Mina's eyes didn't leave the other girl ever since they got into the kitchen. She watched Chaeyoung pull out all the needed ingredients and work her way through everything. It's fascinating, the way Chaeyoung performed like she wasn't just pouring her heart out and recalled the worst moment of her life. Her movements were swift like she was dancing through the kitchen.

The food Chaeyoung cooked was getting better and more varied (in quality), Mina also noticed. The first few days, it was only rice with one main dish, but now, there was soup, side dish, and even fruits if she went to big grocery stores. In the process of taking care of Mina, Chaeyoung was learning to take care of herself too. Even now, when they only aimed for ramen, Chaeyoung still managed to add eggs, sausage, some veggies, and even kimchi into the bowl, making the broth richer than ever. Mina hummed, letting the savoury steam filled her nostrils before digging in. She didn't realise how hungry she was until the bowl was placed in front of her. Still, she couldn't stop herself glancing at the human girl every once in a while.

Maybe Mina's glance was more frequent than once in a while, and it wasn't subtle as she intended, Chaeyoung stared back at her and let out a chuckle.

"Eat, Mina. I'm not going to explode any moment soon."

"But you just... Are you okay?"

Chaeyoung shrugged.

"I'm used to it now. I get like that every once in a while, when there's something triggering me."

"I'm sorry..." Mina mumbled, knowing full well her irrational behaviours were the trigger for Chaeyoung's state.

"Don't be. It's you who helped me get better much sooner than usual. It normally took me around a week to get out of my slump, but you managed it in less than a day."

Mina nodded.

"Still. I shouldn't jump to conclusions like that."

"Yeah. I know where you came from. But next time, please talk to me first, okay? Communication is key." Chaeyoung paused, before chuckling loudly. "Gosh! I sound like my therapist."

"Why didn't you accept another therapist?" Mina looked back to her bowl, now there were just a few pieces of scallions left.

"I was stubborn, and hurt. People just leave me, you know? After my first therapist left, I really didn't want to warm up to another and then watched them leave too. It's..." She trailed off, letting the silence fill in the emotion she didn't want to name.

“How about your aunt? Is she around?”

Chaeyoung shook her head somberly.

“No. We only met once a year. She said she’s busy. That’s partly true. From what I know, she’s a very successful businesswoman. But I think the biggest reason is that she couldn’t bear to look at me.”

“But why? She’s your aunt!”

“I was told so many times that I was a younger version of my mother. I don’t hear much of it now, you can guess why.” Chaeyoung chuckled darkly, stirring the chopsticks and watching the scallions swirled inside the ramen bowl. “I think she doesn’t want to look at me because I remind her of her own sister and the tragic story.”

Mina scrunched her brows in confusion. She didn’t know how relatives were supposed to treat each other, for she had never been in a functional family. But she was sure what Chaeyoung just described wasn’t right. Family wasn’t supposed to abandon each other, right? Or at least human family shouldn’t.

“She paid for my school fee, when I decided to finish high school. And facility bills in this house. She didn’t approve of me not doing anything after high school, but she didn’t force me to go to college or get a job. She just said that she will only cover the bills until I’m 25. Then I have to pay the bills on my own. I think it’s reasonable. I still have 4-5 years to go. And I still have the money my parents left for me to buy food and other necessities.”

Noticing Mina’s furrowed brows, Chaeyoung chuckled, dropping the chopsticks back into the bowl and looking up at the hybrid. She pulled up a small, tired smile.

"I can manage on my own. I picked myself up, don't worry. I normally do."

Silence engulfed them again. It wasn't unpleasant, it's just the calm quietness when people take a breather. They sat there, leftovers forgotten, lost in their own thoughts until Mina made the first move. She reached out to Chaeyoung's hand on the table and entwined their fingers. She had seen people do that, in real life, on TV, and always wondered how that would feel. It felt right, Mina concluded, Chaeyoung's hand was soft and warm, and although it's small, it had everything Mina ever needed.

Turning her head to look properly at Mina,  Chaeyoung couldn't hide the surprise that had taken over her face. She didn't look startled, Mina noted, even when her eyebrows shot up questioningly, a small smile had formed on her lips. The hybrid found herself replicating the action.

They understood what they were doing, and what they were offering to each other. Their presence, their warmth, their past, their broken pieces, and their solac