"I can't believe they're making us wait to find out who my co-star is," Mina said, fidgeting with her hands. "It's making me anxious."

Sana gave her a reassuring smile. "I know, Mina. But the director wants it to be a surprise, and he's not budging on that."

"I just hope it's not her. It would make things awkward."

"Unfortunately, there's not much we can do except hope for the best."

"You're right, unnie. I'll just wait and see," Mina breathed out, letting herself rest comfortably on her chair.

"Are you ready to meet with the director for the finalization of the cast?" Sana asked, trying to lighten up the mood by asking questions, but it only made the young woman more anxious.

"I don't know..."

Her manager nodded in understanding, but before she could say anything else, the director entered the conference room with a wide smile on his face. "Good afternoon, ladies!" he exclaimed, his excitement contagious. "I hope you're both ready for the finalization of the cast!"

The two women exchanged a quick glance before nodding their heads.

"Great! The others will be arriving shortly, but I couldn't wait to see you both," the director continued, taking a seat at the head of the table. "I'm so thrilled about this project, and I have a feeling it's going to be amazing."

Mina couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement ignite within her, despite her earlier anxieties. She glanced at Sana, who offered her an encouraging smile.

"Now, let's get down to business," the director said, pulling out a file from his bag. Heflipped through the pages of the file before he found what he was looking for. "Mina-ssi, I have some changes in mind for your character," he said, looking up from the file to meet her gaze. "I want her to be more confident and assertive, but still vulnerable and relatable."

"But I thought we had already finalized my character's personality and backstory?"

"We did, but as we started working on the script, I felt like we needed to make some adjustments to make your character stand out more," the director explained. "I want you to be the heart and soul of this drama, and I believe these changes will help you achieve that."

Mina listened attentively as the director elaborated on the changes he had in mind, taking mental notes on how to incorporate them into her performance.

"I trust you to bring this character to life in your own unique way," the director concluded, flashing her a reassuring smile. "Just be true to yourself and let your emotions guide you."

The door suddenly swung open, revealing a woman who looked like someone's manager. Mina watched as the woman entered the conference room, followed by another person. And when she saw who it was, her heart seemed to stop altogether.

Momo.

The tension in the room was palpable, as Momo and her manager greeted the director and Sana before turning their attention to Mina. The latter woman tried to look away, but her eyes seemed to be drawn to Momo's, as if they had a magnetic pull.

The silence was deafening, and she could feel the weight of everyone's gaze on her. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, threatening to burst out of her ribcage.

Finally, the director broke the silence. "Ah, Momo-ssi. Welcome," he said with a smile. "We were just discussing the changes in Mina's character. Why don't you take a seat while we wait for the others?"

Mina forced herself to look away, trying to steady her breathing as Momo took a seat across from her. "Glad I'm not late," she chuckled, avoiding the other woman's gaze on purpose.

The director smiled and nodded his head, seemingly oblivious to the discomfort in the room. "Anyway," he said, turning to Mina once again. "It would be beneficial if you and Momo-ssi could spend some time together outside of the set, to really get to know each other and build a sense of closeness. That way, it will be easier for you to portray the feeling of being in love with someone you're close to."

Her stomach churned at the thought of spending more time with Momo, but she knew it was necessary for the sake of the drama. She forced a smile and nodded her head, hoping to hide her discomfort from everyone in the room. "Of course, director," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I'll do my best to build a good relationship with Momo here."

The other woman couldn't help but let out a small, bitter laugh at the director's suggestion. Everyone's attention turned to Momo, but she quickly composed herself and said, "Oh, it's nothing. Don't mind me," with a forced smile. "I'm just so excited to work with Mina," she added, her tone dripping with sarcasm. She obviously was trying to mock her co-star.

"That's great to hear, Momo-ssi," he said. "Since it's now final that you and Mina-ssi will be playing the lead roles, it's best that you start getting comfortable with each other. Why don't you shake each other's hands and introduce yourselves properly?"

Mina felt her heart clench at the thought of touching the woman's hand, but she knew she had to do it. She extended her hand towards the other woman, who took it with a tight grip. Their eyes met for a split second, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. She quickly pulled her hand away, trying to hide her discomfort.

"Great, now that's settled," the director said, clapping his hands together. "Let's move on to the next agenda."

The director and the two actresses were left alone in the room. The tension between the two women was still crystal clear as they avoided each other's gaze. Meanwhile, Sana and the other manager stood side by side at the vending machine. She was getting a drink, while the other patiently waited for her turn.

The latter leaned against the vending machine, tapping her foot. "Can't you be any quicker?" she muttered under her breath, her tone cold and sharp.

Sana rolled her eyes, feeling annoyed. "Would you relax? I'm almost done," she replied, grabbing a bottle of water.

Dahyun scoffed and took her turn at the vending machine. Sana couldn't help but speak her mind. "Why is Momo acting like that? She's making Mina uncomfortable," she said, her tone indicating her frustration with the situation.

The other woman's expression turned cold, and she bristled at the comment. "I don't know what you're talking about," she replied dismissively. "If yours is uncomfortable, then maybe she needs to work on herself," she added with a hint of defensiveness in her tone.

"Hey, it's not easy for anyone to act with someone who's making them uncomfortable. Can't you just talk to Momo about it?"

"I don't think it's necessary. They're both professionals, and they'll figure it out on their own. Besides, I'm Momo's manager, not Mina's, so it's not my problem if she's uncomfortable or whatever," Dahyun said firmly, making it clear that she wouldn't interfere.

On the other hand, the director suddenly stood up and said, "Excuse me for a moment, I need to use the restroom." With that, he walked out of the room, leaving Momo and Mina alone.

The latter woman kept her gaze trained on her lap, avoiding any eye contact with Momo. However, the other woman seemed to be enjoying the discomfort in the room. With a smug tone, she leaned forward on the table and said, "You know you'll have to look at me if we act together." Her words dripped with mockery as she tried to provoke a reaction from her.

Mina gritted her teeth, her hands clenching tightly in her lap. She could feel her anger boiling under the surface, but she knew that giving in to it would only make things worse. Instead, she forced herself to remain calm and composed, keeping her gaze trained on the ground. "I'm aware of that," she replied through gritted teeth, her voice barely above a whisper.

"So, how does it feel to know that I'll be co-starring with you?" Momo asked, smirking. "Were you happy when you found out?" she added, her eyes glittering with malice as she waited for Mina's response.

Mina took a deep breath and finally lifted her gaze to meet Momo's eyes, her expression hardening. She refused to back down this time. "There were two choices for my co-star: you and Nayeon. You accepted the role before Nayeon did, so I am the one who was left with no choice here," she said, her voice steady and firm.

She went on with a sly grin, "Hirai Momo, shouldn't I be the one asking you? Were you happy to have the opportunity to work with me again? Is that why you accepted the role so eagerly when you found out it was me?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Myoui Mina. The role was offered to me, and I accepted it because I wanted it, not because of you."

"Oh, please. We both know that's not true," the other woman retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You couldn't wait to get your claws into this role and work with me again. Admit it, you've missed me," she added, a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of her lips.

"Missed you? Don't make me laugh," Momo spat out. "I have been doing just fine without you, thank you very much."

"You might say that, but your actions speak otherwise."

"You're delusional if you think I care that much about you."

"Oh, really? Then why are you so defensive?" Mina shot back, a hint of triumph in her voice. "Clearly, I'm still living rent-free in your head."

"You were just a young love, Mina. It's not like I was ever serious about you. Whatever happened between us was just a passing fling."

"Don't try to downplay what we had. You know that we had something special, something real."

Momo rolled her eyes. "Please. We were just fooling around. It was nothing serious."

"It was serious to me."

"If it was so serious to you, then why didn't you fight for me? Why did you let our so-called 'special' relationship fall apart?"

"I couldn't fight for you, Momo. We were both trainees, and we were explicitly told not to date anyone. You know that. I didn't want to put your career or mine in jeopardy," Mina replied, her voice tinged with bitterness.

"Now, you're just making excuses. There were plenty of other trainees who still went out even when it wasn't allowed. It's not like it was hard to keep it a secret. You were just too much of a coward to fight for what you supposedly cared about! You let our relationship fall apart without even trying to hold onto it. That's not love, Mina, that's just...plain...giving up." Momo's eyes blazed with intensity as she spoke, clearly not holding back any punches.

"You think I didn't fight for you? You have no idea what I went through to keep our relationship a secret! If we had been caught, it wouldn't just have affected me, it would have affected your career too. You were always the more talented one, the one with the better chance of debuting. If I had caused a scandal, there was a bigger chance that you wouldn't have debuted because of me. I was trying to protect you!" Mina's voice rose with each word, her hands clenched into fists above her lap.

"That's the problem! You never gave me a choice, Mina. All I know was you just let me go without a fight. And now you expect me to believe you?"

"Yes!" Mina paused as her eyes started to well up with tears. "Look at you now, you debuted first in a popular girl group while I had to struggle to make it as a soloist. Don't you think I wanted to debut in that group too? Don't you think I wanted to be on stage with you? I ing made the hard choice for both of us, and I did it because I loved you."