~1999~

"Unnie, can you sing for us?" Tzuyu innocently asked. All eyes turned to Nayeon and Tzuyu as they were surprised.

"O-oh, um... okay. What song do you want to hear?"

"That song where you, um, like, describe the sea. The one you sang whenever we watch the sunset back then."

"The water is wide." Jeongyeon chimed.

"Yes, yes! I remember that one! We missed your voice, unnie." Chaeyoung beamed.

"... okay, okay. Since our youngest asked." Nayeon smiled and cleared her throat. All of them faced the ocean as they watched the sunset, except for Jeongyeon who continued staring at Nayeon, and Momo who couldn't stop smiling as she was excited to hear Nayeon's voice again.

Some of them were watching the sunset while some were closing their eyes, listening to the softness of Nayeon's voice as she began singing.

"The water is wide
I can't cross over
And neither have I

~~~~

~2022~

"Give me a boat
That can carry two
And both shall row
My love and I."

The song that Nayeon sang back then was the song Jeongyeon was listening to right now. Memories of that day flashed back in Jeongyeon's mind. Jeongyeon held her tears as she caressed Nayeon's bracelet.

~~~~

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, two girls were sitting on the counter of their closed cafe as they listened to the radio, specifically Jeongyeon's segment. They wouldn't miss any of her programs even though it operates late at night, just to hear their old friend's voice on the radio. Both of them couldn't help but smile as the memory of that day flashed on their minds.

They also remembered the previous songs played before the current song, and they both smiled because of the memory. It brought them back to nostalgia. They surely missed the other's loud laughter back in their province.

"That memory is still fresh on my mind. Don't you think, Tzuyu-ya?" Sana asked as she leaned her head on Tzuyu's shoulder.

"Yeah. I remember making her sing this song." Tzuyu chuckled and sighed. "I miss them."

"Me too." Sana smiled. "It's been so long since we saw them. Do you think they know about us getting married? Only Momo and Dahyun were there. Jihyo couldn't make it back then, but she definitely knows." Sana rose up from her wife's shoulder and drank her late-night coffee. "And it's been eight years since our wedding, and the last time we saw any of them."

Sana and Tzuyu got together after Tzuyu graduated in college. They got married when Tzuyu was 28 and Sana was 30. They opened their own cafe, which is popular until now and is always filled with customers, and had adopted a daughter who is currently seven years old. Tzuyu had a stable job as a kindergarten teacher while Sana manages their business. They were happily married for eight years now.

Their friends even thought Jihyo and Sana would end up together, but they didn't know the two got close because Jihyo knows about Sana having feelings for their youngest. Sana lost her bet with Jihyo, that's why Jihyo made her confess after Tzuyu graduated.

"Do you think they're also listening to Jeongyeon unnie too, hon?" Tzuyu asked her wife with a hopeful smile.

"I hope so, hon." Sana bitterly smiled. It was now Tzuyu's turn to lean her head on her wife's shoulder as they continued to listen.

~~~~

A woman clad in her office suit was sitting on her swivel chair while listening to the radio on her earphones. It was only her second time listening to Jeongyeon's program ever since Jeongyeon worked as a radio DJ. The first one was on Jeongyeon's first day.

She decided to listen today since the letter was sent by one of their friends. The one that she cherished the most. The one that she wanted to protect the most. The one that she admired the most.

It was almost eleven in the evening and most of her colleagues were heading home. She is working as a call center agent. Her shift would end before 10:00 pm and she would immediately go home after that. But this time, she didn't. She made sure to listen since this day was the day she promised to let go. It still hurts that their friendship didn't last forever, but that's normal, right? Since they all realized that nothing lasts forever.

"Miss Hirai, it's time to go home." One of her coworkers called her but she couldn't hear them because of her earphones. She stayed there until she was alone in their office.

Momo started to space out as she murmured each of her old friends' names. While listening to the songs that Nayeon had mentioned in the letter, she would also reminisce the memories of when they would still see each other, especially that summer.

~~~~

"Nickname?" A woman in her late thirties asked.

"Yeah. You don't have one, Chaeyoung unnie?" Her colleague innocently asked back. Chaeyoung grew silent but her younger coworker patiently waited to hear one.

"O-oh... I- I... I used to have one, but... it's weird to be called like that anymore because of my age." Chaeyoung chuckled.

Chaeyoung was now working as an architect. She was with her colleagues doing a late-night project together when she heard what, or who, was on the radio. It was Jeongyeon's voice.

It's been a while since she listened to Jeongyeon's segment. The last time she listened was, like, thirteen years ago? Not that she doesn't want to listen to her, but because she became busy; projects after projects, commissions after commissions. She used to listen every night. But that stopped when she got more busier. She would sometimes hear the older girl's segment on the radio in their office, but the stories and the songs are so cliché and not that intriguing.

But not tonight. Chaeyoung made sure to listen to the whole segment when she heard Im Nayeon's name. The one who gave her a nickname.

"Just tell us noona! What's you're nickname?" Another guy insisted.

"My nickname?..."

~~~~

~1999~

"Strawberry princess!" Nayeon called.

They were waiting for Mina and Chaeyoung by the seashore since the former couldn't find her slippers and the latter decided to help her. They'll be going to the neighboring island to have their weekly checkup since a doctor visited there from Seoul and would be leaving next month. They'll be using a small boat this time since the island was just thirty minutes away from theirs.

"Over here!" Sana waved her hand as she called. Mina and Chaeyoung ran quickly towards them.

"Let's go?" Jihyo lead them to the boat.

~~~~

While riding, Tzuyu suddenly asked, "What could happen if you marry your own friend?"

All eyes turned to her, surprised of the question, especially Jeongyeon and Sana.

"Why not? My father and mother were friends before they got together." Momo shrugged.

"Yeah. My parents, too. Why do you ask, Tzuyu-ya? Do you want to marry someone from us?" Jihyo smirked and turned to Sana, who was blushing.

"I-it's not that... I just- I'm just curious, y'know? Ugh, nevermind. I just asked since you're all too quiet. It's very unusual." Tzuyu reasoned.

"Jeongyeon unnie's parents were village friends too, right?" Chaeyoung asked.

"W-what's wrong with marrying your own friend?" Jeongyeon asked, not purposely ignoring Chaeyoung's question. When she saw Chaeyoung sulk, she was surprised. "O-oh, sorry strawberry princess. Yes, you're right."

Chaeyoung smiled after being acknowledged. She doesn't know why she feels happy whenever she's being called by that nickname. Maybe because she loves strawberries so much and had a fantasy of becoming a princess when she was little? Her friends started to call her that, especially Nayeon, since she would always buy strawberries back in the city. Dahyun told Nayeon that, so the oldest came up with that nickname.

"If that so, Momo-ya, why don't you marry Tzuyu in the future?" Jihyo teased and glanced at Sana who was glaring at her. Momo looked shocked and smacked Jihyo's arm, making the said girl wince.

"Tzuyu's not my type, y'know! No offense, Chou."

"None taken unnie. And same here." Tzuyu replied.

The others continued to tease them until Nayeon pointed at something.

"Momo-ya, that's Gaedo island's lighthouse, right?" Nayeon asked.

Momo was surprised when Nayeon wrapped her arms around hers and leaned closer. She blushed, but that didn't go unnoticed by Jeongyeon, who was confused on how Momo reacted. Jeongyeon looked at their arms and looked back to Momo. She saw the latter smile as she also leaned closer to Nayeon and turned to where she was pointing.

"Yes." Momo smiled. "The lighthouse looks beautiful from afar."

"Ah... when will I be able to go there?" Nayeon sighed.

"Eh? Do you want to go there too, unnie? I'll take you there after I'm healed."

Jeongyeon furrowed her eyebrows. She remembered her conversation with Nayeon when she promised the older girl that she would take her there someday, and now she's considering someone else to go with her?

Did Nayeon forget?

"People say if we tell our wishes to the lighthouse, it will come true." Nayeon smiled. "That's why I want to go there." There it is again. Momo's gaze at Nayeon. Jeongyeon noticed that because that's how she looks at Nayeon.

She was confused and suspicious of Momo. But she shrugged it off since she didn't want to overthink and get jealous over nothing. She knew Momo knows about her feelings for Nayeon.

But at the same time, she couldn't help but think that there would might me a competition between her and Momo. And she doesn't want that to happen.

Jeongyeon is not aware that the competition is already happening.