Momo followed Nayeon into the room, who had left the door open for her. The thing is, she wanted to ask about Sana the instant they walked down the hallway alone. She is still perplexed as to why Nayeon needed to conduct a background check on her friend. Well, it somehow makes sense, since Sana splattered wine on the woman months ago, but a background check is an overreaction for a situation like that. After all, it could just be an accident.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Nayeon said as she sat in her swivel chair. Her chin was raised as Momo stood straight in front of her desk.

Momo must have been unaware that she had been standing and staring at her boss for so long. This is maybe due to her intense curiosity about the incident between Sana and Nayeon. Based on her friend's hateful comments about Nayeon, it appeared to be quite worrisome.

"Could you please take a seat?" Nayeon had to ask again, and this time Momo did as she was told. Nayeon smiled subtly and said, "Thank you very much."

"What is this about?" Momo asked.

"About work, Momo," Nayeon clarified once more. She instantly realized Momo was going to bring up something unrelated to the work they were doing, so she shut it off. "You are the first person I'm going to talk to about this, and I'm not sure why," Nayeon began, only for the other woman to agree.

Momo was unnerved by the amount of silence that followed Nayeon's statements. Nobody likes cliffhangers, that's for sure.

"Enough of the drumroll moment, boss?" she questioned, a little harshly. But don't worry, Nayeon is used to her behaving this way. It's almost as though she considers Momo to be a friend. Obviously not a close one, but on par with Jeongyeon and Jihyo, at least.

"The intended design for the competition was stolen," Nayeon stated flatly, which surprised Momo. "It's apparent who did it, but that's not my main concern right now," she said, despite the fact that she knows Momo isn't listening anymore. It was certainly breathtaking news, in a bad way. "We don't have enough time to come up with another design," Nayeon explained.

"I'm not sure why I'm the first to hear this," Momo concurred with Nayeon's previous claim.

"If I told Jeongyeon or Jihyo, they'd freak out."

"Who told you I wouldn't freak out?!" Momo exclaimed, a little hysterical. "We have less than three months to prepare! If we don't have a design, we won't be able to start working on the piece," she explained, which Nayeon completely knows and understands. "How come you're so calm about this?" Momo wondered.

"Because acting like it's the end of the world will get us nowhere, Mo," Nayeon replied, squeezing the back of her neck in frustration, which, by the way, isn't due to the stolen design. Momo's reactions frustrate her even more.

"All right," Momo murmured, sighing. "But how are we going to get through this when only the two of us know about it?" she said, making Nayeon gaze down in defeat, because Momo had a point.

"Set an early meeting tomorrow," Nayeon finally decided. Momo was satisfied, so she calmed down. "And that's all; you're free to go," Nayeon stated flatly.

"I can't," Momo said, baffling the other woman. "Not when I'm thinking about something," she said.

"If it's not about work—"

Momo swiftly interrupted Nayeon by asking questions. "What is the background check on Sana for?" Nayeon coughed softly just hearing that name.

"You could simply ask me about her or something," Momo replied, leading Nayeon to take deep breaths. She's obviously not going to be able to get away from this now.

"I needed to speak with her about something," she explained. "That's why I needed to know where she worked, that's all." "I know you're a busy person, too. You just got married, and you have a lot to worry about."

"Yeah, but I work for you, and it is my responsibility to carry out whatever you ask."

"It has nothing to do with your employment, Momo," Nayeon stated flatly. "It's more of a personal matter," she explained.

"You mean the wine-splashing?"

"What?" "Of course not!"

"Then what?" Momo inquired, her eyes widening with interest.

Unfortunately, Nayeon adheres to her ethics more than anyone else would. "She's your friend," she emphasized. "If you want to hear about it, go ask her; you can't force me to say anything."

Momo could only murmur, "Wow, you and Sana."

"The reason she never told you about me is something I also can't disclose to you; we should respect Sana," she attempted to explain. Momo let out a sigh and raised both palms in defeat. Obviously, there would be no other way to learn about their past at this point.

"You two are just like each other," she said quietly, and Nayeon heard her.

"You have spoken the most ridiculous thing on the planet."

"As you said, Ms. Lim, Sana is my friend; I know her well, and you can't deny that I know a lot about you as well," Momo stated emphatically. "If you think you and Sana are complete opposites, you're mistaken; you and Sana are so similar that your personalities clash," she added. "But the reality is, if you simply focus on the things that you both appreciate and enjoy, it can be easily mended." she rolled her eyes before standing up and stating, "I'll go now."

Nayeon was taken aback, because she had not expected to hear so much from Momo. But she can't deny how fascinating it was, since it may be true.

 

 

 

 

Sana arrived home late tonight, which is unusual for her unless her mind is racing with thoughts. She would have to go for long walks at night, depending on how much she had in mind. Preferably, the period should be sufficient to cover the entire time required for the thoughts to exhaust. Only then would Sana feel so free.

That is exactly what happened tonight, and that is the reason Sayuri was so concerned when Sana entered the house. The older woman welcomed her with an embrace right away. And Sana desperately needed that.

"Is everything okay?" Sayuri inquired as she drew away from the hug. She examined Sana from head to toe, making sure that the latter was not hurt or anything.

"Weren't you cold outside?" Sayuri inquired.

"I'm fine, auntie," Sana had to reassure the other woman with a sweet smile. "Where is uncle?" she asked, seeing that he was not present to greet her this time. Sana was used to the couple checking on her in situations like this. It wasn't like she was expecting Shirou to do something like that today. It was just strange for Sana.

"That man has had a really awful day as well," Sayuri said, shrugging as if she couldn't explain it better than Shirou. "He's in our room, and I think you should go check on him," she advised the young lady.

"Did something happen?" Sana wondered.

"Certainly," Sayuri replied.

 

Sana went to check on Shirou after Sayuri requested her to. She had already knocked several times on the door, but there had been no response. It's a good thing the door was unlocked, so whatever happened to Shirou would be known to her immediately.

Fortunately, nothing was happening. Shirou was most likely doing his thing in the small bathroom inside the bedroom.

Sana waited for the man to finish, hoping to ensure Shirou's well-being. So, as she waited, she took a tour around the room. She had seen everything in there, but it was boredom that kept her looking about.

Her gaze was drawn to the top of the drawer, which had Shirou's keys. There was a calling card underneath that. That was exactly what Sana's eyes were pulled at, and so she snatched it up without hesitation.

Sana was visibly upset after seeing what was in it.

"Oh, God—" Shirou, who had just exited the bathroom, exclaimed. He was startled to see someone else's figure inside the room, but he laughed when he realized it was Sana. "I didn't hear you knock," Shirou casually stated.

Despite hearing his words, Sana remained standing with her back toward him. She was contemplating how to confront Shirou without becoming enraged.

Shirou called out gently, "Sana?"

"Why did you do it?" Sana questioned, attempting to remain calm despite the sorrow in her heart. All she knew was that she needed to cry, but now didn't seem like the right time.

"What do you mean?" Shirou asked, acting as if he had no idea what Sana was on about.

Sana was forced to face the man, and the instant she did, tears welled up in her eyes. She handed a calling card belonging to a loan shark company.

"Didn't you get the money here?" she inquired. Sana was able to confirm it right away because the man couldn't look her in the eyes. "Do you realize how much trouble you've gotten yourself into?"

"I only wanted to help you and your father," Shirou explained as he looked down and closed his eyes tightly. He didn't want to cry in front of Sana because he knew she had already been through a lot.

"Can you help me and my father?" Sana asked, her voice controlled. "This isn't helping! It's making things worse!" she cried, and it pierced Shirou's heart. "How are we going to pay the money you owe them?"

"I'll do whatever it takes, we'll pay them back," Shirou tried to reassure Sana, but she was too exhausted to believe anything at this point. "For the time being, Sana, just use the money," he continued.

"Isn't it past due?"

"Don't worry about it," Shirou remarked.

"Those bruises on your face..." Sana refused to listen to whatever he had to say. "They were the ones who did it, right?" Shirou couldn't deny it. He knows how much Sana despises it when others lie to her, especially when the truth is apparent. "Is Aunt Sayuri aware of this?"

"Don't tell her, Sana," Shirou begged, his eyes desperate. "She has a weak heart; if she finds out that someone is threatening my life, she won't be able to take it," he explained. "Please, Sana, please," he begged again.

 

 

Sana sat on her bed, caught in something she never wanted to do. But, if she does nothing, Shirou will suffer. And she couldn't bear the thought of losing another person in her life.

"Why do things like this happen to me?" Sana mused to herself as she combed her hair with her fingers. She lightly grabbed it out of frustration, hoping it would settle her mind. It didn't help, of course.

Sana had been staring at the same phone number for almost thirty minutes and couldn't decide whether to call it or not. It's just that she doesn't have much of an option. Even if she spent more time staring at it, she would come to the same conclusion.

This could be the last straw for her.

Sana could hear soft breathing when the line connected. It sounded to her as if she had spoiled a good night's sleep, but it was too late to undo it now.

Sana heard the other person say, "Hello?" after many seconds of silence.

She understood there was no turning back at that moment.

"Nayeon," she said quietly.

"Sana?" Nayeon murmured, her voice hoarse, confirming that she was certainly sleeping. For some reason, the way Nayeon spoke Sana's name made her feel more vulnerable.

"Hello, Sana?" "Are you there?" "Sana—"

The line was cut off.

And it was because Sana decided to end it.