Second to the last chapter! Here ya go :)

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Two months after Nayeon and Jeongyeon’s big move to Germany, the girls at Tech Solutions receive an email from the couple. Momo excitedly opens the message from her phone and reads it out loud.

“You are cordially invited to Im Nayeon and Yoo Jeongyeon’s…” she trails off to read the whole thing for herself. “Oh my gosh! Nayeon and Jeongyeon are getting married?!”

“Yep,” Mina says before taking a spoonful of her ice cream at the cafeteria.

“You don’t seem so surprised.” Momo frowns.

“I was the one who bought their engagement ring,” Mina tells her. “I gave it to Jeongyeon right before their flight.”

“Wow, and no one noticed that?” Momo scoffs. “I should have known.”

“I was the only one who could keep a secret,” Mina teases.

“Hey!” Momo whines before taking some time to think about it. “Well, okay. I guess you’re right.”

Mina giggles, finishing her ice cream.

“But it’s in Switzerland.” Momo frowns again. “It’s so far.”

“Isn’t it cool, though? I’ve always wanted to go to Europe, and now I have a reason for doing so.”

Momo snorts at that. “Yeah, you are like that. Only going out when you have a reason to.”

Mina’s about to retort when Sana arrives at their table, dragging Chaeyoung and Jihyo with her, surprising her and Momo.

“What’s up?” Momo asks.

“Listen, you guys. Dahyun’s birthday is coming up this weekend and I wanted to give her a surprise party.”

A bunch of squeals and cheers of excitement immediately erupts within the group, but it doesn’t last for long because Sana hushes them.

“What did I just say? A surprise party. Therefore, we need to be discreet.”

“Are we having the party in our house?” Chaeyoung asks, referring to the one Nayeon and Jeongyeon handed over for four of the girls in the group.

Sana nods in response. “I’ve already made reservations for dinner with her, so you guys are gonna have to set up the house during that time.”

Momo scoffs. “You just don’t want to be included in the actual party preparations.”

“Hey, keeping the birthday girl busy is a surprise too, you know!” Sana retorts. “And just for that, you’re gonna have to buy Dahyun’s special birthday gift.”

“That’s easy. I’ll just have to drop by a lingerie store and—”

“Yah! Hirai Momo!”

Momo bursts out laughing when Sana slaps her shoulder. “Okay, I’ll stop. What do you want to buy for her?”

“Actually, I need you and Chaeyoung to agree on this. You know how Dahyun’s always been afraid of dogs, right?”

“Well she is afraid of animals in general but go on,” says Chaeyoung.

“Recently she told me she wants to overcome that fear,” Sana continues. “And we’ve been talking about adopting a dog and raising them in our house.”

“A dog?” Momo’s face lights up. “That would be awesome!”

Sana smiles at her best friend’s reaction. “How about you?” she turns to Chaeyoung.

“I’m gonna love that pup, as long as you guys clean the mess,” Chaeyoung snickers. “Kidding, I’ll take care of Dahyun’s future dog, too.”

“Great! Then it’s settled.” Sana clasps her hands together. “Momo, you’ll be in charge of looking for a dog for us to own.”

“What kind of dog do you think Dahyun likes?” Momo asks her.

“For now I think it’d be best if we own a small dog,” Sana answers.

“Wait,” Mina interrupts them. “Isn’t Momo allergic to dogs?”

“I’ll wear a tracksuit, Mina, don’t worry.” Momo winks at her, and Mina does all she could to make it seem like she wasn’t affected at all.

“Still, something might go wrong if you go alone.”

“How about you go with her?” Jihyo suggests. Mina knows Jihyo means well, but this is definitely not how she wanted this conversation to go. She can’t refuse now, because refusing would simply raise suspicions.

“Yeah, that would be a good idea,” Sana agrees. “So Mina and Momo look for a super cute dog. Chaeyoung, you okay with gathering the things needed for the party?”

“Sure.” Chaeyoung shrugs.

“I’ll go with you,” Jihyo tells her. “Just tell me when.”

“By the way, Jihyo, can you help with inviting people from at least the Testing Team?” Sana requests.

“Sure, I can do that.”

“Speaking of invitations,” Momo says. “Can I invite someone not from the company?”

“Seulgi?” Sana guesses.

“Yeah. I mean she has met Dahyun once, briefly, right? And I really wanna introduce her to the rest of you guys.”

“Wow, you guys are really serious, huh?” Chaeyoung teases her.

“Kind of, yeah.” Momo palms her neck to wipe off the sweat. “We’ve been dating for a month now, so…”

Mina suddenly becomes extremely focused on finishing her ice cream, not saying a word on this entire topic of conversation.

I hope you finally admit your feelings for Momo, Jeongyeon had told her. And she already has, only to find out she was too late, that Momo was already dating someone else. Fate really has a twisted timing sometimes, and Mina kept being on the bitter end of it.

The day is about to come to an end, but Chaeyoung wanted to talk to Tzuyu. She had been for a month now. She promised Dahyun that she would consider confessing to the girl, and since then she has decided that she’s gonna do it. But in the last month all she’d done is gather the strength and courage—that is, until now. Because now, she has an excuse—Dahyun’s surprise birthday party—to talk to her.

“Hi, Tzuyu.”

“Oh, hey, Chaeyoung.” Tzuyu looks up from her station nervously. “What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to invite you to Dahyun’s surprise birthday party this weekend.”

“Oh, Dahyun, from Applications, right? I worked with you guys and Sana one time.”

“Oh hey, you remember!” Chaeyoung smiles. “Anyway, it’s this weekend at our house…”

“Your apartment?”

“No, we moved actually. We moved in with Sana and Momo.”

“Ah.” Tzuyu nods.

“I guess we haven’t talked in a while, huh?”

“Why would we?” Tzuyu shrugs. “Our arrangement is over, and you found someone you’d actually like to date.”

“Still, I would have liked to remain friends. And that’s why I want you to come on Saturday. I’ll text you the address.”

Chaeyoung walks out of the Design Team area mentally slapping herself. She chickened out, again.

This Saturday, she promises herself.

That Friday, while Jihyo and Chaeyoung set out to buy ingredients and party materials at the grocery, Mina and Momo set out to a pet store to buy Dahyun’s dog. Since it would be too suspicious if Momo wore a tracksuit all day, Momo brought her clothing and changed into it when they’re about to leave.

“You look cute.” Mina giggles, holding a hand over when she realizes what she just said. This is going to be one long night.

“Sana and I got one each, you know,” Momo tells her. “People have been calling us twins so much, we decided why not go with the flow?”

“I think Sana would look cuter in that,” Mina jokes—no, lies.

“Ouch,” Momo chides. “Let’s just go before you hurt me more.”

Mina drives both of them to Chungmuro Pet Street, leading them to a certain pet store Mina had already searched beforehand.

“That was a very Mina thing to do,” Momo teases when they enter the store, pulling her mask up to her face.

“What? It saves time, you know. It’s more efficient this way.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s why you’re the boss—Oh my gosh look at this cute puppy!” Momo runs up to one corner of the store, gawking at the caged Maltese puppy with his head down his bowl, drinking water. “I want him! I want him!”

Mina can’t help her heart fluttering at the sight of Momo getting excited by the puppy. Momo looks so pure, and her eyes are sparkling as she observes the puppy eating.

“Momo, don’t you think we should look at the other puppies first?”

“Actually,” the store owner interrupts them, “you can play with them if you’d like. They’re scheduled to play now, anyway.” He points to a door that leads to the next room.

Mina coughs as she answers for herself and Momo. “Oh no, she’s allergic—”

“I’d be happy to!” Momo squeals, clapping like a baby. And who was Mina to stop this cute little fluffball?

After an hour of playing with the puppies Momo finally tires herself out. Mina would also play from time to time, but mostly she was watching Momo—convincing herself that it’s because she wanted to make sure she won’t have an allergic reaction, and nothing more.

“You good?” Mina asks as they go out of the playroom.

“Yeah. I told you, Mina, I’m fine handling my allergic reaction.” Momo smiles at Mina. “But thanks for the concern.” In a sudden and unexpected action, Momo wraps Mina in an embrace.

“Uh… So how have you found a dog that’s fit for Dahyun?” says Mina, pulling away from the hug as quickly as possible, afraid that she might stay there forever if the hug had lasted longer.

“I stick with the Maltese pup!” Momo tells her.

“Really?” Mina chuckles.

“Yeah! He’s really cute. And he’s white like Dubu Dahyun!”

“Okay then.” Mina approaches the store owner who’s putting the puppies back in their respective cages. “We’ll take the white Maltese. But is it okay if we pick him up tomorrow?”

“Sure,” he replies. “Although I don’t understand why you’d want to do that. Most couples who come here to adopt a dog immediately want to—”

Mina’s eyes widen at the store owner’s implication but is still quick to stop him. “Oh no, no, no, she and I… We’re not… We’re just friends.”

“Oh, sorry about that. You just looked like it, I guess,” he mumbles, but both Momo and Mina heard him loud and clear.

“Anyway,” Momo says, clearing , “thank you for making us play with the dogs. We’ll be back to pick him up tomorrow; it’s a surprise for our friend.”

“No worries! See you tomorrow.”

The walk back to Mina’s car is painfully quiet, so Momo decides to break the silence herself.

“Are you thinking about adopting a dog with Jennie?” she asks Mina, still completely oblivious. But not for long.

“Oh, uh… Jennie and I broke up.”

Momo stops in her tracks. “You did?”

Mina looks back at Momo and nods in response, though she doesn’t stop walking.

“Since when?” Momo starts walking again, following Mina.

“It’s been three months, I guess,” Mina says once they’re both in her car and she starts the engine.

“Three months ago? How come I didn’t know about this?”

“It’s not exactly something I like sharing, Momo,” Mina tells her, eyes on the road. “Did you really not notice?”

“No, I thought you were doing well because you looked happier. I just assumed your fights lessened and that’s it.”

Mina chuckles, adoring Momo’s way of thinking. “Sometimes I wish it worked out that way. But maybe it’s for the best.”

“So you and Jennie broke up three months ago.”

“Yes.”

“And you’ve been single since then.”

“Yeah.”

“Three months ago.”

“About three to four, I can’t remember.”

Momo hums, staring out her window. The rest of the ride is quiet now, up until Mina pulls up to Momo’s house.

“See you tomorrow, Momo.”

“Yeah. You too.”

Momo doesn’t get much sleep that night.

When Dahyun wakes up that day, she’s greeted by Sana, Momo, and Chaeyoung along with a birthday cake and breakfast in bed.

“Are you guys sure I won’t die eating this?” Dahyun eyes the meal warily.

“Okay, we bought it from a convenience store and put it on a plate.” Chaeyoung confesses, rolling her eyes.

Dahyun laughs, but now she lifts her chopsticks to eat the meal. “It’s delicious. Thanks, you guys.”

By afternoon Sana and Dahyun are getting ready for their dinner reservation. Sana reminds Chaeyoung and Momo of their tasks before she and her girlfriend finally leave. Minutes later, Jihyo and Mina arrive at their place to help with the preparations.

“Momo, shouldn’t we pick up the dog now?” Mina reminds her.

“It’s fine, Mina, Seulgi and I will go get it. I’m just waiting for her. You can help Chaeyoung and Jihyo with the house instead.”

“Oh.” Mina’s voice drops, but Momo chooses to ignore that. She walks out of the house with Seulgi, not knowing that Mina’s eyes are still following her even after they left.

“Come on, Mina, let’s help Chaeyoung with the food,” Jihyo utters, snapping Mina out of her trance.

“Oh—What? Yeah, I’m coming.” Mina shakes herself from her daze as she runs towards Jihyo. “What’s the point of cooking food when Dahyun and Sana are having dinner, anyway?”

Jihyo shrugs in response. “I don’t know, but hey, that means more food for us, right?”

Speaking of food, Dahyun and Sana are already enjoying their meal at the riverside restaurant Sana managed to reserve for them. And they got good seats, too—luckily Sana knows a guy that arranged everything for a fine view of the river.

“I have a question,” Dahyun starts, “but I’m not sure if you’d get offended by it.”

“Shoot,” says Sana as she brings her glass of wine to her lips.

“The guy that works here, the one you know… Did you… sleep with him?”

Sana almost chokes on her drink at the question. “Water—I need water!” she manages to utter.

“Here.” Dahyun hands her a glass, chuckling at her girlfriend’s reaction. “So you did?”

When Sana finishes drinking, she glances at Dahyun but looks away in embarrassment. “Are you mad at me?”

“No—Oh no, Sana, I’m not mad. I actually think it’s sweet.”

“You what?” Sana stares wide-eyed at Dahyun, genuinely wondering if the girl’s lost her mind.

“I know you don’t try to reach out to your one night stands long after… you know. But you did, just so we can have this nice dinner. Thank you.”

Sana’s mouth slowly curves itself upward at hearing Dahyun’s response. “You’re the only person who would think that way.” She extends her arm to hold Dahyun’s hand on the table. “And that’s why I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.”

“Happy birthday, baby.”

“Where have you guys been?” Chaeyoung frantically asks Momo when she and Seulgi enter the house, Momo carrying a cage in her hands. “Sana and Dahyun left the restaurant like 10 minutes ago!”

“I’m sorry, we got caught in traffic, geez!” Momo spits out, surprising Seulgi and the rest of them. By this time everyone invited—basically, the whole engineering department, plus Jisoo from HR and Heechul—has arrived and is looking for a hiding spot for the surprise.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom. Here.” Momo hands—no, pushes and forces the dog cage to Chaeyoung, who doesn’t get to react because of the older girl’s frustrated demeanour.

“What’s wrong with her?” Mina whispers to Seulgi, who shrugs at her in response.

“I don’t really know. She’s been like that ever since we went to the pet store. Does she hate dogs or something?”

“No, she loves them, actually,” Mina replies. “She’s a stubborn kid.”

Seulgi looks at Mina funny. “What?”

“Oh, because she’s allergic?”

“She’s allergic?”

Unknowingly interrupting their conversation, Chaeyoung screams at the center of the living room for everyone to hear. “Okay people, Sana just sent me a text and they’ve just parked outside!” And then, her tone changes into that of a loud whisper. “So keep quiet because they’re gonna come in soon! We’re gonna yell, ‘Surprise!’”

The guests either nod or give Chaeyoung a thumbs up in response as they go to their respective hiding places. Momo, who has just gotten out of the bathroom, hides behind Seulgi, holding her waist. At the corner of her eye Mina sees this and tries not to flinch.

The living room is now quiet, until they hear the clicking of the key, and then, the door opens—

“Surprise!!!”

Dahyun jumps back towards Sana at the sudden sound, but immediately calming down once she sees the banner on the wall.

“Oh my gosh! You guys…” Dahyun murmurs, unable to stop tears forming in her eyes.

“You really didn’t know?” Chaeyoung asks.

“No, I didn’t,” replies Dahyun, sniffling now.

“It was Sana’s idea!” Momo tells her.

Dahyun looks back at Sana who was hugging her from behind. “You’re the best, you know that?”

Sana hums, replying, “You may have said it once or twice.”

Seulgi then comes forward, holding a cage with the Maltese puppy, making Dahyun gasp.

“Who’s this cutie?” Dahyun cries.

“It’s your new puppy!” Sana tells her.

“Really? Wait, how did you even manage to go to the pet store without me knowing?”

“Actually,” says Momo, “Mina and I did.”

“Wow, this is really awesome, guys!”

“So, what are you gonna name him?” Seulgi asks Dahyun, humming as she thinks of a good name.

“I think I’m going to call him… Ari.”

About thirty minutes later the party is in full swing, with everyone either eating or drinking or dancing or playing with Dahyun’s new puppy. Chaeyoung, who was too busy preparing for the party but is now free to do anything, looks for a certain tall, Taiwanese design engineer in the crowd. Of course, Chaeyoung had no trouble finding her, eating a salad quietly on the couch.

“Salad, really?” Chaeyoung snickers, sitting next to Tzuyu.

“It’s healthy,” Tzuyu retorts.

“But this is a party.”

“So?”

“You need to let go of yourself sometimes, you know? Don’t follow your diet all the time. Besides, one night of eating ‘unhealthy food’ isn’t enough to ruin that perfect figure of yours—”

Tzuyu chokes on her salad at that statement, causing Chaeyoung to run to the kitchen for a glass of water and run back to Tzuyu. When the tall girl drinks enough, she regains composure and smirks at Chaeyoung.

“Perfect figure, huh? How many do you have to compare to by now?”

“Oh, uh…” Chaeyoung chuckles nervously as she scratches the back of her head. “About that. There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you…”

“Momo, you’re eating too much,” Mina says when she spots Momo mindlessly helping herself to every food on the table. “At least use a plate.”

“Using a plate is inefficient,” Momo mutters while chewing on her food. “Besides, you know how I love to eat.”

“Yes, but I know you like to eat for the flavor hence you eat them slowly. Not like this where you’re just munching on everything you get a hold of. What’s wrong, Momo?”

What’s wrong?

What’s wrong is that you never told me you and Jennie broke up three months ago, Momo wants to tell Mina, but of course she doesn’t. It’s not that she think that it’s wrong, really. Momo just doesn’t understand why Mina didn’t tell her. If she had, then maybe…

Momo shakes her head. Don’t do this, Momo. It’s too late for these thoughts now.

“Moguri, you okay?”

Momo turns her head, seeing Seulgi with a concerned look. At the corner of her eye she could see Mina quietly walk away from them.

“Yeah, Seulgi, I’m fine.” Momo smiles at her girlfriend.

Girlfriend. Yes, Momo. You’re perfectly happy with your girlfriend, Seulgi.

“Are you sure?” Seulgi asks her, almost making Momo panic from thinking she can hear her thoughts.

Momo takes one last glance at Mina. So much has happened since the day they met, since Momo’s first day at the company. And if Momo’s being honest, she truly did want to have a romantic relationship with Mina—the cute, mysterious girl from Design who made Momo’s heart flutter simply by cooking her a meal—but after everything, here they are, simply friends. No, scratch that, Mina is actually one of Momo’s closest friends now. And now she has Seulgi, a wonderful girlfriend who’s been nothing but good to her.

Maybe everything did work out for the best, Momo tells herself as she gives Seulgi another smile.

“I’m fine,” Momo says, kissing Seulgi on the lips. “Thanks to you.”