her on her lips 'it's so good to hear you say it, I guess I'll never get tired of it'

'It's better this way, I have many months to catch up, so be prepared to hear that often' the brunette kissed her a couple of times.

'I'm ready' she was holding her tight, for fear of seeing her disappear at any moment 'before we go away I have to solve something, are you waiting for me here?'

Momo nodded, letting her go 'take all the time you need'

Jihyo smiled and went back into the restaurant, going to apologize to Suji and leave her side to pay for dinner. The woman wasn't thrilled with how she ended the evening, but she wished the new couple the best and left.

'Are you ready to face people who will want to tear us apart?' Momo said as soon as Jihyo got into the car.

'Now that I have the certainty of having you by my side I don't care if there will be angry people at home' she smiled and took her hand, happy that Momo never left it all the way, holding it tight even when she had to change gear.