three

I've Been Waiting
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A/N: Long update ahead. Listen to this playlist while you read. Just let the songs play at random, doesn't matter. :) Please enjoy. 

In keeping with relevance, the month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month (May 18-24). Kindness is the theme this year, and I thought of inserting some details about anxiety and a little bit of honest sharing through MiMo. 

 

________

Twenty fourth floor, third door from the elevator on the left. Momo repeats it in her head as not to forget, as she makes her way into a posh residential building in the upscale Gangnam neighborhood.

The train ride to this stop took no more than forty minutes from her university, so she savors the few extra minutes by meandering through the building, admiring its elegance. The stark-white walls against a dark-gray carpeting in the hallway intimidate Momo less than it bedazzles her. She smiles as she finds the addressed apartment, 324.

Momo notes that even the doors smell of expensively polished darkwood, and concludes with utmost certainty that she has entered the living spaces of the affluent and wealthy. As she rings the doorbell, the muffled music coming from the other side of the door catches her attention: Jazzy saxophone notes, and the lead of a piano that sends her feet tapping along. In a quick breath, the door opens carefully, and a beaming figure greets Momo.

"You made it! Hi!"


Mina is smiling her widest that her gums are showing and her eyes have disappeared into crescents, and at this Momo barely chokes out a response, because she's short-circuited yet again, and her gut is catching butterflies in excess.

"Hi, Mina." Momo steps in and Mina closes the door behind her. "This is a really...nice place you got."


Mina smiles sheepishly. "Thanks."

"Hey, Momo!"

Momo hasn't completed her 360-degree sweep of the spacious apartment when another figure materializes from behind another door in the far corner of the room.

"Nayeon, hi!" Momo automatically bows to the senior, a habit that Nayeon has tried to rehabilitate Momo from, because it makes them seem too unreachable, when in fact, Nayeon and Jeongyeon now treat Momo as an equal, and not a junior.

It's been two months since they met, and Momo has recently been welcomed into a circle of friends. By tagging along with Mina and assisting her at gigs, Momo has elicited an amicable response from the three - Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Mina, who consider her and Sana not just as fans, but as good friends.

Today, Momo had been invited over to Mina's place for the first time.

"Welcome to princess Mina's penthouse. Do you like it? It even has jazz music playing through the ceiling in all the rooms. Including this bathroom." Nayeon points to the door behind her, as she shuffles out. "Come on in."

Momo laughs, but immediately realizes that the music is indeed emanating from the ceiling in a surround-sound kind of way, with the music wrapping the room like air. 

Interesting setup, she notes, and wonders if Mina has a special reason for it.

From behind Momo, Mina's hands are suddenly on her shoulders, as the younger girl steers Momo towards the room where Nayeon has gone to.

In a quieter voice, Momo says to Mina, "Are you really a princess?"

Mina hits one of Momo's shoulders playfully. "This is why I don't share anything with anybody I meet at bars!"

"Well, maybe if you drink four bottles of Tennessee Whiskey at gigs, you'd generously share that you live in a fancy place where your ceiling plays music. You know, which, not many houses are capable of doing."

Mina tries to steer the conversation away as they enter the media room - soundproofed, acoustic setup, with a recording booth. Across the high-end console, Jeongyeon is playing the guitar on the couch with keen concentration.

"How big is this apartment?" Momo mutters under her breath. She's guided inside and greets the other half of N&J. " Hey, Jeongyeon." She resists the urge to bow, as Mina releases her grip and pushes Momo gently onto the sofa to sit.

"Oh, hey Momo. Welcome to Mina's building. I hope you didn't get lost." Jeongyeon responds in the most deadpan voice ever but the room erupts with laughter. Even Mina, who is flushed red with embarrassment, concedes to the joke.

Momo double-takes at "Mina's building" but postpones the thought.

Nayeon configures the settings on her microphone on the complicated and expensive-looking console, and walks into the recording booth. Mina heads for the console to facilitate. She gives Nayeon a thumbs up signal to begin recording.

"So, Momo. You are going to witness a demo recording today. Which will probably take either an hour if Nayeon is feeling good, or three hours - if Jeongyeon doesn't like their harmony." Mina orients Momo, turning around to watch for her reaction.

"Seriously? Well, I mean, it's gotta be a perfect, right?" Momo's eyes widen as she scrambles for words to appease everyone in the room. "It's cool, I got nothing else to do anyway." she shrugs.

Jeongyeon puts down her guitar and pats Momo affectionately on the head. "You poor thing. You haven't been here ten minutes and you're suffering already." She then stands and walks over to Mina and addresses her. "I'll handle Nayeon's recording. Maybe you should feed Momo something so she isn't all over the place in panic." Jeongyeon throws a funny look at Momo.

Mina agrees in laughter. "I'm sorry, it was rude of me not to ask if you've had something to eat. Come on."

***
Momo is still taking in all the details of Mina's house, the facades of which are in keeping with the building's architecture, in all its clean, white-walled glory contrasted by black slabs and corners. She feels the carpet beneath her bare feet, and it's cozy that she smiles involuntarily and shuts her eyes to concentate.

"Are you smiling that widely over ddeokbokki?" Mina curiously watches Momo from the other side of the black marble counter, putting ketchup on a bowl of fries.

"No. I'm still attuning myself to your house. It's overwhelming. I mean, I'm not poor but it doesn't take much to impress me and have me gawking. But why do you have such a high-end studio?" Her eyes flutter open and Mina is next to her, eating her ketchup-riddled snack.

"Because I come from a family of musicians and music producers. It's convenient to have one anywhere we're staying." Mina pauses as she takes a fry. "Anyway, I had the apartment customized. Everything here is sensory and tactile." Momo nods. She remembers the ceiling music, but apparently the entire place was wired for that same reason.

"It helps tame the anxiety." Mina smiles at Momo, once again freely able to share her bare thought

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minarixhirai
i forgot about my AFF account but helloooo! i apparently had a drafted chapter I left untouched, but I just discovered it and finished it up yesterday. So please enjoy!

Comments

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MIMOnster #1
Chapter 8: update authornim
HiraiMyoui924 #2
Chapter 8: I'm hooked to the story. Hoping for the next chapter 🙏🏻
_mm627
#3
Chapter 8: AAHHHH, they're so cutteeeee!! updateee soonnn authoorrrr. thank youuuu ^^
Juliani_
#4
Chapter 7: That's mean.. Poor Mitang
Juliani_
#5
Chapter 6: Wow.. This getting more interesting
Can't wait for another great chapter author-nim~
Juliani_
#6
Chapter 5: You've begun to feel like home~

Author-nim.. I really really love your beautifully written story...
Thank you so much for sharing them~
Juliani_
#7
Chapter 4: Yes.. You both do
The greatest team ever hehe
Also this line "Are you allergic to Mina" makes me cracking up hahaha
Juliani_
#8
Chapter 3: Wow author-nim
Just wow
This is so damn beautiful
So well written
You're awesome~

Please keep going~
I can't wait for the next chapter~
AbahDier
#9
Chapter 2: so warmmmmmmmm ahhhhhhhh i am so happy seeing Mitan talking freely and cute blabbering when shes drunk, maybe you may add another electric shock when Momo hug her not just from her genuine compliment. might her chance to steal another warmth from momo's assuring eyes. and after the touchy moment. Momo could smell Mina's perfume again, coz people tend to use perfume on their wrist, elbow and neck~ ajahahahaha keep it up. cant wait for more fluffy banter <3