The ten girls had been living together for two weeks and there had been very little progress, considering that Mina and Chaeyoung were the only ones not giving any kind of problem to their already exasperated guardian. The woman, tired of the constant screams during her lessons, had decided to punish them all without any distinction.

"I'm already tired of your attitude, do you want to kill each other? Go ahead, but out of this house and after I take my salary. There will soon be an event, the first of your life, and your parents are very keen to make you make a good impression. What does it cost you to behave in a civil manner with one another?"

", that badass idiot overtook me in the end!" snapped Sharon immediately after, totally immersed in the game of racing cars that she had recently installed on her cell phone.

Jeongyeon immediately took it out of her hands "if you keep playing while the old woman is talking she won't let us go, you yellow-headed idiot"

Sonia had half open and often blinking her right eyelid, a clear sign that she was starting to have nervous tics "your rudeness is one of the most irritating things in the world, are you aware of that?"

"I said it affectionately, you must not be offended" Jeongyeon gave an innocent smile and rested her chin on Nayeon's shoulder, relaxing immediately "I'm sleepy"

All the people present in the room were looking at them with wide eyes, ready to witness the umpteenth fight, but Nayeon just looked at the screen of her phone "then sleep, today you woke up at dawn"

"Is what I am seeing happening? Am I dreaming?" Chaeyoung made one of her surprised faces, causing Mina to giggle.

"Sometimes they manage to give themselves some respite, it's a goal" whispered Sonia, but it was already too late.

Jeongyeon had removed the cell phone from Nayeon's hands and was looking at the screen with an annoyed expression "the old woman explained it to us in one of the first lessons that you have to be loyal and you are cheating on me even before the start of our relationship. And then who would it be this ugly face? I am much more beautiful than her" 

Nayeon rolled her eyes "she's an artist I follow and I can't understand what your problem is about it. You are more beautiful, you told the truth, so there is no need to do that. Now give me the phone back and stop acting like a jealous girlfriend, we're not together"

"I hate being fussy, but objectively speaking you two are engaged" added Jihyo immediately "we all are engaged, isn't that what the contracts signed by our parents are for?"

Dahyun finished drinking her coffee and placed the cup on the glass table "more than busy with someone I would say we are trapped" she glanced at Sana "I had other plans and my parents have well thought of ruining them"

"Right, now you can't conquer your historical crush anymore. It's a shame, I think she likes you too" Chaeyoung was looking at the tips of her hair, but out of the corner of her eye she saw the annoyance on Sana's face "this is which can be defined as an interesting triangle"

Tzuyu, the only one who hadn't said a word since the morning, looked at Sharon and tapped her on the shoulder "would you like to go and eat an ice cream? Then we could go for a walk"

"I have no tournament to participate in, of course I want!" the blonde smiled "we can take my car, I know an excellent ice cream shop. Let's go now" she got up from the couch and dragged the tallest girl with her.

"I'm going to the gym, I don't want to laze all day next to a traitor" Jeongyeon shoved Nayeon on the shoulder before getting off the couch and ran to get the gym bag.

Nayeon sighed "she annoys me all day and then she acts like this, I just don't understand her"

Sonia smiled at her "she is interested in you, she annoys you to get your attention. Haven't you thought about it?"

"I don't like people like her, she always behaves badly and she never misses a bad word for everyone. With this I am not saying that she is a bad person, I would never allow myself, but with her I cannot have the stability that I would like and bothering me is the worst way to get my attention"

Jeongyeon, who had heard everything, left the house quietly, followed by Momo.

"I'm going to do the dance rehearsals, see you tonight" the brunette waved goodbye and got into the car, leaving immediately.

Jeongyeon took longer to leave, she was thinking back to Nayeon's words and the annoyance she was feeling.

Dahyun had locked herself in her room to play the keyboard: she missed her piano. Her father had destroyed it a few years before her to spite her and refused to buy it back, saying horrible things to his daughter.

From that day on she had not been able to play with the same desire as she had before, although her grandmother urged her every day not to abandon her greatest passion.

When she heard a knock on her door she turned to it "come on"

Sana peeped her head "are you okay? You practically ran away"

"I'm fine, thanks for your interest" she pushed a key on the keyboard in a distracted manner "how are you?"

"It's okay, the one with the scary face is you. How long have you not slept?" Sana closed the door behind her back "I know you don't like me and I'm not here to make you love me, but you're not well and this worries me"

Dahyun sighed "you don't have to worry, I really mean it. It'll pass me. It always does"

"Do you want to go out for a while? Don't stand here wasting your time on these nerdy things" she said pointing to the keyboard on Dahyun's bed.

Sana realized the gravity of what she had said only after seeing the other girl's furious gaze "music is not for losers, shut your mouth in front of the things you don't understand. Get out of my room, I don't even want to see you. You are heartless, you enjoy stepping on people's feelings"

"Touchy, who knows what I expected from someone like you" the girl with copper hair closed the door angrily, making sure to slam it "what have I done to deserve such an idiot?"

The ice cream shop that Sharon had chosen was very nice and welcoming and Tzuyu immediately felt at ease. They sat next to one of the huge windows and the view was breathtaking, although she had to admit that there was a better view ahead of her.

Sharon had just turned off her cell phone, a gesture that surprised the taller girl very much, and she looked at her with curiosity "tell me a little about yourself, I'm curious to meet you"

Tzuyu's cheeks reddened a little from the serious gaze of her future bride "is there anything in particular you would like to know?"

"Even the simplest things, you are a mystery to me" the blonde smiled "I only know that you speak Chinese and that your repertoire of bad words is not that large"

"You're right, I should learn more. I can tell you that I have nothing special and that I am a really ordinary person, but I love animals and I often volunteer in kennels, as there are some in this area who need them"

Sharon was listening attentively "I'm afraid of dogs, but I admire you a lot for what you do. This doesn't make you an ordinary person, on the contrary" she was smiling "take me with you someday, I want to overcome my fear"

"Will we get a dog when we get married? Or maybe two" Tzuyu started showing her pictures of the dogs in the kennels where she worked enthusiastically.

"Take it easy, first you have to help me not to be afraid of them anymore. I'm trembling at the very thought" she pointed to the photo of a little dog that had a birthmark on its face "this one is adorable"

"Then I'll let you know, he doesn't have a name yet because he's recently arrived. He's very scared and won't let you get close; he's only one year old, but I think he's been through a lot"

Sharon immediately felt connected to that little dog "are you busy tomorrow? We could come and say hello"

Tzuyu nodded immediately "I'm free, I can't wait to let you know that dog. You look alike, you have the same look"

"I too stay away from people, this is definitely a feature we have in common. As I think you understand I like to lock myself in my room playing video games, it's the only thing I know how to do"

"It's definitely not true, you say that because you've never tried to do something different. You are very intelligent while playing, you just need to apply yourself the same way in real life"

The blonde gave a fake smile "I've already tried, but in my family it's not enough. Momo and I will probably be excluded from the most important family business, considering that Mina will be the head of the business here in Korea and Sana of the one in Japan. Nothing has been officially decided yet, but the two of them would be the best choice"

Tzuyu took her hand "for what it's worth, that won't define your value and that of your sisters. You are all good people and if your parents don't understand it it's their problem"

"It's the same thing Mina always tells me" Sharon smiled and gently shook her hand "thank you and I'm happy to have met you, my parents have finally done something good for me too"

Towards the evening Momo finished her dance rehearsal and had decided to grab something to eat before returning home. She walked into a pizzeria that a friend of hers had recommended to her, smiling from ear to ear because the day had gone so well.

She walked over to the counter to order, waiting for the girl in the hat with the pizzeria's crest to join her. As soon as she recognized her, her smile died on her lips.

"Good evening, have you already decided what to order?" Jihyo smiled and looked at her, stunned at the sight of the one person she never wanted to have as a client.

"What are you doing in this place? I thought you didn't need to work" the brunette had a serious look "your family is not very rich, but neither does it need you to work"

"Just tell me what you want to eat, it seems neither the place nor the time for this conversation" the girl seemed in total panic.

A man with an angry face and a threatening air came up beside Jihyo "stupid , how long does it take you to take an order? Do you want to make me lose customers? Hurry up or I'll kick you out, we are certainly not waiting for your time"

Momo looked at him with contempt " will be your mother, you lousy worm" the man recognized her immediately and began to apologize for Jihyo's waiting and incompetence, but the brunette ignored every single word "try saying something again like that to my girlfriend and I have this place demolished, with you in it. Come on Jihyo, you won't stay here a minute longer"

Jihyo took off her hat and hurried to join her, despite the fact that she was trembling with fear. Momo took her hand and almost yanked her off, making her get into the car.

"Are you okay? You're shaking" she handed her a bottle of water and looked at her worried "Jihyo, if you don't talk I can't help you"

"I needed that job, I have a debt to pay" she was looking straight ahead, her eyes already swollen "as soon as my parents know it will be a serious trouble for me"

Momo said the first thing that came to her mind "how much do you need? Don't shake your head, it's my fault if you're probably out of a job now and the least I can do is help you. I imagined there was something under your consent to everything what you are asked for, your parents are not as good as they probably seem"

"You don't understand, they will repudiate me or worse"

"If they do, I'll marry you anyway and the only ones who will be screwed will be them"

Jihyo put her feet on the seat, not bothering to take off her shoes, and hugged her legs "I'll find a solution, as always. Let's go home now, it's getting late and I'm very tired"

Momo started the car, looking at the girl in the passenger seat "I'm sorry, if it's so important to you I'll help you find another job. Indeed, a better job than that and in a work place where no one can afford to insult you"

"You don't have to be so nice to me, the two of us are nothing" Jihyo replied in a detached tone.

The brunette sighed and focused her gaze on the road "I don't know why, but I feel the need to protect you" she admitted after a few minutes of silence "I know you're hiding so many secrets and I'm going to discover them all"

She didn't have time to feel embarrassed by what she had just said, as Jihyo was sleeping with her head against the window "you are lovely, Park Jihyo"