“Minji really likes Mina.”

Jihyo hums at Jeongyeon’s comment.

It’s the second time that Minji is spending time with Mina at the park and while Nayeon personally prefers to go somewhere else, Minji doesn’t share the same sentiment—simply content to make small figurines using Mina’s Legos while sitting on a picnic blanket with Mina, Dahyun, and Sana.

And Nayeon doesn’t have it in her to complain when Minji is obviously happy with her mama and two other godmothers.

Nayeon can’t say the same about Momo, however, who only scowls at Jeongyeon’s comment.

“I thought for sure the first time was a fluke.”

“Guess you’ll have to be more civil to her now, huh?” Jeongyeon teases Momo.

Momo, thankfully, doesn’t launch herself at Jeongyeon like Nayeon expects her to. “You wish.” She turns to Nayeon. “Has she even apologized to you, Nabong?”

Nayeon almost flinches at the intensity of Momo’s gaze. She’s either really intense or subdued when conversations are related to Mina and Nayeon doesn’t know what to make of it. “No.”

Momo looks smug. “See? She hasn’t even apologized. What a .”

“Stop that,” Jihyo chastises immediately, lips turning down into a frown as she quickly glances at the quartet nearby. “She’s a friend.”

“Correction, she was a friend. She lost that title when she left Nayeon-unnie at the altar.”

Both Jeongyeon and Jihyo flinch at the statement and their expressions look sympathetic. No one has dared say anything about what happened between Nayeon and Mina, solely focused on ensuring that Minji is comfortable with her mama.

But now that they’ve spent two consecutive weekends with each other with no incidents whatsoever, Nayeon supposes that it’s inevitable for the topic to come up.

It doesn’t mean that Nayeon is prepared for it, though, especially after learning about their current work situation.

“You really have no subtlety, do you, Hirai?” Jeongyeon asks, reaching across their table to smack the side of Momo’s head.

Momo readily slaps away Jeongyeon’s hand as she rolls her eyes. “Nabong isn’t made of glass. Stop walking on eggshells around her.”

“That’s rich coming from you when you were the one who dubbed Mina as She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when Nabong finally came out of her room.”

“Nabong is right here, idiots.”

Jeongyeon and Momo at least have the decency to look sheepish when they turn to Nayeon.

“It’s fine to talk about it, right?” Momo asks, pertaining to the wedding incident.

Nayeon only hums. Truthfully, she isn’t sure what she feels whenever her supposed wedding with Mina is brought up. She hasn’t fully processed the events of what happened even after five years—simply burying them under the responsibilities of being a single mother—and Mina’s sudden reappearance isn’t helping either.

Add that to the fact that Minji absolutely adores Mina and Nayeon still has feelings for her apparently, and you have a mother stressed out of her mind.

“Nayeonnie?”

Nayeon blinks to see Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Momo looking at her with worry. Thank goodness Tzuyu isn’t here or Nayeon would have had to brush off four people’s concerns, and she isn’t certain she can do that successfully.

“Whatever happened between me and Mina shouldn’t affect Minji.”

It’s a deflection, and Jihyo sees right through it.

“That’s not an answer.”

Nayeon shrugs. It’s the best she can come up with. Any more introspection and she might just burst into tears in public with Minji nearby.

After discovering that her daughter witnessed her crying at some point, Nayeon has become even more guarded whenever Minji is around.

So, talking about past aches isn’t Nayeon’s priority at the moment.

“If you still love her, we’re not going to judge.”

Momo snorts and Jeongyeon whips her head to look at her, visibly irritated at Momo’s contrarian disposition today. “What now, Hirai?”

“You won’t judge. I would.” Momo turns to Nayeon. “I’ll judge you so hard you’ll feel like a suspect on a court stand. I’ll judge you until you’re sweating and squirming on your couch. Then, I’ll judge you some more so you’d know how stupid you are if you let Mina back in easily like she didn’t leave you on your wedding day.”

Jihyo is looking at Momo like she can’t believe the words that came out of . “Jesus, Momo-yah. Do you hate her or something?”

“Don’t you?”

The question obviously surprises Jihyo, evident in the way she flinches and frowns. “Why should I?”

“She left you, too.”

That silences Jihyo. Even Jeongyeon doesn’t quip up with anything.

Momo’s antagonistic behavior towards Mina isn’t a surprise to Nayeon anymore, especially after the talk they had, but every time that Mina’s name is brought up, Nayeon finds that there are other things that Momo wants to say about her.

Like that, for example.

Nayeon only watches as Jihyo struggles to reply to Momo. “I… I wasn’t her fiancée.”

Momo nods. Her tone is not as harsh as it was a few seconds ago when she says, “Yeah, but you were one of her closest friends. You can’t tell me that you weren’t hurt that Mina left us too.”

“Of course I was. But I’m not going to act like an towards her just because she left.”

Momo scoffs. “Don’t act like she deserves your kindness, Hyo. She hasn’t even apologized, much more explained anything.”

“Maybe she’s just waiting for the right time,” Jeongyeon interjects, always the one to stand up for Mina. They’re the closest among their group—close enough that Jeongyeon was chosen as Mina’s supposed maid of honor—so Nayeon can’t really blame her for defending Mina even now.

“That’s bull.”

“Language, Momoring.”

“Shut up, Nabong.”

“You’re so annoying lately, you know that?” Nayeon says without much bite in her tone; after all, she can’t find it in herself to care much about their squabble today.

Momo is stubborn and obviously hates Mina, Jeongyeon is hard-headed and will defend Mina to her grave, and Jihyo is firm with her judgments and is obviously torn between being nice and getting mad at Mina.

It’s just headache-inducing.

Momo shrugs, unaffected by Nayeon’s comment. “Try not to worship Mina too much while I’m gone, yeah?” she says that to Jeongyeon and Jihyo before standing up. “I’m just gonna buy something to eat.”

Without waiting for any response from them, Momo leaves.

It only takes Jihyo a few seconds before she says, “She’s got a point, you know.”

Jeongyeon scoffs, still obviously irate at how Momo acted and spoke of Mina. “What? So you’re gonna act like an towards Mitang now, too?”

“I didn’t say that.” Jihyo shakes her head. “But I was hurt when Mina left and Momoring’s right. She hasn’t even tried to explain to Nayeon-unnie. Or to you. Or to any of us.”

“Mina is our friend, Jihyo-yah.”

Jihyo’s answer is instantaneous. “And so is Nayeon-unnie.”

Nayeon would’ve cooed and teased Jihyo if their atmosphere weren’t as tense. As it is, Nayeon just lets them be, knowing full well they’ll stop on their own soon enough.

She’s known them long enough to know they’ll either bicker until someone walks away or drop the subject altogether if they can’t find a mutual resolution.

“This isn’t black or white, you know,” Jeongyeon is saying, “We can be friends with them both.”

“While completely ignoring the fact that Mina isn’t even trying to explain?”

“Are you like Momo now too?”

“Don’t be stupid. I’m just saying she has a point.”

“Shut up, you two. You’re giving me a headache.”

That seems to be the wrong time to pipe up because now Jihyo and Jeongyeon turn to her and Nayeon already knows she’s going to be the one on the hot seat now.

Can’t Minji come and interrupt them? When is her little angel when she needs her?

Minji-yah, save your mommy.

“You’re civil with Mina,” Jihyo points out.

Nayeon raises her brow. She isn’t sure where Jihyo is trying to go with her statement. “And?”

Jihyo examines her for a few more seconds before answering, “And it’s weird. Shouldn’t you be resentful?”

People have been asking Nayeon a lot of questions like that lately.

Shouldn’t you be violent towards her?

Shouldn’t you hate her?

Shouldn’t you be resentful?

So many ‘shouldn’t you be’s’ that Nayeon isn’t even sure what she should be feeling towards Mina.

Love and hate can co-exist, right? Even if one is more powerful than the other?

Nayeon isn’t sure. She doesn’t want to think about it.

“I’m doing it for Minji.”

Both Jeongyeon and Jihyo groan, and it makes Nayeon laugh.

It’s a non-answer. Any response that involves Minji’s name is a non-answer and the three of them know that.

But they also know that Nayeon won’t give them a straightforward reply and she’s just going to use Minji as an excuse every single time.

Nayeon supposes Minji’s saving her in more ways than one.

“Mama, pwease don’t go.”

Nayeon blinks as Minji clings to Mina who looks conflicted if she should remove Minji’s arms from her neck or just let her daughter continue holding on to her.

It’s the first time in a while that Nayeon hears Minji whine—her daughter is well-behaved despite her constant running and jumping around—so it comes as a surprise to Nayeon to see her daughter in the beginnings of a tantrum.

And all because of Mina.

“I, uh…” Mina looks at Nayeon as if seeking help, but Nayeon is still reeling from seeing her