Two years passed too slow for Momo. Despite New York being the city that never sleeps and is always bustling with activity, Momo felt she was constantly being left behind. People in this city are always in a rush, that they need to be somewhere else all the time. She should be thankful, she’s so busy that her job doesn’t even let her breathe, so she won't have time to think.

Think of sadness. Think of home. Think of her.

 Momo had no contact with anybody from Korea, not because she didn’t want to, but she cannot find the time. When she landed in New York, she doesn’t know how to speak English and always had trouble communicating with the press, with the other models, heck, even with her make-up artists. So Momo had to study English in the morning and during her free time. She’s still struggling, but at least she doesn’t use her magic circle much to communicate.

She smiled sadly. She thinks about Jeong, how she always managed to understand her monji alji. She wonders how is she. Had she graduated? Did she land that job she wanted? Does she already have a girlfriend?

Momo shook her head. No use in giving in to these thoughts at 6 o'clock in the morning.  Her schedule is full for the day but she has enough time to at least savor her coffee before rushing to work.

Momo can’t wait for her contract to expire. But then again, Oji probably would re-sign her and that would make their residence in New York permanent.

Momo’s heart sunk.

She will never see them again.

---

“You can come with us, Yumi. You know you are always welcome in our home.”

Her co-model VS model, Chelsea had nudged her as they go home for the day. It’s Thanksgiving, and they didn’t have a schedule since they had already pre-recorded the Thanksgiving Special already but Momo had to pick something from the company. She had been to Chelsea’s multiple times and her family is wonderful, but she doesn’t want to intrude in a special family gathering.

“You go ahead Chels, but tell your mom and Bobby hi for me.”

“Do you have anything planned for today?”

“Oh, Oji and I will have turkey tonight.”

“oh, okay. That’s nice. Enjoy, Yumi!”

Momo waved until her friend is out of sight. Honestly, they don’t have dinner plans since Oji had gone upstate with some other managers so she will be alone in her apartment. But that doesn’t mean she cannot cook for herself, so maybe she can drop by the grocers.

The air was quite chilly on that sunny Autumn afternoon, but she doesn’t mind. She decided to walk home, instead of taking the bus since the weather is nice and she’s not in any hurry. There were few people who seem to be in a hurry in doing last-minute shopping for the dinner later but because it’s a holiday, there were fewer people around than usual.

She rounded the next block and saw Central Park. In her two years of stay in New York, she had been at the park only twice so Momo decided to stroll around and maybe grab a bite in the stalls around.

She feels excited as she neared the park, it’s been so long that she had time for herself like this. Her eyes, shined like a child in an amusement park, she doesn’t know what to do and where to go first.

She decided to buy pizza and ice cream first and she sat down on one of the benches under the shade of a tree. There are a few children flying their kites, playing Frisbees, and just running with their family. She felt a pang of sadness, thinking of her family in Japan. 

When she was able to go home last summer, her mother felt her exhaustion and burnt out and talked to her to not force herself too much. Her mother felt guilty for having Momo to provide for the family, but since her sister had a job and they are also saving the money she sends, she told Momo to not think of them too much and just do what will make her happy. Momo then burst into tears, and her mom got surprised by the outburst. Between incoherent sobs, her mother figured out that Momo gave up her love just because she’s felt she’s cursed.

“Oh, honey, I never thought you blame yourself even after all these years! It’s not your fault your dad died, nor what happened to those people! You love it because your heart tells you to! You don’t hold back to happiness because you worry that they might leave you. When you are in love, you live in the moment. You don’t think of tomorrow, because worrying will lead you to nothing. the universe won't curse you just because you are happy. Of course, when a relationship doesn’t work out it is painful, but like what they say, it is better to love and lost than to never love at all!”

“But she’s in Korea, and I’m in the US…”

“Well, your dad is in heaven and I am here…”

Momo’s eyebrows furrowed. “So?”

“What I mean, there might be an ocean that separates you, but you are under the same sky. You will never be too far apart.”

Momo is silent for a while. Her mom nudged her and with a teasing smile, asked her. “Are you happy with her?”

“Yes.”

“Do you love her?”

“So much.”

“So what are you waiting for?”

“A sign. That we are for each other.”

“Those are childish fantasies, Momo dear. You decide who you let in your life, how you make them stay, how to make your relationship work out, not fate.”

Momo smiled as she remembered that mother-daughter talk however, she was not able to do anything about their situation as summer turned colder, Momo still doesn’t know how she and Jeongyeon will be together IF they ever will be.

Her musings were interrupted when a boy around seven years old held up a rose in front of her. Her eyebrows knit in confusion why a boy is giving her flowers.

“Why?”

The boy smiled but ran back to her mom who waved goodbye at her. She waved back and watched them leave. After a minute, another child, this time, a girl came and gave her another rose. She was asking the girl where it came from but the girl didn’t reply but just smiled. Momo stood up and tried to follow the girl when she heard someone called her.

“Momo-yah!”

She froze. No, it can’t be.

She slowly turned around and there she is, the girl who plagued her every thought, her every dream. She was awkwardly standing there, with her lopsided smile, holding a rose in one hand and a big teddy bear in another.  

Momo’s eyes watered. She sniffed and ran towards the girl and hugged her tightly. Jeonyeon dropped the bear and enveloped her in a hug. It seems like two years had just melted away, and that it felt it was yesterday when Momo was hugging Jeongyeon tightly in the hotel, the night before she left.

She slowly stepped back, her eyes still on the older's face. She still can't believe it.

“What are you doing here?”

Jeongyeon stares at Momo, trying to memorize her face. She smiled even if tears are streaming down her face.

“I am here to retrieve something you took.”

Momo looked confused, “What---?”

“My heart. You took it with you. You just left me like that, after making me fall for you.”

“I—“

“But that’s okay. It gave me a reason to go here, in America.”

Momo laughed while tears falling from her eyes.

“I missed you.”

“I—I died Momo when you left. Now that you are here, I feel alive again.”

“Jeong---“

“You don’t have to say anything---“

“I love you.”

Jeong’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “You…said it.”

Momo nodded. “Please don’t die on me.”

“Never thought of it.” Jeong hugged her tighter and lifted her off the ground and spun her around. Momo shrieked playfully and when she put Momo on the ground, the younger clung to her neck and kissed her passionately. After a few minutes, they parted and put their foreheads together.

“What took you so long?”

“Well, school was hell. I wanted to come here since last year but since the graduation was coming up and all… But now, Mina has a show in NYC Theater so she took us all here.”

“Wait, what?”

“Uhm, yeah. They're here with me today…”

“What??? Who?

“Everybody. Nayeonie with Tzuyu. Chaeyoung. Sana and Dahyun.”

Momo's eyes brightened. She will admit it, she missed them. She received a handful of messages from them through her agency, but due to her hectic schedule she was not able to answer them. “Why didn’t you say so? C’mon let’s go to them now, I miss them! Where are you staying?”

Jeong mentioned the hotel. “Ooooh, Mina chose the best.” Jeong picked the big bear up and the other arm circled her shoulder.

“I want to see them!”

Jeong stopped in her tracks and looked like mentally scratching her head. “Well, they are not really expecting me tonight, they...they are expecting you will take me with you tonight.”

“I see.”

”You have plenty of time to see them tomorrow, though. They will not forgive me if I won’t bring you tomorrow.”

Momo sidehugged her and looked at her mischievously. “So we have, what, 18 hours?”

“That doesn’t seem to be enough.”

“Well, they didn’t specified what time. Let’s just meet them for dinner.”

“I like the sound of that.” They walked towards Momo’s penthouse hand in hand.

Momo leaned her head on Jeong’s shoulders.

"I love you."

"I know."

"I just want to say it."

"Say it again."

"I love you. Two years had been so long."

"I thought you've forgotten me."

"You're not exactly forgettable, Ms. Yoo."

"Glad to hear that Ms. Hirai. I can't believe I'm here!

"I can't believe YOU are here. I thought I was just hallucinating from missing you so much."

"I thought I was going to get crazy. Your pictures in magazines and video from your shows what keeps me sane."

Jeongyeon pulled her near and kissed her on her temple.

She smiled at the gesture, it felt like they were never been apart.

“Jeongyeonie?"

"Hmmm?"

"How are we going to make this work? This whole long-distance thing?”

“I don’t know yet. But we will, right?”

Momo looked up at Jeongyeon and the girl looked at her with the same affection and warmth. She knows she is the one.

“As my mom said, we’re just under the same sky, we can never be too far apart.”