Momo wakes up at about 4 in the morning for work. She and Dahyun had just come back from California, but already they’ve been called in to discuss their experience with Jennie and Chungha. Momo gets out of bed and out of the room to take a shower when she sees a figure come from outside, slowly closing the door of the apartment. Seeing as this may as well be a potential break-in, Momo crouches and hides by her bedroom door.

Momo could hear the footsteps getting closer, and Momo braces herself for some er-punching action like those she sees in the movies. Momo springs up from her position and pins the intruder on the ground.

“AHH!!” the intruder screams.

“Sana?” Momo blinks, and stands up when she realizes that it is indeed her roommate.

“You freaking scared me, Momo!” Sana screams as she turns on the light, Momo rubbing her eyes to adjust.

“I thought you were a thief!” Momo puts her hands on her waist. “Did you just get home?”

“Erm… Yeah,” Sana answers sheepishly.

“Why?”

Sana doesn’t reply. Momo narrows her eyes at Sana who just keeps looking at the floor. Momo brings her head closer to Sana to sniff her. See, Momo’s prided herself of recognizing people’s scents, and being Sana’s best friend and now roommate, she’d gotten to memorize Sana’s perfume.

And this is definitely not it.

But she still recognizes who the scent belongs to.

“This is Dahyun’s perfume,” Momo mutters, her eyes widening as she comes to a realization. “OH MY GOD DID YOU AND DAHYUN…”

Sana nods as she looks up at Momo, smiling, biting her lip.

“YES FINALLY!” Momo cheers, pumping her fist in the air. “Oh, I am so happy for you guys!” Momo engulfs Sana into a tight embrace.

“Dammit, we were actually planning to prank you,” Sana whines. “Curse you and your enhanced sense of smell.”

When they arrive at the office Momo follows Sana to the Applications Team cave to say hi to Dahyun and Chaeyoung.

“Good morning, ladies,” Momo greets them with a smirk.

“You seem chirpy today,” Chaeyoung remarks, but deep inside she’s happy to see her friend with a positive demeanor for the first time in a while. “Did you get laid or something?”

“No, but Dahyun did.”

Chaeyoung and Momo break out into a fit of laughter as Dahyun scowls at them and Sana approaches them.

“What’s going on here?” Sana asks, wrapping her arms around Dahyun from behind, her head resting on Dahyun’s shoulder.

“Chaeyoung and Momo are bullying me.”

“Hey, you two, stop laughing at my ponyo,” says Sana before she kisses Dahyun on the cheek.

“Ick,” Chaeyoung groans, “I think I’m going to be sick.” Chaeyoung turns to Momo. “You are soooo lucky they didn’t stay over at your place last night. Dude, they were loud.”

“Wait, we were?” Dahyun turns red.

Chaeyoung nods, shaking as she recalls trying to sleep last night while listening to the screams and moans in the next room.

“Don’t worry, Dahyunnie,” Sana says sweetly, “I liked it.”

“Ugh, ew!” Chaeyoung groans once again, Momo snickering beside her, and Dahyun getting all flustered.

“Momo, there you are. I was expecting you to be in the Testing Room but you seem busy playing around.”

The voice is cold and harsh. The four friends turn around and see Jennie standing by them. Sana withdraws from Dahyun and she goes back to her cubicle. Dahyun and Chaeyoung do this as well.

“Sorry,” Momo mumbles, following Jennie who had started walking away from the cave and towards the Testing Room. The whole trip is quiet until they make their way into Jennie’s little office, and even then Momo stands in awkward silence as Jennie checks for something on her laptop before turning her attention back to the team member.

“I must admit, Momo,” Jennie starts, breaking the ear-shattering silence, “your behavior earlier makes me question Joy’s decision.”

Joy? Momo gulps. Suddenly she remembers that the woman tried to flirt with and kiss back in San Francisco. What could Joy be deciding about me? Am I going to get fired? Filled with dread from these thoughts Momo starts sweating in the air-conditioned area.

“But the US branch does have a higher hold on us,” Jennie continues, “and it is Joy that I answer to, so I’m just gonna go out and say it.”

You’re fired, Momo can already hear it. She closes her eyes and braces herself to the fact that she will be jobless, kicked out by the very same company she dreamed of working for.

“You’ve been promoted to the Design Team, effective immediately.”

“Miss Jennie I’m sorry I promise—Wait. What?”

“Yes, Joy mentioned something about seeing potential and whatever… So I asked around and they said that you have some background in design, too.”

“Well, I only talk to the other Design Team members about it but I don’t have experience…” Momo trails off, careful not to mention Mina’s name. She doesn’t notice Jennie flinch.

“I’m sure they’ll teach you.” Jennie forces a smile. “Well then, thank you for your services to the Testing Team. You may start moving your belongings to your new desk in Design.” Jennie stands up and extends an arm for Momo, and the two shake hands.

“You’re leaving?!” Nayeon cries when she sees Momo putting her laptop, small stuffed toys, and other personal belongings in a box that Jennie gave her.

“Nayeon, relax,” Momo tells her. “I’m just transferring to Design.”

“I should’ve backstabbed you when Jennie asked,” says Nayeon. “But seriously, Momo, you’re good. No one ever makes it from Testing then Design. Only a genius like you could do that.”

“Well,” Momo agrees in jest. “You wanna help me transfer to my new desk?”

“Alright. It’ll be like our parting ceremony.”

Momo chuckles at her dear colleague. “You’re so dramatic.”

So Nayeon and Momo walk over to Design, Nayeon carrying some of Momo’s things that couldn’t fit in the box.

“Why do you even bring so many plushies to work?” Nayeon complains.

When they arrive at the Design Team, the two of them look for an empty desk that’s waiting for Momo to be occupied. And Momo only sees one. Beside it is a familiar woman focusing on her work on the screen.

“Oh man, you’re sitting next to Mina, really?” Nayeon whispers, voicing out Momo’s thoughts. “Good luck, girl.”

Momo gulps before she starts walking again towards the desk beside Mina. Her luck fails her once again when she tries laying her box of things and the box breaks, causing a mini plushie explosion beside Mina who, of course, notices this.

“You’re on your own, Momo,” Nayeon says to Momo behind her ear before leaving them.

“Momo? What are you doing here?” Mina asks, helping Momo pick up the items on the floor.

“Well, I got promoted, actually.”

“You did? Congratulations!” Mina offers a warm smile.

“What?” Heechul perks up from his seat. “We got a newbie?”

“Technically she’s not a newbie, Heechul,” Mina tells him.

“Well you’ll always be new to me, Miss Hirai,” says Heechul, bowing to Momo like a gentleman. “I could teach you the basics of Design if you want.”

“Heechul, why don’t you go back to work?” Tzuyu reprimands him, making him scour like Tzuyu was actually older than him. “Mina here will teach Momo since they already sit next to each other.” Defeated by the Design Team’s default Ice Princess, Heechul walks back to his desk. Tzuyu attends to her own work as well.

“Personally I think you know most of this stuff already,” Mina says, showing Momo her screen with their software open. Momo does recognize it from her previous discussions with Mina, when she would visit Mina in her desk and ask her what she’s doing.

For the rest of the morning, Mina teaches Momo software shortcuts and a bit of tutorial on the standard design process. Momo learns pretty quickly, and before they know it, Jeongyeon invites the whole team to lunch.

“Let’s welcome our newest member,” the Design Team leader explains.

As the whole team—Jeongyeon, Mina, Momo, Tzuyu, Irene, and Heechul—gathers their things for the lunch out, Jennie enters the area and goes straight to Mina.

“Hi,” says Mina as her girlfriend kisses her cheek, while Momo looks away. “What are you doing here?”

“I came here to join you for lunch, of course.”

“But this is a team lunch. You’re not part of this team; you’re the leader of a different team.”

“Well, I just wanna be around with my girlfriend.”

Mina lets out a sigh. She knows exactly why Jennie wants to join them.

“Mina unnie,” Tzuyu calls out, “are you coming?”

“Yeah, I’ll catch up with you guys.”

The Design Team eats at a restaurant just across the building. Jeongyeon tells her members to save a seat for Mina, who arrives a few minutes later. But she isn’t alone; there’s Jennie walking behind her. As Jennie gets a seat from another table, Momo notices Mina with an annoyed expression on her face, but she decides to let it go.

“Okay team,” Jeongyeon starts, glancing at Jennie.

“Oh, don’t mind me, I’m not even here,” Jennie jokes, putting her hands up. Mina subtly rolls her eyes.

“Anyway, I just wanted to welcome our newest team member, Hirai Momo!”

Everyone claps their hands, Momo bowing to each of them gratefully. “Thank you. I hope I can do well in this team.”

“Oh, I know you would, Momo,” says Jeongyeon. “You have been a very valuable asset to the Testing Team, and now you will be able to contribute to us as well. And in line with this, I’m setting up a weekend retreat at our family rest house in Hongdae. No one can reject this invitation—I’m looking at you, Mina.”

Mina chuckles. “I’ll come there, boss.”

“Perfect!”

“Wait,” Irene says. “Heechul’s the only guy in our team. I don’t think I can come if he’s around.”

“Hey!” Heechul gasps, feigning hurt. “I’m harmless, you know.”

The rest of the people in the table make a collective scoff in agreement.

“Heechul, you wanna do the honors?” Jeongyeon speaks up, making everyone confused and turn to the man.

“Oh, alright.” Heechul clears his throat. “I’m moving to the upper floor.”

“Really?” Irene asks. “You finally accepted Jeongyeon’s promotion?”

“Yeah.” Heechul smirks. “Why, are you gonna miss me?”

“No, I just wanted to move to your desk,” Irene retorts, and now it’s her turn to smirk.

That night Sana goes with Dahyun to her and Chaeyoung’s apartment to stay there overnight. They invited Momo who declined, saying that she’s going to the pub with Nayeon and the others from her old team.

“Besides, you three haven’t hung out in a while. You deserve to make up for lost time,” Momo told them.

Nothing big was planned; they just bought dinner and some snacks and ate them while catching up on a drama. When they see Chaeyoung asleep on the couch, Sana and Dahyun sneak to the latter’s room.

Locking the door, Sana starts kissing Dahyun, trapping her against the door, but Dahyun stops her.

“Sana, Chaeyoung is in the living room,” Dahyun warns her girlfriend.

“She’s asleep,” Sana reminds her.

“Well—”

“Think of it this way. The living room is farther to this room than Chaeyoung’s bedroom.” Sana brings her lips to Dahyun’s ear. “You can be loud all night long, as loud as you want.”

A few hours later Dahyun and Sana are lying on the former’s bed, breathing heavily, the sheets covering their bodies.

“I’ll go get some water,” Dahyun mumbles, standing up to cover herself with a bathrobe.

“Yeah, I figured you were gonna get thirsty after all that screaming,” Sana teases, earning an eye roll from Dahyun.

“Whatever. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Dahyun slowly opens the door, fearing that Chaeyoung might wake up and realize that her roommate and Sana had just done the deed. The lights of the living room are closed, but Dahyun sees a faint light emitted from the couch. Dahyun creeps up to see Chaeyoung awake and on her phone. Curious as to what her roommate is searching, Dahyun holds her breath and squints her eyes as she pokes her head closer—

“A speed dating website?” Dahyun reads from the phone, grabbing it from Chaeyoung.

“Holy —!”

“Sana, come out here!” Dahyun yells towards her bedroom. “Chaeyoung wants a love life!”

“Dahyun, give it back!” Chaeyoung stands up from her seat, trying to reach for phone from Dahyun who’s holding it up high.

“What’s all this fuss about?” Sana asks as she gets out of Dahyun’s room, wearing another one of Dahyun’s bathrobes.

“Look,” says Dahyun, giving Sana Chaeyoung’s phone.

“Speed dating?” Sana reads the website title. “You’re really trying this?”

“Yeah,” Chaeyoung answers. “Why not?”

Sana breaks out into a smile. “Awwww! Our Chaeyoungie is all grown up!” She hugs the girl.

“No!” Chaeyoung tries pulling away. “Get your -charged body off me!”

“-charged?” Dahyun laughs at that statement. “Come here, you.” Dahyun gets in on the party and starts hugging Chaeyoung as well.

“Ugh, ew!” Chaeyoung screams.

That weekend Sana and Dahyun actually accompany Chaeyoung to the speed dating venue, even though Chaeyoung protested about it.

“Well we wanna send off our little baby before her hand is taken in marriage,” Dahyun sighs in a dramatic fashion.

“Whatever,” Chaeyoung scoffs. “You’re not my real moms.” She pokes out a tongue at them before getting out of Sana’s car.

“Oh, and don’t wait up!”

Chaeyoung has searched enough about these things to know what she’ll do: she sits there for a few minutes and talk with one person, marking on a card whether they liked that specific person or not. If they marked positively on each other the organizers give them each other’s contact details.

“Okay,” Chaeyoung mutters to herself, taking a deep breath. “You can do this.”

Chaeyoung steps into the building and takes her card. She then scans the room and already she sees potential dates; she just hopes they jive with her as well as they look. She takes a seat at the side, patiently waiting for the actual event to start, and when another person enters the room, she couldn’t help but stare at the girl.

Because she’s so breathtakingly beautiful.

But also, because she knows her from work.

Chou Tzuyu.