‘Love is when you pretend not to care but you are interested.’ Mina closed the book and frowned, deep in thought. She had been mulling over her actions for the past few and wondering why she had been acting the way she had. She thought about Momo nearly all day and had many times gone out of her own way to see Momo or made an effort to stay with her for longer. She sighed and stared out of the window at the falling rain before putting the book back onto the shelf. She smiled as she turned and caught sight of Momo entering the library with her books in hand.

She smoothed her skirt and hurried over to the study room, greeting Momo with a quick hello. Momo returned the greeting and smiled tiredly at her. “Let’s get to work, shall we?” she suggested and gestured for Mina to take a seat. They started on some Maths, the subject that Mina was worst at on account of the complexity. She was fine with simple arithmetic and even multiplying but understanding was thrown out the window when letters became involved. She took out the booklet that Mr. Han had given her and began on the first question.

Halfway through their session, she encountered a problem that she couldn’t do and turned beside her only to find Momo fast asleep. Her head was resting on her folded arms over an open book and her hair acted as a cushion. Her lips were pouted into a moue and they trembled slightly as she breathed. Mina watched with fascination, knowing that Momo had never allowed her to be this close to her and Momo was irresistibly cute. She mirrored Momo’s pose and stared at Momo’s gentle face, silently wishing that this moment would stretch forever.

However, it was not to be as Momo’s eyes opened suddenly and she blinked rapidly as Mina straightened up and pretended to be working. Momo sat up in the chair and dragged the back of her hand over , running her other hand through her mussed hair. She shook her head a few times before coughing embarrassedly. Mina felt a twinge of concern as she looked at Momo’s face from the corner of her eye, noting the fatigue that was clear on the blonde’s face. There were slight dark circles under the eyes and lines around the mouth. “Sorry for falling asleep,” Momo apologised with the ghost of a smile. “I was up late last night studying and the sound of the rain is really calming.” Mina nodded in understanding then bent over her work, making a show of her focus.

They continued the rest of the session in silence with Mina taking occasional glances at Momo. Momo was trying to read a book but she seemed to have trouble staying awake, her head bowing many times as she lapsed into sleep. Each time she shook herself awake and Mina resisted the temptation to laugh. Eventually, Momo yawned and kneaded her eyes with a knuckle before announcing that they should head home before it grew dark. The sky was already overcast with a blanket of clouds covering the city and shadows were cast inside the room. Mina nodded and took out her phone to call her chauffeur to come. They had changed their normal practice of his waiting outside for her as Mina didn’t know exact times when she’d need to be picked up and she didn’t want him to have to wake up and drive if he was tired.

Momo waved silently to her at the door and left the room first, leaving Mina to close the lights and shut the door but when she exited the library, Momo was kneeling over her bag and muttering under her breath. Mina approached her and asked her what was wrong. “Oh uh, nothing. I must have misplaced my umbrella,” she said absentmindedly as she continued searching. “What colour was it, maybe it spilled out of your bag?” Mina suggested. Momo shook her head and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, frowning.

‘It was red with polka dots, but it can’t have. I zipped it up in my bag.’

Mina shrugged her shoulders and was about to offer Momo her own umbrella she carried in case of emergencies when a sudden thought struck her. “It’s raining outside. I’ll take you home,” she said. “That’s alright. It’ll be too much trouble. I’ll just get a taxi or something,” Momo replied, holding a hand up in refusal.

‘It’s fine. I have nowhere else to be and I can’t let you spend money on a needless taxi ride. Besides, I owe it to you for helping me with my studies.’

Momo shrugged, looking awkward.

‘Anyone would’ve-‘

‘Don’t do that.’

‘What?’

‘Make light of what you’ve done. The time and effort you’ve put into helping me without any benefit for yourself. Truthfully, I can’t think of someone else who would do the same thing.’

Mina lay a hand on Momo’s arm and looked her in the eyes. “Accept the offer,” she pressed. “I’m not going to take no for an answer.” Momo opened as if to refuse then saw the stubborn glint in Mina’s gaze and sighed softly. “It doesn’t look like I have a choice, do I?” she asked herself. “You don’t,” Mina answered. She took Momo’s hand and they walked towards the car park together. Mina’s car was already waiting and it wasn’t until Momo stepped inside and took a seat that Mina finally relaxed. It seemed as if any moment Momo would refuse and Mina would only have to let her go. Mina passed on Momo’s address to the chauffeur and they set off.

They sat in a comfortable silence as the rain continued to fall outside. Blurred lights flashed as headlights faced everywhere in a late peak hour congestion. Mina ignored the outside world and focused her attention on Momo. The blonde was having trouble staying awake and looked as if she might fall asleep again. Her eyelids began drooping and her head bowed forward. Mina, in a moment of bravery, manoeuvred Momo so that her head was leaning against the window and not forward and putting strain on her neck.

When they arrived at the address that Momo had given, Momo was still fast asleep. Mina whispered to the driver that they would just wait until Momo woke up by herself seeing how she looked so peaceful. She looked outside at the place where Momo lived and gasped despite herself. The street looked so squalid that Mina nearly mistook it for a slum. Rubbish bags surrounded an overfilled dumpster and the state of the buildings’ walls resembled houses in a warzone. The concrete was flaked and Mina was worried that the apartment might just crumble as they were parked. She couldn’t imagine that the living conditions would be much better inside and she felt shame suffuse her.

The place where Momo lived was a stark contrast to her own home in Gangnam where the streets were sometimes literally paved with gold and mansions stood tall and proud. Momo’s poverty was evident here and Mina felt guilty for her past thoughts about Momo. It was a veritable miracle that Momo was able to live by herself supported by her job’s wages and yet she was still so dedicated to her studies. It put Mina’s efforts in a new light and as she remembered her apathy and lack of interest towards her own schooling, it painted a picture of a spoilt rich brat. What did she have to offer besides wealth and a pretty face? She pouted at the depressing thought then turned as Momo began to stir.

‘Are we here?’

Mina nodded and smiled at Momo’s sleepy face, forgetting about her self-deprecation. There was no point in wallowing in self-pity when there were better things to focus on. “We just got here,” Mina lied. She saw the chauffeur look at her in the rear-view mirror with a raised eyebrow and curious expression but maintained her straight face. Momo stared at her suspiciously then seemed to shrug internally and slung her bag over a shoulder. She thanked Mina and the chauffeur then ran towards the building entrance with h