One thing Nayeon loves about her friends is their ability to immediately patch things up.

So it’s not much of a surprise to her to see Jeongyeon has Momo in a headlock when they enter her apartment for their Saturday night binge and sleepover.

She doesn’t know when the two made up after their argument last time but Jeongyeon and Momo’s dynamics have always been weird. One that’s borne out of being roommates for years.

Nayeon can’t quite understand it and she doesn’t want to start dissecting it now. Especially with whatever the hell they have right now.

“Admit defeat, loser!” Jeongyeon exclaims as she continues dragging Momo by her head to go to the living room.

Momo’s voice is muffled but it’s loud enough for Nayeon to hear. “Never!”

“What are they on about?” Nayeon asks Jihyo as she joins Nayeon in the kitchen to stow away the ice cream they brought with them. Ice cream tubs that Nayeon practically forced them to buy.

After her quick talk with Mina about soundproofing the apartment, Nayeon is trying to cut back on her expenses. Making everyone give their share for the food they eat whenever they’re at the Ims’ apartment will go a long way. The six of them eat like starving beasts, after all.

Tzuyu and Dahyun follow closely behind Jihyo, each holding bags full of food as well, while Sana only gives Nayeon a quick peck on the cheek as a form of greeting before making a beeline to Minji’s room.

“Something about dogs and cats, I think,” Jihyo replies as she arranges the ice cream tubs in the fridge.

Dahyun is shaking her head, brows furrowed as she tries to remember Jeongyeon and Momo’s topic that caused their roughhousing. “I was pretty sure they were talking about the best samgyeopsal place in Seoul.”

“It was about a restaurant that they bet had no proper emergency exit.”

The three of them all look at Tzuyu with different looks.

“It was interesting.” Tzuyu shrugs as if her answer is common sense. Well. It is. For someone like Tzuyu.

Nayeon only hums and watches with the rest of her friends as Momo finally manages to free herself from Jeongyeon’s hold and immediately throws herself on her back, tackling her to the ground.

One of these days, those two will break her coffee table and Nayeon is already dreading the mere prospect of making them clean it up and replacing it with a new table that costs double the original.

“You were just an advisor!” Jeongyeon is exclaiming as she struggles to get out from under Momo, “I was there the other day. I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Liar!”

As the two continue arguing, Nayeon is at least glad they’re okay.

She was initially worried how their argument last time would’ve affected their relationship but looking at Momo and Jeongyeon now, it seems as though nothing even happened.

She supposes it’s because what Momo felt for Nayeon is already part of their history and they’re all committed to ensuring that their friendship doesn’t get affected by words thrown in the heat of the moment. By something of the past.

After all, Momo is happy with Dahyun. They’re getting married. Nayeon has seen how devoted Momo is to her fiancée, and that says a lot about her feelings for her already.

Nayeon thinks the only reason Momo got mad at Jeongyeon was because she was hoping to carry that secret with her for the rest of her days. Or reveal it on her own accord.

And now they’re back to normal. Like the argument didn’t even happen at all.

Nayeon can’t help but wish Momo would give Mina the same treatment, despite already knowing why Momo is furious at Mina in the first place.

At the back of Nayeon’s mind, she knows that kind of wishful thinking will only make Momo mad at her.

She just… wishes Mina to be fully reintegrated back into their lives. As foolish as that makes her sound. Especially with the lack of explanations from Mina. Still.

She can argue that it’s for Minji, anyway. Oh, how Minji would love having Mina over every day.

And speaking of her daughter…

“Yah, tone it down, you two!” Nayeon finally exclaims when she notices that the two are still on the floor, trying to one-up the other, their grunts and groans echoing in the apartment. “Minji’s already sleeping. Your stupid argument will wake her up.”

“Shut up, unnie!” both Jeongyeon and Momo shout, too focused on their attempt to headlock the other and make them submit to pay their unnie any respect.

Nayeon gasps and Jihyo is already blocking her way before she can take another step toward the two.

“Do not participate, unnie,” warns Jihyo, her voice stern as she holds Nayeon back by her arms. Then looking over her shoulder, Jihyo instructs Dahyun, “Dahyun-ah, can you separate those two barbarians?”

Dahyun only gives Jihyo a thumbs-up before going over to the living room.

As she watches Dahyun walk away from the kitchen, Nayeon can’t help but pout and whine, “I was just going to teach them to respect their elders.”

“We both know once you get into that pile, you won’t get out until one of you has a bruise.”

Nayeon hates how accurate Jihyo is. Still, she continues glaring at Jeongyeon and Momo as Dahyun pries her girlfriend off Jeongyeon using whatever technique she does to make Momo heed her words with no complaints.

Momo’s so ing whipped it’s almost disgusting.

Except Nayeon can’t help but also coo at Momo and Dahyun’s relationship. She was a witness to their pining for each other in the past—she was even an active participant when they had to trap the two in a room so they would finally confess their feelings for each other—and to see them so disgustingly in love feels a lot like watching a rom-com movie unfold, minus the drama.

It’s cute.

She’s glad it’s Dahyun Momo will end up with.

Once Dahyun successfully manages to separate Jeongyeon and Momo—with Momo still glaring daggers at Jeongyeon despite having her arms already wrapped around her girlfriend (disgusting)—Jihyo ushers both Nayeon and Tzuyu to join them in the living room, with Sana appearing a moment later with her phone in her hands.

“Please don’t tell me you just took another hundred pictures of my daughter,” Nayeon says as Sana plops down next to Tzuyu and snuggles against her side.

Nayeon has always been unbothered by her friends’ PDA but two couples being clingy with their significant others in one night is too much. Especially when Dahyun is already consoling Momo for her lost bet and Sana is being her usual self with Tzuyu.

Huh. Now that she thinks about it, she’s the only single person in this room. Jeongyeon and Jihyo don’t count even though they still haven’t officially gotten together. At this point, a label is all that’s missing for them.

Gotta love her life.

“Minji is such a doll when she’s sleeping,” Sana says, outright ignoring what Nayeon just said as she shows her phone screen to Nayeon. “Are you sure she’s your daughter, unnie?”

“Yah!” Nayeon exclaims, affronted. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re ugly,” Jeongyeon answers, “and you couldn’t possibly have had a child as beautiful and adorable as Minji.”

“Yoo Jeongyeon, you’re a dead woman!”

“I’m picking Chaeyoung up from the airport. Wanna come with?”

Six heads whip in Jeongyeon’s direction and it takes all of them a full ten seconds before they all scramble up and exclaim questions.

“What?”

“What do you mean pick Chaeyoung from the airport?”

“Shotgun!”

“Chaeng’s coming home?”

In the end, it’s Nayeon’s loud, “Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” that Jeongyeon answers, choosing to ignore the other questions thrown by the rest of their group.

“She literally just told me she’s on her way home from Japan,” Jeongyeon answers, shrugging as if that fully justifies their hurried movements in Nayeon’s living room to gather their things.

“Mommy?” Minji asks after a minute of just watching five adults—Tzuyu not included—scrambling around the apartment to prepare for their departure. “Who’s Chaeyoung?”

Nayeon stops halfway from shoving her phone in her purse to blink at her daughter who’s seated primly on the couch. If Nayeon wasn’t in such a hurry, she’d wonder how her daughter suddenly seems calmer than before.

Whenever there’s chaos in their apartment caused by Nayeon’s so-called ‘adult’ friends, Minji would always join in even if she doesn’t understand what’s happening. So for her to just observe them is… new. Is her baby growing up already? Or is it Mina’s calmness rubbing off on her?

“Auntie Chaeyoung,” Nayeon corrects easily as she sits down beside her daughter, ignoring Sana’s whining of ‘I haven’t even showered yet, Jeongie, what the hell,’ to focus on Minji’s question. “She’s our friend. And your auntie.”

“Auntie Chaeyoung,” Minji repeats diligently, a small smile forming on her face. “She’s nice?”

“She’s very nice, honey,” Nayeon answers as she straightens up Minji’s clothes and deems her outfit appropriate enough for an impromptu airport pickup. “And we’re going to pick her up from the airport. I’m sure she’ll be glad to meet you.”

Being with her friends brings chaos. No matter where they are, no matter how old they are, and no matter what time it is—chaos is guaranteed when the seven of them are together.

So it’s really no-brainer that Nayeon delegates Tzuyu as Minji’s babysitter the moment they all get into Jihyo’s van.

“Tzuyu-yah, if I get preoccupied any time while we’re in the airport, will you take care of Minji, please?” Nayeon requests. She knows Tzuyu is the most responsible out of all of them—Jihyo doesn’t count because she’s as chaotic as everyone else when Jeongyeon is around—and she won’t ever let go of Minji’s hand. Nayeon can’t risk losing her daughter in a very crowded airport.

Tzuyu nods after giving Minji a quick look. “Sure, unnie.”

With that handled, Nayeon then turns to Jeongyeon who’s sat in the front seat with Jihyo driving beside her. She decidedly ignores the way Sana is practically vibrating in excitement in the seat behind hers.

“Where’s Chaengie now?” Nayeon asks, just loud enough to be heard over Sana’s rambling about… whatever.

“Plane just landed,” Jeongyeon answers immediately, even as her eyes are focused on her phone. Monitoring Chaeyoung’s whereabouts, Nayeon assumes.

“Does she know we’re picking her up?” It’s Jihyo who asks.

Nayeon nods, wondering if Chaeyoung even wants to see them. Sure, they do but what does even Chaeyoung think of them now? While Nayeon won’t let five years of no contact drive a wedge between them, she doesn’t know if Chaeyoung has… changed. Are they still friends? Is Chaeyoung the same ferocious and creative person squeezed inside a 5’2” body?

“Stop overthinking,” Jeongyeon says as she reaches back to deliver a flick on Nayeon’s forehead, which Nayeon is unable to dodge due to her thoughts. “Nothing has changed. She’s still our Chaengie.”

Nayeon stops whining at what Jeongyeon did to her and instead gives her a look, one that says she’s doubtful.

“Chaeyoung will be just as ecstatic to see you as you are to see her.” Jeongyeon’s smile is reassuring as she looks at Nayeon again. “Trust me.”

They arrive at the airport with a few minutes to spare before Chaeyoung’s plane lands and they spend the extra time buying snacks for everyone—courtesy of Jeongyeon.

But only because everyone—meaning Nayeon, Jihyo, and Sana—grumbled about being informed too late about Chaeyoung’s flight home, and made Jeongyeon pay—quite literally—for what she did.

And as they stand there waiting at the arrival area with stomachs a little full from the free food, Nayeon can’t help but fidget so much that Minji looks up at her, concerned.

“Mommy, are you okay?”

Nayeon blinks and stops tapping her foot to look down at her daughter. Minji’s eyes are wide and curious as she returns her mother’s stare.

“Just excited, sweetie,” Nayeon answers with a squeeze of Minji’s hand in hers.

Minji nods even though Nayeon wonders if her daughter even understands why Nayeon is excited in the first place.

Still, Nayeon doesn’t question her daughter’s unusually behaved attitude today. After all, she’s not trying to wiggle out of Nayeon’s hold to go and wander around like she usually would. That’s a good thing in Nayeon’s book.

“Minji-yah,” Tzuyu calls softly with a smile and a quick look at Nayeon who gives her a grin. “Wanna hold Auntie Yoda’s hand?”

Immediately, Minji drops Nayeon’s hand to go to Tzuyu. And it’s cute, how Minji didn’t even hesitate for one second to run up to Tzuyu.

Nayeon doesn’t question it, though. After all, her Auntie Yoda is the least affectionate of her godmothers and Minji likes to bask in her attention and affection whenever Tzuyu showers her with them.

Nayeon’s quiet introspection about how much Minji loves her godmothers is cut off by a sudden “Chaeyoung-ah!”

If she wasn’t so used to Sana’s high-pitched squeals and loud peals of laughter even in public, Nayeon would be embarrassed. But she’s been friends with the woman for over a decade and is used to it by now.

Doesn’t mean she doesn’t flinch at the shrillness though.

The call makes Nayeon and everyone else look around the area as well and Nayeon doesn’t even notice her face lighting up as she, too, notices their friend.

She watches as Chaeyoung swivels her head and looks around. As her gaze lands upon their group, her eyes light up in recognition and she waves her hand while saying, “Unnies!”

They—excluding Tzuyu, Minji, and Nayeon—all rush forward and meet Chaeyoung halfway.

Before another word is exchanged between them, Dahyun is already enveloping Chaeyoung in a hug. Then Sana, Jihyo, Momo, and Jeongyeon follow.

Nayeon smiles fondly at the sight, taking a quick photo of them (to have something to tease them with later), before turning to Tzuyu and reaching out for Minji’s hand.

“Go,” she urges, knowing how much Tzuyu has also missed Chaeyoung. And despite her being the least showy of her fondness for her friends, Tzuyu doesn’t even hesitate to give Minji’s hand to her and go forward and join the group hug.

They’re adorable and hilarious at the same time, Nayeon thinks with a quiet laugh as she watches her friends turn into messes at being reunited with Chaeyoung again.

“Mommy.” Minji tugs at her hand and Nayeon looks down to see her daughter smiling at her while pointing at her sobbing godmothers. “Hug!”

Without needing another prompting, Nayeon and Minji join the group hug.

And Nayeon couldn’t ask for more.

(She does. She wishes Mina is here as well. Then everything would’ve been perfect.)

Once all the commotion dies down and her adult friends settle down after the high of seeing Chaeyoung again, Minji finds the time to finally speak up as they walk to Jihyo’s van.

“Mommy, this Auntie Chaeyoung?” Minji asks, her words coming out in a rush as if she’s been sitting on that question for a while now.

What a cutie, her daughter.

“M