Sometime around 2016

 

Minatozaki Sana massages the back of her neck.

 

She fixes her glasses back up, before yawning.

 

She looks at the time on her monitor and it is almost 10:00 PM.

 

She lowers her shoulders, she seems really tired but, when she breathes in.

 

“Fighting!”

 

She cheers herself up.

 

Sana looks on to the pages of her to do list.

 

She has finished sending the invites for their runway event, had arranged the models’ outfits, had called all the makeup artists, had talked to the sound and lighting team, had made sure that the catering should be there, and of course, had fixed the schedule of her boss.

 

And she should wrap it up today.

 

Being employed is indeed really hard, especially if she is starting.

 

It could have been easier if she can do the task correctly the first time, but she keeps on doing some mistakes.

 

Forgetting one thing.

 

Or, dropping something.

 

And being scolded because of that.

 

That is why she spends long hours and too much time in just finishing one task.

 

The pressure is getting into her, but she cannot afford to be unemployed.

 

Not now, at least not when she is taking care of someone else.

 

Yes, she is taking care of Momo.

 

Momo changed her major from Computer Science to Dance. Because of that, she needs to extend at least a year and a half to complete her degree.

 

Since Momo’s family stopped supporting her financially it is Sana who have decided to take care of Momo’s needs.

 

Needs like necessities.

 

Their apartment rent, utility bills, Momo’s allowance, and even the half of the tuition fee.

 

Momo was granted a scholarship but it was just half the tuition fee, so Sana needs to take care of the other half.

 

Not that Momo can do some part-time job, she is preoccupied with some other things.

 

Things like rehearsals or dance projects for her major.

 

So…

 

Sana takes care of everything.

 

Everything that Momo needed.

 

Sana’s phone rings.

 

She looks at the caller.

 

“Hello, Sa-chan, where are you now?”

 

It is Momo of course.

 

Sana can hear the loud thud of the speakers behind her.

 

Yeah, she remembers Momo inviting her to go in a club because of a certain dance battle that her team has.

 

Sana just wants to take some rest.

 

She just wants to go home to sleep and get ready with the company runway event tomorrow.

 

“I am still in the office, I may not be able to make it Mo,”

 

“What? No!” Momo complaints like a child.

 

“You need to come, love. I mean it will not be the same without you,” She continues in a whine.

 

Sana looks at her desk.

 

She is done at work for tonight.

 

Then there is her girlfriend asking for her time.

 

“We rarely enjoy things now, you know, you are always busy at work, and I am always in rehearsals, please babe, I really need you, and miss you,”

 

Sana giggles.

 

She feels Momo pouting from the other line.

 

Of course, there is no way she can resist that.

 

That cute pout that makes Sana gives in, in anything.

 

That is Momo’s secret weapon.

 

Sana takes a deep breath.

 

“Fine, I will be there, but we’ll leave right after your turn, okay? I have work tomorrow,” Sana bargains.

 

“Yes, we will, I love you!” Momo jumps in excitement.

 

“Love you too, see you in a few,” Sana hangs up.

 

Momo has changed.

 

Not really, maybe it is her inner self-coming out.

 

A suppressed version of herself because of all the rules that she needed to follow when she was younger.

 

Her family is strict, to say the least.

Her Dad is.

 

But, when college happened.

 

When she found a certain liking in dancing, the shell cracked, and there she is now.

 

Doing what she loves.

 

Literally and Figuratively.

 

And because of that too, she gained attention.

 

A lot of attention and interests from different girls and boys.

 

She had become a superstar.

 

 

Sana arrives in the venue.

 

It is an underground event, there are people of all types.

 

She is wearing her corporate outfit and there is no way she jives in their groove.

 

She is wearing a pencil skirt with a big tote bag that includes all the magazines and a couple of designs she had been working for.

 

The loud music makes her more tired.

 

It makes her feel irritated, but she did agree to be here already.

 

 “Hey, there you are,”

 

Sana feels someone hugging her from behind.

 

She smiles because above all the commotion, she knows there is a certain sanctuary.

 

And that is Momo.

 

She feels Momo pecks her neck.

 

“Quite a crowd you have here tonight,” Sana comments when she tangles her fingers with Momo's.

 

“It’s all because they are here to watch Momo, your girlfriend had become so famous,” Somi, one of the members of Momo’s dance crew comments.

 

She passes a beer to Sana.

 

“It’s okay, thank you,” Sana refuses.

 

“Oh, come on Sana, it is a party, you should at least have one drink,” Chungha grins.

 

“Thanks, but I have work tomorrow,” Sana smiles.

 

This is one of the things she hates around Momo’s new found friends.

 

They pressure her in doing something.

 

And if Sana refuses, they will look at each other weirdly. As if Sana thinks high of herself or something.

 

Sana will just smile at them and ignore them.

 

“Come on guys, don’t do that, she is a working girl,” Momo comments.

 

Sana rolls her eyes.

 

It sounds a bit different on how Sana knew Momo.

 

Her Momo.

 

It sounds like Momo is mocking her even though she is defending her.

 

Sana sighs.

 

Momo had some drinks already so maybe…

 

Just maybe.

 

And the showdown begins.

 

And Momo’s team won.

 

They won in a landslide.

 

The team is up for a celebration, but it is past midnight.

 

Sana yawns.

 

She smiles to Momo who is a meter away talking with her friends.

 

 

 

“Can we go, please?” Momo pouts again.

 

Sana looks at the time.

 

She has a lot of preparation to do tomorrow.

 

“Uhm… can we go home now?” Sana smiles reluctantly.

 

Momo clenches her jaw.

 

“You said we’ll go after the battle, and it is an hour past the battle now, so can we go and take some rest, please,”  Sana puts her hands together.

 

Momo takes a deep breath.

 

She looks very disappointed.

 

Sana looks at Momo’s friends.

 

“It’ll just be another hour promise,” Momo puts her right hand up.

 

Sana looks at Momo’s friends they are waiting for Momo.

 

“Of course, Sana we do not want our star to not be in our party,” Chungha interrupts them.

 

“Come on, Sana it will be fun,” Somi invites.

 

But Sana got a feeling that in the back of their head, they are asking if they could go with just Momo and Sana could do her thing if that is what she wants.

 

Sana is getting really irritated.

 

But she still thinks it is a petty thing.

 

She trusts Momo.

 

It is the other people she does not trust.

 

Momo is naïve and ignorant combined.

 

Sana takes a deep breath.

 

“What about this, you go with them and I go home?” Sana says in a smile.

 

Sana sees the small shock in Momo’s eyes.

 

She even clenches her jaw.

 

Momo takes a deep breath.

 

“That’s fine, right Mo?” Chungha wraps her arm around Momo’s neck.

 

“We’ll take care of her,” Somi winks.

 

“Wait, guys,” Momo wiggles their body away from them.

 

“I want you to go, if you are not going then I am not going,” Momo pouts.

 

She is as sweet as that.

 

“Momo, I’m really exhausted, I have a lot of things at work if you want to go just go,”

 

Sana did not mean for it to come out that way.

 

Momo looks upset.

 

“Okay, I’ll see you at home then,” Momo kisses Sana’s forehead.

 

As soon as Momo lets go of her hand.

 

Sana wants to cry.

 

She got mad for a reason she cannot even understand.

 

She feels that everything is unfair.

 

She got mad.

 

She wanted Momo to at least go home with her.

 

To does what she promised her.

 

That the