For one of the most important events of the year, the reception hall of a small castle had been set up, which had been built from scratch by a couple of thirty who had a lot of money to spend, located in a forest. Road signs had been posted in the trees, but it was still difficult to drive on anything other than a road.

Jihyo cursed for the tenth time "this isn't a real road and it's dark too, I can't imagine how dirty my little girl is right now"

Her girlfriend looked like she was about to pass out "please, I don't want to crash into a tree" she had clung to the seat with all her strength "who the hell taught you to drive, a blind man?"

"I drive very well, don't ever allow yourself to insult my driving" she gave her a murderous look, calming down as soon as she realized the situation and taking her hand "it's okay, I promise you we'll arrive safe and sound. I just have to figure out how to continue"

She looked in the rearview mirror after hearing a car honk, seeing Jeongyeon motioning for her to pass first. The redhead made room for her and opened wide when she saw the girl go forward in her sports car "how did she do it?"

"Simple: she is a better driver than you" muttered Momo, keeping her eyes closed "I want my mom"

Sana stopped the car next to Jihyo's, so as to be close to her sister "if you feel bad we can wait a bit, I can tell mom and dad"

In the car with her was Tzuyu, as terrified as Momo but for a different reason. However, the two girls had the same expression and were pale.

"Do you want to go with Sana? Maybe you would feel safer with her" Jihyo shook her hand again, worried "I can accompany Tzuyu and wait for you to enter, we had decided to make a triumphal entry all together"

"Absolutely not, that crazy reckless drive worse than you and Sharon put together. I don't want to talk about it" she motioned for her sister to continue, nonchalantly adjusting her tie.

Her twin did what she was told, recommending to follow her car. They went on slowly, paying attention to every little thing and arriving late compared to the others.

They were waiting for them in the parking lot, hopping from foot to foot with anxiety "it took you a lifetime, it wasn't that hard to get here" Jeongyeon was complaining, but she was the one who helped Momo get out of the car and fix both her jacket and the tie.

Chaeyoung pinched Tzuyu's "stop making that face, we're going to blow a whole hall of bigots and you absolutely have to remember their shocked expressions"

"You're not helpful at all and it's easy to talk for you" she pointed to Mina "besides being beautiful she is also the most intelligent, you have a double certainty compared to me that I'll have to go in with Sana"

The brunette immediately turned to look at her "did you just tell me that I am ugly and stupid despite the fact that I am kindly accompanying you? You are an ungrateful person of the worst kind"

"Now it's enough to act like little girls, Momo has recovered and we have to enter" Mina ran a hand through her hair "we will all go in together and then we will divide to impose ourselves, we must assert ourselves and maybe find our place in terms of work"

Nayeon took her girlfriend's hand for courage "let's go"

As soon as they entered, through the huge doors of the reception room, the eyes of all the people were on them, especially on the suits they were wearing. Some of the girls felt uncomfortable, but Momo, Sana and Jeongyeon's nerves convinced them to go down the stairs in front of them.

Some of their parents were grouped in front of a window, also surprised by the clothing of their daughters. When the girls reached them they were overwhelmed by questions, to which they answered without much interest.

"We're tired of being seen as show dolls and that's why we've dressed up as both men and women" Mina explained calmly.

"This scum must understand that clothes have no gender, that one color darker than another doesn't spoil the person who wears it and that no one is worth more than someone else. In fact, now I want to show my tattoos" Chaeyoung took off her jacket, rolling immediately the sleeves of her shirt "much better, you have to keep your identity"

Their parents had remained silent, intent on looking at them critically. The first to smile was Mrs. Minatozaki "you are all beautiful and you had a nice thought"

"Now I understand why my daughter asked me to take her to the seamstress to have one of my suits shortened and modified" Mr. Kim put his hands in his pockets, looking at them with a smile.

Sana looked at him confused "why did she do it? She won't be there tonight"

"Moral support honey, even Sharon asked me to buy one" her father put a hand on her shoulder, he too with a smile that said a lot "oh, other guests have arrived"

Mina was the first to look around, not believing her eyes "I can't believe it"

They all turned, noting the presence of two girls at the top of the stairs. One of them had blue hair and was from behind, intent on having her tie adjusted by another slightly shorter than her; they were wearing suits and heels, just like the other girls.

Sharon reached for Dahyun's hand, immediately receiving the squeeze she needed from her "my legs are shaking, I don't know if I'll make it down all these stairs"

"I'm afraid too, but I'm sure we can do it" the brunette went down the first step without letting go of her hand, waiting for her "come on, show what Minatozaki Sharon is made of or, as you would say, go bust the of all these idiots" she smiled encouragingly.

"From you it sounds like a line from a romantic poem" she chuckled and went down the stairs with her, looking down "we have too many eyes on us, I don't like it"

Dahyun released her hand so that she could take her chin and press for her to raise her head "focus on Tzuyu, she's waiting for you"

"Have you seen how beautiful she is? I have to hurry or someone will try to steal her" it was she who pulled the younger one this time, reaching the others in a matter of seconds.

They were looking at them as if they were two three-headed aliens, incredulous to see them there. Mina came forward first, hugging both of them with all her affection "we miss you so much, it's nice to see you here"

Sharon became small in that embrace despite her being the tallest of the three "we're home" she said it in Japanese "and we're ready to get rid of the competition, looks how beautiful we are"

"You're the same idiot, come here" Sana spread her arms wide and smiled at her "come and hug your favorite person"

"Get out of the way, as her older sister I'm her favorite" Momo pushed her aside, joining the embrace of her little sisters and Dahyun's. They all did the same, regardless of the glances of the other guests. They were happy to be all together again and the arrival of the missing girls gave all the others courage.

Mr. Kim cleared his throat to get their attention and, although his gaze was serious, he no longer frightened the girls "what happens tonight will be part of your future, but as a father I recommend that you leave some space also for fun"

"I agree with him" intervened Mr. Minatozaki "your parents told us to keep an eye on you and we will, but we don't want to burden your evening with our seriousness. Am I right?" he looked at the Yoo parents with a smile.

The man nodded, albeit a little worried "there are some people who don't deserve your attention, understand Jeongyeon?"

"I won't even look at him, but if he gets close to Nayeon we might need your best lawyers"

Momo immediately got in the way, wanting to ease the situation for everyone "I know Nayeon's parents, Tzuyu's and Chae's are missing, but I have to make an important announcement" as soon as she had all the adult attention she took her girlfriend's left hand, smiling "we have a wedding to organize"

Ms. Minatozaki made a huge effort not to cry in front of everyone, more excited than the two future brides "count on my help" she kissed their cheeks "my girls will get married"

Jihyo had bright eyes from all the emotions she was feeling, she had never felt loved and all that unconditional affection had caught her off guard "your help will be precious" was the only thing that she managed to say.

The other families also offered to help with the wedding, making it the main topic of that evening and ignoring everything else. After several minutes of talking about flowers and wedding dresses, the group split up.

Dahyun was undecided whether to drink orange juice or plain water, silently thanking all the minors in the room for the soft drinks. When she reached out to grab the jug containing the orange juice, a hand landed on her back, making her jump in surprise.

"Can we talk?" Haeun moved her hand to her hip "I'll just steal a few minutes from you"

The brunette immediately removed her hand, annoyed "I'm not interested, after your attempt to let me participate in the competition just to make your father's music school famous I lost the esteem I had for you"

"Don't be touchy, I've already apologized to you a million times and that's not why I want to talk to you. I want to return your feelings for me, I realized I feel the same things"

"Haeun, that's water under the bridge now. I'm in love with another person and frankly what I felt for you wasn't even love" she poured the orange juice "don't talk to me anymore, you and I are done"

"Everything's alright here?" Sana looked worried.

Dahyun nodded, taking her hand and showing her the glass she had in the other "I was thirsty, but now we can go"

Haeun clung to the sleeve of her jacket "we're not done talking yet, you can't leave like this"

"Take your hands off her, you're bothering her. I'm not going to repeat myself and I'm already pissed about my business, so I suggest you get out of my sight quickly"

"Leave her alone, she is a small person who goes where it suits her" the brunette pulled her girlfriend away, going out into the garden to be alone "why are you so angry? You are trembling"

Sana ran a hand through her hair "I have to go back to Japan, since I left things are going badly again. My grandfather said to leave as soon as possible so as not to find myself with too much work to do"

The silence that followed that statement made the heartbeat of both accelerate, so the older decided to start talking again "it's all sudden and I'm so sorry to have to say it tonight" she took her hands, looking into her eyes "but this time I won't leave you behind, come with me"

"I could be in your way and I don't know Japanese well, I can say a few words and that you are my sugar mommy. Sharon taught me, don't ask questions and take it easy" she smiled a little sadly "I can wait, as long as it doesn't turn out like last time; my legs shake at the very thought"

The brunette took her face in her hands "you can't leave me alone, I need someone to help me and to stand me; I need to be with you. Come and work with me and let's take the family business that belongs to us, I'll teach you to speak Japanese" she kissed her on the nose "promise me to think about it"

"I don't need to think since you already convinced me at the first request, I just wanted to be a little hard to get revenge on you" she smiled and kissed her "you should see your face, it's really funny. Can I take a picture of you?"

"Don't even try, you're bad" Sana pouted, but deep down she was happy to be teased by her girlfriend, she liked to see her smile "we have to find a house all to ourselves, it will be fun when we have to choose the sheets"

Dahyun's face conveyed disgust "I'll choose them, you'll think about working while I'll stay at home and fix everything"

"We are not married yet and you already want to exploit me?" she was fiddling with her tie, pulling her towards herself "that's really rude of you, Miss Kim"

"I will know how to be forgiven for this affront and I will help you in your work, you have nothing to fear"

In the room the situation was calm and there was practically no trace of unwanted people, with the exception of Sam who had never taken his eyes off Nayeon and Jeongyeon, irritating the latter.

"I'm going to kill him, the world doesn't need such human waste"

Nayeon immediately stopped her by holding her wrist "it's not worth ruining the evening for him and he's doing everything he can to do it. Ignore him and focus on me instead"

"I can't tell you no, you are my weakness" she smiled before giving her a kiss on her forehead "I hope my goodness can be rewarded"

"I'll do my best" Nayeon rolled her eyes even though she liked the erse side of her girl very much "your father is beckoning you to go to him, there's another gentleman with him"

The blonde looked in their direction "he is one of his collaborators, I'm going to hear what they have to tell me. You'll be fine?"

"I'm going to the bathroom and I'll be back!" she smiled waiting for Jeongyeon to come to the two men before looking for the bathroom, marveling at how clean and gorgeous it was "I almost forgot I was in a castle, albeit not as huge as the ones in the movies"

Talking to herself helped keep her mind free of her worries and for that reason she used to talk about her surroundings. She stopped in front of a tile with writing so that she could read, unaware of the presence she had behind her.

Katherine didn't want to stop congratulating brides-to-be, promising to help them with anything "I never thought you'd be the first to get married, my niece grew up fast" she was tugging at her cheeks.

Momo let her do it to her even though she was hurting her face "aunt, you are wrecking my cheeks and it would be a great loss not to get kisses on them from Jihyo anymore"

"You're right honey, I'm sorry" the woman laughed at her and left her face, moving on to torture Jihyo's with much more delicacy. She ignored Momo's protests, focusing on Sharon "I never thought you would grow taller than Mina, when you were little you were the shorter"

The girl with the blue hair smiled smugly "I'm also the most beautiful, to be honest" she got serious after receiving a nudge from Tzuyu "listen aunt, do you think Momo and I could run a business together? We could do it together, we thought to something related to video games"

"Honey, you and Momo are able to do whatever you want" she placed her hands on her shoulders, looking at her fondly "by working hard you will be able to achieve extraordinary goals and you will silence those s in your family"

Momo took her little sister by the arm "you'll see, we will do great things together. I can't wait to start, let's go ask dad for advice" she pulled her away, with Jihyo and Tzuyu following her.

Katherine watched them go with a proud smile on her face, the same one she gave to Mina and Chaeyoung as soon as she saw them "I have a proposal for you two, would you like to listen to me?"

The two girls looked at each other before giving her consent, curious to know what she had to say. The woman picked up her cell phone, showing them a photo of a building under construction.

"Are you going to live there?" asked the younger.

"No, I'm just financing the works. However there won't be any apartments if you agree to my idea"

Mina had already guessed something "would you like to entrust the structure to the two of us?"

Katherine nodded "you can do whatever you want with it, as long as there is some income. I've already talked to your father and he's okay with letting you come to America with me, but the final decision is obviously up to you"

"Who will think about the business here in Korea? Sana has to go back to Japan"

"Don't tell anyone, but your father wants to hand half the job over to Momo, giving her the rest as soon as he decides to quit working and retire. Sharon will run her business alongside Tzuyu, she's just distracting your sister until the official announcement of the family" she was in high spirits, enthusiastic for her nieces "you can think about it until the construction is finished "

Chaeyoung took Mina's hand "we could turn it into a publishing house and use the close-ups as an afternoon school for aspiring writers. We'll employ lots of people as well as run our own business"

"Are you serious? Are you willing to leave and work in an industry you don't like?"

"I like books much more than other things and honestly speaking at least one of us should know how to manage the job, you can take care of it and teach me. The idea of ​​moving scares me a little, but with you I would go anywhere"

Mina smiled and hugged her "I don't know how to thank you"

"You don't have to, I just need to be with you. This job is much more tempting than what we should have done staying here" she kissed her head "what do you say, let's go?"

"Let's go"

Jeongyeon was thrilled: her father had decided to get help from her and Nayeon in all the jobs he headed, not just supervising the family's hotels. The blonde was no longer in the skin and wanted to break the good news to her girlfriend.

Not finding her she decided to ask Mina, finding her sitting at one of the tables with Chaeyoung, Momo and Jihyo "have you seen Nayeon? I have to tell her something important"

"The last time I saw her she was in the bathroom" Mina looked around "it's been a long time though"

"Where's that ?" Jeongyeon was looking for Sam with her eyes, not finding him "I'll kill him" she immediately ran to the bathroom followed by Momo, ignoring the looks of onlookers and the inconvenience of the heels. The door was locked from the inside and shoving it was useless "Nayeon, if you're here, open the door!"

"Move, I'll do it" Momo managed to knock the door down with a couple of kicks "I don't do the gym and dance to have weak legs" she immediately entered, followed by the blonde.

Sam had locked Nayeon in one of the bathroom cabins "it took you a long time to reach us, if I had known I would have had some fun with her"

"I have little patience, you better get it out and disappear or I'll kill you with my hands"

"Go ahead and do it, that way I'll go unpunished and you'll go to jail. Your is fine, I just gave this to her head to stun her" he showed the broken glass she was holding.

Jeongyeon concentrated on the hand that Momo was holding on her arm so as not to rush forward and beat him "tell me what you want, I'm tired of you"

The guy had a crazy look "I want revenge. You ruined my beautiful face and I will do the same with that of the person you love" he laughed uncontrollably "I just want to see if you will like it again after I'm done with her. Stay there or I'll cut , enjoy the show" he opened the door, dragging Nayeon out and dropping her on the ground "which way do I start? I'm undecided"

Momo squeezed the blonde's arm tighter, bringing to her ear "I wrote to Sana to let his parents come here, stay still or they'll blame you"

The tension was so much to give the impression that time had stopped and both girls were holding their breath waiting for the arrival of the guy's parents who, luckily for them, broke into the bathroom just when Jeongyeon had decided to go after him and avoiding a bad fight.

The girl didn't remember what had happened in those moments of frenzy, she only remembered having dropped to her knees in front of Nayeon and having taken her in her arms. She was fine and that was the important thing, she just hoped that all of her progress wouldn't be ruined by that bad experience.

The owners of the small castle, to apologize for what had happened, had accompanied the girls to one of the bedrooms. Even though there were ten of them they had all managed to get onto the huge bed, surrounding Nayeon and giving her all the affection she needed after waking up.

To reassure her, they told her funny anecdotes about some guests and Sharon even made imitations that made everyone laugh at her.

"You're a real clown" Nayeon wiped her cheeks, laughing.

"Did you see? I made her laugh and you didn't, she loves me more" she stretched out, resting her head on the older's legs, who began to play with her hair and compliment her on the color that she had chosen.

Sam's horrible gesture hadn't ruined the mood of any of them, but it had been possible thanks to the bond that united those ten girls.