Time had passed quickly, making Jihyo the main attraction in the place where she worked: being in the fifth month of pregnancy it had become impossible not to point out her round belly, but it didn't bother her to receive attention from all her colleagues, who always seemed to be competing to facilitate her in everything. 

However, there was one person who didn't like the constant approach of people towards the pregnant girl, becoming irascible whenever a foreign hand landed on her belly.

"Okay, now give her some space" Momo made her colleagues away from the printers room, immediately closing the door "they are unbearable"

"They weren't bothering me already, they just wanted to greet my baby" Jihyo was radiant and healthy, to the point of being more beautiful in the eyes of whoever was watching "he isn't still born but much loved, I'm really happy"

The brunette hugged her from behind, pouting "this doesn't give them any right to touch you, they could hurt you and hurt Minjun"

"We are both in perfect health and it won't be a few caresses that will make us feel bad, you don't have to worry" she was smiling satisfied "you should stop being paranoid and calling my son any name you prefer"

"It's not my fault if that name suits him so well, it looks good him" she took her cell phone to show her a picture of the latest ultrasound "he has a Minjun face, it's written on his forehead"

Jihyo looked at her surprised "where did you get this picture?"

"I asked Nayeon to send it to me, I was too curious to see the face of this future heartthrob" she smiled mischievously "I can already imagine him with a line of girls and boys in front of his door"

The younger concentrated on stacking the papers as best she could "get out of the clouds and stop saying these things about my baby"

"At your orders, mommy" she kissed her temple before concentrating too, paying attention to what she was printing.

Their relationship had changed a lot in those eight weeks: they acted like a couple, sleeping together and going out on dates, and they often spent nights flirting, but neither was determined to talk about feelings yet.

They were satisfied by a bond that couldn't be defined with a simple word, putting some part that they felt for the other for another time, they were convinced that they had reached the maximum point of their relationship, feeling enough not to want to talk.

"I got the urge to eat a giant steak" Jihyo was looking at the other girl with hopeful eyes "are we going to eat at a restaurant? I know you know at least one in steak"

"I have commitments after work, ask Sana to accompany you" she was stapling some papers with extreme caution "she would never refuse a lunch"

"I want to go there with you, make me happy" she clung to the older's arm "if you agree I'll do whatever you ask me"

Momo lifted a corner of , interested "really everything?"

"As long as they are things within my reach of course"

"All right, I advise you to mentally prepare yourself for what we're going to do tonight at my house. I have some big plans in mind" she winked.

Jihyo's cheeks had taken on a slight tinge of red at the thought of what the other girl could have done to her "Nayeon has a commitment and I can't leave Dahyun and Tzuyu alone all night"

In response Momo went out of the closet to reach her best friend "tonight you will babysit Jihyo's sisters, I'll pay you tomorrow morning. Thanks, you're the best!" she walked away at a brisk pace to avoid hearing complaints.

"I didn't agree!" she yelled after her, frustrated at being ignored "I can't do it" she whispered after realizing that she should have seen Dahyun.

"This film is a deadly bore" commented Mina for the twentieth time "the protagonist is making me nervous, she's really stupid"

Dahyun had stopped watching the television screen to rest her eyes a bit "look for something else then, it makes no sense to watch a movie you don't like"

The bed moved under the weight of the blonde, who literally threw herself next to the other girl "I don't like to leave things unfinished and for this reason I will do my best to finish it, but not today" she placed one leg on those of the younger "are you trying to fall asleep?"

"It's impossible to do that if you have a nuisance blonde next to you, you're talking to me all the time" she turned to look at her "and, as if that weren't enough, you stuck to me"

Mina smiled mischievously "it's not my fault if you're a human stove and then you know very well that I love to hug you" she gently brushed a lock of hair from her face.

The brunette, taken by a moment of extreme courage, looked down on the lips of her friend "I should get paid for the service, you hug me so many times that you are terribly indebted to me. Pay, I need money"

"I have a better idea" she pulled up on her enough that she could bring her face close to hers for a kiss. Neither moved, making that kiss flat and meaningless "I can't do it" she snorted before going back to lie down.

"Me neither" murmured the brunette after taking her hand "you have to talk to Chaeyoung, she has the right to know"

"I am afraid of her reaction and also of mine in front of a possible rejection. She has kept her feelings in check all this time and I would be selfish to tell her that I finally feel the same, to tell her that the distance from her has made me understand what I really want"

Dahyun was looking at her again, with more seriousness than her usual "you have to tell her, you have to give her a chance to get rid of the weight of her feelings or, better still, to be with you. Ask her to go out for a snack and confess everything"

Mina's cell phone was graciously grabbed by the girl "what am I writing to?"

"Call her directly, she never works at this hour" she encouraged her, crossing her fingers.

Chaeyoung answered after the third ring "tell me"

"I wanted to ask you to go out for a snack, you can choose the day" she spoke quickly, struggling to keep the tremor at bay.

"I've been very busy with work lately, I'm afraid I don't have the time"

Mina didn't want to give up "tell me when you're at home and I'll come and see you, I'll take care of buying something to eat"

She heard a sigh "okay, tomorrow I'll send you a message to tell you my shifts and we'll decide together. Now I have to go"

After closing the phone call the two girls jumped on the bed "it wasn't difficult, in my opinion she just wanted to make you suffer a little"

"I don't know, but I'm happy" Mina was smiling, her mind already projected to the day she would see Chaeyoung again.

Walking in the park was a great way to digest and Jihyo was her belly "Minjun and I are happy with our lunch, thank you for offering to pay"

"You two are costing me a fortune, but seeing you smile is worth much more than money" Momo had taken her free hand, intertwining her fingers with hers with such naturalness that it gave the impression that she had never done anything else in her entire life.

"I wonder how you think of yourself as a cold person, you are very sweet and kind to me" her voice dropped, as if she regretted speaking immediately after saying the first word.

The brunette was looking straight ahead "it's natural to be, you need a lot of attention given your condition"

"Do you treat me kindly just because I'm pregnant?"

"I knew this moment would come, it lasted too long without having to make this speech" Momo had stopped walking to stop in front of the other girl and gently placed her hands on her hips "I'm kind to you because I want to be, not because you have a baby in your belly"

"Yet you don't want to define our relationship, I respect it but I don't understand it" she was looking into her eyes "I would like to know what stops you from being with me"

Momo was about to reply that she would have liked to know too, but a man's voice and fear in the younger's face prevented her from doing so. There was a woman with him and they were both intent on staring at Jihyo, turning all their attention to her belly.

"In the end you decided to keep the baby" the woman noted without betraying any emotion.

"I already know that she will ask for our help with the various expenses, she has no idea how much it costs to raise a brat" said the man with a mocking tone, putting his hands in his pockets and straightening his back to look taller "is male or female? I'm curious"

Jihyo had clenched her fists, determined not to let herself be bent by their wickedness "he's a boy and I'll do everything to never make him miss anything. You can sleep soundly, I don't need you or your money"

"A boy, really interesting" Mr. Park raised the corners of his mouth in a satisfied smile "is my grandson and, as a member of the Park family, he is entitled to my protection. When he is born I will come and get him and raise him as if he were my son, you won't have to worry about anything and you will be able to live your life in total freedom"

"You can forget it, I'm willing to give him another surname just to keep him away from you" she was shaking, seeing her parents after all that time made her remember how they treated her sisters during lunch, how they had them abandoned to themselves in time of need.

The man paid no attention to the feelings of the older of his daughters "I have a very important business meeting, but we'll talk again once I'm done and I'll make you think"

"She has nothing to discuss with you" Momo intervened without bothering to show respect "leave her alone, you've been very good at it so far and I'm sure you won't have any trouble disappearing from her life again. She doesn't need you two and it's the same for the baby"

"And who would you be to talk to me like this?"

The brunette said the first thing that came to her mind, quite naturally "I'm her girlfriend"

Jihyo barely managed to hide the shock of that sudden news, just looking at a stone so as not to meet her parents' gaze. She knew the reason for that fake revelation, but her heart had started beating more frequently and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

"Just the fact that you're a woman makes me sick, but I might turn a blind eye if you were rich"

"My and my bank account are not your concern. We're leaving, we're done here" she took Jihyo's hand and they walked towards her car, not giving the man a chance to reply "I really wanna smash his ty face"

"It wouldn't be worth it, silencing him is already impressive. Thank you" she smiled a little sadly "your lie was fundamental to make him understand not to interfere"

Momo was already driving "you don't have to thank me, I won't let anyone treat you that way and decide for you" in her mind there was a voice yelling at her to reassure Jihyo about her fake lie, but she had put it to shut up with a little music.

Sana, arrived on time at the apartment of the three sisters, was greeted by Nayeon "are you going to party tonight? You're a blast!"

The older smiled "I'll try, I want to have fun for a few hours and put everything else aside, but it's been a long time since I last wore such a short skirt and I feel uncomfortable"

"I think it's the right length and you're beautiful" she smoothed her long hair over her shoulders.

"Would you like to come and have fun with me?" she smiled mischievously, refraining from laughing. She was good at flirting, but only with strangers or her ex, as she always laughed with her friends.

"You're not my type and I know you don't like me either, not in that sense at least" she gave her an amused smile.

Nayeon feigned offense "you hurt my pride, I'll blacklist you"

"Do you have a list of people who have wronged you?" Sana's curiosity took over "do you have the Death Note?"

"Absolutely not, I was just kidding, although there are a couple of people I just can't stand" Emily's face made its way into her thoughts and she had to try hard not to get angry "better go or it will be impossible to get in a club, queuing takes a lot of time" she ran to greet all the girls in the house, dashing out the front door in a couple of minutes.

Sana waited for Momo and Jihyo to greet them and immediately noticed that something was wrong "are you all right? You have funeral faces"

"We are just a little tired, we walked a lot after lunch" Jihyo was polite as usual, unlike the brunette who didn't seem to want to say a word "we just need to rest a little to get back as good as new. Tzuyu has already dined and Dahyun should be back soon, feel free to call me for any problems"

"There won't be any need, go now or you won't have the strength to have fun!" she pushed them out of the apartment, trying to keep calm "she will come soon, you have to behave naturally and everything will be fine"

"Why are you talking to the wall?" Tzuyu had come up behind her, quieter than a shadow.

"You almost gave me a shot!" Sana had covered her face with her hands to recover from the fright "next time try not to come out suddenly, please"

The girl shrugged "it's not my fault you're distracted, are you thinking about my sister?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"I don't know, but you have the same bewildered look as Dahyun and I thought it might be for the same reason as her, she does this every time she thinks of you" she sat on the couch "even though she's been having a lot of fun with Mina lately, I heard they are trying to be together as a couple. It's a nice thing, isn't it? I can't understand it"

Sana was aware of the absence of meanness in Tzuyu's words, it was very clear to her that she was simply curious about how having a relationship works "it's very nice that they want to make each other happy, it will help them to be well"

The affirmative answer had eased some of the tension on the younger's shoulders "thank goodness, I don't want Dahyun to cry again, she does when she thinks I'm sleeping and I don't like it"

Sana was jealous. She was terribly jealous. She took a deep breath, concentrating on the positive part of the news she had just learned "thanks to Mina she won't cry anymore, you can rest assured" she forced herself to smile, feeling very guilty for hurting the girl who didn't want to get out of her head.

"How about that one over there? He's a good guy and I heard he's well put, if you know what I'm talking about" Chaeyoung was pointing at a 30-year-old in office clothes "rumor has it he's rich too"

Nayeon grimaced "sounds too perfect, he's not my type" she took a sip of her drink, visibly bored.

The girl with the now faded pink hair pointed her finger at a tall and curvy woman "she's nothing short of stunning and, as far as I know, she is really good in bed"

"She is undeniably beautiful" she had tilted her head to the side to observe her well, dwelling a lot on her lower back "but I don't feel inspired when I look at her"

"That one instead? Her name is Cassandra and she is one of the new clients, her red hair stands out immediately"

"Oh , that's the dead cat flirting with Momo" she nearly spit what she was drinking "now I understand why Momo has never given up, she absolutely cannot compete with Jihyo"

"I agree, Jihyo is a goddess by comparison" Chaeyoung sighed as she was looking around, a little hoping to meet Mina's gaze "you could try to seduce those two sitting on the sofas at the back, thanks to them you have fun the double"

Nayeon clicked her tongue, gesturing to one of the bartenders to bring her something else "who do you take me for? I can handle one person at a time and I often struggle too"

"I give up!" she raised her hands in surrender "you don't want a person to have with, you want Jeongyeon and no one else. I understand what it means to desire someone, but you can't cancel yourself like this"

"Are you saying that Mina won't be your first time?"

"How do you know about her?"

The older smiled a little sadly "she always talks to me about you and, considering her sister's being too protective, I'm the person she confides in the most"

Chaeyoung looked down "I'm sorry I didn't confide in you, I must have seemed ridiculous in your eyes"

"On the contrary, I find you adorable and you would have all my approval for being with Mina" she grabbed her hand gently "I really hope you can understand each other, you deserve it"

"She's with Dahyun now, she doesn't have any romantic feelings towards me. She has never had any"

"You might be surprised, I can only tell you this" she winked before taking the glass and taking a sip "love is complicated and fascinating at the same time and that's exactly why I know where to go to spend the night" she got up from the stool after paying and left the club.

The ride was quite short and she reached her destination within minutes, finding herself ringing the bell and waiting hopefully.

The door opened slowly and Nayeon thought she had never seen anything more beautiful: Jeongyeon was wearing summer pajamas despite the cold, her hair was unkempt and her eyes squinted from sleep.

"Nayeon?" she couldn't believe what she was seeing "what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to get what I deserve, since I failed my mission because of you" she walked into the apartment, shutting the door with her foot and leaning against it.

Jeongyeon looked torn "Nay, you know I can't do it"

"I'm not asking you to go back to being a couple and not even to spend the night loving me" she got rid of her heels and was busy lifting her skirt more and more "what I want is a replica of our first time, you remember it?"

"It's impossible to forget even though we were pretty drunk, but I'm not the savage I was then" she was amused and, Nayeon was sure, particularly excited.

The older smiled mischievously, showing off everything she had to offer "are you really sure? It would be a shame to leave the task to someone else, don't you think?"

"You're right, only I can do it" Jeongyeon's lips immediately found the other girl's "don't cry if you struggle to move tomorrow" she whispered in her ear for a second before placing her hands on her body.