Even with their lunch not being as smooth sailing as Nayeon hoped it would be, it’s still progress that their group can adapt to having Mina back in their lives.

Which means that now, it’s okay for Minji to know about her real connection with ‘Auntie Penguin.’

Despite Nayeon's initial decision to keep Minji a secret from Mina, she doesn't have it in her to keep such vital information from her daughter.

And seeing how much Minji seemingly adores Mina is enough for Nayeon to cement her decision of letting them get… acquainted, so to speak.

Nayeon just hopes she’s ready herself.

“Minji, baby.”

Nayeon is rarely serious when addressing Minji, so her daughter is understandably confused by her tone.

“Yes, mommy? Did I do something?”

Nayeon shakes her head. The last thing she needs is for Minji to think that she’s being chastised. “Oh, no, baby. No. You did nothing wrong. I just… want to explain a few things to you.”

Minji tilts her head to the side. It’s becoming a habit of hers that makes her even cuter. “Things?”

“Yeah.” Nayeon takes a deep breath, steeling herself for what she’s about to explain to her four-year-old child. It’s never easy to tell if Minji will take the news well. “You know how some of your classmates have two parents who pick them up from school?” She waits for Minji to nod before continuing, “Well, have you ever wondered why there’s only you and me?”

Minji is even more confused, the tip of her tongue poking out of her lips as she tries hard to comprehend Nayeon’s question. “But there’s Auntie Sana, Auntie Yoda, Auntie Momo, Auntie Dubu, Auntie Jeongyeon, and Auntie Jihyo.” With every mention of her godmother’s name, one of Minji’s tiny fingers goes up. “Pwus you and me. We’re eight, mommy. Not two.”

Her daughter even shows Nayeon her hands as if to punctuate her point.

And Nayeon knows that if her friends were here, they would’ve melted on the spot and showered Minji with hugs and kisses because seriously how adorable is she? And then they would’ve laughed at Nayeon’s predicament because of course they would.

Nayeon struggles to find the right words. Goodness, why does this have to be so difficult? She just needs to tell Minji that she has two parents instead of one. “I mean, I’m your only parent. Your aunties are your godmothers but they’re not your parents, you know?”

Minji shakes her head. “But they’re cawwed godmothers? So, they’re my mothers, too?”

At the question, Nayeon almost taps out and dials Jihyo’s number.

How does Minji even think of such things? Nayeon knows her daughter is smart—she’s Nayeon’s child, after all—but she doesn’t have the brain capacity to explain their complicated family dynamics in simplistic terms.

And then Jeongyeon’s no-nonsense voice speaks up in Nayeon’s head. “Just explain to her the birds and the bees. That would go well.”

Nayeon initially rejected the idea. Her child is four, for goodness’ sake! She just has to know that she has two parents. She doesn’t need to know how babies are made!

Another one of her friend’s—Jihyo’s—voice pipes up in her mind. “Just immediately tell her about Mina. She already met her anyway.”

At first, Nayeon turned down that suggestion too. She's kind of wary about bringing Mina up again after the constant barrage of Auntie-Penguin-related questions a few weeks ago. Minji’s line of questioning even made Momo bolt out of Nayeon’s apartment when Minji started asking questions related to Mina for the umpteenth time.

But Nayeon’s Plan A is a bust and she promised her friends and herself that she will tell Minji tonight.

Oh, to hell with it.

“Okay, well, that’s a fail. Forget what I said earlier, alright, sweetie?”

Minji nods with a smile, so easily placated by simple words. “Okay, mommy.”

Well, here goes. “Do you remember Auntie Penguin?”

At the mention of the name, Minji practically launches right out of her bed. Guess she has not forgotten about her at all, then, and the curiosity has just been tamed. “Auntie Penguin! Is she here?”

“Well, no, honey, but—”

Minji automatically pouts.

Oh, come on! They spent like five minutes together! How is she this attached already? She just gave her a penguin accessory!

Nayeon shakes her head and focuses on the mission at hand. She’ll ask Mina what she did to make her daughter this fond of her later. For now, she has to take advantage of having Minji’s full attention and finally break the ‘news’ to her.

“Me and Auntie Penguin were in love. Back then.” Saying the words hurts like a slice of a knife on her arm—it stings and it bleeds and it’s not life-threatening but it’s still there with its stinging pain constantly reminding her of its existence.

Nayeon should’ve just asked Jihyo to do this for her.

“Reawwy?” There’s an amazement in Minji’s voice that Nayeon doesn’t know what to make of. At least Minji understands love.

Nayeon strains to get the next words out, “Y-Yes. We were in love and then we had you.”

“Me?”

A nod is all Nayeon can manage. Then, steeling her resolve, she adds, “Yes, sweetie. You see, when two people are in love, they can decide to have a baby together.”

Minji tilts her head to the side and then points a finger at herself. “I’m baby?”

Nayeon can’t help but smile at her daughter despite the tightening in her chest. “Yes. You are my and Auntie Penguin’s baby.”

Minji falls silent and Nayeon can practically hear the gears in her mind working overtime. Thirty seconds pass without a word from Minji and Nayeon is starting to doubt that she explained things very well.

Hell, she thinks she may have butchered explaining the concept of family to Minji and Jihyo will probably strangle her once she learns of this.

But then Minji speaks and maybe Nayeon got it right the second try.

That, or her daughter is just naturally intelligent.

“Auntie Penguin is Mommy Penguin?”

Nayeon tries not to show offense at how she’s easily dethroned as Minji’s ‘designated’ mommy. “Well, I’m mommy.”

Minji nods as if it makes total sense. “Mama Penguin?”

“Just mama.”

Minji tastes the word in . “Mama.” Then her lips break out into an excited grin as she repeats, “Mama!”

And Nayeon almost cries.

Nayeon does cry when Mina and Minji meet the second time.

“Mama!”

The absolute shock that goes through all of her friends is to be expected. Nayeon did inform them that she successfully managed to explain things to Minji, but they were skeptical of how well their goddaughter received the news.

Or rather, they were skeptical of how well Nayeon explained things to Minji.

Mina’s shock shouldn’t come as a surprise either. After all, when Nayeon set up the time and place where Mina can finally meet Minji formally, she wasn’t very accommodating. Mina would’ve probably expected Nayeon to badmouth her to her own daughter.

(Nayeon may be petty sometimes but she would never do that, by the way.)

Nayeon thinks she’s just too sappy and emotional that when Minji runs to Mina with open arms, and Mina receives her hug with both surprise and delight, she practically bawls on the spot.

Why is Nayeon even crying?

It’s not like she’s imagined this scenario in her head a thousand times in the past four years. Nope.

Mina is also tearing up—probably from the unexpectedly warm welcome from Minji—but she catches Nayeon’s eyes over Minji’s shoulder and she gives her a grateful beam.

Nayeon doesn’t want to admit it, but she almost returns the smile.

“You’re my mama?” Minji asks Mina for the… fifth (?) time in the span of an hour.

Sitting at a table in a park near the Han River, Nayeon is simply content to observe as Mina and Minji get to know each other for the first time.

Or rather, as Minji continuously verifies that Mina is indeed her mama and Nayeon isn’t just pulling a stupid prank on her.

Not that Minji knows what pranks are, but Nayeon doesn’t know why else her daughter keeps asking the same question to Mina.

But despite Minji’s persistent asking of the same question, Mina’s smile never once falters and her eyes even grow fonder every time she answers Minji with a simple, “Yes, sweetie. I am.”

And Nayeon should’ve prepared herself for this really because the sight of Mina and Minji laughing together etches itself in her mind that it’s quite impossible for Nayeon to not break down once she puts Minji to bed later.

This is how she imagined her life with Mina would’ve been—weekend dates in the park with her family and their friends who always tag along because they love Minji, and they love spending time with her.

Except Momo is still glaring at Mina from time to time and her friends simply let Mina and Minji bond on their own instead of joining them.

It’s as flawed as it is perfect.

“At this rate, you’re gonna get dethroned for being Minji’s favorite.”

Both Nayeon and Sana whip their heads in Jeongyeon’s direction as they exclaim, “Excuse me?”

Jeongyeon actually flinches at the glares she receives from them, and Nayeon counts that as a small win. “Whoa! Take it easy, mama bears.” She throws her hands up as if in surrender and both Momo and Jihyo laugh at the terrified look on Jeongyeon’s face. “I was talking to Sana?”

Sana gasps and glares harder at Jeongyeon who then turns to Nayeon instead and says, “Actually, I meant Nayeon.”

“Yoo Jeongyeon, you are so dead!” And before anyone else can react, Nayeon lunges across the table to strangle Jeongyeon before her so-called friend can flee.

Nayeon can distantly recognize her friends’ laughter as she continues to choke Jeongyeon and make her apologize for saying she’ll be dethroned as her own daughter’s favorite. And it’s perfect, really. Minji’s happy with her mama, her friends are around them with tears of joy in their eyes, and Nayeon can hear Jeongyeon muttering incoherent strings of apologies to her.

Perfect