Jihyo sees the past before it fell apart.
[FLASHBACK]
January 3, 2023, 9:01pm, Daegu, South Korea.
Approximately 9 hours before the apocalypse.
"I'm going to sleep now, you dummy ONCEs! Hope this New Year be well for you, I'll see you real soon, I promise! goodnight kekekeke~!"
Jihyo presses send on the Bubble chat and closes the application.
She then scrolls around her phone until she sees the name "TWICE Nayeon", and video calls her.
Nayeon answers quite quickly.
"Hey! Nayeon-ah!" Jihyo waved at her.
"Jihyo-ya!" Nayeon replied as she waves back and shows her bunny teethed smile. Her dark brown hair was tied to a bun, and she was wearing light make-up to complete her simple, yet beautiful look.
"How was your road trip with Jeongyeon-ah?" Jihyo said as she was facing her phone, looking at Nayeon who seemed to be walking around a grocery store.
"Oh, we're just currently on a stopover, doing extra groceries for our trip to Gwangju tomorrow. We're going to sleep in the car after this, then continue the trip when we wake early."
Nayeon then fell silent for a short while.
"....you alright?" Jihyo asked. "Or is my phone lagging.."
"No, no, its just that I'm just being alert right now." She replied as Jihyo saw Nayeon looking from left to right. "Jeongyeon has been surprising me with jumpscares lately. She already got me three times, Jihyo-ya. THREE freaking times. I'm not going to fall for it again."
Jihyo chuckled. "Well, now I know you both are having fun."
"How about you, Jihyo? How's Daegu?" Nayeon asked.
"The trip was a long one. So long that Mina had to take a rest when she got to the hotel, telling me that we should just travel around tomorrow.. I can't blame her." Jihyo replied.
She then moved the phone to where Mina was as Nayeon looked. She was sleeping peacefully, all snuggled up on the bed with a comforter, hugging her teddy bear, Tim, by her side.
"Aww.. she still looks beautiful even while asleep.." Nayeon cooed as Jihyo saw her grab some chips from an aisle.
Jihyo points the phone at her face once more, then takes a deep breath.
"You're still confused, are you?" Nayeon asked Jihyo. "About our decision to take a break."
"Well... I just wish there was another way." Jihyo replied. "I don't want ONCEs to be upset, but I don't want us to get drained completely, either.. I want to keep performing on stage. It's something we love doing, but..."
"The times are really tough, Jihyo." Nayeon replied. "We've been working hard since 2020, and we haven't had a full rest since. I mean, we do, on several occassions, yes, but it feels... lacking. I believe some of us have already spiraled down into Exhaustion Avenue and we didn't even know. It's good that you voiced out your concern of resting to the higher-ups..." Nayeon stuffs a bag of candies on her grocery basket.
"...and good thing they listened.." She silently muttered under her breath.
"I've never felt this... torn before. We've been doing this for nearly a decade now. Can you believe it? We have released alot of songs, performed in alot of stages and concerts, and made wondrous memories... for almost a decade! And now I feel like needing quite the long break, but... our ONCEs... I..."
"I know you're worried about our beloved ONCEs, but Jihyo... look at it this way--- some of us really wanted that break." Nayeon replied. "Just take a look at Sana, Dahyun, and Momo. As soon as JYPe agreed, they just took off to their own solo adventures immediately without even telling us where they went. No group chat updates, no Twicetagram updates, no Bubble updates. I think they're making the most out of it this time." Nayeon said as she grabbed more chips.
"...." Jihyo just looked away.
"Look..." Nayeon said. "Time will tell if our decision was right. We could end our hiatus anytime, and go back to performing if everyone really wanted to, right?"
"Yes, yes. I know." Jihyo replied.
"So.. while we wait.. why don't we just savor every moment of it? We are already here. And besides, I bet ONCEs wants us to take a break too, after seeing us working hard these past 3 years. So... relax. Have a little bit of fun too, y'know?"
"Yeah. You're right." Jihyo smiled at her.
"I know you need the break as well. And you should take it! Remember, a well-rested Jihyo is a cute, happy Ji---HYAAAAAA!" Nayeon suddenly screamed as Jihyo sees her drop the phone on the floor. Another woman then picks it up. She had a blonde, wavy hair, and she was seemingly wearing a dark fur coat. She had no makeup, but she was absolutely beautiful, nonetheless.
It was Jeongyeon.
"I got you again!" the bare-faced Jeongyeon said, laughing hysterically as she looks at the phone. "Oh, is this Jihyo? Jihyo! The cutest in the world! Huhuhu, I miss you already!"
"Hello, my best buddy Jeongie! I miss you too..." Jihyo pouted. "Glad you're okay and you're having fun!" Jihyo said as she smiled.
Jihyo hears a faint but angry "Jeongyeon!" from Nayeon in the distance.
"Oh, I gotta go. Nayeon is going to kill me, hehe, I love you Jihyo, please take care with Mina, see you at Incheon soon, bye bye!" Jeongyeon said as she began to run, still laughing as she dropped the call. Jihyo chuckled.
"Oh, Jeongyeon, Nayeon.. you two never change..." She muttered to herself as she puts away her phone.
Jihyo lay down next to Mina, pondering about what Nayeon said. She was right. She needed to relax. These past few years have been rough, and they needed the rest.
She closed her eyes and dozed off to a dreamless sleep.
The night passes on, and soon enough, dawn breaks. Jihyo wakes up to Mina making coffee on the kitchen area. She checks the time: 6:01am.
"Mina.. you're awake.. It's too early." Jihyo said, rubbing her eyes.
"Oh, Jihyo-eonni, goodmorning. I just wanted to rise early and make it up to you, I slept like a log last night.." Mina said, pouting as she poured the coffee she made into two cups.
"No, no it's fine. I get it, you're tired. Even I was." Jihyo said as she stretched her arms.
"I'll make it up today. Can we take a stroll after we've had coffee..?" Mina said as she gave Jihyo a cup of Americano coffee. "It just looks so peaceful outside at this time."
"Why not? This is what we came here for anyway." Jihyo giggled.
After their morning coffee, they changed their clothes before going out. Jihyo wore her black fur coat and yellow jeans, while Mina sported a dark blue hoodie and black jeans. She then wore her teddy bear, Tim, as a backpack, and finally, a necklace consisting of 18 pearls.
"Wow. You're really wearing that necklace I bought you two years ago." Jihyo said.
"Well, Jihyo-eonni, I'm proud of your gift. I feel like I attract good vibes ever since I got it. And best of all, I feel even more beautiful with it." Mina smiled.
"With or without it, you're always beautiful, my dear Mina." Jihyo combed her hair as she gave a wide grin. "Now, let's get that stroll."