After what happened, and without Sharon's screams because of her video games, the only sounds audible in the villa were those of objects being moved, water being opened, and some cursing from Jeongyeon. According to her, their house wasn't clean enough and that morning she got up at six o'clock to be able to clean as much as possible.

Downstairs there was not a single speck of dust or a microscopic stain and the blonde inhaled deeply "this is a perfume worthy of appreciation, not the expensive ones in those ridiculous bottles"

"I hope you don't think the same about the bubble bath or it could be a problem" Nayeon had just gotten out of bed and joined her in her pajamas. When she was sleepy she looked like a little girl and she became more affectionate, in fact she spread her arms wide before crashing into her girlfriend.

Jeongyeon immediately hugged her, tenderly kissing her head "depends on the type of bubble bath, some have a smell that I don't like at all. How is Mina? Is she still sleeping? I would like to complain because you two took the whole bed, sleeping on the edge of the mattress is very uncomfortable"

"Today you are in the mood for complaining as far as I see" the older smiled amused and kissed her cheek "she is feeling better and she had gone to finish her beauty sleep next to her sisters"

"Poor Jihyo, her situation is worse than mine" a chuckle escaped from her lips "do we have plans for today, miss?"

Nayeon wanted to dare to make a mischievous proposal, but the ringing of the bell prevented her to do so "I'll go, it could be the courier" she immediately ran to open, finding in front of her a serious look that made her shiver "Mr. Kim, good morning"

"Good morning to you, can I come in? I won't stay long"

The girl immediately made room for him to allow him to enter and the man, after greeting Jeongyeon, headed upstairs. He opened the door of his daughter's room without even knocking and looked at the two girls who were with her "I have to talk to my daughter, in private"

Tzuyu and Chaeyoung waited for a nod from their best friend, then left the room without a word. They went downstairs: they didn't want to hear even half a word of their conversation.

"I guess you know everything, for coming here"

"I got a very unwelcome phone call, yes" he sat down on the bed and looked at her with his usual impassiveness "why did you reduce yourself to drugs? Didn't your grandmother's stories about her withdrawal problems teach you anything?"

Dahyun couldn't hold her gaze and turned her own on the ring his father wore on his finger "for the same reason that prompted you to marry that , to fill the void my mother left. I had gaps to fill and I couldn't resist"

Mr. Kim sighed, finally assuming a more human expression "it's been so many years since her death and the beginning of my second marriage and I just can't understand why you hate the woman who made so much for you"

"I tried several times to tell you about her constant mistreatment and you never listened to me, now I don't care anymore. You chose her and it's okay to me, I'm just the killer of the person you loved"

"Give birth to you was an effort too big for her and that's why I don't understand the reason for your stupid behavior, she gave her life for yours and you risked throwing it away" he was speaking in a low voice, he didn't want to give the impression of considering her responsible for the death of the one he had loved, and still loved, with all of himself "I won't allow you to do such a thing again and that is why I came here"

The girl immediately got out of bed "I understand, give me time to get dressed and take my things"

"Go ahead and take your time" he immediately left her alone, waiting patiently for her in the living room.

Sana, who in the meantime had taken a seat on the couch, gave him a look between surprised and terrified, knowing how much hatred there was between him and his daughter. She wondered what the reason for his visit might be, but deep down she already knew the answer to that question.

"Hi Sana, how was your job in Japan? Your father told me you worked really hard"

"Good morning to you, I managed to solve a lot of problems, but I would be lying if I said I had a good time. Running such a large business without the right experience is destructive to both the mind and the body"

The man nodded slowly "but you were really good, enjoy some well-deserved rest"

They talked a bit about topics that Momo, sitting in an armchair not far from the sofa where they were, couldn't understand "I feel stupid" she whispered to Jihyo after reaching in her direction.

Jihyo was focused on reading a book that Mina had recommended to her "you're not stupid, I've told you hundreds of times. It's normal that you don't understand the things you have never dealt with, for example I don't even know a dance step while you are a real expert on it"

That example was enough for the brunette, who returned to focus her attention on her mobile screen "I have the best girlfriend in the world"

Dahyun came in the living room with a suitcase in one hand and her keyboard case in the other "I think I have got it all"

Mr. Kim got up from the couch and offered to bring both things, taking them with caution "in case you need anything you just need to ask"

Sana glanced between the two "are you going on vacation?" she knew perfectly well it wasn't the case, but she allowed herself to hope. She hadn't been able to say a single word to her ex-girlfriend and she had no intention of losing her again.

"I have decided to do like your parents, I will take care of my daughter and I won't let her return here until she is fully recovered"

"I can take care of her, I'll never leave her alone. Don't take her away, isolating her could make her feel worse" there was a constant exchange of reasonable answers on how to help the girl recover from her condition.

A humorless laugh made them stop talking "I don't need an uncertain presence in my life, I don't need someone to walk away in the face of the first difficulty" Dahyun was finally looking at the older girl and Sana felt like a horrible person in front of that impassive look "as far as I'm concerned you might as well go back to Japan to your secretary and I wouldn't care"

"You don't really think so, I know you enough to be able to say it for sure. I know I was wrong and I would like to fix everything, you just have to allow me to do it" she took a few steps forward, reaching for her hands "let me help you, then you will decide what make of our feelings"

"Don't touch me" the brunette immediately removed her hands, putting even more distance between them "I have a lot of respect for your family and it's only for this reason that I haven't set fire to our marriage contract, but you are a separate case and I don't want you around. It hurts to feel like a nobody for the people we care about, huh?" 

Sana was left speechless: she knew very well she was wrong and was aware that she deserved those words. Speaking for her was the other girl's father "Dahyun, I have a meeting in less than an hour and we should go. You will talk another time" the man placed a hand on her head with extreme delicacy "let's go home"

The girl nodded slowly, suddenly calmer "I have nothing more to say to her, we can go" while her father was taking care of her things in the car she had greeted all the girls, except Sana, with a hug.

A few hours later, having gone out with a specific purpose but without getting what she had hoped for, Mina had returned to the villa more nervous than ever "mom and dad don't want Sharon to spend time with me, it's part of their plan to help her recover better and faster"she threw herself on the couch next to her best friend.

"I'm very sorry, but a part of me thinks it's actually for the best. Let me explain: Sharon feels she is a disappointment for everyone, especially you, and spending time with people who remind her of what she did wouldn't improve her situation a lot. Maybe holding on and waiting is the best solution for both her and you"

The brunette put her head on Nayeon's shoulder and closed her eyes "you're right, but I can't deny I'm feeling frustrated and helpless. As if that wasn't enough Sana has locked herself in her room and doesn't want to talk to anyone, not even Momo; ours family is falling apart again"

Chaeyoung joined them and handed her a cup of hot chocolate "drink this, you'll feel a little better. You haven't even had breakfast"

"Thank you" she took the cup, blowing to cool the contents "how is Tzuyu?"

"Her morale is low and she feels guilty for not having been next to Sharon and Dahyun, not even Jeongyeon's terrible jokes can cheer her up and we don't know what to do. The important thing is not to leave her alone or the guilty feelings will consume her"

Nayeon got up after stretching "I'm going to buy something to eat, tonight we will cheer up in front of some movies. You two will take care of Tzuyu and Momo will take care of Sana while me, Jeongyeon and Jihyo will go to stock up on popcorn and various snacks" 

The two girls looked at her with surprise "since when do you take the initiative?" Chaeyoung was smiling, relieved to see her more sure of herself.

"I have no idea, I just know I'm not going to sit idle while the people I care about are in pain" she started up the stairs "Yoo Jeongyeon and Park Jihyo, we have to get out!"

Mina laughed covering with her free hand and the younger girl was delighted to look at her "you're finally laughing"

"Nayeon always manages to make me laugh, she's special" she ran her finger along the edge of the cup, smiling "a bit like you, you're both special people"

"Then we too must work to make sure that the night cheers everyone up, let's go" she held out her hand to help her get up. They hadn't made peace, but they were happy just to spend some time together and were determined to make Tzuyu feel the same way.

In the Minatozaki house the air was even more tense than in the villa and Sharon didn't have the courage to leave her room. The night before, her argument with her parents had been so destructive to her that she had cried all night.

She knew she was the one to blame for it all, that her parents weren't the villains in her story, but the way they yelled at her made her feel worse. She felt alone and couldn't wait to see her sisters again, especially Sana.

She wanted to apologize and tell her that she didn't think about the things she told her, that she wanted to see her and Dahyun back together, she wanted to see them happy as they were before they broke up.

She was hungry and the only way to get something to eat was to go to the kitchen. She took courage and went downstairs without making any noise, but her mission failed the moment she found her mother sitting while drinking some tea.

The woman was wearing her dressing gown and her hair was down, an unusual vision of her for her daughter "mom, aren't you feeling well?"

"I'm fine, but I certainly don't jump for joy" she replied dryly "if you're hungry there are leftovers from lunch, the cook has prepared your favorite dishes"

Sharon said no more, took the food and sat down opposite her mother. She was staring down and shivering, to the point of not being able to hold her chopsticks well.

"Use the fork, it's easier" the woman immediately got up to take it, sitting next to her "don't worry, I'll help you"

The attention and her mother's concern made her feel even more guilty "I'm so sorry" she murmured before she started sobbing out of control "forgive me mom, I'm a failure"

Mrs. Minatozaki hugged her tightly, her hair like when she was a child. She was crying too "there is nothing that I cannot forgive you, you are still my daughter and the love of a parent goes beyond anything; I would just like to know that you are safe, that you'll stop trying to destroy yourself. You are young, you are very smart and you have a whole life ahead of you so I wonder if it's worth so much throwing everything in the garbage for a few hours of fake carefree"

"It's not worth it and I realized it talking to Dahyun, that's why we decided to quit and face the consequences of our actions together. I'm done with that and I'm not saying it to try to lighten the situation, I really want to change, to be a better person" 

Two more arms were added to their embrace, stronger than those of the two women "allow us to help you, we brought you here to give you the chance to get back on the game as soon as possible and in the right way" Mr. Minatozaki kissed the heads of both "show everyone what you're made of and silence them"

That moment and her parents' words were so precious to Sharon that it prevented her body from continuing to shake and convinced her that she would finally make it.