章 8: Blessings Served
Little spoon has her back leaning with her head resting unto her partner. Body to body in a tub half full of heat, her partner presses on her tensions. She clutches to the thighs surrounding her. Sooner, she wades up her hand in attempt to yank the other's wrist as she moans.
"Shh…" Sana softly embeds this sound and tucks Jihyo's hair to her ear.
Jihyo only had two days to get physically and mentally better. With music shows demanding runs after runs in order to get perfect shots in every angle, ending poses along pretty-looking expressions become tougher to sustain.
"Jihyo, gwaenchana?"
Once sent message across Twice who had been rehearsing on stage. She in turn poked through a prop of string curtain and rapidly swung her head, "I'm fine."
Huffing with dimmed iris as if being sucked into oblivion, her words to the beloved Once seemed to be white. She barely survived M Countdown.
On Music Bank, just the day after, symptoms have persisted. She was seen rubbing her neck. Add to that the strain of Hero Concert in the evening.
Meds may be relieving. But hot baths and massages are uplifting. Especially when done with someone you've depended on for years. "Maybe Momo is right. I'm the member who needs to be taken care of the most", Jihyo tells Sana as they soak a bit longer.
Sana in bouncy tone lightens her up, "Maybe~ Just maybe, it's both of your puberty fits speaking." They laugh.
"After all the bad things, there are still many things to be thankful for. Nayeon-ie, for example. A vain unnie but also a mindful unnie. To think we could lose you had she took longer. And you just laughed when you shared this story on air?! Weren't you scared?"
Jihyo looks to her. She's reminded of the horror upon hearing Sana got dizzy and nearly drowned in a similar tub back then. Thankfully, Nayeon broke in and pulled her out in time.
Of course, Sana was. She blinks repetitively and turns away, "Loved ones also deserve truth. But tell them happily to make it less sad."
Looks back with a smirk while hands slip on Jihyo's stomach, "Anyway it became a blessing in disguise. I can't be alone in here anymore. Another thing to be thankful for."
Blessing. What could be the blessing from the issue?
Knock knocks interrupt the two. It's from a worried Nayeon, "Sana-yah! You know you can't be in there for long. Jihyo-yah! Do you need help? Can you carry her?"
"Get out already. Mina has something to say", Momo adds more knocks.
NaMo receives silence thus worries further. Nayeon heeds last warning. "If nobody answers, I'm gonna break this! In one…"
A jumpy Jihyo in damp robe busts out the door.
"Yah! Wait up", clumsy Sana is still towel drying Jihyo's hair as she follows.
Mina is seated with knees bent towards her. She's journaling when the two rush in looking like seaweed soup. Shooked, Mina's lips arches on the funny mess before her.
"They brought us here. We came as quick", Sana and JIhyo are panting.
"Ah, I was just thinking…"
"Yes?"
"I did well on shoots and recordings. Maybe~ I could try going live again."
"Are you missing Once?" Sana asks. Mina nods with a faint smile. Sana and Jihyo are about to hug Mina when Nayeon and Momo swoosh in. Unnies not gonna let Mina risk a cold.
'Maybe'? She's not rushing, is she? Jihyo reconsiders, "Let's check the evaluation first. We'll prepare accordingly when we're good to go."
In the morning, Jihyo gets up refreshed and calm. She checks her phone less fearful of updates. Well, except with the recent Twicetagram post. She's flustered with what she saw.
[The photos are of yesterday's backstage happenings. The first shot involves Sana styling Jihyo. All while Jihyo writes notes. It's candid. Both are facing each other's direction.
On the remaining shots, Jihyo cutely posed for the camera. These were captioned, "I'm going with this hair tomorrow."]
"Come here, I wanna do you." Sana hithered Jihyo to her spot. There is absolute trust, regardless of what that meant. They're in a relationship where they could touch each other's stomach anyway. The leader nonchalantly obliged.
Jihyo is beautiful. But Sana knows her partner's best form. The look of Openness, that's what Jihyo wears well. Sana rid of the bangs unveiling Jihyo's brightest, "Wah~ Yeppeunde."
The compliment made Jihyo generous of her charm. She had forgotten about her effort to hide that she even blessed an iPhone before her. All's well until she didn't post them herself.
I take time deciding what to share. These may just be pictures. But a picture means thousands of words. She posted three.
"YOO JEONGYEON!!"
NoJam hyung is found to be the culprit. But since she took extremely cute pictures, she gets away with it. So, although it's not the exact same hairdo, Jihyo at the least lets her bangs be parted on the side for the day's schedule.
Chaeyoung high fives Jeongyeon for pulling such prank. Killed two birds with a stone. It blends well with her favor of showing the partners off in plain sight while staying true to purpose—which is, Expression.
"I took it to heart, what you said in the GQ", Jeong is vocal of her admiration. "Not everyone may understand. But those with us for a long time and those who've only looked our way definitely will."
Jeongyeon finds Jihyo from afar borrowing a fansite's camera to take pictures of Sana. "It's probably why they didn't leave", she says.
"They've seen a lot. Enough to tell nuances of her. The rest of the world may be celebrating Jihyo with someone else. But her smiles tell otherwise."
"Truth is found among us. Because the one who knows us best is also us." Chaeng mocks, "Funny how the world looks at somewhere else. I guess ambiguous photos with caption 'confirmed dating' is cuter than us."
"What if…" Jeongyeon again realizes something. "What if we MAKE the world look at us?"
"I��ve thought of it before that we could only try- "
"…'try for as long and in many ways'. Yes, you've told us in Kuala Lumpur." Jeong's eyes up and palms open as if waiting for Chaeng to get it.
Chaeyoung then gasps. Eyes lighten with mouth open. She snaps as she finally gets it, "Let's grab the world by the throat."
"And make the best mistakes ever."
"Just~ Not that kind please." Jeong has a glimpse of Jihyo examining a fan-given doll. She spread the poor thing checking its intimates. Sana spanks Jihyo's arm in surprise and laughs it out.
"Oh.
Indeed, not the best. But authenticity is lit. We'll just do more of the better ones, perhaps? Unnie did okay in Amazing Saturday though." Chaeng checks the time, "Which will air in a few."
The last event for the day ended with happy memories. Sana films the crowd while sending them off. Jihyo playfully dashes on and off the frame waving.
For Jeongyeon, however, the fun hasn't ceased. She streams the said variety show that Nayeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung guested on.
"YOU. WROTE. THAT?"
The mechanics of the show ask participants to listen and write out lyrics based on a song's audio cut. The given line then was BTS Rap Mon's part in Fire. What Jihyo wrote renders Jeongyeon out of breath from hilariousness.
She can't handle, "I JUST SEE SANA."
Jihyo in welp face utters, "I'm doing a horrible job as a trophy girlfriend."
"Nah, he did it first. Disregarding you is still the worst that he should be indebted." Nayeon suggests, "It's only fair to collect what is due. So, feel free to like Sana."
Sana uwuing on Jihyo with puppy shiba eyes, "I'm honored."
Any task thrown to the leader is dealt with excellently. That is if she understands it perfectly. Jihyo seeks guidance, "Isn't this still a task that I should try acting as if?"
Confusion. Hesitation. Indecision.
Unnies huddle up to their maknae. They have perceived that Jihyo's stress comes from her affinity to fulfill given tasks. The problem is, it clashes with her truth that it shows when least expected.
"This is not just your task. Daniel is supposed to be on it, too. He had long bailed out. You can let go now." Nayeon advises her, "Go back to being you, Jihyo-yah."
"Being me."
"Being us, rather… And more!" Still sensing some hesitation, Jeongyeon reinforces. "Since it's already given, might as well let the issue serve its purpose."
She turns to Nayeon. Suddenly she grabs unto unnie's cheeks, puckers with her teeth, and pulled her. Nayeon whines and flails leaving the partners wheezing in awe.
The freedom to like. The power to be me. And a bond stronger than ever. Good things despite the bad. Thank you for these blessings.
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