Chapter 1
When the girls' van pulled up the driveway, snow started falling. The van was spacious, with nine seats: a bench in the back and two pairs of seats in the middle. Before boarding, there was an extreme rock-paper-scissors tournament to determine who got which seat.
"Girls, wake up! We're here!" Jihyo yelled to the back from the driver's seat. Everyone but her and Momo were asleep. Momo was in the passenger seat, meaning she was stuck reading the directions to Jihyo. Anytime Momo began to drift to sleep, it seemed the GPS would alert her that a turn was approaching. Jihyo offered to prop the phone up in the car holder, but Momo insisted, taking her role seriously. While also making sure Jihyo herself didn't drift off.
Momo unbuckled her seatbelt and turned around, gently tapping Dahyun and Tzuyu, who were sound asleep, leaning against the foggy windows.
"Wake up, we're here sleeping beauties." Momo gently said, waking up the younger two. Nayeon sat up from the far back row of the van. She had spent most of the car ride leaning her head on Jeongyeon's shoulder, and her feet kicked up on Sana's lap. Sprawled adequately over the back seat.
"Finally." She mumbled, using both hands to flatten her wild hair.
"Was the ride uncomfortable?" Jeongyeon joked while stretching. Nayeon playfully slapped her shoulder while gathering their things.
"Finally, we're on holiday together!" Chaeyoung excitedly said two rows behind Momo and Jihyo. Mina was curled into the seat beside her, slowly awaking, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Alright, grab your luggage from the back and head in." Jihyo reached down and pressed the button to pop the hatch. Everyone exited the van except for Sana and Momo.
"Sana, you can sleep inside," Momo said gently. The other woman barely stirred, mumbling something, still asleep. Momo rolled her eyes and got out of the van. She made her way to the back door and crawled in. "Hey, you." Momo playfully whispered to Sana, "You can't sleep in the car. A bear might eat you out here."
"There's no bears around here." Sana smiled, her eyes still closed.
"Yes, there are!" Momo teased, tickling Sana's side, causing her to squirm and giggle wildly. “We aren't in the city anymore. We're in the woods."
"Okay, okay!" She squealed, gripping Momo's twitching hands. "I'm awake!" Sana smiled at her, her deep brown eyes soft and still heavy with sleep.
The girls were at a glamorous log cabin in a small town far from Seoul. It had been years since all nine members had been able to take a week off together.
As soon as Momo and Sana walked inside, they could smell a burning cedar from the wood fireplace. The living room was a vast, tall, vaulted ceiling with exposed wooden beams. The balcony on the second floor was visible. Momo assumed this was where the bedrooms were. They were told the cabin had five bedrooms, which was perfect for the girls. This meant the couples could have a private room.
"This is amazing!" Chaeyoung twirled on the burgundy rug in the middle of the living room. Finally, falling backward onto the long tan couch. Following close behind her, Mina sat down, too, immediately pulling her Nintendo Switch from her bag. Chaeyoung cozied up to her side and watched Mina boot on the device.
"Are you two going to be couch potatoes all day?" Jeongyeon teased.
"What's wrong with that?" Mina questioned, not tearing her eyes away from the screen.
"Nothing, but I fully expect to crush you in Mario Kart later." Momo rolled her eyes at Jeongyeon.
"Did you forget who won last time?" Momo chimed in.
"It's the dawn of a new day, Momo," Jeongyeon said confidently.
"C'mon, It's too early to be this competitive." Sana wrapped herself around Momo's arm. "We haven't even explored the cabin yet."
"I heard there's a study with hundreds of books," Dayhun said, catching Tzuyu's attention. "Want to go look for it?"
"Sure," the taller girl agreed.
"Want to go claim our room?" Sana whispered to Momo, causing her to blush.
The two ventured up the main staircase, located by the main entrance. Despite their sneaky attempts, the wood creaked under their feet. Sana giggled as she walked with Momo to the hallway of bedroom doors. They peeked below. Only Mina and Chaeyoung remained in the living room, still cuddled on the couch.
Momo opened the door to the first bedroom. Two twin beds, covered in quilts, sat beside each other.
"Uh," Momo awkwardly closed the door. "Let's find a queen bed." Sana laughed, untangling her hand from Momo's.
"Let's try this one!" She excitedly ran three doors down. Momo nodded and watched as Sana disappeared through the doorframe. "Wow, Momoring! Look!" Sana had a massive grin as she looked around the bedroom. Momo shut the door behind them. The room was beautiful, a window peering over the wilderness. The snow had begun to come down in clumps, laying a seemingly plush blanket over all the trees.
"Do you think Nayeon and Jeongyeon will want this room?" Momo asked.
"No, they already said they wanted the primary bedroom at the end of the hall."
"This isn't the primary bedroom?" Momo said, shocked, looking at the king-sized bed, which was also covered in quilts. To the left, there was a private bathroom with a standing tub. It was beautiful, with exposed wood everywhere and two oil lamps fastened to the walls that lit the entire room.
"Nayeon and Jongyeon's room has a hot tub." Sana flopped on the bed, sinking into the plethora of blankets beneath. "Lay with me?" she said, flashing her big brown eyes. Momo gently smiled and abided, removing her coat and throwing it on a rocking chair beside the window.
"We left our luggage downstairs."
"Mm," Sana grumbled.
Momo woke up to Jihyo shaking the bed.
"Are you two planning on sleeping the day away?" She said excitedly. Sana didn't stir from within Momo's arms.
"What time is it?" Momo yawned, looking out the now dark windows."
"It's already six o'clock!" Jihyo said.
"What's for dinner?" Sana cutely asked, not opening her eyes.
"That's why I came to get Momo. It's her turn to cook!"
"When was this decided?" Momo huffed.
"Momoring you're cooking is always the best," Sana said, snuggling her face into Momo's collarbone. "Did we bring stuff for tteokbokki?"
"Yup!" Jihyo answered.
"Please, Momo, cook us some tteokbokki with ramen and fish cakes," Sana said, punctuating her request with a quick kiss on Momo's neck. This display of affection embarrassed Momo. It was unusual for the couple to be so openly affectionate in front of Jihyo. Although the girls knew they were together and supported them, it still felt like they were kissing in front of their parents.
"Okay, I'll see you in the kitchen in ten minutes!" Jihyo awkwardly exited the room.
"Twenty!" Momo hollared back.
"Fifteen, and that's final!" Jihyo yelled from the hallway. Momo sighed, looking down at Sana. Rubbing her eyes, she looked out the window.
"It's still snowing!" she exclaimed, amazed. Momo's heart melted as she watched Sana craning her neck for a better view. After a moment, their eyes met, and in the silence between them, Momo leaned forward, her lips gently brushing against Sana's vanilla bean chapstick. It was a sweet and tender kiss, reminding her of their first kiss in Hawaii nearly six years ago.
Momo immediately felt anxiety creeping up her fingers, sinking into the bones of her knuckles, and hot prickles shooting up her neck. She became increasingly aware of the ring box tucked away in her suitcase between mismatched socks. Momo pulled away from Sana's lips, hoping she hadn't noticed the sudden change in her demeanor.
"I better head downstairs before Jihyo comes back up here." Momo kissed Sana's earlobe and standing. Taking the extra blanket at the end of the bed and drapping it over, Sana, "Get some rest. Dinner will be ready soon."
"I love you," Sana said, eyes fluttering shut.
"I love you too," Momo slowly left the room, shutting the door.
-
Nayeon was in a panic over a bubbling pot of water. The scalding liquid splattered everywhere across the countertop.
"Turn down the burner!" Jihyo urged, hurrying over from where she was cutting vegetables.
"I've boiled noodles before!" Nayeon replied.
"It doesn't show," Jeongyeon mumbled under her breath. Momo laughed, elbowing Jeongyeon beside her.
"I heard that! It doesn't look like you're doing too much over there, babe." Nayeon sent daggers toward Jongyeon.
"I'm passing Momo ingredients she can't reach because she's short." She grinded proudly.
"Woah, woah, how did I get caught in this crossfire?" Momo said, raising one hand and keeping the other stirring the sauce. "Garlic." She motioned to the jar of minced garlic beside Jeongyeon.
"See?" she said, handing her the jar. "I'm helpful." The kitchen was spacious, with a gigantic window covering the entire wall behind the copper duel sink. A butcher block island was in the middle of the room. Jihyo was stationed on one side of the island, while Nayeon was using a portable burner to boil water on the other side. The ceiling featured a skylight, though the visibility was entirely blocked by snow. It had not stopped snowing yet; flakes lazily continued to fall, settling on the inches of snow already blanketing the ground.
"How many noodles should I prepare?" Nayeon asked, looking around the room. Momo was lost in thought after catching a glimpse of Jeongyeon's engagement ring. The ring was a thin golden band featuring an elegant diamond in the center. Jeongyeon wore it on the middle finger of her right hand to avoid drawing media attention. Nayeon had intended to wear her ring in a similar manner but eventually decided to place it on the ring finger of her left hand. Despite the different positioning, their rings sparked a frenzy among fans and news outlets, who speculated about their meanings. The thought of Momo's privacy being invaded and scrutinized made her contemplate retiring from the idol lifestyle altogether. She desperately tried to keep significant portions of her personal life hidden from the relentless public gaze. People were harsh towards Nayeon and Jeongyeon, even though they had never officially confirmed their relationship, let alone their engagement.
"The sauce!" Momo snapped back to reality. Jihyo was grabbing the spoon from her hand, stirring frantically.
"Oh," Momo said, glancing down at the thickened sauce beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan. “Nothing some cheese and water can't fix." She laughed and dismissed her spacing-out but could feel Nayeon's gaze linger. Momo hesitated to look up and meet her pensive stare. Luckily dinner was begingingn to come together quickly. Momo rummaged through the cabinets in hopes of finding serving plates. After looking through seemingly endless cabinets of drinkware, she finally found stacks of light blue plates and bowls.
"Here, Momo, let me help." Dayhun approached from behind, grabbing a handful of various-sized bowls. Momo nodded in thanks, shuffling a few more plates onto the stack in her hand.
"Where did you go and hide?" Momo asked teasingly.
"I'll have you know, Tzuyu and I made dessert." She said factually.
"Oh?" Momo said, surprised, "What did you make?"
"It's a surprise." Dayhun began walking back to the dining room through the doorway and to the left of the kitchen. The dining room was beautiful and cozy, much like the rest of the house. A rectangular wooden table sat in the middle of the room. Mina and Chaeyoung had set out all the table placemats. Momo even noticed Chae had drawn little name cards where everyone was sitting. The two were now stationed at a small liquor cart, giggling at one another.
"Are you our bartenders tonight?" Dayhun questioned, placing her stack of cutlery on the table.
"No, no, I'm asking Mina what makgeolli she likes best." Chaeyoung held a bottle of honey makgeolli up. A generous amount was already missing.
"How are you holding up, Mina?" Momo laughed at her cherry cheeks. A soft smile spreading to Mina's eyes.
"I'm a bit sleepy now." She answered honestly.
"Maybe we tried a bit too much of that last one," Chaeyoung smirked and wrapped her arms around Mina's waist. Seeing the two cuddled up and tipsy made Momo realize she'd need to wake up Sana soon.
-
"Sana, hurry! It's an emergency!" Momo finally startled Sana awake after several failed attempts.
"What? What happened?" Sana shot up from under the covers. Once opening her eyes, she realized Momo sat at the end of their bed, failing to hide her amusement. "Oh, Momo! You tricked me!" She whined.
"Dinner is almost ready." Momo quickly crawled under the covers with Sana, her freezing feet intertwining with Sana's.
"You're so cold," Sana gasped, holding Momo's hands close to her chest. Momo curled closer to Sana. She wasn't particularly fond of cuddling, but at that moment, she wanted to be as warm and close to her girlfriend as possible.
"Dinner is almost ready," Momo repeated, whispering into Sana's neck.
"Are you telling me that, or are you trying to convince yourself to get up?"
"Both," Momo grumbled. After a moment of silence, she added, "We've worked so hard this year."
"It's a bit exhausting, isn't it?"
"Very, but I wouldn't change it for the world."
"And I feel so lucky we get to do this together."
Momo loved the word 'together.' She wanted 'together' to last for the rest of their lives. She imagined waking Sana up a million more times and cooking every meal for her. Above all, she wanted to spend the rest of her life with the woman beside her.
-
"Bunny, bunny bunny!" Nayeon was screaming while making the game's hand gestures to Sana.
"Bunny, bunny, bunny, bunny!" Sana was squealing at this point, causing Dahyun to laugh so hard she cried whike attempting to chant,
"Carrot, carrot, carrot!"
Momo found the game so amusing that she forgot to chant along with the group, leading Jihyo to call her out as the round's loser.
"Oh, Momo! That's a shot!" Jihyo cheered as she began to fill a shot glass with peach soju.
"Not again," Momo mumbled; this would be her third shot in a row within fifteen minutes.
"Let me take the shot for her, Jihyo," Sana said, extending her hands to accept the glass.
"Poor Momo is going to be on the floor if someone doesn't start helping her out," Nayeon added.
"Okay, okay, but Momo, I expect better next round," Jihyo said as she handed the glass to Sana. She tilted the cup back and downed the liquid, making an unpleasant face afterward.
"Where's Chae at?" Jeongyeon asked, her brow furrowing as she reached for an unopened plastic water bottle sitting in the middle of the table. "And Mina?" Suddenly realizing both were missing.
"I believe they started cleaning up the dishes," Tzuyu said, her voice light and a rosy flush tinting her cheeks from the alcohol. I offered to help, but they insisted I stay put."
"Oh?" Nayeon's expression immediately grew mischievous.
"Leave them be!" Jihyo sat back in her wooden chair, the feet creaking as she did so. "We never bothered you when you two would sneak off." She motioned between Nayeon and Jeongyeon.
"Yes, but I'm your elder," Nayeon stressed; even though Jihyo was the leader, Nayeon was the oldest of the group.
"It's not like we can torment Momo and Sana," Nayeon said. "Teasing Momo is fun, but I can't tease Sana; she's too sweet." Nayeon, who was seated across from Sana, made a heart with her pointer finger and thumb.
"Awe, Nayeon-unnie." Sana smiled while reaching over and grabbing her finger heart.
"I'll go see if they need any help cleaning up." Momo volunteered.
"I'll come with you. I want to bring out the dessert Tzuyu and Dahyun made." Nayeon jumped out of her seat. Momo looked at the two younger members seated at the table.
"You told Nayeon what you made for dessert but not me?" She gasped dramatically. Before they could defend themselves, Sana inturupted by grabbing Momo's arm.
"Aww, Momoring, please don't sneak off. You're going to come back, right?" Sana pouted, not letting go of her as she stood.
"I'll be right back," Momo promised.
As expected, the kitchen was void of human life. Momo assumed Cheayoung and Mina had drunkenly gone to there room. They were in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, only making things official a month ago. The two couldn't stay away from one another.
"So, what's going on with you?" Nayeon blurted out as soon as the door to the dining room closed, muffling the chatter of the remaining five members. "You're acting like a total space cadet, and not in your usual charming Momo way. Something's wrong."
Nayeon was never one to hold back her thoughts. Sometimes, this was a blessing, as Momo knew she could get the truth from her, and other times, it was a curse, like in this instance. Momo just wanted to take a breath of fresh air before the liquor hit her. She needed to organize her thoughts and avoid having a panic attack about the ring she had stowed away in her luggage.
"It's nothing," Momo said, brushing off the girls' concerns. She peeked into the fridge, searching for the sweets the younger members had prepared. Nayeon moved a few juice bottles, revealing two trays filled with almond bars and strawberry tarts.
"Did something happen between you and Sana?" Nayeon pushed on, unsatisfied with Momo's answer.
"No," Momo mumbled as she snatched an almond bar and popped the entire square into her mouth. After swallowing, she finally asked, "It was hard when you and Jeongyeon came out, wasn't it?" Momo placed the trays on the kitchen island.
"I mean, you were there. You know how anxious we were to tell our families and management," Nayeon said, joining Momo in stealing an almond bar. "My family was much more supportive than Jeongyeon's. Even then, my father asked me why I felt the need to embarrass him by sharing what I do in my personal life."
"Oh," Momo nodded, recognizing the harsh reality the group would face if she and Sana came out. She also thought about Chaeyoung and Mina. With six out of nine members in a sapphic relationship, it would surely be the talk of every media platform. Not to mention what JYP Management might do to the girls; they could drop them altogether or reduce their promotion efforts significantly. Such actions could ruin the girl group's legacy.
"Have you and Sana told your families yet?" Nayeon asked, taking a bite of the baked good.
"Sana told her parents," Momo said, smiling at the memory of that night. "They couldn't be happier for us."
"And your family?"
"I don't feel the need to tell them. They are proud of me and don't question why I’m no longer dating." Momo knew her parents would be disappointed. She was raised in a religious household. They loved Sana, and that was all that mattered to Momo. She could bring Sana around her family without trouble; that was all she could ask for.
"You haven't even told your sister?" Nayeon looked heartbroken for Momo.
"No, I don't want to worry, Hana." Momo hated when her voice became small and shaky; it made her feel weak and helpless.
"Your family, the girls, and our fans all love you and want you to be happy," Nayeon said, moving closer to Momo and gently grabbing her shoulder. "Why did all of this come up all of a sudden?"
Momo swallowed the lump forming in her throat, feeling the beginnings of tears sting her eyes. She was overwhelmed and tired. She needed to spend the break relaxing and regaining her strength for the tour coming up in the new year. However, she also needed to tell Sana how much she loved her. She couldn't bear the thought of spending another year without Sana as her wife.
"I'm going to ask Sana to marry me." Both women stood silently as a goofy smile spread across Nayeon's lips.