Summary: For a decade, they've been 3mix: the pillars of TWICE. But when a joke hits too close to home, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Jihyo are forced to confront the truth—their bond is more than just friendship.
Now, Jeongyeon is grappling with a "staring problem" and a sexuality she's always tried to deny, Nayeon is hiding a deep, possessive affection behind a mask of teasing and stolen hoodies, and Jihyo, the ever-impartial leader, must finally acknowledge the special place in her heart reserved only for her two oldest friends.
As they watch Momo, Sana, and Dahyun navigate their own love story, the 3mix trio must navigate their own beautiful, tangled mess of hyper-awareness, flustered chaos, and thrilling possibility. It’s a story about what happens when the core geometry of a friendship is revealed to be the blueprint for a love you never saw coming.
(A sequel to "Tangled Heart.")
Category: Friends to lovers, fluff, angst with a happy ending, humor, idiots in love.
Nayeon was extremely nervous. In fact, she didn’t think she had ever been this nervous before meeting someone for dinner. Not that her love life had been particularly flourishing these last few years, but then again, her crush on Jihyo had been a constant for a while.
She scoffed at her own reflection in the mirror, adjusting the pretty dark blue dress once again. She was worried the dress didn’t fit the mood of the evening, so she quickly snapped a picture of it and sent it to Sana. Her friend answered only a few seconds later, appreciating the beautiful lace adorning Nayeon’s front, making the dress classy enough for their dinner.
Since Sana had confirmed her choice, Nayeon chose to trust her and blame her if she ended up underdressed. Then, she hurried to put finishing touches on her light makeup, taking extra care to make her heart-shaped lips stand out.
Just as she was wrapping up, she heard her phone alarm. She jumped at the sound before slipping on her heels and grasping her handbag, flying out of the apartment and locking it behind her as the bus pulled up in front of her stop.
Nayeon let out a relieved breath when she boarded, and pulled a small mirror out of her handbag to check her makeup. Okay. She was ready.
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Jihyo, in the meantime, was walking towards the city centre, having taken the subway from home. She was a little nervous, because she knew that countless people had said to her that having an… extra fondness for a co-worker was a sure way to complicate her daily life. But Nayeon was… Nayeon was special. She had always been nothing but nice to Jihyo, if a little clumsy. Her work at the university was very satisfying, and her passion for her job was something Jihyo appreciated. Besides, Nayeon would make her smile during boring school meetings, nudging her with her elbow every time she laughed loudly.
Not to mention that Nayeon was very, very beautiful, and that Jihyo had been having an increasingly harder time not staring at her. Thankfully for her, she was thinking that Nayeon also had a soft spot for her, if the number of times Jihyo caught her eyeing her was any indication. Jihyo, therefore, had been a little more playful than usual with the older woman, and her advances had not been rejected.
She hoped that something, anything, would come out of this evening to help make her feelings clearer to her.
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Nayeon stepped out of the bus, instantly looking around to find Jihyo. When her eyes fell upon a smaller woman in a dark purple suit, she knew she found her.
She approached her and gently called out her name.
-Good evening, Jihyo.
Jihyo turned around at the sound, and smiled brightly at Nayeon.
-Hey, Nayeon! How are you?
-I’m good, thanks. What about you?
-I’m great. Have you been waiting for long?
Nayeon shook her head at Jihyo’s thoughtfulness.
-I just arrived. I think I am the one who made you wait.
-No worries, I’ve been here for five minutes. Should we go?
-Sure! Oh, and… You look beautiful, Jihyo.
Nayeon had to supress a coo at the adorable way Jihyo’s cheeks turned red upon hearing the compliment.
-You too, Nayeon. This dress really suits you, said Jihyo as she gave Nayeon a quick look-over.
Both women smiled as they made their way to the restaurant.
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As expected, conversation flew rather easily between the two. Once Jihyo had reminded Nayeon of her defeat at their bet about Sana and Dahyun, Nayeon took her chance to ask Jihyo a few personal questions between biting into her food.
-So, if I can ask, do you live alone?
Jihyo smirked at her.
-Is this a sneaky way of asking me if I’m single, Professor Im?
Nayeon became bright red, almost chocking on the salad leaf she had been swallowing. She shook her head.
-No, it’s not… It’s not what I meant, I swear! For all I know you could have flatmates!
Jihyo chuckled.
-Calm down, Nayeon. I’m just teasing you. I do live alone.
Nayeon was secretly pleased at the answer; and Jihyo pleased at Nayeon’s question.
-What about you? Anyone sharing your space?
Nayeon smiled.
-Only Kookeu, my dog.
-Ah, yeah. How could I forget about Kookeu?
Nayeon had an embarrassing flashback of the time she had brought Kookeu to university and he had peed on Jihyo’s office floor.
-Sorry once again, said Nayeon, a sheepish look on her face.
Jihyo dismissed her with a wave.
-That’s nothing to apologize for. Nature calls sometimes!
Both of them laughed and before they knew it, the meal was over. Jihyo looked up at Nayeon as they stood up to exit the restaurant.
-Would you like to get a drink at a bar? Maybe?
Nayeon blushed.
-I would.
A shiver went through Nayeon as soon as the cold air surrounded them again, and a different kind of shiver coursed through her when Jihyo linked their arms to be closer to Nayeon, offering her warmth.
------
The more time she spent with Jihyo, the harder it became for Nayeon not to stare at her lips.
Admittedly, the few beers she had did help with loosening her nervousness. Which is the reason why she found herself randomly asking the following:
-Are you interested in anyone right now, Jihyo?
Jihyo almost spits out her beer before calming herself down.
-Actually, I am. I wonder if she has any idea… What about you?
Nayeon did a little victory dance inside her head when she got the confirmation that Jihyo was, in fact, interested in girls. She had been fairly sure for a while, but it was nice to be certain.
-I’ve got a little crush. But I’m afraid she’s too busy to really notice me.
Jihyo smiled tenderly at Nayeon, one hand reaching to hold Nayeon’s larger one.
-Never. I always notice you, Nay.
Nayeon’s heart was beating wildly against her chest at the way Jihyo was looking at her. She briefly panicked inside, before realizing that this was the occasion she had been waiting for.
So Nayeon leaned over the table to peck Jihyo on the lips, very quickly, but she still did it.
When Nayeon sat back against her chair, Jihyo hadn’t said a word. Nayeon was about to apologize when the dean finally spoke up:
-You have no idea for how long I’ve been wanting to kiss you.
Nayeon’s cheeks reddened, and Jihyo’s heart grew at the sight of Nayeon’s gummy smile, her bunny teeth peeking out.
-Then maybe you should do it again, Jihyo.
Jihyo smiled before moving to press her lips against Nayeon’s once again.
