Poof! Unbetaed and probably very ty!

PS: Since my writing for this is pretty random and ty, this chapter a is placed chronologically a little after Jeongyeon, and after the next chapter I'll upload.

PS 2: Since my newest chapter is also chronologically placed before this one, I've decided to, in general, rearrange the chapters in their chronological order, so, as of now, my latest chapter is Jihyo

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Momo didn’t usually spend time one on one with anyone other than Sana. There were exceptions, of course, but for the most part whenever Momo saw them, they were all together. It was fine, except for the fact that they could be rowdy as , a fact that she couldn’t get used to even now.

However, there was one other girl, aside from Sana, that didn’t irritate her as often as the rest. Mina.

Mina was, actually, despite her demure appearance and gummy smile, very mature, always hiding behind her shyness the wisdom that sometimes earned some jokes from the rest. Her eyes were also guarded, a quality that Momo hadn’t seen much in teens her age other than the kids she had met before when she was homeless.

She seemed like the kind of person who shouldered her own grievances alone, but in return, she shut like a clam. Momo could see the many times she would open to say something, but would immediately close it again. For that alone, she felt some kind of understanding for the girl, even if it was probably one sided, thought she wouldn’t put it past Mina to already have made some deductions about her.

There was one time where Momo was assured of her own thoughts of the girl. She had been walking along the Han river, gazing at the dying lights of the city, when the people, either blue-collared workers, or party animals, ended their days to then enter into the things that would torture them or imbue them with life.

Surprising for her, Mina was there too, in a place a little far from any kind of human life at this unholy hour, which made Momo think (no, not worry) for a moment that someone could’ve taken her, and no one would’ve known. People said that this was a very safe city, but she didn’t buy it. There was no place where crime didn’t exist, especially in a country whose one of the biggest incomes comes from the industry.

Anyways, she had been sitting down the ledge, her legs swinging, her face in deep thought. It had been so peaceful a scene, Momo didn’t feel like interrupting. Leaving was not an option. Despite her best wishes, Mina had seen her, and with a minute movement of her hand, invited her to sit next to her on the ledge.

Ignoring the nausea that the ledge (and the river) induced her, she did as she was asked, sitting as slowly and as quietly as she possibly could, asking herself why did it matter so much to her that the serenity of this place remained intact.

Momo didn’t say anything, although she felt a prick of curiosity about Mina’s whereabouts when she could be sleeping (she knows that if she could sleep she would). The ball was in Mina’s court, and, surprisingly, she hit it, sending it back to Momo.

“What are you doing here?” the girl asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Taking a little walk,” Momo answered nonchalantly, “You?”

“Just thinking for a bit.” She hummed in understanding, but didn’t say anything else.

“Have you ever felt trapped? Like there was something that you must do, even if there’s another option?” Mina asked pensively, her eyes, devoid of any shame that shone during the day, looking at Momo as if she had a deep answer to whatever was worrying her.

“I… guess,” Momo answered slowly, mentally shooing away the memories that always threatened to come out. Mina’s eyes dimmed a little, but she didn’t back down.

“And what did you do then?”

“I... I suppose I went with what I had to do,” her eyes stung a little. “What’s on your mind?” she asked, hoping to deflect Mina’s attention from her own problems. Mina’s countenance hitched, her face becoming one of surprise, as if she hadn’t expected Momo’s question, and she couldn’t blame her.

“Can you… Could you please not tell any of the girls?” Mina pleaded, to which Momo nodded resolutely, seeing the panic and the fear take place in her expression, as if she was finally waking to a nightmare.

“I… I’ve been afraid for quite some time. When I first came here, I only thought about my own teenage dreams. Being a singer seemed so easy then, like a dream, like a getaway. But I arrived here, and then everything was training. Nothing was stable, and I wasn’t a constant. Singing, dancing… just, debuting… weren’t a given. I have to win it, and sometimes it just seems far away.” The girl stopped, taking a deep breath that she then released it shakily, as if trying to take control of herself.

“I know I shouldn’t. I know I can’t. It would be so dirty of me to…” her eyes filled with tears, filling Momo with a sense of discomfort, as if she ought to feel pain for Mina. She awkwardly patted the other girl’s back, hoping to decrease her discomfort, and, if possible, eliminate the tears that threatened to fall from Mina’s angelic face. It took her a while to speak again.

“Everything was suffocating me, but there was this guy, a senior from our company. He was so nice to me, and it felt like I could trust someone,” Mina stopped, glanced back at Momo, her eyes still teary, as if expecting a reaction (a negative one, if Momo wasn’t mistaken). “There are some things about myself that I didn’t feel comfortable talking about with Sana,” she explained when she saw no change in her countenance. “But he seemed so open, so understanding, that he knew what I was going through, and I trusted him. As we became closer, he confessed to have feelings for me, and I accepted him.” Mina breathed a few times, as if she felt extreme pain. “But these days, he’s been saying that I should do what girlfriends do, that he’s so stressed after promotions and he needs me.” At those words, Momo’s mind started reeling, connecting the dots quickly.

“No!” Momo said immediately, her grave voice giving an ultimatum, effectively shutting Mina up. “No, Mina, whatever he’s telling you, it’s not true. You shouldn’t. If you don’t want to, you shouldn’t.”

“But he’ll leave me if I don’t,” she said, the first tears running down her cheeks. “I need him, Momo. I need him! There’s no one else that has understood me the way he has.”

“He doesn’t. He doesn’t understand you. If he did, he would know that you don’t want to, and he would respect that.”

“But what if it is true? What if he’s exhausted? What if he needs me?”

“He doesn’t need you.” Mina’s face crumbled at her words, a sob leaving. “And you don’t need him either. You don’t need someone like that.”

“You don’t know him,” Mina responded defensively.

“I have met many people like that in my life, Mina. None of them had good intentions,” Momo thought back bitterly to her days as a e. “They might treat you well, but there is always, always, an underlying reason. They’ll never be satisfied, and they’ll want more from you, everything that you can give, until you’ve given your all, until you’re left empty.”

Mina didn’t respond for a moment, seemingly digesting her words.

“Do you really think he’s like that?”

“You’re smart, Mina. Don’t fool yourself.” Mina started full on crying, her body shaking as sobs left her body. Momo, unable to think on anything else to do, she did what Sana did when she had passed out that day at her apartment. It wasn’t the most ideal situation for her, but at the core, she understood Mina’s plea. A need to feel needed. Like you weren’t a waste. Like you weren’t a piece of . Like you could be of use to someone.

They stayed in an embrace for what seemed hours, until Mina separated, her eyes now puffy and vulnerable, but dry.

“What has happened to you?” she asked softly, but inquisitively. Momo felt the instant urge to close up (the same she felt like with anyone except Sana), but decided against it, knowing that at some point, Mina had confided in her, when she wouldn’t even confide in Sana, her best friend.

“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you,” she instead said, a small smile forcing her way through her lips.

“Believe me, I would. Anyone would, if they went with how you look.”

“How I look?” Momo asked, raising an eyebrow. Mina smiled despite herself.

“You know, you think you hide yourself so easily, but you’re wrong. Everything about you screams that you have through tough .”

“Everything, huh?” Momo murmured, not knowing how to answer, thoughts popping in her head like little bubbles.

“So, if you, you know, have something bothering you and you don’t want to tell your girlfriend, tell me. I’ll extend the courtesy of having to stand you,” Mina said after a silence, smirking.

“I’ll be sure to remember that.”