I feel it deep inside, I'm gonna lose the fight

Eventually, I know that I'll be crossing the line

I try warning myself, 'cause I'm in need of help

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The Korean music show buzzed with excitement as nearly half of the K-pop industry attended, with Twice among them. Walking side by side, Mina and Nayeon felt their hearts pounding with anticipation and nerves.

Whether on the red carpet or seated, Nayeon and Mina never stay more than 6 feet apart. It was their intention, but as both adhered to the unspoken rule, it seemed natural and went unnoticed by either party, each lost in their own thoughts.

As they entered the venue, they were greeted by members of a few popular boy bands who were also attending the show.

Mina's eyes widened slightly as one of the boy band members approached her with a charming smile, accompanied by Lisa, a member of Black Pink and one of Mina's closest friends.

"Hey, Mina! You look stunning as always," Lisa said, nudging the guy beside her.

"Hey, you look absolutely amazing and it's been a long time since our last talk" he said, his voice smooth and confident.

Mina gave Lisa a small hug and smiled politely at the guy. She felt a flutter of nerves in her stomach.

"Thank you," she replied, trying to maintain her composure.

Meanwhile, Nayeon felt a pang of jealousy as she watched the interaction from a distance. She couldn't help but notice the way the boy band member's eyes lingered on Mina, and it stirred up a mix of emotions inside her.

She remembered that guy was Mina's crush before her debut. Nayeon can't help but compare herself to that guy.

Her, Im Nayeon, had everything from beauty to money.

But...

The guy also has the same things as her, except a good vocal skills. Yet, how could this be an advantage when she had already been defeated in the first place due to her gender?

A sudden hit of reality crossed Nayeon's mind.

"I feel it deep inside, I'm gonna lose the fight,"

The lyrics of their 'I Can't Stop Me' song replay in Nayeon's head over and over again. Her heart sank with the realization that she might be losing Mina to someone else.

Across the room, another boy band member approached Nayeon, flashing her a charming smile.

"Hey, Nayeon! How have you been? Wanna hang out later?" he said, his tone flirtatious.

Nayeon forced a smile, feeling a twinge of guilt as she caught sight of Mina within the corner of her eye.

"Thank you. But I don't think I can make it since I've so caught up with the group tour" she replied, her voice strained.

Meanwhile, Mina felt the conversation with the guy in front of her tasteless and there was no need to continue since her attention was completely on Nayeon after one guy approached the older girl.

Lisa already left right after the guy successfully carried on a conversation with her.

Looking at the handsome guy that she used to have a crush on before debut, she didn't feel blush or anything other than impatience and uneasiness.

Mina wondered when her feelings changed, but gave up right after when she saw how the guy started to get closer to Nayeon.

"Sorry, I have to go! My members are waiting for me." without looking at the bewildered guy in front of her. Mina rushed her feet over to Nayeon's direction.

The distance from her place to Nayeon's gave Mina enough time to calm down and began to hesitate about whether should she interrupt their conversation. But before that, Momo already helped her with the decision.

"Mina! Come and sit with me. The show will begin shortly" Momo intentionally raised her voice so that not only Mina but the soon-to-be-doom bunny over there could get her signal.

Mina was surprised by Momo's sudden pull. When she realized what just happened, she was already on the seat right next to Momo. Sana was on her left. They both sandwiched her and started to talk about random things.

Sana and Momo were wiping their invisible sweat for Nayeon.

'Phew...That was closed' Samo thought

Mina's name made Nayeon come back to her senses. She quickly bid goodbye to the guy and then left with hasty steps.

However, Nayeon felt a sudden embarrassment when she looked at the girl who had taken her seat right now.

"Why are you standing there? Quickly find a seat yourself!" Momo glanced at Nayeon

"O-okay!" Nayeon scratched her hair a little and found a seat next to Jeongyeon, who was giving a mischievous smile.

"You should better shut up!" Nayeon pinched Jeongyeon's hip to warn her

"Chill...I haven't done anything" Jeongyeon slapped Nayeon's hand away while whispering to defend herself.

"Watch your mouth!" Nayeon glanced at Jeongyeon

"Smiling is not a sin! But smiling at another guy..." Jeongyeon shrugged her shoulders

This time, Nayeon was rather quiet and mumbling to herself.

"She also smiled at another guy..."

Hearing what Nayeon said, Jeongyeon stopped her joke and gently patted the frowning bunny

"Maybe it's just for politeness. I also saw Lisa with her"

"Yeah...maybe"

As the music show began, Mina and Nayeon found themselves performing alongside their fellow members, trying to push aside their feelings of jealousy and focus on their performance. But despite their best efforts, the tension between them was so obvious.

During a break in the show, Nayeon couldn't resist the urge to approach Mina. She walked up to the younger girl with a bow of malatang, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Hey, Mina," she said, her voice a little shaky. "I... uh... just wanted to say, you did great out there. Have some malatang, today's show gonna be long"

Mina looked up, surprised by Nayeon's sudden approach. She felt a rush of warmth at the compliment.

"Thank you, Nayeonie," she replied, a soft smile playing on her lips.

"Ehhh...unnie, how come you only ask Mina?" Chaeyoung, who was sitting next to Mina, was the first one to complain.

She had asked her a question several times before and received no response. Mina had just entered the room, and Nayeon was already quick with her words, asking whether Mina wanted some food.

"Yeah...I also want Nayeon's unnie attention!" Sana acted cute earning a disgusting expression from Momo and Jeongyeon

"Tzuyu, why didn't you say anything? You are their lovely maknae" Chaeyoung pouted

Tzuyu rolled her eyes.

"Lovely maknae? Whatever's related to Mina, other things must come in second place, even me, their lovely maknae! Besides, I'll be eating the leftovers anyway. Why would I need to fight? Don't act like she never ignored you before."

Tzuyu has already accepted her role, giving Chaeyoung a sidelong glance.

Seeing the lightened atmosphere, the other girls joined in the teasing. They didn't know what was going on between Nayeon and Mina.

But, from this point on, they were sure of their suspicions: there was something fishy between these two.

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They had been in LA just last time, and now they were already preparing for a soundcheck in Texas. Time flew fast, yet neither Nayeon nor Mina made their move.

However, today was different. To Mina, it was unexpected, yet it was Nayeon's bottled-up courage over the past few weeks that came out of the blue, and Nayeon just went along with it.

As usual, Twice gave their best to the concert. They were all having fun during the encore, and, of course, all the affectionate gestures they exchanged, which they called sisterhood affections, were the highlight.

This time, Dahyun started it, and everything happened like a domino effect. Everyone was going around kissing other members, and fans were screaming over the boldness (gayness) of the nine girls.

See the chance, Nayeon looked around and pretended to find someone, but she had already spotted her target way before that.

At first, Nayeon only intended to do their usual Minayeon moment, which involved hugging the other person's upper body with their cheeks touching.

However, this time was a little different. Nayeon felt a surge of courage wash over her along with the jealousy that had been building up within her. Without thinking, she leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Mina's cheek.

Nayeon seemed unsatisfied with just that; she jokingly puffed her cheek and pressed it left and right against Mina's cheek like a little baby.

Mina's eyes widened in surprise as she felt Nayeon's lips on her cheek. For a moment, she was too stunned to react. But then, she regained her composure and forced a smile.

Nayeon, on the other hand, after successfully executing her plan, quickly turned and walked away, avoiding eye contact with Mina. She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment, only to bump into SaMo's couple who were imitating her from behind.

Sana and Momo gave the startled bunny a teasing look and continued with the Minayeon hug imitation, which earned an eye roll from Nayeon.

Then, the concert moved on as if nothing had happened.

But as soon as they reached their own rooms, both Nayeon and Mina threw themselves onto their beds.

Nayeon was like a little kid, twisting around on her bed while letting out big sighs. The lyrics of their song echoed through her mind again:

'I feel it deep inside, I know that I'll be crossing the line.'

She could feel her heart racing as she pulled away at that moment. And she knew she had crossed the line, the line of their friendship.

Nayeon silently cursed herself for being so impulsive. 

In the room next to Nayeon's, Mina lay on her back, her mind reeling from the unexpected kiss. She couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement at the thought of Nayeon's lips on her skin. But at the same time, she felt a wave of confusion and uncertainty wash over her.

Nayeon's on-and-off affections were giving her mixed signals. Since Nayeon was famous as one of the tricksters in Twice, Mina didn't know whether Nayeon was just joking around or giving her actual signals.

Mina knew that her heart beat so fast for that kiss, but she was afraid... afraid of misunderstanding the kiss.

Even though Mina and Nayeon were in separate rooms, their minds aligned with each other. They both couldn't help but wonder what was on the other person's mind.

' try warning myself, 'cause I'm in need of help,'

They thought, their hearts torn between their feelings for one another and the fear of what might happen if they let themselves fall for each other completely.