The alarm clock in her phone rings, but a pair of eyes is already wide open.

 

She can’t sleep a wink, her mind drifting to the blonde currently flying 5000 nautical miles in the air to the romantic city of lovers. Mina wishes she can fly there too, perhaps accompany Momo for a day or two. But she’s a woman with priorities too; just like Momo who decided to pursue her dream in France.

 

The clock shows five minutes after five, her mind calculating the hours since Momo’s flight had taken off. 

 

She should be landing soon.

 

Mina doesn’t feel like waking up - she doesn’t feel like doing anything, not when her significant other is far away, the distance between them increasing by the hours. She heard Sana warning Momo yesterday that she’s going to suffer from separation anxiety once the plane took off. But no one told Mina she would experience the same too.

 

She has a job interview in the afternoon; Mina can predict it’s going to be disastrous. Because anxiety has already taken over her, not of the interview, but of separating from Momo. She hugs the dog plushy closer, the remains of Momo’s cheap fabric detergent still stuck when the blonde decided to stay the night last week. It seems like she’s betraying her dog Ray for being like this, but the old grandpa would understand her struggle.

 

Mina didn’t know when she drifted to sleep, but a phone call from Sana managed to wake her up. 

 

“Mina, you’re still asleep? I tried to reach you many times!”

 

She rubs her eyes while muffling a yawn, “Yeah. What’s up?”

 

“Your blondie girl was what’s up.” The voice almost a grumble, making Mina perks up. “She said you’re not opening your chat.”

 

“Oh. Sorry, I feel asleep.”

 

“You can’t sleep last night? Yeah, I know that feeling.” Sana chuckled, causing the corner of Mina’s lips to lift. “I’m coming in an hour, by the way. Make sure you check the chat!”

 

She ends the call and taps on the chat app straight away, the name popping up instantly. Her smile slowly grows into a wide grin at the picture attached - a selca of Momo looking somewhere else with a wide grin, her finger pointing up to a big Rolex clock.

 

Momoring: MINA LOOK!! I TRAVELLED BACK IN TIME!

Momoring: You must be jealous of me now, right right right???

Momoring: Are you still asleep?

Momoring: Don’t forget you have an interview later!

 

She chuckled, her gummy smile showing. Suddenly, it isn’t that gloomy in the small rented room. The melancholy she felt was suddenly reset, replaced with a bright cheery bounce of her body on the bed. She types a reply, before jumping to her feet and rushes to the bathroom. Then, she paused, biting her lower lip in contemplation before walking back to her phone. 

 

She adds another reply, before clutching the phone close to her chest, a tinge of red coloring her cheeks.

 

GummySmile<3: Wish I could go back in time with you too. 

GummySmile<3: Take care, okay? Fighting!

GummySmile<3: I miss you...

 

 

*

 

Mina returns home quite late that night, having been called to stay back to finish an urgent document by her supervisor. She’s been in the company for two months now and she dare say, the job is ty. Everything about it , from the environment, colleagues, even the higher ups are lecherous old men. But she needs it, or else she won’t have a place to live.

 

“Mina, you’re back quite late!” Sana greeted her with a towel over her head, probably just got off from shower.

 

“Yeah, they gave a last minute task just now.”

 

“Sheesh, I thought my job was hectic enough.”

 

She almost forgot that she has a roommate now in the small rented studio. It was a suggestion from Momo when Sana told them about finding a place nearby after she got accepted as a news anchor. It was under the pretense of looking after the penguin who lives alone, which got Sana excited with the idea. Mina has no objection to it; they can divide the rent and she’s already comfortable with Sana, being roommates for 4 years. Besides, it does get lonely at times so having a chatterbox squirrel as company is a blessing of sorts.

 

“Oh yeah, we got dinner so let’s eat together later.”

 

Mina didn’t miss Sana’s use of pronouns, an eyebrow raised. “We?”

 

Just as she steps into the living room, Jihyo leaps out in front of her.

 

“Mina, I missed you!”

 

She cackles from the surprise hug, not expecting her presence there. It’s been a month since they met, now that all of them are working adults. But it was the opposite for Jihyo. She is still pursuing her dream job of a singer, taking part in every audition available in the city. Mina feels it’s admirable to see her friend working hard to achieve her ambition, despite the roads being bleak for her.

 

“I just started a youtube channel.”

 

“For kids?”

 

Jihyo frowns from Sana’s intentional jibe, “You’re not eating the mandu.”

 

“Yah, I bought that!”

 

“With Mina’s money!”

 

The said girl merely laughs before acting as the middleman of the two, pacifying them to a truce as they enjoy their hearty dinner of dakgangjeong takeaway. As the two get involved in their nonsensical conversation, Mina takes out her phone. She copies the link Jihyo just sent her and puts it on her chat with Momo.

 

GummySmile<3: Watch this, it’s Jihyo’s debut as a youtuber

 

She was surprised to get a response immediately, thinking Momo is still busy with the one-day workshop. She pops a huge chunk of chicken into as she reads the messages.

 

Momoring: Wow, are we the lucky 10 viewers in her channel?

Momoring: I can never get enough of her angelic voice

 

Only to choke on the meat when she read the next message, slapping her chest a few times. She shrugs off Sana and Jihyo’s concerned look with a smile, before hiding her heating face with both hands. 

 

Momoring: We should hire her to sing on our wedding day.

 

*

 

Instead of walking back home, Mina makes a detour to the park near the complex she’s living in. Sana is on leave today and she doesn’t want any disturbance with the video call she’s about to do. She had noticed Momo being a bit off from her surprise call on the blonde’s birthday. But since everyone wanted to wish and sing to Momo personally, she missed the chance to ask the latter about it. She decided to call her tonight, already well-versed with the blonde’s schedule after four months of getting used to it.

 

“Hey!”

 

Mina smiled from the familiar face on the screen. She takes in Momo’s look; her blonde hair now losing color and getting longer, bangs covering her eyes. She also takes note of the slightly sunken cheeks, black rings and eyebags… her heart aches from the sight, but she keeps the smile from faltering.

 

“Shouldn’t it be bonjour?”

 

The blonde chuckles, repeating Mina’s word with a weird pronunciation along with a wiggle of her eyebrows. 

 

“That sounds horrible.”

 

“Please, I’ve even forgotten a few Japanese words by now… don’t even start with me.”

 

Mina laughs along while adjusting her phone to avoid the glare from the light pole. It was hard to see Momo, the place she’s in right now is rather dim for her.

 

“Where are you exactly?”

 

“In the janitor’s closet.”

 

“What?”

 

Momo shrugs nonchalantly, “It’s the only place I can talk freely in my mother tongue.”

 

And that’s when Mina sees it. The quivering lips as Momo tried to fake a smile, the subtle wipe of her teary eyes, the hand covering her sniffling nose. Her heart falls knowing Momo is trying her best to hide all of these from her. 

 

“Momoring.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Are you okay?”

 

She can see Momo froze for a second, only to nod her head with a smile.

 

“Yeah, I’m good.”

 

Mina smiles warmly at the blonde who’s avoiding the camera, picking on a piece of cloth hanging beside her head; a habit of Momo when she doesn’t want people to know she’s not okay.

 

“Momoring.” She said, voice gentler. It manages to get Momo’s attention back to her. “What’s wrong?”

 

And the dam suddenly breaks as Momo’s tears fall freely down her cheeks. Mina’s chest clenches from the sight - of Momo stifling a sob with shoulders shaking - and she wishes there is a way she can teleport over there and hold Momo close, wraps her in a comforting embrace. It’s frustrating, to have this screen in between them, but it’s better than nothing.

 

She lets Momo cry, let the blonde release all the pent up frustrations and loneliness she’s been holding all by herself in that foreign country, while Mina herself tries her best to be strong for Momo and stop the tears welling in her eyes.

 

Because Momo only has her now; and she will be Momo's pillar of support tonight.

 

*

 

It’s been a week since she last chatted with Momo. 

 

That is the longest time they had been away from each other and Mina should praise herself for being this strong. But it’s nothing to be praised of when she’s being a strong-headed girl. She’s putting up a silent tantrum when her plan to have a video call with Momo during Christmas eve was ruined. Momo had told her beforehand that she’s going to be busy that week, their group being assigned a 12-hour shift for the festive season.

 

Momo missed the call, of course. 

 

It was something trivial, Mina acknowledged that, but she doesn’t understand why she was so worked up about it. Blame it on her hormones, the horrible working schedule, or Sana’s spoiled leftovers she ate for breakfast. Anything, but herself. She’s not taking the blame for this.

 

“You don’t miss her?”

 

Mina ignores her roommate currently invading her personal space, sprawled on her back as she lies on their shared queen bed while finishing a report on the laptop. She groans from Sana’s wriggling body, trying her best to ignore the unwanted weight on her back. 

 

“Seriously, I thought Momo’s the clingy one.”

 

That manages to pop a nerve as Mina looks over her shoulder with a glare. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“Yah, I didn’t even get to enjoy Christmas, let alone with Tzuyu. But did we fight on that? Did we, did we???”

 

“I don’t see the connection, Sana.”

 

Sana responded with a shrug, “I said what I said. You’re the clingy one, Miss Penguin~”

 

Mina did an eye-roll before shoving the girl’s face away from whispering in her ear. The weight suddenly disappeared - Mina heaves in relief, her crushed chest now able to breathe properly - only to have Sana’s phone shoved on her face.

 

“Take it, take it!”

 

“What? Sana, what’s this?”

 

“My stomach is acting up!!” She placed the phone on Mina’s hand. “Tell her I want a french gift for birthday, s'il vous plaît!”

 

Mina shakes her head in disbelief before giving her attention to the phone, only to have her eyes as big as saucers from the familiar name on the screen. Out of reflex, her finger pressed the red button, but it was tad too late because she was panicking too much.  

 

“Sana, I wasn’t kidding! There’s nothing more french for a birthday gift than a french ki-... M-Mina?!”

 

She wanted to end the call, but she didn’t have the heart, not when the face she’s missing is right in front of her.

 

“Where’s Sana?”

 

“Stomachache.”

 

“Ah, typical of her.” Momo chortles, but stops when she gets no reaction from Mina. “Umm, how are you?”

 

“Good. Should I get Sana?”

 

“No, wait! I want to talk to you!” Mina halts from getting up, waiting expectantly as the blonde rubs her nape. “I miss you, Mitang.”

 

And Mina’s cold heart immediately melted from the small voice and guilty look. She buries half her face in the pillow; Momo in a tank top makes her feel things. Then, another incoming video call appears on the screen.

 

“Oh, we’re celebrating Sana’s birthday along with Christmas, since all of us kinda missed it last week…” 

 

Mina makes a small hum, unfazed. 

 

“Join us, Mitang? Please?”

 

“Why should I?”

 

“I want you to.”

 

Mina hates that she has no resistance to Momo’s puppy eyes as of late. She keeps looking at their bubble chat every day, expecting a greeting or a hey that will never come from the blonde. Maybe Sana was right, she is the clingy one between the two. 

 

With a sigh, she gets up and knocks on the bathroom door as she accepts Tzuyu into the video call.

 

“Sana, you better flush the toilet properly! You know how much I hate it when your things splattered everywhere!”

 

The door swings open with a loud smack, “Yahhh! I wasn’t even-” 

 

Sana’s face turns into horror when she sees the phone screen, her eyes falling on her girlfriend muffling a laugh, before they all wish Sana a happy birthday and a late merry christmas.

 

They ended the call after an hour of catching up and cutting an invisible birthday cake, the birthday girl now passed out drunk. Meanwhile another couple resumed their conversation on bed, the sound of hushed whispers and giggles fill the dim room.

 

*

 

Mina slams the house door shut with a bang. Instead of putting her shoes on its designated rack, she flings them from her feet unceremoniously on the floor. The argument she had with the new supervisor made her head throbs in pain. She sacrificed three days of sleep, only to be backstabbed by her colleague who took the credit for a well-done presentation. 

 

Mina feels her movement getting sluggish and heavy with every step. As she reaches the sofa, she hurls her body on the soft surface before passing out in fatigue, cursing the gods above for punishing her like this.

 

Her eyes flutter awake when she feels her body shaking. 

 

“Mina, what’s wrong? Why did you sleep here?”

 

She groans deeply, her voice hoarse. Her body feels like it weighs a ton, just to raise her head takes a lot of strength. She opens to speak, only to produce a croak. Sana quickly runs to the kitchen and fetches a glass of water. A hand touches her forehead, followed by a gasp.

 

“Mina, you’re having a fever!” 

 

Sana continues to touch her skin, before releasing the tie on her shirt and loosening the collar. She guides Mina’s lolling head to take a sip of the water.

 

“Let’s get you to the clinic, okay?”

 

Mina shakes her head, only to squint her eyes from the nauseating movement. “I’m fine. I just need to rest.”

 

“Yah, are you sure?”

 

“I’m good, Sana. It’s just a fever, anyway.”

 

Knowing how stubborn Mina is, she relents before assisting the sick woman to their shared bed. Mina is grateful to have Sana by her side, the woman might be clumsy and childish most of the time, but she can be motherly when needed. Her eyes follow Sana’s frantic movement as she tries to cater to her needs, before stooping on her side. 

 

“I’m going out to buy some medicine. Will you be fine?”

 

“I want to sleep.” She croaks, earning a firm nod from Sana.

 

Her fever subsides the next day, just as she predicted. But Sana is still wary of her condition, even taking an emergency leave just to watch over her. They sit on the sofa together after having a light breakfast, and Mina can feel Sana’s curious eyes on her.

 

“Did something happen?”

 

Mina gulps, the question hitting a nerve. Thankfully her roommate already understood her body language. She lets Sana tug her closer, pulling her head to land on Sana’s shoulder followed by an arm wrapping over her waist.

 

“Should I call Momo for you?”

 

“She’s working, don’t disturb her.”

 

“You’re not disturbing her. Trust me.”

 

She contemplates for a while, but Sana has already dialed the blonde’s number. Mina’s vision quickly turns blurry when Momo’s face appears, staring worriedly at her. 

 

“Hey, how are you feeling today?”

 

Sana must have informed Momo of her condition beforehand, so it wasn’t a surprise to see the blonde in her casual attire instead of the usual white uniform. Mina feels her heart wrenched in guilt, these two took a leave from work just because of her. She doesn’t deserve their kindness.

 

“Mitang, we got you… okay?”

 

Tears begin to flow from her eyes. She leans on Sana’s comforting hand rubbing her arm, the gesture making her more affected than anything. Taking a deep breath, she opens to speak.

 

“I got fired.”

 

She cries silently, letting all of her frustrations out as she relish in the warmth of her bestfriends, one cradling her close while the other whispering sweet nothings from another side of the world.

 

Mina makes a silent prayer to the gods above as her tired eyes slowly succumb to sleep; to never separate them, ever. 

 

*

 

 

When Sana asked her if she can get their clothes from the laundry across the street, Mina accepted right away, now that she’s a freeloader in the house. However, she didn’t expect to come back to a house full of people.

 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MINARI!”

 

Confettis and popping sounds greets her when she steps inside, seeing familiar faces she hadn’t seen for a while. Among the crowd, she finds Sana grinning cheekily with a peace sign, and Mina shakes her head amusedly at her cunning roommate.

 

The smallest couple gives her a crushing hug, before giving a red rectangular box. She is really surprised to see Dahyun and Chaeyoung here, both of them now in the graduating batch and are taking the final exam. The college is in another side of the town anyway, but they shrug it off before pointing at the tallest woman in the room.

 

“Jeongyeon-unnie is our driver for the whole day so no worries there.”

 

“Yah, I’m your sister! Treat me like one!” 

 

They snickered among themselves before Jeongyeon pushed them aside, presenting a paper bag of a very known brand. Mina peeks inside, gasping at the expensive-looking handbag.

 

“We didn’t know what to get you, hope you like it.”

 

“Excuse me, I know what to give Minari!” 

 

Nayeon cuts her girlfriend off, taking a step closer to the bewildered Mina. Before she can react, the older woman grabs her shoulder and leaves a peck on her cheek. 

 

“There, happy birthday Minari!” She grins her trademark bunny-teeth, squealing proudly from Mina’s flustered state.  

 

“I did not see that.” Jihyo declares with closed eyes, only to be another victim of Nayeon's lipstick-stained kiss.

 

The whole place soon turns chaotic, with Nayeon and her kissing accomplice Sana trying to kiss everyone, while DubChaeng escape with their small stature and records everything from under the table as revenge. Mina feels her pocket vibrating, already knowing who it's from.

 

Momoring: Happy Birthday, Mitang!

 

Mina snaps the chaos before her and sends it to Momo.

 

 

Momoring: *pouty emoji*

GummySmile<3: Why are you pouting?

Momoring: Because I’m not there! 

Momoring: You’re going to eat delicious food without me!

GummySmile<3: I’d rather eat your cooking tho

GummySmile<3: I miss them

Momoring: What about me???

GummySmile<3: I miss you too

Momoring: Tehee!

Momoring: Any gift you want from Paris?

GummySmile<3: Does that include a designer's bag?

Momoring: Mitang, I can only afford to eat baguettes here

Momoring: Don’t torture me more, please!

 

 

She giggles, imagining Momo’s desperate face when she said this. Somehow, Mina feels like teasing the blonde, taking a selca of her lip-stained cheek. With a knowing smirk, she pressed send.

 

 

GummySmile<3: Nayeon-unnie kissed me

 

 

Within seconds, her phone rings, and she suppressed a giggle. The face of a tired but betrayed racoon greets her from the other side of the screen.

 

“Why is it dark over there?”

 

“I’m hiding in the janitor’s closet.”

 

Mina takes in Momo’s white cooking uniform, and she frowns.

 

“Again? Aren’t you gonna get in trouble?”

 

“You are more important right now!” The blonde pouts, knowing Mina is trying to divert the topic. “Now why did Nayeon kiss you? Where, when, HOW? Is she still there?”

 

Momo is probably unaware but Mina is blushing so hard, her ears had turned deaf to the latter’s incessant rambling; only the first sentence kept repeating in her head.

 

You are more important right now.

 

“I want a kiss.” 

 

“That wretched old hag, let me talk to Nay... - Eh?”

 

“My birthday gift.” Mina gulps, her words barely above a whisper. “When you get back, I want a kiss.”

 

*

 

 

Mina is checking herself in front of the mirror, fixing the crooked tie when she hears a familiar voice coming from Sana’s phone. 

 

She peers at the squirrel rolling around on their bed through the reflection in the mirror. From the way Sana talks animatedly along with the flirty giggle, it must be Tzuyu on the other line. Mina must have imagined the blonde’s voice, so she ignores it. 

 

Only to hear another nasal laughter accompanying Tzuyu’s giggle coming from the speaker. She glances up, watching suspiciously as Sana starts talking in hushed whispers. Mina takes her phone and checks her chat with Momo. It has been more than a week since their last conversation. The blonde had told her she’s having a preliminary exam for the whole week, and Mina didn’t want to disturb her with unnecessary attention.

 

But it would be a lie if Mina didn’t feel neglected. 

 

Maybe she has grown attached to Momo now, despite their attempt to avoid being clingy to each other. They agreed to take things slow before Momo’s departure, both understanding the risk of committing a long-distance relationship. It’s going to take a toll on their trust, loyalty and time. 

 

But what can they do when both of them naturally gravitate towards each other?

 

Mina lets out a sigh, which didn’t go unnoticed by her roommate.

 

“What’s up with you?”

 

“Nothing. Done with the call?”

 

Sana lets out a sheepish laugh, which was odd. “Yep! Tzuyu said good luck, by the way.”

 

Mina smiles gratefully at the encouragement. It’s the fifth interview she’s going for the week, and Mina’s instinct is telling her that this job is going to be better than the lousy company she worked with before. Satisfied with her appearance, she walks to the entrance.

 

“Mina, I might have to stay at the office tonight so don’t wait up okay?”

 

She raised a thumb, already used to Sana’s unusual working schedule as a news anchor. She wonders how the hell Sana can still endure this kind of living after months of working at the local broadcasting company. But that’s what life is; if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.

 

Making a small fighting gesture, Mina walks out the door.

 

The interview lasted almost the whole day, Mina can feel the fatigue slowly taking over her body. She might need to get used to the rushed hours again, after weeks of lazing around the house unemployed. She doesn’t know why, but the whole day, her mind is preoccupied with a certain blonde. It was funny though, because she can’t believe she went through the interview easily while Momo invades the back of her mind.

 

Maybe her brain had tuned Momo as her muse now.

 

Mina lets out a chortle, reminding herself to thank Momo later. Just as she is about to unlock the door of her house, a weird sensation looms over her. She gives a slight shake of her head, before looking around at the empty corridor. She turns her attention back to the door, only to see a shadow passing through the small slit. 

 

Mina swallows her spit. 

 

She did remember Sana saying vividly that she’s staying at the office tonight, so who the heck is inside? Taking a deep breath, she crouches low before opening the door. The dark greets her, the living room illuminated by street light by the window. Her eyes peer for any movement, and sure enough, there’s someone hiding behind the wall. She mutters a small prayer, taking the umbrella beside the door and proceeds to make careful steps inside.

 

She flicks the light switch on, at the same time the intruder jumps in front of.

 

“SURPRI - OOFF!”

 

Mina smacks the umbrella straight on the person’s head, only to gasp at the familiar blonde hair.

 

“M-MOMO?!”

 

“Oww… Mina, that’s dangerous!”

 

“If you would act like a decent human knocking on the door to get in, I wouldn’t have resorted to such action!”

 

“It wouldn’t be a surprise then…”

 

The blonde groans while holding her forehead. Mina can see a long red mark slowly appearing, and she guides Momo to sit on the sofa while she rummages through the kitchen drawers for a towel.

 

“What are you doing here?” 

 

“To surprise you.”

 

Mina sighs from the grinning face as she dabs the cold compress on the injured spot. Momo hissed from the sensation, and Mina’s face softens. It would have been a delight to see Momo in flesh in front of her, if only she wasn’t shocked to death earlier. 

 

“You managed to surprise me then.” She prods the sore spot, making the blonde yelp. “And frightened me too!”

 

“Sorry, it was Tzuyu’s plan actually. She wanted to visit Sana, and I got a month of holiday. So we decided to take a flight on the same day to surprise both of you. But it seems impossible to go incognito under Sana’s radar since they are attached to the hip.”

 

Momo motions her fingers together, making a face from mentioning the sickening couple. 

 

“So you make me a victim instead?”

 

The blonde scratches her cheek from Mina’s glare, before standing up and leads her to the kitchen. She opens the fridge, and Mina lets out a delighted gasp. Inside, is a small chocolate cake decorated with frosted writings.

 

MiMo 1 Year Anniversary <3

 

“I haven’t forgotten our first confession, Mina.” Momo takes out the cake and places it on the counter. The heart is a cookie, and Mina recalled the heart she gave Momo when the blonde confessed to her before. “I still consider it as our first day as an official couple.”

 

Mina feels her heart swells, tears pooling in her eyes. Without a word, she launches her body towards Momo, burying her face into her chest, relishing in the warmth she’s been missing for months. 

 

It feels good to feel Momo again, it feels good to be in her arms again.

 

“Excuse me, who told you to cry?”

 

Mina pulls away with a pout, hitting Momo’s chest with a chortle. “You really like to ruin the mood, huh?”

 

“If that’s the way I can see your gummy smile, then yeah!”

 

A merry giggle escapes , her hands wrap around Momo’s neck, pulling the blonde closer. They gently nuzzle their nose together, each of them enjoying the feeling of having their lover close. It feels surreal for Mina, having been separated for so long and so far away, only to have Momo in front of her again.

 

Guess the saying is true; patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.

 

“Want to take a guess who paid for my flight ticket?”

 

Mina creases her forehead, “Who?”

 

“Your dad.”

 

“Of course.” 

 

Mina giggles, already knowing her father was actually behind Momo’s admittance to the culinary school. All thanks to the brined salmon Momo made on their first double date. 

 

“So, can I redeem my birthday gift?”

 

“Oh, we can do more than your supposedly birthday gift.” Momo annoyingly wiggles her eyebrows, pulling Mina closer. “You know, I might even have to make a rendition of that gift. Have you ever heard of a french kis-... HMPH?!”

 

A finger pressed on her lips, making the blonde visibly gulps from Mina’s tantalizing eyes.

 

“Just kiss me, Momoring.”

 

“Oh... S'il vous plaît.”

 

---

A/N:

Yes you can do the math i'm not complaining even I lost count ahaks, sorry~ who even writes epilogue this long???
HAPPY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO THIS FANFIC!!! *throws confetti over myself*

So this is the end, then...?