It was still dark when Momo woke up. Her alarm clock was beeping and she groaned softly as she reached over to turn it off. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head, looking around the room. Rubbing her arms, she willed herself to stand up and leave her warm blankets, padding over to her kitchen counter to rummage through the plastic bag sitting there. Inside was a box of fried chicken that Heechul had ordered the night before as he dropped her off and she the oven, placing the chicken in to heat up. She went through her daily morning routine and slipped into some jeans before deciding on a simple shirt and sweater. The weather was growing warmer as spring was in full bloom and there was no longer a need to brave the cold.

She ate the warmed up chicken with a bowl of rice as she watched the light coming from a crack in her curtains. The sun still hadn’t risen but the calls of a few birds signalled the coming day. As a morning person, Momo was accustomed to dark skies and she grabbed her wallet and keys from her bedside table. Locking her apartment door, she walked to the bus stop. Although it was already spring, mornings were still cold and she shivered until the bus arrived. She sat in her usual spot beside the window and leaned her head against the glass as the bus rattled over potholes.

Her eyes stared blankly outside of the window as her mind was filled with thoughts; thoughts about the night before; thoughts about Mina. She still felt in a muddle about the way that she felt about Mina and getting only a few hours of sleep did not help. Mina was just too confusing, the way that they had met and their interactions leading to now. So many things had happened in a short amount of time and her brain was still trying to catch up. There was no one word to describe the enigma that was Mina but a few floated around and not all of them were good. Rich. Spoilt. Privileged. Dedicated. Confusing. Beautiful. That last one surprised Momo but as she thought about it, it was true. Mina had looked amazing even in the simple dress she was wearing and Momo felt somewhat overdressed when she had compared her outfit to Mina’s.

Puffing out her breath, Momo tried to think about something else but found her mind wandering back to Mina and the dinner that was scheduled. When she had met Mina’s father, there was something about him that demanded respect and obedience. She had no choice but to accept his invitation and the look that Mina sent her only furthered that. She wondered why the head of the Myoui family and a nationwide company would want to have her for dinner and a dull ache began to grow as she tried to think.

She shook her head and look out of the window to where the bus was headed. They were only a few stops away from her destination and she readied herself to press the buzzer. She stepped off the bus and walked the short distance to the hospital entrance and looked around at the hustle and bustle of the reception. A number of people were seated in the waiting area and she saw crying children with their parents while other adults sat beside their elderly patients. She approached the front desk and the nurse smiled at her, recognising her as a frequent visitor, waving her through. Momo returned the smile and took the elevator up to her grandmother’s ward.

She walked into her grandmother’s room and stood silently as she watched. Her grandmother was having her breakfast of a bowl of congee while a male nurse stood on standby, ready to jump forward and assist. She must’ve made a sound as her grandmother turned and noticed her, hurriedly swallowing her mouthful. She reached for a napkin to wipe with as the nurse greeted Momo and placed the unfinished bowl on the bedside table. Momo bowed towards the kindly nurse and followed him outside the room.

‘Is there anything that I need to know?’

‘There’s nothing too important but we drew some blood to do some tests. The doctor’s already come round to do his check-up so you should be fine for the rest of the day. However, if you can just help her finish off her breakfast that would be nice.

‘Of course. By the way, I was wondering but could I take her out for a walk? She kind of pressed me on it the last time I visited.’

The nurse smiled and repositioned his glasses atop his nose. “That should be fine as long as she doesn’t exert herself. I might suggest that you take a wheelchair,” he said. Momo nodded and the nurse walked away as she re-entered the hospital room. “How are you?” Momo greeted as she leaned in for a hug. There was strength in her grandmother’s embrace but Momo felt her chest tighten as she felt skin and bones. She hurriedly grabbed the bowl of congee and fed her grandmother as they caught up.

‘I’ve been fine but I feel much better with you here. I always miss your bright spark. I wish you could visit more often.’

Momo nodded and said nothing as she wiped away some dribbled and continued to spoon-feed. As much as they would have both liked, Momo was constantly busy with school and it cost money to travel to see her grandmother. Her grandmother was aware of this and also of Momo’s need to rest in-between her job and studying. Without her parents' support, Momo would need a well-paying job to cover her student debt during university and it would take a prodigious amount of study to ensure that she got into a good university on account of fierce competition from one of the world’s leading academia.

After she finished feeding her grandmother, Momo sat in the armchair as they chatted and watched her grandmother’s aged face. Eventually she deemed that enough time had passed for digestion and she stood up. “Alright. As I promised, let’s go out for a walk. The nurse gave us the go ahead,” she said as she began to unfold the wheelchair. Her grandmother lit up with joy and Momo assisted her as she got out of the bed and lowered herself into the wheelchair. They took the elevator to the ground floor and Momo rolled them out towards the courtyard that was at the heart of the hospital. There were other patients already there, some with families and others with the attendants.

They circled the courtyard once then stopped beneath a tree and rested in its shade as they talked softly. After some time, Momo’s grandmother stopped responding and Momo looked up worried then calmed down when she realised that she was only sleeping. She took off her sweater and lay it over her grandmother’s knees, sitting silently. On another day, she would have returned them to the hospital room but she thought it was a chance for her grandmother to enjoy the fresh air and cool breeze of the outside after having been cooped up in her rooms. She wished that they could have talked some more and that she could have relayed some concerns off to the wiser Hirai but she was content with having put a smile on her grandmother’s face.

~

A cool wind blew across the courtyard, picking up stray leaves and depositing them among the wooden benches and stone seats. School was in session but Momo was spending one of her precious free periods sitting outside. Sana was beside her snoring softly into her arm with her head resting on her sweater, her nose twitching occasionally. Sana had grown tired of the stuffy library and had dragged Momo out with her only to fall asleep on a bench. Annoyed that her friend had taken her away from her studying for nothing, she poked at Sana’s cheek.

‘Wake up. I’m going to leave you if you’re just going to sleep.’

After subsequent pokes and getting no reaction, Momo abandoned Sana and decided to return to the library. There was nothing to fear from leaving Sana lying there and an unfinished assignment was calling her. She ambled back towards the library, taking the scenic route along the pathway which overlooked the oval. There was a P.E class being held on the basketball courts but beside that the school grounds were empty and there was a strange sense of peace as she walked. Feeling slightly melancholy after her visit to the hospital yesterday, Momo welcomed it and took her time to the library until she heard laughter. Rounding a corner, she found herself entering the second year’s common area which was deserted except for one person; a person that Momo recognised.

Mina was sitting cross-legged by her lonesome and was laughing at something on her phone. Curious, Momo crept forward behind Mina to see what she was looking at. Stepping carefully, she moved close enough to see that Mina was scrolling through some text