Dancing in the dark

Chapter 10

Nayeon was annoyed, another tour that was originally supposed to be a month long turned out to be three months long because their label got greedy over the money they were raking in.

"We aren't just machines." Momo sighed as they finished their last performance in Thailand. "Thank god its over now."

"I don't mind working." Jihyo remarked taking the heels off and rubbing soothing circles on the swollen ankle. "I just wish they'd be honest about how long we'd be at this from the start."

Nayeon understood that. She loved being with the fans but she hated being lied to.

When they landed at the airport next morning, Nayeon smiled politely and even took questions of some journalists without her usual rudeness and arrogance, answering with a gentleness that hadn't been her in so many years. 

The smile on her face froze in place when she saw Mina walking to the airport behind the rude older woman who'd stopped her that night when the babysitter didn't show up.

The lights going off around her blurred and the voices demanding questions faded into the background as her eyes met the brown ones over the crowd.

Mina looked surprised to see her.

Nayeon wondered what this feeling in her chest was, like she was relieved to see Mina again, like she'd missed her without knowing it.

She strained her neck to keep her gaze on Mina who was turning back often to look at her with a shy smile on her face until she disappeared around the corner towards the lounge meant for private jets.

She took a couple more questions and when she got in the limo waiting for them Jeongyeon poked her side and asked, "What's with the shit eating grin on your face?"

"Nothing." She replied, she really didn't know why she was suddenly feeling light and happy.

Jihyo looked at Nayeon with a fond smile. The girl she met when they were 12 was slowly coming back. The toothy smiles she was blessed with were beginning to make appearances again.

A week later Nayeon found herself stuck in another boring party. She socialized and made conversations with all the big names in the industry like she was meant to.

Sometime later, the fake smile on her face died and in its place grew a tiny one that was real and tender as her eyes laid upon a familiar blonde walking through the door in a red dress.

Mina's eyes softened as their gazes met across the distance, and she looked away embarrassedly when Nayeon glanced to her left and found the rude older woman she saw at the airport clinging to her side.

The tiny smile on Nayeon's face died a quick death.

Nayeon avoided bumping into the pair the whole night but her eyes often strayed to where the beautiful girl was. She'd look away before she looked her way.

"So fucking clueless." Chaeyoung guffawed next to her.

Nayeon took her eyes off the pair, turning to the younger girl with a frown. "Who is?"

"Us." Chaeyoung replied, smiling to herself when she saw that Nayeon had gone back to staring at Mina.

"About what?" Nayeon asked looking away from Mina just as she turned around to look in her direction.

"That our label sent us here to bore us to death." The younger girl finished lamely.

Nayeon bent down in front of her mother's cemetery laying a flower on it.

"Mama, apparently I've become a better person." She told with a soft and endearing voice. "I think you'd be proud of me."

"I'm sure she is." A gentle voice answered.

Nayeon snapped her neck back to look at Mina who was standing with Ari. They were holding beautiful purple flowers in their hands.

"How's my favorite girl?" Nayeon leaned down to meet Ari's eyes, poking her squishy cheeks making her giggle.

"I'm good Nayeon-tan." The kid grasped her hand and tugged at it. "We were going to say hi to daddy. Come with us."

Nayeon casted a glance at Mina to see if that was okay with her. She nodded her head softly understanding the silent question.

"He was a wonderful man." Mina said, as they walked back towards the front gate after laying the flowers on her dad's grave. Ari skipped and hopped a short distance ahead of them, "But had an addiction to gambling. Thought he could give us a wonderful life if he somehow hit the jackpot."

Nayeon stopped, turning to look at Mina for a long second. "He already hit the jackpot with two lovely girls."

The beautiful teary smile she got in return reassured her that she had said the right words.