As they drove to the set for the drama shoot, Momo stared out the window, lost in thought. Her manager was sitting beside her and trying to talk to her about something, but she wasn't really listening. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened last night with Mina.

"Momo-ssi, are you even listening to me?" Dahyun asked, sounding frustrated.

"Huh? Sorry, what did you say?" Momo replied, finally snapping out of her thoughts.

"I said you can't just spend the night off anywhere. We could get in trouble with the company."

"I don't even remember saying that I wanted to stay with Mina for the night," Momo said, "so why are you getting mad at me? And besides, I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions."

"Fine! Just be careful, okay? We don't want any scandals."

"Nothing happened between us!"

"Huh? I'm not saying that something happened between you and Mina," Dahyun said calmly. "What I meant is a dating scandal. We need to be careful about how we're perceived by the public, especially since you're both idols. What are you even thinking?"

Momo's eyes widened, realizing that she had jumped to the wrong conclusion. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that," she apologized.

Dahyun squinted her eyes and looked at Momo suspiciously. "Are you hiding something from me?" she asked, her tone accusatory.

"No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Well, you're acting strangely and defensive. It's almost like you're trying to hide something."

Momo's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but she quickly shook her head. "No, nothing happened. We just slept in the same bed. That's all."

"Hey, tell me honestly. Do you like her?" Dahyun asked, her tone softening. "Is that why you're being awkward whenever she's around? And if not awkward, you're being overly confident. It's confusing."

The other woman had never been good at hiding her feelings, and Dahyun seemed to have picked up on something. "I... I don't know," she stammered, feeling her cheeks grow warm. "Maybe. But it doesn't matter. We can't do anything about it anyway."

"And why is that?"

"We're idols. A lot of people would hate us."

"Maybe the fans will be more accepting than you think. Look at other idol couples who have come out and received support," Dahyun said, acting cool about it.

"But what about the company? They're probably going to be against it."

"Look, I work for the company, but I work for you too. You're more important to me than anything now. As long as you're happy, I'm happy. And if dating Mina makes you happy, then I'll support you no matter what."

"Okay, fine. Something did happen between us," Momo said quietly.

Dahyun's eyes widened in surprise. "WHAT?!" she yelled, her shock evident in her voice. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

 

As they reached the set, Momo patiently waited for the makeup artist while everyone else got ready. Suddenly, she noticed Mina walking in. Their eyes met, and Momo felt a lump form in . She remembered what had happened between them last night and suddenly felt breathless.

Momo grasped onto Dahyun's arm tightly, her eyes glued to Mina's figure. She couldn't bring herself to say anything and just stood there frozen. Dahyun noticed her distress and asked, "What's wrong?"

She struggled to speak, dry. "I... I need water," she finally managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper. Dahyun nodded and quickly went to get her a glass of water.

Mina's gaze flickered over to Momo for a moment, and she remembered the feeling of their lips touching. She quickly turned her gaze away, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Sana noticed her red face and asked, "Hey, why are you blushing? Is everything okay?"

"Oh, it's nothing," she said, trying to sound casual. "I just... I feel a little warm." Her manager looked at her skeptically but didn't press the issue any further.

 

The shoot began, and the first scene was already intense. It required Momo and Mina to look at each other and depict emotions of love at first sight. But for some reason, they couldn't do it. They were stuttering with their lines and couldn't even look at each other properly.

"Cut!" the director called out. "What's going on? You both look like you've seen a ghost. Or like you both just saw a spider crawling up your arm, but you're trying to play it cool," he said. "Don’t make it look like you have an allergic reaction to each other or something." He looked at them, trying to make sense of their blank stares and awkward delivery. "I mean, I've seen better chemistry between a rock and a tree."

Momo and Mina knew that they were messing up, but they couldn't help but find the director's comment funny. They stifled their laughter and tried to compose themselves. This was still a serious matter, after all.

"Okay, let's try it again," the director said, "but this time, try to actually look at each other like you're in love."

"Excuse me, director, can we take a break for a moment?" Momo asked.

"What's the problem?"

"We...we had an argument last night," she lied, "and we just need a moment to talk things out and make up before we continue. It's kind of awkward right now."

The director seemed hesitant, but he eventually agreed. "Okay, fine. But make it quick. We don't have all day."

Momo and Mina just stared at the director, waiting for him to leave. He seemed confused at first, but then it finally clicked. "Oh...right," he mumbled, "you need some time alone to sort things out. Alright then, everyone, take a break for a bit. We'll continue once these two sort things out." He shooed everyone off the set, giving the two women the space they needed. "Take as long as you need," he said to the two women before leaving the set.

"Sorry, I had to lie like that."

"It's fine," Mina replied, a small smile playing on her lips. "At least we have some time to talk now."

"Do you remember what happened last night?"

"Yes, I do."

Momo felt a mix of relief and nervousness wash over her. She wasn't sure what to say next, but she knew they needed to talk about it. "I just want to make sure we're on the same page," she said softly.

"I want to talk about it too."

"Okay, so how did it..." Momo started to say, but then stopped herself. "NO! Don't tell me." She covered her ears and closed her eyes, as if trying to block out the memory. The other woman couldn't help but giggle at her reaction.

Mina's laughter faded as she looked at Momo seriously. "Okay, but on a serious note, what do you really feel about me?" she asked. "Drop your smug attitude or whatever. Plain and simple, what do you feel for me?"

"I don't know," Momo uttered under her breath. "But there's something about you that I can't ignore. It's like every time I look at you, I feel this... this connection. I don't think it ever went away."

"I feel it too. But...I have to ask. Did you ever move on from our past relationship?"

"I thought I did," the other woman said softly. "But being around you again, it's like all those old feelings came rushing back. I don't think I ever really moved on."

Momo looked down, her facade of toughness crumbling. "I was just trying to act tough," she admitted. "But you were right about me. I only accepted this role because I wanted to see you again, to be with you again...even if it's just for a drama."

"You know, I actually knew that from the start," Mina said, chuckling softly. "It was so obvious. But I'm glad you're finally admitting it."

"I'm sorry for the way I acted around you," Momo said sincerely. "Even though I always looked like I hated you, it wasn't true. I was just too scared to admit how I really felt."

"I forgive you."

"You do?"

"Of course. And I'm sorry too," Mina said. "I should have told you about how I sacrificed debuting in the same group just so you could debut and reach your dreams first. I didn't want to hold you back."

"Yeah, I had no idea," Momo sighed, feeling guilty. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," the other woman reassured her. "I never told you because I didn't want you to feel guilty or indebted to me. I just wanted you to be happy."

"You didn't have to do that, Mina. I would have waited for you. I didn't want to debut without you because we promised."

"But it wasn't possible. One of us really had to let go."

Momo felt a wave of guilt wash over her, but she realized she had already apologized enough. She fell silent, listening to Mina's words. "Do you know what's the best thing you can do for someone you love?" she asked. "It's to help them reach their dreams."

Mina went on to say, "We were in a situation where love could wait, but our dreams couldn't. I needed you to reach your dream, so you could come back to me when the time is perfect for us. And now that you're here, I'm just happy to be with you again." She let out a small smile. "I'm content," she said. "Even if things won't go back to the way they used to be, I'm content. Just being able to work with you again and see you every day for a short time is enough for me."

"What if I tell you that things can still go back to the way they used to be?"

"What...do you mean?"

"I mean...what if we give ourselves a chance? What if we try again?" Momo said, taking a deep breath. "I know it won't be easy, and we'll have to work through our past issues, but I still love you, Mina. I never stopped."

"But you know we're idols," Mina said softly, her voice laced with concern. "It's not going to be easy. Our schedules are hectic, and we won't have much time for each other. And what about our fans? What will they say?"

"I know," the other woman replied. "But we don't have to tell anyone yet. We can keep it to ourselves and see how it goes. I just don't want to let this chance slip away again. I want to try, even if it's difficult."

Mina's expression softened, and a small smile played at the corners of her lips. "Okay," she said, nodding slowly. "Let's try. Let's give ourselves a chance." She reached out and took Momo's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm willing to work through the difficulties if you are."

"But first, let's focus on getting through this scene," the other woman said. "We can't have our characters being awkward when they're supposed to be in love."

Mina chuckled, nodding her head in agreement. "Yeah, we should have better chemistry than a rock and a tree," she said with a small laugh. "Let's focus on our acting for now and worry about our real chemistry later."

"That's very bold of you," Momo said, impressed with the woman's positive attitude. "But I like it. Let's do this...and oh, I should probably go and get the director now," she said, turning to Mina.

As she took a step away, the other woman stood up as well and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her in for a kiss out of the blue. Momo was startled at first, but she soon relaxed into the kiss. She realized that she needed this just as much as Mina did. She closed her eyes, savoring the moment. The kiss was tender at first, tentative even, as if they were testing the waters. But as their passion grew, the kiss deepened, and they melted into each other.

That kiss...it felt like coming home.

Mina broke the kiss, but her hands remained on the woman's face, and she looked into her eyes, "I'm ready for the take two, love," she said softly, her thumb her cheek.