Chapter Text
Jihyo let out a sigh she didn’t even realize she was holding, finally shutting the door to the laundromat with a relieved breath. Her shoulders slumped as the exhaustion came creeping in, letting her forehead rest against the glass for a split moment. Her body was aching all over, this was starting to become a common theme within her pregnancy, she unfortunately had noticed the way Nayeon had jotted “body fatigue” in her endless list of growing symptoms.
Going on three months wasn’t the worst experience Jihyo had gone through thus far—but it was definitely the most inconvenient.
“One more month,” Jihyo grumbled to herself, “One more fucking month of the tiredness.”
At least, that’s what Nayeon and her endless books on pregnancy had told her. That after her first trimester, sometime during her second, she might feel a little better. She was really riding on that hope.
There wasn’t really much else to do when closing a laundromat—that was a plus. All Jihyo really needed to do was empty the lint traps, mop the floors, and make sure all windows were secured. Really, it didn’t take that long, but Jihyo had a bad habit of dragging her feet nowadays. God, maybe she did need to go outside or something every once in a while…
Jihyo groaned, pushing herself up again, shaking her head and cracking her neck. She turned to the desk, internally sighing because she really needed to get better at organizing. But fuck, Nayeon was such a creative storm—sometimes Jihyo got so caught up with it all that the desk just started to pile up random objects. She could see discarded papers and half-empty bottles of soda and water pushed about.
The money bag sat unceremoniously on top of the chaos, the thing Jihyo needed to stick in the safe underneath the desk before she shut off all the lights. Jeongyeon had just come back from the bank earlier that day—exchanging all the coins for cash because it made sending the money off for bills much simpler that way. Jihyo wasn’t sure when Jeongyeon and Nayeon entrusted her with the cash of this place, or why. She could easily just grab it and take it, if she really thought about it.
Fucking idiot, she scolded herself mentally, the hell are you supposed to do with money and no place to go?
So maybe that’s why the idea was never tempting to her, Jihyo decided before making her way to grab the mop bucket.
Then she heard a noise that made her freeze up. The sound of the toilet flushing—the sound was enough to alarm her as she whipped around, seeing a small figure push the door open, wearing a dark gray hoodie and long jeans. The hood was pulled up, obscuring majority of the face.
“Oh shit—” Jihyo scrambled, accidentally dropping the mop but ignoring it for the time being, “I-I am so sorry—”
“…Are you closed?” The voice made Jihyo stop momentarily. Sure, Jihyo was just 16, but even she could tell this person sounded oddly young.
“Uhm, yeah,” Jihyo cleared her throat, ignoring the curiosity growing in her chest, “We’re closed. Sorry, I didn’t think someone was still in here.”
“I get that a lot,” The voice nodded, “…Is it just you?”
“Yeah,” Jihyo sighed, making her way over to unlock the front door, “I’m still new to this, sorry.”
She shifted the lock, hearing the familiar click of it, feeling the door push open from the wind. “Have a good night,” Jihyo began to open the door, offering it open for the stranger who sounded a bit too young to be hanging around by herself so late into the night.
The figure didn’t budge for a moment, lingering by the front desk, eyes sifting through everything like she was trying to look for something. “What…?” Jihyo stood by the door, watching the stranger curiously, “Something wrong?”
“No,” The stranger shook her head, hood way too large for such a tiny figure, “Just thinking.”
“About what?”
The figure suddenly hopped over the front desk, legs dangling in the air. Jihyo could only let out a confused strain of noise, eyes widening. “What the fuck are you doing?!” Jihyo suddenly darted over, grabbing the figure by the waist, feeling how tiny this person was beneath her hands.
Everything was happening too fast, Jihyo could barely process what was happening as she dragged the figure away from the desk, trying to make out the face—
Thwack!
“Son of a—” Jihyo cried out, feeling the hard cover of Nayeon’s textbook collide right into her face, smashing into her nose. She stumbled, immediately feeling the sensation of blood rolling down her nostrils, over her lips, onto the ground. Falling backward, straight on her ass, Jihyo held her face, trying to squeeze the throbbing out of it.
“You fucking bitch!” Jihyo hissed through gritted teeth, seeing the figure already making a beeline for the now unlocked door, feeling the wind breeze through the laundromat. Everything fell into place the moment the door shut, a pool of dread forming in the pit of Jihyo’s stomach. She saw it—the worn out leather brown money bag in the stranger’s arms, now probably disappeared off into the street.
Jihyo’s head was pounding, her nose was throbbing. Her hands were shaking and she squeezed her eyes shut in painful realization, feeling the tears pooling but absolutely refusing to let them fall. “Fuck—” She hissed out, the gravity of the situation starting to weigh down on her even worse when the door from upstairs opened.
“What was all that scr—Jihyo?!”
Jihyo refused to open her eyes, unmoving from her spot on the tiled floors as she heard Nayeon’s footsteps approaching her. It was always easy to tell the difference between Jeongyeon and Nayeon’s footsteps, Nayeon sounded light and Jeongyeon’s sounded heavy. Like Jeongyeon didn’t know the volume she carried and Nayeon was hyper-aware. She could hear how Jeongyeon’s footsteps ran to the door, which was probably still left swinging open.
“Hey—” Nayeon was probably right in front of her, Jihyo barely cracked a watery eye open to see if her suspicions were correct. “Jihyo—” Nayeon was indeed, kneeling right in front of her, voice laced with panic, “What happened? Are you okay? There’s blood—”
“My nose—” Jihyo admitted through her gritted teeth, “I got whacked.”
“Whacked?” Nayeon questioned, “With what?”
“Uhm…probably your Advanced Organic Chemistry 3rd Edition textbook,” Jeongyeon held up the culprit book, god, Jihyo fucking hated chemistry. She never even took the course, but this was definitely going to be her biggest fucking enemy from here on out.
“Jihyo, what happened?” Nayeon turned her attention back to her, eyes unwavering with pure worry. Jihyo couldn’t even understand why—it would be so much easier to just get mad at her for being a fucking idiot. The kindness in Nayeon’s gaze literally made her squirm in discomfort.
“I—” Jihyo tried but for whatever reason, her throat was already closing up, not from the pain (but it did play a role) but from something similar to fear. Or maybe like…guilt?
“…I’m sorry—” Jihyo choked out, shaking her head a bit, trying to create some distance between her and Nayeon because it didn’t really feel like she should have any sort of warmth around her right now. She could see the way Nayeon’s head tilted, unmoving from her spot but not looking defensive, just simply looking concerned.
“Sorry for what?” Nayeon quietly asked, it looked like she was trying really hard to not reach out and grab Jihyo out of her own accord, “You’re the one who took a giant textbook to the face.”
The brown worn-out money bag was now flashing through Jihyo’s mind, feeling her throat constrict even more, till it felt like she might not ever be able to catch her breath. “You need to tell us what happened Jihyo,” Jeongyeon was now kneeling beside her, careful to keep her hands to herself, but watching Jihyo with this specific sort of unwavering seriousness in her expression.
“…I-I don’t want to,” Jihyo suddenly admitted, keeping her knees close to her chest, trying to curl into herself like that would protect her from the inevitable. Which, in this case, would be the surefire anger that was going to follow after she admitted just what exactly happened.
In Jihyo’s mind, there was absolutely no way Nayeon and Jeongyeon wouldn’t be pissed the hell off. This was about 50% of their income—the heavy realization of how much Jihyo just let slip by was now starting to crush her so intensely it felt like she couldn’t breathe.
“I get that,” Nayeon nodded understandingly, “But we need to make sure everything is okay—we need to make sure you’re okay,” She tried to explain, adjusting herself so she was no longer kneeling but now sitting crisscross on the ground right in front of Jihyo, “I mean, you’ve got a bloody nose kid. I just want to make sure everything is okay. Blood is never something that can make me relax.”
“…You guys are going t-to hate me,” Jihyo mumbled out, “If I-I tell you.”
“That’s a pretty strong assumption,” Jeongyeon pointed out, as if trying to reason with her, “How do you know we’re going to hate you? We don’t even know what’s happening.”
“Because its impossible to think you wouldn’t be,” Jihyo clarified, “Be…because…because…I-I lost something.”
“Lost something?” Nayeon’s voice was so gentle, trying to piece together whatever she could while Jihyo could only stare down at her now slightly scuffed and bloodied shoes, coming apart at the seams.
“I-I lost something…i-important,” Jihyo forced herself to stutter out, “Please don’t be…be l-like…too mad.”
“…You were robbed,” Nayeon seemed to fill in the gaps before Jihyo could even figure out how to word it properly, eyes widening in realization as she whipped her head to the scattered papers. Jeongyeon scrambled up, making her way to the front desk, fingers tangling in her hair when the heaviness settled in.
“I-I’m sorry—” Jihyo repeated, feeling herself lock up, like her body was lead and she couldn’t budge even if her mind was begging her to just get up and run like the robber did.
“…Shit,” Jeongyeon muttered, “That…that’s not great.”
“P-please don’t hate me,” Jihyo weakly pleaded, shrinking herself back. One bloody nose was enough, really. She watched Nayeon watch Jeongyeon silently, obviously trying to figure out exactly how to go about this. Jihyo wondered if this would be enough to seal the deal—kicking her out really seemed like the only option in this scenario. At least, in Jihyo’s mind.
“We don’t hate you,” Nayeon shook her head, her voice quiet and neutral, “Its just a lot to process. Do you know what the robber looked like?”
“Uhm,” Jihyo racked her brain, “It was a girl.”
“A woman?” Jeongyeon turned around.
“A girl,” Jihyo reiterated, “Because she s-sounded like…young. Like…like y-young like m-me.”
“C’mon,” Nayeon stood up again, craning her neck, offering her hand. And Jihyo didn’t mean to, really. But the moment Nayeon’s hand came closer, it was almost like her body had a mind of its own. She felt herself flinch, hands covering her nose once again, squeezing her eyes shut. Bracing herself for any sort of impact, instinctively curling into herself.
The laundromat felt even more silent, if that was possible. Only the ringing in Jihyo’s ears filled it, and she then processed how there was no impact that came. Because she wasn’t where she used to be anymore, her mind knew that but it seemed like her body was having a hard time realizing it.
“Hey—” Nayeon’s voice remained steady, Jihyo cracked an eye open, seeing Nayeon’s palm up, slowly reaching down still, making sure Jihyo was watching her every move. “Let’s get you some ice.” Jihyo stared up to her quietly. She stared to Nayeon’s outstretched hand, patiently holding her palm out, waiting for Jihyo to take up her offer. It felt like hours had passed, where Jihyo couldn’t do much else but look at her, confusion and genuine fear coursing through her body. Calm the hell down, Jihyo kept telling herself, unsure if it was tears or blood dripping down her chin and not wanting to really figure it out.
“…A-aren’t you mad?” Jihyo blurted out.
“I mean,” Jeongyeon’s voice came, walking over to stand beside Nayeon, hands in her pockets, “Is this ideal? No, not really—” Jihyo appreciated Jeongyeon’s honesty, “But really, its not your fault.”
“But—” Jihyo protested, “I-I’m the one who—”
“Got robbed?” Jeongyeon raised a brow, “And took a gnarly hit to the face? Yeah, you totally did this all on purpose.”
“C’mon,” Nayeon repeated, voice still soft and fluffy, making Jihyo think of the warm fluffy blankets she slept under on the sofa just a floor away, “I want to clean you up. Your nose is bleeding pretty badly—but I don’t think its broken.”
Jihyo unsurely reached out, cautiously taking Nayeon’s hand. Nayeon kept herself still, as Jihyo struggled to stand up, grip never leaving Nayeon’s hand. “I-I’m sorry,” Jihyo apologized, as they made their way upstairs, “I-I know th-this isn’t good—”
“It isn’t,” Nayeon nodded solemnly, “But its not the end of the world. We have savings. I have research stipends—”
“Sti-st—?”
“Like an allowance,” Nayeon tried to word it properly, as Jeongyeon jogged ahead of them, opening the door to the apartment, “That the university gives me since I’m doing research. Usually, my stipends go into savings, but I can dig into it in times like this—”
“Its a set back,” Jeongyeon nodded, as they all made their way to the wet room, where Nayeon gently guided Jihyo to the sink, starting the water, “Sure. But its not the end of the world. You know what I say.”
Jihyo sniffled, instantly regretting it when she remembered she was, in fact, bleeding still.
“Tis life?” Jihyo weakly replied, while Jeongyeon only looked a bit prouder, small smile growing on her lips.
“Yeah,” She nodded, as Nayeon pulled Jihyo’s hair away from her face, while Jeongyeon cupped her hands, gathering water, “Lean forward kid.” Jihyo complied, feeling the rush of cool sink water splash onto her face.
“Spit,” Nayeon added, “You kept lifting your head up.”
“Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?” Jihyo questioned, spitting and cringing to see how her saliva was nearly pure red.
“Mm, no,” Nayeon shook her head, Jihyo relaxed feeling her palm rub her back gently, “You actually want to tilt your head forward,” Nayeon continued her explanation, “Or else you’re just swallowing your blood. Which can make you nauseous.”
“Oh,” Jihyo replied, “That…that explains a lot.”
“So, you said it was someone around your age?” Jeongyeon questioned a few moments later, when they had given Jihyo an ice pack wrapped in a paper towel, and guided her to pinch the bridge of her nose.
“Yeah,” Jihyo nodded, scoffing slightly, “Fucking asshole—”
“Hey now,” Nayeon chided, washing her hands, “I know you want to be mad. Hell, if I took my chemistry textbook to my face, I’d also be pissed. But we need to try to extend some grace—”
“But why?” Jihyo felt appalled to even think about being nice to someone who actually fucking just robbed them of their main income. “She literally took you guys’ money. She robbed you guys—”
“Well,” Jeongyeon sounded a bit conflicted, “I like you have a good sense of justice kid,” She added, “But not everything is black and white like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well—” They made their way to the sofa, Jihyo sitting in the middle as Nayeon and Jeongyeon sat beside her on either side respectively, “I mean, you being with us—that’s technically inherently a crime,” Nayeon blushed slightly, “Of course, there’s nuance to these things. You were in a tough situation, and needed help. We gave you help—that’s a good thing, right?”
“Well…I-I hope you don’t regret it,” Jihyo admitted nervously, fingers buzzing with nerves, “But…yeah…you guys are r-really good p-people, I would think.”
“But…the police might not be too fond of it,” Nayeon explained, “Because you’re a runaway. Its not always black and white.”
“So…” Jihyo racked her brain, “So…she might have taken the money…because…?”
“Who knows?” Jeongyeon shrugged, laying back onto the sofa, arm outstretched, wrapping around Jihyo carefully, “Maybe she is just an asshole. Or maybe…there’s something more going on. Only she’s going to know the real reason why. But think about it—imagine being so desperate for money, you resort to robbing. There has to be a reason why.”
Jihyo let that sink in for a moment. “I-I guess I never thought about it that way,” She slowly admitted.
“And I get why,” Nayeon agreed, “But being angry won’t really resolve anything. Its okay to feel it sometimes, but don’t let it decide everything. And definitely don’t stress yourself out,” She reassured, reaching out once again. Only this time, Jihyo braced herself better, reminding herself there was no reason to flinch away from the woman who held her hair back when she threw up during the early hours of the morning, “Its not good for the babies. And its definitely not healthy for you, either,” Nayeon explained, brushing a few strands out of Jihyo’s face. Nayeon’s touch was always so tender, a piece of Jihyo felt partially guilty for having such a knee-jerk reaction.
“Get some sleep,” Nayeon pulled away, patting the couch firmly, “You took quite a hit. You’ll need lots of rest to make sure you conserve energy to heal.”
“I—” Jihyo wanted to protest but the pregnancy just made her all the more heavy on the limbs, stifling a yawn. “Okay,” She didn’t even feel like arguing, “Uhm…I’m still sorry though.”
“For what kid?” Jeongyeon questioned, leaning against the hallway entrance, arms crossed.
“Just…” Jihyo mumbled, “I-I still feel like I could have done something different. And well…I-I’m sorry for assuming you would be pissed as hell at me.”
“Oh, Jihyo,” Nayeon said so tenderly, “You’re just a kid. You’re just learning. I think you’ve faced enough consequences to last your lifetime.”
“…I guess an extra hand won’t hurt,” Jihyo heard Jeongyeon mumble to herself. The laundromat was getting ready to close, the last customer had just finished folding and wheeling their baskets out to their car. It would have gone perfectly smooth, until Jihyo heard an unfamiliar click echo from the vehicle as they tried to turn the ignition on.
“Oh shit,” Jeongyeon mumbled, having been pacing around because Jihyo can’t remember when that woman ever relaxed anywhere except for the recliner in the living room, “Hang on—”
She jogged out of the building, Jihyo peaked out from the front desk, seeing the fluff of Jeongyeon’s hair blow in the night time breeze. She watched as they exchanged a few words, before Jeongyeon came rushing back in. “Her car isn’t starting fully—” Jeongyeon briefly explained, going to the desk and crouching below, grabbing a familiar toolbox Jihyo saw her use all the time when the washers broke down. “Its turning over though, I’m going to push it to the lot and use Nayeon’s car to jump start it. It might be a weak battery but if I can just get it to start I can give her my information to help her out better when the sun’s out tomorrow.”
“I didn’t understand half of those words,” Jihyo bluntly replied.
“I’m saying—” Jeongyeon huffed, “I’m going to help start her car. Don’t stay in here alone—Nayeon’s probably going to be finished showering in 10 minutes—press the button when it’s time. She’ll know to hurry up and come down here with you. Got it kid?”
“Uhm,” Jihyo nodded furiously, “I-I got it. Ten minutes.”
“I really shouldn’t be long,” Jeongyeon checked her watch, “I’ll be back—” She leaned over, pulling Jihyo into a quick embrace, letting her go, hoisting her toolbox and beelining out the door. Jihyo blinked a few times, barely registering the affection. It happened so quick, Jihyo couldn’t even properly respond to it. Sure, Jeongyeon and Nayeon were gentle with her, hugging her hesitantly, but this was much more casual. It made Jihyo’s chest tighten with longing. After going out with her to the farm, Jihyo noticed Jeongyeon lingered just a tad bit longer.
It would be three minutes that Jihyo could see Jeongyeon disappear down the window’s view, most likely making her way to the parking garage. It would be another minute that Jihyo would flinch to hear the sound of the door opening once more, a body walking inside.
“Uhm,” Jihyo faltered, considering just holding the button in hopes Nayeon would somehow be able to sense it from a door and a wall away, “We-we close in like five minutes. Last wash was thirty minutes ago unfortunately.”
The figure was miniscule in the crewneck she was wearing, her collarbones peeking out from her sheer small stature. The light gray crewneck with teal along the seams was reaching her midthighs, her legs knobby and scraped up from what Jihyo could tell. Wearing a pair of running shorts, white ankle socks, and running sneakers that had definitely seen better days.
But her eyes—
Jihyo drew a sharp breath.
“Its you!” Jihyo scrambled up from the seat, this time, she could see everything on the girl who (embarrassingly) smacked her face into the next week just the day before. Jihyo’s nose was still swollen. Right now, Jihyo was hyperaware of how petite this kid was. She was definitely younger than Jihyo, maybe by a year or two. With utterly large dark brown round eyes. While Jihyo had always found hers to be overwhelming, this kid’s made Jihyo think of something endless—maybe like when the night sky was at its peak darkness, and there was a star or two twinkling through it all. Her nose was slightly shaped, and it was still there—the distinct mole on the bottom corner of her lips.
“Listen—” The voice was squeaky, Jihyo held her tongue. A child, that’s who this was. Wearing something like her mother’s sweater for comfort, out and about during a time no child should be out. Something like worry washed through Jihyo’s veins, even if anxiousness was mixing somewhere in there, too.
“Get out,” Jihyo snipped, embarrassment rushing through her words before logic could stop her, “I don’t have any more fucking cash for you to steal. You ran us dry.”
The kid stared down to the ground, eyes glued to her scuffed sneakers, “…How far along are you?”
Jihyo blinked, jaw slackening slightly. How the hell—? She stared down to herself, seeing how she stood a bit further back from the front desk, creating a bit of space between them. She had chosen to wear one of Jeongyeon’s flannels, along with one of Nayeon’s pair of sweat pants. Really, nothing should have given away anything that Jihyo was remotely pregnant—
“You’re protecting the baby,” The kid finally piped up again, voice unsure and a bit scratchy, like she had been yelling before coming here. She motioned with her hands, her arms were thin and the material of the crewneck dragged up her arm, revealing bony wrists. She imitated Jihyo’s defensive position, bringing her arm over her stomach, as if clutching it close.
Jihyo quietly looked down to herself, seeing how she had instinctively dragged her arm over her stomach. No longer over her face, but to the only piece of her that felt worth protecting in the event of an unsuspecting intrusion—her babies. The flesh and blood developing just a skin’s layer away.
Jihyo’s anger melted into something different—not fear, but worry. Worry for the safety of the breathing bodies inside her. “…Don’t hurt me,” She pleaded, “I’m being honest. There’s nothing left for you to steal right now.”
“I’m not—” The kid tried to argue, “Just…its you, isn’t it? Pregnant?”
“I—” Jihyo realized she wasn’t close enough to the button to catch Nayeon’s attention without looking suspicious. She was then realizing she couldn’t lie like she used to, she didn’t want to deny it. She wanted to just protect them.
“…Don’t hurt them,” Jihyo’s mouth ran quicker than her brain. The kid’s eyes looked a bit glossy from this angle.
“Them…?” She croaked out.
“Y-yeah…” Jihyo stuttered, “Them…them. Twins.”
“I—” The kid drew a sharp breath, hands curling into fists that looked absolutely miniscule. She reached up, bringing the sleeve of the oversized crewneck to her face, covering the entirety of herself for a moment. Jihyo waited with a held breath, arm still over her stomach, body still in fight or flight, thinking of every way this could go wrong and how she could get out of it—
“I’m sorry—” The kid suddenly gasped out, Jihyo felt her jaw drop in surprise when all she could see was sparkling dark eyes filled with tears. Pouring out of the kid’s face like a faucet, rolling down her cheeks with ease, dripping down her chin. “I’m sorry—” She repeated, furiously wiping her face, shaking her head in near disbelief, “I didn’t know—I-I didn’t know—”
“Uhm—” Jihyo suddenly froze up, eyebrows furrowing to see the kid nearly blubbering in the middle of the floor. This was a complete 180 from the kid that Jihyo experienced yesterday—quick, agile, and downright sneaky as hell.
“I didn’t realize—” The kid sputtered, “I-I was panicking! And then, and then I saw the book—”
Jihyo eyed the desk. Expecting, that’s what the book was called. Nayeon always encouraged Jihyo to read her collection. Why Nayeon had a collection specifically for expecting pregnancies was beyond Jihyo but it was certainly more of a help than it was a drag. That’s what the kid had to have seen yesterday—
“I didn’t know you were a mom.”
The words felt like a slap to the face. Not because Jihyo hadn’t already processed that information already, her instincts going into overdrive, simply wishing for this to be over because she wanted to ensure her growing babies were safe. But because Jihyo saw this kid, kid, and knew they were closer in age than she wanted to admit. And no longer was this confrontation two school aged students, it was a kid and a mother.
“You couldn’t have known,” Jihyo awkwardly mumbled, still stiff, staring to the book still on the cluttered desk.
“I didn’t know—” The kid pleaded, “Please, don’t hate me.”
“…Why did you come back?” Jihyo cut to the point.
“I—” She continued to sputter, slipping a backpack off her shoulder. Jihyo hadn’t even realized she was carrying one. She watched, as the kid shakily unzipped the bag, tears still dripping down her face with no pattern, sniffling every so often, nose burning red. From this angle, Jihyo could see the bags of exhaustion beneath her eyes.
Jihyo could only stare, eyes wide as she watched as a familiar worn out brown leather pouch was tossed back onto the desk with a heavy thud. Jihyo’s heart dropped right along with it, fingertips buzzing with adrenaline.
“You—” Jihyo tried, “You…you brought it back?”
“I’m sorry,” the kid repeated, shaking her head furiously in shame, “I-I didn’t know. I didn’t know you were a mom—”
“Just cause I’m a mom doesn’t mean it suddenly became morally wrong to steal,” Jihyo blurted out, slowly reaching over, eyes never leaving the crying child, grabbing the bag cautiously so as to avoid any sudden movements. “You shouldn’t have stolen anything in the first place.”
“I just wanted to help her,” The kid suddenly confessed, squeezing her eyes shut, shaking her head. Like she was trying to chase away nightmares, “I-I was just trying to help—”
“You should be glad I’m not calling the fucking cops,” Jihyo continued to sneer, defensive walls suddenly rising, “You shouldn’t have stolen from these people—” Her mind wandered to Nayeon and Jeongyeon. Something twisted in her chest. Their reasoning from yesterday suddenly popped back up in her mind, “They’re…they’re good people,” She forced her voice to calm down, releasing the tension in it, “They’re really good people. Nice, too. They told me I shouldn’t be mad at what you did. Because…because they said maybe there was a reason for it.”
“She’s just sick—” The kid choked out, definitely not entirely here in this moment, “I-I’m just trying to help.”
Maybe it was the bubbling motherly instinct beginning to form in the pit of Jihyo’s stomach. Maybe it was how quick the kid was able to piece together that Jihyo was pregnant. Or maybe, it was how painfully stressed the kid looked right now, like a child getting scolded and she didn’t know how to respond except with tears. Maybe it was because the sweatshirt was entirely too large for her, or maybe it was because her eyes reminded Jihyo of the night sky. Something inside Jihyo snapped.
“Dammit.” Jihyo grumbled to herself, hurriedly unzipping the pouch, seeing the bills were intact. The kid didn’t even so as much as shuffle through them, Jihyo knew this because Nayeon always organized them in a specific order. Reaching in, grabbing a handful of bills, but not the entirety of them, Jihyo held her hand out.
The kid’s eyes widened. Mouth dropping open slightly, and Jihyo could see a hint of a canine tooth peeking out. Her face was laced with confusion and breathlessness, keeping her eyes glued to the money but remaining still in her spot.
“Well…?” Jihyo took a slight step closer.
“W-Well what?’ The kid questioned.
Jihyo tsked, ears burning. “What are you?” She griped, “A fucking statue? Take the fucking money—”
“But…”
“Take it or I call the cops,” Jihyo suddenly warned, “Because I know what you look like now. My unnie is an amazing sketch artist. If I tell her a description, she’d make it look exactly like you.”
“But!”
“Ya!” Jihyo snarked, “Are you always this argumentative? I’m being kind and offering you some money and you want to waste that?”
“I—no—”
“Then take it,” Jihyo insisted, stretching even further. She watched, as the kid eyed the bills unsurely, mind probably racing and unable to comprehend the idea that someone was willingly giving her something, anything, “Before I change my mind.”
“Jihyo?” Nayeon stepped into the laundromat, hair still dripping as she used a towel to soak up as much as she could from it, “Where’s Jeongyeon?”
“H-Helping someone with their car,” Jihyo’s voice cracked from the front desk. Nayeon’s gut tugged, something instinctual telling her something was a bit off. Nayeon frowned, dragging her slippers across the tiled floor, seeing the laundromat empty, which was a good thing.
Nayeon made her way to the front desk, seeing Jihyo still sitting on the desk chair, fingers pressed against her temples, resting her elbows on the desk. Her eyes were shut, and there was a few moments of silence.
Then Jihyo sniffled and Nayeon’s instincts went into overdrive.
“You’re crying—?” Nayeon opened the door to enter the area, seeing Jihyo only shrink further into herself, back hunched over. “Hey,” Nayeon kept her voice soft, coming up from behind, grabbing the dining chair that remained permanently planted beside Jihyo. She sat onto it, keeping her hands on Jihyo’s shoulders as the kid only sniffled, shoulders shaking beneath her grip.
“God fucking damn it,” Jihyo cursed, shaking her head, wiping her face with her hands, “I don’t even know why the hell I’m crying—”
“Did something happen?” Nayeon questioned, worry washing over her because she hated to see the kid cry.
“Just—” Jihyo continued to shake her head in disbelief, reaching into her lap and tossing a familiar pouch onto the desk with an unceremonious thump. Nayeon audibly gasped.
“You—how…what?” Nayeon blinked furiously, feelings of relief coursing through her veins. She snatched the bag, unzipping it and beginning to count its contents.
“It…its short,” Jihyo suddenly whispered out. still obscuring her face with her hands. Nayeon was already nearly finished, and Jihyo’s statement was proven correct. Nayeon raised an eyebrow.
“How did you know?” She asked gently.
“I—” Jihyo tried but faltered, “She…she came back right now.”
“She did?” Nayeon was genuinely thrown off, “How come?”
“She…” Nayeon watched as Jihyo brought an arm across her stomach in contemplation. The action made Nayeon’s heart flutter as much as it made it ache. The instinct—Nayeon could recall it the wash of emotions so easily, like it was just yesterday and not nearly ten years ago. Like the wound would always remain fresh in her mind that seemed to never forget. “She realized I was a mother.”
Mother. That word and Jihyo still brought a touch of dissonance in Nayeon’s mind. Not because Nayeon didn’t have faith in the teenager she just met less than three months ago. But because Nayeon sat beside Jihyo and could only see a kid. A kid with the weight of the world on her shoulders.
“She apologized,” Jihyo was now recalling just a brief moment ago, blinking a bit dazed, tears fresh in her eyes, “She couldn’t have been older than me. She had to have been younger, unnie. And, and I don’t know—” Jihyo sighed, and Nayeon couldn’t help herself, slipping an arm around Jihyo’s shoulders and pulling her close, listening to every word Jihyo wanted to say.
“It had to have taken a lot of courage,” Jihyo sighed, “To show her face here again. She hadn’t even touched any money from the pouch. But she brought it back and kept saying she was just trying to help. Not help me, but I’m guessing someone in her life. And-and her clothes were practically swallowing her, and she looked sort of like a kitten, I dunno? I just…I felt something—care or pity or what fucking ever. I couldn’t help it. It looked like she had needed at least some money—for some reason—”
“So you gave some to her?” Nayeon pieced it together immediately. A warmth sprouted in the center of her chest, she felt the emotion well up but managed to keep it in check.
“I’m sorry,” Jihyo heaved out, head hanging in shame, “I-I know we’re not financially in a spot to do shit like that—”
“Its okay,” Nayeon was quick, “I don’t blame you. In fact…I’m glad you did.”
“You what?” Jihyo scoffed out, tinged with disbelief, “I just gave a stranger a piece of our income.”
“She probably needed it,” Nayeon shrugged, “I mean, imagine the strain she must be in to have done what she did. And the struggle she faced to seek forgiveness. The guilt of doing something she knew was wrong overpowered everything else. Something has to be going on, something that made her resort to this.”
“I just…I couldn’t just leave her like that,” Jihyo admitted, “What kind of person would I be if I turned away someone who was exactly like me?”
Nayeon listened, watching Jihyo carefully. For someone who seemed to have gone through so much Nayeon didn’t quite know, Jihyo was extremely empathetic. Sure, she had a bit of an emotional wall, and maybe she was a bit brash with her words. But Jihyo had such a heart, it was something beautiful Nayeon was more than happy to see grow. After finding out about just how much life was going to change, Nayeon couldn’t help but feel a bit of fear. Maybe its the innate motherly instinct in her that never really went away, but Nayeon had a tendency to think about how wrong everything could go. She learned to roll with it, using it to her advantage to ensure things never went wrong—but sometimes, like yesterday, it can’t be helped.
Sure, Nayeon could have exploded at Jihyo, revealing the genuine stress and panic both her and Jeongyeon were feeling when they found out their money to pay their bills was completely gone. But what good would that have done? That’s how Nayeon viewed it as. Jihyo already understood the gravity of the situation, she had already experienced utter guilt and braced herself for a rough impact. Nayeon swore she’d never be the one to give any sort of blow. Jihyo had been through enough already it seemed.
“And you know, maybe she needed to see there was some good in this world. Maybe she needed to see someone out there would be willing to help her out, even just the slightest bit—” Jihyo continued her rambling, obviously still wired and nervous for Nayeon’s reaction.
“…Hey Jihyo?” Nayeon nearly whispered, reaching over and brushing a few hairs away from Jihyo’s face.
“Huh?” Jihyo refused to look at her but straightened up a bit. Nayeon kept one arm around her, giving her a reassuring squeeze. Jihyo had done the right thing—she seemed like the kind who could never turn away someone in need. Nayeon would rather have a kid too giving than not giving at all. A few bills missing was better than no money at all. They could make it work, her and Jeongyeon. They always did.
“You did the right thing,” Nayeon whispered, letting her chin rest on top of Jihyo’s head, as Jihyo remained still for a moment. Processing and registering Nayeon’s words, stiff beneath a kind touch.
Slowly, Nayeon felt Jihyo relax, little by little. Every muscle in her body finally untensing, till Jihyo melted just the slightest bit. Burying her head into the crook of Nayeon’s neck, head resting on her chest. Arms still crossed over herself but curling into Nayeon quietly. Nayeon knew Jihyo needed this more than she realized. Reassurance.
“…Thanks,” Jihyo simply said, voice light and a bit scratchy, swallowing away the dryness.
“She probably needed it more than you realize,” Nayeon mused, “You might have just changed the course of her life as you know it. Who knows.”
“A-Are we going to be okay?” Jihyo unsurely questioned, “Like…money wise?”
“We would have made it work no matter what,” Nayeon stated, voicing it as fact because Nayeon whole heartedly believed in it, “We always have. Always will. That’s nothing you have to worry about Jihyo. All you need to worry about is your health, and your babies. You hear me?”
“Okay unnie,” Jihyo agreed quietly, Nayeon felt her eyes gently shut.