Broken

42

MsPullYaTongue: Nayeonnie! I know you are traveling with Momo, but hear me out

QueenYeon: Sana, what's up?

MsPullYaTongue: So, Jeongyeon and I have been talking

QueenYeon: Well, that's what people do?

MsPullYaTongue: Not like that. Like, I talked to her about our conversation the other day

QueenYeon: I'm gonna need a little more

MsPullYaTongue: The one about there not being a rule about soulmates having to be together

QueenYeon: Oh, that one. It's been a while, I almost forgot it happened.

She didn't, Nayeon was always very aware about anything Jeongyeon and Sana related.

MsPullYaTongue: Yeah, so, I think we are almost figuring things out, but I wanted to talk to you and Momo a bit more

QueenYeon: Sure thing, we come back in two weeks, though

MsPullYaTongue: Can I video call you, then?

Nayeon takes a look around, they had been lazing around, pretending to watch a movie that none was really interested in. Nayeon and Momo were cuddling on one corner of the couch, Jihyo had wrestled Amy for the other corner and the girl who lost was sulking on the floor in front of them. Chris had gone back to Australia to visit his family three days before, Jihyo and him had coordinated so he would be back on the following wednesday to meet the rest of the girls.

"Sana wants to video call us, well, me." Nayeon announces to the room.

"Well, do you feel like talking right now?" Momo questions.

"I don't see why not, but Ji, are you fine with it?" Times like this show how much of a big sister Nayeon really is.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm fine, unnie. I've been fine for many months now, I'm dating a wonderful guy, even."

"The wonderful part is still questionable, but I'll let it slide for now. I'm calling her, then."

Jihyo just laughs and kicks Amy, who was working on her homework with headphones on, to warn the girl about said call. Most likely, her sister would show Sana their room, and it was only polite to warn the girl, mostly to get her to wear a shirt.

"It's connected. Hey Sana, how are you doing?" Nayeon announces and greets.

"Nayeonnie, I'm good. Jeongyeon was being an annoyance and I almost dumped her, but everything is fine." Sana giggles. "Oh, hey, Momo."

"Hi Sana." Momo says as she shows up beside her girlfriend.

"What can we do for you?" The eldest asks.

"Are you sure I'm not bothering you? Seems like you two are busy."

"Us? Not at all, we are just lazing around, Jihyo had an inspiration for her composition project and now we have been grounded all day waiting for her." Im Senior spills maliciously.

"I told you I, me, myself, Im Jihyo was staying home to finish my project. Never told any of you to stick around." Jihyo scolds in the background.

Sana's heart flutters at the voice she so longed to hear, the happiness can't be disguised on her features. The older couple notices right away, but make a silent agreement to not point it out and just taunt the girls on the other side, Jeongyeon had joined Sana with a shy wave as a silent greeting. Despite her girlfriend not being any subtle about the one that never left their thoughts, Jeong is doing worse than Sana at trying to seem less excited.

"Well, I didn't hear you say anything." Eldest Im complains.

"That's because you were too busy eating Momo up with your eyes at the dance studio." Youngest Im rebutts.

"Enough with you two." Momo ends the argument, she knew it would go on forever if she didn't.

"Fine, back to you two. How are things in Osaka?"

"It's great. Jeong almost got kicked out of a restaurant yesterday when the owner saw he shouldn't have allowed her to enter his ramen eating competition."

"In my defense, we had been walking around all day, and didn't eat lunch."

"That sounds very fair to me." Momo agrees with her fellow eater.

"Oh, right, Jihyo say hi." Nayeon says as she flips the camera to show the couple around.

Jihyo brings her head up and waves at the camera, going back to her assignment. Nayeon points out Amy, who was still in her own world with her books, now with a shirt on, she pans the camera around, showing the girls the small living room, and pointing the kitchen at the corner. At some point, Jihyo had gotten up to find a book she needed, as the girl was wearing a loose tank top, a small part of her mark was showing as she reached for the book on a shelf.

The moment Sana and Jeongyeon see the little bit of yellow and purple peeking out, their moths go dry, their hearts start beating faster and words seem to escape them completely. Nayeon had flipped the camera back and was talking again, they couldn't make out what, Sana just gave automatic responses and Jeongyeon had stopped working completely. Obviously, the older couple knew what they were doing, Im senior panned the camera at that exact moment on purpose, maybe that would spark something akin to understanding on the other two, she has had enough of their obliviousness, and Jihyo had been doing wonderful, there was no reason not to.

Momo takes note that the only ones speaking had been herself and her girlfriend, and decided it was enough, they could hang up now and go back to being disgusting with each other, as Amy had put it, so she signals Nayeon to just say their goodbyes and dismiss Sana and Jeongyeon, both seem to be having a really hard time holding themselves back at that point. And so, they do and the call is off.

"You are a very evil woman, you know that, right?!" Jihyo chuckles once the call ends.

"Like you didn't go for the shelf on purpose." The eldest one remarks.

"I think I'm having second thoughts about staying in this family." Momo chimes in.

"Sure thing, like you didn't enjoy their looks of despair after the 'slip up'." Nayeon counters, air quoting the last part.

"I'm not denying any of that, just saying." The peach shrugs and goes back to snuggle into her girlfriend.

"And you, young miss, what brought up this naughty side of yours?"

"You know, unnie, I'm glad you asked. Remember when I said my boyfriend was wonderful and you questioned it? Well, he taught me a lot these past few months." Jihyo looks smug, and Amy, having finished whatever she was doing and having moved to the kitchen, was fake gagging at that.

"I'm gonna have to agree with Amy on this one." The eldest shrugs.

"Thank you!" Amy sounds frustrated from the kitchen.

The playful banter continues on, Momo makes a mental note to talk to Jihyo about it alone later. Nayeon would discuss it as soon as they got any sort of time for themselves, so that wasn't a worry. But this Jihyo was really nothing like the little girl in shambles she said goodbye to a year ago, this was someone who learned to be happy, someone who was very much her own person and in charge of her own happiness. It made the Peach's heart swell with a mix of very pleasant feelings.