The best and worst dinner of their lives.
Shaking the girl and screaming her name had not woken her. It did not take long for her to realize that Jeongyeon is not very easily awakened. The only thing she could do was to let the woman sleep peacefully.
That is the opposite of how Nayeon slept. She felt uneasy. Her mind did not want to stop thinking and making noise. She just felt like she should not be sleeping. Her body even told her that by constantly moving and turning around. The girl eventually gave up and went downstairs. She tried to keep her steps really silent so that she would not wake Ryujin or Jeongyeon up.
Well that did not go according to plan.
—
Jihyo knows she will regret this later, but still she decides to send the message.
Why would anyone not likeb me? I’m hot and reallly coolll!!! And nayeon thinks even so toooo! So look who the really is huh?!? Now???
She started regretting it when she was still writing it. The girl still decided to send it. She sobered up pretty fast after that. She stayed up the whole night turning and rolling in her bed waiting for a familiar sound to come from her phone.
Spoiler alert: She did not hear back from her after that.
It broke Jihyo’s heart how confusing things are for her right now. She knows that Sana is giving her false hope but she keeps holding onto that small bit of hope for the small chance that Sana will like her back.
She thinks back to tonight, and to put it all into perspective for her, she thinks about Jeongyeon and Nayeon. How Jeongyeon is in the same situation as her and how Nayeon is pushing her away and even leading her on a little bit.
And for once in her life she wishes she would have that too. She wishes that love came to her instead of her needing to chase it.
—
Nayeon immediately noticed Jeongyeon starting to stir up. Should she be a bit louder to make the process go faster or should she let the girl sleep? She asks herself.
It’s not hard for her to answer that question, the girl is an idol, she babysat her child all day and even if Nayeon does not like to admit it, they have become friends. So a friend would not purposefully wake their tired friend up, so she will not be doing that as well.
This whole thing with Jeongyeon and their blossoming friendship reminded Nayeon of what an easy friendship she has with Jihyo. She doesn’t have to think about what she should do with the other girl, she does not have to watch her mannerisms. (This is a false statement, Nayeon especially forgets about mannerisms when she is with Yoo Jeongyeon.)
Well to Nayeon’s relief (or dismay) the taller girl did not wake up. She did however seem to have some kind of nightmare, because the girl was frowning in her sleep and she seemed restless. And Nayeon wanted to help the girl. No she had this weird feeling like she had to help the girl. She held onto the frowning girl’s face and with her thumbs smoothed out the frown.
The girl relaxed into her touch and continued her slumber. Nayeon’s heart did a small jump when a small grateful smile appeared on the sleeping girls face.
—
All that preparing the girls did, could not have readied them for the best (and for some the worst) dinner of their lives.
At first it was supposed to be a family dinner with Nayeon and her sister, Chaeyoung but it soon spiraled into a get together with friends and friends of friends.
Poor innocent Chaeyoung just wanted to bring along her friend Dahyun, who is already friends with the owner of the house. Nayeon assumed that Jeongyeon and Jihyo would probably be at her house anyway so she invited them. Dahyun heard about Jeongyeon being there and the girl herself is a big fan of her member, Tzuyu. The girl had begged her over the phone to get a chance to meet her, so Nayeon asked Jeongyeon to bring along Tzuyu.
When Jeongyeon got the invitation and told Tzuyu to come along with her, her other members decided that this was the perfect time to observe and attack their new source of dismay. So the other members just invited themselves and Jeongyeon, the big softy that she is, allowed them to.
That is how everyone ended up here, in the too small living room of Nayeon’s house, chatting and getting along. Jeongyeon helped Nayeon in the kitchen, Nayeon’s mother came to town with Chaeyoung to see her grandchild. Nayeon has a rocky relationship with her mother so she did not bother to invite her too. Instead the woman spent time with her granddaughter.
Chaeyoung and Dahyun were chatting with Momo and Tzuyu and they quickly became friends.
Sana and Mina were chatting in a corner, the duo throwing small glances at Jihyo, standing awkwardly in front of the kitchen opening asking if there was any help needed. Nayeon and Jeongyeon refused any help from her, so she kept standing awkwardly in the corner.
Jeongyeon had already prepared food beforehand, knowing how much of a disaster Nayeon is in the kitchen, so their mission was easy: Heat up the food. But Nayeon seemed to have a side quest to make Jeongyeon’s mission as hard as possible.
At first she dropped all the vegetables Jeongyeon had chopped for the soup.
Jihyo chimed in, “Do you need any help?” The girl asked while coming in.
Nayeon shooed her away immediately. “No, the guests have to stay out of the kitchen.”
Jeongyeon frowned. “Am I not a guest?” She landed her gaze on Nayeon who started a new mission to repair the vegetables she just dropped. While the gesture was sweet it annoyed Jeongyeon because the girl was cutting the vegetables into too big pieces. And secondly the girl was holding the knife with the sharp side up, which resulted in uneven and hard cuts.
The idol approached her, the owner of the house was hoping she would not be interrogated if Jeongyeon was a guest or not by her. It just did not feel like she was a guest. (And she needs help in the kitchen.) She avoids eye contact. Then a hand landed on hers, she stiffened and Jeongyeon made her turn towards her. Her stare intensely bored into her eyes. Her eyebrows are set downwards in an angry manner. The taller girl took the knife from her hands. “You go set up the table.”
Jihyo’s voice came from the door opening, “I can help set the table.”
Both of the girls turned towards the intruder. “No,” They said in unison.
Jeongyeon even went a step further and guided Jihyo towards Momo, “Hey Momo, keep Jihyo company.”
Jihyo heard Sana and Mina snicker in the corner. She was too afraid to turn towards them, if she did she would see the endearing way Sana looked at her. Instead she saw the awkward smile Momo gave her. “So, nice weather outside, right?”
Oh, it was gonna be a long night for Jihyo.
—
Chaeyoung, Dahyun and Tzuyu seemed to get along pretty well. If Tzuyu would ignore the heart eyes Dahyun threw her way and the irritated glances Chaeyoung threw her friend’s way. She would give them an eight out of ten, she would keep them in mind for future hang out possibilities.
She looked around and the dynamics were pretty clear to her. On one side she stood with Chaeyoung and Dahyun, they were by pure luck the three youngest guests. In one corner Sana and Mina stood snickering with each other. No, it was more like Sana telling her things and Mina laughing along with her. By the way they were throwing glances at Jihyo, Tzuyu could confidently say that they were talking about the girl who was making awkward conversation with Momo.
‘Poor girl’, Tzuyu thought. She knows that Sana and Mina are not the type of people to make malicious comments about people. They were probably just discussing Sana’s little crush on the other girl. The girl whose conversation has fallen silent probably does not know that.
Tzuyu blames Jeongyeon, their leader should know that Momo is not the kind to make small talk with a stranger. Another reason why they are here. To observe their leader in this environment. So the group can come up with a plan. It still felt wrong to interfere with the love life of their leader, but if it would make the others happy then she would try her best to make it more okay for both parties.
—
Mina and Sana moved closer to the two girls who couldn’t look at each other anymore. Taking pity on Momo and Jihyo who were awkwardly standing together and looking around.
Jihyo felt dreadful and at the same time happy that she would escape from this awkwardness. Her heart made a little jump when Sana stopped right beside her. She needed to calm down her heart and hold on to her anger towards the girl that played with her heart.
Sana is unaware of the inner turmoil the girl next to her was experiencing. She moved closer to her, the length of their arms brushing each other at the slightest movements. The girl next to her tensed up. Sana felt the slightest bit of guilt that the girl could not relax with her. The opposite of how Sana felt when she was with her. The girl is naturally a touchy person, her touch has been rejected by many and if Jihyo would do that now her heart would be broken.
She did not move an inch away. Sana smiled inside, she hoped the others would not notice.
Her body stayed tense the whole time though, they were close but she did not move away. That made Sana believe that they did have a chance. She hopes that Jihyo can wait for her until they have to renew their contracts.
All of the girls know that a very busy time is approaching with comebacks and a world tour, none of them can start a relationship. Even if Sana did that would be unfair towards Jihyo. It is best to wait.
Oh, only if Jihyo knew.
Sana led the conversation, she was after all the only extrovert in the group with the exception of Jihyo, but the girl was too tense to follow along with the conversation at first. Can you blame her?
She had not spoken with her crush for days because the girl ghosted her. And now she was so close to her, she felt herself be in the aura of warmth that Sana radiated. She is glad that she is not drenched with sweat in her presence.
A moment later the three youngest joined them and they were all waiting for dinner to get ready. From the looks of it, it might last longer than everyone expected, if the noises from the kitchen were clues they could go by.
At first it seemed like they were laughing. Later Jihyo sees Jeongyeon shoe the owner of the house away with plates in her hands probably to set up the table. It did not take long for Nayeon to be back in the kitchen again. This time trying her best to stay there.
“Okay, while you cut the tomatoes for the soup I’ll cut the cucumbers.” Nayeon opened her fridge to get the cucumbers.
Jeongyeon’s head shot up. “Why are we cutting cucumbers? There is nothing that goes along with it.”
Nayeon turned around and the shocked look on Jeongyeon’s face made her laugh out loud. “Don’t you eat your yogurt with cucumbers?”
The cook's face scrunched up. Her face expressed a deep disgust and confusion. Nayeon could not hold her laugh. That seemed to be the case more often than not when she was with Jeongyeon. “There is no yogurt.” She said slowly.
Nayeon pouted, expressing her disappointment. “Do you want me to go get some yogurt for you?” The girl shook her head.
(A few days later when Jeongyeon comes back from her trip to the grocery store, Nayeon notices the five pound Greek yogurt and two bags full of cucumbers that she bought. It made her feel all warm inside.)
They continued their preparations. Actually Nayeon just kept Jeongyeon company and helped her with where she put all her kitchen supplies. That is unnecessary because Jeongyeon has cooked enough times in her house to know where she put everything. It made her feel useful at least.
It did not take long to finish everything and for Nayeon to set the table. Slowly, everyone started to sit at the table.
Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu sit close together and continue their earlier conversation. Sana and Mina sat with Jihyo in between them. Sana scooted her chair especially close to Jihyo’s with the excuse to talk to Mina.
And lastly Nayeon sat at the head of the table, with Jeongyeon next to her and Mina at her otherside.
Everyone was talking with each other and enjoying the food. Both Nayeon and Jeongyeon were complimented endlessly for the food. Nayeon clarified that it was all Jeongyeon’s doing. They still thanked her for the idea and for inviting them. It was fun, everyone was talking with each other. And they got to learn more about each other and be friends.
Nayeon talked with Mina, the girl was shy but funny and fun to talk with. Jeongyeon tried talking with Jihyo and Momo. She probably sensed the awkward energy between them and tried to ease their anxieties. (It did not help.) Sana talked with the youngest kids and sometimes said something to Mina over Jihyo.
Overall it was fun. The kpop group even invited them to their concert in Seoul. Where they will start their world tour. Nayeon tried not to think about the world tour, when she won’t be seeing Jeongyeon everyday. When she did she got this weird sinking feeling in her chest. It’s best not to think about it.
That did not mean they stopped talking about it. “It will be like a temporary goodbye.” Jeongyeon reasoned with Nayeon, sensing the negative energy coming from the girl next to her.
“I am sure Dahyun and Jihyo would like to go.” Sana said, looking from Dahyun to Jihyo. Ending her eyes’ travel at the girl sitting next to her. She came closer to her, “You are coming right?” Sana asked, her members immediately noticed the hint of insecurity seep into her voice. It wasn’t obvious to the others. For them Sana looked very confident.
Jihyo frowned. “I actually don’t know. We will have to see with our work load.” She said looking at Nayeon.
“Yeah sorry guys. I can’t promise anything.” Nayeon said feeling actually sorry.
“No problem, I’ll fix some tickets for you. If you can’t come then give it to someone else or something.” Jeongyeon said. And the other band members agreed.
Dahyun had a big smile on her face. She was the happiest out of the bunch to get a ticket from her favorite group. She is already making an outfit in her head. Chaeyoung looked at her best friend, she knows that she will get dragged into this eventually, they could at least get matching clothes or something.
Everyone had finished their food. Jeongyeon and Nayeon are happy because everyone liked it. “I’ll go get the desserts.” Jeongyeon said.
Jeongyeon stood up from the table and went into the kitchen. Nayeon thought about going with her to help, but she decided against it. Someone has to be a good host and entertain the guest. Which the guests did not need because they have Dahyun and Chaeyoung rapping a little verse for them. Momo was, to say the least, impressed with them. She even suggested they record their song at their agency. Dahyun nodded while Chaeyoung shook her head.
The idol girls tried to win over Chaeyoung while the others discussed why they could never have that lifestyle.
“You get to dance and sing everyday.” Momo said most excited about the dancing part.
“You have to dance and sing everyday.” Chaeyoung said with a less excited tone.
“You get to write your own songs and sing them.” Sana told them matter of factly.
“And what about all the variety shows you have to go on? They always ask you about your ideal type, isn’t that exhausting?” Nayeon asked genuinely, wondering about that. She has to admit that she has been looking on the internet wondering about the idol group. (Especially about the leader of the group.) The most questions were their ideal types and asking with which Western artist they would like to collaborate with. It must be exhausting finding new answers every time.
Nayeon saw the idol girls cringe at the question. “Yeah, that is the part I dislike the most.” Tzuyu said.
“What about hiding your romantic relations and your friendships with boy groups? For me that seems the worst.” Jihyo contributed to the conversation.
Sana sighed defeated, “Yes, that is not fun either, but it all gets better when you go on tour and a whole stadium of people shout your name and sing along to your songs.” Sana smiled at the last part. “That makes it totally worth it.” She added lastly.
The not idols at the table cringed at that. “I could never even dare to do that. I find it hard enough to talk to people outside of work. That sounds exactly like a nightmare for me.” Nayeon said, getting reminded of her introverted nature.
CLANG
A sound came from the kitchen before any of the idols could respond to the surgeon. All of the heads at the table turned towards the kitchen door. “Jeongyeon, are you okay?” No sound came from the kitchen. Nayeon frowned, “I’ll go check on her.” She said to the worried girls.
When she opened the door she saw Jeongyeon clutching her head and some of her favorite tableware broken on the floor. The girl inside turned her head around and looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She removed her hands from her face and her eyes only conveyed regret. “I am so sorry about this. I will buy you new ones, I promise. Nayeon, I am sorry it was an accident.” The girl said regretfully.
Nayeon looked at her and this weird sensation rose up in her. She had this weird urge to wipe that look from Jeongyeons face, and she wanted to touch her and make her feel alright. Fortunately, Nayeon did not do anything stupid like hug her or something. She reached her hand toward Jeongyeon to grab her from the shoulders and push her backwards to remove her from the sharp pieces of glass.
Nayeon smiled at the taller girl that looked conflicted. “It’s okay Jeongyeon, are you hurt?” Nayeon asked scanning the girl over, it did not look like the girl had any wounds. The girl shook her head to confirm her suspicion.
It did not take long for Nayeon to sweep the sharp pieces and it took even less time to bring the desserts to the living room, which Jeongyeon had already put on plates. Nayeon took Jeongyeon’s hand while she bought the last plate of the dessert Jeongyeon made.
The two girls sat at the table, the girls at the table did not even bat an eye at the entwined hands. Nayeon did not let go of the girl for the rest of the dinner. She did move her hands more upwards toward her forearm and rested her hand there.
Jeongyeon gave a small smile at her and Nayeon knew that she did not want her to let her go. Jeongyeon stayed mostly silent for the rest of the dinner. Only butting in on conversations to say that she agrees with something. And Nayeon stayed close to her for the rest of the dinner. (Just like before the accident in the kitchen.)
The only person that seemed to have a problem with their close proximity was Sana, who shot angry glares from across the table at the spot where their skins touched. (It is ironic because she was doing the exact same thing with Jihyo.)