#lsmlostfiles

“Ah… Someone’s finally awake,” he whispered in Japanese as he gave me a good morning kiss. “Morning, Yori…” I replied as I sat up on our bed.

His kind smile greeted me as he picked my specs off the side table and placed them on my face.

“Morning, Wifey. Time to get ready to visit Mina,” he said, gently pulling the covers off me. “I already turned on the water heater, your outfit is hanging behind the bathroom door, and your contacts are on the sink.”

“Great… I’ll go get ready…” I mumbled as I slid out of bed and shuffled on over to our bathroom.

I heard a small chuckle coming from him as I closed the door, not bothering to lock it since I don’t mind him walking in on me. As I turned towards the mirror, a sticky note on the glass caught my attention. I plucked it off and read it.

Morning, beautiful :)! Just wanted to let you know that you’re the luckiest thing that happened to me.

~Yori

I smiled and folded it up into a quarter, before walking over to my jeans and putting the note into my pocket. I had a feeling that I’d need it later. Things weren’t the brightest at the moment, so I would need every bit of positivity I could get.

“Keep it together, Son Chaeyoung…” I said to myself as I stared at my reflection through the mirror.

My head was full of things, things that kept me up at night, things that made me unsure about what was to come, things that made me feel lost, afraid… Tired…

Snap out of it.

I sighed and started to undress. I had no time to waste, Mina was waiting for me. I quickly freshened up, putting on my contacts and the outfit that Yori helped me to pick out. I headed out of the bathroom and down the stairs to my living room, where Yori was packing bentos into a cooler bag. He placed the last box into the bag before sealing it. I walked up to him, and he noticed my presence and smiled softly.

“What are those?” I asked. “Bento boxes. Mina said that she wanted something besides hospital food, right?” he replied.

I did a facepalm as the memory of her saying that came back into my mind. Aish… Chaeyoung!

“Ya… Don’t do that. You’ll hurt yourself,” Yori chuckled.

He gently pulled the hand off my forehead and kissed it before cupping my cheek with his hands.

“You look extra gorgeous today…” he whispered sincerely.

Yori said those words almost every morning, and I would usually squeal and leap onto him for a kiss, but today… I wasn’t feeling it. I sighed and pushed his hand away.

“That’s what you say everyday,” I said flatly, “Come on… Let’s go.”

I headed towards the door, leaving Yori behind. I heard him chuckling, and soon he followed me out to the garage. We got into the car, he started the engine, and we drove off towards the hospital quickly. Unlike our usual rides… This ride was silent.

I idly stared out of the window, watching Seoul whizz by me in a blur as I let myself space out. This has become a hobby of mine these past few days. In my dazed state, I could hear Yori softly humming the tune of a song as he drove us along the way. It’s amazing how he managed to always stay so positive.

Traffic was kind, and we managed to reach the hospital rather quickly. Yori re-shouldered the cooler bag as I got out of the car, and we walked together to the reception desk silently. A nurse looked up from behind the desk, and as soon as she recognised us, she smiled.

“Hi there! Here to see Myoui Mina-nim again, I suppose?” she asked kindly.

She had been working behind the reception desk for the past week. In fact, she was the same nurse who was here the night Mina got admitted. Sana told me that Momo yelled at her that night because she was panicking. I smiled and nodded.

“Ne! May I go in?” I asked. She nodded and smiled. “You know which lift to take,” she said, gesturing in a direction.

I smiled and gave her a small bow before walking towards the lift lobby. We got into the lift on the far right and took it to the floor where Mina was staying. Our footsteps echoed against the floor as we made our way down the hallway, towards the sole wooden door at the end of the hall.

Yori and I stopped in front of the door as we reached it. I took a deep breath to compose myself before knocking.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Come in…”

I took another deep breath and forced a smile, before sliding the door open.

“Mina-unnieee!!!” I squealed, although I noticed that my excitement sounded more and more fake everytime I said it on a new day. “Ah… Chaeng… Yori…” Mina said softly.

She smiled her gummy smile and stretched out her arms, beckoning me for a hug. I ran to her and hugged her tightly before letting go to smile as bright as I could at my sister.

“I’m back!” I announced. Mina chuckled and nodded. “I… Can see that…” she smiled.

Mina looked much stronger now, she didn’t spell her sentences word-per-word like she did last week. Still, she looked weak. She looked too weak.

“Annyeong, Mina-ssi!” Yori greeted as he closed the door. “I packed some bentos for you since you said you wanted something other than hospital food.”

Mina laughed gently. I pulled up a chair and sat down next to her, taking her hands in mine as she smiled at Yori.

“I was… Joking…” she said. Yori scoffed and pulled out the bento boxes. “Well… That’s a shame… But I doubt I’ll be taking these back. We’ll just have to tell the staff that we’ve settled lunch for you,” he chuckled.

Yori walked over and handed Mina-unnie her bento box.

“Sukiyaki-don,” he informed her as I took it from him and laid it down in front of Mina-unnie. “Woah… I was… Craving… This…” she mused. “Arigatou… Yori-kun…” “Mondai nai…” Yori waved it off as he proceeded to hand me my bento.

I received it from him and opened it up. The smell of his delicious cooking wafted into my nose as my stomach growled, suddenly realising that I didn’t eat breakfast.

Hang on… Yori had prepared breakfast for me at home. I saw the food on the table when I walked down. But… I went straight out to the garage… Without even paying attention to it. Oh my gosh… Chaeyoung… What was wrong with you?

“Ya! What are you girls waiting for? Go on! Dig in!” Yori said with a big smile, handing us chopsticks. “The bento won’t eat itself!”

I stared at Yori, feeling like shit. He didn’t even mention it. He… Oh gosh… Yori…

“Are you… Gonna join… Us?” Mina asked softly, waking me from my thoughts. Yori chuckled. “Of course! I’m hungry too!” Yori said cheerfully, sitting down next to me and pulling his box out.

Of course he was. I made him skip breakfast too.

“Gosh… This is… Delicious… Yori!” Mina sighed as she began eating. “Ah… It’s nothing compared to Minsoo-hyung’s, Jeongyeon’s, or Jihyo’s cooking… Or yours for that matter!” Yori said humbly. Mina smiled and turned to look at me. “You’re… So lucky… To have him, Chaeng…” Mina whispered warmly. “I get that a lot,” I replied as I picked up a piece of beef and sent it into my mouth.

Fuck. Why did I have to sound so snarky?

I looked up at Mina, finding her staring at me silently.

“W–What is it, Unnie?” I asked, feeling guilty.

Mina smiled and shook her head.

“Nothing… I was just… Spacing out…” she uttered, going back to her bento.

I nodded and went back to my food. I didn’t know what to say to her. Times were tough for Mina now. A lot of things happened to her, but somehow she remained strangely calm. Just a few days ago, I was here with her and the other Twice members when Sana and Momo returned from Red Velvet’s dorm… To bring her the news that Ansel had just been shot and killed by Park Manse.

Everyone expected her to cry, everyone expected her to bawl and scream, shedding tears of grief as soon she heard the news. I remembered Nayeon and Jihyo immediately rushed to her side and hugged her tightly that day, afraid that Mina might lose it, but instead, she only sighed and closed her eyes calmly, saying “At least… He died a hero”, before asking Sana and Momo to accompany her to visit his grave once she was discharged.

Mina’s calmness throughout this entire situation still had me baffled, had all of us baffled. I knew she let Ansel go willingly, I knew I was the one who appealed to her kindness when she initially refused to let Ansel go, but… She couldn’t possibly be that calm, right? Her boyfriend was killed! Maybe she was still in shock, maybe the reality still had not fully dawned on her yet. Gosh… My unnie…

“Ansel… Would have… Loved this…”

I looked up as I heard her. Mina was staring at her bento box, and I could see that her hands were trembling a little. I drew in a breath. This could go two ways…

“Unnie… It’s… I–It’s okay to cry…” I whispered, repeating the words that I had been saying to her these past few days.

Mina stared at her bento box silently for a few long moments, but then she lifted her face, gazing straight into my eyes. Her eyes were gleaming, but… She was smiling.

“I’m… Fine, Chaeng…” she whispered. “Are you sure?” I asked her.

Mina nodded again, but I wasn’t convinced. I opened my mouth to ask her again, but then I felt Yori’s hand on my shoulder.

“Baby… I’m sure she’s fine…” he assured me.

Suddenly, I snapped.

“You don’t know what she’s feeling, Yori! Don’t talk like you can speak on her behalf! Why are you so fucking nosy!” I yelled.

Yori blinked silently, staring at me, clearly stunned at my sudden hostility. To be honest, I was stunned too. I knew I shouldn’t do that. Why did I yell and curse at my own boyfriend… My own fiancé? He did nothing wrong… He… Fuck, Chaeyoung! What was wrong with you?

“Y–Yeah… You’re… You’re right,” Yori uttered, before turning to look at Mina, “Joesonghaeyo, Mina-ssi…” “It’s… Fine, Yori… And… Please call me… Noona…” Mina said softly. “E–Eh?” Yori stuttered, flustered at Mina’s sudden remark. Mina smiled. “You’re… My sister’s… Husband to be. That makes you… My brother in law… So… ‘Noona’. Please,” she said warmly.

I felt my cheeks blushing red hearing Mina’s words, my heart fluttering. She addressed me as her sister. She was thinking about my wedding with Yori. Why was she so kind? She was thinking about me… When she was the one who was hurting and suffering. And I… I was being an asshole.

“L–Let’s… Let’s… Finish our meal,” I uttered, feeling embarrassed for my actions.

An awkward silence filled the room, all of us unsure of what to say or do other than finishing our food. Yori helped to take all the empty containers, storing them back inside the cooler bag. I took a deep breath and forced a smile as I looked at Mina.

“So! What do you wanna do today, Unnie?” I asked as I pulled up my bag, “Nintendo Switch? Board games? Or are you still playing Apex on your phone?”

I noticed that she hesitated a little before answering.

“Actually… Yori-kun… Forgive me, but… Can I talk to Chaeng… In private for a while?” she asked gently. Yori nodded and stood up quickly. “Sure thing. I’ll be right outside,” he said.

Yori gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before walking out, closing the door behind him. I turned to look at Mina, and as I gazed into her gentle eyes, I felt more and more guilty. Still, somehow, I kept my rock hard façade on.

“What is it, Unnie?” I asked, trying to sound as calm and cheerful as I could. “Chaeng… What’s… Going on?” Mina whispered. I raised an eyebrow. “W–What… What do you mean?” I asked. “Why… Are you acting like… This?” she asked.

My heart was beating faster. Guilt was eating me from the inside. I avoided her eyes.

“I–I… I don’t… Understand… Acting like what?” I lied. “You’ve been acting… Like this… For the past… Few days. Is… Everything alright?” she asked. “Umm… Yeah? What–” “How much sleep… Have you two been… Getting?” Mina cut me off. “I–I…” “You and Yori… You’ve been spending… At least half a day here… Everyday, since… I was admitted,” Mina pointed out. “I… We… We need to take care of you, Unnie! We’re fine! We’ve been getting enough rest! Y–You shouldn’t worry about us! We’re–” “Nae dongsaeng…”

Her words stopped my ramblings. I felt tears starting to flood my eyes. Mina rarely ever called me ‘nae dongsaeng’–’my little sister, unless she wanted to say something really important to me.

“Look at me…” Mina whispered.

Slowly, I lifted my face. I tried so hard to keep my tears from falling down, and my eyes felt so heavy. My heart ached. Mina reached to grab my hand gently, rubbing her thumb on my knuckles.

“You… You two should take a break… It's the weekend now… You two should… Just go… Have a date… Have some rest. Jihyo and Minsoo are coming… Later…” Mina said.

I stubbornly shook my head, avoiding her eyes again.

“N–No… No. It’s… Fine. We’re fine. I’m fine…” I uttered. “Son Chaeyoung… Listen to me…” she interjected.

I looked up at her again. Mina wasn’t smiling. Her face was dead serious. She was gazing straight into my eyes. It felt like she was peering into my soul.

“You shouldn’t treat Yori… Like that... You… Shouldn’t be like this. That’s no way… To treat a man…” Mina whispered.

My heart was churning inside my chest. My lips trembled. Fuck. I was about to cry.

“I know… You’re… I know you’re sad because of me… But… That’s not an excuse to be… Mean… Towards your fiancé…” Mina continued. “I–I…” “You need… To treasure him. You need… To treasure Yori. It’s… Hard to find… Someone… Like him…” Mina whispered.

I looked down, finally letting my tears fall, feeling like shit. She was right. She was absolutely right.

“I–I…. I know… Unnie…” I sobbed. “I’m… Sorry….” “He cares so much… For you… You need to… Hold him close… Treasure your time… With him…” Mina continued. “Y–You’re… Right…” I admitted. “... Don’t… Regret it later…”

Suddenly, my ears picked up the beeping sound of the heart rate monitor beside her bed. It was… The intervals were getting shorter. I looked up, finding Mina trembling. I realised it immediately.

She was angry at me. She was angry because I treated Yori unkindly. She was angry because I was acting ungrateful while I still had my fiancé by my side, while she was… Ansel was... Oh God…

“U–Unnie?” “... Don’t… Regret it… Don’t… Don’t… Be like me…” Mina stuttered, clearly sounding angry.

Beep… Beep... Beep... Beep…

“... I… Even if I want to… I… Can’t… Cherish my time… With Ansel… No more… I… It’s too late for me…” Mina whispered, her voice shaking.

Beep.. Beep.. Beep.. Beep..

“Promise me… Chaeyoung… Don’t… Don’t… Regret it…” Mina said, staring at me. “U–Unnie… You’re…” “Promise… Me… Chaeyoung…”

A single tear rolled down her cheek. I glanced at the monitor. It was flashing red.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

“Unnie… C–Calm down… I…” “Chaeyoung… You’re not… Answering. Promise me…”

BeepBeepBeepBeep

“U–Unnie…” “PROMISE ME!”

I was stunned. Mina had never yelled at me before. She was glaring at me. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks, her body shaking as I heard audible sobs coming out of her. I quickly grasped her hands, squeezing them tightly.

“I–I… I promise, Unnie. I promise!” I said.

Mina kept glaring at me for a few moments, but then she started hyperventilating.

“Chaeng… I… I…”

I panicked.

“YORI! YORI!!!”

The door slid open immediately.

“GET THE DOCTOR!” I cried.

He nodded and quickly ran. I turned back to Mina and clutched her hands.

“Chaeng…” she whispered. “Unnie… Breathe… P–Please… Please…” I started sobbing.

Her eyes started closing. Her hands slipped off mine as her body started slumping. My heart stopped beating. Oh no. No. No no no no!

“U–Unnie? M–Mina-unnie… S–Stay with me! MINA-UNNIE!!!” “Get away from her, Chaeyoung-ssi.”

I turned, finding Professor Yoojin running to us with her assistant. She quickly got to Mina’s side and pulled an oxygen mask from one of the machines. She strapped the mask to Mina’s face and turned to her assistant.

“Get me 1 milligram of Midazolam!” she ordered.

Her assistant quickly ran to one of the cabinets and produced a bottle and a feeding syringe. She stuck the syringe into the bottle and pulled the plunger back slightly before promptly running back to Professor Yoojin, who lifted the mask off Mina’s face and placed the syringe into her open mouth. She pressed the syringe against her gums before pushing down on the plunger.

In a few seconds, Mina’s heart rate slowed back to normal. Her eyelids closed completely, and she started snoring peacefully. Professor Yoojin sighed. She placed the oxygen mask back on Mina’s face and straightened herself, handing the syringe back to her assistant, before turning to look at me.

“She’s asleep now. Don’t worry…” she said calmly. “G–Gyosunim… I…”

Professor Yoojin smiled, but she looked at me seriously.

“She needs rest. Now… It’s best for you to leave,” she said. My eyes widened. “B–But…”

A familiar pair of hands wrapped around my waist. Yori pulled me into a hug and stroked my hair. Instinctively, I hugged back. His warmth felt nice… It felt fresh… Like I hadn’t hugged him for a long, long time.

“Babe… She’s in good hands. Let’s let her rest, okay?” he whispered. “But…” “Noona needs her rest. Jihyo and Minsoo-hyung are coming later, and we can always come back tomorrow… Right, Gyosunim?” Yori said. “That is preferable. Mina needs to relax,” she said calmly.

I blinked my tears. I felt like shit… Even more so now. I had just put Mina’s life in danger. It was my mistake.

“Y–Yeah… Let’s… Let’s go…” I whispered eventually.

I released Yori and walked to pick up my bag, before bowing a little to Professor Yoojin and walking straight out of the door, leaving Yori behind. Still, he caught up to me as I reached the lift lobby. I felt his hand slipping into mine. He opened his mouth to say something, but I lifted my hand to stop him.

“Don’t,” I said curtly, “Don’t tell me that it wasn’t my fault, because it was.”

Yori stared at me silently for a few seconds before nodding. We entered the lift silently, and we rode it down to the lobby in silence. We walked out of the building into the parking lot, entering our car. Yori sighed and turned to look at me as he started the car.

“Where to?” he asked. “Home…” I replied flatly. “I need to clear my head.”

He nodded and remained silent. The trip back home was equally silent as once again I stared out of the window. Somehow, my week just got a lot worse. I knew I shouldn’t be the one feeling this way, but it was impossible to not feel like that with this amount of shit surfacing at every available turn.

Mina was right. I should not have treated Yori this way, and most importantly, I shouldn’t have snapped at Yori in front of her. No matter how calm she might look, the fact remained that she was still grieving over Ansel’s death… And here I was, acting like a sulky, spoiled brat, and because of what? Because I was feeling sad over my sister? I should have known better. I was so childish, so selfish. I was an ungrateful bitch.

As soon as we got home, I silently got out of the car and entered the house. I needed to calm myself down, staying away from Yori for now. I made a beeline up the stairs into my favourite place in the house, the one place where Yori would not walk in on me.

The art room.

There was something about the familiar smell of paint and clay that put my mind at ease. I turned on the lights. The late afternoon sun shone through the blinds covering the window, casting shadows across my canvas on the easel in the middle of the room, where my unfinished painting of our backyard resided.

I sighed and plopped myself down on the stool in front of it. My eyes wandered across the outlines of the trees and shrubs that I sketched out with charcoal weeks ago. I hadn’t been able to progress much with this painting ever since this whole fiasco blew up in my face… I guessed this was the best time to work on it.

I got up and raised the blinds on the window, giving me a clear view of the garden, the lush greenery washing me with a strange sense of calm and serenity as I stared outside the window. I stared silently out for a few moments… Letting my mind wander off, trying to gather my will and creativity to start painting.

But I couldn’t. Not like this.

“Fuck… I need to smoke,” I uttered.

I walked over to my bag and unzipped the front pocket. I reached in, expecting to find the familiar feel of my cigarette box, but instead, I pulled out a note.

“The… Fuck?”

I unfolded the paper and read it.

‘Your cigs and lighter are with me. You smoke too much’ ~Yori.

“Son of a…” I cursed as I crumpled the paper in annoyance. “Where the fuck is he…”

I stormed out of the art room and took in as much air as possible before shouting.

“TOMIOKA YORIICHI! WHERE IN THE FUCKS NAME ARE YOU?!” “Balcony!” he yelled back.

I rolled my eyes and bounded up the steps to our bedroom. I stepped through the open door and saw the familiar figure of my fiancé sitting cross-legged on the lounge chair outside. He looked up and smiled as he saw me.

“Looking for these?”

Yori lifted the two objects of my desire in his right hand, a cheeky grin plastered on his handsome face. I sighed and walked outside. I wanted so badly to curse at him and snatch my cigarettes and lighter, but something in my heart prevented me from doing so. Instead, I stood in front of him and crossed my arms.

“Whatever lecture you’ve prepared for me… Say it now,” I huffed. Yori cocked his head. “Lecture? Darling… I was just going to ask you to sit here with me while you smoke,” he said calmly.

What was he planning? I glared at him, but he met my gaze undetteringly.

“Or… You could always not. I could always not let you smoke…” he shrugged. “Tomioka Yoriichi…” I said with a warning tone. “Son Chaeyoung…” he challenged, folding his arms as he stared at me.

I bit my lower lips to prevent myself from cursing him out. I sighed, defeated.

“Fine…” I muttered as I plopped myself down on the chair next to him. “That’s the spirit,” he chuckled.

Yori handed me my box of cigarettes and lighter. I rolled my eyes and opened the box, pulling out one of the long, white cylinders filled with tobacco. I placed the cig in my mouth, turning the wheel of my lighter a few times before I finally got a flame.

I lit my cigarette and extinguished my lighter in one swift motion, placing the lighter and cigarette box on the table before leaning back in my chair and taking a draw from it. The nicotine managed to somewhat clear my mind for a split second, before the effect faded as I exhaled, letting the smoke escape my lungs.

“You okay, Honey?” Yori whispered. I sighed. “You know the answer…” I replied flatly.

I saw him nodding from the corner of my eye, before reaching to the side of his chair and producing something. Curious, I turned to him and saw him holding a bowl of freshly sliced strawberries.

“Figured you’d need this…” he smiled as he placed the bowl between us. “You always feel better after eating strawberries…”

I stared at the bowl of my favourite fruit. The red, tantalising skin dotted with white spots suddenly looked unappetizing for the first time in my life.

“Don’t want it…” I muttered, taking another drag out of my cigarette. “So you’re going to relinquish the title then?” Yori quipped. “What title?” I asked. “Strawberry Princess…” he chuckled. “Ya…” I said exasperatedly, but I felt a giggle building up inside me.

I feigned a cough to hide my chuckle, and I closed my eyes and laid my head back on my chair. The cool, fading winter breeze tickled my face as I felt my hair getting ruffled by the wind, but I couldn’t care less.

You’ve been acting like this for the past few days… Is everything alright?

Mina’s words echoed in my mind. Nothing was alright. Ansel’s dead. Sana looked distraught, as were Nayeon and Jihyo, the two other IPG members. Jeongyeon told me that the IPG was practically disbanded after they found out about Suzy’s secrets, and now… Manse threatened Suzy that he would retaliate. He would bring the war that Suzy wanted.

For some reason, I couldn’t care less about the war. I wasn’t part of the IPG. It shouldn’t be my problem right? What bothered my mind was Mina’s condition. I didn’t know when she would be able to be discharged, and even after that… Would she ever be back to her normal self? Her boyfriend was murdered… Gosh… I couldn’t even begin to imagine what she must have gone through. I couldn’t even imagine how I would feel if Yori…

You need to treasure him… Don’t regret it later.

Yori… Our wedding. By now, we were supposed to be husband and wife. We were supposed to get married the day after I proposed to him. If none of this happened… If Mina didn’t stab herself…

CLICK

My eyes snapped open as I heard the familiar sound of my lighter. I turned to the source of the sound and saw Yori with a lit cigarette in his mouth.

“Y–Yori? What are you…” I stuttered.

He smiled.

“You seemed to be hooked on these. Might as well try it, right?” he shrugged.

With that, he took a drag…

And he dropped the cigarette almost instantly. He clutched his throat, coughing and sputtering.

“Holy *cough* shit! This… *cough*... is fucking *cough*... foul! It’s.. *cough* awful!” Yori kept hacking as he clutched the chair.

I stared at him blankly, and for the first time in days…

I laughed.

I laughed hard, watching my fiancé cough and stick his tongue out like he just sucked a lemon. I kept laughing and laughing, cackling loudly. He looked at me, his face full red, looking hurt.

“How… *cough*.... H–How the fuck do you take at least a few of these… *cough*... A day?” he grimaced.

He picked the cigarette off the floor while continuing to cough. I was too busy laughing to reply to him. I doubled over in my seat, clutching my stomach as tears stung my eyes.

“HAHAHAHAHA! Oh–Oh my God, Yori! You… You should’ve seen your face!”

I cackled as he extinguished the barely smoked cigarette and placed it back inside the box. Slowly, he started laughing too.

“Never again!” he declared, sliding the box of cigarettes back over to me.

I chuckled and picked it up, pocketing it as he recovered. I turned to look at him, and his gaze met mine. That gaze…

I had to talk to him.

“Yori… We…. We need to talk,” I uttered. “I’m all ears,” he said calmly, sitting up straight at attention.

I pursed my lips as I extinguished my cigarette and looked at him.

“I’ve been… I’ve been an ass these past few days, haven’t I?” I asked sheepishly.

Yori puffed his cheeks slightly, but he remained silent.

“Just… Be honest with me,” I assured him.

Yori let out the air in his mouth before slowly nodding.

“A little… But I understand,” he said.

He got up and walked over to my side. Kneeling next to me, he embraced me in a loving hug.

“I know… Things are tough for you right now, Chaeng… Really tough. You’ve got a lot in your mind, a lot of things happening around you… And they’re not exactly happy things as well, But…”

He looked up, staring straight into my eyes.

“... I’ll always be here for you, okay? Just like you’re always there for Mina,” he said gently.

My lips were trembling. Why was he so fucking sweet?

“If you need to cry, if you need a punching bag… If you need someone to listen to you… I’ll be here. I’ll always be here,” he said.

My tears were welling up in my eyes. My body shook as a sob threatened to break free from my throat. I wanted to apologise, but… My pride kept me from breaking down in front of him.

“Y–Yori… I…” “I’m sorry… If I didn’t treat you well enough these days, if I didn’t support you strongly enough. I promise I’ll be better. Okay?” he said.

Why was he the one apologising? We… We rarely argued, but I realised that was because he never argued back at me. I was always the one yelling at him, while he was always the one apologising… Even if he did nothing wrong, just like right now. Yori never raised his voice at me, Yori…

“Yori…” I whispered, barely keeping it together.

Yori rested his head on mine and held me tighter.

“It’s… Okay to cry, Chaeng…”

One sentence. Once sentence was all it took for me to finally break down in his arms. I clutched onto his arms tightly, letting myself succumb to all the thoughts in my head as I let it all out in the arms of the man I loved.

“Subete no yukō, watashi wa koko ni imasu…” he muttered.

My brain could hardly translate what he said back to Korean, but what I could make out was…

Let it go. I’m here for you.

I knew he was. I knew he always will. I cried. I bawled, I screamed. I wailed. I cried for what felt like hours, letting all my sadness and the heaviness of my heart be washed away by the tears streaming like a torrent out of my eyes. When I was finished… My eyes were hurting, my throat was sore…

“Better now?” Yori whispered, squeezing my shoulders as he gently massaged them.

I shook my head weakly, not even having the strength to lie to him anymore. I still wanted to cry, but I had no energy to do it. I was so tired. I was exhausted. I was exhausted at wishing that somehow all of these were just a terrible dream, but… It was reality. Yori chuckled and stroked my hair.

“Good thing I was prepared for it, then…” he whispered. I looked up at him. “P–Pre… Prepared?” I asked, my voice hoarse and raspy.

Yori smiled and nodded. Silently, he scooped me up into his arms, carrying me away from the balcony. I buried my face in his chest and closed my eyes, simply enjoying his warmth. I felt us moving out of the bedroom and down the stairs. He was carrying me somewhere.

I heard the familiar sound of our digital lock unlocking, followed by the cool breeze on my legs as I heard the car door opening. He was bringing me somewhere out of the house. Yori gently placed me on the passenger seat of our car before leaving me there. A few seconds later he came back with my sneakers and placed them beneath my feet. He walked to the driver’s seat, and started the engine. I opened my eyes a little to look at him.

“Get some rest, Wifey… You need it,” he smiled.

I nodded and closed my eyes again. Suddenly I felt so tired, suddenly I felt so sleepy, like all the hours of sleep I missed these past few days came crashing back onto me. The last thing I heard was the sound of our gate opening… And I fell asleep.

* * *

Grass. Pine trees.

Those were the first things I smelled when I woke up, followed by the scent of roasting… Sweet potatoes?

I groggily opened my eyes, and found that the roof of the car was replaced by sticks above my head, with what looked like tarp serving as a roof. Fairy lights–the same fairy lights that Yori was trying to install before we went on our dinner at Itaewon earlier this week–surrounded the wooden beams overhead as they snaked across the cylindrical supports, swirling down and dangling on either side of the mattress I was on.

Wait… Is this… A tent?

I sat up on the mattress, casting my gaze around the place. This tent… Why did it look so familiar? I slid out of the mattress and looked to my side, finding my sweater and jeans from earlier had been switched out with a comfy set of clothes… My clothes.

My sneakers and socks were gone as well, my bare feet greeting me as I saw a set of slippers just next to my feet. I slipped them on and stood up, observing my surroundings…

This was a glamping tent…

There was a small couch just to the right of the bed, with a small coffee table and two bean bags on either end. On the left of the bed was a bedside drawer, with a small candle lamp accompanied by a clock made out of wood.

My eyes fell onto a cardigan draping over a chair and I walked over to examine it. As I got closer, I realised that it was my cardigan, and there was a note on it. I picked the note off my cardigan, it looked like it had been folded because of the creases on it.

Morning, beautiful :)! Just wanted to let you know that you’re the luckiest thing that happened to me. ~Yori

A smile was forming on my lips. That was the note I folded and pocketed from earlier today. Gosh, Yori… He was just so adorable.

I wore my cardigan and headed for the exit of the glamping tent. Unzipping the flap, I walked out to see that the sun was almost gone, rays of the golden sun sipping through the curtain of trees from the surrounding forest. I glanced around me. Fuck… I knew this place. But… I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Ah… You’re awake!”

I turned and saw Yori sitting on a camping chair in front of a campfire he had built. He wore his signature scarf around his neck as he clutched a pair of tongs in his hands. Just in front of him… Was the source of that smell of roasted goguma from earlier.

“Yori… Where are we?” I asked as I walked over to him. “Hm? Don’t you recognise this place? You shot your Healing Camping TTT episodes back in 2020 here!” he chuckled.

I gasped as I realised. He was right! We shot that TTT here!

“H–How did you know this place?” I asked. Yori chuckled. “Before I became your boyfriend, I was a ONCE, remember?” he said casually. “‘Boyfriend’? Ya… You’re my husband now!” I protested. “Not official yet…” he replied without missing a beat. I laughed. “Having second thoughts?” I asked. He shook his head. “Never…” he replied, before adding cheekily, “... Wifey.”

I chuckled and flung my eyes around the area. We were at the main tent at the far end of the corner, where Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and Mina won their place. I could almost picture Nayeon and Sana cooking the budae jjigae on the tent on our left together with Momo. No… Furai Momo. I could almost picture myself together with Tzuyu and Dahyun in front of the tent at the other end…

“Goguma?”

I turned to see Yori lifting his tongs, offering me a roasted sweet potato. I giggled.

“Can you peel it for me… Hubby?” I asked cutely.

Yori blushed when he heard me, but he smiled satisfactorily. Yeah… He knew the real Son Chaeyoung was back. Yori nodded and grabbed the steaming hot sweet potato with his gloved hands, intent on peeling it for me, but as soon as he grabbed it, he winched and dropped it on the grass. It was too hot.

“Ow! Hot! Hot!”

I laughed out loud and hugged his arm, resting my head on his shoulder. Somehow he was so clumsy today, and I loved it. Yori chuckled and looked at me.

“Sorry…” he uttered sheepishly. I shook my head and smiled. “It’s alright… Let it cool down for a minute…” I replied.

Yori nodded and picked the dropped sweet potato from the ground, placing it on an aluminium container on the small table in front of him, before continuing to roast the other sweet potato. I sighed as I gazed at the beautiful sunset.

I finally understood completely what Mina was talking about. She was right. It was hard to find someone like Yori. Someone who never talked too much, but knew exactly what to do to comfort me. He knew when to speak, and when he did he would say all the right words, but he also knew when to just stay silent and listen to me. He knew when to hug me, and when to just let me go and figure things out myself.

I needed to treasure him. I needed to cherish my time with him. Life was feeble, life was short, and… If I could learn anything from what happened to Mina… It was that I should make sure that every moment I spent with Yori was the one that I would remember for the rest of my life.

“Yori…” “Hm?” “I’m sorry…”

He looked at me and smiled.

“You did nothing wrong…” he replied generously, but I smiled and shook my head. “No… I’ve been an asshole this week. I shouldn’t be like that. I’m grieving for Mina-unnie… But… That’s not an excuse for treating you like shit… As I have done. Mianhae… Hubby…” I whispered.

Yori smiled and nodded. He turned, and I felt him kissing the crown of my head.

“I love you, Wifey…” he uttered softly. I chuckled. “I love you so much, Hubby…” I replied.

We sat there silently for a few moments, the cackling of the campfire the only sound heard in that beautiful evening. Yori finished roasting the other sweet potato and placed it on the aluminium container, letting it cool down.

My eyes caught the sight of a bag of beef on the side, as well as a few packed rice and containers of kimchi. A few cans of beers and bottles of soju were next to it, along with a tall thermos bottle and a crate of mineral water bottles. A chuckle escaped my mouth.

“You’ve prepared everything, haven't you?” I asked. Yori nodded. “Figured you might need a change of scenery… So I planned a glamping trip for us this weekend. Was planning to tell you after we left the hospital, but… Well… We left rather early, so I thought… Why not just drive here?” he said.

I smiled and closed my eyes, snuggling into his arm a little more tightly.

“What did I do to deserve you…” I mused. Yori chuckled. “Just… Being you…,” he said. I looked at him quizzically. “Huh?” I asked.

Yori chuckled.

“All those years ago when I was… Well… Still missing you… It was always my dream to hold you in my arms. I just wanted to kiss you… To say all those words I wanted to say before you left. Now, I get to live the dream everyday,” he said.

He smiled warmly at me and I swear I saw his eyes sparkle. As I stared at him, I felt like I went back in time as I recounted the numerous times I’d seen this exact expression, the same kind smile, the same twinkle in his eyes. I could remember them all too well…

My mind wandered back to all those years ago. We were sitting under the shade of the sakura tree in our backyard eating our lunches. I never expected him to know what was going on in my home, I never expected him to be ready to help me at all costs. He said that he and his family were one call away, and he truly was… That night when I called him, he came almost immediately, standing his ground against my Appa without fear.

When I talked to him in the hospital after he lost his eye… He still wore that same, kind smile as he spoke to me, the same twinkle in his eyes prevailing as he opened up his arms and pulled me into an embrace.

I went forward a few years later, recounting when we met again after almost ten years in 2021. Again, the same kind smile and the same twinkle was there when he assured me that he wasn’t angry… When he told me that he was happy to see me again. And… When we had our first kiss in his apartment… When he pulled away, all I ever wanted to see from then on was his smile, this smile…

Like I said, Yori knew when to speak, and when he did he would say all the right words. My heart fluttered and my face was blushing hard, unable to handle his sweetness. I lifted my face up and kissed his cheek warmly. Yori chuckled and looked at me.

“Oh, I’ve also brought you a clean canvas, an easel and your painting equipment… In case you wanted to paint the scenery here while waiting for dinner,” he said.

My gosh, Yori…

I looked around, instinctively trying to find the painting equipment, but I couldn’t find it.

“It’s in the trunk of the car. You want me to get it for you?” he offered.

I stared at him. I would love to, but… Right now it would have to wait. I shook my head.

“No… Not now. Maybe tomorrow morning,” I said.

My heart was burning. I loved him so much.

“Oh? But it’s still too early for dinner… What should we do after eating goguma?” he asked.

Tomioka Yoriichi… I would never let you go.

I smirked and pulled him to stand up. I dragged him back inside our tent, zipping the flap close behind us. Yori was confused, but a second later he understood… Because I started undressing.

“C–Chaeng…” Yori stuttered, his face blushing red.

I giggled and pushed him to the bed, climbing on top of him as I discarded pieces after pieces of my clothing. I stared into his eyes hungrily, before stooping down to kiss his lips warmly. Only then did I realise that we had not have sex these past few days… Not since that threesome with Dahyun.

“I… Want to make up for these past few days…” I whispered. “For… Acting like an ass…”

His breath hitched, and I felt something getting harder and bigger beneath my body. I chuckled and started raining kisses on his face, his jaw, his neck. Yori’s hands rested on my butt, giving it a gentle squeeze. I stared at his face, finding him grinning.

“You know… Maybe you’re acting that way because it’s your pre-menstrual period…” he chuckled.

I laughed. Yori was just so cute. That could very well be the case, because I usually get my period at the end of the month, and my mood would be foul around those days. But for some reason… I felt that this time… He was wrong. I leaned forward to whisper into his ears.

“Hubby… I have a feeling that I won’t be having my period for a while…” I whispered. “E–Eh? What do you mean?” he asked, sounding confused.

I bit his earlobe and stuck a tongue inside his ear canal, making him squirm in delight. What I was about to say was purely based on feelings, but… Who knows?

Minsoo initially offered me some soju, but I had enough alcohol after spending the night with the girls and Ansel earlier at Zouk, so instead I opted for tea. He brewed an excellent hot green tea, and we sat down facing each other in his room. He eyed me confusedly, so I smiled and clarified.

"I mean... How do you see yourself in–let's say–five years time?" I asked.

Gosh. That was lame, Jihyo! What are you, a company executive?

"W–Well... I–I... I don't know, really... Probably becoming Twice's full-time manager?" Minsoo said. I gasped and chuckled. "Ya! Han Minsoo-ssi! You don't need five years to be our permanent manager! I think Suzy-unnie will promote you soon!" I said confidently. Minsoo chuckled and shook his head. "Ah... B–but... But I'm just a temporary replacement, Jihyo... Bae-isanim is vetting the candidates to replace me as we speak, right?" he said.

I stared at him. That was kinda sad, to be honest. He... Minsoo was the perfect manager for us. We didn't need too much help or guidance nowadays, us being a senior idol group already, so what we needed was someone who could respect our spaces and take care of us. And, objectively, Minsoo ticked all the boxes. Should I tell Nayeon to talk with Suzy-unnie about this? Or maybe Sana... Her IPG second-in-command.

"Ow... That's hot!" Minsoo suddenly exclaimed, sticking his tongue out. He had just burned his tongue by sipping the piping hot tea too eagerly.

His sudden exclamation woke me up from my thoughts, and I laughed at his clumsiness. He blushed and set his cup back down. Absentmindedly, we stared at the SuperTree Grove, their neon lights lighting up the Singapore night sky. If it weren't for the scorching heat, Singapore would be the perfect country to live in.

"Jihyo," he called me. I turned to look at him, but he was still staring out of the window. "Yes?" "Do you... Ever think... About the fact that... One day... It'll all just end?" he asked, sounding surprisingly deep and philosophical.

I thought for a moment.

"Hmm... I... I honestly don't really think about that much, Minsoo. I like to... Hang on the present and just go with the flow, I guess..." I said, slowly bringing the cup to my mouth and took a sip.

He stared at me for a while, then he smiled and looked away.

"I guess you're right... That's a nice way of thinking," he uttered, but then he turned to look at me. "But you're always meticulous in your planning!"

I laughed.

"That's... A different thing, right? I can think way ahead for work, but... For life... I don't know. I just... I just do it," I said. He nodded. "That's... Nice," he said.

We fell into a comfortable silence, sipping our tea quietly, enjoying the beautiful view.

"Did you enjoy today?" he asked. I sighed. "Well... It... Wasn't too bad, I guess. Just... Not my cup of tea," I said, before adding, "Pun intended."

He laughed nervously at my terrible joke. Gosh. Why did he look so adorable?

"How do you feel about the contract situation?" he asked next. I thought for a moment. "I... I honestly don't know, Minsoo... I personally have my mind set on staying with JYPE. I mean... 12 years is a long time. With everything that we've built together in the company... Why would we want to leave, right?" I explained.

He nodded and stared at me. His eyes were full of concern.

"But the other girls..." he started. I sighed and nodded. "Yeah... Chaeng, Tzu, Momo, and Mina... These four concern me..." I said, a little frustratedly.

Minsoo paused to think, but then he stared at me and clenched his fist in the air.

"Jihyo... Don't worry! I believe it'll all work out somehow! Hwaiting!" he said excitedly. I chuckled. "You're always so positive..." I said. He smiled. "I... I try to be..." he said, chuckling sheepishly.

I realized it then. He was trying to comfort me. Gosh... This guy... Should I just tell him that I like him now? But I wanted him to say it.

"Jihyo..."

What? Is... Is he going to say it?

"Jihyo, I..."

No, no, no... I'm blushing...

"I think... It's almost 2 am. Do you... Want to go back to your room? We've got the dress rehearsal tomorrow morning," he said.

I stared at him, blinking my eyes. Minsoo looked at me conceredly.

"Is... Everything alright, Jihyo?" he asked. "A–Ah? Y-Yes... Yes, you're right! I–I should get going..." I said, chuckling nervously.

Minsoo stared at me for a moment, but then a nervous laughter escaped his mouth. I felt my face blushing. Get a grip Jihyo! I quickly stood up and picked up my purse. I walked to the door, but then I stopped myself. I needed to say something. I needed to keep sending him my signals. I turned to look at him and smiled.

"Thanks for the... Tea, Minsoo," I said, smiling. He smiled and nodded. Wait. Is he blushing? "Y–You're welcomed, Jihyo," he said kindly.

I turned to the door again, but then I felt him standing up and walking towards me. Oh gosh...

"Jihyo..." he called softly. I turned and faced him again, feeling my cheeks heating up. "Hm?" I asked. He smiled. "Jal ja..." he said, wishing me a good sleep.

He walked past me and opened the door for me. Gosh. Why was my heart fluttering so much? I walked quickly out of the door, before stopping at the threshold. I looked at him. Should I kiss his cheek? N–No... That would be inappropriate. I should play the long game.

"Good night, Minsoo..." I said eventually.

He smiled, and I left his room. I heard him closing the door, and I walked to the lift lobby with a wide smile plastered on my face.

Yeah... I love him.

* * *

"I love you Michu," whispered Jihyo as she put the teapot on the table in front of me. I smiled, feeling her warmth as she hugged me from behind. "I love you too, Mommy..." I said slowly.

Funny. The last time we had tea like this was in Singapore two weeks ago. That night, I was still unsure if my feelings for Jihyo were reciprocated, but now, two weeks later, we were already together in a relationship. How time flies.

I poked my fork into the last grilled sausage on my plate and finished it. Jihyo had sat back down on her chair and she too finished the breakfast she made for us. She giggled watching me close my eyes in satisfaction, enjoying the food she cooked.

"Is it really that good, Minchu?" Jihyo asked. I chuckled. "Anything's good when you make it," I uttered.

Jihyo giggled and blushed. Thank God Momo and Mina were still asleep. They knew we were in a relationship, but I still felt embarrassed to show our affection in front of them, or any other member for that matter. Gosh, how could Sana and Jeongyeon be that sweet in front of everyone whenever they were together? I guessed being in a relationship for a decade would do that.

"Thanks for the breakfast, Mommy," I said, reaching to grab her hands. She smiled, but I thought I saw a naughty thought crossing her mind. "Well... A breakfast isn't complete without milk, don't you think?" she whispered seductively.

Hearing her mention 'milk' made my cock shoot up immediately. I knew what she was implying. Should I do it here? Momo and Mina wouldn't wake up anytime soon, right? It was still 7.30 am, right?

"M–Mommy..." I stuttered, feeling my face blushing red. "Don't you think?" she pressed, blinking her beautiful, big eyes at me.

Slowly, shyly, I nodded. Jihyo grabbed my hand and dragged me into the bar. We sat on the bar stools, and she pulled her black top off, revealing her lacy, off-white bra. She pulled it down, causing her humongous breasts to bounce free. My cock was throbbing inside my pants, and it started to hurt.

"Drink up, Minchu..." she whispered.

I needn't be asked twice. I sighed and immediately leaned forward, and at the same time Jihyo yanked my head towards her chest, burying my face on her firm yet tender, voluptuous, gigantic mountains. I took her right nipple into my mouth and began sucking it, letting the familiarly delicious, creamy fluid fill my mouth.

"M–Min... Minchu... Y–Yes... A-Ah..." Jihyo moaned softly.

I lifted both of my hands up and started milking her while sucking her milk deliciously. Her nipples were squirting milk generously as I drank from them, swapping between her left and right nipples.

Jihyo threw her head back, moaning and sighing. She ran her fingers through my hair. Gosh... I could live just by breastfeeding from Jihyo like this. That would be more than enough.

I reached for my belt buckle. I needed to free up my cock. I knew I had just plowed her again and again last night after we returned from the hospital and had dinner. We did it again when we woke up earlier today, and again in the showers, and then again when she cooked our breakfast... But I found myself longing to enter her again right now. I couldn't stop myself.

"Morning Jih–HOLY FUCKING HELL WHAT THE FUCK!!!"

We whipped around and saw Momo standing at the bar's door frame, eyes wide in utter shock.

"M–M–Momo! Y–You're awake!" Jihyo stuttered as she pushed me away and hastily put her boobs back inside her bra. "M–Momoring! H–H–Hi!" I stuttered, sprawling on the floor.

Momo buried her face in her palm and chuckled.

"Fuck... At least that woke me completely up," she said with a big grin. Jihyo and I turned crimson. "M–Momoring... P–Please don't tell the others..." I said embarrassedly. Momo laughed. "Don't worry, you two! I mean... Hey, you wanna make Mina and I breakfast?" she suddenly asked happily. "Why don't you make one yourself?" Jihyo snapped back, clearly still flustered getting caught red handed like this.

Momo raised an eyebrow and took a deep breath.

"MINARI~! JIHYO AND MINS––" "ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I'LL MAKE YOU BREAKFAST!" exclaimed Jihyo panickedly, raising her hands to stop her from telling Mina. Momo cackled. "I thought so too..." she said after she finished laughing. Damn. She was good at blackmailing people. "What do you want for breakfast?" asked Jihyo begrudgingly, starting to walk back to the kitchen. "Anything with milk..." Momo said jokingly. "Ya..." grumbled Jihyo, quickly walking towards the stove.

Momo giggled and flung her arm around my shoulder as we both walked behind Jihyo.

"Was it delicious?" she whispered her question. "Y–Ya..." I stammered. Momo laughed and punched my shoulder. "Joking..." she said. "What is it?" I heard Mina calling out from outside the kitchen. "Nothing! Jihyo is preparing breakfast for us! Come down!" Momo yelled back, winking at me. "Okay! Be there in a sec!" Mina yelled her reply.

Momo plopped herself on one of the chairs, and at that moment Mina entered the kitchen, texting someone with a huge smile on her face. I immediately knew who she was texting. It was definitely Ansel. Shit... How could we tell her about what Ansel did without breaking her heart?

"M–Morning, Minari..." I said as my embarrassment from Momo catching Jihyo breastfeeding me slowly faded away. Mina looked up and smiled. "Morning Minsoo!" she answered cheerfully.

Jihyo grabbed a couple of eggs from the fridge and began making breakfast for the two Japanese girls. I decided to help my girlfriend to save myself from Momo's teasing. Mina sat next to Momo, and the dancer flung her arm across Mina's shoulder.

"Ansel?" she asked. Mina nodded and smiled her gummy smile. "Yeah..." she replied with a dreamy look in her eyes.

I glanced at Jihyo, and we exchanged knowing looks. Damn... How were we supposed to break it down to her eventually?

"Hey, you guys are coming with us to the hospital later, right?" asked Jihyo, deciding to lighten the mood. Momo and Mina nodded. "Yeah... Gotta check up on Jeongyeon-unnie and give Sana and Dubu a chance to rest," said Mina softly, putting her phone face down on the table. "Tzuyu too," Jihyo uttered. "And Nam Chuyoung-ssi..." "And Nabong... Gosh... She's been staying there almost full time since Monday," Momo uttered, sounding sad. She must have missed her best friend.

Jihyo and I finished cooking breakfast. She brought the plates and utensils on the table, while I made Momo and Mina their cups of coffee. We sat across the table from them as the two girls thanked us and started eating. Jihyo sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Six out of nine of us are practically living in the hospital nowadays, if you think about it..." she mused. "And it's Sha's birthday today..." I added. The girls nodded solemnly. Momo rested her back on the chair. "Fuck... We're really going to celebrate her birthday there, huh?" she uttered.

We all fell silent. Sana was always the life of the party, and under normal circumstances, it would be unfathomable to think that we would celebrate her birthday in a hospital. However, she was practically glued to Jeongyeon's side ever since she got admitted, and Dahyun was always there for her two girlfriends. Nayeon was always there too with Tzuyu, watching over Chuyoung.

The Twice apartment felt empty without their usual jokes and silliness. Nowadays, only me, Jihyo, Mina, Momo and Chaeyoung stay here. Speaking of which...

"Has anyone seen Chaeng?" I asked the girls.

Mina, Momo, and Jihyo exchanged looks with each other.

"Is she with him?" Mina asked softly. Momo nodded. "I think so..." said Momo, shoving a piece of toast into her mouth. "Let's call him and check," said Jihyo, whipping out her phone.

Wait. Who's him, again?

* * *

I pulled out my phone and dialed Yoriichi. I put the phone on speaker and placed it down on the table. The phone rang a few times, before a familiar voice answered.

"Moshi moshi?" "Tomioka-san!" Momo and I exclaimed in unison. "Hey girls! What's up?" he replied in Japanese. "Tomioka-san, is Chaeyoung with you?" I asked in Japanese.

I sneaked a glance at Minsoo and saw that he was staring at us in confusion. I chuckled lightly.

"Hai! She's still fast asleep..." he replied back, still using his mother tongue. "Damn... What did you do to her last night?" Momo teased. Mina slapped her arm. "Ya! Hirai!" she scolded.

Momo laughed and shoved some eggs into her mouth. Yoriichi chuckled on the other side.

"It's fine, Jihyo! We did... The usual... Except this time she... Used... An incredibly... Copious amount of... Zip-ties," he replied. Momo laughed. "Getting adventurous, are we?" Momo said. Yori laughed. "I–I guess..." he stuttered. "Tomioka-san, we need you to send her to the hospital later. We're going to celebrate Sana's birthday there," I said, changing the subject. "Oh, yes! She did say something about it last night... I'll drive her there when she wakes up," he said. "Alright! Thanks, Tomioka-san!" I said before hanging up.

* * *

The girls conversed with the male voice from the other end in Momo and Mina's mother tongue. The only words I picked throughout the entire thing were the names and 'Arigatou'. Jihyo and the others finally hung up, and I looked at the girls confusedly.

"W–Who was that?" I asked. "An old friend," Momo said. "Yup, a friend that made us replace our first dining table," said Mina, chuckling a little. "W–What?" I said, my mind spinning. "Oh, that! Sana threw an onion at him and he drew his sword and cut it cleanly in the air, but he slashed down our dining table clean in half too! Luckily no one was hurt..." said Jihyo with a laugh.

What the fuck was going on?

"Anyways, Chaeng is safe. She'll meet us at the hospital later. Don't worry, Minchu," said Jihyo. I nodded and elected not to push any further to spare myself from further confusion.

Momo and Mina cleaned up after finishing breakfast, and soon we were all ready to go. We set off to the hospital in the TWD van, bringing our presents for Sana. A few minutes later, we pulled into the hospital, and I parked the car after dropping the girls at the lobby. We found our way to Jeongyeon's VVIP ward, and Jihyo knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Dahyun's voice said from the other side.

I opened the door and we all walked in. Dahyun, Sana, and Jeongyeon were there. Momo rushed over to Sana's side and hugged her while squealing.

"Happy Birthday, Sha!" Momo squealed loudly. "T–Thanks, Momoring..." replied Sana softly.

We all said happy birthday to her, but she only smiled and nodded weakly. We gave her our presents, but she didn't even bother to check them, just placing them together by Jeongyeon's bedside. This was not like the Sana I knew, the Sana that was my bias.

My heart broke at the sight of her crestfallen state. She'd lost her previously ever present smile since Jeongyeon got shot. Jeongyeon noticed how softly Sana spoke, so she took her girlfriend's hand and squeezed it gently.

"Sana... How many times do I have to tell you? Stop feeling down! I'm fine! You were literally here when the doctor said I could maybe get discharged by the New Year!" Jeongyeon scolded. "I know, Jeongie... It's just..." Sana said slowly. Jeongyeon sighed and pinched the bridge of Sana's nose. "Sha, at least be happy today, hm? For me?" Jeongyeon pleaded. "Fine..." Sana uttered.

A small smile formed across her face. Better than nothing, I guessed. We heard the door opening, and Nayeon rushed into the room.

"Aaaaaay!!! Happy birthday Sha Sha Sha!" she exclaimed and gave Sana a big hug. "Thanks, Nabong-unnie..." Sana said, still with her small smile. Nayeon giggled and hugged Sana tighter. "Hey, stop feeling blue. I've ordered some food for us, and they'll deliver it here. In the meantime, here's your gift!" Nayeon said as she handed Sana a paper bag.

Sana accepted it gratefully and put it with the other bags that Mina, Momo, Jihyo, and I brought her. She looked back up and smiled, but I noticed that she was still clutching Jeongyeon's hand tightly, as if not wanting to let go. I smiled. This couple was just the sweetest.

"How's Tzu holding up?" Mina asked. Nayeon sighed and shook her head. "Well... She's eating again, which is... Good, I guess. She had just finished her lunch and went to sleep. But... She's been by Chuyoung's side every hour. Hell... Last night I woke up in the middle of the night to pee and... She was staying up again, just... Staring at him," Nayeon said, sounding tired and sad.

We all fell silent, feeling bad for our maknae, until eventually Dahyun spoke.

"To be fair... You can't blame her. She literally just fell in love with a man for the first time, and then the love of her life got shot at point blank range while defending her..." she said. "Yeah... Let's all visit them after this, shall we?" proposed Jihyo.

The girls all nodded, and at that moment the door slid open again. Son Chaeyoung stepped in, beaming from ear to ear.

"Happy birthday Unnie!!!" Chaeyoung exclaimed, running up to Sana. "Thank you, Chaeng..." she said. Chaeyoung's cuteness made her smile grow wider as she hugged her tightly.

Chaeyoung pulled back and gave her a paper bag containing her present. Sana chuckled as she noticed the red marks on Chaeyoung's wrists.

"Someone got... Adventurous last night, hm?" she remarked. Good. That was the Sana I knew. "A–Ah... We–We... Got a little carried away," Chaeyoung said sheepishly, blushing red. Wait. 'We'? "Chaeng, if you ever need any toy... You know who to ask," Nayeon said, teasing Chaeyoung. "Y–Ya!" Chaeyoung replied, going even redder.

We all laughed. I missed these crazy exchanges between the girls. Chaeyoung slapped Sana's arm and calmed herself.

"Speaking of... You should be getting a call from him right about... Now."

As if on cue, as soon as Chaeyoung finished her sentence, Sana's phone started ringing. Her eyes went wide in surprise. The Baby Beast giggled and nodded, and Sana picked it up, placing it on speaker.

"Tomioka!" she said. "Tanjoubi Omedetou, Onion Girl!" the same voice from earlier said in Japanese and English. Sana chuckled. "Arigatou! And might I remind you that it was you who cut the table in half, not me," Sana replied in Korean with a grin. "Whatever you say, Onion Girl. I'm still going to call you that forever," he said. "Anyways... Have a great birthday!" "Nee... Arigatou, Tomioka-san!" she said, before hanging up.

The girls chuckled. Mina bumped her shoulder on Chaeyoung's, who had stood next to her.

"He still calls Sana 'Onion Girl'?" Mina asked while grinning. Chaeyoung nodded. "Yeah... He even refers to her as 'Onion Girl' at home!" she laughed. "C–Chaeng," I called. "Yes, Oppa?" she asked. "S–Sorry, who... Who is this... Tomioka?" I asked her, unable to contain my curiosity.

Chaeyoung laughed, and the girls did too. Jihyo gave her the nod, and Chaeyoung looked back at me.

"He's my boyfriend, Oppa," she said with a big smile. My eyes widened in surprise. "B–Boyfriend?" I asked. Chaeyoung nodded. "Yeah, you'll meet him one day soon. I promise," she said.

I was about to pen my mouth to ask her further, but at that moment there was a knock on the door. Dahyun walked to the door and opened it, and a nurse poked her head through the gap.

"Annyeonghaseyo... There's a delivery for this ward?" she asked. "Ah, yes! That's for us! Thanks!" said Nayeon, quickly running over to help the nurse.

I decided to push the shock I had from knowing that Chaeyoung had a boyfriend away for now, deciding that she must have gotten into a relationship recently with this Tomioka guy. I walked over to help Nayeon and the nurse.

The nurse slid the door wider, revealing that her other hand was ladened with plastic bags filled with our food. Seeing this, Chaeyoung, Dahyun and Jihyo rushed over to help her. We thanked the nurse, and we started unpacking the food out of the bags.

"Jesus, Nabong! How much food did you buy?" I asked her. She laughed. "Come on, Minsoo... You know how much we can eat! Especially Momo and Dubu..." she said. "Ya! You can eat a lot too!" protested Dahyun. Nayeon laughed and nodded. "Who brought the plates?" Jihyo asked. "Me!" exclaimed Chaeyoung. She rushed to her bag and took out three packs of paper plates from it. "Cutleries?" Jihyo asked again. Mina reached into her bag and pulled some. "Covered," she said with a smile. "Alright! Grab your cutleries, girls! Let's eat!" Jihyo announced.

The girls cheered as we distributed the plates and cutleries. Momo gasped loudly as she opened up one of the boxes.

"JOKBAL!" she exclaimed, eyes and mouth opening wide.

We laughed at her obsession with the food. We each grabbed a share of the food and started eating, and I plated some for Jeongyeon before handing it to her.

"Thanks, Little Bro," she smiled as she accepted the plate. "Don't mention it, Noona," I replied. I was happy to see her spirits lifted. "Sha, can you feed me please, Baby?" she asked sweetly, turning to her girlfriend. "With pleasure, Honey..." said Sana cutely, already looking so much better after eating a little.

She picked up her chopsticks and fed Jeongyeon a mouthful of Japchae. Jeongyeon opened her mouth and let Sana's chopsticks enter her mouth. She closed it and chewed on the food while scrunching her food cutely at her girlfriend.

"It's amazing how you guys managed to hide this relationship for 10 whole years," Dahyun remarked as she ate her fried chicken. Jeongyeon smiled. "Eleven years, this January, right?" she said. Sana nodded. "Gosh... Time flies, huh?" she said.

We continued eating and joking around, before eventually Jihyo looked up.

"So," she said, gathering our attention, "Everyone has plans for the one week New Year holiday?" Jihyo asked. The girls all nodded. "Back to Kyoto," Momo said. "Ansel and games," Mina smiled. "Seongnam," Dahyun chimed, mentioning her hometown. "Yori," said Chaeyoung happily. Wait. What the hell was 'Yori'? "I'll stay here with Tzuyu... Let's hope Chuyoung-oppa wakes up soon," said Nayeon.

I smiled. As much as we loved being with each other, it was always good to have some separate time like this. We would come back stronger, and the time we were away would only strengthen our bond.

"How about you, Noona?" I asked, turning to face Jeongyeon. "Well, as soon as I'm discharged I'll be back to Suwon to visit my family," she said. She then looked at her girlfriend, "Sha, you sure you don't wanna come with me?"

Sana shook her head slowly and smiled.

"I gotta move our stuff to the new apartment, right?" she said sweetly.

After hearing about what Director Jung told Suzy about JYPE's plans to not extend the Twice apartment's rent, some of the girls who didn't already have their own space started looking for new places to live. Chaeyoung had renovated her old house in Jamsil, and from what I'd been hearing these past few days, she was staying with this Tomioka guy, her boyfriend. I should probably visit them soon to meet him.

Sana and Jeongyeon had just recently purchased a new apartment in Songpa for them to move in together, and they had started moving their stuff little by little, both from Sana's current apartment and from the Twice's apartment. Jeongyeon chuckled and looked at Sana.

"Fine... Just, don't come video-calling me and sulking later, hm?" Jeongyeon said. Sana laughed and kissed her cheek. "How about you two?" Dahyun asked, gesturing to Jihyo and I.

Other than Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon, Jihyo was the third member who had previously stayed full time in Twice's apartment. That's right... Jihyo was also looking for a new apartment, and... She asked me to...

"Well... We're also looking for an apartment to move in together," Jihyo said, resting her head on my shoulder. I felt heat rushing to my face from the public display of affection. "Y–Yeah... S–She's right," I said, stuttering. "Ooo... Don't forget to buy a nice large fridge, Minsoo!" teased Nayeon. "Eh? What for?" I asked, genuinely confused, but Jihyo sighed. "Nabong-unnie..." she uttered tiredly, and at that moment I understood.

My face went even redder, and the girls all laughed. But... Maybe we really should buy a nice, large fridge for Jihyo's... Produce.

"Ya, don't you all want to visit Tzuyu and Chuyoung?" said Jeongyeon after her laughter died down. "You guys can go. I'll stay here. Haven't been chatting with Jeongie for a while," said Nayeon, sitting at Jeongyeon's bedside.

We all smiled and said goodbye to Jeongyeon and Nayeon, before slowly walking to the next ward. Jihyo knocked on the door softly, and I heard Tzuyu's gentle voice answering from inside the room.

"Come in..." she said weakly.

* * *

"Come on, Minchu! Just a little bit more!" "J–Ja–Jamkkan–Jamkkanman..."

I rested my hands on my knees as I gasped for breath. Beads of sweat dripped from my forehead, and I felt like I had just taken a shower. I was drenched. Jihyo stopped and laughed, walking slowly back towards me.

"Ya... I didn't know you're that unfit!" Jihyo teased as she reached my side. "I–It's... It's been a... A while," I said through my gasps. Jihyo laughed and grabbed my hand. "Come on... Let's take a break over there!" she said as she hopped up onto a wall.

I followed her and climbed the wall weakly, before slumping to sit next to my girlfriend. Jihyo took a sip out of her water bottle before offering it to me, and looked to the horizon, past the Han River.

"Finding an apartment in this area would be nice..." she mused towards the rising sun.

Jihyo had insisted that we come out for an early morning jog after our feast at Sana's birthday yesterday. Jihyo said it was to burn the excess calories, while also scouting for an apartment at the same time.

"Y–Yeah... It would be, " I sighed, drinking water ravenously. Jihyo giggled as she looked at me. "Ya... Don't finish my drink! We still have to run back to the car!" she said.

I coughed and quickly put the water bottle back down, and she laughed and slapped my arm. She was only joking. I laughed and stared at my beautiful girlfriend, and I was shocked to find that she had barely broken any sweat. We had been running for almost an hour!

"M–Mommy... H–How... How are you not tired?" I asked. Jihyo chuckled. "Well... I've been running in the morning for quite some time now..." she said cheerfully.

Jihyo hopped down from the wall and started doing small exercises. I watched her in awe. Even though her body was toned and fit, Jihyo was not exactly the slimmest girl around, and with those full G-cup mamaries, it must have been extra difficult for her to run. And yet, here she was, looking extra fit, while I was almost dying. I felt a little ashamed of myself.

"Minchu! Do some stretches here with me! Your muscles mustn't rest immediately after running!" she said. I jumped down and chuckled. "Ne... Algaesumnida," I said as I followed her example, doing the stretches. Jihyo laughed. "What?" she said, noticing that I had been staring at her. I shook my head. "Nothing... You never fail to amaze me, Babe..." I said. Jihyo blushed and smiled.

Jihyo took the lead and started counting up to eight while we did our exercise. We continued exercising on the river bank for some time, before eventually Jihyo sighed and stopped.

"Come on, Honey... Let's go back to the apartment and take a shower before we go to our appointments," she said. I nodded. "Yeah. We've got a few today," I said. Jihyo chuckled. "Let's hope we can find one quickly," she said. She started positioning herself to run, but I grabbed her hand. "C-Can we... Just... Walk slowly back to the parking lot?" I asked sheepishly.

Jihyo laughed and hugged me. She kissed my cheek warmly.

"Of course, Minchu... I don't mind a nice stroll by the river with you," she whispered, then a naughty grin flashed on her face. "W–What?" I asked, somehow knowing what she was about to say. She giggled and blushed and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "But don't you want to hurry back to the car? You seemed tired... I know you need your energy drink..."

I felt my cock hardening, and I immediately dashed away. Jihyo cackled and ran after me, and we both laughed while running back together to the TWD car.

* * *

"Gosh! Thank God we got out of there!" Minsoo said as he slammed the car door close.

We had just walked out on an apartment salesman who was helping us. He was incredibly half-hearted in explaining and showing us the unit, probably because he was too busy eyeing my breasts the whole time.

Minsoo picked up on this really quickly and immediately felt uncomfortable, so we quickly left before finishing the tour. We rushed back to our car and left hastily. Minsoo sighed. This was the fifth salesman today who treated us like this. If they weren't being absolute creeps, they were trying to extort me because they knew I was an idol.

"I'm sorry, Mommy..." Minsoo said apologetically.

I looked at him. I knew he felt bad, and he was definitely blaming himself for setting up the appointments. I smiled and squeezed his hand.

"Don't worry, Minchu... It's alright. These things are out of your control. Don't blame yourself for it," I said gently. "I know... It's just... These guys are treating you horribly," he said through gritted teeth.

I stared at him for a while without saying anything. As we reached a red light, I placed my hand on his cheek.

"Minsoo, look at me..."

He turned, and I smiled warmly and lovingly at him.

"I know you're upset about it, but... I'm kinda used to it, Minchu. There's no need to get mad, okay?" I cooed as I stroked his cheek.

Slowly, a smile rose on his face. I chuckled. My boyfriend was the sweetest.

"Okay..." he replied as he grabbed my hand and kissed it.

I smiled and sat back. The light turned green, so we started driving again.

"Let's hope the next one's better..." I said.

Minsoo nodded and drove silently to our next appointment. This apartment was at the edge of Mapo-gu, overlooking the Han River, near the place where Minsoo and I exercised this morning. The sun was already low, and I kinda hoped we could find the right place before nightfall.

We parked the car by the streetside and got out. A lady standing at the entrance of the apartment looked up, and she smiled as we approached.

"Han Minsoo-ssi?" she asked. Minsoo nodded. "Y–Yes. Are you our agent?" he asked. The woman nodded. "Yes, yes! That's me..." she said with a big smile, but her eyes widened as she saw me. "Omo! A–Are you... TWICE's Park Jihyo?"

I chuckled and bowed respectfully.

"Ne! Jihyo-imnida," I said, introducing myself. She gasped. "Woah!!! Pleasure to meet you, Jihyo-ssi! I'm a big fan!" she said, bowing to me. "Kamsahamnida!" I replied with a big smile. Finally... A saleswoman.

She straightened herself, and at that moment I noticed that she was... Big. Maybe as big as me. No... I was bigger, but... Yeah, she was big. She noticed this too and giggled.

"I see we're both... Cursed," she said as she gestured around her large breasts. I giggled and nodded. "Unfortunately so..." I said shyly. "Double D's? F?" she asked. I was shocked by the direct question, but I answered anyway. "I–It's... G," I said slowly. "Damn... You're even bigger than me! Your boyfriend must be... Satisfied," she teased, glancing at Minsoo. I chuckled.

Minsoo looked uncomfortable standing there, listening to us talking about our breasts, so I smiled and looked at the saleswoman.

"Shall we head inside?" I asked her politely. She beamed and nodded. "Absolutely! Right this way, please..." she said, gesturing towards the apartment building's door.

We followed her inside and into the lift. We took the lift up to the 12th floor, and she walked towards one of the doors. She swiped her keycard and opened it, leading us inside our potential apartment unit.

"So... This is the living room!" she said, waving around the living room area. "Woah! This is pretty big!" Minsoo said as we walked in.

He was right. It was big and spacious, not to mention the large glass doors to the balcony, with the beautiful Han River in full view. I smiled and nodded. This might be the right choice!

"Not as big as you, I believe," the saleswoman suddenly said.

My smile instantly faded. What the fuck? Was she hitting on Minsoo? I looked at Minsoo and found that he was blushing red.

"I–I... H–Huh?" he stammered. The saleswoman laughed and slapped Minsoo's chest. "I'm only joking, Minsoo-ssi! Come on! I'll show you the rest!" she said playfully as she walked down the hallway.

Okay. She was definitely flirting with him. I observed her actions, but somehow I was also drawn to Minsoo's. The saleswoman clearly flirted with Minsoo, making thinly-veiled sexual comments repeatedly and touching him a little too much for my liking.

I could feel my blood boiling as we continued the tour. I tried to signal Minsoo to end the tour like we did before when the creepy salesmen were hitting on me or staring at my breasts, but Minsoo was oblivious. He kept following the busty saleswoman, as if enchanted by her.

Finally, though, we finished the tour and went back to the lobby. The saleswoman twirled and smiled at us after leading us back outside of the apartment.

"We'll think about this place and we'll get back to you!" Minsoo said with a smile. I had to clench my jaw seeing him. "Right! You have my number, so just text or call me whenever you've made up your mind!" she said cheerfully, winking at him.

Minsoo and I entered the car, and he drove off. I rested my head on the window, not saying anything. Minsoo looked at me.

"That was the last place for today. Do you wanna grab dinner before going back to the apartment?" Minsoo asked. "Where do you wanna have dinner?" "Anywhere," I muttered, staring out the window.

I was angry. Angry that the saleswoman dared to make advances on Minsoo, but more so because... Because Minsoo was oblivious to it.

Did Minsoo enjoy it?

* * *

As soon as Jihyo said 'anywhere', I knew something was up. I could tell that she was angry. I drove silently back to my apartment, deciding not to risk meeting the girls in this condition. I parked my car, and we walked without words up to my apartment unit.

I opened my door and Jihyo walked past me into the apartment. I could feel the tension in the air. As I closed the door behind us, I saw Jihyo glaring at me, her arms crossing.

"Did you enjoy it?" "E–Enjoy what, exactly?" I asked, confused. "DON'T LIE TO ME, MINSOO!" she yelled.

Her sudden change of tone shocked me. I approached her slowly.

"J–Jihyo... I..." "ANSWER ME! DID YOU ENJOY IT WHEN SHE TOUCHED YOU? WHEN SHE FLIRTED WITH YOU?" she screamed.

Everything clicked together at once. She was talking about the saleswoman from earlier. Now that I thought of it, she did get a little too touchy, plus she was making a plethora of suggestive comments directed at me. I shook my head rapidly.

"N–No! I... I didn't even know she was trying to flirt with me!" I defended myself. "DON'T LIE MINSOO! I kn–"

Jihyo stopped halfway through her sentence, and I saw something clicked together behind those big, beautiful eyes of hers. She must have realised it. Slowly, tears started welling up in her eyes, and I quickly reached to hug her.

* * *

"DON'T LIE MINSOO! I kn–"

That was when it clicked inside my head.

We're the same. We're exactly the same.

We didn't pick up on the actions of the sales people until after it was over. We were both oblivious to this when it happened to us personally, but we were so aware when it happened to our partner. We were... We were exactly the same.

I felt tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. I felt so guilty. Minsoo quickly rushed to hug me, and I hugged him back.

"O–Oh, my... Minsoo... I–I..." I stammered. He stroked my hair gently as I cried on his chest. "It's alright, Jihyo..." he whispered. I wrapped my hands around his back, hugging him tightly. "I'm... I'm sorry for yelling at you, Minchu... I–I didn't realise that you had no idea she was flirting with you..." I whispered, feeling really bad. "I understand, Jihyo... It's alright. You're right to be jealous," he whispered kindly. "I was jealous too when the salesmen stared at your breasts."

I smiled. That was why I loved him. Minsoo might be slow to catch on to things, and could be oblivious sometimes to what was happening around him, but beyond all that... He was just so kind, so understanding, so loving.

"I love you, Mommy..." he whispered. My heart melted. I hugged him tighter. "I love you too, Minchu... I love you so much," I sighed.

We stayed in each other's embrace for quite some time, before finally he released me gently. We stared at each other, smiling wide, and we walked slowly towards the dining table and sat side by side.

"I'm hungry..." I said. He laughed. "Me too. What do you wanna eat?" he asked. "I don't mind a big bowl of bibimbap," I said. He nodded and chuckled. "Bibimbap sounds good," Minsoo said.

I grabbed his hand and stared at him. We might still be looking for the right apartment, but I knew for sure that I had picked the right man for me. Minsoo smiled, and his eyes told me the same, without saying any words. He suddenly chuckled.

"You know..." he said slowly, "Aside from the saleswoman constantly trying to hit on me... I must say that that was a pretty good apartment, don't you think?"

I chuckled and nodded. He was right.

"Yeah, it was..." I replied. "Maybe I should ask Yeoni-hyung to come with us the next time we visit. You know... To scare her," Minsoo joked. I laughed. "Ya! She'll then simp over him! And Jennie-unnie will flip!" I said. Minsoo laughed. "You're right... Maybe... IU-sunbaenim, then?" he proposed. I chuckled. "Ooo... That's a good one! She's scary!" I said, then an idea came to my mind, "Dubu can be scary too, you know!" "Oh, yeah... She scares the shit out of me a lot of times," he said.

We laughed together, enjoying this lovely time we had. Minsoo grabbed my hand and smiled at me.

"But... Let's not decide on that one right now. We still have a lot of options, Jihyo... This is just the first day," he said. My eyes widened. "Wait... You booked more?" I asked incredulously. He laughed. "No... But I figured we should look at more, since today most of our visits were filled with... Tension," he said, choosing his words carefully. I laughed. "You're right..." I said.

Just then, a naughty thought crossed my mind.

"Say... Do you wanna maybe... You know... Relieve some of that tension?" I said, looking at him with a sultry look. "Mommy..." he whispered, but I could see his cheeks blushing a little.

I guided his hands and placed them on my tits, before squeezing them gently. I could feel milk squirting out of my nipples, wetting my bra.

"You know you want it..."I whispered, teasing him. He blushed redder, but he smiled. "W–Well... I could use some milk..." he said. I slapped his chest teasingly. "Ya! That'll only add more tension!" I said.

He chuckled, and I pulled him for a deep, long, passionate kiss. Minsoo kept fondling my breasts, and I enjoyed his touch. We pulled back after a minute, gasping for air, staring at each other lustfully.

"Where do you wanna... Do it?" he asked softly. I giggled. "Anywhere..." I whispered.

He smiled and stood up, before gently pulling me to the floor. I laid down, and we both started undressing. Gosh... We were seriously going to do it on the kitchen floor.

Minsoo buried his face on my tits and suckled on my nipples, and immediately I felt copious amount of milk squirted out of my tits, through my nipples, into his mouth, sending shivers up and down my spine. Minsoo was drinking my milk like a hungry infant.

I smiled and played with his hair, closing my eyes to enjoy the heavenly pleasure he never failed to give me. As he placed his rock hard cock in between my tits and started titty-fucking me, one thought crossed my mind.

Chaeyoung nodded, and I helped her to her feet. She took a deep breath, and walked towards the door.

"Okay, girls... Please come in now."

The eight girls walked into the room. I took off my scarf and folded it neatly before placing it into the pocket of my hoodie. One of the girls walked up to Chaeyoung and gripped her shoulders.

"Everything okay?" she asked. "Yup, everything's fine now, Mina-unnie..." Chaeyoung said. She walked over to me and gave me a side hug. "We're good now."

Chaeyoung looked up at me and I smiled at her. One of the girls squealed.

"Awwwww~You two should just kiss already!" she yelled. Jihyo slapped the girl. "Ya! Sana!" "Whoops! Sorry, Jihyo," Sana said, but she chuckled naughtily. "Stop being horny over them. You've already got Dahyun-unnie and Jeongyeon-unnie to play with," said the tallest one.

Sana pouted and gripped onto the short-haired, chubby girl next to her.

"Jeongie... Tzuyu's bullying me~" she whined cutely. Jeongyeon laughed. "That's on you, Babe. You're the one who made her say it," she replied. Sana frowned. "Yoo Jeongyeon! I thought you're supposed to be on my side!" she exclaimed. She let go of Jeongyeon's arm and turned to the pale girl on her other side. "You've got my back, right, Dubu?" she said.

The pale girl took a step back and raised both of her hands. Sana gasped.

"YA! Don't do me like that!" she exclaimed.

The girls collectively laughed at Sana's antics. I let out a chuckle. These girls sure did seem like fun.

"Alright, alright... Girls, that's enough. We've got someone else here, remember?" Jihyo said as she gestured over to me. "Ahh–That's right!" they exclaimed. "Joesonghamnida, Tomioka-ssi," Jihyo said with a bow. I waved it off and smiled. "It's alright! And... Just call me Yoriichi or Yori. I hate it when people call me Tomioka-ssi," I replied.

Chaeyoung pouted.

"Ya~Only I can call you Yori!" she whined. "Aren't you the one who cut contact with him?" Tzuyu said a little too matter-of-factly.

Chaeyoung's smile faded. I saw this and quickly hugged her tighter. I glared at the tall girl.

"Tzuyu-ssi... Chaeyoung didn't do it on purpose. She's a great girl," I defended her. "Still..." "Tzuyu! That's enough," said Jihyo, turning to face the girl. Tzuyu's lips formed a line and she looked away. "M–Mianhae..." she uttered, looking embarrassed.

Momo sighed.

"Jesus, Nabong... You gotta get her more under control," she uttered. A sly grin crept across Nayeon's face. "Oh, don't worry Momoring. I'll make sure I punish her later..." she said.

Her emphasis on the word 'punish' made me raise an eyebrow. Tzuyu turned beet red and looked at the floor. Jihyo gasped.

"God damn it! Not now, Nayeon-unnie!" Jihyo cried, clearly frustrated. Nayeon giggled. "Mi-an-hae..." she spelled cutely, but she didn't look sorry.

Jihyo sighed and shook her head again, before collecting herself and looking at me. She smiled and turned to the members.

"Right... Let's... Let's introduce ourselves formally now. Chaeng, why don't you join us?" Jihyo commanded.

Chaeyoung nodded and broke away from me to join the girls.

"Shall we do a proper introduction?" Chaeyoung said giddily.

The girls laughed, but they nodded. They lined up, and I noticed that Nayeon was standing on the leftmost, while Chaeyoung was second from right. Was this based on age? Somehow, I felt excited. I straightened myself and waited for them to introduce themselves.

"Alright then... Hana, ddul, set..." Jihyo counted down. "One in a million! Annyeonghaseyo... TWICE-imnida!"

I chuckled. These girls are so cute. They turned to see Nayeon, who flashed her bunny teeth.

"Annyeong! I'm TWICE's prettiest member... Nayeon-imnida!" she said confidently, making the others cringe and laugh. "Annyeong! I'm Yoo Beep-beep... Jeongyeon-imnida!" Jeongyeon said. "Niko-niko-ni... Momo-imnida!" Momo said, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Annyeong! No Sana, no life... Sana-imnida!" Sana introduced herself cutely. "Annyeonghaseyo! TWICE's leader Jihyo-imnida!" Jihyo exclaimed proudly. "Annyeong... TWICE's Black Swan, Mina-imnida!" Mina said softly. "Annyeong... Dahyun-imnida!" said the pale girl from earlier. She smiled brightly.

I stared at Chaeyoung, who laughed and stared back.

"You know me. I'm Baby Beast... Chaeng-imnida," she said, winking at me. I chuckled.

The tall girl smiled a gorgeous dimpled smile and nodded.

"Annyeong... I'm TWICE's maknae... Tzuyu-iminnida," she said gently.

The girls cheered, and I clapped politely at their small introduction. I bowed slightly.

"Annyeonghaseyo, Yeorobun..." I said.

Jihyo gestured for us to sit down. I took a seat on the couch and Chaeyoung plopped herself down next to me. The rest of the girls joined on the couch and on the floor. Jihyo smiled and looked at me.

"Right, Yoriichi-ssi..." "Just Yori, please..." I said. "Ah, okay. So, Yori! Tell us more about yourself," Jihyo began.

I told them as much as I could about myself, including how Chaeyoung and I met during elementary school. After I finished, the girls nodded, but they all looked like they were processing the story in their minds.

"I see..." Jihyo uttered. "What's up with the eye, though?" Momo blurted. JIhyo glared at her. "Momoring! That's...  Inappropriate!" she said.

I chuckled.

"It's alright, Jihyo-ssi. Chaeng, can I tell them?" I asked my best friend who had snuggled herself close to me. She nodded, so I took a deep breath. "Well... It's... Uh... It's a little complicated."

I told the girls everything, including Chaeyoung's past. I got to the part where she called me and I did my best not to make myself sound too heroic.

"He... Slashed at me, which I managed to move past, but then he slashed up, and... Well..." I opened my palm, mimicking the knife, and swiped up at my left eye. The girls winched and hissed at the thought. "Ow! That's gotta hurt!" Momo said. Chaeyoung nodded profusely. "Yes, Unnie! He was on the verge of blacking out, but... But this absolute fucking legend stood back up and got back into the fight!" she exclaimed.

I blushed and looked away as the girls stared wide-eyed in shock.

"Okay, first of all: Language, Chaeng... But secondly: DAEBAK YORI!" exclaimed Jihyo. "I–It's not much..."

Chaeyoung slapped my arm. It hurt.

"YA! NOT MUCH? Yori, you lost your eye! Your frickin' eye for God's sake!" she exclaimed. I blushed even redder. "Aish... Calm down, Chaeng... He's being very humble! Yoriichi, thank you for keeping our Baby Cub safe..." Mina said with a soft smile. I flashed a smile and nodded.

Chaeyoung snuggled tightly at my arm, letting a cute squeal out.

"I'm so lucky to have him..." she whispered. I swore my heart would explode if she kept this up.

I knew Sana wanted to tease us again, but Jeongyeon's hand on her knee stopped her. I chuckled, and looked at Jihyo. She beamed brightly.

"Right. So... Now that we've got your story... What do you wanna do, Yori?" she asked. I thought for a moment before answering. "Mm... Just talk, I guess? I mean it's not every day you can just sit down and have a chat with Twice! Besides, I've already got your autographs," I said, raising my album. "Alright!" she replied.

Hence, the ten of us just chat. I knew we talked for a long time, but it didn't feel like it. These girls were absolute crackheads. If Jihyo–and sometimes Jeongyeon–wasn't there to keep them in check, I would have seen a few wild things going down.

"Jesus... It's 6 already?" Jihyo suddenly said when she checked her phone.

I glanced at my watch and saw that she was right.

"Well... I guess I'll get going, then..." I said, slowly standing up. "Woah, woah, woah! Who said you should leave? You're coming back to the dorm with us, silly!" Chaeyoung said. I was stunned. "Huh? Ch–Chaeng, I don't think your manager will allow that..."

Nayeon giggled.

"It's fine! If that's what Chaeng wants, we can talk to her and convince her! Right, Jihyo?" she said. The leader nodded. "Yeah! Besides, you're pretty cool, and we want to get to know you more!" she said.

The others nodded, and I knew there was no backing out of this. I chuckled. I wanted to spend more time with Chaeyoung anyway.

"Fine... But... On one condition," I said, raising my index finger. Chaeyoung's eyes widened. "What is it, Yori?" she asked confusedly. "You'll have to let me cook for all of you," I said. The girls gasped. "C–Can you cook?" Jeongyeon asked, a little apprehensively. I wanted to answer, but Chaeyoung glared at her. "Unnie! He's a great cook! I can vouch for him!" she exclaimed vehemently. I nodded and chuckled. "In that case... We'd be more than happy to!" Sana exclaimed suddenly.

Jeongyeon shot a glare at her.

"Ya! Is my cooking that bad?" she asked, sounding hurt. Sana hugged her arm and laughed. "No... I love your cooking as much as I love you! I just don't think the girls will be able to eat kimchi ramyun for the third day in a row!" she replied. I chuckled. She was having her revenge. "Y–Ya... B–But... I–I've been doing that because... I'm perfecting my kimchi ramyun recipe..." defended Jeongyeon, looking flustered. Sana giggled cutely and pinched her cheek. "I know..." she whispered, before staring at the girl with dreamy eyes. "You can still cook for me personally."

Jeongyeon blushed. Hang on. What was going on with those two? Jihyo smiled.

"Well, it's settled, then! Yoriichi will be our chef tonight!" she exclaimed.

The girls clapped their hands and cheered. I bowed jokingly. Nayeon tapped Jihyo's shoulder.

"Let's go talk to manager-unnie!" she said. Jihyo nodded.

The two girls led the others out of the room, but Chaeyoung lingered for a while with me. She rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Anata ni aitakatta," she whispered. I chuckled. "Since when did you learn Japanese?" I asked. She giggled. "Mina-unnie taught me," she explained. "That's neat... Boku mo aitakatta, Chaeng..." I replied. "I'm being completely honest... I have no idea what that means..."

I laughed.

"It means 'I missed you too, Chaeng'," I said gently.

Chaeyoung's smile became wider. She lifted her eyes to stare directly into mine. We stared at each other, and time stood still. Somehow, our faces were drawn to each other, getting a little closer by the second.

"Right! Manager-unnie said–Oh! S–Sorry... Am I... Interrupting something?"

We got startled and immediately pulled apart from each other. Jihyo had entered the room.

"N–Nope! Not at all!" Chaeyoung exclaimed loudly, sounding nervous.

She stood up, dusted herself off. Jihyo smiled a knowing smile.

"Oo--kay. Anyway, Manager-unnie said you can follow us back!" Jihyo announced. "That's great!" I said as I stood up. "Where did you park your car? Do you bring the parking ticket? We can validate it for free parking too," Jihyo asked, but Yori shook his head. "Oh... I–I... I took the subway here. Figured the car park would be full with all the ONCEs here, so..." he said. Jihyo chuckled. "Very well... You can just take the van with us! Follow me!" Jihyo said.

Jihyo led us out of the green room, through the dressing room, and back out to the expo hall. The three of us reached a car park where a van with a large, blue JYPE logo on the side, was already waiting.

I quickened my pace, and the three of us piled into the huge van. A heavy lady with a kind face looked up from the driving seat as I entered behind Chaeyoung. This must be the manager.

"So... Is this the lucky ONCE?" she asked as I took my seat next to Chaeyoung and strapped on my seatbelt. "Ne!" I replied. "Okay then. When you get into the dorm, do not try any funny business. Understood?" she said, staring me dead in the eye. "Understood," I replied solemnly. "Good," she said curtly. Chaeyoung pouted. "Ya... Unnie. There's no need to intimidate him," she said. The manager chuckled. "I'm not trying to intimidate him... Just giving him the house rules," she said.

I grasped Chaeyoung's arm and shook my head.

"It's fine, Chaeng," I whispered. She smiled and nodded.

The manager started driving the van. Everyone was busy with their own phones, and I saw Dahyun already sleeping, snoring lightly. I chuckled seeing her, but Chaeyoung leaned in to whisper to me.

"It's a pretty long ride home, so you might want to get some rest, just like Dahyunie," she said.

I nodded and rested my head against the window. I felt Chaeyoung resting her head on my shoulder as I slowly drifted to a peaceful slumber.

* * *

"Psst, Yoriichi, wake up!"

I groaned and lifted my head off the window slowly. I opened my eyes, and saw Chaeyoung staring at me, grinning wide.

"Morning, Sunshine! We're here!" she said, pulling me out of my seat. "W–Where are the others?" I asked groggily. Chaeyoung chuckled. "Oh they've all gone up. You slept so soundly so we decided to give you some time to rest. I came back down to pick you up," she said with a smile.

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as Chaeyoung dragged me out of the van. I let my eyes adjust to the late afternoon sunlight, and I was stunned to see a familiar building.

"W–What the... C–Chaeng, you guys... Live here?" I asked. "Yep!" she exclaimed, still towing me by the hand. "W–Wha... N–No way... I just moved here two days ago!" I exclaimed. "WHAT?!" she yelled, her eyes rounding. Then she gasped. "Omoo... That explains all the moving trucks, then!"

We laughed, and I shook my head.

"Small world, huh?" I commented. She chuckled and nodded. "Tiny!" she said, "Now, come on! Ga ja!"

I followed her towards the lobby, and the two of us took the lift to the 22nd floor, the top floor. The lift door opened, and it revealed a single door at the end of a short hallway.

"Take your shoes off and put them there, Yori!" Chaeyoung said cheerfully as she gestured to the shoe rack.

I slipped off my sneakers and placed them next to Chaeyoung's. She smiled from ear to ear, and with flourish, she swiped her card on the door and pushed it open.

"Welcome to Twice's apartment!" Chaeyoung exclaimed happily. My eyes widened.

The place was much bigger than mine. Much, much bigger. It was as if we were in an entirely different building. Damn, it had a second floor and everything!

"W–Wow... This place is neat..." I muttered.

Chaeyoung giggled and grabbed my hand. She dragged me in, and I saw seven girls chilling in the living room. And... Well... They looked... Very comfortable with each other.

Sana was snuggling with Jeongyeon and Dahyun, looking adorable. Momo was watching Mina play a video game on her phone, and Tzuyu and Nayeon were... Well... They were making out. Nayeon pulled away from Tzuyu as she heard Chaeyoung and I enter.

"Annyeong, Yori! Enjoying your sleep? Ya, Jeongie and Jihyo are waiting for you in the kitchen!" she said. "N–N–Ne..." I stammered, feeling heat rushing to my face.

Nayeon flashed her bunny smile, before turning back to Tzuyu, yanking her closer again, continuing their lustful kiss. I turned away panickedly at Chaeyoung. To my surprise, she looked unfazed.

"Chaeng, t-they..." I stuttered. She shrugged. "Common sight," she said casually. "Come on! I'm hungry!"

She pushed me towards the kitchen. I entered, and saw Jeongyeon and Jihyo washing their hands. They had put on their aprons, and looked ready to start cooking.

"Ah, there you are, Yorisa-nim!" JIhyo exclaimed. "I hope you're well rested!" "Ne..." I replied.

Jihyo smiled and opened a cabinet, took an apron and tossed it to me. I caught it, and swiftly put it on. I decided to push away my shock from seeing Tzuyu and Nayeon making out, and instead focus on cooking. I rubbed my hands and approached the two girls.

"Right. So... What ingredients do you guys have?" I asked. I felt Chaeyoung following behind me intently. "Not-too-sure..." Jeongyeon replied slowly, then she chuckled. "I've been too absorbed in perfecting my kimchi ramyun recipe these past few days that I only concentrated on the ingredients for that dish. You can check the fridge!" "Alright," I said.

I walked over to their fridge and opened it. The cool air greeted me as I looked through its contents. Hmm... Samgyeopsal, leeks, radish, potatoes, shallots. Do they have... Bingo! My eyes fell upon the chunjang that was in a bottle in the fridge. I grabbed it and checked the expiry date. Still a long way to go. I grabbed everything that I needed and placed it on the kitchen counter.

"Alright! Looks like... We'll be having Jajangmyeon!" I announced. "Huh... Strange. I don't remember having chunjang," Jeongyeon muttered. "That's because you've been so busy cooking your kimchi ramyeon," said Jihyo. Jeongyeon smiled and nodded.

I walked to the sink and washed my hands. Chaeyoung skipped to my side and eyed me with child-like excitement.

"Can I help?" she asked. Jihyo gasped. "Ya! You never even tried to help us whenever we're cooking!" she scolded her. "Majayo!" protested Jeongyeon. Chaeyoung giggled embarrassedly. "Come on... Today's a special occasion, right?" she said cutely. I laughed. "Sure thing, Chaeng! Grab an apron and we'll get started!" I said.

Chaeyoung squealed and rushed to the cabinet to take her apron. Jeongyeon whipped a pan and placed it on the stove.

"I'll get the sauce started," she said, sounding excited. "I'll start boiling the noodles," said Jihyo, taking a large pot from the cabinet. "Well, looks like it's you and me with the cutting duties, Chaeng," I said.

Chaeyoung nodded and grabbed the vegetables to wash. I took two knives and walked towards the counter. Jihyo had placed a large cutting board there, so I started dicing the samgyeopsal. Chaeyoung came back with the washed vegetables, and we started working together.

"Just like with Okasan, huh?" I commented. She smiled and nodded. "How are they, by the way, Yori? Gosh, I miss them so much!" she said.

My smile faded.

"They're..." I paused. Chaeyoung looked up, noticing the hesitance in my voice. "What is it?" she asked. Shit. There was no easy way to say this. "They're... They've passed away, Chaeng. Car crash, Jeju. Two years ago," I said slowly. "W–What?" Chaeyoung whispered.

She slowly placed the knife down on the cutting board. I realised that tears started filling their eyes. I smiled and reached her shoulder. She must have been so shocked. She must be really sad to hear this for the first time. She must have felt sorry for me.

"It's fine, Chaeng. I'm fine," I said, trying to comfort her, but Chaeyoung covered her mouth. "I–I... And I missed..." she stuttered. I raised an eyebrow. "Chaeng?" "I–I... I... I'm..."

She ran off. She was sobbing.

"Chaeng? W–Where is she going?" asked Jihyo. "B–Bathroom," I lied.

Jihyo stared at me quizzically, but then she shrugged and got back to her noodles. I mentally kicked myself for telling that to Chaeyoung. She wasn't feeling sorry for me. Well... Maybe that too, but I knew she was blaming herself again for not knowing about my parents' death.

I sighed. I really wanted to chase her and comfort her, but knowing Chaeyoung, it was best to leave her alone and give her some space. I decided to simply continue dicing the pork belly.

* * *

I slammed the door shut and locked it. I pressed my back against the door and slowly slid down until I was sitting. I stared blankly at the three beds, tears streaming down from my eyes.

I had missed it. I missed the funeral of the people who took me in as their own.

Why? Why didn't I write? Why didn't I–

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Chaeyoung-unnie? Are you in there? I... Need to take something," Tzuyu's gentle voice rang through the door. "Not now, Tzu..." I uttered. "But..." "I SAID NOT NOW!" I yelled.

The other side went quiet for a moment. Then, I heard the sound of her footsteps leaving the door. I sank my head into my arms and sobbed.

Why was I such a bad friend? Yori was always there for me when I needed him, but when he needed me the most, when his parents left him all alone in this world, I was nowhere near him.

"I'm sorry, Yori..." I sobbed. "I'm... A terrible person."

My own words echoed in my head as I rocked back and forth, bawling my eyes out.

* * *

"YEDEURA! DINNER'S READY!" yelled Jeongyeon at the top of her lungs.

I heard the thundering footsteps of the girls echoing down the hallway as they ran into the dining room.

"FO––OOD!!" yelled Momo and Nayeon together. "YAAYYY~!" exclaimed Dahyun, running while raising both of her arms in the air, looking like a crazy person.

The girls took their seats. Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and I placed the food on the dining table and started distributing the serving plates and utensils. The girls squealed excitedly and clapped their hands.

"Woah... Everything looks so good!" exclaimed Sana. "Ya..." complained Jeongyeon. Sana giggled and scrunched her nose at the girl, grabbing her hand cutely. "Jeongie Baby... You know I still love your cooking," she said, blinking her eyes rapidly. Jeongyeon laughed, but she pouted jokingly. "But you never say that these past few days..." she said, pretending to sulk. Sana giggled. "I'll make it up to you... Don't worry," she uttered sweetly. Jeongyeon chuckled and nodded. "I'll be waiting..." she whispered, and I thought I saw Sana blush.

Okay. Something was definitely going on between these two. The girls thanked me for the food, and they started taking their portions. Suddenly, Mina looked up.

"Where's Chaeng?" she asked. "She's in the bedroom. In a pretty bad mood..." replied Tzuyu.

I sighed and slowly stood up.

"I'll go talk to her," I said. The girls nodded, looking concerned. "Down the hallway, the second last room on the left," said Jihyo, giving me directions.

I nodded and made my way out of the kitchen. I crossed the living room and went to the other hallway. I walked slowly to the second last room on the left and knocked on the door.

* * *

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Again? I sighed exasperatedly. What did she need to take?

"Tzuyu... I told you not now..." I said with a weak voice. "It's... Yori."

My heart stopped. I looked up.

"Chaeng, can you... Open up, please?" he asked gently.

I froze. He waited for a few moments before calling my name again.

"Chaeng..."

I sighed and reached up to unlock the door. I slowly walked over to my bed and sat on it, curling up my knees against my chest, and closed my eyes. The door opened and closed, his gentle footsteps approached me, and soon I felt his familiar warmth next to me.

"Dinner's ready," Yori said softly.

I didn't reply. He let out a small sigh.

"Chaeng. Please stop beating yourself up... It's not your fault," he said.

I still kept quiet. I couldn't reply. He gently placed his hand on my elbow.

"Chaeng..." "Yori... I'm sorry..." "Chaeng..." "... I'm a terrible person..." "Chaeng, don't say–" "DON'T TELL ME 'DON'T SAY THAT'!" I yelled at him.

Yori went quiet. I turned and glared at him. Tears drip down from my eyes.

"I MISSED THE FUNERAL OF THE ONES WHO TOOK ME AND MY MOTHER IN! I MISSED THE DEATH OF THE ONES MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU! I WASN'T EVEN THERE FOR YOU WHEN YOU WERE A–lone... I–I... I...."

I started bawling all over again. My eyes were aching from all the crying, but somehow I couldn't stop myself. I slumped on the bed and cried my heart out. I punched the bed with all my might, feeling so disappointed at myself.

I felt a hand rubbing my back gently.

"Chaeng... Stop it... Stop saying all these things about yourself..." he said. "No! I–I... I–I'm... A t–t–terrible... F–friend..." I sobbed. "Son Chaeyoung... Please," he begged. "I'm a... H–Horrible... P–person," I kept beating myself. "SHUT UP!"

His scream startled me. I looked up, and I saw him in tears. He... He was crying. In all my years being with him, I never saw him cry, but... But here he was, sitting on my bed, crying. His whole body shook as tears flowed down from his eyes.

"S–Stop... S–Saying... These... Bad... Things... A–About yourself, Ch–Chaeyoung. It... It hurts me... to see you... Killing yourself inside!" he yelled painfully.

His voice was breaking. He struggled to say those words. Tears were streaming freely down his cheeks. His eyes were full of pain.

"This... Isn't... What Ok–Okasan... And... Otousan... W–Would've... Wanted!" he tried screaming again, but his voice kept breaking apart.

I stared at him blankly. I had never seen Yoriichi like this. I hated it. I hated seeing Yori like this. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Please... Stop beating yourself... Up... Y–You're... You're the only one I have left, Chaeng... P–Please..."

He was begging me. He was pleading. His words hit me hard.

I was the only one he had left.

I hugged him. I hugged him tightly. I pulled his head and rested it on my shoulder. His hands reached to my back and pulled me closer to him. He cried. I cried. We both cried. I traced his cheek with my hand, caressing it softly.

"Stop crying, Yori... Please..." I whispered. "I... It breaks my heart seeing you like this."

He nodded silently. My fingers traced his hair, and after a while, I could feel both of our hearts beating back to a normal pace. I lifted his face with my hands, and I stared directly at him.

"Will you forgive me... For shutting you out all these years? For abandoning you?" I asked him seriously. He stared at me. "Chaeng, I've told you... I've forgiven you long ago. Please stop beating yourself. Don't let the past burden your future," he said. I smiled. "I promise..." I said.

He smiled and nodded. That wasn't the only thing I wanted to promise him. I kept staring at his eyes.

"And... I promise that I'll never leave you again. I promise I'll always be there for you, just like you were always there for me," I whispered.

Slowly, his warm smile crept up on his face again. His smile grew to a chuckle, and his hand slowly reached my cheek, his thumb caressing it gently.

"I know you will," he whispered.

Suddenly, I had an idea. I pulled myself away from him for a moment, and I took off the moon bracelet I had on my wrist. I gently lifted Yori's wrist and put it on him. His eyes lit up.

"Chaeng?" he asked slowly.

I grabbed both of his hands and stared at him with a smile.

"This is my promise to you, Yori: Let this moon on your wrist remind you that I'm always here if you need me. Just... Just like..." I touched my neck, "... Just like this sun pendant always reminds me of you."

He chuckled.

"Look who's cheesy now..." he uttered. I laughed and slapped his shoulder. "Ya!" I protested. He laughed with me, and suddenly...  He rested his head on my lap.

My heart skipped a beat.

Yori lifted his hand, placing it in front of my neck. He smiled beautifully.

"Ya... It's kinda funny, don't you think?" he mused. "What is?" "Sun and moon..." he uttered as he twirled his wrist. "Put it over each other, and we'll get an eclipse."

I giggled. Somehow, my fingers traced his hair.

"You and your cheesy words..." I mused. He chuckled. "You were cheesy too just now..." he said. I giggled. "Are we competing for the Cheese Award?" I asked. He laughed, and sat back up. "You know... We should probably go back to the kitchen. The others must be waiting. Plus... I'm very hungry," Yori said.

I laughed and nodded.

"You're right. We should get back before Nabong-unnie or Sana-unnie start having strange ideas about us," I said.

Yori laughed, and he grabbed my hand. We walked hand in hand out of the room to the kitchen, and we found the girls had already helped themselves with the jajangmyeon.

"Oh! You're finally here! Mianhae... We couldn't resist the temptation," Momo said as she took another helping of the jajangmyeon. "It's fine, as long as you guys saved some for us!" I exclaimed.

Yori and I took our seats next to each other. Yori took the tongs to scoop some of the jajangmyeon and placed it on my plate. I thanked him silently with a smile. Suddenly, I heard giggles.

"You know..." Nayeon started. "You two make a really sweet couple..." Sana completed, a dreamy look in her eyes. "Sana..." Jeongyeon warned. "I know, I know..." she said with a huge smile, shoving some noodles into her mouth.

Jihyo sighed and looked at Yori.

"So, Yori... What's your occupation?" Jihyo asked, trying to change the subject. Yori smiled. "I'm a... Security contractor. A freelance scout, to be precise. I do a lot of gigs for the SMPA," he said. "SMPA... The police, right?" asked Mina. Yori nodded. "You said you're a swordsman, right?" Momo asked. "Ne. The Tomioka family descends from a long line of swordsmen, dating back to the Edo period," he replied. "So you have a katana?" she asked again. "I have a collection of katanas," Yori replied. "Damn... You gotta let me see your katana collection someday!" said Momo excitedly. "Sure thing!" Yori agreed, smiling wide.

I chuckled. Momo did have a katana collection herself. At that moment, I saw a naughty look on Nayeon's eyes. Somehow, I knew what she was going to say. Her smile grew to a bunny grin, and before she could say anything, I raised my hand.

"Ya... Nabong-unnie..." I warned her. "Hajima..." "W–What? I wasn't saying anything!" she defended herself, but she chuckled mischievously. "I know what you were going to say when Momo-unnie mentioned 'katana'..." I said exasperatedly. Dahyun choked on her noodle and laughed. "Fuck. I get it now..." she said, reading my mind. "So do I..." uttered Mina, smiling wide. Momo giggled and continued eating. "Yeah... Me too..." said Jeongyeon and Tzuyu almost at the same time. Jihyo merely sighed and shook her head.

Nayeon cackled. The girls shook their heads tiredly at Nayeon's constant naughtiness, but Sana looked confused.

"What, what? What was she going to say?" she asked confusedly. I sighed. "It's... Katana... Yori's... Katana..." I explained, trying not to say anything too directly.

Sana blinked her beautiful eyes for a moment. I could almost see the gears turning in her head, until eventually, a few seconds later, she understood. She gasped and clasped her hands on her mouth.

"YA! NABONG!" she exclaimed.

Nayeon laughed even harder, and we all laughed with her. I turned to see Yori, who had turned red. I knew he got it too. This boy was so cute.

We continued chatting for a bit as we ate. Yoriichi was surprisingly comfortable with the girls, and the more we talked, the more he looked like he had known them for ages. The girls too looked comfortable around him, so much so that Sana spilled about her secret relationship with Jeongyeon after a while, drawing gasps from everyone. I smiled. I guessed he deserved to know.

We continued our talk long after dinner. We moved to the sofa in the living room, and we all shared stories and jokes. Nayeon and Mina stood up after a while. They were always in charge of desserts, so they took out some pastries from the fridge and set them down on the table.

"Anyone want coffee?" asked Mina. All of us raised our hands. Nayeon laughed. "Okay! Anyone want milk?" she asked. Only Yori raised his hands. We all loved our iced americano. "I'll have some milk," he said. "You can get it from Jihyo," Nayeon said mischievously.

Jihyo's big eyes went so round I was afraid that they would pop out of the sockets. Yori looked confused as hell.

"E–Eh? W–What do you mean?" he stuttered. "Jihyo lactates," blurted Sana casually while taking a pastry, but then she gasped and covered her mouth, realizing her mistake. Jeongyeon slapped her girlfriend's head, but Jihyo yelled. "MINATOZAKI SANA!"

Sana squealed and ran away as the flustered Jihyo chased after her up to the second floor deck. We all laughed out loud, but Yori sat and stared blankly at us, looking completely confused.

"N–Nan... Nantekotta..." Yori muttered.

I calmed myself down and leaned in to whisper at my best friend.

"She's right. Jihyo-unnie... She's been able to do it since she reached puberty," I said. Yori stared at me quizzically, but then he shrugged. "A–Ah... Okay..." he uttered, leaning back to the sofa.

Nayeon and Mina placed 9 iced americano for us and one iced latte for Yori. Jihyo returned, dragging a very giggly Sana behind her.

"Sorry about that," Jihyo said as she dropped Sana back to her seat and walked back to hers. "Joesonghamnida, Yori-ssi..." said Sana, still giggling.

Dahyun sighed exasperatedly and checked her phone while munching on the strawberry pastry, then suddenly a gasp left her mouth.

"Ya! Tomorrow's our free day!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Oh? Is it?" asked Jihyo. She pulled out her phone and gasped. "Oh damn! It is!"

We all checked our phones and found that Dahyun was right. Our schedule was completely empty tomorrow, not even a practice was scheduled.

"Yay!!! Jeongie, Dubu! Let's go shopping tomorrow!" she exclaimed. The two girls nodded and smiled. "What do you guys plan to do tomorrow?" asked Jihyo to the room. "I have yet to punish Tzuyu properly..." mused Nayeon. Okay. She was starting to sound scary. "Y–Ya... Unnie~" protested Tzuyu, blushing red and smiling shyly, but I knew she'd enjoy it. "I'll play some games," chipped Mina in. "I'll have a date with Heechul-oppa," said Momo. "What about yourself, Jihyo?" asked Jeongyeon. Our leader smiled. "I'll have time to finish up on the book I've been reading. I'll stay in," she said happily.

I felt eight pairs of eyes landing on me. Shit. I had no plans for tomorrow. Suddenly I was put on the spot.

"I–I... Umm..." "Do you want to go to Everland with me tomorrow?" asked Yori suddenly.

I looked at him with wide eyes.

"E–Everland?" "Yep!" he said confidently. "O–Okay... Yeah. That... Sounds great!" I stuttered. "OOOOH! You guys are going on a date!" Sana exclaimed.

The girls all cheered. Yori sighed and shook his head, but he smiled wide. I knew I was smiling from ear to ear, unable to hide my happiness. Yori glanced at his watch, and his eyes widened.

"Holy shit! It's 1 am!" he exclaimed.

We all checked our watches and phones, and he was right. I heard Nayeon chuckling.

"Time flies when you're having fun..." she said, gulping her coffee, suddenly sounding wise.

We all smiled and nodded. Slowly, Yori stood up, stretched his body, and thanked the girls.

"Well... I should get going then. Thank you, girls, for the hospitality. It's been grand," he said politely. "We're the ones who should thank you, Yori!" said Jeongyeon kindly. "I'll call a cab for you," said Jihyo, whipping up her phone, but Yori waved his hands. "No, no! There's no need! I literally live a few floors below you guys," he said quickly.

The girls all gasped.

"W–Wait. What?" asked Momo. "Yeah! I... I moved in 2 days ago!" he said with a smile. "Woah... Small world!" said Dahyun. Yori chuckled and nodded. "Anyway, thanks again for having me. If you want, I can come back tomorrow and cook breakfast for you before leaving with Chaeng," he offered.

The girls squealed in excitement, but Sana was squealing a little too loudly, making Jeongyeon stare sharply at her. I laughed. I loved Sana's subtle way to tell her girlfriend that she was sick of her cooking the same dish over and over these past few days.

"Ya... I know, I know... I'll stop cooking kimchi ramyun!" Jeongyeon said, rolling her eyes. Sana laughed and cupped her girlfriend's face with her hands. "You know what, Babe? For me your kimchi ramyun is always perfect, as long as it's cooked by Yoo Jeongyeon. You don't need to perfect it anymore," Sana said truthfully. "I–I..." Jeongyeon stuttered. Sana's sweet words made her blush.

We all laughed. This couple was the sweetest. Yori chuckled and nodded.

"Right. I'll come back tomorrow morning. How do pancakes sound?"

All eight heads perked up immediately. He laughed at the spontaneous reaction.

"I'll take that as a yes! See you all tomorrow!" he said, turning to the foyer. I stood up. "I'll walk you out," I said.

He smiled at me and we walked towards the foyer. I opened the door for him, and he turned to look at me.

"It's nice seeing you again, Yori..." I said while he was wearing his shoes. "What a day, huh?" he said with a smile. "Y–Yeah..."

We stood there for a while, staring at each other, unsure of what to do.

"W–Well, I, uh... I'm going then, Chaeng. See you tomorrow!" he said.

I smiled and nodded. He smiled back, and then... Somehow... I did something I myself didn't think I would do.

I tiptoed and kissed him warmly on the cheek. Yori was stunned, and he turned red instantly.

"G–Good night, Yori..." I said, feeling my cheeks heating up. "G–G... Good... Good night... Chaeng..." he stammered.

I laughed and waved at him as he quickly entered the lift down. He waved back, chuckling shyly, his hand clutching the cheek I just kissed. Finally, the lift door closed, and he disappeared.

I let out a sigh and turned around, only to find eight girls staring at me, all with wide grins plastered on their beautiful faces. I felt my face go as red as an apple instantly.

"W–W–Were... Were you guys... W–Watching the entire time?" I stammered.

The girls cheered and whooped loudly.

"WOOO-HOOO!!! OUR BABY BEAST HAS A CRUSH!" Nayeon screamed so loud Tzuyu had to place her hand on her mouth to tone her down. "I'm so happy for you, Chaeng! Finally!" exclaimed Mina, suddenly sounding more excited than I thought she could be.

They cheered again, and I ran past them in embarrassment, going straight up to the second floor bathroom. I brushed my teeth and did my evening skincare routine, and the girls started doing the same. To their credit, they didn't tease me any longer, just giving me knowing smiles as they said goodnight to each other. I was grinning wide the entire time.

As Dahyun turned off our bedroom's light after we settled on our beds, I fiddled with my necklace. I shuddered as I remembered the tears streaming down his cheeks. He... He really cared for me so much, didn't he?

I put away the thoughts in my mind and flipped on my side. I closed my eyes, and I felt a smile curving up on my lips. Everland with Yori tomorrow. I couldn't wait.

* * *

My phone's alarm blared next to me. I groggily opened my eyes and tapped the snooze button, throwing my arm over my eyes. I collected my thoughts... And then I remembered.

It was time to get up.

I threw the covers off my body and slid out of bed. I checked my phone; it was 8 am. Tzuyu and Dahyun were still sleeping soundly–Tzuyu like a Disney princess, Dahyun snoring loudly in a weird, twisted position–so I quietly picked an outfit from my wardrobe, exited my room, and tiptoed to the bathroom upstairs.

I came out a few minutes later, all clean and ready, in my jeans and simple grey long sleeved shirt. I threw my pajamas into the laundry basket and headed down the stairs. As expected, Jihyo was already up, chilling on the sofa, staring at her phone.

"Morning, Jihyo-unnie!" I said. Jihyo looked up and smiled beautifully. "Morning, Tiger Cub! You're up early!" she said cheerily. I chuckled. "Long day ahead! Better start early..." I said. She gasped as she remembered. "Ah, right! Everland with Yoriichi!" she commented. "Yeah..." I said with a dreamy smile.

Jihyo eyed me with a knowing smile.

"You like him, don't you?" she shot at me. "E–Eh? N–N–No... N–Not like that... I–I... I..." I stuttered. Jihyo giggled. "Come on, Chaeng... You literally kissed him on the cheek last night," she pressed.

Damn. Forgot about that. I sighed and accepted my fate. I guessed I could be honest with our Leader.

"Y–Yeah... I guess..." I uttered shyly. Jihyo's smiles grew wider. "It's nice to see you having someone you love, Chaeng..." she said sincerely.

Ding Dong

"I'll get it!" I exclaimed as I ran towards the door.

Jihyo laughed, seeing how excited I was. I had a feeling I knew who would be there this morning. I opened the door, and sure enough, it was Yori.

He was wearing a simple white hoodie with jeans, and he had his katana hanging from his side in the scabbard. He had a plastic bag in one hand, most likely filled with ingredients. He beamed brightly when he saw me.

"Morning, Chaeng! Hope you don't mind the katana! Just came from training," he said cheerfully. I smiled back and shook my head. "No, no of course not! Come on in!" I exclaimed happily.

I stepped aside and let him walk in. I closed the door, and we walked into the living room.

"Morning, Jihyo-ssi!" he greeted her. "Annyeong, Yori! Let's go to the kitchen!" she said.

We walked to the kitchen, and Yori placed the plastic bag on the counter.

"What do you have?" asked Jihyo. Yori began removing the contents of the plastic bag. "Let's see... Pancake batter, sausages, strawberries, blueberries, cream, maple syrup..." "Woah! That's a lot!" I quipped as Yori continued taking out stuff from the bag. He chuckled. "Well... Judging from how much you guys ate last night, I adjusted the quantity," he said.

I couldn't help but smile at him. He was always thinking about others. He was just so cute.

"Alright, then! Let's get started!" Jihyo said, grabbing 3 aprons from the cupboard. "By the way, do you mind if I play some music, Jihyo?" Yori asked. "Be my guest!" Jihyo said happily.

Yori nodded. He tapped a few things on the phone and placed it on the counter. The music played... It was the unmistakable intro of Blueming by IU. My face lit up.

"Excellent music taste!" Jihyo said as she grabbed a bowl. "Thank you!" replied Yori.

We enjoyed IU's sweet voice as we got to work preparing breakfast. As Yori started ladling the pancake batter onto the pan, we heard footsteps approaching.

"Waahh.... Smells good!" Sana squealed with her high pitched voice. She stretched and yawned. "Morning, Shasha! Are the rest awake?" Jihyo asked. "Yup! You can't expect everyone to be asleep with this heavenly aroma, no?" Sana said. "Great! Hey, can you call them here? Breakfast is almost ready!" Jihyo said as she came back with a large plate. Yori used a spatula to put a piece of pancake on it. "Ne!" Sana exclaimed before jogging off.

We finished platting the pancakes, sausages, eggs, and berries on all the plates and bowls. We quickly placed them on the dining table, and the girls started streaming into the dining room. We washed our hands and took off our aprons, before sitting around the table together with the girls.

"Jalmokhaesubnida!" we exclaimed as we picked our cutleries and dug in. "MMM! Hiz–Iz–Goor!" Momo exclaimed with a mouthful. "Momo-unnie, swallow, then talk," Jihyo said, pointing her fork at Momo. Momo blushed and swallowed. "Right. Mian. THIS IS GOOD!" she exclaimed loudly with a huge grin. "Arigato, Momo-san," Yori replied as he cut a small piece of his pancake and put it into his mouth. "Thank you for the breakfast, Yoriichi~" Sana said with overflowing aegyo.

Everyone cringed and laughed, but Yori simply smiled and took another bite of pancake. Jeongyeon gasped.

"Omo! Did he just resist your aegyo, Sha?" she asked incredulously.

I suppressed a giggle. Yori had a knack for going into something that he called 'emotionless state' from time to time. He used it often when fighting, and I remembered he said that 'emotions can get in the way of critical decision making'.

To put it simply... Yori loves to zone out. I punched his arm.

"Ya... You're in your emotionless state again," I said.

He blinked a few times before realizing. He snapped out of it and blushed red.

"O–Oops... Sorry," he uttered shyly. I laughed at him before popping a strawberry into my mouth. "Emotionless state?" Dahyun asked. "Y–Yeah... I tend to slip into it subconsciously. I used it a lot when training," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

Everyone's mouth formed an 'O' as they understood him. Sana tapped her girlfriend's arm rapidly as an idea came to her mind.

"Ya! Ya! Let's play a game! Let's see who's aegyo can snap him out of his emotionless state!" she exclaimed. "But... Can you slip into it consciously?" asked Mina. Yori nodded. "Of course," he said. "Alright! Let's play the game!" squealed Nayeon.

The other girls nodded in agreement. Yori and I glanced at each other, knowing what was going to happen. I felt heat rushing to my face, but I smiled and nodded.

"O–Okay... Let me just get back into it," Yori said slowly.

Yori set down his cutleries. He closed his eyes, took a long, deep breath, before opening his eyes back again. They were now empty. It was as if his soul had left his body. With that, the game began.

Everyone tried their best to make him snap out of it, but all they did was make the girls squeal and scream in disgust. Yori, however, did nothing. He had no reaction, still staring blankly to the dining room wall.

After Sana failed the second time, Nayeon tried. I somehow felt a little uneasy, knowing how cute Nayeon could be when doing aegyo, but, to my surprise, Yori still stared blankly when Nayeon finished. Our bunny unnie sighed.

"Damn... This is the first time my aegyo doesn't work! Sha! You want to try your legendary bl–" she started. "YA!" exclaimed Jeongyeon, Sana, Dahyun, and Jihyo all at the same time, shutting her down. I looked around confusedly, but Nayeon was giggling profusely.

Jihyo sighed and shook her head, before turning to look at me.

"Chaeng... Your turn," she said.

I turned to face Yoriichi. I stared at him for a moment, then, quickly, I pecked his cheek.

Yori's defenses instantly broke apart and he blushed red. I laughed and threw my hands up in victory. The girls cheered and Yori grew redder.

"A kiss on the cheek from Chaeyoung is all it takes?" Dahyun wheezed, wiping tears from her eyes. "Woah... You must really like her!" Tzuyu said, her mouth gaping wide. "W–Well... I–I..." he stammered.

I giggled and snuggled up to his arm. The girls went 'Aww' for a while, but then they continued eating without teasing us, and I was thankful for them. We finished eating, and Jihyo looked up to the table.

"So... We all have plans today?" Jihyo asked. We all nodded. "Everyone back for dinner?" she asked her second question. "Nee!" the girls all replied, but I didn't. Jihyo turned to Yori and I. "What about you two?" she asked. "Depends on what Chaeng is feeling. We'll let you know if we are," said Yori.

Aww... He's always thinking about me...

"Oooooo... Planning to go back to your place?" teased Nayeon naughtily. "Goodness gracious, Unnie... Calm your horny ass down..." Tzuyu scolded, slapping Nayeon's arm. Nayeon cackled, but Sana picked this up. "But she's right though... There's a possibility that..." "Sha, you might wanna watch your tongue. Yori has his katana on him," said Jeongyeon casually.

Sana's eyes went wide as she turned to look at him.

Shringg...

Yori drew his sword from its scabbard, revealing a dark blue blade. He held it up, the tip pointing at the ceiling. Momo squealed excitedly, clapping her hands.

"Well, Sana-san... It was nice knowing you..." Yori said jokingly. "Kyaa..." Sana squealed and buried her face on Jeongyeon's shoulder.

We all laughed out loud, and Yori sheathed his katana back, chuckling satisfactorily. Jihyo looked around the room.

"Alright! Let's get cleaned up so everyone can head out!" she exclaimed, drawing cheers from everyone.

We picked up our plates and washed them together. Yori left to his unit to put his katana back. I chuckled. Couldn't really have a random guy walking around with a sword, could we? A few minutes later, he came back to the dorm, now wearing his scarf.

"Ready to go, Chaeng?" he asked. "Let's! Annyeong, Yaedul-a!" I exclaimed, waving to my members. "Annyeong, Chaeng! Don't come back without fuc–"

Smack!

"OW! JEONGIE!" Sana cried out, clutching her ass. Jeongyeon giggled naughtily as her girlfriend chased her around the dorm.

I laughed and closed the door. I walked up next to Yori and hugged his arm.

"Let's go, Yori!" I said. He smiled and nodded.

We took the lift down to the carpark and entered his car. He started the engine and we pulled out of the complex. As we took the freeway towards Yongin-si, he turned and smiled.

"Excited?" he asked. "Very," I replied. He chuckled. "Me too. Do you bring your mask?" he asked.

I pulled out the black surgical mask from my jacket pocket and waved it in the air.

"Nice," he said, before looking back to the road with a wide smile. "Hey, can I play some music?" I asked, pulling out my phone. "Sure!"

He connected my phone to his car, and Alcohol Free started playing. Yori chuckled.

"Shameless self promotion," he laughed. "Ya! It's a pretty good song, okay? Besides... The lyrics are just so sweet!" I defended myself.

He smiled and nodded, and continued driving to Everland.

* * *

We reached Everland and I parked my car. We stepped out, and the summer breeze slapped us in the face.

"Damn... It's hot, but cold at the same time," I commented. Chaeyoung pulled her face mask up. "Luckily you have me to keep you warm!" she exclaimed, clutching my arm tightly.

I blushed and looked away as we continued walking to the entrance. I lifted my scarf over my own face mask as the wind started blowing again. We got our tickets and entered the park. Chaeyoung's eyes instantly lock onto the Hurricane.

"Let's go on that one, Yori!" she exclaimed, and immediately dragged me over to the line.

I could feel myself getting ready to throw up after the ride as I watched it swing and twist, eliciting screams and shrieks from its occupants. I gulped silently as we joined the line. Chaeyoung noticed this. She looked up at me with concern.

"Yori? Are you okay? You're... Shaking," Chaeyoung said. "I–I... I'm fine, I guess? Just a little scared..." I said truthfully. I knew she was smiling under her mask, and she intertwined her fingers with mine. "Don't worry, Yori. You've got me here..." she whispered, trying to calm me.

Good Lord... She's girlfriend material.

"T–T–Thanks... Chaeng..." I stammered back, my face going red from my own thoughts.

As quickly as she came back into my life, my feelings came back for her.

"It won't be that bad, Yori..." she continued, squeezing my hand tighter. "Y–Yeah... C–Can't be that bad, right?"

I was wrong. I was absolutely wrong.

I stumbled out of the ride with my head spinning. Chaeyoung cackled and grabbed onto me to support me.

"Jesus, Yoriichi! You're telling me that you can slash and spin with a katana... But you can't handle a ride?" she jokingly mocked me. "In my defense... Those are two completely different things!" I said.

Chaeyoung laughed louder and clutched back onto my arm. With that, we continued making our way around the park. I hoped the next ride was better, but again... I was absolutely wrong.

To put it simply, Chaeyoung was an adrenaline junkie. She literally gunned straight for the fastest rides, all of them leaving me more dazed then the last when coming out of it. After the umpteenths ride on a few different roller coasters and my heart was threatening to leap out of my chest, Chaeyoung finally decided that it was time to grab lunch at a burger restaurant.

We ordered our food and found a seat. The place was really crowded, and I was starting to worry that people would notice Chaeyoung and go berserk.

"Chaeng, there's a lot of people here... Are you sure no one will recognize you?" I asked concernedly.

To my surprise, Chaeyoung smiled and shook her head.

"Highly doubt it. Besides, the more people, the better we blend in," she said as she removed her mask. I decided to trust her, and concentrate on the food instead.

Chaeyoung put a generous amount of ketchup on her burger before taking a big bite out of it. I laughed as ketchup got smeared all around her mouth. I folded a napkin and used it to clean the stain.

"Calm down, Cub... We have the whole day here," I said as I finished wiping the ketchup off.

Chaeyoung giggled in embarrassment, scrunching her nose cutely.

"Sory, Yori... Just... Food, you know?" she said, taking another bite of her burger.

I chuckled. As an idol, her food choices were rather limited, so it was normal for her to gorge herself a little when they have the freedom to eat whatever they want like this. I remembered Chaeyoung was always a good eater, and apparently years of being an idol didn't change this.

"Yeah... I understand," I replied as I took a bite out of my own burger.

We continued exploring the theme park after lunch, and evening fell rather quickly as Chaeyoung and I took the cable car back up to the top of the park. We swung our legs as we slowly ascended the slope.

"Thanks for taking me here, Yori..." Chaeyoung said, putting her head on my shoulder. I rested my head on hers. "No problem, Chaeng..." "I missed these moments between us..." she uttered gently. "Me too.." I whispered.

Chaeyoung lifted her head and looked at me. I smiled and pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. I stared into those big eyes of hers and got lost in the dark brown colours of her pupils. My heart fluttered. Should I...?

A jolt on the line snapped me out of my trance. I looked down and saw that the cable car was reaching the landing. I reluctantly turned my gaze away from Chaeyoung, and we lifted the safety bar before hopping off to the ground.

* * *

I loved it. I loved every second of it.

The way his dark blue and milk white eyes stared into mine. It was perfect. I felt so warm and fuzzy when he brushed my hair behind my ear.

I... I loved him.

Oh God. I loved Yoriichi.

These words repeated in my head as I clutched his arm as we made our way out of Everland. The sun had already set, leaving us in the surprisingly chilly summer night. A wind blew by and I shuddered.

"You cold, Chaeng?" he asked gallantly. "A–A little..." I stuttered.

Yoriichi stopped moving. He pulled off his scarf and wrapped it snugly around my neck.

"Better?" he asked as he straightened it.

I stared at him.

"Chaeng?" "Y–Yea... A lot better... Thanks, Yori," I replied, feeling my face blush red.

He smiled and we continued walking back to the car. He was so nice and warm. What did I do to deserve him in my life?

"So... Back to the dorm?" he asked. I thought for a moment. "Actually, no... I'm... Not ready to end this day yet," I said.

He smiled.

"Okay. Where to, then?

I hesitated for a moment, but then my mind was made up.

"Can we... Can we go back to your place instead?" I asked.

He looked a little shocked.

"H–Huh? You... You sure?" he asked. I nodded confidently. "O–Okay then... Let's go," he stuttered.

We drove in silence until we got back to the apartment complex in Hannam. We took the lift to his floor, and we went in. I felt my mouth gaping as I walked inside. I flung my eyes around the unit, taking his apartment in. It was definitely way smaller than the penthouse unit upstairs, but it still felt incredibly cozy and very Japanese styled.

"Nice place," I commented. He smiled and closed the door behind us. "Thanks. I... I don't think I have much ingredients left... Are you okay with ramen for dinner?" he asked as he set his keys down on his counter. "Sure. Anything's fine," I said. "Right. Make yourself comfortable," he said, walking straight into the kitchen.

I sat down on his couch in the living room and lost myself in thoughts. Did he love me? If he didn't... What would he say? Should I tell him today? Or should I wait? I didn't think I could wait anymore, though... For 10 years, he'd never left my mind. Could I wait just a little longer?

"Chaeng... Dinner's ready!" he called cheerfully from the kitchen.

I snapped out of my thoughts and quickly walked over to the dining table to join him. He handed me a pair of chopsticks, and we dug in. I savoured every single strand of the delicious Japanese soup. I knew I had eaten kimchi ramyun for three days in a row for breakfast, but this was a Japanese-styled tonkotsu ramen, so I had no complaints.

"This is really good!" I said with a mouthful.

Yori smiled and continued eating. I caught myself staring at him as he sighed after slurping the soup and looked out of the window. As soon as he looked back, I returned my gaze back to the food. I decided to just eat in comfortable silence with him.

"That was... Really good," I sighed contentedly as I leaned back onto my seat after finishing the ramen.

Yori smiled and grabbed both of our bowls and took them to the sink.

"You want some tea, Chaeng?" he asked. "Yeah... That'll be nice," I said as I walked back to the couch.

* * *

I finished washing the dishes and started brewing some green tea. As the water in the pot boiled, I started thinking. I caught Chaeyoung throwing a few glances my way today, but they weren't her usual glances. Was it....

The whistling sound of the kettle brought me out of my thoughts. I quickly poured out the hot water into the teapot. I placed the teapot on a tray along with two teacups before picking it up and walking back to the living room. Chaeyoung was sitting on the sofa.

I poured the tea into one of the cups and handed it to Chaeyoung before filling my own. I took a seat next to her. She sipped her tea and sighed, before placing her cup back on the table and staring at me with her beautiful eyes.

"I had a really fun time today, Yori..." she said. I looked at her and smiled. "Me too, Chaeng..." I said.

We stared at each other in silence, just like we did on the cable car. But this time, there was no interruption. As if drawn by an invisible force, our bodies started moving closer to each other. Without words, our faces inched closer.

"Chaeng..." "Yori..."

Our lips touched. I felt Chaeyoung's arms snaking around my neck, and I slipped my arms around her small waist. She kissed me more passionately, and I returned with the same gusto. Her lips were so soft and warm, her strawberry scent slowly intoxicating me. Our lips stayed locked with each other.

We finally pulled away to catch oxygen. She pressed her forehead on mine as we stared deeply at each other again.

"Yori... I... I–I love you... You've never left my mind since I left..." she breathed. "Chaeng... You've never left my mind either. I love you too..." I whispered back.

Her hands slipped down, and they started caressing my neck, then my chest. I shuddered. I was unsure of what to do, and at that moment Chaeyoung came with her guidance.

"Touch me, Yori..." she whispered.

I obeyed her. I ran my hands down her slim body slowly, caressing her gently. A small moan escaped her lips.

"Ch–Chaeng... You're... Amazing..." I whispered tremulously.

Chaeyoung held my hand, and she guided it gently beneath her shirt. I felt her smooth skin on my palms, and I felt my cock starting to harden beneath my pants. Suddenly, Chaeyoung let go of my hands. She grabbed the corners of her long sleeved shirt and pulled it off herself, leaving her in a silky black bra. I stared at her.

"I want more..." she whispered, her voice laced with lust. "I... I want you."

Her words stunned me.

"C–Chaeng... A–Are you sure?" I asked.

She nodded her head and bit her lower lip. My gosh. I had never seen her like this before. But I wanted her. I wanted her so badly.

"I want you, Yori... I need you..." she whispered.

With that, she pushed me down onto the couch and started straddling me. She reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. She let it drop, revealing her small, round breasts. I let out a shuddering sigh as I ravaged her with my eyes.

Son Chaeyoung. My Son Chaeyoung. Topless. In front of me. This was even better than my wildest dreams.

Without words, she guided my hands upwards, placing them on top of her tits. She squeezed my hands gently. I took the hint, and started kneading her breasts with trembling hands.

"A–Ah... Y–Yori..." she moaned softly.

I continued playing with her tits, both unsure to do anything else and because I was so entranced with this feeling. This was my first sexual experience, and it was with her. Of course it had to be her. I wouldn't do it with anyone else. Chaeyoung closed her eyes and enjoyed my touch, before finally she sighed loudly and shuddered. Hang on. Did she just... Cum?

"Y–Yori... I... It's... Your turn now," she uttered.

I didn't know what she meant, but she reached down and nimbly unbuckled my jeans. She slid them down, leaving me in my boxers. By now, a tent had formed, my cock begging to be set free. Chaeyoung giggled and slowly pulled down my boxer, making my rock hard dick sprung free.

"O–Omo..." she squealed cutely as my cock swung in front of her face. A nervous chuckle left my mouth.

Chaeyoung gently grabbed it, and gave the tip a kiss. Slowly, she started jerking it off with her tiny hands. I closed my eyes and squirmed.

"C–Ch–Chae–Chaeng..."

She grabbed my shaft tightly with both of her hands and jerked it off even faster. I felt electricity rushing from my crotch to my brain then all over my body. I started jolting. This was heaven! At that moment, Chaeyoung opened her mouth wide, and with one swift movement, she swallowed my dick.

"G–Gu–Guh! C–Chaeyoung!"

As her head started bobbing up and down, she reached down and started removing her jeans and panties. I gently grabbed her hair as I felt her oral cavity engulfing my shaft, my dick head reaching her throat.

She continued sucking me off, and I closed my eyes to enjoy her. She gagged and choked, and I looked down. Her eyes were wet with tears, but she kept vigorously blowing my cock. Shit. I couldn't last long like this!

"C–Chaeyoung! C–C... A–Ah... M–Mnh... I–I'm... C–Cum...!"

Chaeyoung didn't pull her head away after hearing this. Instead, she kept my cock locked inside her throat, and I exploded inside her. I came again and again inside her throat, and she closed her eyes, waiting for me to finish. As soon as I stopped cumming, I felt her gulping down all of my semen, and eventually she released my penis from her mouth.

"G–Gosh... Chaeng..." I stuttered, panting for breath. "D–Did you... Really... Swallowed it all?"

Chaeyoung giggled and nodded, opening her mouth wide to show that there was not a single drop left inside. She laid down on the sofa and chuckled, turning her head to stare at me.

"It was delicious, Yori..." she whispered naughtily.

Her words made my cock sprung back up to life. Chaeyoung noticed this and laughed out loud. I chuckled embarrassedly.

"Ya! You... Had a hard on by just me saying your cum was delicious?" she asked. I laughed. "B–But... It was so sexy... The way you said it," I said, defending myself.

Chaeyoung pulled me for a kiss, and my hand reached up to grope her tits. I could never get enough of this fluffy sensation. Hers was just nice. I never liked breasts that were too big anyways. Maybe that's why I didn't react when she told me about Jihyo last night. Chaeyoung was perfect for me.

"If you can continue... I... I want more," she whispered sheepishly. I chuckled, knowing what she meant. "I... It... It would be my first time," I said, a little embarrassedly. Chaeyoung giggled and pecked my cheek. "Mine too..." she whispered.

I stared at her in surprise.

"Really?" I asked. "Ya! Do I look that slutty?" she asked, jokingly sounding offended. I laughed and kissed her lips again. "N–No... It's just... You're so beautiful and popular... I thought... At least someone must have gotten lucky," I explained. She shook her head and smiled at me. "I was waiting for you..." she whispered sweetly.

That did it. I pushed her to the sofa, making her squeal. I positioned myself on top of her and stared into those beautiful eyes of hers. Chaeyoung smiled wide, and she placed her hands around my neck.

"Let's... Take it slow, shall we?" I said gently. She nodded. "I'm ready..." she whispered.

I slowly pressed my cock inside her pussy. Her eyes went wider and wider as inch by inch my cock impaled her, and she started whimpering. Suddenly, she grabbed my ass and pressed myself strongly inside her, my cock went fully inside.

She wailed in pain as her hymen broke. I quickly stooped down and pepper her neck with kisses to help her cope.

"Ssh... Slowly, Chaeng... Easy does it..." I whispered, continuing to kiss her neck. "O–Okay..." she whimpered.

We stayed still for a while. I let her breathing go back to normal, before finally I started moving. She clasped her legs around my waist, and inside, I felt her tight walls squeezing my member. I stooped down and took one of her breasts, putting it inside my mouth. My tongue swirled around her nipple.

"Y–Yori! A–Ah... A–Anh... M–Mh... S–S... S–Soo... B–Big..." she moaned. "Ch–Chaeng... So–So tight..." I replied.

I slammed my cock repeatedly into her tight pussy. Her mouth started gaping open, her eyes staring into mine. She was moaning louder and louder and so was I. Our breaths started synchronizing.

"Y–Yori... S–A–Ah... Ah... Y–Yori! F–F–Fuck..." "Ch–Chaeng... Chaeng... S–So good..."

I started increasing my pace. She pulled my neck and we kissed again, lustfully. Her tongue poked my mouth and I opened up, allowing her to explore the insides of my mouth. Our tongues danced with each other.

Chaeyoung started moving her own hips, and I took the hint. I moved my hips a little stronger, practically pummeling the petite rapper mercilessly. Chaeyoung gasped and moaned, her eyes rolling back to her skull.

My cock head slammed her cervix. I felt her womb opening, as if inviting me to breed her. I felt shockwaves all over my body. Fuck. I was reaching my summit. I wanted to pull out, but my body told me otherwise. Shit! I wouldn't be able to pull out in time like this! Chaeyoung started screaming.

"G–God! Y–Yori! I–I... F–Fuck! I... L–Love... Y–YOU! A-Ah! AH!" "I–I... Love you too, Chaeng... A–Ah... Mmh... I... I love everything about... Y–you..." "Y–Yori! I–I'm... C–C–Cumm... Cumm–Cumming... Y–Yo–Yori! CUMMING!!!" "M–Me too! Me–Me... T–too! Ch–Chaeyoung! A–Ah... M–Mh!"

Her walls clenched around my penis tightly, and we both came. We both came hard. I continued slamming her body through our orgasm. I filled her womb with my semen until the very last drop, before finally, I slipped out of her and slumped to the carpeted floor.

Chaeyoung twitched and shivered on the sofa. I looked up, and saw thick white liquid streaming out of her gaping pussy. We were both gasping for air, completely spent. Chaeyoung rolled over and fell on top of me, and both of us giggled like little children.

"F–Fuck... That... That was incredible Yori..." she whispered. "I–It was... Chaeng... Sorry I... I came inside you like that," I said. She giggled and kissed my chest. "Don't worry... I'll ask Mina-unnie to share me her pills tomorrow," she said. I giggled and nodded.

Chaeyoung laid her head onto my chest. I brushed her hair gently with my fingers.

"I love you, Chaeyoung..." I uttered lovingly. "I love you too, Yori... I... I will never leave you again," she whispered. "Neither will I..." I whispered back.

We laid on top of each other for a few moments, smiling contentedly. Chaeyoung suddenly giggled and looked up.

"Are we dating now?" she asked. I chuckled. "I mean... If you want to..." I said. She giggled and nodded. "I definitely want to," she said, but then her smile faded. I was alarmed. "What is it?" I asked her. "It's... I'm not sure... If JYPE will allow us to be together," she whispered. "What do you mean?" I asked.

She sat up, and I followed her. She looked deep in thought.

"We... We might have to keep our relationship a secret, Yori..." she said. "Like Jeongyeon and Sana?" I asked. "Y–Yeah... Like them," she said. "But we're not a lesbian couple..." I said. She chuckled and slapped my thigh. "I know that! I mean... We can't be seen in public together. Dates like today... If it happens too often, fans and the media will start noticing it, and... And well... It'll lead to a lot of troubles," she said.

I smiled and grabbed her hands gently.

"Chaeng... I've been apart from you for 10 years. I don't want to lose you again. If we have to keep our relationship a secret, then so be it. I don't need to announce it to the world, as long as we both know it..." I said.

She looked up at me.

"Y–You... You're okay with that?" she asked. I nodded confidently. "I just wanna be with you. Even if I can't see you in public, I can see you behind closed doors, right? It's better anyway..." I said slowly. She chuckled, but her eyes welled up with tears.

Chaeyoung buried herself onto my chest and hugged me tightly.

"Thank you, Yori... You have no idea how happy I am to hear that..." she whispered.

I stroked her hair to comfort her.

"But the girls have to know, don't they?" I asked. She nodded. "Yeah... They have to know. Don't worry. They can keep the secret," she said.

We stayed in each other's embrace for a while, then a thought came to my mind.

"Nayeon and Tzuyu, Jeongyeon and Sana, Momo and Heechul... So we're the fourth couple?" I asked her. She giggled. "Used to be Jihyo-unnie and Kang Daniel-oppa, but... That didn't last long," she said. I nodded. "Ah yes... And what is this... MiChaeng thing I've been hearing?" I teased her. I could feel her blushing. "Y–Ya! N–No... It's... We're... We're just..." she stuttered nervously. I laughed and kissed her lips. "Don't worry... I understand," I said gently.

She realized that I was only teasing her, so she slapped my chest again jokingly. I laughed, and at that moment a loud yawn escaped my mouth. She laughed and stood up slowly.

"Let's sleep, Yori... We'll tell the girls tomorrow," she said, stretching her arm to reach me. "Let's... It's been a long day..." I whispered.

We walked hand in hand to my bedroom, and we climbed the bed together, pulling the covers on top of our naked bodies. As she snuggled by my side and stared at me, I kissed her forehead, making her giggle cutely.

"Good night, Yori..." "Good night, Chaeng..."

She closed her eyes and cuddled me tightly. Slowly, we drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

* * *

"Ready?" she asked.

I gave her a nod. We were standing in front of the door of Twice's apartment. Somehow, I felt nervous, and by the coldness of her hand inside mine, I could tell that Chaeyoung was nervous too. We were about to announce our relationship to the Twice girls.

Chaeyoung reached for the door handle and opened it. As if an alarm was attached to the door, as soon as Chaeyoung stepped inside, Jihyo came running to the foyer.

"Oh God! Chaeyoung!" she exclaimed.

She rushed to hug Chaeyoung tightly, making the rapper giggle. She pulled herself away and glared at my girlfriend.

"Son Chae Young! Where were you last night? Why didn't you text or call? I was worried sick!" Jihyo exclaimed loudly.

The other seven members reached the foyer. They all looked concerned. Chaeyoung giggled sheepishly and stared at the leader.

"Sorry, Unnie... I–I... Decided to crash at Yori's place downstairs last night. I should've informed you," she said.

Jihyo let out a sigh and shook her head.

"Well, at least you're with Yori. At least you're safe..." she sighed. Chaeyoung giggled again. "Why wouldn't I be safe? I was with my boyfriend," Chaeyoung replied coyly. I smiled. So that was how she wanted to do it. Jihyo didn't notice this immediately. "I mean... Becau–HANG ON A MINUTE!" Jihyo suddenly realized. "What did you say, Chaeng? Am I hearing correctly?" asked Mina, but she was already beaming her gummy smile so widely. "WHAT DID YOU SAY, SON CHAEYOUNG? WHAT DID YOU SAY?" yelled Nayeon loudly.

Chaeyoung's face blushed red, but she was grinning from ear to ear. The girls yeeted her inside to the living room, and I followed them behind. They all surrounded her and stared at her excitedly.

"W–What? What did I say?" Chaeyoung teased. I laughed. She could be like that sometimes. "WHAT DID YOU SAY! YOU WERE WITH... WHO? WHO?" yelled Nayeon even louder. "For fucks sake, Nabong-unnie... Calm down!" scolded Tzuyu. Nayeon didn't care, and neither did Sana. "SON CHAEYOUNG! RE–PEAT-IT!" she screamed. Jeongyeon and Dahyun shook their heads, but they were smiling wide too.

Chaeyoung looked at me. Slowly, she grasped my hand and stared back at the members.

"I–I... We're... Together now," she said, gazing at me lovingly. I chuckled and nodded.

The girls went ballistic.

"YAAAAAYYYY!!! THE SONMOON SHIP HAS FINALLY SAILED!!!" Sana squealed at the top of her lungs. "YAAAYY!!!" screamed Nayeon. "Ya! Sana! Nabong! Stop yelling around!" scolded Jeongyeon, but she too was jumping up and down in happiness.

Sana covered her mouth and giggled. The other girls started cheering and dancing around Chaeyoung like crazy people. Jihyo finally calmed down and hugged Chaeyoung. The rest did the same, and I saw Mina hugging Chaeyoung the longest.

"I'm so happy for you, Chaeng..." the girl said kindly. Chaeyoung smiled and nodded. "Kamsahamnida, Unnie..." she replied. "Ya! Are you planning to tell JYP-PD-nim?" Momo asked. We shook our heads. "Come on, Momo-unnie... They'll need to keep it a secret, at least for now," said Dahyun. "Ooo... So just like Jeongyeon and I!" squealed Sana again. "Yes. Please keep it a secret for now," I said. They all nodded. "We'll keep our lips sealed! Right, girls?" asked Jihyo. "NE!" everyone exclaimed happily.

Chaeyoung rested her head on my shoulder. I plant a kiss on her forehead, making everyone go 'Aww'. I smiled. I could tell that we would be a very happy couple.

SIX YEARS LATER

"I, uh... Well... He asked me to inform you that... If all nine of you want to stay in JYPE, then... The company would need to make some adjustments financially. He... He'll send the complete list to Minsoo by the end of the year, but... one of the main changes would be... Not extending the rent for this apartment, which would end by the end of February next year," Suzy said carefully.

What?

Not... Extending the rent? But... I was living here full time still! Sure I was making plans to move in with Yori but... This was still my home!

"What? Are you serious? He wants to evict us?" I asked. Suzy nodded. "Yeah, and... A lot of other things are being reduced too... Including..." she paused.

"No, Sunbaenim... No. That's just not right. That's inhumane!" Minsoo-oppa interjected. Suzy looked at him for a few seconds.

"In–including...Mina and Jeongyeon's...Medical benefits," she whispered, before bowing her head low.

The room fell silent. We all stared at Jeongyeon and Mina, both looking horrified. They were both healthy now, but they still had to do their regular check ups with their psychologists and purchase their medications. Mina's eyes started to well up with tears.

"But why? Why so sudden, Unnie? After all that we've done for JYPE these past 12 years!" asked Nayeon, sounding hurt. "Isn't there another way, Unnie?" asked Sana softly.

Suzy looked up, her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry, girls... That's what he told me. He said that JYPE simply cannot afford to maintain all nine of you together again, not with the current economic condition. I stalled for as long as I could... But... There's just one week left, not including this Christmas weekend, and..." she said apologetically.

"Hang on, Sunbaenim," interjected Momo.

Oh shit. I knew where this was going. We all turned to look at her. She contemplated her words for a moment, then she spoke.

"'Maintain all nine of us together'? So that means if a few of us leave, then it's okay?" she asked her.

"Momoring..." said Sana, warning her, but Momo shook her head and stared intently at Suzy.

"Sunbaenim, is that what you're saying?" she pressed Suzy. Slowly, reluctantly, Suzy nodded.

"Yes. That's what Director Jung kept telling me. All nine of you stay with reduced luxuries, or...Some of you leave to join another company," she said slowly.

Momo clapped her hands and smiled wide.

"Then it's settled! I'll join SM!"

What the fuck? Why was she so happy about this? Jihyo glared at her, but it was Jeongyeon who spoke first.

"Momo! What the fuck are you saying?" yelled Jeongyeon. The anger in her voice sent chills down my spine.

Momo looked at her in defiance.

"What? I'm doing this for the sake of you who want to stay, right? It's for your own good!" she said casually.

Jeongyeon stood up from the sofa, staring in anger at the Japanese girl.

"How could you say that? So these past twelve years don't mean a thing to you?" she yelled, sounding furious. Momo glared at her.

"Don't mean a thing? It is precisely because these twelve years mean so much to me that I cannot allow those of you who want to stay in JYPE to have less than you deserve! That's why I'm leaving!" she defended herself.

"DON'T FUCKING LIE!" yelled Jeongyeon. I saw tears filling her eyes. "Don't fucking lie, Momo! You just want to join SM because Heechul is there!" "He's not even my boyfriend anymore!" yelled Momo. "Girls! Stop!" Mina had stood in between Jeongyeon and Momo.

She was already crying, her slender body trembling.

"Unnie... M–Momo is right. Please. We're doing this for you. For all of us..." she said softly, her voice cracking. Jeongyeon stared at her in disbelief. "We?" she repeated her words slowly. "You too, Minari? Is it because of Ansel?"

Mina looked down, crying. I looked over to Minsoo-oppa. He looked absolutely terrified.

"Answer me, Mina! Is it because of Ansel?" pressed Jeongyeon, her body shaking in anger.

Slowly, looking terrified, Mina nodded. Oh shit. Shit shit shit shit shit!

Minsoo-oppa stood up. Tzuyu followed his action and stood up as well. She stared at Jeongyeon, and from the look in her eyes, her mind was set.

"Unnie... They're right. I'm... I'm also joining Chaeyoung in YG," she said slowly. Wait, what? I stared at Tzuyu with confusion. "Joining me? I haven't even decided!" I said, defending myself.

Tzuyu scoffed.

"Well...Whether you decide to join or not, I'm joining YG," our maknae said, sounding serious. "Tzuyu!" exclaimed Jihyo in surprise.

She had stood up as well, glaring at our her. At that moment Nayeon walked slowly towards Tzuyu and gently grabbed her arm.

"Tzuyu, please..." begged Nayeon, but Tzuyu glared at her. "What? 'Please' what, Unnie?" she shot at her. Nayeon closed her eyes, tears streaming on her smooth cheeks. "Please, Tzuyu... Don't," Nayeon whispered bitterly. Tzuyu kept glaring at her. "Don't try to tell me what to do, Unnie..." Tzuyu uttered slowly, but I could tell that she was saying those words in spite. "I'm not telling you what to do, Tzu... It's just... Please... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." she said through her sobs.

Tzuyu's eyes welled with tears hearing Nayeon's words, but she didn't say anything. She shook Nayeon's hand off her arm, then she picked up her bag, and walked quickly towards the door, leaving the apartment.

Nayeon broke down and ran to her room. Mina, Dahyun and I exchanged glances before running after her. We chased her into the room where she collapsed on her bed bawling her eyes out. We sat around her and comforted her as much as we could.

"T–T–This... This is all... This is all my fault..." Nayeon sobbed. "Unnie, don't say that. Tzuyu's just making decisions in the heat of the moment..." Mina said, patting Nayeon on the back.

We all sat there for quite some time, unsure of what to say to her. Nayeon kept crying, and I felt both pity and remorse for her. She was always so strong, so cheerful, even when all the others were feeling down, Nayeon would be there to cheer us up. But now... She was unconsolable.

"Chaeng?" Dahyun finally broke the silence. I looked up at her. "Are you... Are you joining YG too?"

I bit the bottom of my lip and sighed.

"I–I... I don't know, Unnie... I... I really don't know..." I replied.

Dahyun grabbed my hands. I stared at her, and saw that her beautiful eyes started to fill with tears.

"Chaeng... Please. Don't go..." she whispered.

I closed my eyes and looked away. Shit. I wanted to get out of here.

"I–I... I need some space to think. I... I need to leave," I said.

I pulled away from Dahyun and ran out of the room. As soon as I reached the hallway, I saw Jeongyeon walking slowly. She took a look at me and instantly knew what I was doing.

"Yori?" she asked.

I nodded silently and walked past her. The living room was empty now. Everyone must have left. I took my winter coat off the rack and slipped out the door. I took the lift down to Yori's floor, and I walked over to his door to knock on it. Soon, the door opened.

"Babe? Is everything alright?" he asked. I shook my head. "I'll explain on the balcony," I replied.

He nodded and stepped aside, allowing me to walk in. I made a beeline for the balcony and slid open the door. I took a seat in one of the chairs and lit up a cigarette. I took a long drag out of it before exhaling the smoke out.

"You really need to stop smoking, Chaeng..." Yori said as he wrapped a blanket over me. I sighed. "It's my stress reliever," I replied. "That's the same thing you said when you asked me to zip tie you to the bed frame and fuck you last night," he said as he sat down next to me.

I laughed out loud hearing him. Gosh. What was it about him that always managed to make me laugh? I took another puff of my cigarette and rested my head on his shoulder.

"So... What happened?" he asked. "Is it the contract thing?"

I extinguished my cigarette and sighed again.

"It's... A long story..."

I told him everything that happened, not missing out a single detail. When I finished, he nodded his head slowly. He leaned back on his seat and sighed.

"Shit... That's... Complicated," he said. "Majayo," I said.

We sat in silence and gazed at the stars. It was Christmas Eve, but I didn't feel like it was merry and happy, like it was supposed to be.

"So... What are you gonna do?" he asked. I shrugged. "I... I don't know, Babe... I was hoping that you could help me decide," I said. Yori pondered for a moment. "You love the girls, right?" he asked. I nodded my head slowly. "Then... All I can say is... Follow the little light in your heart, Chaeng..." he said.

I stared at him in confusion.

"The little light?"

Yori nodded.

"Yup. The little light that guided you to where you are today. Follow it, and you'll reach a peaceful decision," he said with a warm smile. I stared deep into his eyes. "O–kay...?" I said, but I knew I still sounded unsure.

He picked this up and chuckled. He stared at me and grabbed my hands.

"Let's change the mood shall we? Let's go see your Christmas present," he said with a smile. I giggled. Yori always knew when I needed to escape. "Can't say no to that!" I replied.

I stood up and followed him inside.

"Where is it?" I asked excitedly. He grabbed his car keys. "It's not here. Somewhere else," he said. "It's a little... Big." "Is it your cock?" I blurted without thinking. "YA!" he scolded me. I laughed and hugged his arm. "Joking... I like you when you're mysterious..." I whispered.

He chuckled and opened the door. We walked out, headed to the basement, and got into his car. He started the engine and we drove off. I looked out the window and let my mind drift off.

Should I stay with JYPE? Or should I go to YG? I started factoring the pros and cons of each company. Sure, YG fits my style and persona, but... JYPE had been so kind towards me. I practically grew up in the company. But... What Suzy-unnie said today... Why were they suddenly being mean?

"Chaeng... We're here."

Yori's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I had been zoning out for quite some time. I looked out the window, and saw that we were on a familiar street. Wait. This was Jamsil. Wasn't this...

"Come on, let's go see your present," he said.

I followed him out of the car and looked around. My mouth gaped open as I stared at a familiar house. Wasn't this... This was...

"Babe... W–What are we doing here?" I asked him. He chuckled as he opened the front gate of our childhood home. "What do you mean what we're doing? We live here now, silly..." he uttered.

Wait. Live here?

"Remember when we said we wanted to move in together?" he asked. I stared at him. "Y–yeah?"

"Well... I wanted to renovate the house after Otosan and Okasan left it for me in their will, but I was short on funds, so... Instead I rented it out, and moved to my current apartment in Hannam six years ago. When you said you wanted to move in together earlier this year... I remembered this house. The tenant moved out late last year, and I decided to just renovate it for us. Most of the renovation and restoration finished yesterday, just in time for Christmas!" he said, bringing me inside the front yard.

He unlocked the front door, and we stepped into the dark house. He flicked the light on, and I gasped.

Holy shit. This place looked amazing! Everything looked expensive and glamorous, while still maintaining the simplicity that was so Yori. I could still see several unfinished spots, but it was at least 90% done. I turned to look at my boyfriend.

"W–Wha... Y–Yori! How much is this?" I gasped. He chuckled. "It's... Worth one risky ass scouting mission for the SMPA. I used the money I got from it to renovate the place..." he said. He laced his hand with mine. "Come! Wait 'till you see the second floor!"

He dragged me up the staircase. The second floor had the same cozy feel to it, and I found myself gasping in awe. He towed me towards a big door.

"This is... Our bedroom," he said as he swung the door open.

It was his old bedroom, but it had been renovated completely. It was amazing, it was everything I imagined it to be. It looked almost like a separate cabin in the woods.

"Yori... This is... This is amazing," I said breathlessly. "I knew you'd like it..." he uttered. I turned and glared at him. "Like it? Yori... I LOVE IT!" I exclaimed, as I threw myself onto the bed.

He laughed and lied down next to me. He turned and stared deeply into my eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Chaeng..."

He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. I smiled at him, and that's when it hit me...

I had always had Yori for the past 6 years. He showed me the importance of having someone to rely on... And I realized... That other than him, I've also had 8 people to rely on for the past 12 years.

"Yori..." "Yes, dear?" "I think I've made my choice," I said. He smiled. "Oh? Let's hear it then," he said. "I'll... I'll stay with the girls," I said confidently.

His smile grew wider.

"I always knew you'd say that..." he said softly, cupping my face gently.

I reached up and squeezed his hand.

"Thank you, Yori... I love you soooo... Much!" I said. "I love you more, Chaeyoung..." he replied.

I laughed and quickly straddled my boyfriend, pinning his wrists to the bed. He laughed and simply let me do it, and I stooped down to kiss his lips gently.

"Now..." I whispered naughtily. "What about... We fuck in our new home, hm?" "So... You're moving in?" he asked, his smile grew to a grin. "Of course... I'm getting evicted anyway... Now, shut up and fuck me..." I whispered, pulling my top. He laughed and shook his head. "Son Chaeyoung... You never fail to surprise me..." "I know... That's why you love me."

He pulled me into a deep kiss. When we pulled away, a pair of fluffy handcuffs were already in his hands. Hang on. Where did he pull that from? My eyes widened in surprise.

"Tomioka Yoriichi!" I said in shock. He laughed. "I know... That's why you love me," he teased me.

I laughed out loud as he turned my body to the bed and slowly tied me to the bed frame with the handcuffs. I licked my lips lustfully, watching him take off his pants.

I laughed again while pouring the gochugaru powder into the pot, stirring it. The kitchen was soon filled with a nice, pungent, and spicy aroma, and I knew my kimchi jjigae was ready soon. I stole a glance at Tzuyu who was scooping rice, and I smiled wider.

Only a couple weeks ago, our relationship seemed to be broken beyond repair, with her feeling offended for what I did to her and Chuyoung. She was determined to join YG simply because she was angry at me, and I felt so helpless back then. To think that right now, in the new year, we were cooking together in the kitchen, her being her usual adorable self, made me feel eternally grateful.

"Ooof... I'm so hungry," I quipped. I heard Tzuyu giggling. "Me too..." Tzuyu said, before continuing, "I bet Chuyoung-Oppa is too."

I smiled. This was the first day that Chuyoung was discharged from the hospital, and we were in his apartment, right across the street from my apartment with Momo. I was cooking lunch for the three of us with Tzuyu helping me, while Chuyoung was resting in his room, still looking weak.

"Yeah. You wanna call him out? The soup's almost ready," I told her.

Tzuyu nodded and walked away, placing the rice bowls on the dining table, but then she stopped and turned towards me.

"Unnie," Tzuyu called. "Hm?"

Suddenly I felt her long and slender arms hugging me from behind. I chuckled, closing my eyes to enjoy her warmth.

I loved all eight of my Twice sisters, but I knew I always loved Tzuyu a little more. We were the only bisexuals in Twice; Jihyo, Mina, and Chaeyoung were straight–although I did fuck Chaeyoung's cute little ass every now and then–, Sana was pansexual, Jeongyeon straightup lesbian, and Dubu still figuring out her sexuality, so it was natural that we grew close with each other. In fact, I could say that she was the closest thing I had to a girlfriend. I knew her heart was for Chuyoung now, but I also knew that she still cared for me deeply. She kissed my cheek warmly and placed her chin on my shoulder.

"Thanks for helping out, Unnie... You didn't have to do this, you know..." she whispered. I giggled. "It's the least I can do to make up for the mistakes I made," I said. Tzuyu sighed. "Unnie..." she protested.

I turned my head and held her hands, staring deeply into her beautiful eyes.

"Tzu... I am forever grateful that I had the chance to be your Unnie again after what happened last year... So... Please allow me to help as much as I can until Chuyoung regains his full fitness. It'll make me feel better," I said sincerely.

Tzuyu stared at my eyes, and slowly she smiled and nodded. I tiptoed to kiss her thin lips, and she giggled.

"Ya..." Tzuyu scolded, but she kept smiling. "Oh... And being here often makes me able to steal these moments with you every now and then, right? We can't possibly do it in front of Chuyoung," I said naughtily.

Tzuyu giggled again, but then she reached forward and held my jaw in her hands, pulling me for a kiss. I closed my eyes as her lips pressed against mine, and my hands instinctively slipped down to squeeze her juicy, thick butt. I felt her tongue entering my mouth, and I twisted mine against hers, kissing her passionately.

We kissed for a few seconds, our hands caressing each other's body. Tzuyu was the softest and gentlest person in the world, but whenever she was with me... She always lets herself go like this. Finally, we separated from each other, panting for air.

"I love you, Unnie..." Tzuyu sighed. I giggled. "I love you too, Chewy..." I said, giving her big butt another squeeze.

Tzuyu giggled and walked to Chuyoung's room, while I went back to my soup. I gave the pot a couple more stirs before turning the stove off and wore my mittens, transferring the steaming hot soup to the table.

I took off my mittens, washed my hands, dried them, took off my apron, and sat down happily by the table, waiting for Tzuyu and Chuyoung to walk out. They would need some time, because Chuyoung still couldn't move freely, but that was okay.

I flung my eyes around Chuyoung's apartment. It was actually quite nice, medium sized, although nothing fancy. He was in desperate need for cleaning and tidying up though, and I guessed this week-long holiday we had would be the perfect opportunity for Tzuyu and I to do so.

"Lucky he doesn't have pets... It'll be an even bigger mess..." I mused.

Then my heart stopped.

Pets.

Fuck! Kookeu and Boo!

I shot up immediately from the chair, rushing towards Chuyoung's room, banging on the door.

"Tzu! Tzuyu!" I exclaimed.

Tzuyu opened the door immediately, looking alarmed.

"What is it, Unnie?" she asked. "I forgot to ask Minsoo to walk and feed Kookeu and Boo today!" I told her panickedly. Tzuyu gasped. "Oh shoot! You wanna call him now?" she asked, taking out her phone, but I shook my head. "No, no. Remember he told us in the group chat earlier that he'll be off the entire day to look for apartments with Jihyo, right? I can't possibly ask him to drive all the way here just to walk those two fluffballs!" I said.

Tzuyu bit her lips. I looked at her apologetically before rushing to grab my bag.

"I gotta go back home," I said. "But your lunch!" Tzuyu protested. "I'll come back later! Just leave some for me!" I said, before leaning into the room. "Bye, Oppa! I'm so sorry!"

Chuyoung chuckled and nodded his head. He was standing, buttoning up his shirt.

"Don't worry, Nayeon-ssi! We'll leave some for you!" he said with a smile.

I pecked Tzuyu's cheek and rushed off, taking the lift down to the lobby and ran across the street as fast as I could. Oh gosh, Kookeu and Boo! I'm so sorry! I had left them the entire day without thinking!

I went up to my floor and punched in my door key, before bursting in. Kookeu and Boo perked up their heads and wiggled their tails excitedly as they saw me and I rushed to meet them.

"Omo, omo, omo... Mommy's so sorry, Boo, Kookeu... I completely forgot! You must be really hungry and pent up!" I apologized.

They barked cutely and snuggled to me, making me chuckle. I scratched their ears, making the two dogs stick out their tongues.

"Hang on. I'll take out your food and after you guys eat we can go for a walk," I said.

I stood up and went to the cabinet where Momo and I kept their dog food. I took out the dog food bag and their bowls, but as I placed the bowls in front of them and filled them with food, I realized that this would be the last portion. We had run out of dog food. Fuck. Momo left for Kyoto without buying stocks for our pets.

"Aish..."

I cursed, realizing that I had to stop by the pet shop to buy some for these two. I took out my phone and texted Tzuyu, telling her that I would return even later than I planned because I had to buy some dog food for Kookeu and Boo. Tzuyu replied generously, saying that it was okay. She told me I should tell her when I was reaching Chuyoung's place so she could reheat the kimchi jjigae. I thanked her.

Kookeu and Boo finished eating in a flash–they must be really hungry–and I put on their collars and leash, taking them out of my apartment for a short walk. I planned my route so that it would be the quickest to reach the pet shop, and we started walking.

I took out my sunglasses to block the sun. It was January, it was cold, but somehow the sun glared so brightly that midday. Still, I enjoyed myself, and both Kookeu and Boo seemed to enjoy themselves too, wiggling their cute little tails left and right as they walked.

We walked away from our apartment block towards Gangnam, and we started entering a commercial area, where beautiful little shops lined up the street on both sides. I realized I hadn't had the chance to visit many of these stores because I was so busy.

Whenever I stayed in my apartment with Momo, I would usually drive us to Twice's apartment in Hannam as soon as we woke up, or even straight to JYPE's building for practice. Momo and I would return late at night, way past these shops' business hours. I should probably visit some of them this week. Maybe I could bring Tzuyu and Chuyoung with me?

Gosh, Chuyoung and Tzuyu. They were so sweet with each other, and honestly I was happy for them. I was truly never jealous of their relationship, even when I tried to separate them back then. I simply did it because I was suspicious of Chuyoung. But... Now that everything was fine between us... Should I find a boy for me too?

I continued walking with Kookeu and Boo, when suddenly, my eyes caught something on the window display of a store.

"Omo..."

It was a cage, full of cute, fluffy, plump little rabbits. Some of them were chewing on carrots, while others simply snuggled with each other, bumping their cute little noses with each other, wiggling their long ears. I found myself giggling as I watched them. They were so cute.

I caught my reflection on the window, and I laughed as I saw my own two large front teeths. I resembled a rabbit so much, didn't I? I guessed these were my... Long lost sisters? I took out my phone and opened the camera app.

"Annyeong, Dongsaeng-deul~" I whispered while giggling, snapping a few pictures of the cute bunnies.

I looked up, and saw that it was a pet shop. Maybe I could find Kookeu and Boo's dog food here, right? Our usual pet shop was kinda far anyway, and this one was much closer to our apartment. I looked down at Kookeu and Boo.

"What do you say, guys? Should we enter and find your food here?" I asked them.

Boo barked, while Kookeu stuck out its tongue and wiggled its tail. I took it as a sign of agreement, so I walked up to the door and entered the pet shop. The doorbell chimed, alerting the shopkeeper.

"Annyeong hashimnikka... Welcome to... Oh!"

I looked up, finding a young shopkeeper behind the counter. He was a guy, probably my age or even younger, and he immediately recognized who I was. I pressed a finger to my lips, telling him to not make a scene, and he understood. He clasped his hands on his mouth to stop himself, but his eyes were opening so wide.

I chuckled. He was... Kinda cute. I flung my eyes around the shop. There were a few other patrons other than me, but they were all busy with their pets or looking at the products, so no one noticed me. That was good. I approached the counter and showed my phone screen to the shopkeeper.

"I'm... Looking for dog food... This brand?" I said. "O–Oh, ye... Yes. P–Please hang on," he stuttered.

He rushed to one of the shelves, but then he stopped and turned to look at me.

"H–How many... Much... Many... Bags... How many bags do you need?" he asked.

I giggled. Most boys would react similarly when they saw me or my other members, but somehow I found this guy a little extra cute. I stuck out three fingers, thinking that it would be enough for the week before Momo returned. I should get her to buy our next restock.

"R–Right," he said, taking three bags from the shelf.

He quickly returned to the counter, scanned the dog foods, and typed in his cash register. I stared at him with a smile. He was generous for not making a scene after meeting a Twice member, and he served me well, so I wanted to thank him. I read his nametag...

And I bursted out in laughter.

He was alarmed. He looked up at me and stared at me with a confused face. I tried stifling my laughter, but I kept cackling loudly. What the fuck, Nabong! Pull yourself together!

"I–Is... S-Something wrong?" he asked in a hushed voice. I shook my head rapidly. "I–I... No, no, no no... I'm... I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" I bowed repeatedly, apologizing to him but I was still laughing.

He checked himself, trying and failing to find something on him that would make me laugh that much, and I felt pity for him. I tried my best to stop myself from laughing, and I straightened myself up, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down.

"I... J–Joesonghamnida... I... I'm sorry. I'm being really rude," I said, bowing again to apologize. "W–What is it, Nayeon-ssi?" he asked. I shook my head. "N–No, no... It's just... Your name. It... It reminded me of... Of this really popular show from a few years back..." I said, being honest.

He blinked his eyes confusedly for a few seconds, but then a smile broke on his face. He chuckled and looked down at his name tag, and then he joined me in laughing. His name was Sang-Woo, like the series' character.

"Ah... Squid Game!" Sangwoo said, beaming from ear to ear. I nodded and bowed down again. "Joesonghamnida... I'm being rude..." I said, apologizing, but he shook his head. "Nah... It's alright. Even my friends started calling me 'Squid Game' since the show aired," he said generously.

We stared at each other for a few moments, still giggling and chuckling, before I snapped back to my senses and took out my wallet. He realized the same thing, reading the numbers on his cash register.

"Right... That... That would be 70,000 Won in total," he said.

I smiled and gave him my card, making the payment. He put the dog food bags in a paper bag and gave it to me.

"Thank you, Sangwoo-ssi!" I said. He nodded and smiled.

I chuckled again and turned away, but then he called me.

"Nayeon-ssi..."

I turned around and raised my eyebrows.

"Yes?" "I... If I may... What brings you here? I... I've been in this store for as long as I can remember, and... This is the first time I've seen you," he said. I chuckled. "Oh, I live in the area! I was walking these two fluffballs, and then your... Cage of bunnies caught my attention," I said, gesturing towards the window display.

He turned to look at the window display and smiled.

"Aah... Alright. Are you planning to buy some rabbits?" he asked seriously.

I laughed again. Seriously, this boy was so cute! I shook my head.

"No, no... I... I was interested because..."

I flashed him my widest bunny smile and pointed at myself. Sangwoo immediately blushed as red as the gochugaru from earlier. I chuckled. He was definitely starstruck, and I could almost hear his heart beating faster. Damn, I got it... I'm iconic.

"O–Oh, r–right... Y–yeah. I... I see it now," he stuttered.

I giggled, before waving at him goodbye. I walked out with Kookeu and Boo, clutching the paper bag, and we continued walking. As I turned the corner, I found myself smiling wide. Sangwoo seemed like a nice guy, and...

Well... He's really cute.

I slowed my pace down to a stop. I looked down towards Boo and Kookeu. They were looking at me with curious eyes. I chuckled and crouched to meet their eye level.

I grabbed my keycard before turning on the 'Do Not Disturb' sign and opening the door. I was not sure how to feel when Someone-san was already standing in front of my suite.

"At this point I'm not even gonna fucking ask," I said as I closed the heavy wooden door. He chuckled. "Good morning to you too, Momo!" he said, taking his hands out of his pockets. "How long have you been standing there?' I asked him. He shrugged. "About five minutes. Come on, the restaurant's going to be packed at this hour!"

I nodded in agreement and hooked my arm with his. I felt him tensing up just like last night, and I giggled.

"Okay... Babe," I whispered cheekily. His face went full red behind his mask. "M–Momo... I–I told you to stop calling me that..." he stammered as he tried to pull his arm away, but I had locked mine around his, preventing him from escaping. "Why not? Don't lie.... You know you like it~" I continued to tease him.

In truth, I thought I was the one who enjoyed this a lot more than him. He was everything I saw in my dream guy. Smart, handsome, witty... Maybe a little nerdy, but it just made him even cuter. I had a soft spot for nerds, especially nerds who knew I loved jokbal.

"I–I..." he continued to struggle. I laughed and rested my head on his shoulder. "You enjoyed last night, why can't you do it today?" I asked cutely. "Y–Yesterday was holding hands. Right now it's full-on cuddling! Y–You gotta be careful, Momo. Maybe some Dispatch journalist is lurking behind a corner," he whisper-shouted, trying to guilt-trip me. It didn't work. "I'll take my chances. Besides, I've got you to keep me safe, right?" I giggled as I snuggled even tighter on his arm.

I could feel him relaxing a little bit. My charm always worked. He sighed.

"I'm supposed to protect you from danger... Like a moving car, for example! Not the media!" he retorted as we reached the restaurant. "But still, you'll protect me, right?" I said, looking up at him.

He turned to launch another rebuttal, but stopped when we made eye contact with each other. I stared back into his eyes and found myself drowning in them, as if they were sending me to another dimension.

"Table for two?" the restaurant manager approached us. "Can I get your room number, please?" "Takagamine Suite," I said, waking myself up from my daydream. The manager's eyes widened. "O–Oh... Right this way please! You'll dine in our VIP room," he said.

I chuckled as I pulled Someone-san gently and followed the manager. He led us into the VIP room, pulled us our chairs, and as we sat down, he bowed a little before asking me.

"Shall we get the menu for you? What would you like to have for your breakfast?" he asked reverently. I shook my head. "No, no. That's alright. I prefer to pick my own food. We'll explore the buffet ourselves. Thank you very much!" I said. "Very well. Please enjoy your breakfast!" he said, bowing deeply.

He left Someone-san and I, and I turned and smiled at my chaperone.

"You go get your food first, I'll wait," he smiled. "Okay!" I said, taking the offer up.

I stood up and walked outside of the room to the buffet. Gohs. Everything here looked so good! I wanted to try it all, and I planned to do just that. I grabbed a plate and started filling it with food. A few minutes later, I came back to the VIP room, finding Someone-san enjoying a cup of coffee. His eyes widened when he saw my plate.

"Jesus, Momo! You got breakfast, lunch, and dinner settled on that plate!" he joked. I laughed and slapped his arm. "Oi! A girl's gotta eat!" I defended myself, picking up my cutleries. He chuckled. "Alright, alright," he said in defeat, before standing up, "I'm gonna get my food."

I happily started munching on an omelette as I waited for him to return. He came back a few minutes later with a bowl of rice, miso soup, and an onsen egg. I gasped.

"That's all you're gonna eat?" I asked incredulously as he settled back down. He nodded. "Yup. This is just enough for me," he replied as he removed his mask.

He once again muttered a quiet prayer before pouring his egg over his bowl of rice.

"Wow... You sure are missing out on a lot, then..." I uttered. He chuckled. "Momo, when you're constantly running from one of the biggest criminal networks in the world, the luxury of time is not something you always have, hence my breakfast," he said calmly. "A–Ah... Right. Sorry," I trailed off, feeling guilty about bringing up the subject.

He smiled, but didn't say anything. We continued eating our breakfast in silence. After a while, he looked up at me and started a conversation.

"So... Visiting your family today?" he asked. I gasped. "Oh, right! I forgot to tell you! Okaasan called last night after we got back. Turns out Hana-nee chan and Otousan have some business to attend to, and they won't be back home until Friday," I said. His eyes widened. "Friday? But that's... You're flying off on Saturday, right?" he asked. I nodded. "Yeah... So... I gotta change all my plans," I said, chuckling, "That's alright! I love doing things without planning!"

He chuckled and continued eating his rice.

"So... What do you wanna do today, then? And... This week?" he asked. I thought for a moment. "I don't mind doing some sightseeing for the next few days," I grinned. "Where should we go first today?"

He smiled.

"I think I've got some ideas. Come on, let's finish our breakfast and we can plan in your suite!"

I nodded, and we finished our breakfast. Well, more like it was me trying to finish everything on my plate, but he waited patiently, playing with his phone. After we were done, we walked back to the Takagamine Suite. Suddenly, I had an idea. I chuckled and looked at him.

"You know what, Someone-san... Let's not plan anything! I think we should just wing it!" I said cheerfully. His eyes widened. "E–Eh? B-But..." "But what? Gosh, you gotta be more carefree in life, Someone-san!" I giggled.

Even though he was wearing a mask, I could see that he was opening his mouth to protest, so I decided to not give him the chance.

"To start with: Let's not take your car!" I said. His eyes widened. "O–Oi! That's for our own safety!" he protested. I chuckled. "What's the difference? You dined with me without your mask on at Sakura Burger last night, remember? There were a lot of people there, and here you are, safe. You said yourself that Sana and the IPG are protecting you this week... So..."

He sighed, but I could sense his resolve crumbling.

"Alright, fine... You want the full tourist experience, don't you?" he said, and I heard him chuckling. I nodded. "I do!" I exclaimed excitedly. "At your own hometown..." he teased. I laughed. "Oi! I haven't been around much ever since I debuted, right?" I defended myself. "Fine, fine..." he uttered.

We laughed and continued walking. I flung my eyes around the forest that was surrounding the hotel, taking in the snow-covered trees and grass. I smiled.

"Kyoto in winter sure is beautiful, isn't it?" I said. "Feels like I'm in Hokkaido or Niseko..." "Hokkaido and Niseko would have a lot more snow than this. Trust me, I would know," he said.

I stared at him. I guessed running around the country would take you to a lot of nice places.

"I believe you, don't worry," I assured him.

He looked at me and gave me his eye-smile. Damn. What was this warm and fuzzy thing I was feeling?

"Thank you, Momo... That means a lot," he said, nodding. "N–No problem," I stammered back.

Now it was me who felt my face blushing. He noticed this and decided to tease me.

"You good? You're as red as a tomato," he said. I slapped his arm and giggled. "Ya!"

We reached the Takagamine Suite, and I picked up some stuff before readying myself to leave with him. As we walked back to the main building and went out of the lobby, he turned to face me and asked.

"Where to first?" he asked. I smiled. "How about Arashiyama?" I grinned.

He smiled and nodded. Off we went.

* * *

The next few days were filled with nothing but fun with Someone-san. We went all around Kyoto, seeing famous attractions and going on food trails (courtesy of me). With each passing day, the two of us only grew closer and closer together, quickly becoming close due to the fact we could relate to each other so well.

One thing I learnt about this mysterious man was that he was good at hiding emotions. Occasionally, he would let some nostalgia slip onto his expression, but he'd just quickly brush it off before I could say anything.

The days flew by in a flash, and before I knew it, my last day here arrived. Gosh. Time flew so fast! It felt like it was yesterday when I arrived here from Seoul, and suddenly tomorrow I'd be flying back to Korea, meeting my Twice sisters again. I kinda missed those crackheads by now.

These past six days... I did a lot of things, being a tourist in my own hometown. I bought Sana her expensive gift: A silk scarf with an intricate Kyonui embroidery on it, made out of gold threads. I went to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, I walked around Gion and bought many gifts and souvenirs for the girls, I went up to the Torii gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha, I shopped–and mostly ate–at Nishiki market, and I even went to Nara again and ate at Sakura Burger again, but this time I spent some time to meet the deers at the Nara Deer Park. On every single day, Someone-San was there with me.

Today, as per usual, Someone-san and I met up at the restaurant downstairs for breakfast before heading out to his car. I gave him the coordinates and he drove us towards our destination. As we drove there, I had a plan formulating in my head for me to repay him for making my week in Kyoto an absolute blast, while keeping me completely safe.

"Welcome home!" Someone-san exclaimed as we pulled into Kyotanabe, my suburb just south of Kyoto.

Much like the other places we went to, nothing had changed. Familiar shophouses lined the streets as we zoomed down the road towards my house. I knew that we were getting close when the concrete buildings started to fade away and were replaced by more traditional houses. I bounced excitedly in my seat as I started seeing familiar shops and neighbouring houses as we started to get closer and closer.

"Is this the one?" he asked as he stopped right in front of my house.

I nodded my head excitedly and unbuckled my seatbelt.

"Yup! Off we go!" I said. "E-Eh? W–we?" he asked incredulously. I nodded. "Of course! No way am I gonna let you spend a whole day alone! After all, we are friends, aren't we?" I charged him. "B-But... I don't want to intrude..." "Of course you're not intruding, come on! It'll be fun!" I exclaimed.

I saw the gears in his head turning, but then he relented.

"F-Fine... Where do I park?" he asked eventually. I smirked.

First step completed.

"Yay! Just drive me up to the gate and let me take care of it!" I said.

He slowly inched the car forward towards my house's gate. I rolled down the window and pressed the doorbell. The intercom by the gate crackled to life and a familiar voice spoke through it.

"Moshi moshi?" "Okaasan! It's me! Momo!"

The other end went silent, and the gate started to slide open. Someone-san drove in and my mother came running out of the house. I quickly exited the vehicle and ran up to her.

"Okaasan!" "Momo-chan!"

She wrapped me in a tight embrace, and I hugged her back.

"My, my! It's been too long!" she exclaimed.

Okaasan pulled away and examined me. That was her habit. Her eyes scanned me up and down before her wrinkly hands went to my cheeks.

"Still strong and healthy! Not to mention gorgeous!" she smiled. "O–Oi, Okaasan..." I giggled.

My mother passed me and spotted Someone-san sitting in the car.

"And who's this fine gentleman accompanying you?" Okaasan asked as she nodded her head towards him. "That's my friend, Okaasan. I was wondering if he could spend the day with us?" I smiled.

Okaasan stared at him through the windshield, and I could feel him shrinking away.

"Get him to come out and let me have a better look," she said.

I turned and gestured for him to come out of the car. He reluctantly did so, before walking slowly to approach us. He took off his mask and smiled sheepishly at my mom.

"K–Konichiwa..." he said shyly. Okaasan walked over to him and grabbed his face gently. "Sharp cheekbones... Clear, healthy skin... Momo-chan! Are you sure he's just a friend?" she teased. "O–Oi! Okaasan!" I complained. She laughed and let go of Someone-san. "Would you like some matcha?" she asked as she walked inside the room.

I smiled in victory. That was Okaasan's green light.

"I–I–I... Um... Uh..."

I sighed and walked over to Someone-san, placing a finger over his lips.

"Just shut up and take the invite. You've passed her standards and she wants you to spend the day with us," I whispered in Korean. "Momo, I'm not sure if it's appropriate for me to–" "Shut up. Follow me," I interjected, dragging him inside the door.

Someone-san finally gave in and locked the car before taking his shoes off and walking further inside with me. Okaasan was already in the living room, and she gestured for us to sit around the tatami table.

"Please wait here. I'll be back with the tea!" she exclaimed before walking off.

Someone-san and I knelt on the floor cushions. He chuckled softly and placed his hands on his lap.

"Momo..." "Hm?" "You didn't have to do this," he uttered. I looked at him. "What do you mean?" "I know that this... Me joining you... It wasn't planned. You came up with this today... Just now, even. You didn't have to do it..." he explained.

Fuck. How did he catch on so quickly?

"You didn't have to do this... And yet you did it. And... I'm grateful for that," he said sincerely with a smile. I smiled back and grabbed his hand gently. "I don't want to leave you alone. Plus... I do want to get to know you more," I replied. He nodded. "Thank you, Momo..." he said.

We stared into each other's eyes, and... I felt something stirred inside me, like a whole cage of butterflies just got released inside my chest. I knew this feeling all too well, for it was the same feeling I had when I first started with Heechul.

It was love.

The clinking of cups pulled us back to reality as Okaasan came back with a tray filled with a teapot and three tea cups.

"Sorry for the wait," she said apologetically as she set the tray down. "Mondai Nai, Hirai-san," Someone-san replied.

Okaasan smiled and poured the green liquid into the cups. She handed the cups to us before taking a cup for herself.

"So, what's your name?" Okaasan asked. I saw him thinking for a moment. "I–It's... Yoru," he replied. I held back a giggle as Okaasan nodded. "A very nice name! How old are you, Yoru-kun?" "I–I'm... The same age as Momo," he said. "Ah! You two make the perfect pair, then!" she said. "Okaasan!" I scolded her.

My mother only laughed as she set her teacup back on the table.

"I'm only joking, Momo-chan... Calm down!" she chuckled.

I huffed and puffed my cheeks in frustration, but she kept chuckling and looked at Someone-san, ignoring me.

"As you can probably tell, she gets her humour from me," Okaasan said proudly. "I thought so too, Hirai-san," he said, chuckling politely. "Oi!" I scolded him. He continued chuckling, and I saw Okaasan looking at us with knowing looks. "So... How did you two get to know each other?" Okaasan asked. "I was sent by one of her fellow Twice members as her bodyguard, actually," Someone-san said truthfully. Okaasan chuckled and sighed. "Gosh... My daughter is so famous nowadays that she needs a bodyguard... Still, it was nice of them..." she said.

We all chuckled lightly, before falling into an awkward silence. I turned to look at Someone-san, and he met my glance, and I knew we were both unsure of what to do. Okaasan looked at us with a smile plastered on her face, before eventually she spoke.

"Right! Since... I have two healthy young people in my house... This is the perfect time to do some housework! Come, help me out!" she said excitedly, standing up swiftly.

I groaned and stood up together with Someone-san. My mother always tends to make me clean the house and do chores with her whenever I come back to visit, which was one of the main reasons why I was only visiting them for a day. Any longer than that, and my back will kill me.

"Relax, Momo! It'll be fun!" Someone-san chirped happily as we walked side-by-side. "Fun? Bitch, please! We're cleaning the house! What do you mean 'fun'?" I snapped. He laughed. "Well, it's better than doing nothing..." he countered. "Gosh, you're just like Jeongyeon and Jihyo..." I muttered, remembering my two members who loved cleaning the house so much. "That's a good thing, right? Don't those two always keep everybody in check?" he smirked, before increasing his pace to catch up with my mother, exiting the house into the backyard.

God! Why was he so responsible?

I quickly followed them into my backyard, where Okaasan was handing him a shovel.

"Come, Momo-chan! Help him shovel out the snow!" she said, handing me another shovel. "What's the point, Okaasan? It'll definitely snow again tonight!" I tried to reason with her. "And you always get hungry again after you eat, and yet you still eat, right? It's the same thing," she said, not missing a beat.

I gave her the 'really?' look before sighing and snatching the shovel from her hands. She laughed and nodded approvingly.

"That's better. Alright, you two get to work on this, while I cook lunch!" Okaasan said, leaving us at the chilling backyard.

I shook my head in frustration, but I heard Someone-san chuckling again. I turned to glare at him, and he chuckled louder.

"What's so funny?" I asked him aggressively. He shook his head, but continued grinning. "Nothing. That's a good point she made about you being hungry," he chuckled. "Let's get started!"

I groaned, but I joined him in shoveling away the ankle deep snow, getting into a quick flow of work. After what felt like hours, my back started to ache, and my arms felt like they were going to fall off my shoulders.

"Fuck! Maybe I won't visit again next time!" I groaned as I stabbed my shovel into the ground and plopped down onto the porch.

I flung my eyes around, and stomped my feet in anger while whining when I realized that we'd only cleared about one-third of the huge backyard. Someone-san laughed and continued shoveling the snow, looking like a giddy little boy.

"Come on, Momo... It's all about being a good child!" he said happily. "I know! It's just... So annoying! I came back here to see them again after three years, and the first thing she did was to make me do housework! How the hell are you not annoyed?" I whined as I stared at him.

He stabbed his shovel perpendicularly into the snow and leaned against it.

"I learned to treasure the small things in life. You know... We have no idea how long our lives are gonna last," he said thoughtfully.

I stared at him. He was right of course, so I sighed and threw my head back. He walked over and joined me on the porch. I noticed that the two of us were sweating buckets, even though the temperature was still very low and we were literally shoveling snow.

"How much more do we have to shovel?" I asked as I looked around us.

Someone-san silently pulled out a pair of spectacles. He placed them on his face and pressed something on it, before sitting back and staring at the snow.

"About... 83 square meters," he replied. "The fuck... How do you know?" I asked incredulously. He chuckled. "Smart specs... Go figure," he said, tapping his glasses and turning to look at me.

Shit... I felt my heart fluttering again. He looked so cute with glasses.

"Momo-chan! Yoru-kun! Lunch is ready!" Okaasan called out.

My spirits lifted instantly at the mention of food and my body inexplicably rejuvenated with energy. I shot to my feet in a flash.

"COMING!" I yelled. Someone-san laughed loudly and got up to his feet. "Someone has energy now," he laughed.

I punched his shoulder playfully before pulling him towards the house. We got in and immediately took off our coats before joining my mother at the dining table. My mouth began to water at the sight of the food Okaasan prepared for us. Chicken teriyaki, chawanmushi, some miso soup, hot steaming bowls of rice, natto... It was heaven!

"Please sit," Okaasan said as she knelt on the floor. We followed suit and gathered around the table. "Itadakimasu!" I exclaimed as I picked up my chopsticks and dug into the food.

I munched on the teriyaki chicken and squealed loudly, before shoveling some rice into my mouth. Okaasan laughed as she ate her food slowly.

"Oi, Momo-chan! Slow down!" she scolded me.

I blushed and grinned sheepishly. I swallowed my food before speaking this time.

"Gomen-ne, Okaasan. It's just... The food's too good!" I giggled. Okaasan sighed and shook her head. "You and your love for food..." she said, before turning to Someone-san, "How do you find it, Yo–Hey... Are you alright?"

I turned quickly and saw that Someone-san was staring at the chawanmushi with tears rolling down his cheeks. He had taken a small scoop of it, but was only staring at it, not eating it.

"I–Is something wrong?" Okaasan asked worriedly. He shook his head slowly. "N–No... Go–Gomenasai, Hirai-san... It's... I–It's just... This... Really tastes like home," he sniffled as he quickly wiped away his tears. Okaasan smiled kindly. "It's alright, Yoru-kun... We all grow up in our families, and fond memories of them are what made us... Well, us," she said wisely.

Someone-san smiled and nodded. Silently, he picked up his spoon and continued eating as if nothing happened. I gently reached for his hand from underneath the table.

"You wanna talk about it?" I whispered in Korean. He smiled, but shook his head. "No. Let's not ruin the mood..." he replied quietly, also in Korean.

I decided to drop the subject for now and just enjoy the moment. I turned to look at Okaasan.

"Speaking of... Where's Otousan and Hana-nee?" I asked her. "Your father went ice fishing with his friends as usual. He'll be back at dinner time. Hana is out with her boyfriend, she'll be back for dinner as well," Okaasan chuckled. "Okaasan... You need to get out of the house more often," I said.

Okaasan laughed, but she shook her head.

"I'm too old to go out and about, Momo-chan... Besides, I prefer staying at home and tending to my plants!" she said, gesturing towards the array of plants she had in this house. Her collection seemed to have grown exponentially since I last visited.

"You and your plants..." I mused. My mother beamed proudly and continued eating. "How long have you lived here, Hirai-san?" asked Someone-san. "Since Momo was born. We've never moved... Just made a few upgrades here and there..." Okaasan said. "Woah... That's... Thirty two years is a long time!" he exclaimed. Okaasan chuckled. "It sure is," she smiled. "But... There's just so many memories here, I don't think I'd be able to let this house go. Hold on... Let me go get something!"

Okaasan stood up and walked out of the dining room. A few moments later, she came back with a photo album and set it down on the table. She flipped it open to the first page, revealing an old photo. The younger versions of my parents stood there side by side, Okaasan holding a baby in her arms while Otousan was holding on to a young girl's hand.

"This is the first photo we took when we just moved in," she explained.

She pointed to the baby in her arms. I knew exactly who that was.

"That's... My little Momo, and this is my little Hana..." she pointed to my sister's picture with a smile.

Okaasan flipped to the next page, and I laughed at the familiar photo.

"This was Momo's first photoshoot in her life. She was... Preparing for her future," she chuckled.

I laughed and stared at the photo. This was one of the few childhood photos that were posted on VLive a few years back. Okaasan flipped the album again, showing a picture of me eating a big bowl of katsudon.

"Oh... This next photo really shows her personality from a young age!" Okaasan grinned. "O–Oi! Not this one!" I said as I blushed and hid my face in my hands. "You can tell that she has loved food since she was a child," Okaasan laughed.

I peeked through my fingers at Someone-san, and found him grinning from ear to ear.

"Her childhood... Looks a lot like my sister, actually," he smiled.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. From it, he produced a polaroid photograph of a young girl. He laid it next to my photo, and I gasped at the striking resemblance.

"Damn, Okaasan! Is there something you didn't tell me?" I joked. "Momo-chan!" she exclaimed as she slapped my head.

Someone-san laughed, and I turned to look at him.

"You keep a photo of your sister in your wallet? That's cute!" I told him. He chuckled. "I keep photos of all my family members in my wallet," he replied.

He pulled out three other polaroid pictures from his wallet and laid them down on the table.

"This is my Okaasan..." he said, pointing at one picture. "This is my Otousan..." he said, pointing at the next. "That's Nezuko, my little sister," he said, pointing at the picture from earlier. "And this is my family photo," he concluded, pointing at the last picture.

Wow... All of his family members were really good looking.

"Such a beautiful family," my mother said with a smile, taking up the family photo. "This was taken when I was four... We went to Tokyo Disneyland," he explained.

Okaasan passed me the photo and I looked at the happy smiling faces of his family. I noticed that there were a couple wet patches here and there, and somehow... I knew what they were from.

My eyes fell onto the young Someone-san. He was so happy... So full of joy, so full of love. His family must have meant so much to him. I just couldn't begin to imagine how much pain he was currently in, having to be separated from them for so long.

I handed the photo back to Someone-san, and he accepted it gratefully. In a reverent manner, he gathered the photos and stored them back inside his wallet.

"Where are they now? Are they still living in Japan?" Okaasan asked innocently. "That's... A little complex," Someone-san answered slowly.

I stared at my mother with a warning gaze, and she understood. She looked at Someone-san apologetically, before suddenly cutting him off.

"Oh! Let's finish the food before it gets cold!" she exclaimed, changing the subject. "Yes, yes! Let's eat up!" I said.

Someone-san smiled at me sweetly and mouthed 'Gomawo' before picking his chopsticks and continued eating. I felt my heart fluttering whenever he smiled like that. Gosh, Momo... Calm down.

We finished our food and cleaned up, before going back out to continue shoveling the snow. This time, Okaasan joined us. We made small talk as we continued clearing the snow, and to be honest, I started to enjoy the work a little more.

After we cleared the snow, Okaasan didn't let us go easily. She told us to do other chores like sweeping, mopping the floor, and clearing out the store room. Time flew by in a flash, and soon, it was time to prepare dinner.

In a true Okaasan fashion, she made Someone-san and I help her to cut the vegetables for the shabu-shabu she was preparing for our dinner while she went out to buy groceries. We washed the vegetables and brought them over to the dining table to cut them up.

"Thank you, Momo..." he suddenly said. I looked up. "Eh? What for?" I asked as I chopped the head of the cabbage off. "For bringing me here and showing me what it's like to be with a family again," he continued.

I smiled at him.

"It's the least I can do to repay you for keeping me safe," I uttered. "Thanks..." he said again. I looked at him. "You... You miss them a lot, don't you?" I asked him. He smiled and nodded. "Every day of my life," he replied softly. I continued cutting while asking him my next question. "You sure you don't wanna talk about it?" I asked him. He smiled, but shook his head. "No... I'm fi–OW!" he suddenly cried, dropping his knife.

Someone-san had just accidentally cut his finger. Without thinking, I rushed over to his side, grabbed his finger, and shoved it straight into my mouth, sucking the blood out of it, just like how Okaasan always did for me.

"M–M–Momo..." he stuttered in shock.

I stared at him. He was stunned, and he made no attempt to pull away. I continued to suck his finger and kept eye contact with him throughout. I finally released his finger when I couldn't taste any more blood, but his face had gone full red.

"Sorry... Home remedy," I whispered, feeling my cheeks blushing too. "T–Thank you..." he stammered.

Shit. Why did I do that? We silently got back to cutting, both of us silent, unsure of what to say to each other. Finally, I mustered up enough courage to look up at him.

"Mo–" "So–" "Ah, you go first..." he said, chuckling. "I... I–I'm sorry about... Just now," I said nervously. He shook his head. "D–Don't be... It... Did the trick, though. No more pain," he said, lifting his finger.

I laughed awkwardly, and he did too. Fuck. I was usually confident around men. Why did he make me so jittery?

"So... What now?" he asked. We had just finished cutting the veggies. "I–I guess, we can set up the pot? I–I'll take it," I told him. He nodded.

I quickly stood up and rushed to the storage room. As soon as I left the room, I placed a hand on my chest, trying to calm my heart. I hadn't felt this way since high school. Gosh... What did he do to me?

I shook my head rapidly and snapped myself out of my thoughts, flinging my eyes around the storage room to find the shabu-shabu pot and portable gas stove. Where did Okaasan put them, again? I looked up, and found the items I was looking for stashed at the top shelf.

I groaned in frustration. I wasn't exactly short, but I wasn't as tall as Jeongyeon or Tzuyu. How was I supposed to reach that? I looked around for a small step ladder and found one, so I set it up before climbing up. Fuck. Why was it so far up? I stretched my arm to reach it...

"Just a... Little... More..." I uttered to myself.

The door slid open.

"You alright, Momo? Can you reach it?" Someone-san asked. "Y–Yeah. Just... WOAH!!"

I lost balance. My body started flailing in the air and I fell backwards. Shit!

"Got you!"

I didn't fall on the floor. Instead, I fell on his body, his arms catching me. He saved me yet again, just like he did last week on the streets of Gion. I looked up, and my eyes fell on his kind eyes.

"You okay?" he asked with a smile. "I–I..."

I knew my face had gone full red. I quickly straightened myself, standing up and dusting myself off. I masked my embarrassment with a chuckle.

"Fuck... A week in Kyoto, and I've nearly died twice," I said. He laughed. "Good thing Sana sent me, huh?" he teased, climbing the ladder to pick the portable stove and shabu-shabu pot nimbly. "Sure is..." I said while chuckling, nodding as he handed me the two items. "Let's head back?" he proposed, but my stomach gurgled loudly. I giggled. "Lemme get something to eat..." I said, picking a bag of rice crackers from one of the shelves.

I heard him chuckling, so I shot him a glare before chuckling with him. I handed him my rice crackers bag.

"Want some?" "Sure! Why not..." he said, picking one piece and popping it into his mouth.

* * *

Momo started zoning out as she continued to munch on her rice crackers. I chuckled. She was simply gorgeous, and her absolute love for food made her adorable. I flung my eyes to the front door, and I saw the silhouette of a girl walking up to it. The door unlocked, and soon it swung open, revealing a woman.

"Okaasan... I'm ho–MOMO-CHAN!!!" "ONEECHAN!"

The two girls squealed and ran towards each other, crushing each other in a tight hug. They skipped around like two little girls while laughing loudly. I smiled. So this was Hirai Hana, Momo's older sister.

"WHEN DID YOU ARRIVE?" screamed Hana. Momo laughed. "This morning! Oi! I was supposed to visit you last Sunday! But Okaasan said you're busy!" Momo exclaimed. "I know, I know! I'm sorry! But I'm here now!!! Gosh, you look the same!!!" she squealed, cupping Momo's face in her hands. Momo laughed. "It was only three years! Of course I look the same!" she said. "It's so good to finally see you again!!!" Hana screamed, pulling Momo for another hug.

I smiled as I watched these two. Somehow, seeing Momo and Hana reminded me so much of Nezuko, my little sister. How are you, Nezuko-chan? Did you miss me?

"Hey, this is my friend Yoru!" Momo exclaimed suddenly, pointing at me. Hana whipped around and smiled. "Konichiwa, Yoru-san!" exclaimed Hana, reaching to shake my hand. "K–Konichiwa, Hana-san..." I said. Hana stared at me with a smile. "Momo-chan! Did you actually finally eventually get a proper boyfriend?" she asked naughtily. "Oi!" Momo exclaimed and slapped her sister's shoulder. They both laughed.

At that moment, we heard the front door opening again, and a large bodied older gentleman entered, humming a tune absentmindedly.

"OTOUSAN!" exclaimed Momo, rushing to hug her father. Her father looked stunned for a moment. "M–Momo chan?" he stuttered. "Yes! Yes!" Momo squealed excitedly.

A smile stretched across his face as he set his fishing rod and bucket down. He laughed heartily and pulled Momo into a hug. Hang on... Why did his laughter sound so much like my father's? Why... Why did this family remind me so much of mine?

"My baby's finally home!" he exclaimed. Hana pouted. "Oi... I'm literally right here all the time!" she said in an annoyed tone. Otousan laughed. "I see you everyday, Hana! But to see Momo is a rare occasion!" he replied.

Otousan scanned Momo from head to toe and pinched her cheeks. She squirmed out of his grasp.

"Stop that!" she said, giggling. Otousan laughed. "Still eating healthy?" he asked. Momo nodded. "As always!" she said.

Otousan gave a nod of approval, before looking at me and stared at me quizzically.

"And... Who's this?" he asked. Momo smiled. "Oh, that's my friend, Yoru..." she said, gesturing towards me. I bowed respectfully. "Konichiwa, Hirai-san... Watashino namae wa Yoru-des... I'm Momo's friend," I said.

He stared me down, and I had to fight the urge not to shrink down in fear. Momo slapped her father's arm.

"Otousan! Stop scaring him!" she said. Her father chuckled and bowed to me apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to intimidate you, Yoru-san..." he said. I bowed deeper. "N–No, no, it's okay, HIrai-san!" I stuttered. He smiled kindly and looked at Momo. "He's a fine gentleman," he said. I saw Momo blushing.

The front door opened one more time. Now it was Momo's mother who came in.

"Ah! Everyone's here! Perfect! Come! Let's get this shabu-shabu dinner started!" she announced.

We all walked up to the table and knelt down. I helped Momo's mother unpack the different things she had bought, and there were a lot of things. The last time I saw this much food was back at AMAN Kyoto's breakfast buffet!

"Momo-chan, why don't you get the sake?" Otousan said. She nodded and stood up. "I'll go help her," I said, sparing myself from another awkward conversation with her family.

Momo and I walked to the cellar and grabbed a large bottle of sake and a few cups. Suddenly, she grabbed my arm gently, and I turned to look at her.

"Don't be nervous, okay? They're nice people..." she said with a smile. "I–I wasn't nervous," I said in denial. She snorted. "Please... Six days of teasing you... I know all of your nervous tells," she smirked. I chuckled. "Okay..." I said in defeat, staring at the floor. "Hey, look at me," she said.

I did just that, and suddenly she cupped my face in her hands.

"I enjoy your company, and I know my family does too. So... Just relax. Don't be nervous," she repeated her words. "It's... Kinda difficult when you have three pairs of eyes constantly focusing on you..." I defended myself. She smiled. "Then let me help you focus on something else..." she whispered.

She tiptoed, and suddenly, she pecked my cheek.

My world went into a haze. I stared at her blankly, and saw her smiling at me.

"Don't take it the wrong way..." she giggled, before walking out of the cellar, leaving me alone.

Hirai Momo.

The Hirai Momo of Twice.

She had just kissed me on the cheek.

"Someone-san! Come on! You'll freeze to death inside the cellar!" she suddenly appeared at the door again. "A–Ah, yes..." I stuttered.

We walked back into the dining room and sat down. She was right, though... Throughout the meal, only one thing filled my mind: Momo. I found myself staring at her a few times. Every single thing about her enchanted me; from her brilliant smile, to her rosy cheeks, to those round and beautiful eyes... I was falling so hard for this beautiful girl.

"Yoru?" Momo called out to me. I blinked my eyes rapidly. "Y–yes?" "Pass me your bowl," she said with a knowing smile.

I hastily picked up my bowl and passed it to her. Our hands brushed against each other for a moment, and I knew that I was blushing red. This alarmed Hana.

"Yoru-kun! You're blushing so red!" she quipped while chuckling. I chuckled nervously. "A–Ah, yes... It's... The alcohol kicked in," I said. She laughed and nodded.

Momo placed my bowl back in front of me and smirked. I knew she was about to tease me, but I glared secretly at her to warn her. She giggled and nodded. Suddenly, Otousan looked up.

"Your parents brought you up well, Yoru-san..." he said. I looked up at him. "E–Eh?" I asked in confusion. He smiled. "I've watched you throughout the meal, and you're just so polite," he explained himself. "Oh he's been polite the entire day, Honey..." Okaasan said. Momo chuckled. "I told you they'll like you," Momo whispered in Korean. Her mother glared at her. "Momo-chan, no Korean at the dinner table," she said. "Gomen-ne..." Momo uttered, but she was giggling.

We finished our dinner and stayed for quite a while afterwards drinking sake and talking together. Momo's parents were kind and generous, and they continued to compliment me with every chance they had. I knew what they were saying behind those words–that they would appreciate it if Momo chose me as her partner–but to their credit, they never explicitly said it.

"Wow... It's late," Hana suddenly exclaimed.

I glanced at my watch, and found that it was 11pm already! Holy shit! Okaasan chuckled and looked straight at Hana.

"That's your cue to start doing dishes! Otousan, please help her!" she ordered them.

Otousan immediately got up while laughing, but Hana let out a frustrated groan.

"Okaasan~Why me?" she complained. "Because Momo spent the whole day doing chores, and Yoru-kun is our guest! Do you seriously expect him to do the dishes?" Okaasan shot back

Hana grumbled but stood up begrudgingly anyway, joining her father. Momo laughed out loud in victory and stared at me.

"I guess... Doing chores the entire day does pay off, right?" she chuckled. I laughed and nodded. "Yes, and Yoru-kun helped a lot! Momo-chan, you really should get together with him!" Okaasan finally said what was said implicitly the entire dinner. "OKAASAN!" she exclaimed in protest, but her mother only laughed. "Speaking of... Why don't you stay over, Yoru-kun? It's late already," she suddenly said while looking at me.

I shook my head and raised my hands panickedly.

"O–Oh, no, no! I... I really shouldn't overstay my welcome!" I said. Okaasan chuckled. "You're not overstaying your welcome, Yoru-kun. It wasn't an invitation anyway, it was a request. I will not allow you to drive back to Kyoto in the middle of the night like this! It's dangerous!" she said.

I was about to object further, but Momo grabbed my arm and shook her head.

"There's no fighting this, just go along with it..." she said. "She's right, Yoru-kun!" exclaimed Hana from the adjacent kitchen.

I sighed, but then I chuckled and nodded.

"Very well. Thank you for your hospitality, Hirai-san..." I said, bowing at Okaasan. She smiled. "That's better! Momo-chan, why don't you show him his room so he can rest?" she said. Momo nodded. "Follow me," she said as she stood up.

I followed her out of the dining room and up the stairs. She guided me to the last room down the hall and opened it, revealing a comfortable, traditional room. She went straight to the room's closet to pick up a futon and she dropped it on the floor.

I scanned the room. Other than the futon, there was a cupboard and a tatami table. It was perfectly simple, just the way I liked it.

"Get comfy. I'll get you something to change!" Momo smiled before walking out.

I smiled and sat down on the floor, storing my backpack by the cabinet. A moment later, Momo came back with a set of clothes.

"It's.... Otousan's pajamas... Hope you don't mind the... Style," she said, handing me a set of striped pajamas. I laughed but nodded. "It's fine, Momo! It looks comfortable," I said. She nodded. "Shower's just down the hall. Use the soap and shampoo to your liking. Toothbrush, though..." she trailed off, but I pulled out a pen and pressed a button on its side, and it turned into a portable toothbrush. "Got it," I said with a smile. Momo laughed. "You and your gadgets... Alright! Enjoy your stay! My room's just next to yours, if you need anything, you can knock," she said. "I will..." I said, nodding appreciatively. A naughty grin flashed on her face. "... Or you can run off... And I'll never be able to find you," she said, repeating my words from last week.

We laughed, and soon she left me in my room. I smiled. I knew I would enjoy my stay here. I decided to take a shower and slipped into the pajamas before returning to my room. I rested my back on my futon, picked up a book from my bag, opened it, and started reading.

I kept reading for a while as the house became completely silent, and after a while, I did a quick time check on my smartwatch. My eyes widened in surprise.

2 am.

Wow. I'd been reading for that long? Why wasn't I feeling sleepy, though? I shut my book and set it down, deciding that I should get ready to sleep. As I did so, I heard a creak outside my door. That was a foot, on the wooden flooring.

My body froze up. Paranoia took hold. Did they track me here? But... What about Momo and her family? My eyes darted to the unfinished taser in my bag. Project Origin... Should I test it on whoever was coming after me?

Footsteps approaching. My instincts kicked in. I quickly and nimbly dived over to my pack and retrieved the bracelets. I took it out, wore it around my wrists, and turned it on. The door handle jiggled. I prepared to defend myself. I lifted my arm, ready to strike...

"Someone-san...?" "M–Momo?"

Momo poked her head through the door and smiled, but a second later she looked concerned. I was sweating, I was crouching in an attack position, I was wearing my weaponized bracelets. It was on.

"A–Are you alright?" Momo asked as she walked inside. "I–I..." I stammered. "Yeah... I'm... I'm fine..."

I let out a relieved sigh and quickly took the bracelets off. Momo reached me, and suddenly her hand touched my cheek. I looked up at her, and I felt my heart beating faster.

"Are you sure?" she asked again, gently, concernedly. "Yeah... I... I heard your footsteps and I thought–" I said, before deciding to change the subject, "Why are you awake?"

She chuckled.

"I could have asked the same thing about you..." she retorted.

I chuckled and looked down, and I noticed that she was hiding something behind her back. She chuckled sheepishly and lifted it up. It was a sake bottle and 2 cups.

"Care for a drink?" she grinned.

I smiled. Yeah. I needed a drink.

"Sure... Why not," I replied.

Momo squealed excitedly as she strided over to the tatami table. She cracked open the bottle as I took my place across the table, and she quickly poured both of us a cup, handing me mine.

"Kanpai..." we whispered, before downing our cups.

The alcohol burned my throat as it traveled to my stomach. I coughed and looked at her. Momo clasped a hand on her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"W–Woah! That's strong!" I said in a hushed voice. "Yup! This is Genshu," she announced, lifting the bottle. My eyes widened. "Genshu?" I asked. Genshu was an undiluted sake. No wonder it was so strong. "Not just any Genshu," Momo smirked, "This one's 30%."

I gasped.

"30%? Isn't the limit at 22%?" I asked confusedly. She chuckled and poured herself another cup. "I told you this is no ordinary Genshu..." she said. "O–Oi... Take it easy! Let's not get drunk!" I cautioned. She scoffed. "Oh, come on, Someone-san... It's my last night here! Plus, we're in my house! What could possibly go wrong?" Momo challenged, downing her second cup with haste.

This girl was wild. She winched, but she poured herself another, and then poured my cup too.

"I–I think I'm good, Momo..." I said apprehensively. She looked at me. "Aww... Come on... Please?"

She pouted cutely and stared at me with puppy eyes. Fuck. I couldn't resist. Why was I so weak?

"F–Fine..." I huffed.

Momo punched the air in victory as I took my second cup and drank it quickly. Shit. It was so strong. I winched and let the alcohol sear my throat. Strangely, it started to feel nice. I chuckled, and she noticed this.

"See? It gets nicer with every next cup," she said. I laughed. "That's exactly how people get drunk," I said.

She giggled and nodded, but she poured us another cup. Then another, and another. Third cup became fourth, fourth became fifth, and so on. We talked and joked happily, and before we knew it, we were both already drunk. The room was spinning, the lamp glared a little too garishly, but all I could feel was happiness and lightness.

"And so... I–I... Took–the bat... And... hic... and... Started... Hacking away!" Momo said, ending her story about the recent battle at SM Headquarters. "N–No... F–Fucking way! Hic... That's... Shooo... Cool!" I said.

Shit. I was slurring. Momo wheezed.

"Y–Yes... F–Fucking–WAY!" she exclaimed her last word. "Sssh!!" I shushed while placing a finger on her mouth. We giggled like little children. "R–Right... Right... We–shouldn't wake... O–t–Otousan..." she whispered.

I found myself already sitting side by side with her. When did I get here? Momo rested her head on my shoulder and hummed contentedly. I pressed my head against hers and smiled.

"You gotta... hic... Tell me more of these stories..." I told her. She slapped my chest. "N–Nah... You... You've got... More stories about yourself... Self... Hic..." she giggled. "I do..." I uttered, closing my eyes to stop the world from spinning. "T–Tell me... hic.. One!" she demanded. "I told you... hic... F–Five already!" I retorted. She laughed. "Did you? Shit... I... I can't remember anything," Momo said.

I laughed and shook my head. She was right. My mind was a haze. Nothing made sense. What story were we talking about again?

"S–Shame... Today's my last day..." she suddenly whispered.

I looked down at her. She closed her eyes, looking sleepy as hell. Yeah. Today was her last day. She'd return to Korea in the afternoon. She'd leave me here in Japan. She'd be happy with her friends again, while I... I would start running again.

Suddenly, I felt something inside me opening. Something I had kept inside me for so long... For two years, in fact. When did it all start? Right. After Dara got the names she needed. Fuck. She didn't use it anyway. Yeoni ended up getting the names from Rosé, right?

And yet... I was still targeted by Manse and his associates. Come to think of it... Did Manse have a connection to the Yakuza? It was a simple mistake I made, but why were they so adamant on killing me? What was it that I did? I couldn't even remember.

All I knew was... I had spent the last two years running away. I was alone. I was lonely. I was tired. I was sick of it. I missed my family. I missed my work in Korea. I wanted to come home. I wanted to stop running. I needed to stop running. I needed...

"Someone-san... Are you... Crying?" I heard Momo's words.

I looked down, and saw that she was staring at me. A second later, I realized that my cheeks were wet. I raised my hand to touch it, and I was confused when I felt tears dripping from my eyes. What was happening?

"Someone-san..." whispered Momo.

She sat herself straight, and she touched my cheek. Somehow, her gentle touch destroyed the wall I had made. I felt tears streaming out, and at that moment it was as if a stronghold was crumbling inside my heart. I started to sob.

"Some... Someone-san..." Momo called again, her eyes widening.

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was my feelings, but I suddenly reached to hug her. She was stunned, I knew, but she didn't push me away. I cried my heart out on her shoulder, bawling like a little boy. Slowly, gently, she lifted her arms, and I soon felt her embracing me. Tightly, lovingly.

"Someone-san..." she whispered. "Daijoubu desuka?" "Iie..." I uttered through my sobs, tears still streaming from my eyes, "Watashi wa subete ni unzari shite imasu."

My words took her aback. She pulled away from me, staring deeply into my swollen eyes. I met her gaze, and all I could see was pity, concern, and... Was that love?

"You're... Tired of everything?" Momo repeated my words.

I nodded slowly, still sobbing. Gently, I rested my head on her shoulder and continued crying.

"I'm... Tired, Momo... I'm... I'm sick and tired," I whispered. "Tired of... What?" she asked. "Of everything. Of running... Of being alone... Of... Of... Being l–lonely..." I whispered sorrowfully. "Someone-san..." she whispered. "Don't go..."

She stiffened. I lifted my eyes and stared at her. She was shocked, but I was shocked too. What was I talking about? That was inappropriate. It must be the alcohol. I wanted to stop talking, but something inside me kept urging me to speak.

"Don't go..." I repeated. "W–What do you... Mean?" she stuttered. I held her hands. "Don't... Don't leave me alone, Momo..." I begged. "B–But..." "I love you..."

My words shocked even myself. Momo stared at me, not saying anything.

Stupid.

I had just offended her.

Why must I say it out loud?

I slumped from her shoulder to the floor, and I cried. My body shook violently as two years worth of repressed emotions suddenly came flooding out like water out of a broken dam. That, mixed with the remorse and shame I felt from blatantly confessing my feelings to a world famous idol who was supposed to be someone I protected. I wasn't supposed to fall for her. I was so stupid.

"Someone-san..." she called out gently.

I dare not to lift my head, so I kept it buried on the floor. But then, I felt her touch. Her hands reached my cheeks, and she lifted my face gently but firmly until it was leveled with her.

I opened my eyes and found her beautiful eyes staring at me, deeply, intently. It seared into my soul, and I found my heart beating faster than usual.

"Momo... I–I... I'm sorry... I shouldn–"

I never got to complete my sentence. My words were cut short...

Because Momo kissed me.

Her lips felt so tender, her kiss felt so gentle. At first my entire body froze, but a second later, everything melted. My eyelids closed slowly, and soon, I let myself drown in her kiss.

I reached my hand up, caressing the back of her head. We kissed for what felt like forever, but at the same time I didn't want time to move. I wanted it to stand still. I wanted it to just continue like this for eternity.

"Momo..." I whispered after we finally stopped.

She didn't say anything. She merely smiled, and it was the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen. She cupped my cheeks and pressed her forehead on mine.

"You're not alone anymore, Someone-san... You've found me..." she whispered. "I love you too..."

My lips curved up. Was I smiling?

"It's my job, isn't it?" I whispered. "What is?" she asked. "Finding you..." I said. She chuckled. "Mission accomplished, then..." she whispered. "You've found me..."

I chuckled, and we kissed again. We kissed passionately, lovingly, and lustfully. I had never kissed a woman like this before. I had never been kissed like this by a woman before. Our tongues entered each other's mouth, and we started caressing each other.

Still kissing me, she pressed me to the floor and straddled me. I watched in silence as she started taking off her top, revealing her black bra, hiding and showing a generous amount of cleavage at the same time. Without words, she unclasped her bra, and her massive breasts bounced free. They were big, they were round, her nipples were brown and perky... They looked delicious. They were perfect.

"M–Momo..." I whispered, marveling at the sight.

She didn't say anything, only smiling. Who knew Momo could be this quiet when drunk? Momo stooped down, and she nimbly pulled my pajama pants down. I didn't realize I had a boner until now, but I evidently had. She pulled my boxer down, and my cock was on display. When did I start getting a boner? Was it when she took off her shirt? Or was it when she kissed me? Nothing made sense.

"M–Momo..." I whispered again, but again she didn't reply.

She rested herself on top of my legs, and with one swift movement, she placed my cock in between her tits. Shit. I didn't know she was this big. An irresistibly soft and tender sensation started engulfing my penis, and with that, she started giving me a tittyfuck.

"M–Mo... M–Momo... M–Mh..."

Momo pressed her tits around my penis and moved them up and down slowly. I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation. I could feel the warmth creeping slowly from my crotch to my brain and to my entire body, and I started moaning and gasping.

"M–M... Momo... A–Ah... M–M–Momo..."

She moved her tits faster and squeezed them tighter. I tried to find something to hold onto, but I couldn't. I knew we were not supposed to do this. I was supposed to protect her, not take advantage of her, not having sex with her. But my body didn't do anything. It couldn't resist her charm.

"M–Momo... M–Mhh... M–Momo... U–Ugh..."

She kept moving her tits faster and faster. My body tensed. I started squirming. I felt even dizzier, my vision went blurry, and I felt my climax was reaching soon.

"M–Momo... I'm... C–Cumming..."

I thought she'd stop, but instead she opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out. She licked the head of my penis, and that did it. I came. I came hard. Shot after shot of my semen exploded out of my penis, covering her face with thick white liquid, leaking down to her neck, down to her big breasts.

I gasped for air, panting laboriously. She looked up, smiled at me, and absentmindedly touched the traces of cum on her face and breasts. I stared at her, not able to form words. She giggled and slowly crept up, leveling with my face. Her smile grew wider, and she stared at me.

"Someone-san... I love you too..." she whispered.

With that, she slumped on top of me, and started snoring. She was asleep.

* * *

The alarm blared. I shot up immediately, and took the phone that was next to my pillow. It was 8 am. I tried to sit, but my head spinned.

Fuck. Hangover.

I laid back down on my bed and closed my eyes, pressing my palm onto my forehead. I tried remembering the events from last night. It was a blur... But I thought I could remember a few things.

I remembered I couldn't sleep, tossing and turning on my bed, thinking about Someone-san. At around 2 am, I decided to go out. I saw that the light was still on in his room, so I stole Otosan's genshu and tiptoed to his room.

I remembered he was shocked and was in a fighting stance when I opened his door. Gosh... That guy. Years of living on the run must have made him paranoid. I felt bad for him. Still, he invited me in, and we shared the genshu.

I remembered how he initially refused to drink more than one cup after tasting the strong genshu, but I insisted. I chuckled. Of course I insisted. I couldn't possibly let my last night with him go without a proper drink. He eventually relented, and we finished the genshu bottle.

Fuck... I had to replace the bottle before Otosan flips at me.

Hang on... What happened after we finished the bottle? Shit... I blacked out didn't I? Come on, Momo... Think! What did you do?

I shook my head and sat up again. I furrowed my brows. I... We shared stories. I told him about the SM Battle. He told me his stories too. We sat next to each other... But then...

My eyes widened as I remembered something.

Don't go...

Did he... Did he say that? Yeah... He did say those words. Was he crying when he said it?

"Momo-chan! Breakfast ready! Come down here!" that was Okasan yelling. "Haai! Be there in a moment!" I yelled back.

Shit. Maybe I should ask him later. I stood up, and groggily walked to the door. I hoped Okasan made shijimi. Hang on. She didn't know I was drinking. Fuck. I missed Jihyo and Jeongyeon now. They always made haejangguk by default on Saturday morning, knowing that we'd spend Friday nights drinking our lives away.

I reached for the door, but right when I opened it, a question came to my mind.

How was I back in my bedroom again?

Did Someone-san carry me here last night? Did he...

Hang on.

"Momo-chan!" "Haai! Haai! Coming!"

Shit. I'd think again later.

I swung the door open, and saw that Someone-san was making his way down the hall.

"Morning Someone-san!" I chirped. He stared at me. "Ohayo..." he muttered as he avoided my gaze, he briskly walked past me to the staircase.

Huh... That was strange... I quickly caught up to him on the stairs.

"Hey, um... I wanted to ask you, did something happen last night?" I whispered.

He stopped dead in his tracks and I saw the gears in his head turning.

"N–No... Nothing happened..." he said after some time.

Something definitely happened.

I decided to wait until we get to the hotel back in Kyoto to prod a little further. We headed over to the dining room silently and took our places. Okaasan had prepared a simple breakfast of rice with a couple of side dishes for everyone. As usual, it was delicious.

I ate heartily, and although food normally cheered me up, something felt off inside me. It felt like a stone was weighing down my heart.

It was guilt.

Did I do something wrong last night? Did my drunk self say something that offended him? I wracked my brain, forcing myself to remember the details of our drinking session, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't.

"How's the food everyone?" Okaasan asked. "It's great! Arigatou Okaasan," I replied with a forced smile. Someone-san just nodded and continued eating silently.

We finished our breakfast and cleaned up before getting ready to get back to Kyoto. I hugged my parents and sister tightly before bidding my farewell to them, and Someone-san bowed respectfully to each of them as we stepped out of the front door.

"Do take care of her, Yoru-kun!" Otousan said. "H–Hai, Hirai-san," he replied dutifully. "Please show her a good time as well~" teased Hana. "OI! NEE-CHAN!" I exclaimed.

Hana and my parents laughed with me, but Someone-san didn't. He merely smiled nervously. Fuck. What was wrong? What did I do wrong for him to be this cold today?

We entered the car silently, and he quickly drove away to Kyotanabe's main road, taking us back in the direction of Kyoto. During the ride back, Someone-san stayed silent, and I hated it. I stared at him a few times, trying to start a conversation, but he kept his eyes locked on the road ahead, not saying a single word.

I did do something wrong, didn't I? I offended him. Shit, Momo! Why did you have to black out last night?

We eventually reached AMAN Kyoto, and he escorted me back to my suite. As I opened the door, I turned to talk to him.

"Someone-san, I–" "Pack your things. We're leaving in 20 minutes," he said coldly, and he rushed off, denying me the chance to ask him.

I stared at his back as he walked quickly away, and only after he disappeared from view did I enter my suite. I huffed in frustration and started packing.

Did I offend his family? Did I say something about his parents or Nezuko? Fuck... Think, Momo, think! What did you do?

In frustration, I felt tears start to wet my eyes. Shit. I had just fallen in love with him, and I had to get so drunk I offended him. This was why I was always alone. I cursed my own mistakes and wiped my tears before pulling my luggages out of the room.

He was already out there. Of course he was. He took my bigger luggage and wheeled it down to the lobby, still in silence. We checked ourselves out and went straight to the carpark. He opened the door for me before putting my luggages in the trunk and entered the driving seat. Still in silence, he started his car and we zoomed towards Osaka, getting to the airport.

I stared at him, and felt like I was about to cry again. He was staring at the road ahead, wearing his menpo mask, not saying anything. I felt tears starting to well up in my eyes, so I instead pulled my bag up to my lap and checked if everything was there.

Shit...

"Oh shit!" "What happened?" "I–I think I left my passport back in the hotel!" I said as I frantically started pulling things out of my bag, searching for the small crimson booklet.

Someone-san sighed and swiftly turned the car around, taking us back to the hotel. After a lot of apologizing to both the hotel staff and Someone-san, we were finally back on track and headed to the airport... Except we were late.

"I am so sorry," I uttered. "Don't be, Momo, it happens," he replied. "W-Will I be late?"

He tapped at the clock on the dashboard.

"Nope, your flight's at three right?" "Y-yeah..." "Then you should be fine. It's only 1:30," he said.

I nodded and stared back at the road, going back to my attempt to remember something from our drinking session last night. I couldn't. It was a dead end.

I turned to look at Someone-san. I had to ask him. I needed to ask him. Now was my chance. He had no way of avoiding me.

* * *

"Someone-san?" Momo calls out to me. "Yes?" "What happened between us last night?"

This again. Shit, I hoped that she would just drop the subject. I stayed silent as we approached a red light and I brought the vehicle to a stop.

"What happened?" she pressed.

I continued to remain silent. I couldn't bear to look at her without feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt. I had used her in her state of vulnerability. I should have stopped her, but instead.... I didn't. I couldn't even control my own bodily desires.

"Look, if I did or said anything that offended you... You need to let me know, because I seriously cannot remember last night–" "You did nothing wrong, Momo... It was... Me," I finally replied. I sensed her eyes widening. "W–What?" "I... I don't want to talk about it," I replied as the light turned green.

I stepped on the gas pedal and we dashed through the traffic into Osaka. I stayed silent as we drove to Kansai International Airport, and I felt Momo staring at me the entire way.

"What happened?" she tried again persistently.

I stayed silent, avoiding the question. Momo finally grunted and threw her back on the seat. I sighed behind my mask. This was so me... Running away from my problems like I always did. God... I was sick of this!

We arrived at the airport, and I parked my car. We walked together to the departure terminal, and Momo checked herself in. After she placed her large luggage on the conveyor belt and retrieved her boarding pass, she walked back and stood in front of me.

"Hey, uh... What time is it now? I don't exactly feel like entering the Departure Hall and do nothing if I still have some time," she asked.

Without thinking, I raised my wrist and showed her my smartwatch.

"Here you g–"

Oh fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

I had forgotten that my drunk self took a picture of her while she was sleeping and set it as my watch face. Shit! I must have looked like a total creep! I quickly brought my wrist back to my side as I felt heat rushing to my face.

"S–Sorry... Sorry about that..." I muttered.

I frantically tried to change the photo, but Momo gently grabbed my hand, stopping me. I lifted my face to look at her, and I saw her staring deeply into my eyes.

"Someone-san... Forgive me for being so annoying, but... What happened last night?" she asked again.

I stared at this beautiful girl. Should I tell her? Wouldn't she be mad at me?

"Please. I'll never be at peace if I don't know what we did," she whispered sincerely as she squeezed my hand, leaning closer to me.

My defences crumbled. The sincerity of her voice just won me over. I closed my eyes as I fought back the tears of guilt.

"I'm sorry..." I said shakily. "For what?" "Last night... We... We had... Foreplay. Y–you..."

I couldn't bring myself to describe what she did, what we did. I looked at her, and found her staring at me in silence. I took a deep breath and continued.

"I–I... I didn't stop you... I–I... I knew you didn't... You couldn't control your body, and... I'm... Ashamed of myself. I–I... I'm sorry for ignoring you the entire day. I wanted to stop, believe me... I–I... I'm sorry, Momo... I should've...

Her hands on my cheeks stopped me from talking.

She took off my menpo mask swiftly, and then...

She kissed me, right there and then.

The familiar touch of her soft, tender lips brought comfort to me as I finally let my tears fall.

* * *

As our lips touched, I swore I felt something opening inside my head. The events from last night came rushing back into me.

I remembered it. I remembered everything.

I remembered how he cried and begged me not to go. I remembered how he told me that he was sick and tired of everything. I remembered...

I remembered he told me he loved me.

I remembered the kiss...

And I remembered how I took off my shirt and gave him–Oh God...

I pulled away and looked into his now teary eyes. Warmth filled my heart, filling my heart to the brim. He was too sweet... He felt guilty for doing something I initiated while I was drunk. It wasn't his fault. Not at all... But yet, his conscience weighed him down. God... There was not a single reason not to love him.

"I remember..." I whispered. "W–What?" he stuttered. I looked at him and smiled. "I remember everything..." I clarified. His face was apologetic, but I touched his cheek. "It's okay, Someone-san, I did it willingly and I enjoyed every second of it," I smiled as I wiped his tears.

He stared at me and I met his gaze. I felt only love for him at this moment.

"It's sweet that you have the conscience that keeps you a righteous person, but you don't have to let it weigh you down anymore," I said with a big smile.

He looked stunned, so I continued.

"I did what I did last night because..."

I paused, mustering up courage, then I stared him straight in the eyes.

"Well... I love you... And I wanted to express my love to you... But... My drunk self did it in its own way," I said, chuckling a little bit.

I heard his breath hitching.

"You... You love me?"

I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"What's there not to love about you?" I whispered before closing the distance between us yet again.

He kissed me back this time as I felt his arms wrapped around my back, holding me close to his body. We finally broke apart and stared at each other, both of us visibly over the moon.

"I love you too Momo." "I know, you said it last night," I smirked. "Looks like your memory serves you well then," he chuckled. I pulled him into a hug. "I'm gonna miss you," I said. "I'm gonna miss you too, Momo... Thank you... For this week," he whispered. I chuckled. "It was my pleasure. Must be tiring to be my bodyguard huh?" I asked him.

He laughed.

"Watashi wa subete ni unzari shite imasu," he said, repeating his words from last night.

My heart fell slightly as I finally got the meaning behind those words. After I leave, he'd go back running. He'd go back to being lonely all over again. At this thought, I held him tighter.

"I'm gonna make sure they bring you home soon. Just hold out a little longer, okay?" I assured him. I sensed him smiling. "Thank you Momo," he replied.

I opened my eyes and looked at him, but at that moment, something I saw behind him made my heart stop beating.

In the distance, I saw a man in a white hoodie. His camera was up, and he was clearly snapping photos of me... Of us. I quickly pulled away from Someone-san. He was alarmed.

"What is it?" he asked. "Behind you, white hoodie, black camera," I whispered. He understood immediately. "Okay," he replied as he put on his menpo mask.

From his pocket, he produced two golden cards. He swiftly turned and disappeared into the crowd. I saw him appear behind the cameraman a few seconds later, and I saw him slipping one of the cards into the cameraman's pocket before disappearing yet again.

He appeared a few seconds later and walked back to my side. He pulled out the other card and tapped a few things on it. Two rectangular, hologram panels emanated from the card, revealing a screen. He pressed a few buttons again, and soon the word 'EXTRACTING' appeared.

I watched in awe as the word changed to 'EXTRACTION COMPLETED'. Someone-san pressed a few more things before a photo of us kissing popped up. Someone-san swiped the hologram screen, and my eyes widened in surprise as I saw a collection of my photos with him from the past week.

"What the fuck?" I whispered in horror. "Looks like he's been following us for quite some time..." he muttered as a photo of us holding hands in the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove popped up. "Can you do anything about this?" I whispered in panic. To my surprise, he chuckled. "Already done," he said.

I stared at him, and he lifted his gadget up.

"Meet Rendezvous, a data stealing gadget. It comes in pairs, the first card as an EMP, momentarily disables the device while all data from the device is stolen. Afterwards, the data gets uploaded to this card, and all media from said device is completely wiped. Just like that... No Dispatch article," he said proudly as he closed the gadget and pocketed it.

"But what about the other card?" I asked him. He shrugged. "It'll self-destruct. It'll release a small vat of non-lethal acid that evaporates the entire card in his pocket without a trace. Don't worry, the guy won't be harmed."

I stared at him with a mixture of amazement and fear. I felt a smile breaking out on my face.

"That is the nerdiest shit ever... And I love it! And you... Mostly you, though," I giggled. He laughed. "I love you too, Momo," he said.

I pulled him into another hug.

"Jesus, is there a limit to the things you can do? Can you like... Ooh! Transport someone's consciousness into a virtual avatar?" I challenged him. "Like in aespa's Kwangya?" he asked. Wow. He knew his K-pop. "Exactly like that!" I exclaimed. "With time and resources, anything is possible, Momo," he replied confidently. "Then I'd like to see it!" I said. "I said with time and resources–" he said, but then he realized that I was only teasing him.

He sighed, and I chuckled, hugging him even tighter.

"When we finally get you back to Korea, you better have it ready. Can you do it?" I asked him. He chuckled. "Are you doubting me?" he asked, jokingly sounding offended. I giggled. "I'll never doubt you... Babe..." I teased. I heard him giggling. "Okay, you can officially call me that now," he sighed. I slapped his arm. "Damn right I can... Honey!" I teased him further. His face blushed behind the mask. "O–Okay... That's a little too far..." he stuttered.

A sly smile crossed my face as I leaned in to whisper to his ears.

"Further than giving you Paizuri?" I whispered. "Y-Ya!" "You enjoyed it right?" I teased. "M-Momo..." he said, and I felt something tightening below his waist.

"I'm going to do a lot more than just a tittyfuck next time... We're gonna go even further... A lot further... Shall I describe it? In detail?" I said naughtily, my hand tracing his belt.

I could feel him shuddering. Oh, how I loved this man... I wanted to continue, but at that moment I heard my boarding call.

'This is a boarding call to all passengers of Japan Airlines flight JL5213 to Seoul. Please proceed to the boarding lounge immediately.'

I smirked as I stared at him.

"Saved by the PA. You won't get so lucky next time," I giggled. He stared at me. "I don't need to get lucky next time... Because we'll actually be doing whatever you were trying to describe just now," he said naughtily.

I gasped and slapped his chest. This guy knew me best! He laughed, and we hugged again.

"Thanks for everything, Someone-san... I'll miss you so much," I said. He nodded. "I'll miss you too, Momo. Have a safe flight," he wished.

I reluctantly pulled myself away from him and waved at him. He waved back, and even with his mask on, I could see him smiling. Slowly, regrettably, I turned away and pulled my cabin baggage into the Departure Hall's gate.

That's when it hit me.

Dumb fuck, you forgot to ask for his name!

I turned back and quickly ran back to my lover.

"Before I leave... What's your name?" I asked him. "You already know," he said. "Your real name, silly," I giggled.

He stared at me with those kind eyes I was so crazy about, and finally he said it.

"Sabito..." "Huh... Thought it'd be Doraemon from the way you pull gadgets from your ass," I quipped. "Hirai Momo!" he scolded.

We laughed together, and I felt his hands tracing my face. My smile grew wider.

"Okay, okay! Last name?" I asked him again. "Kobayashi," he said gently. "Korobuta?" "Ya!" he complained.

I stepped closer to him.

"Sorry... I'm just hungry," I whispered. "You're always hungry," he chuckled.

I stepped even closer. I knew I wanted to do something. I needed to do it. I looked beyond him, and saw that the white-hooded cameraman was still there, panickedly checking his broken camera.

"How much longer until his camera's back on?" I asked him. "About two more hours," he said. "Why?"

I didn't answer. I reached for his mask and tore it off his face. I lunged at him and hungrily planted my lips on his. He chuckled, and I felt his arms wrapping around me once again. We kissed passionately for a few long seconds, before finally we pulled apart, panting for breath.

"Give me your number," I whispered. "Already did. Check your back pocket," he smiled.

My eyes widened in surprise as I reached for my back pocket and found a business card inside it. I pulled it out and saw his number in it. I chuckled.

"Ya... Why didn't I feel you touching my butt..." I teased. He chuckled. "I'll make sure you feel it the next time we meet," he said.

I laughed and stared at him, holding his hands tightly. He pulled myself closer to him once again, keeping his eyes locked with mine, and pressed his forehead against mine gently.

"Text me when you reach," he whispered. "No. I'll call you," I said.

I pecked his cheek one last time. He laughed and let me go, pushing me gently towards the gate. I laughed and complied, finding it really difficult to let him go.

"Go now! You're going to miss your flight!" he exclaimed.

I nodded, and finally I turned and walked towards one of the officers at the gate and gave my passport and boarding pass to him. As I walked past him into the hall, I turned to wave goodbye to my new boyfriend. He waved back, smiling widely, and I turned away with a smile on my face.

It won't be long now, Kobayashi Sabito... We'll bring you home.

I chuckled again and nodded, before waving to her and leaving. I took the lift up to my floor and walked to my room. As I shut the door, I glanced at my watch. It was a little over 6pm. I pulled out my phone and dialed up my superior in Korea.

"Yeoboseyo?" "Minatozaki-san." "Someone-san! How's Momo? Is she alright?" "She's fine... Up and running after I gave her a bowl of jokbal," I said while chuckling. "How the hell did you...? You know what, I'll let you do you. Your ways seriously make me question the physics of reality!"

I chuckled to myself.

"Ya... Is she... Still trying to run?" "No. I don't think so..." "I knew it. I knew she'd come around soon, especially with a handsome boy like you~"

I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Minatozaki-san, I don't think Jeongyeon-san will be too happy hearing that."

I heard Sana gasping from the other end of the line.

"Y–Ya... You're not recording this, right? Please don't send this to her..." "I am, and I'll keep the recording for blackmail purposes," I jokingly told her. She grunted. "Ugh! I forgot I really have to watch my tongue around you! Anyways... Thanks for updating me! Keep me posted, okay?" "Will do, Boss," I said with a smile. "Oh, and before I forget! Momo might try to make some... Advances on you. If she does, I recommend that you just go with the flow and not fight it," she said.

I furrowed my brows.

"E–Eh? What does that supposed to mean?" "Someone's calling me... Oh? It's Yeoni-oppa! Right! Bye! Keep me updated!" "H–Hang on! Minatozaki-san!"

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Damn. This girl could be even more mysterious than me sometimes. Welp... That's why she's my boss, right?

I shrugged and snapped the burner phone in half before tossing it and flushing it down the toilet. Staying under the radar while protecting a world-famous idol was no easy task. I walked over to my bag and pulled out my laptop, along with the bracelets and metal disk from earlier. As I turned on my laptop, the picture of Otousan, Okaasan, and Nezuko–my little sister–came on screen.

"I'll be home soon, guys... I promise..." I whispered as a sad smile rose on my face.

My fingers reached to touch the smiling faces of my family members. This was the second time in a row I had to celebrate Christmas and New Year away from them. I sighed and got back on my task.

I slipped on the bracelets and picked up the metal disk again. The process on board the Shinkansen repeated itself as I pulled my hands apart and the disk started to spin. Amazing how two little magnets could generate so much spin.

"Alright... Easy does it..."

My hands began to cross the threshold of how far the magnets could exert their force on the disk. As I slowly inched my hands further and further away, the disk spun faster and faster, reaching speed at which it could produce energy.

"Just... A little... Further..."

The disk began to wobble. Shit. I quickly pulled my hands back together and gained control of the disk as it began to slow down. Looks like some modifications needed to be done for it to be fully functional. Would I be able to send it in time to Korea?

As I slipped off my bracelets, I got an alert on my phone from the motion sensor I placed earlier in front of Momo's pavilion's door. Shit. Was she leaving again? I stood up, wore my menpo mask, and rushed to the door, but as soon as I reached it, I heard a knock.

I peeked through the peeping hole. To my surprise, a pair of big round eyes stared back from the other side. I chuckled and glanced at my watch. Eh? It wasn't even thirty minutes since she devoured that jokbal rice, and she was already hungry again? I opened the door and took off my mask.

"Already hungry?" I asked her. Momo giggled and shook her head. "Nope... But I was... Wondering if you wanted to share this with me," she said cutely.

She pulled a bag of chips out from behind her back. I chuckled and stepped aside, allowing her to enter my room. She smiled widely and skipped into my room. I smiled. She looked like a little child.

"What's that thingy?" she asked, pointing to my table. "Electromagnetic energy production. It's nerd shit, Hirai-san, you wouldn't want to hear it," I chuckled.

Momo threw herself on the sofa and pouted at me.

"Come on... Let bygones be bygones, hm?" she said. "But... It's jinjja nerdy," I said, telling the truth. "Aw, come on... Pleaseee~?" she cooed, flashing me an irresistibly cute look.

I laughed and stared at her.

"You sure you wanna hear it?" I asked. She nodded. "Of course! What... Do you think I'm not smart enough to understand?" she challenged me. "It's not that... But I thought you didn't want to hear any of my nerdy shit," I said, deciding to tease her. She cackled. "Someone-san! Let's focus on the present, shall we?" she said generously. "Alright..." I said. That suited me well.

I took off my mask and walked over to my table and lifted the bracelets and the disk.

"So... This is a small weapon project that I'm working on. It's called Project Origin. I'm developing a non-lethal weapon that is strong enough to incapacitate the enemy and can generate its own power. Self-sustainable," I explained.

"Did the IPG assign you to do this?" Momo asked. I nodded.

"Ne. Taeyeon-san and Jieun-san themselves asked me to develop this," I said. "How does it work?" she asked again.

"It uses electromagnets to spin this metal disk here at high speed. Once the disk reaches enough speed, the charge created by the friction will cause electrons to move, generating electricity," I continued explaining.

"I'm just gonna pretend I know what that means," Momo said confidently. I chuckled. "In simple terms: Wheel turns fast, electricity forms," I informed her. "Ah! That makes more sense!" she giggled and blushed. I smiled.

"Theoretically, if my code is right, the disk should spin fast enough to generate the same amount of voltage as a police taser, which is... About 50,000 volts," I said. Her eyes widened. "Woah! That much? Won't that kill someone?" she asked. I shook my head. "No. As I said, non-lethal, but enough to incapacitate a grown man," I said with a smile. "So is it ready to go?" she asked excitedly.

I chuckled and shook my head.

"No. I'm still unable to stabilize the disk for it to create enough energy and produce electricity. Even when I do manage to do that, I still need to harness the energy inside the bracelet to make it easy to use and wearable. To do that, I need to find a way to create a smaller disk that fits into the bracelet without sacrificing the energy," I said.

Momo raised a hand.

"Hang on. So... You're basically creating a gauntlet?" she asked me. I smiled and nodded. "Yeah... You can say that," I said. "Like Thanos' Infinity Gauntlet?" she asked.

I laughed. So she was a Marvel fan too.

"Hmm... Not that bulky. Probably more like Black Widow's..." "Widow's Bite!" she exclaimed. She did know her comic books. I nodded. "Exactly like that," I said, nodding proudly. "Woah..." she uttered. "That's so cool!"

She stared at the bracelets with wide eyes, all the while absentmindedly opening the bag of chips and started chomping on it. I chuckled and sat back down in front of my computer. I stole a glance at her, and she was still staring at the bracelets. Gosh, this girl was adorable... Maybe I should make her her own bracelets?

"The fuck?"

I heard Momo exclaiming in surprise. I looked up and saw her staring at her phone.

"What's up?" "How the hell am I still connected to Kansai Airport WiFi?" she questioned as she turned her phone to show me. I sniggered and reached for the phone. "That would be my phone," I chuckled as I disconnected her from the network. "Wait, what?" "The so-called airport wifi you connected to. That was my phone. Next time, read the terms and conditions before connecting," I said while laughing. "W–What?" she asked confusedly.

I chuckled and looked at her.

"As soon as you connect to a WiFi network, the service provider has all access to your device," I explained. "That's why you need to be careful next time." "B–But... How was I the only one that connected to your network?" she asked. I shook my head. "You weren't. About five thousand other people connected to it, but it's pretty easy to find out who you are, considering you named your device 'Momo's iPhone'," I said, chuckling a little.

She stared at me, and I knew she still didn't get it.

"H–Huh?" she asked. I smiled. "Once I found your phone, my program gained access to your live location at all times," I said, before adding, "That's how I kept finding you."

Momo finally understood. She groaned and shoved a handful of chips into her mouth. She glared at me and pouted jokingly.

"No chips for you!" she sulked. "You finished it anyway," I pointed out. Her eyes widened. "I did?" she gasped, looking at the bag. "Of fuck, I did!"

I laughed. Seriously, she was so cute.

"Sana was smart to get a sly fucker like you to look after me," she said with a mouthful. "Can't disagree with that," I replied, smiling.

I stood up and offered her a bottle of mineral water to wash down the chips. She accepted it gratefully, opened the bottle and started drinking. I returned to my laptop and continued to work.

"How long have you known her for?" she asked, switching to Korean. "I got to know her–and the rest of IPG–through Jieun-ssi actually. So... About... A year and a half? More than that. From August 2026, basically," I said. "I see..." she muttered. "But they've grown a lot nowadays, right? Rosé-ssi, Jisoo-ssi, and Jennie-ssi joined after the YG scandal, and I heard a lot of new members joined recently, including your leader Park Jihyo-ssi and your manager Han Minsoo-ssi," I said. She turned to face me. "Oh? You know them too?" she asked. I shook my head. "I know them, but they don't know me. My work is practically limited to Jieun-ssi's team, the spies. I think Jihyo-ssi will get to know me soon enough," I said.

Momo nodded slowly, putting two and two together in her mind.

"And Sana knows you... Because she's the IPG's... What's the word... Corn salad?" she asked cluelessly. I laughed. "Ya! Consigliere!" I exclaimed through my laughter. "Ah, yes... That!" she said, laughing with me.

Momo and I continued to make small talk and got to know each other better as I worked on Project Origin. As the sun completely set, a loud growl emitted from Momo's stomach.

"That's our cue," I chuckled as I placed the bracelets on the table.

She grinned sheepishly and finished her water.

"I'll go grab my coat," she said, standing up.

I wore my own coat and my mask, before escorting her back to the Takagamine Suite. I waited patiently outside her suite, and a few seconds later she came back out, wearing a long black puffy winter jacket.

"Let's go," she chirped as she shoved her hands into the jacket pockets.

We walked to the main building. As we entered the lobby, I asked her for our destination.

"What do you wanna eat?" I asked her. She frowned to think for a moment. "There's this pretty good burger in Nara... What's it called again?" "Sakura Burger?" I asked. Her eyes widened. "Yes! That's the one! Let's go there!" she exclaimed, pointing at me. "B–But... That's... All the way in Nara! That's... At least an hour away!" I protested. "So? You chased me from Osaka to Kyoto, right? What's your argument?" she challenged me.

I stared at her, blinking a few times, before finally chuckling.

"Okay, valid... We can take my car," I said. She gasped. "Eh? You have a car?" she asked. That's right. She was unconscious earlier. "Of course," I said, smiling underneath my mask. "Do you seriously expect me to take public transport all the time while on the run?" "O–Oh... Yeah. You're right. I didn't think of that. Sorry..." she uttered embarrassedly. "No worries, Hirai-san," I said. "Just call me Momo from now on... Unless... You're younger than me?" "I'm not. We're the same age," I said. "Oh? That's good," she mused.

We walked to the lift lobby and took it down to the car park. I led her to my black and gold Nissan GT-R50, and she whistled as she saw it.

"Woah... Sick ride," she said, tracing her fingers on my car. I chuckled. "Thank you. It's a gift from the IPG as compensation for my troubles," I explained. "Fuck... Maybe I need to start trouble with Park Manse and the Yakuza," she said. "Trust me, you don't," I said.

She giggled and entered the car with me. I keyed in the address to the restaurant in Nara on my GPS system, and started my car. It roared to life, and we zoomed out of the parking lot. We drove silently for a few minutes, before Momo lifted her phone and looked at me.

"Mind if I play some music?" Momo asked. "Go right ahead," I said.

I helped her connect her phone to the car's audio system, and Crossing Field started playing. I chuckled. Sometimes I forget that she's a Japanese girl.

"LiSA. Great choice," I smiled. She laughed. "You listen to her too?" she asked me. I nodded. "Of course! We're in Japan, Momo! It'd be a crime if I didn't!" I joked. Momo laughed louder and looked back at the road ahead.

The 1 hour and 15 minutes drive didn't feel long. Maybe it was the beautiful Kyoto scenery, maybe it was the head banging song by LiSA, or maybe it was her company. Before we knew it, we had reached our destination.

I parked my car in a nearby parking lot and we hopped out of it, walking towards the restaurant. To no one's surprise, there was a short queue snaking out of the place.

"Mind waiting?" I asked her. She shook her head. "It'll be worth it," she said with a smile.

We joined the queue and waited in line with the others. As we waited, I felt a few glances being thrown at Momo's direction, so I took out a surgical mask from my pocket and handed it to her.

"You might want to wear this. People are looking at you," I whispered.

She nodded and gratefully accepted the mask, before putting it on before anyone else could notice. At that moment, a young girl approached us.

"U-Uh... Sumimasen... Are you... B–By any chance... Hirai Momo?" she asked.

Momo waved and shook her head.

"No, no. I'm not. I just look like her," she said. The girls' face dropped and she nodded her head in disappointment. "Ah... I see... S–Sorry for bothering you," she muttered before walking off.

I turned to see guilt in Momo's eyes.

"That felt bad..." she said as she stared at the girl's back. "It was for your own privacy, though..." I tried to comfort her.

Momo continued to watch the girl walk back towards her parents. She grew silent, and I sensed her thinking. Suddenly, she leaned in towards me.

"Someone-san... Do you have paper and pen?" she asked.

I nodded and pulled out the playing card sign from earlier. I pressed a button, and it folded into the size of an A4 paper. I took out a pen from my pocket and handed it to her. She nodded.

"Thanks. Be back in a flash!" she said.

She ran towards the girl, tapping her shoulder gently after reaching her. The girl turned, and Momo crouched to match her eye level, before pulling her mask down. I watched as the girls' eyes widened and she let out an excited gasp.

Momo placed a finger on her lips, before saying something to her. The girl turned around and presented her back to Momo, and she placed the sign on her small body and quickly scribbled her autograph on it. She capped the pen back and pocketed it, before giving the sign to the girl, who jumped for joy.

The girl's dad took out his phone and snapped a picture of his daughter and Momo, and the idol waved goodbye to the girl and her parents before putting her mask back on and ran back to join me.

"Hope... You don't mind losing the sign," she said as she stood back by my side. "It's alright. That's... That was very nice of you," I mused. She giggled. "She's a Once. Turns out I'm her bias. Can't really leave her hanging like that," she smirked.

I chuckled and shook my head. This girl was a lot kinder than I thought. The line slowly began to shorten, and soon, we reached the restaurant's entrance. A waitress greeted us.

"Konbanwa! Welcome to the Sakura Burger! Are you eating here or to-go?" she asked. "Table for two, please," I said. She checked her flipboard and nodded. "Alright! We have one table available. Before we go in, may I ask if you two are a couple? There's a special New Year promotion for couples today!" the waitress chirped professionally.

I was about to open my mouth and say no, but Momo suddenly laced her hand with mine and nodded.

"Yes we are!" she said confidently.

She turned to look at me with those big, beautiful eyes, and I saw the cheekiness behind them. I blushed and decided to play along.

"Excellent! Right this way, please!" The waitress said, leading us into the restaurant.

I expected Momo to let go of my hand at this point, but to my surprise, she kept my hand firmly locked in her grap and pulled me inside.

"Just play along," she whispered, squeezing my hand.

I could feel heat rushing to my face as we walked inside. The waitress led us to a booth at the far end of the restaurant, just under the stairs. She turned and smiled.

"Here we are!" she said, placing two menu books on the table. "Do let me know if you're ready to order!" "Hai! Arigato gozaimasu!" said Momo cheerfully.

We slid into the booth opposite each other and opened the menu. I tried hiding my face behind the book, but I heard Momo chuckling. I looked up, and saw that she was staring at the menu book with a big grin on her face.

"Your face is all red," she giggled. "It–It's... Kinda stuffy," I countered. "Bitch, please. It's literally snowing outside, and it's still kinda cold in here. Don't try to weasel yourself out of this!" she teased.

Fuck. I just couldn't win, could I?

"Jeez... You're a fucking tomato," she commented as she looked up from the menu. "W–What are you ordering?" I asked her, trying to change the subject. "That's a trick question, right? Of course I'm getting the sakura burger!" Momo retorted. "A–Ah yes. I–I'm dumb. Sorry," I replied. She merely chuckled.

At that moment, the waitress came back with a tablet on her hand.

"Ready to order?" she asked. "Yes! Two sakura burgers, please!" Momo smiled. "Perfect! Just to let you know, the New Year's Couples Promotion comes with two free drinks and free desserts for every purchase of two sakura burgers," she announced. "That's great!" Momo exclaimed, before asking. "Hey, what drink?" "Soft drinks, but you can upgrade to sake or beer with a little ext–" "We'll get the sake!" interjected Momo excitedly.

I saw her eyes light up at the mention of alcohol. I chuckled to myself.

"Alright! Please wait while your order is being prepared!" the waitress bowed and left us. "Who knew dating someone could come with so many benefits?" Momo chuckled.

Momo took off her mask, but I elected to keep mine on all the way until our food arrived.

"Only in Japan," I joked as I leaned back on my seat. "That's true. Nowhere in Korea will award you for being a couple," she added. "Especially if you're an idol," I mused. She nodded. "Hell, the only benefit you get is a fucking large swarm of journalists and papparazzis, not to mention a Dispatch article in the morning!" Momo cursed.

We laughed together, but I felt sorry for her. She–and countless other idols like her–practically had no private life after becoming an idol. This week was her chance to escape her reality for a while, much like myself. We weren't that different after all. Speaking of... How had the IPG handled the Yeoni-Irene article today? I should ask Sana later tonight, or maybe tomorrow.

After a short wait, our food arrived. Momo's eyes gleamed as the burgers were set down in front of us. They did look good.

"Enjoy your meal! I'll be back with the sake shortly!" the waitress beamed as she walked away. "Woah! These look really good!" Momo uttered as she lifted the burger. I laughed and pulled my mask off. "They taste as good as they look. Go ahead, dig in!" I gestured.

Momo happily took a bite out of her burger and practically moaned as she chewed her food, sending chills up my spine. The waitress came back with a bottle of sake and two cups. She set it down in front of us and showed us the label.

"This is our sake brand for today," she said, before pouring some of the clear liquid into our cups.

I took a sip out of it and nodded my head, signaling my approval of the beverage. The waitress nodded back and placed the bottle in an ice bucket before walking off. Momo picked up the cup and downed the entire thing in one go.

"Jesus, Momo! Calm down! This stuff's pretty strong!" I warned her as she slammed the glass back down on the table. She smirked. "Is that a challenge?" she grinned. Gosh, this girl was wild! "No. It was a warning. We don't want Dispatch releasing another headline tomorrow back in Korea saying 'Hirai Momo drunk in Kyoto', do we?" I said.

Momo sighed and nodded her head in defeat, taking another bite of her burger.

"You're right... Everywhere I go... I need to watch my behaviour," she uttered while chewing her food, picking up the sake bottle and pouring herself another shot.

I ate in silence, trying not to say anything that would land me on her bad side. After a moment of silent eating together, she looked up at me. I met her gaze, and found that she was smiling pitifully.

"I guess we're similar, huh?" she mused. "Hm?" I asked. "We both just wanted to be left alone. Me from the public, and–to some extent–my members, and you... From Park Manse and the Yakuza," she said. "I guess so," I uttered, taking another bite.

We chewed in silence again, staring out the window, watching the snow-covered streets of Nara.

"Have you ever been in a relationship, Someone-san?" Momo suddenly asked. I shook my head. "No. Never really had one," I replied truthfully. "Ah..." she uttered. "You're in one now, right?" I asked her.

I heard she was in an on-again-off-again relationship with Super Junior's Heechul. Momo sighed and shrugged.

"I... Honestly, I don't even know what to call it at this point," she said, her lips forming a sorrowful smile. "I'm still trying to figure out my feelings."

I nodded to express my sympathy. Relationships could be complicated. Momo sighed again, before smiling wider at me.

"I'm just lucky I have people like Sana to help me get through this," she said sincerely. I nodded. "Yeah... Sana might be playful and flirty, but... She's a natural born leader, if I'm being completely honest," I said. She chuckled and nodded. "I guessed so," she said, but I knew she didn't understand me completely.

"I mean it in the most literal way, Momo. For the period of time I was there, there was a lot of talk among the IPG members and associates about how Sana would be a better leader of the IPG than Suzy," I told her. Her eyes widened.

"Jinja?" she asked in surprise. I nodded. "Yes. And honestly, I agreed. I still agree. Suzy-san is a great leader–don't get me wrong–but... She's motivated by the wrong thing," I said. Momo searched my eyes. "What is it?" "Grudge." "Grudge?" "Yes. Grudge against Park Manse. She was his first victim, remember?" I said.

Momo nodded, staring at me seriously.

"She's calm most times, but once she's angry or frustrated, then... She might turn into a... Monster. I'm not saying that she's wrong. Of course she deserves to hold a grudge against her abuser. But... The longer you let something rotten like that motivate you, the more it'll eat you from the inside. I feel... I feel Suzy-san has let her bitterness eat her from the inside. Sometimes, it's stressful to work with her, and I'm not even working directly under her. I can only imagine how Sana must be feeling, being her second in command."

I paused to take a bite out of my burger. I chewed it quickly and swallowed it, before continuing.

"Sana, on the other hand... She has to be one of the purest-hearted people I've met. Even though she was abused–much like Suzy–she never lets that bitterness motivate her," I continued. "What do you think motivates her?" Momo asked.

I stared at her and smiled as I felt warmth filling my heart.

"Love," I said, smiling wider. "Pure love. It's the strongest thing in the world."

A smile rose on Momo's face, and I knew she understood me.

"Love for her fellow idols, love for her members, love for her unnies. And if that wasn't strong enough... As a cherry on top, she has the love of her amazing girlfriend," I said as I stared thoughtfully at my cup.

"When you're motivated by love... It shows, Momo... It shows..." I mused.

I smiled as I let my mind drift off to my family. I guessed... I hoped... It was love too that motivated me to be on the run. Love for my family. Yeah. That had to be it. I shook my head and took a deep breath, before looking up at Momo with a smile.

"Hey, but... That's just my personal opinion. We're all loyal to Suzy-san, the IPG, and her cause. I'm not trying to start a coup d'etat in the IPG or anything..." I chuckled.

I took a sip of the sake. Momo giggled and finished up the rest of her burger.

"No worries, my lips are sealed," she chirped as she wiped her mouth. "Now hurry up and finish that burger. I want dessert!"

I laughed and followed her instructions, wolfing down the delicious burger in a matter of seconds. We called one of the waiters and he came to clear our plates as we told him that we were ready for desserts. A few minutes later, the waitress from earlier came back and set two slices of cake on the table.

"Matcha cheesecake. Tanoshinde kudasai!" she chirped before walking off.

As usual, Momo was the first to dig in. I couldn't stop a chuckle leaving my mouth and she glared at me, but I shook my head and she let it slide, smiling contentedly.

"Jesus... Everything here is so good!" she squealed happily. I put a spoonful of cake in my mouth, and she was right. It was heavenly. "That explains the queue," I said. She nodded and chuckled.

We continued eating for a while, before finally Momo came up with another question.

"So, is... Someone-san your only codename?" she asked. I chuckled. "I have way too many. Cypher, Info-chan, Kokushibou, SK-ssi... But I think my two official names in the IPG are Someone-san and Ganshik-nim," I said.

Momo snorted as she tried to stifle her laugh.

"What's so funny?" I asked her, feeling a little hurt. She shook her head. "Nothing... It–It's just... Ganshik-nim strays so fucking far away from the coolness of the other names," she giggled. I chuckled. "Well... What can I say? Having a whack ass name helps to throw the Yakuza off my trails," I said. "They'd better get thrown off with something as stupid as that!" she joked.

I chuckled. Ganshik-nim was kinda stupid to be honest.

"Who gave you that name in the first place?" she asked, still grinning wide. "It was either Ji-eun-ssi or Sana... I think Ji-eun," I said. She stifled a laugh. "I think so too. Sana doesn't have the brain cells to create such a stupidly covert name," she said. "Ya... Don't underestimate her! She's done many things to prove that her brain is massive!" I defended my boss.

Momo giggled and nodded as she cut a slice of cake with her fork.

"That's not the only thing about her that's massive..." she uttered as she stared at her cake.

I caught on to her meaning and we both blushed.

"F–Fuck. That was out of context, sorry," she muttered as she sent the matcha cheesecake into her mouth. "I–I–It happens..." I stammered, suddenly finding the table incredibly enticing. Momo giggled. "To be fair... She does have an incredible ass... And pretty big tits as well," Momo mused. This only made me blush redder. "W–What?"

Momo giggled.

"I mean... Her body is fucking perfect. Her cake is not as big as Tzuyu's or Mina's, and her tits are not as big as Jihyo's or mine... But I'd say she's just right behind me," she said as she gestured to her large chest.

My eyes inevitably fell upon her voluptuous mounds that were incredibly noticeable through the tight long sleeved shirt she was wearing. I gulped. Damn. She was big.

"Ya! Eyes up here!" Momo suddenly said, snapping her fingers.

I immediately lifted my gaze to meet her eyes and forced myself not to look anywhere below her neck. She giggled. Hang on. Did she only tease me?

"That's better..." she said, finishing her cake.

I hurriedly finished mine as well before getting the bill. After paying, we walked out of the restaurant with a full belly. We walked back to the car and started driving back to Kyoto, talking and joking along the way. As we entered the ancient city, I turned to look at Momo.

"Straight back to AMAN?" I asked. Momo thought for a moment. "Actually... Can we take a walk at the Kamo River?" she asked. I laughed. "At the river? Or by the river?" I teased her. She slapped my arm. "Ya! You know what I meant!" she said. I chuckled and nodded. "Sure, sure... Let's go..." I said with a smile.

Kamo River was incredibly gorgeous at this time of year. With warm lights from the surrounding buildings, a walk there would be lovely. I turned my car and drove to the famed river, and we reached there shortly.

I parked my car by the riverbank, and Momo practically jumped out of the car, running towards the river. I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt and chased after her, chuckling as I did so. I managed to catch up to her as she stood in the middle of the walkway by the river.

"Sugoi..." she whispered as she looked at the snow covered trees lining by the river.

The view was indeed breathtaking. Both the river and the surrounding scenery, and... The woman I was sharing the view with. I smiled. To think that she was avoiding me the entire day today. I found myself staring at her, but this time, I didn't stop. A smile rose behind my mask. Momo was indeed beautiful.

"Beautiful isn't it," I mused, shoving my hands inside my pockets. "Very. This place hasn't changed one bit..." she said, smiling widely.

Momo suddenly turned and faced me, and with one swift movement, she fit her hand inside my pocket and laced her fingers with mine.

"M–Mo–Momo?" I stuttered. She giggled. "Let's walk together," she whispered. "We're supposed to be a couple, right?"

She took my hand out of the pocket and started walking forward, towing me with her. Our interlocked hands began to swing back and forth as we walked down the river, and I felt my face going full red behind my menpo mask.

Was this really happening? Sana did warn me that she could be a little rash when she gets comfortable, but I was not expecting this. Momo half-dragged me as we walked, and she stopped and turned to smile at me.

"Why so shy?" she teased as she looked at me. "W–Well... I–I'm... N–Not used to... T–This," I stammered, struggling to think straight. It was as if every cell in my body was just focusing on Momo's warm hand in mine.

Momo smiled kindly. Shit. She was absolutely gorgeous.

"Then you better get used to it quickly, cause this is going to happen around me a lot more~" she teased in a sing-songy tone.

I gulped silently as I stared into her round eyes. Why was she making me feel this way? I'd escorted other idols in Japan before: Sana, IU, Taeyeon, Sandara and even Wendy... But my time with Momo just felt... So different.

"O–Okay, t–then..." I replied slowly. She laughed and gave my hand a squeeze. "Just relax. It's not like I'm gonna eat you or anything," she joked.

I forced a nervous smile and forced my muscles to stop tensing up. Slowly but surely, as we continued to walk, my embarrassment began to fade and my mind started to clear up. A smile spread across my face behind my mask as I began to match Momo's stride, making us walk side by side. She noticed this and flashed me her adorable smile, and I finally released the last bits of my tension from earlier and allowed myself this rare moment of relaxation.

"That's better," she whispered, before suddenly pulling me forward yet again.

I exclaimed in excitement as the sudden tug at my hand shocked me. Momo giggled and continued to pull me forward, looking back at me every so often. We pretty much ran together, until finally we came to a stop and placed our hands on our knees, panting and gasping for breath while laughing like little children.

"T–That was... Fun," she panted. "I–It was!" I said, chuckling.

I smiled and pressed a button on my menpo mask, releasing an oxygen burst. I took deep breaths before offering the mask to her. She accepted it gratefully and wore it, taking deep breaths of the refreshing oxygen burst.

As I stared at her, I felt my heart fluttering. What was this feeling? It only intensified as we continued to stare into each other's eyes, giggling every now and then.

That was when it hit me.

I had just fallen in love with this girl.

"Hey, you good?" Momo asked as she took off her mask. I shook myself out of my realization and nodded. "Y–Yeah, I'm fine," I said, putting the mask back on.

Momo laughed and took my hand yet again.

"That's great, because... We still gotta run back!"

She cackled and dragged me back the way we came. My hand automatically grabbed Momo's hand tightly as we made our way back. As I ran behind her, clutching her cold hand and laughing with her, nothing but happiness coursed through my veins. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind.

"Ready to go, girls?" he asked, walking up next to his girlfriend. "Ready!" all three of us exclaimed in unison.

It was the first morning of the new year, and I was flying back to Kyoto to go see my family. In reality, I was literally only seeing my family for a day before spending the rest of my time there alone. I needed some time to reflect on my emotions and actions, especially after that incident in SM Headquarters a few days ago.

"Alright, let's get to the van!" Minsoo said.

He helped to take my other luggage as Jihyo grabbed his arm. He put on his shoes and walked out of the Twice apartment. All the other girls were already away with their families or loved ones. Dahyun left earlier today to go visit her family in Seongnam, Chaeyoung went back to her home in Jamsil with Yori, and Jeongyeon left the earliest with the first bus today to Suwon to rest and recuperate with her family there.

The rest of them... Mina spent last night at home with Ansel, and most likely she was getting fucked by Ansel to kingdom come. Shit. Would she be able to walk after this week? Tzuyu–and much to my disappointment–Nayeon were at the hospital, looking after Nam Chuyoung.

That left Sana, Jihyo, and Minsoo to send me to the airport. Sana was already busy with her IPG stuff when I woke up today, considering that bombshell article about Yeoni and Irene's affair published by Dispatch in the morning. I told her to just go meet with her IPG guys to take care of this problem, but she insisted on sending me to the airport together with Jihyo and Minsoo, and eventually I relented.

We piled into the TWD van as Minsoo started it up, making the engine roar to life. He pulled out of our car park and exited the complex, driving us to Incheon International Airport. I looked out the window as we drove through the quiet new year's morning traffic and let my mind wander. I guessed we needed some time apart from each other after the whole contract situation last year. At least we had all signed our contract extension with JYPE. That settled it.

"Excited to see Otosan and Okaasan again?" Sana asked in Japanese. "Very. It's been way too long since I last saw them," I replied in my mother tongue. "It's been almost 3 years, right?" Jihyo asked in Japanese as well. I nodded. "Hai. Jeez... I think they'll be excited," I replied, smiling. "G–Girls... I–Is it okay if you guys... Don't speak Japanese when I'm around?" Minsoo suddenly said sheepishly.

I looked at him and smirked.

"Why not? Afraid that we're talking shit about you?" I asked him challengingly. "Or are you scared that Jihyo's talking about just how good you are in bed~?" Sana teased. "Ya! Sana-unnie!" Jihyo scolded her, her face going full red. "I–I... U–Um..." Minsoo stammered, struggling to formulate an answer.

Sana and I giggled.

"Relax, Manager-nim... We're just joking!" Sana said, grinning wide. "But... Jihyo does say..." "Shut up, Momoring!" Jihyo exclaimed, going even redder.

I giggled and stared back out the window, watching the fleet of cars passing us in a blur as we entered the freeway. A few minutes passed in silence, before I turned back to my friends in the car.

"What are you guys gonna do this week?" I asked them. "I... Gotta take care of this bullshit article Dispatch published..." sighed Sana, busy typing stuff in her phone, "But... Beyond that, I think I'll do most of the moving to my new apartment with Jeongie." "What about you two?" I asked the couple at the front. "We're still looking for an apartment," Jihyo sighed. "Didn't you guys look for one after Sana's birthday?" I asked. Minsoo sighed. "Y–Yeah... We liked this one apartment in Mapo-gu..." he started. "But the salesperson was... Ah, nevermind," she decided against telling me.

Minsoo chuckled and took a hand off the steering wheel, squeezing Jihyo's hand.

"Don't worry, Jihyo. I know we'll find a place soon," he smiled. Jihyo smiled and nodded cutely.

Shit. What a way to make me feel lonely. Sure, I was still in an on again-off again relationship with Heechul-Oppa, but I felt like that love between us had died when we first 'broke up' back in July 2021.

Come to think of it, I was the only Twice member who was single. Jihyo got Minsoo, Mina was with Ansel, Chaeyoung with Yori. I knew Nayeon and Tzuyu still shared some feelings for each other, even though Tzuyu was head over heels for Chuyoung now. Dahyun was practically Jeongyeon and Sana's faithful eternal third wheel. Speaking of that sweet couple, I won't be surprised if Jeongyeon proposed to Sana soon. They were destined to be together.

I suddenly felt Sana's hand squeezing mine, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked at her, and found her smiling that cute smile of hers.

"You'll find one for you soon, Momoring," she whispered. I felt my face blushing, but I nodded. "Thanks, Sha..." I replied with a small smile.

Sana smiled wider and nodded, and I chuckled. Above all her clumsiness and flirtiness, Sana was one of the kindest people I knew. She could read the room very quickly, and she would understand your feelings even without you saying it out loud. I was lucky to have her as my friend.

"Oh! Hold on... I gotta make a call," she suddenly said.

She took her hand off me and swiftly whipped out her phone, dialing a number. I thought she was doing her IPG business, so I looked away, but then I heard her speaking in Japanese. I turned to look at her quizzically, but she was speaking so fast in a hushed tone while covering her mouth, making it impossible for me to make out the rapid Japanese she was spewing.

"Arigatou gozaimasu!" she exclaimed before hanging up. "Who was that?" I asked her as she placed her phone back in her purse. "You'll see..." she giggled.

Fuck her and her mysterious ass!

Eventually, we reached Incheon Airport. As Minsoo pulled the van in front of the departure terminal and stopped there, Sana leaned forward to speak with Jihyo and Minsoo.

"I'll follow her down. You guys can stay in the car. I'll call you when I'm done," Sana said, wearing her face mask.

That was smart. Less people would notice that we were Twice, and less chance of getting swarmed by paparazzi and fans. Jihyo and Minsoo nodded, understanding the same thing.

"Alright, then. Bye, Momoring! Safe flight!" Minsoo said with a big smile. "Be safe in Japan too!" Jihyo added. "We'll see you next week!" "I will. Bye, guys! Make sure to stay hydrated!" I winked before getting out of the van with Sana.

As I slid the door shut, I saw Minsoo blushing deep red as he catched on to my meaning. I popped the trunk and grabbed my pink luggages, before shutting it and following Sana to the check-in area.

We hid our faces with our caps and hoodies as we walked towards the check-in counters. Sana decided to hang back to not draw attention to us, so I approached one counter and handed my passport to the lady there, before placing my check in baggage on the conveyor belt. As she opened my passport and checked my identity, her eyes widened. Oh shit.

"Please keep quiet..." I pleaded with a hushed voice. She nodded rapidly. "I–I... I will.. But... Can I have an autograph?" she whispered.

If that was the way to keep her lips sealed, so be it. I nodded. She pulled a piece of paper and handed it to me. I grabbed the pen off the counter and signed her paper, before returning it back to her. She squealed excitedly before folding it into quarters and stuffing it into her pocket.

"K–Kamsahamnida, Momo-ssi. It's my daughter's birthday today, and... And this will make a great birthday present! She's a Once!" she said quietly. "Oh? Why didn't you tell me earlier! In that case I should write her a birthday message! What's her name?" I asked her.

She told me the name and handed me back the paper. I wrote a quick 'Happy Birthday' with her name on it and returned it back to her. She finished checking me in and returned my passport with my boarding pass inside it.

"Send my regards to your daughter," I told her. "I will! Thank you, Momo-ssi... And have a pleasant flight!" she said.

I thanked her and waved at her, before walking back to Sana.

"That took some time," she uttered. "A mini fan-sign event right there," I explained. "Aah..." she whispered.

We walked arm in arm towards the entrance of the Departure Hall. As we reached the gate, Sana pulled me into a hug. I chuckled and hugged her back.

"Be safe, Momoring... We've got our new year's performance when you come back," she said. "Thanks, Sha... Good luck with that Dispatch thing today," I said. She nodded. "We'll handle it. And also.. Don't let the things that happened at SM's HQ haunt you, okay?" she said.

I smiled and nodded, but her words reminded me of the guilt I had hidden in my heart. Had I not insisted on signing with SM in a bid to try to save whatever's left of my relationship with Heechul, nothing would have happened. Jeongyeon would not have been shot, Chuyoung wouldn't be in a coma.

"Momoring..."

Sana's words woke me up from my thoughts again. I lifted my eyes and saw her staring at me kindly.

"It's not your fault..." she said kindly. Her words stunned me. "E–Eh? How did you..." "Momoring, you've been my best friends for literally sixteen years. You can't hide anything from me," she giggled as she pulled away.

I stared at her, and she continued giggling.

"I know the real reason for this trip is for you to spend time alone, away from us, so you can figure things out with yourself. That's a good thing! That being said, I'll always have an eye on you, so don't worry about your safety!" she smiled.

My eyes widened.

"Ya! Did you plant some IPG shit in my clothes or something?" I asked as I pat myself down. She laughed. "Sort of..." she said tentatively. "Sana, if you're being mysterious with me again one more fucking time, I swear to God..." "Love you too! Now go! Don't wanna be late, do we?" she pushed me towards the gate.

I glared at that laughing cute girl one more time. I sighed and chuckled and started walking through the gate, but as soon as I entered, suddenly she screamed at me.

"GET SO SHY IT'S OBVIOUS!" she yelled in a sing-songy tone, quoting our song 'The Feels'.

What the fuck? Ah... Fuck it. She was just being crazy again. I laughed and waved at her before turning my back and headed in.

I found my boarding gate and walked inside, passing the security screenings. I headed into the waiting area and waited for my boarding class to be called. I walked past a few families with babies. I sighed. Luckily I always fly Business Class. It wasn't for show or pomp. It was for me to get away from the screaming babies. I sat down in one of the chairs and zoned out as I watched various planes taking off and coming down from the runway.

'Now boarding... Japan Airlines JL 5210. Business Class passengers seats A to G'.

That was my cue. I wheeled my cabin baggage and headed towards the gate. I scanned my boarding pass and headed down to the jet bridge, before entering the plane. The flight crew welcomed me warmly and showed me my seat.

I stored my baggage in the overhead compartment and helped an older gentleman put his, before settling down in the comfy seat and resting my back on it. I whipped out my phone and texted the Twice group chat, telling them that I was on the plane and ready to go. Sana, Jihyo, Minsoo, Chaeyoung, Dahyun, Jeongyeon, and Mina replied, and eventually I smiled as I saw Nayeon replied too, wishing me a safe flight. I set my phone on airplane mode, took out my airpods, placed them in my ears, and closed my eyes.

"Hot towel for you, Miss Hirai?" a stewardess offered.

I accepted the steaming hot small towel gratefully and used it to wipe my face. The flight from Seoul to Kansai International Airport in Osaka would take 1 hour and 40 minutes, and it was enough for me to catch up on some sleep.

'Crossing Fields' by LiSA–the Japanese singer, not the Blackpink member–blasted through my airpods as I closed my eyes again. Japan, here I come.

* * *

"Kuso..."

I looked at the exposed wiring of my menpo mask. Fuck. The Yakuza did not play around. I was lucky that the bullet hit my mask instead of my head.

"Another one bites the dust..." I sighed as I threw the mask into a pile of other broken masks.

I walked over to my cabinet and opened it up, before grabbing an identical menpo mask and bringing it over to my laptop. After a little fumbling, I located the hidden USB flap and plugged my mask into the laptop.

I typed my code on the keyboard, and soon the LEDs in the mask began to blink as the loading bar on my screen slowly started filling up, uploading my code into it. It only took less than three seconds for the upload to finish. I took the mask into my own hands and sighed.

"Test run..." I mumbled.

I hit the buttons on the side of the mask. I smiled. Everything was working fine. Perfect. At that moment, my phone rang. I checked the caller ID before picking it up.

"Moshi moshi." "She's on the plane now. Should be departing soon."

I glanced at my watch. Shit. I needed to leave now.

"Alright. Thanks for letting me know." "No problem. Hey, be careful with her. Momo tends to be a little bit slippery at times, so do whatever you can to keep her within your sights." "I will." "Good. You still remember what to write on the sign?" "Hai." "Excellent. And... Someone-san?" "Yes?" "Take good care of her. Please keep her safe." "Will do, Minatozaki-san."

I smiled before hanging up. I quickly gathered my things and headed out of my apartment.

* * * A familiar sight of the curve structures of Kansai International Airport greeted me as I walked out of the plane. This place hasn't changed one bit.

I loved it.

I passed the immigration and walked over to the baggage claim area, waiting patiently by the conveyor belt for my luggage to appear. Soon enough, my incredibly obvious hot pink luggage slid its way onto the moving track.

I walked closer to it and lifted it off the track, before extending the handle and wheeled it beside me as I walked out to the Arrival Hall. Now comes the most exciting part: Transportation. Should I take a taxi? Or maybe the train... Or I could...

My thoughts came to a screeching halt as my eyes fell on a sign that was being held by a man about my age.

MOMORING(GET SO SHY IT'S OBVIOUS)

"Fuck you, Sha..." I grumbled.

She had sent someone to chaperone me. The man caught sight of me and waved to me. I ignored him, acting like I hadn't seen him, and walked right past him, heading towards the door.

"Hirai-san!" he called.

Take the fucking hint you dumbass!

"Hirai-san!"

I groaned and turned around to see the man with the sign running towards me.

"Ohayo-gozaimasu! I've been sent my Minatozaki Sana on behalf of the IPG," he panted as he extended a hand. "Sana sent me to take care of you."

What am I? A ten year old?

"Well, you can tell her to go fuck herself... You know what? I'll do it myself!" I grunted.

I took off my phone and connected to the Kansai Airport WiFi. I quickly accepted the terms and conditions without reading it, and as soon as I got connected, I called that girl.

"Momoring! You've arriv–" "Fuck you, Sha!" "Woah, woah, woah... What's up with the hostility?" "You sent someone to fucking chaperone me? Sana, I'm not 10!" "Aaah... So you've met Someone-san!" "Someone-san? What fucking name was that?" "It's the name he asked the IPG to call him. Anyways, you two have fun, okay? I gotta go to this IPG meeting" "FUN? Wha–Wait! Sha!" "Annyeong~"

Beep beep beep

"KUSO!" I cursed angrily as I shoved my phone back to my pocket. "I–Is everything okay, Hirai-san?" he asked. I glared at him. "Shut the fuck up! You just single handedly ruined my entire fucking day!" I yelled at him as I lifted a hand to stop him from saying anything else.

He jittered uncomfortably, looking unsure of what to say, but then he nodded.

"I–I... I'll arrange for transport. Please wait here," he said.

He pressed something on the sign he was holding and my eyes widened as I saw it folded itself down to the size of a playing card. He pocketed it and walked away, leaving me alone.

Huge mistake.

"Like hell I'll wait for you. I'm an adult. I can take care of myself, thank you very much!" I uttered silently.

I rushed to the taxi stand and half-ran to one of the taxis in line. The driver saw me, popped the trunk, and I placed my luggages inside before sliding into the back seat.

"Where to?" he asked. "Shinkansen station, please," I said with a smile.

He nodded and we drove off, getting further and further away from the airport. I chuckled.

Sorry to spoil your plan, Sha, but I don't think I'll be seeing Someone-san anytime soon.

* * *

I came back, and sure enough, Momo was gone.

"She did say she was slippery," I mused under my breath.

I pulled out my phone and checked the screen. The blinking red dot continued to move towards the direction of the Shinkansen station. I guessed I'd be catching her there. I sighed and shook my head.

"I don't get paid enough for this shit..." I grumbled as I put on my menpo mask and dashed away.

* * *

I thanked the kind taxi driver one more time before grabbing my luggage and heading towards the station. I got myself a ticket to Kyoto before walking over to the bento store to get myself a box. It was just about time for lunch, and as usual, I was starving.

I felt my mouth watering as I looked at the delicious arrays of bentos for me to feast upon. My mind was undecided over what to pick as my eyes darted between the selections, when suddenly I heard someone calling me.

"Hirai-san." "EEK!!!"

I screamed in shock and turned around. A man in black menpo mask stood right behind me, his eyes staring intently at me.

"Did you seriously just run away like that?"

He removed the wooden mask, revealing a familiar face from the airport: Someone-san. How the fuck did he find me?

"How the hell–?" "I have my ways, Hirai-san," he said, putting his menpo mask back on.

He stepped next to me and started looking at the bento display. Damn it! I should have known that Sana would have gotten someone so qualified.

"Getting bento, I see..." he quipped. "No shit, Sherlock!" I snapped.

He fell silent, staring at the bento display again. In my heart, I grumbled.

I came here to be alone, not to get fucking chaperoned. No way in hell was I going to stick around this guy! I decided to ignore him and made my order, but he followed my lead and ordered his. I started to think of ways to escape from him. I knew I couldn't lose him on the train, so I'd have to escape when we reached Kyoto.

The seller lady handed us our bento, and I walked quickly towards the lift that would take me up to the platform level. He followed me closely, too closely for my liking. We reached the platform, and we walked to the one that would take us to our train.

"Amazing how small magnets can make a train travel at 240-320 kilometers per hour. Do you know that–" "Shut up! I don't want to hear your nerdy shit," I shot at him, and he did so.

I silently pleaded for the train to arrive faster, but knowing Japan, everything here was so precise. Shit. I stole a glance at Someone-san, and he was staring at the train tracks silently, the only sound coming from him was his breathing underneath his mask.

Thankfully, the train arrived soon, and we boarded our carriage. I was shocked to see him sitting right next to me. How did he manage to get the ticket? How did he know that I would sit in this particular seat? Fuck him. Fuck Sana. Fuck the IPG! I had to put up with his shit all over again!

I sighed and settled down silently next to him. I opened my bento, and he did the same. He took off his mask and cracked his chopsticks apart. I heard him muttering a quick prayer, before digging into his food. He ate slowly, savouring every bite.

As the Shinkansen started moving silently, I couldn't help but to examine Someone-san's features. He was pretty well built, not too skinny nor too buff. He had a set of kind, black eyes and jet black hair that went well together with his full black outfit. Shit. If he wasn't such a pain in the ass... I would say that he was cute.

My eyes wandered over to the wooden mask on his folding table. I studied it closely, looking at the high detail of the mask that dated back all the way to... What was it... Edo period?

"It's a family heirloom," he said suddenly. "I didn't ask," I scoffed, getting back to my food.

He nodded and we continued eating in silence. As I finished my bento, I looked around and saw that the train was relatively crowded, which was perfect for my escape plan. I cleaned up my empty bento box and put it back in the plastic bag, before absentmindedly looking out the window as I watched Osaka's skyline slowly faded away, replaced by green patches of rice paddies and nothingness.

Hummmm

I turned to my right to see the source of that humming sound. Someone-san had produced a laptop and a circular metal disk. On his hands are two bracelets with open wirings that were hooked up to his laptop. He typed a few things on his laptop before hitting enter and gingerly picked up the metal disk, placing it in between his palms horizontally.

Then, he jerked his right wrist a little, causing the humming noise from earlier to be heard again. Slowly, carefully, he pulled his palms away from each other. My eyes widened as the disk began to float in between his palms. What... Was he a magician?

Taking a deep breath, Someone-san carefully turned his hands vertically. As he pulled his hands further and further away from each other, the disk began to spin in place and gained speed. Suddenly, the disk started wobbling, and Someone-san quickly brought his hands back over each other, stabling the disk and stopping it from spinning.

"That was close..." he muttered as he powered down his bracelets.

The disk fell back into his hands with a soft thump, and he stored it. He sighed and leaned back against his seat. He caught me staring, and he opened his mouth to say something, but closed it a few seconds later before making out any syllables.

Good. He's learning.

I smiled smugly and returned my gaze back outside the window as I felt the train slowing down. It was now or never. I silently stood up and took my luggage as Someone-san stayed glued to the screen of his laptop. The train slowed further down, and more passengers got up. Brilliant.

Before the train made a complete stop, I squeezed myself into the crowd, letting it push me towards the door. The door slid open, and I slipped out, together with the sea of people.

"Hirai-san? Hirai-san!" I heard him yelling.

I chuckled. I was already too far gone, rushing down the stairs and directly towards the taxi stand. I hopped onto the nearest one.

"AMAN Kyoto, please!" I said as soon as I got into the cab.

From the rearview mirror, I saw that the driver's eyes widened hearing this, but he nodded silently and started driving. I chuckled. AMAN Kyoto was one of the most expensive and luxurious hotels in Kyoto.

I sighed contentedly as Kyoto Station faded into the background. Finally, some alone time. I knew this one would last longer. I knew Kyoto like the back of my hand, and I knew the fastest routes possible from anywhere to anywhere in this town. Try finding me now, ass head!

As the taxi zoomed through Kyoto traffic, a smile broke out on my face. I enjoyed the view of my hometown from the small window of the cab. Everything was as I remembered it; the same old buildings, old districts, old stores... Everything still stood where they were when I last saw them three years before.

The snow covered rooftops and busy streets only added to Kyoto's beauty as we continued our journey to the 5-star hotel Sana had booked for me. Today was for me to unwind by myself–and maybe do some shopping–before going to see my family for the whole day tomorrow.

My taxi continued to weasel its way through the traffic as it headed to the outskirts of Kyoto, where the hotel was located. Knowing Sana, she would most likely get me a room with a nice view overlooking the Hieizan Mountain. Some thirty minutes after we departed the station, the taxi pulled over at the hotel lobby, and I walked in towards the front desk.

"Konichiwa! Welcome to AMAN Kyoto," the front desk lady greeted me kindly while bowing deeply. "Konichiwa! I have a reservation under... Ichika Sato," I said, producing my fake passport.

Ichika, which roughly translates to summer, was my fake japanese name that I had given myself when I wanted to travel alone under the radar. To her credit, Sana even went the extra mile to forge me a fake Japanese passport with that name on it using her IPG connections. The front desk lady received my fake passport with a smile.

"So des... Let me check... Ah yes. Six days stay at the... Takagamine Suite," she said, smiling brightly.

Takagamine Suite? That was... Wasn't that the most expensive suite in this hotel? Wow... You outdid yourself, Sha!

"A–Ah yes, that would be me," I said, catching myself. "Great! Everything was paid by Miss... Yoo Sa Na. Is that correct?" the lady reconfirmed.

I chuckled silently. Yoo Sana? She's starting to use her girlfriend's surname now? What... Are they getting married or something?

"Yeah. That's correct," I said again, smiling wider. "Perfect! Sato-san, do you want to wait at the lounge while we complete your check-in? You can have some refreshments there..." the lady said kindly, but I shook my head. "That's alright. I'll have my drinks later in the suite," I said. She nodded. "Very well... Please hang on a second..." she said as she got back to her computer.

I stood more comfortably, resting my elbow on the counter. Hang on. I needed to act more properly. I was supposed to be an esteemed guest of their most expensive suite anyway. I straightened myself and cleared my throat, and suddenly I noticed that the front desk lady stole a glance at me.

"Sumimasen, Sato-san... It's just... You... You look a lot like Hirai Momo. You know, the singer," she said shyly. I chuckled. "I get that a lot," I smiled.

She finished my check in and returned my passport, together with a set of keycards on a tray.

"Right. Here's the keycard to your room. Our butler service is available 24-hours for your request, all you need to do is press a button. Your suite is in a pavilion by the garden beside our main building, so our concierge will take you there. Your luggages is already in your room. Enjoy your stay with AMAN, Sato-san!" she explained thoroughly.

"Hai! Arigatou-gozaimasu!" I said cheerfully.

I followed the concierge out of the main building through a walkway to the Takagamine Suite. It was perched above a tall hand-crafted stone wall, offering a floating view over the surrounding maple and cedar forest.I felt my smile growing to a wide grin the closer I got to the pavilion. It was huge.

The concierge swiped the keycard and opened the door for me, before wishing me a pleasant stay and bowing deeply. I entered the room, and my eyes and mouth gaped open as I saw just how luxurious this suite was.

"Holy shit... I don't know whether to stay mad at you or to love you more, Sha..." I whispered to myself.

I marveled in awe of the absolutely huge suite. It has a living room, two bedrooms, a tatami dining room, a Western dining room, and a kitchen. Hell, it even had its own tokonoma alcove! The suite was constructed of natural woods, it has floor-to-ceiling windows, and tatami flooring. This was... Wow...

I joyously threw myself onto the spacious bed and giggled like a child as I rolled around on it. God... This was nice. This was perfect! Okay... I really should thank Sana. How much did this room cost, anyway? I took out my phone and checked it.

"YA! SEVEN AND A HALF FUCKING MILLION WON PER NIGHT?!" I screamed as the numbers appeared on my screen.

I felt my hands trembling. I knew Sana was loaded, with all those endorsement deals and all her exclusive brand ambassador contracts with a lot of luxury brands, but... I didn't know she was that loaded!

Alright. Alright. I should thank her properly. I should buy her something from here. Something expensive. She deserved it. I couldn't stay mad at her. Gosh... That girl. I giggled and dialed Sana's number, but then I heard a knock on my door. I smiled. Must be the welcome drink, I thought.

I skipped out of my bedroom to the front door and opened it, but when I saw who was standing on the other side, I jumped back in shock.

"H–HOW THE FUCK!"

It was Someone-san.

"As I said, I have my ways..." he said flatly. "O–Oi! W–What are you doing here? Don't tell me you're staying in this suite too!" I stuttered, suddenly remembering the other bedroom. Was that a chuckle I heard? "I'm not. I'm just here to tell you that I'll be staying in the Hotaru Rooms. Do let me know if you ever want to leave," he said, gesturing towards the building right in front of my pavilion. With that, he left.

I stared at his back, dumbfounded. I went back inside my suite, and I sat on the sofa in the living room. How did he find me here? Did Sana tell him? Yeah. Fuck you, Sha. No expensive gift for you!

I made my mind up. I initially wanted to rest a little bit before going out, but I changed my mind. I should venture out of my suite and explore my hometown on my own right now. Someone-san would still be busy settling down in his room, so this was my chance!

I grabbed my phone and purse, before opening my room door silently. I checked my surroundings, worried if Someone-san would suddenly appear out of nowhere, but he was nowhere to be seen. I crept quickly back to the main building and into the lobby, but as soon as I reached the lobby, my blood boiled.

"HOW?!!" I yelled exasperatedly as Someone-san stood there in the lobby, staring blankly at me. "Never underestimate a nerd," he replied.

I stomped my feet in anger and whined. When was this nightmare going to end?

* * *

It was useless.

Every attempt.

Every plan.

Every escape.

All foiled.

No matter how hard I tried to get away from this masked man, he'd always pop up yet again like a fucking whac-a-mole. I was starting to question the reality of this world. No matter how far I ran or how lost I got, this man would just somehow find me and meet me at my next destination.

"Uzai..." I mutter as he found me yet again after my latest attempt to lose him in downtown Kyoto. "What did you say?" "I said: UZAI! You're a fucking pain in the ass!" I yelled at him. He sighed. "Look Hirai-san, I'm just trying to do my jo—" "Fuck you and your job, can't you give me a bit of privacy?" "Like I said, I'm—"

I flipped.

"You know what? Fuck your job, fuck the IPG, and most of all: FUCK YOU! I don't need to be watched, I don't need to be chaperoned! I'm a full grown adult! I can look out for myself, so YOU and your STUPID menpo mask can SCREW OFF and LEAVE ME ALONE!" I launched into a tirade.

A few people walking down the street looked at me scaredly, but I didn't care. I needed to vent my anger and frustration.

"Hirai-san..." "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" I yelled, before turning and walking away.

My footsteps were fast and heavy as I walked away from the biggest thorn on my side as of now. To my frustration, he kept following me.

"Hirai-san..." "I SAID FUCK O–OOH!!"

I tripped on a piece of jutting out pavement and lost my balance. My arms windmilled as I began to fall backwards onto the road, straight into the path of an oncoming car. I heard the horn honking loudly, and the headlights blinded me as my imminent doom approached in what seemed like slow motion.

A pair of strong hands grabbed and pulled me up in the nick of time. I shrieked as I felt my hair skimming the windscreen of the speeding car as I was pulled upright.

"What was that about looking out for yourself again?"

Someone-san was glaring at me. I couldn't formulate a single word as my heart thumped wildly in my chest. His eyes softened as he stared at me.

"Sumimasen... That wasn't nice of me. Hirai-san... Daijoubu desuka?"

The intervals between my breaths started to get shorter and shorter. Dots danced across my vision. Everything went blurry.

"Hirai-san? Momo!"

Everything went dark.

* * *

"Hirai-san... Daijoubu desuka?"

Her breathing started to get erratic and her pupils started to dilate. Her eyelids fluttered close and she started to fall.

"Hirai-san? Momo!"

My hand instinctively went to the back of her head, cushioning her fall. Her head landed on my hand instead of the concrete pavement and I felt a sharp jolt of pain ran up my arm as it hit the ground instead, saving her from brain damage.

"Fuck... That hurts," I cursed.

I rested her gently on the ground and checked my hand. I felt around for broken bones or fractures, and was grateful that I found none, but my hand hurts like hell. People were starting to surround us. That was dangerous. I lifted her up and carried her onto my arm.

"Is she alright?" a passerby asked me. I nodded. "Yes. Low blood pressure. Don't worry. Our place is near," I replied.

I swiftly carried her to my car that was parked nearby, and I placed her gently on the passenger seat. I rushed to the other side and entered the car before picking up her wrist and checking her pulse. It was strong. Good. She just needed more oxygen.

I stared at the unconscious idol that was always trying to escape from me, and I was stunned. Momo could be brash and slippery while awake, but now... She looked so peaceful. So...

Snap out of it!

I shook myself out of my trance. I took off my menpo mask and put it onto Momo's face before pressing one of the buttons on the side, releasing short bursts of oxygen into the mask for her to breathe.

I checked my phone to see how far we were from AMAN Kyoto. Shit. I had chased her all the way to Gion, at the heartbeat of downtown Kyoto. This was going to be a long journey.

* * *

I groaned and opened my eyes. Golden light of the setting sun streamed in through the windows. Shit... Where was I?

I felt something on my face, so I reached up and touched a wooden object. What the fuck? I panickedly ripped the thing off my face and flipped it around.

A menpo mask.

I shot up and looked around me. My heartbeat slowed as I realized that I was back in AMAN Kyoto's Takagamine Suite. My suite. Hang on... Wasn't I at Gion just now?

Suddenly, images came flooding back to my mind. The car, the close shave...

"Shit... I must've fainted," I sighed.

I slowly threw the covers off my body, and found myself still in my clothes from earlier.

How did I get back here?

I slowly turned and stared at the menpo mask.

Sumimasen... That wasn't nice of me. Hirai-san... Daijoubu desuka?

He saved me.

He saved me and brought me back here.

A rhythmic knock on my door brought me out of my thoughts. I somehow knew who was knocking. I got out of my bed, exited my bedroom, and walked to the front door. I opened it slowly, and sure enough, Someone-san was there.

"Ah... You're awake," he said with a kind smile.

I stared at him. I wanted to be mad, I wanted to feel mad, but I couldn't. He'd just saved me from certain death, even though I'd treated him like shit the entire day.

"May I come in?" he asked politely.

I nodded silently and stepped aside to let him pass. He walked in, took off his shoes, and continued walking to the dining room. I followed him silently. He sat at the tatami table and placed a plastic bag down on the table. He extended his arm and smiled, gesturing at the place opposite him. Somehow, I found myself complying, and silently sat in front of him.

"Thank you for cooperating," he said, his smile growing wider.

Someone-san pulled a metal bowl out of the plastic bag and set it nicely in front of me. He placed a pair of chopsticks next to it and gently pulled the lid open. My eyes widened in surprise. I couldn't believe it.

Jokbal. Over rice.

"H–How did you–?" "I have my sources," he replied in Korean. "Mas-issge deupsibssieyo."

What the fuck? He spoke Korean very eloquently! I stared at him in amazement, then at my favourite dish on the table. He chuckled.

"Go on, eat up. You need to increase your blood pressure after collapsing like that," he said kindly, still in Korean. "Joesonghamnida," I mumbled. "Eh? What for?" "For treating you like an ass the whole day... Y–You're just trying to keep me safe..."

He chuckled.

"You can make it up to me by eating up," he smiled, gesturing to the bowl in front of me.

I stared at the dish, and finally my hunger got the better of me. I cracked the chopsticks, picked up a piece, and shoved it into my mouth. Shit... This was good! I continued to shovel the jokbal into my mouth as I felt Someone-san smiling at me.

"Damn... W–Where did you get this?" I asked as I finished the bowl. "I have a connection," he said as he took the bowl and chopsticks from me and placed it back inside the plastic. "H–How did you know I liked jokbal?" I asked, feeling even more curious. "I know a lot more about you than you think, Hirai-san," he smirked. This sly fuck. "Are you always so mysterious?"

He laughed.

"Unfortunately so, Hirai-san. My job requires me to stay under the radar. You're the only person who's seen my face other than Sana-san, Taeyeon-san, and the IPG's original spy team from 2026," he said, switching back to Japanese. "Wait... Not even Suzy?" I asked him confusedly. "Not even Suzy-san," he said as he shook his head. "Then why me?" "I figured that since we'd be together for the whole week, might as well let you see my face," he said, shrugging.

I stared at him. He was undoubtedly an IPG associate, but what kind of associate was he that even the Head of IPG herself hadn't seen his face? Slowly, he stood up.

"Right. I'll leave you to be alone," he said.

Someone-san walked over to my bedroom and came back a second later with his menpo mask in his hands. He wore it and looked at me, giving me an eye smile.

"Can I ask you something?" I blurted. "Sure. Go ahead, Hirai-san," he replied. "Why do you always have to wear that?" I asked, pointing at his face.

He stared at me for a moment, before taking the mask off again. He approached the table and sat in front of me.

"Are you familiar with the 2026 YG Entertainment Scandal?" he asked. "Sort of..." I said, nodding my head. "Sana and Nayeon-unnie told me." "Well, I was part of a team of hackers that IU assembled to hack into YG's database and steal the names of Park Manse's associates for Sandara Park-san," he explained. I nodded.

"Actually... In the end, Kim Yeoni-san didn't get the names from Sandara-san, and instead he got it from Rosé-san, and then he gave it to Suzy-san. But... All that mattered was that the mission was a success, Park Manse and his associates failed, and Kim Jisoo-ssi was safe," he continued.

"Yeah... I heard that much," I said.

He took a deep breath and continued.

"That was the good part. The bad part was... Manse does have his resources and connections, and as you yourself know, he's a vengeful person. So, after he had to resign from his position in YG and go into hiding, his team started digging up on the hackers that got the names of his associates."

"He found out about our team, but he realized he couldn't do anything because most of the members are idols: Sandara, IU, and Red Velvet's Wendy. They are all under the IPG's protection, and going after them would only cause more trouble. So instead, he went after the only non-idol member of the team: Myself."

"He traced my IP address and got my identity, and he started sending his people to get me. Day after day, there was at least a team of assassins trying to end me. After three months of putting up with that every single day, IU and I decided that it was best for me to return here to Japan. As powerful as Manse might sound, his reach doesn't go beyond the borders of South Korea."

"With Sana's help, I changed my name, forged a new birth certificate and documents, and settled down back in my home country. Back with my family. Life was peaceful for a while, until my stupid ass... Well... Let's just say I did something stupid that landed me on the Yakuza's kill list."

What the fuck? My eyes widened in horror. He sighed and shook his head.

"The thing about the Yakuza is... Even if they can't get you, they'll start targeting your family. So... I moved my family–my parents and my young sister–to Korea, again with the help of Sana and the IPG, and... Well, I have been constantly on the run ever since, hiding my identity with this menpo mask," he said, lifting the mask.

"This week is the first time I'm letting myself take a break after... What... More than a year of running," he concluded.

I stared at him blankly. That was crazy!

"That's... Nuts..." I mused. To my surprise, Someone-san shrugged. "It's... Occupational hazard, I must say," he sighed. "Do you ever plan to go back?" I asked. "To Korea, I mean."

He stared at me silently for a moment, and slowly... He smiled.

"When this whole thing is over, when Sana and the IPG finally manage to apprehend Manse... Then I'll come back. For now, I'll continue to hide and assist from the shadows," he said.

I blinked a few times. He was risking his life to protect me... And... And I treated him like scum. Damn it. I was a terrible person.

"I'm sorry..." I uttered. "Don't be, Hirai-san... Shit happens, I just accept it and move on," he said generously. "No. I mean... I'm sorry... For treating you badly. Here you are, risking your life to keep me safe... And I'm... I'm just... Being difficult," I muttered, feeling embarrassed at myself.

I looked down, unable to stare at this kind man, but at that moment, suddenly I felt a warm touch on my shoulder. Someone-san had moved from his seat to my side.

"You don't need to feel bad, HIrai-san. In fact, I should be the one apologizing. You wanted to be alone, and I kept bugging you down," he said gently. I looked up and glared at him. "W–What do you mean? You're the one whose life is on the line!" I exclaimed.

Tears started to fill my eyes. I'd not felt this bad since SM HQ. I was being selfish again, unable to see things from a perspective other than mine. I was such a terrible person!

Slowly, I felt him grabbing my hands. I looked up at him guiltily, but the smile on his face made a strong sense of calmness wash over me. He stared deeply into my eyes and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Hirai-san. I wasn't forced into this position. Sana asked me to help her take care of you while you're here, to keep you safe, and I accepted her request willingly. I am not currently in danger. While I keep you safe, Sana and the IPG went the extra mile to keep me extremely protected these seven days. You shouldn't worry about me," he explained at length.

I stared into those kind eyes of his, and somehow... They seemed to radiate nothing but happiness. How did he do that? For the past God-knows-how-long since the YG incident he had been on the run, and yet... He still seemed calm and even managed to comfort me.

I understood now why Sana chose her to look after me. He was the best, and she would never entrusted me in the care of someone other than the best. I could only imagine just how much work Sana had to do to keep him safe while he protected me, and for that... I felt eternally grateful.

"Okay..." I whispered eventually. "I won't. I won't worry about you."

Someone-san smiled wider and gently released his grasp on my hands. He slowly stood up and smiled at me.

"Wonderful. I'll head back to my room then. Try to catch some rest and enjoy your suite," he said, flinging his eyes around the luxurious suite. "I will..." I said, finally finding my smile again.

He wore his menpo mask and walked to the door. I followed him there, and as he wore his shoes he looked at me.

"Sana said that you do get hungry fast, so... Whenever you're ready to have dinner, just knock on my room. It's 02-24. Second floor, go right after you exit the lift," he said. "Okay..." I nodded, then I heard him chuckling. "Or you can just run off. I'll find you either way," he said.

I chuckled.

"I'll knock this time," I said softly, reassuring him. His eyes looked surprised. "Oh? Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked. "We're going to be stuck with each other for seven days..." I smirked. "Might as well cooperate."

He chuckled again and nodded, before waving to me and leaving.

I stared at his back as he walked away, and only after he disappeared from sight did I go back inside my suite. I reached for my luggage and started unpacking, before taking off my clothes and walking slowly into the bathroom.

As I immersed myself in the warm water of the bathtub, I sighed and thought.