Priorities

Momo was listening intently to Jeongyeon's story while eating her ramyeon. By the time Jeongyeon finished her narration, Momo's cup had been emptied as well as Jeongyeon's. The latter proceeded to throw away the ramyeon cups and wash their utensils.

"Daebak! You really hit him?!" Momo gasped. "No wonder you went home with a bandage around your knuckles."

Jeongyeon's knuckles were sore for a few days after hitting Jimin. It was almost as if he had an iron jaw. She didn't hit him hard but it hurt since fighting isn't exactly her forte. She wasn't going to deny, though, being able to hit him like that felt strangely therapeutic. "Serves him right for being an asshole," Jeongyeon scoffed then went back to her seat.

"He sounded like it, didn't he? Poor unnie," Momo pouted, remembering how Nayeon cried herself to sleep that night.

Park Jimin was a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, he and his group were beloved by their fans both within the country and from around the world. Momo had always looked up to him and his group. No one could deny they were talented, to the point where even those from the other side of the world recognized their skills. They had been able to spread the influence of K-Pop to the world and were widely respected not only by their hoobae but also their sunbae.

But while Momo was awed by their many achievements, her respect for Jimin began to fade away. It had just diminished before, with what happened to Nayeon. Hearing about the extent of his actions from Jeongyeon, she lost almost all respect for him. She still looked up to him as a fellow idol but that was the end of it.

"So that injury they reported... he didn't bump into a wall on accident and bust his lip?"

Jeongyeon laughed loudly at that. She remembered that report. BTS had an event the day after her visit. Of course, the public took note of his busted lip since the still red wound starkly contrasted his alabaster complexion. He didn't even bother to hide it. She had been cackling alone in her room when she read that article, her members thought she was possessed. "He was smart enough to figure out how to ensure the silence of that driver but he can't make up a good enough excuse for that. He sounded ridiculous, didn't he?"

"He did and now we know why." A voice behind them made Momo and Jeongyeon literally froze in shock. Turning to the entrance of the kitchen, their members stood staring at them, with mixed reactions among them as usual.

Jeongyeon groaned loudly, palming her face. How many times had her members eavesdropped on her private conversations? Too much to be considered normal, if you ask her. "Aish, jinjja! You guys have the most annoying timing, I swear I don't even have secrets from you anymore!" she whined. "It's almost like you're deliberately spying on me or something."

Jihyo sneered, looking pissed. "Not our fault you pick a bad time to tell a story."

"That's not really the issue here," Nayeon said as she stomped towards Jeongyeon. She stopped in front of the younger girl frozen in her seat with her hands on her hips. "You hit Jimin?!"

Snapping out of her initial shock, Jeongyeon scoffed and stood up from her seat. "I'm not apologizing for that." She crossed her arms, seemingly challenging Nayeon by raising a brow. Nayeon narrowed her eyes at the sudden appearance of Jeongyeon's brazen attitude. The two stood there, glaring at each other. The other members were rooted on their places as they spectated the somewhat heated exchange with apprehension.

Indeed, Jeongyeon wasn't going to apologize for that. Even though she knows she should, she just couldn't apologize for something she felt no remorse for. Call it pride or arrogance but she wasn't going to apologize for what she did, much less apologize to Park Jimin of all people. Just thinking about his name left a bad taste in Jeongyeon's mouth. She hates him that much. Doesn't matter if he's apologized too.

They stayed like that for a while before Nayeon conceded with a sigh. Her gaze softened towards Jeongyeon. "You didn't need to do that, you know. I can take care of myself."

"That's what you said but you still came home crying that night." Jeongyeon was getting worked up and couldn't hold in the snide remark. It wasn't exactly Nayeon she was mad at, she just hates that they were starting to quarrel again. Both were known to quarrel often but it wasn't usually this serious, they were more like petty squabbles between two children. But at this moment, it couldn't even be called quarrel anymore. They were fighting... and she hated it.

Damn bastard, she thought, irritated. He's not even here and he's being a pain in the ass again.

Jihyo gasped at the retort, her hand hovering over her mouth. "Ya, Yoo Jeongyeon! Don't you think that's a little harsh?" It was harsh but it was the truth. Jeongyeon didn't want to be blunt but she felt the situation called for it.

"Stop trying to pick a fight, Jeongyeon," Nayeon said in a stern voice. "You're the one at fault here, if you haven't noticed. How could you hide this from us?"

"You think it's easy to tell you I almost beat up the guy who made you cry? I didn't tell you 'cause I knew you'd react this way! I don't really need you lecturing me, unnie. I know what I did and I don't regret it one bit."

Nayeon made a surprised noise and gaped at her. "How are you not bothered by what you did?! You do realize you had assaulted an idol? You're lucky he didn't press charges!"

"Yes, well... he didn't, okay? Now can we please just get over it? That was a long time ago already!"

"Let it go?!" Jihyo screeched. "You hit Park Jimin of all people and you think we're just going to let it go?"

"Unnie..." Chaeyoung chimed in to defend Jeongyeon. "First off, can you please stop referring to him as a deity or something? Second, I don't exactly consent to how hyung handled Jimin-oppa but he really did deserve it for being an asshole."

"Chaeng!" Nayeon, Mina, Momo, Sana, and Jihyo exclaimed in unison at Chaeyoung's choice of words. While Chaeyoung was an adult, they still weren't used to hearing her curse, much less use profanity to refer to other people.

"We hate Jimin-oppa too, okay? All of us saw how Nayeon-unnie was affected by him but it just feels like injuring him was too much," Mina tried to explain.

Tzuyu scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Too much? Two hits were lenient especially for someone like him. He's lucky he didn't get more than that, unnie should've ruined his face. But even that wouldn't be enough to get him back for what he did to Nayeon-unnie."

Sana hit her arm, frowning. "Tzuyu-ah! Violence isn't always the answer, you know!"

Momo sighed and rubbed the nape of her neck in anxiety. "Sana-chan... Tzuyu and Chaeyoung are right, though. You all heard what he did to Nayeon-unnie and he didn't even regret it. He admitted to hurting her on purpose. Jeongyeon's actions were justified."

Dahyun shook her head to disagree. "Whether it was justified or not, I still don't like the fact that someone else got hurt."

Tzuyu rounded towards her, glaring at her. "So you're saying only Nayeon-unnie should've been hurt that time?!"

"Ani, that's not what I mean and you know it!" Dahyun protested vehemently, glaring back at Tzuyu.

The two were now in each other's faces and looked about ready to exchange blows. Jihyo stepped in between them and gently pushed them away from each other with her arms. Jihyo then turned to Dahyun and held her clenched fists to calm her down. Sana pulled Tzuyu towards her, whispering something in her ear. While Tzuyu and Dahyun had been separated, the two girls continued to argue despite the others' attempts to stop the arguments.

Oh boy, Jeongyeon thought. The girls were starting to get rowdy, arguing with each other. Seeing them like that brought Jeongyeon back to her senses. She was beginning to feel guilty for starting this when all she could have done was apologize. Now she had caused her other members into fighting amongst themselves. She felt she had to do something to keep things form escalating more than they already have.

"Ya, girls!" she exclaimed to get their attention. They quieted down and looked towards her. She raised her hand, gesturing for Chaeyoung to pause as she had opened her mouth to say something. "Chaeng, Tzuyu, Momo... gwaenchanha. You don't need to stick up for me."

"Aniyo, it's not okay!" She stepped forward to stand in front of Jeongyeon, facing the other members. "You all heard the story, right? Why are you ganging up on her?" The last part was directed towards Nayeon, Sana, Mina, Dahyun, and Jihyo. "Blame Jimin-oppa for what he did to Nayeon-unnie. If only he left Nayeon-unnie alone, hyung wouldn't have gone over to their dorm just to teach him a lesson. It's not her fault he can be such a bastard!"

There was silence after Chaeyoung's outburst.

Jeongyeon sighed, uneasy with the tension around the kitchen. She placed a hand on Chaeyoung's shoulder to calm her down. She stepped forward to stand beside her dongsaeng then addressed the other members, "Look, I admit I was wrong. I could've handled the situation better but seeing you cry like that, unnie... I couldn't think of anything else but wanting to bash his teeth in. You deserved better than him and I felt guilty, not because of what I did to him but because I felt like I failed you."

"Mwo? How could you think that, Jeong?" Nayeon uttered, incredulous.

Jeongyeon gave her a small, tight-lipped smile. "I wasn't able to stop you from going through with that date. I couldn't protect you from heartbreak, unnie. If there was one thing I promised myself I would do for all of you, it was to protect your hearts. I know how fragile you girls are and I don't like seeing you in pain. I didn't want you to experience that if I had a say in it."

They all looked at her with a newfound light in their eyes. Hearing how Jeongyeon wanted to protect them, it warmed them to the core. Jeongyeon had just indirectly revealed to them how much they mean to her, to the point where she wants to protect them from the pain of heartbreak. Jeongyeon wasn't one to express her feelings through words and would rather show it through her actions.

When Jeongyeon stood upright again, she turned towards two members of the School Meal Club who had been fighting fervently with each other a few moments ago. "Now that we'd all calmed down... Tzuyu, Dahyun, apologize to each other."

The two mentioned glanced guiltily at each other. Tzuyu muttered an apology with her head down, ashamed to look into her unnie's eyes. Dahyun apologized as well then wrapped the maknae in a tight hug. The other members looked on at the scene in fondness. Jeongyeon smiled at them, happy that things were finally back to normal... or so she thought.

"Jeong?" Nayeon softly said, her voice almost a murmur, breaking them out of their musings.

"Ne, unnie?" The tone at which Nayeon used to call her name made butterflies appear in Jeongyeon's belly. The way the syllables rolled off Nayeon's tongue, Jeongyeon felt a shiver run down her spine. She loves the way Nayeon says her name, no matter how cheesy it sounds. She could listen to Nayeon all day just calling out her name and not tire of it. I'm so in love it's gross, she thought, a little bothered.

"Can we talk in private?"

Jeongyeon nodded solemnly, cheeks turning a little red at the request.

Nayeon smiled and offered her hand to Jeongyeon which the latter took without hesitation. She'd never rejected Nayeon when she offered her hand before and she wasn't about to start now. It was usually because Nayeon had this look on her face whenever she silently asks Jeongyeon to take her hand. She had gentle smile on her face, her bunny teeth hidden from view, her hand stretched out to take Jeongyeon's as if she was offering more than just her hand. Jeongyeon silently wished Nayeon was offering her a chance at love but maybe she was being delusional again. Okay, enough with the cliche thoughts, Yoo, she chastised herself.

Not looking back at their other members, Nayeon led Jeongyeon out of the room. Once the two were no longer in sight, Tzuyu turned to the other members with a confused expression on her face. "What was that look on Jeongyeon-unnie's face?"

Chaeyoung turned to look at her, her nostrils flaring and eyes widening. "Wae? What did you see?"

Tzuyu was taken aback, a frown appearing on her face at how Chaeyoung reacted to her observation. She noticed Jihyo and Momo were also looking at Chaeyoung, their expressions were a little panicked. Something is definitely going on, she thought. Out loud, she said, "Ani, never mind. Maybe I was just seeing things."

To change the subject, Jihyo pulled Mina towards her in a guise to help her cook their breakfast. Tzuyu's judging eyes never left Chaeyoung's, taking note of the older girl's nervousness at the maknae's gaze. She was sure to confront either of the three or even Jeongyeon about it later. Content with that thought, Tzuyu turned away from Chaeyoung and went to pick up Boo who stayed surprisingly silent during their row with each other.

Chaeyoung gave out a little sigh of relief when Tzuyu stopped staring at her. She was still bothered, though, at how perceptive Tzuyu had been towards Jeongyeon. Looks like she has to talk to her hyung about that. Unbeknownst to her, Jihyo and Momo had the same thought in their minds.

...

While the others stayed in the kitchen- obviously to give them privacy- Nayeon and Jeongyeon reached Nayeon's room. Nayeon locked the door to ensure no one would barge in their conversation. She still wasn't done talking to Jeongyeon regarding what the younger girl did to Jimin but she surmised it was a bad idea to bring it up with the other members around- judging on how they reacted to the news.

She turned to Jeongyeon who patiently sat on Jihyo's bed. Crossing her arms and clearing her throat, she started, "Jeong... I'm still upset at what you did. But I understand why. And while I'm thankful that you're looking out for me, I don't want you getting into trouble."

Jeongyeon nodded. She stood up and pulled Nayeon into a hug, wrapping her arms around Nayeon's nape. "You know I'd do anything for you and the girls, unnie. You know you can lean on me anytime you have a problem. Thanks for understanding. I can't promise I won't get into trouble for protecting you but I will be careful next time."

Nayeon hit her side through the hug, causing Jeongyeon to chuckle and let her go. Nayeon was pouting at her. "Arasseo, arasseo. I won't get in trouble, now stop pouting."

"I'm still upset," she repeated.

"Wae?! I already said I'm sorry."

Nayeon shook her head, wrapping her arms around Jeongyeon's waist. "I'm not even talking about what you did anymore, it's more like what you didn't do."

Jeongyeon frowned at that, confused. "What is it now?"

Nayeon buried her face in Jeongyeon's shirt and muttered something. Jeongyeon wasn't able to understand what she was saying since her voice was muffled.

"What was that, unnie?"

Nayeon raised her head to meet Jeongyeon's eyes. "You weren't there for me."

Jeongyeon had no idea what to reply to that. Wasn't hitting Jimin enough to show she was there for Nayeon? What did she have to do? What was she supposed to do?

Seeing Jeongyeon speechless, Nayeon explained, "While I appreciate you avenging me, I would've liked it more if you were with me that time."

Jeongyeon's eyes shone with clarity but before she could say something, Nayeon placed a finger on her mouth to silence her and continued, "When I was going home that night, I said to myself the first thing I would do when I arrived is to hug you. I wanted to apologize for not believing you, for brushing off your concerns as if your opinion didn't matter. So when you stormed out the door, I thought you were mad at me. I cried myself to sleep that night not because of what Jimin did to me but because you weren't there with me and you not coming home that night made me feel even worse. I thought I'd destroyed our friendship.

"Despite all that had happened, I needed your presence and consolation more than the protection you so willingly offer, Jeong."

Jeongyeon swallowed the lump in her throat and hugged her tightly. In her haste and eagerness to hurt Jimin that night, she'd inadvertently ignored Nayeon's need for comfort and reassurance from her. She buried her face in Nayeon's short hair, mumbling apologies repeatedly.

"Gwaenchanha, Jeong. I don't blame you for it. If the same thing happened to you, I might have reacted like you did, too," Nayeon said, rubbing Jeongyeon's back.

Jeongyeon shook her head, not letting go of Nayeon. "No, you're right. I let my emotions get to me. I was selfish, thinking only of satisfying my need to hurt Jimin. I didn't think you needed me that much, unnie. Jinjja mianhe."

Nayeon pushed her slightly away, cupping Jeongyeon's cheeks and looking into her glistening eyes. "Of course I need you, Jeong. You forget, I can't live without you."

Warmth spread through Jeongyeon's being, she almost felt like flying after Nayeon said those words. She'd heard that before but it never failed to amaze her how Nayeon thought of her. She felt like her heart would burst in happiness to know how much she meant to Nayeon. She wouldn't directly admit it but she couldn't live without her unnie, too. That's how attached she was to Nayeon and it frightened her how much truth that thought held. She couldn't bear to think of a future without Nayeon, regardless of their relationship status. She could be content just being around Nayeon.

"Unnie... what are we?" Okay, that wasn't planned at all, it was more like a slip of the tongue. She hadn't even processed the question in her mind, she wonders where she got the courage to ask.

Nayeon had been more affectionate to her lately, ever since Mina came back. Always hugging her, always looking for her, pecking her on the cheek occasionally, and checking up on her. Jeongyeon could only assume it was because of her neck injury. She wasn't a special case, it was in Nayeon's nature to dote on all of them, not just her. It could be a coincidence that she'd focused on Jeongyeon more nowadays.

In truth, the younger girl just didn't want to entertain the thought of Nayeon's clinginess to her as more than a show of platonic intimacy.

Nayeon smiled widely and pecked her on the cheek. "You're my best friend, Jeong."

She obviously didn't catch on to what the question really meant- that or she chose to ignore the underlying meaning. Jeongyeon took no note of it, though. The younger learned to not hope for more from Nayeon but hearing that hurt her nonetheless.

Jeongyeon pulled her into a hug once more, not wanting Nayeon to see the sadness she was sure was present in her eyes.

Right, Jeongyeon thought, feeling downcast. We're only friends... always had been and always will be.