She didn’t have difficulty in following the limo, it’s always traffic in that part of Seoul and she kept a safe distance on her motorcycle. The limousine turned right to the business district, to the clusters of five-star hotels and casinos.

She couldn’t have mistaken that it was Hirai, but where was she going? The limo went under an underground parking and she cursed. It’s paid parking here and now she doesn’t seem too sure that it’s really Hirai who she saw earlier.

This is stupid, she internally wanted to hit her head with her foolishness. She was about to turn back when she saw the press clustered in front of the hotel. She went down from her motorcycle and asked a man holding a big camera.

“Sir, could you tell me what’s the event here?”

“Oh,there’s a private fashion show today.We’re hoping to photograph the international models who are coming today.”

She thanked the guy and looked up at the hotel. Fashion show huh? Maybe Hirai is not here for that, but what is she doing in a five-star hotel?Does she work here? But if she’s a hotel employee, why did she ride a limousine? Is she..? She shook her head.That’s remotely impossible.But deep inside,she felt she had seen Momo somewhere.She knows she’s from Japan but she swears she was not from their high school. So where…?

Thousands of questions run from her mind, but she can't think of any answer to each one of it. Sana decided to go home, after taking the last look at the hotel.

----
Momo didn’t come to class the next day nor the day after the next. Jeongyeon frowned on the empty chair in front of her. She can’t get rid of Momo’s face after the bubble gum incident, how her eyes almost spitted fire and her whole face flushed red.

That night she had a nightmare and she heard Momo’s voice shouting her name in anger. She was not able to sleep well after that.

“Yah,Yoo Jeongyeon! are you even listening to what I am saying?”

“Oh, sorry,unnie. What was it?”

“Sheesh, seriously, what has gotten into you guys?”

Jeongyeon mumbled nothing and that she’s tired after practice. She doesn’t want to admit it but she kinda felt guilty after Momo had cut her hair. The girl was an easy target since she is the typical wallflower—and wallflowers do not want to get attention to themselves.

It bothers Jeongyeon that she didn’t come to school, maybe because of her? But, as she tried to convince herself, it’s not the first time somebody dropped off school because of her--it’s not her fault that the other students are weaklings. So why should she feel guilty, right?

She turned to Nayeon and tried to annoy the older, and pushed that nagging thought at the back of her mind. After all, she's Yoo Jeongyeon. Nothing ever bothers her, and not even the nerdy Hirai Momo could change that.

***

Mina bit her lip. She was worried for Momo after she cut her hair. She snuck a peak at Jeongyeon, she was quieter than her usual self. Sana also was just staring outside the window, lost in thought. Mina checked her phone. It dawned to her that she had saved Momo's number.

Her thumb hovered over the call button,but she hesitated. Is it okay to call her? Maybe she didn’t want to hear from them? But Mina can’t bear the feeling of not knowing, so she sent her a text. Five minutes passed, ten, twenty, thirty minutes but there was no reply.

Mina sighed. The girl is not coming and Mina can’t do anything but wait.

---

Sana, on the other hand, is feeling anxious. What if something happened to her in that limo?Sana is aware of rich people hiring services. What if Momo is one of those and something happened to her?

She bit her lip. She wants to confide to the others but what if she’s wrong in her hunch? Nayeon and Jeongyeon may think that she cared about the girl and she doesn’t. She’s the only one who saw her in the limousine, that’s all. It’s her civic duty, isn’t it?

But if it’s true that something happened,she should at least try to find out what. She checked the clock. It’s almost the end of the period and Miss Sunmi is probably absent. Sana put on her leather jacket and took her keys and helmet.

“I gotta go first guys, I have somewhere to go.”

Mina looked at her worriedly.

“Where you going, Satang?”

“Just doing some chores for mom, don’t worry.”

“You know I always worry about you and that motorcycle of yours.”

“I have my helmet, mom.”

Mina smacked Sana’s and Sana playfully tried to hug Mina and tried to kiss her, which Mina dodged successfully.

“Go!”

She bid her goodbye and went to the parking lot when she saw the sophomore who was with Hirai before. She run after the girl who was almost at the gate.

“Yah! You! Snow white!”

Kim Dahyun looked back to see a blonde woman in a leather jacket pointing at her so she looked around and she’s the only one there. So she stopped and waited for the woman to come nearer.

“Yes?”

“You’re a friend of Hirai, right?”

“Yes. Why?”

Sana is losing patience with this girl.. She’s her senior and she’s MINATOZAKI SANA. Doesn’t this girl know who she is talking to?

“Do you know here she lives?”

“Who is asking?”

Argh. Sana went nearer to Dahyun got into eye-level as she.

“You don’t know me?”

“If I do, I wouldn’t have asked.”

“I’m Minatozaki Sana.”

Dahyun frowned. The name doesn’t ring any bell. She shrugged. “Why you looking for Momo-uunie?”

“She’s absent.”

“Ah. She didn’t come home last night. But it’s not unusual.”

“Huh?”

“Because of her part-time.”

“Where does she work?”

“I dunno. We do not ask. She turns up after a day or two so we do not worry.”

“I see.”

Sana just stood there lost in thought. Dahyun gestured if she can leave but Sana didn’t reply. Dahyun shrugged and left the blonde.

"Yah!"

Dahyun stopped at her tracks and looked back.

“Yes?”

“What’s your name?”

“Kim Dahyun.”

If Dahyun had looked back, she would have seen the smile that was on Sana’s face.

--

If Sana is going to boast one of her best qualities---aside from being cute and y that is---is that she’s persistent. So without any news about Hirai Momo, she decided to go back to the hotel where she last saw her. The press was still there, just like before.

She leaned on her motorcycle and watch as limos came and went. After an hour of waiting and no Momo appeared, Sana decided to go to the front desk. The receptionist bowed politely, but eyed warily Sana’s black leather jacket and skintight leather pants. She smiled at the girl.

“I am looking for a classmate of mine,Hirai Momo. A friend said she works here, could you help me talk to her?We have a project that is due immediately but we can’t reach her.”

The woman turned to her colleague. “Do we have a co-worker here named Hirai Momo?”

"I don't think so."

“Are you sure she works here?”

“Yes, I saw her enter this building. They said she works here part-time.”

The receptionist approached her supervisor. “Ma’am, do we have a part-timer here named Hirai Momo?” The manager shook her head at Sana.

“We don’t have an employee here named Momo. I would have known it since I meet all the staff here from the room service down to the kitchen staff. And with an extraordinary name like that, I would have remembered her.”

Sana’s shoulders fell. She might have really made a mistake. Sana bowed and apologized for the inconvenience. On her way out, she saw the comfort room and asked for permission to use it and the receptionist just nodded. Sana washed her face with cold water and chided herself for meddling off other people’s business.

"Stupid Sana-yah..."

She was still arguing with herself when somebody in a y see-through dress entered a cubicle in a hurry. Sana didn’t see well the face of the woman through the mirror's reflection, but she reckoned it was probably one of those models that the press was referring too.

Suddenly feeling out of place, Sana quickly dried her face and applied fresh powder and lipstick. She was about to leave when the cubicle door opened. Sana’s eyes widened at the reflection in the mirror of the girl behind her wearing jeans and an oversized shirt.

“Hirai?!”