As Minjin returned to Tae-sung's hospital room, she quickly slowed in surprise upon spotting all her high school friends gathered outside the door.
"Boya? What are you all doing here?" she asked.
Kim Aecha's face lit up with a bright smile as she rushed over and grabbed Minjin's arm. "Minjin-ah!"
Bang Eun-Kyung turned to her. "We visited Tae-sung-hyung, but since he just had surgery, we're not allowed inside."
"Where have you been?" Lee Deji asked.
Minjin offered an awkward smile. "Oh, just… somewhere."
Mun Sara rushed to Minjin's side and linked her arm to Minjin's. "We need to go somewhere," she said.
Minjin looked at them in confusion. "Where are we going?"
The group exchanged glances, their smiles filled with secrecy.
After parking their cars, Kim Aecha quickly grabbed Minjin's arm and pulled her along the street. Minjin quickly noticed that the area was lined with noraebang bars.
When they reached the entrance of one, Kim Aecha raised her arm dramatically in surprise. "We're celebrating your return at a noraebang, Minjin-ah!" she announced excitedly.
Minjin couldn't help but smile. "You know I'm good at this."
Kim Aecha grinned playfully. "We'll see about that." Without missing a beat, she pulled Minjin inside.
Bang Eun-Kyung watched from a short distance, smiling quietly. When Mun Sara saw him standing there, she walked over and said, "You look happy, Eun-Kyung-ah."
Bang Eun-Kyung chuckled softly. "Aecha-ah has been lonely. Seeing her with Minjin again... I can tell how happy she is."
Lee Deji joined them, standing beside Bang Eun-Kyung. "Everyone's happy now that Minjin's back," she said.
Mun Sara then asked, "Did you tell Minjun about this?"
Bang Eun-Kyung let out a sigh before turning to her. "Ani. It's better if they keep their distance."
Lee Deji smirked and teased, "Are you afraid Minjun will fall for her all over again?"
Bang Eun-Kyung frowned slightly. "Noona, don't be mean to Minjun-ah."
Lee Deji didn't respond and walked toward the entrance.
Mun Sara sighed and placed a reassuring hand on Bang Eun-Kyung's back. "Eun-Kyung-ah, I know you're worried about Minjun. But if he wants Minjin back, you understand him better than anyone else," she said before she followed the others inside.
Bang Eun-Kyung let out a deep sigh. "I guess I do."
As Minjin stepped into the noraebang room, her eyes widened in surprise. The space was large, featuring a stage and a wide flat-screen TV. A spacious sofa lined one side of the room, where a few people were seated. Across from it stood a long table filled with Korean food, with a cake placed at the center.
"Minjin is here, everyone!" Kim Aecha announced excitedly.
At the sound of her name, the people sitting on the sofa turned to look. The moment they recognized her, they immediately stood up and approached her.
"Annyeong haseyo, gyusonim. I'm Noah Lee," a young man introduced himself, extending his hand. Minjin greeted him with a handshake. "I'm Mun Sara's boyfriend," he added.
"Whoa, really? Nice to meet you, Noah-ssi. I'm Park Minjin," she responded.
A blonde-haired girl stepped forward. "Annyeong haseyo, gyusonim. My name is Erica Bell," she said with a smile.
Minjin returned the greeting and shook her hand.
"Annyeong haseyo, gyusonim! I'm Ben Tiu," an energetic man said as he eagerly grabbed Minjin's hand and shook it enthusiastically. "I'm a fan of yours, gyusonim! I've seen the TikTok videos of your classes," he added in English.
Minjin gave him an awkward smile and bowed slightly. "Thank you," she replied in English.
Mun Sara approached with a smile. "They're my housemates, Minjin-ah. Erica is Noah's cousin, and Ben is Erica's cousin."
"Yeah, our household is a mess," Ben joked in English.
Lee Deji and Bang Eun-Kyung made their way to the sofa, where Bang Eun-Kyung picked up the large noraebang controller, focusing his attention on the screen.
"Everyone, give Minjin some space. Let's get started," Lee Deji announced.
Kim Aecha grabbed Minjin's arm and pulled her toward the sofa. "I'll sing first for Minjin-ah!" she declared, snatching the controller from Bang Eun-Kyung.
Bang Eun-Kyung frowned. "Hey, I was using that."
"And who said you get to sing first? You're not her best friend," Kim Aecha replied, focusing on the screen.
"Come on, you still act like you're her only friend," Bang Eun-Kyung said.
Ignoring him, Kim Aecha grabbed a microphone from the table and playfully shoved Bang Eun-Kyung onto the sofa. He chuckled in disbelief. "Ya!"
Kim Aecha then grabbed another microphone and handed it to Minjin. "Let's sing together. Do you like NewJeans?"
Minjin grinned, scrunching her nose slightly. "Who doesn't like NewJeans?"
Kim Aecha started things off with the first verse, and Minjin followed seamlessly. Bang Eun-Kyung nodded along as the song progressed, clearly impressed by Minjin's voice. When the chorus hit, everyone enthusiastically joined in while Ben Tiu and Erica danced energetically to the choreography.
Kim Aecha stepped back as the song climaxed, allowing Minjin to take the final chorus as a solo. To everyone's surprise, Minjin sang confidently, effortlessly hitting the right pitch while maintaining a playful expression. They exchanged amazed glances before bursting into applause as the song ended.
"Whoa! Minjin, you've gotten even better!" Kim Aecha exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around her in a hug.
Minjin flashed a playful smile. "I'm also good with Blackpink," she teased, wiggling her eyebrows.
"I want to hear you sing!" Kim Aecha quickly grabbed the controller to find a Blackpink song. "Which one do you want to sing, Minjin?"
"Anything is fine," Minjin replied casually.
"Whoa, I love that confidence, gyusonim!" Ben chimed in from behind.
After selecting a song, Kim Aecha pulled Minjin to the center of the stage. As the music began, everyone focused on her performance. From the first verse, which included an English rap, Minjin's tone exuded confidence and attitude.
Their amazement grew as Minjin flawlessly executed Jennie and Lisa's rapid-fire rap sections. They exchanged stunned glances before focusing entirely on her, cheering and clapping in appreciation. When it was time for Rosé's part, Minjin smoothly hit the high notes, further impressing everyone.
Bang Eun-Kyung clapped slowly, his mouth slightly open. "Whoa, she really improved," he remarked.
As the song came to an end, the crowd erupted into applause. Kim Aecha rushed over to Minjin and hugged her tightly. "Omo, Minjin-ah! I like you even more now!" she exclaimed.
"Whoa, you can rap now? You never fail to amaze us," added Mun Sara.
"I can also sing Twice songs," Minjin teased playfully.
"I'd love to hear that!" Kim Aecha replied excitedly.
The singing continued as Kim Aecha and Minjin performed a song together twice. As they sang, Kim Aecha suddenly realized something—Minjin had changed. She was now more expressive and effortlessly matched her playful energy.
From a distance, Bang Eun-Kyung watched them. He also noticed the change in Minjin's demeanor. Leaning toward Lee Deji, he whispered, "Is it just me, or has Minjin become more outgoing? She used to seem indifferent whenever Aecha did cute things."
Lee Deji glanced at him and smiled knowingly. "Eun-Kyung-ah, Minjin lived in America for years. She even became an American citizen."
After a few more songs and rounds of dancing, Kim Aecha pulled Minjin toward the table. Lee Deji lit the candle on the cake and held it out as everyone sang. When they finished, warm smiles filled the room as they clapped for her.
Seeing her friends after so many years filled Minjin's heart with joy. She realized how much she had missed them and regretted not reaching out sooner. But now, she understood that their bond had never broken. These people knew her before she became who she is today.
Despite facing harsh criticism online, Minjin felt truly loved and cherished. She became more certain than ever that returning to Korea had been the right decision. Perhaps this time, she wouldn't leave again.
"Thank you all. I've missed you. I promise to make up for not being around these past 15 years."
"Minjin-ah, we're all so happy you're back," Mun Sara said.
"No matter how far you were, we always talked about you," Bang Eun-Kyung added.
"Minjin-ah, we're proud of you! We've always supported you," Kim Aecha said beside her.
Lee Deji looked at her meaningfully. "I've said this before, but I'll say it again—you are the foundation of this friendship. You brought us all together. Even when you were away, your presence kept us connected all these years. Thank you, Minjin-ah, for coming back."
Minjin smiled, but her emotions finally overwhelmed her.
"Group hug!" Bang Eun-Kyung suddenly called out.
They all gathered around Minjin without hesitation and wrapped her in a warm embrace.