At exact 8 pm, Mina arrived Momo’s apartment unit with her laptop and some paper works. Actually, she did wonder why all of sudden, her boss wanted to do work at time like this. The weekend night. But she can’t utter a word, she’s her boss after all. And the source of money now.

     Momo made her sit on the couch at the living room, while she’s bringing them some drink. Mina switched on her laptop but only to be knock out by Momo’s hand. Mina was confused but Momo said, “No, not now. Let’s drink first.”

And they drink in silence. Not until Momo decided to break the silence.

“Do you know someone by the name of… Momo?”

     Mina put down her drink and looked at Momo, in confusion written all over her face. How the heck her boss knew that name? Is she someone related to her?

“How did…?”

“What is she to you?” Momo cut.

     Mina paused to think for a right answer, only to be cut by Momo again.

“Is she your toy?” Momo chuckled after she looked at Mina’s shocking expression.

     “Wait, Ms. Hirai. I don’t know how you know that name, but—“

“You call me Ms. Hirai,” Momo chuckled, again. “… didn’t it sound familiar?”

Mina remained silent.

“Hirai Momo.”

Her eyes widen.

“N-No way…”

     “Yes way, Mina.” Momo leaned in, closer to Mina’s face. “This is me. Shock?”

     Mina wanted to retort and fight back, but Momo’s body was pressing onto hers. The sudden flashback of dark past running in her head. She’s dizzy. Her eyes somehow became heavy. Before she could do anything, her body dropped on the couch lifelessly.

                                                                                           ---

     Mina woke with terrible headache. She looked at her surrounding and found herself in an unfamiliar room, on someone’s bed. Wait…

     Mina removed the blanket and shocked to see she’s , without any shirt and . Mina became terrified, she tried to remember what happened yesterday but failed. A sudden thud coming from the door on the side of the room, making her snapped her head at the direction.

     “Oh, you’re awake.” The person came over to Mina and sat at the edge of the bed with bathrobe wrapping her body and towel on her damp hair. “Morning, princess.”

     Although Momo’s offering her a smile, Mina was terrified. She knew something must be happened between her and the latter. Mina remembered the latter mention about her being Momo and then she passed out.

Right!

Momo put something in her drink!

     Mina struggled under the blanket and felt a pain at her lower region. She looked down and saw…

“B-Blood?” Mina was sure that was blood. Maybe that’s her blood. No way…

     “Last night you being a good girl.” Momo said with a satisfied smile.

Mina widen her eyes. She’s shocked. Totally. This was Momo’s doing. Momo her. This is unfair!

“W-What did you do to me?!”

     Momo smiled. “Nothing. Just claiming all the things you had done to me,” She leaned in and Mina’s leaned back that her head knocked the bed. “… 10 years ago.”

     “This is unfair, Momo!” Mina grabbed the pillow beside her and threw it right on Momo’s face. Momo was mad. Not at the action, but at Mina’s words. Unfair?

“Unfair? You said this is unfair?” Momo scoffed. “After all you did to me?!”

     Momo stood up and glared at Mina. “You left a big trauma in my life! You know, those words of hatred coming from school, it’s still haunting me in my sleep! Do you know that?! And you said this unfair?!”

     “I can’t believe you. I thought I can trust you. I did! It was my mistake to accept someone so easily in my life! I felt like a fool for… for…”

“M-Momo…”

“This is just the beginning Mina.” Momo said. “Just the beginning.”

                                                                                         ---

     Momo locked Mina in her apartment. And this round for a week already. Jeongyeon was curious about Mina’s where about and once asked Momo, but only got a shrug. It’s clear that Momo didn’t want to talk about it.

     At home, Momo treated her like a slave. She treated her badly, shouting and whatsoever it take to make her satisfied, but Momo never satisfied.

     Momo forced Mina in bed and Mina fight every time Momo wanted to her. Momo never being gentle. She earned a slap if she fight back. And that explain bruises on her used to be flawless body.

     Mina once tried to run, but failed. What can be worse than be caught by Momo herself? She did earned a few more bruises.

     From what Mina had remembered, this new Momo was far away from the old Momo. The innocent, gentle and kind Momo.

     There’s one thing that Momo didn’t know. Actually, Mina had live her life full of regret after the departure of Momo. She felt bad and something, something that tug on her heart whenever she heard Momo’s name being mention in the school hallway by the students she didn’t even know.

Mina searched Momo for years, and failed. Momo’s parents refused to tell her. And Mina gave up.

     She wanted to apologise badly, because she was suffering. Her heart burns every time she remembered the moments they shared though it was a pretend.

     And tonight, Momo was back from work. Mina as usual sat on the bed doing nothing. She had her legs up to her chest and face buried between her knees. She caught a glimpse of Momo putting down her bag and blazer on the chair armrest. Momo was facing the wall, and Mina got a muscular back view of Momo. The girl sure like to work out.

     Mina was snapped back to the reality when she felt a weight on the bed. She saw Momo sitting near her, eyes filling with… emptiness? Longing? Mina was not sure.

     Momo had the three top button remained , and wow, that’s hot. Somehow, Momo looks so dull. For the first time, Mina didn’t back out when Momo leaned in for a kiss. She replied with the same momentum, and Momo was confused by this.

Mina never replied her kiss.

And Momo never kiss Mina gently, but with force.

     This made Momo to pull out from the gentle, soft kiss. Momo looked into Mina’s eyes, and saw… something. But she’s not sure what it is. Momo stood up and left Mina in confusion. Momo always be the one to initiate the night activity, of course without Mina’s concern. But Momo said,

“I’m going for a shower.”

     Nothing happen. Really. Momo wore her pyjama and lay on the other side of the bed. What happen to Momo? Mina wondered.

But they sleep nonetheless.

Without any ‘activity’.

                                                                                           ---

     The next day, Momo went for work, as usual. And for the first time, Mina made herself change. She had a nice and refreshing bath. She didn’t have any clothes here, so she grab for Momo’s white shirt—the one she wear for work—and a short she found in Momo’s walk in closet.

     She spent her day doing nothing. She bored. These passed day were different, Mina only spent her times on the bed and cried, that she got two eyebags under her eyes. Mina sat at the living room and then she felt hungry. It’s almost dinner time so Mina went to Momo’s kitchen.

     She found many ingredients placed in Momo’s fridge. Clearly, Momo didn’t cook. She’s a busy person. She knew while she still work as Momo’s PA. And why not, she cook something?

                                                                                          ---

     Momo was greeted by a good smell of food that clearly coming from the kitchen. Momo walked silently towards her kitchen and guess what, she found Mina’s cooking in her kitchen, one hand holding the ladle while the other place on her hips. She’s wearing what she look like her own shirt, and those shorts, that she almost assume that Mina’s wear nothing.

     Meanwhile Mina, she was too immerse in cooking the soup that she didn’t notice that Momo was standing behind her. She jumped a little when she felt a pair of arms wrapping around her waist, and soon felt a body pressing her from behind.

“M-Momo?”

“Hmm,”

     Mina felt her body’s shivering as she felt Momo’s nose touching her exposed shoulder. Momo sniffed, and blew some air on it. She moved her nose to the crook of Mina’s neck and sniffed again. “Smells good,” she mumbled on her skin.

“M-Momo, I’m cooking here… please…”

“Hmm,” Momo didn’t move and continued to sniff Mina’s shoulder. “I’m gonna go shower.”

     “A-Alright then,” Mina stuttered and released a breath of relief as Momo retreated herself from Mina. The warmth from Momo’s body soon lost in the thin air, and Mina already miss it.

Mina didn’t understand why.

                                                                                            ---

     For the first time since Mina being locked in Momo’s apartment, they never sat together and had a dinner together properly. Usually, Momo would send the take out for the depressed Mina in the room, and the food remained untouched. Thus, Momo forced Mina to eat, even just a one spoon.

     And now here they are, sitting at Momo’s dining, facing each other. Mina had served Momo the soup she made and Momo seems to like it, since she didn’t stop eating. She didn’t utter a word, but Mina was relieved because Momo didn’t shout at her, yet.

     Momo didn’t mad at her today instead, she treated Mina like a normal people. After cleaning the plates, Mina took it as a cue for her to wash the dishes, as Momo retreated herself to her small office.

     Finished cleaning, Mina walked into Momo’s bedroom. She’s nervous, yes, but Momo was never to be seen in the room. Mina went to use the bathroom for a while and when she come out, Momo is already there, sitting at the edge of her bed. Mina gulped nervously. Nonetheless, she walked towards the latter.

     She was about to pass in front of the blonde, but a hand stopped her. “Can we talk?” Momo asked. And so, Mina complied as Momo made her sat beside her on the bed. She can tell Momo was nervous—maybe—because she saw the latter was fidgeting with her hand.

“What is it?”

Silence.

“Momo—“

“Did you…”

“…”

“Why you didn’t fight, yesterday…?”

     Mina hung her head low. A few minutes passed without words, until Mina decided to look up to Momo.

     “It’s not like I can do anything.” She said, short. Momo nodded. Mina was right. Momo would still force her if she don’t want to. “Momo, can I ask you something…?”

Momo nodded.

     “Is this really you? I mean… you know, you look different… from the Momo that I used to know.”

     Momo smirked. “The Momo you used to know,” she scoffed. Mina furrowed her eyebrows. “That’s 10 years ago. Do you expect that I will stay ugly, innocent, and nerdy like that?”

     “10 years is a long period of time. You can’t imagine what will happen in those years. After that embarrassing, humiliating past, I knew that I should find a new life. You left a big trauma in me, don’t you remember?”

     “I came to Korea and continue my study. I studied like a maniac, better than bookworms. I don’t even have time to make friends. Luckily, I found Jeongyeon. She’s willing to help me, and we are best friends till now.”

     “I changed my style. Maybe because of the ugly me, people thing that I’m easy to play with,” Momo said, rather meaningful. “Like you.”

     Mina hung her head low in embarrassment. She still ashamed for her old self, but she still didn’t have the gut to apologise, thinking that Momo will never forgive her. Her eyes stinging from the urge to cry.

     “I waited for 10 years for this chance, to pay my revenge, to make you feel how I feel.” Momo said again. “You know what? Gotcha.”

     “I hit the jackpot! I knew from the start that your family’s facing financial problems, and you lost everything. I knew about your mother’s death, and I also knew your father’s sickness. Thus, I found you. And I already did what I had to do, if you know what I mean.”

     Momo put her hand on Mina’s chin, making her to look up to her eyes. Momo actually was shocked to see how Mina’s eyes looked so glossy, and cloud with tears. But she don’t want to stop. She leaned in, her face so close to Mina, and she whispered,

“How does it feel to be ed by a girl,

…with a ?”

     A tear rolled on Mina’s cheek. Her heart hurt so much. She was too late for this. Mina thought that she have no hope anymore in Momo’s life.

For 10 years, Mina has been keeping this…

…that she was in love with Momo.

     It took her long enough to admit that she actually like—no—love Momo, only when the latter left her without notes.

And now she found her, at a wrong time.

Momo hates her.