And so Momo and Mina agree to be friends, and nothing more. It was actually hard at first, especially for Mina. Ever since Momo came back, she’s been hanging out at the Twice lounge again, yes, but at the cost of seeing Momo flirt with the others.

Okay, it’s not that Momo is a flirt, but she’s really touchy with everyone—especially with Nayeon and Dahyun. Mina wonders if Momo was like this when they were together but she doesn’t recall. Maybe she’s always been like this, but Mina only realizes now because Momo isn’t sweet to her anymore.

Meanwhile, the others are very much aware of the tension between them—those unspoken attraction and feelings they still have for each other. But, they choose to talk to neither Mina nor Momo about it.

One day, Tzuyu, Jihyo, Chaeyoung, Momo and Mina are at the Twice lounge. Momo and Mina are playing Mario Kart, and Momo’s got the gain on Mina.

“Yes! I’m gonna win!” Momo says confidently. “I’m gonna…”

But just then, Mina picks up her speed and puts a jinx on Momo’s ride.

“Hey!”

The screen shows Mina as the final winner. Momo looks at Mina with a deadly look on her face, while the younger girl has a smug look on hers.

“I will have my revenge on you, Myoui Mina,” Momo threatens her.

Mina raises an eyebrow. “Really? How?”

Momo grins. She uses her hands to reach for Mina, her fingers starting to tickle her sides.

“Ah! Momo!” Mina squeals, shaking as she tries to let go of Momo’s hold (she can’t). “Stop!” she screams, chuckling. Then Momo finally grabs Mina and pins her down on the couch. Mina’s laughter stops as the two girls suddenly become aware of their close proximity with each other.

Mina and Momo look into each other’s eyes until Tzuyu clears . The two move away from each other.

“So, when are you guys getting back together?”

Jihyo slaps Tzuyu on her back. “Tzuyu, sshh!”

—

The semester (and hence the school year) ends and nothing much happens during the summer. Days before the start of the following school year, Mina’s teacher contacts her and asks her if she could perform with Momo for the annual Welcome Ceremony for freshmen for the start of the school year. She tells her teacher she’ll ask Momo about it.

And when she does ask Momo, she’s surprised that Momo agrees immediately.

But to be honest, she’s kinda excited about it.

They practice at the university since Mina’s teacher already had something in mind, and they were planning to have backup dancers in some parts of the song. Mina arrives later than Momo, and when she enters the dance room she sees that the older girl is already stretching, sitting on the floor.

The door closes behind Mina, causing Momo to look up at her. Mina’s wearing a white crop top, and Momo could clearly see the girl’s abs. Momo observes (well, more like stares at, really) Mina when she puts her bag down at the front of the room. Mina starts stretching but standing up, so that when she puts her hands up more of her abs is exposed. She looks at the mirror, then catches Momo staring at her, face already red.

Mina smirks. “Like what you see, huh?”

“What? No!” Momo defends herself, eyes wide in shock. She could feel her sweat even though the room is well-ventilated.

“You can keep staring, you know,” Mina teases her.

“I wasn’t staring,” Momo replies. She turns away from Mina and looks at herself through the mirror, stretching again.

The choreographer finally enters and tells them about the dance. The song they’ll be using is “24 Hours” which has a y concept to its choreography. He teaches the girls the steps which the two learn pretty easily. Then he leaves them for a while and they practice on their own.

Mina takes a break to drink water, but Momo keeps on practicing . She watches the older girl dance when it gets to the part where they have to kind of grind on the floor. Momo has this habit of looking at elsewhere during certain parts of the song—especially, especially at the part where she moves her , and this drives Mina crazy. This goes unnoticed by Momo, of course, and her brilliant mind comes up with an idea. She steps closer and closer to Mina while she dances the song’s y moves.

Mina swallows when she realizes what’s happening.

Momo moves even closer to her until they’re face to face, then she stops. She brings near Mina’s ear and whispers in a low, husky voice.

“Mina.”

The younger girl gulps upon hearing her name.

“Stop taking a break and start practicing!” she yells, right into Mina’s ear. Mina jumps and then hits Momo, who’s laughing right now. She looks at Mina who has a vicious look on her face, but Momo couldn’t stop laughing.

“Ugh, I hate you, Hirai Momo!”

—

Months later (Mina and Momo’s performance at the Welcome Ceremony went smoothly), the girls gather at the Hirai residence for Nayeon’s birthday, but this time they’re at the bunny’s house. Yes, the Ims have a house of their own separate from the Hirais’ mansion. It isn’t as big as the actual Hirai house, but it’s big enough to fit the nine girls.

“Nayeon-unnie, where’s the food?” Momo complains.

“My parents are on their way back to cook for us,” Nayeon tells her.

“Looks like it’s gonna rain soon,” Jihyo observes, and as if on cue, they hear thunder boom throughout the living room.

Sana and Dahyun jump the most, and they hold onto each other as a reflex action. Meanwhile Momo closes her eyes and leans on the person beside her, who is, of course, no other than Mina.

Mina chuckles at Momo’s reaction. “Such a scaredy raccoon.”

Momo, who realizes she’s clinging onto Mina, removes her grip on the ballerina. “Oh, sorry.”

It’s okay, I don’t want you to let go anyway, Mina wants to tell Momo, but instead she just offers a smile to the older girl.

Seconds later the rain starts pouring in. Hard. Jeongyeon locks the door and closes the windows.

“Well, my parents just texted me,” Nayeon announces. “They’re stuck because of the rain so they couldn’t get here on time.”

“But how are we going to eat?” Momo cries out in her aegyo voice, the one Mina finds irresistible even until now.

“Relax, Moguri,” Nayeon responds. “We already bought the ingredients yesterday. All we need to do now is cook them!” Nayeon looks at everyone, who is staring back at her with blank looks on their faces.

“So who knows how to cook?” Nayeon asks excitedly, but she’s followed by silence.

“No one?” she says. “Ah jeongmal?”