Managing a romantic relationship wasn't easy at all for both Nana and Minjun, who had discovered early on that being in love with someone who had the same feelings didn't mean having an easy path, that to make things work it was necessary to commit and put the heart.

Being young and inexperienced in the field of love had made things difficult for the two during their first two weeks together, finding themselves arguing over the stupidest things and making up after a few hours. It had become a loop, a routine, and if one day there was no reason to argue, they were always looking for one.

Another rather uncomfortable factor for both of them was jealousy: Nana was jealous of her boyfriend's swim mates, while Minjun felt a strong dislike for the one who had been assigned to his girlfriend for every project in the literature class. Both sides believed they were right every time the conversation started, ending up arguing and going to sleep without writing the goodnight message.

That day the girl was in a bar sharing the tasks with the members of the study group and, for this reason, she had turned off her phone to avoid interruptions. She didn't want to waste all afternoon talking about study material and any distraction would be a hindrance as well as a huge waste of time.

Despite her good intentions, Minjun hadn't taken that initiative well and had presented himself on the spot with Jack to check the situation. The older seemed skeptical "you're doing a stupid thing, Nana will be angry"

"I do this to keep her safe from that that idiot Steve"

"His name is Stefan and honestly he seems harmless" he turned to look at the table his best friend had his eyes on "he is clearly a good guy and it shows that he is concentrating on teamwork, even if he is quite close to her"

Minjun ordered for both of them before setting his eyes on Stefan again "he looks like an angel from heaven, but he shamelessly tried to kiss my girlfriend's cheek and I prefer not to trust such a guy. Nana told me she felt like discomfort when she found herself alone with him and I won't allow him to make her feel that way again"

"You're here because you're jealous and you're afraid that pretty face will steal your girlfriend, admit it and you'll live a better life" Jack was twisting the lighter in his fingers "you should trust her and stop throwing your insecurities on her"

"I totally trust her and I have no problem leaving her alone with someone other than me, but I don't like that boy"

The older removed the straw from his milkshake and pointed it at him, not caring that he soiled the table "challenge him to a duel then and whoever loses will have to step aside"

"You're making everything dirty, if my aunt had seen you you would be dead already" he took a napkin to clean "and no, there is no need to resort to violence to win Nana's heart, even if she decides to date Steve"

"Stefan"

"It's the same"

"Then I'll call you Jun the stupid, it's the same"

Minjun let out a long sigh "you're right, I'm just a fool because I allow my insecurities to win against me"

"You should talk to her and not me" Jack turned in his chair "hi Nana! Could you come here? My stupid friend has something to tell you"

The cold that fell in the bar wasn't due to the air conditioning, but from the look the girl was giving to her boyfriend "I have to go, let me know on the group chat if we split the job fairly" she left the money for her milkshake on the table before reaching the two best friends "what are you doing here?"

"Your boyfriend wanted to make sure that handsome foreigner didn't try too hard with you, don't you find him sweet?" although his tone of voice was happy his expression was serious "his chair was quite close to yours, I guess where he comes from they don't know what personal space is"

"Jack, you are a foreigner too and you should know that making distinctions between people is wrong"

"Touché, I'm leaving" the boy got up from his chair "don't treat my friend too badly, even if he's a fool he had good intentions"

Once they accompanied Jack out of the bar Nana had started walking "let's take a walk"

Minjun had no idea what to say: he felt the urge to justify himself, but at the same time he was sure he had done the right thing and for the last reason he had decided not to open his mouth until they reached the older's house.

"Aren't you coming?" Nana was already inside, her hand on the doorknob.

"Sure" he followed her into the kitchen, thanking her for the glass of fresh water she had placed in his hands.

The girl made up her mind to break the silence "I know you think that, but I'm not mad at you. If I could keep an eye on all the girls who hit on you I would definitely do it without thinking twice"

"Are you justifying me?" he was surprised because he would expect a lecture and not be understood.

"Yes and no because it's a wrong behavior, but I understand it and pointing the finger at you would be hypocritical of me"

Minjun's smile was steeped in love and admiration "you are really fantastic and you amaze me more every day"

"I'm not, I can reach hallucinating levels of immaturity and you would be amazed if you saw me in those moments, I just let myself go to despair" she had taken a bar of chocolate, needing to ingest some sugars "do you want to stay here for dinner? My moms will arrive shortly" 

"I would gladly do it, but you know that Friday is movie night and I would prefer not to offend the two women who raised me" he smiled amused at the thought of seeing his mothers with angry expressions.

"It will be for next time, no problem" Nana was also smiling, calmer than a few minutes before.

Her tranquility was interrupted as Minjun's hands rested on her hips, causing her heart to beat maddening "can I kiss you?"

"You don't have to ask, I thought I told you" she leaned forward, kissing him first and moving closer until their bodies touched. They kissed often, alternating moments of tenderness with those of frenzy and in that moment it was the last thing to dominate.

Despite everything, Minjun's hands had remained firm on his girlfriend's hips and his lips had continued to move cautiously on hers. On the contrary, Nana seemed very close to losing control, as well as ready to get rid of both of their clothes.

When the hand of the older had timidly made its way under the boy's shirt, the latter interrupted the kiss, touching kissing her forehead before leaving her "I have to go to the supermarket" he showed the shopping list on the notes of the cell phone "maybe I would do well to hurry up to avoid taking too long. See you tomorrow" he quickly kissed her before leaving.

Nana sighed loudly in frustration "why doesn't he want me?"

"Who doesn't want you?" Jeongyeon had arrived in the kitchen with a plant in her arms "I met Jun out here, have you done something I should be aware of?" she looked at her mischievously, placing the vase on the window sill.

"Nothing happened, as usual" she turned her back to keep from crying "since Aunt Sana caught us he no longer dared to touch me even by mistake and this thing is driving me crazy not because I expect him to, but because I feel like he is holding back. Maybe I'm not enough for him, I'd understand if this is the case"

The woman had reached her to caress her face and give her a loving look "Minjun is crazy about you and it's clearly visible, maybe he doesn't feel ready to go further and there would be nothing wrong with that. Did you tell him about it?"

Nana shook her head "I'm afraid to hear what I think and I don't think I can handle it. I always see him relaxed in the company of other people, even with the girls who tried to undress him at his birthday party, and this made me open my eyes, it made me realize that a weak person like me shouldn't interfere in the life of a perfectly healthy boy"

"Your health condition isn't an obstacle, do you understand? Look at Nayeon, she's a force of nature despite having some limitations. You are delicate and you must be handled with care, but this doesn't make you inferior to any other, not even the beautiful swimmers he sees every day could overshadow you" she wiped her cheeks with all the delicacy possible "I know your paranoia won't cease to exist after these words of mine, but you are special for who you are"

Another week had passed and, which had caused the general displeasure, Tzuyu and Sharon were due to leave for Japan in a few hours and then return to America after a few days. The two women were used to greeting their family and this had made them good at pretending not to be too sad, even though the younger of the two used to cry during the take-off of the plane.

All the hugs had already been made, but Tzuyu and her little sister didn't hesitate to repeat that gesture "I will miss you very much and I hope to see you again soon, you know you can come and stay with us at any time"

Nana had teary eyes and a slightly red nose, but she had decided not to be weak and she forced herself to speak normally "when I have fewer things to do I will surely come to see you"

The final greeting was always the most painful, waving your hand when it was now impossible to hug people leaving was perhaps one of the most complicated things to do and not even the habit could change it.

Minjun walked over to Nana to kiss her head "are you okay?"

"Of course, I'll just have to get used to not seeing my sister wandering around the house again" she leaned against him, noticing only at that moment some details that made the shyness that aded her every time her boyfriend was near her disappear "why are you dressed elegant? You also wore a lot of perfume"

"Jack will be picking me up shortly, the whole group has been invited to dinner at the house of one of our swimming partners" he was her hair gently.

The older stared at him from head to toe, feeling an annoying grip in her stomach "was there a need to dress so well for a simple dinner?"

"Her family is rich and her parents are very fond of elegance" Minjun was adjusting his jacket "I hope it's cool inside the house or I'll sweat like never in my life"

"You could undress, none of your friends would mind" Nana had moved away from him to try to contain the childish and jealous part of herself, but without success "at least you don't have any problems when they touch you"

The boy stopped arranging his hair to look at his girlfriend, halfway between confused and sad "is this what you think of me?"

"That's what you show, think about how relaxed you are in their presence and make a comparison" she lowered her gaze "I know I'm not up to them, that my shyness and my insecurities can be annoying, but I don't like the distance that was created among us"

"You're saying absurd things, I don't even notice the other girls and I don't care if they touch me for the simple fact that they don't attract me. The only one I want to have around is you"

Nana nodded slowly, resigning herself and putting aside the discomfort she was feeling "you're right, I beg your pardon. Have a nice dinner" she forced herself to smile before reaching her mothers to go home, unable to believe the things he said despite trying hard.

The boy suddenly realized that he had spent most of the time with his girlfriend rejecting her and felt guilty for making her even more insecure.

Momo and Jihyo were relaxing on the couch, both with a glass of wine in their hands. The older had closed her eyes and rested her head on her wife's shoulder "what are you thinking?"

"To our family, I still can't believe my sister's revelation that she wants to be a mother"

"Do you still see her as a child?"

Jihyo shook her head "Dahyun has always been very mature for her age, even when she was little, and honestly I can picture her well with a baby in her arms" she was smiling excitedly "I'm surprised and happy for this news, that's all"

"Mina and Chae also mentioned something about wanting to have a family of their own, at this rate we will find ourselves aunts of an avalanche of screaming children" the brunette sat down to drink another sip of wine "now that Jun is older we have less things to take care of and I was starting to miss having a baby in my arms. I'll take advantage of it with the future babies"

Seeing her wife so engrossed the younger was able to understand the reason for the sadness that often took possession of the person she loved "would you like to have another child?"

Momo finished drinking to be able to place the empty glass on the glass table in front of the couch "I would like it very much, but I'm probably letting myself be influenced by the enthusiasm of the others"

"Look at me" she gently took her face in her hands to be able to look into her eyes "if you want something you have to tell me, you know I can't bear to see you sad. Do you want another child? It might be a bit complicated after all these years, but only the idea of ​​seeing you again with a baby of our own in your arms makes my heart beat faster. Listen" she moved her left hand from her face to take her wrist and make her listen to the heartbeat.

"This is exciting" Momo took the opportunity to touch her wife's s with both hands "it will remain my favorite stress reliever for the rest of my life"

"We were having a serious conversation"

"Your beautiful body is also on my list of serious talk. Now let's work on having another baby" she approached her to kiss her passionately, but she was immediately stopped by the younger "what?"

Jihyo was giggling "we can't have kids with , you already know that"

"Can't we? What a shame, it will mean that you will have to work hard to get rid of my sadness" she only needed a mischievous look to get what she wanted, at least until their house was invaded by other family members for an impromptu sleepover.

Nana, who had declined the invitation of her mothers and her aunts to join their sleepover, was lying on the bed looking at the photos that Minjun's swimming school mates had posted on social media. She was happy that her boyfriend was having a good time, but her jealousy was devouring her and she didn't know what to do.

She had hugged the pillow immediately after leaving her cell phone on the bedside table, too tired to continue the discussion they had begun an hour earlier and intending not to reply to any of his messages until the dinner was over.

She was aware that she wasn't completely right to behave that way and that by doing so she would only risk ruining everything, as well as feeling sick from the crazy heartbeat.

Her cell phone was vibrating almost continuously on the nightstand, annoying her to the point of grabbing the item and reading the notifications. There was nothing her boyfriend hadn't already told her during their fight, but the latest messages prompted her to get out of bed to open the front door.

"I worried to death, I was afraid you were feeling bad" Minjun was out of breath, his hair ruffled and a worried look "never do that again, you can insult me ​​if you like, but don't stop replying to my messages"

The first thing Nana did was walk away to go to the kitchen to get a glass of water for the boy, not talking for fear of stammering or crying uncontrollably.

Minjun hadn't lost sight of her even for a second, watching her out of the corner of his eye even as he was drinking "why aren't you at my house? When mom told me they all got together for a sleepover I thought that included you too, but when I arrived you weren't there"

"There was no need to come here in a hurry, I'm fine. Go back to your friends, it's not polite to leave suddenly" despite everything she was sorry for having ruined his night.

"I have priorities" he had followed her into the room, getting rid of his jacket and placing it on the desk, then undoing the cuffs of his shirt.

Nana's cheeks had turned red at that vision "what are you doing?"

"I'm undressing, I'm dying of heat and this type of clothing isn't very comfortable for a sportsman like me"

"It seems fair to me" she had started to look at the school books to escape the sudden embarrassment that had hit her. She hated being so fragile in the presence of her boyfriend and the comforting words her mothers always addressed to her weren't helping at all.

They were silent for a few minutes, both not knowing what to say or do and just looking around the entire time. Minjun's gaze was captured by a photo of the two of them as children, making him smile "we were really cute"

Nana had turned to look in the same direction, changing the subject "I'm sorry, I ruined your evening because of my jealousy. You didn't deserve the treatment I gave you."

"No matter how excessive your behavior was, I can't put all the blame on you, it's because of me that you've become even more insecure about yourself"

"Don't start competing to see who has the most faults and accept my apologies"

"I will only do it if you accept mine"

The girl rolled her eyes, amused and exasperated at the same time "I can't stand you when you do this"

"I am aware of it" he had approached her to undo the her messy bun, running his fingers through her hair gently "this is much better than a dinner in a super villa"

"Now you're exaggerating" she had leaned against him, her ear at the height of his heart to listen to the beats.

"Maybe a little, but we could do something that can really make it through a fancy dinner" he took her into his arms without warning, reaching for the bed to be comfortable. They were looking into each others eyes, letting them talk for a while "the reason why I always reject you is related to my fear of hurting you in some way and not because I consider you fragile"

"Do you want to explain yourself better?" she was running her finger down one of the buttons on his shirt.

Minjun kissed her gently on the forehead, resuming talking without taking his lips off it "I don't have a satisfactory explanation, I'm just afraid of causing you pain due to the frenzy"

The girl pulled away slightly to look him in the eyes "I trust you, you are always attentive to everything and it won't be the desire to have for the first time to change this characteristic of yours"

After those words, Minjun's hand had searched the skin of his girlfriend's side, admiring the reaction provoked by that simple gesture "I think it's time to take advantage of the gift that Jack gave me"

"What gift are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about these" he took his wallet and pulled out some condoms "he forced me to put them here and I'm grateful"

Nana was blushing, but she hadn't flinched when her boyfriend's lips had captured hers in a passionate kiss. Every gesture came naturally, undressing hadn't embarrassed either of them and they'd had a lot of fun in the moments when their awkwardness got the better of their attempts to be perfect.

They learned to get to know each other in what was their physical and mental intimacy, experimenting together to understand what they both liked and loving each other without reserve.

~~

The next chapter will be the last extra for Nana and Minjun and I'll mark the story as complete (next week I will start the next one), but I could post more extras from time to time if there's anything you'd like to see or if I get some ideas.