Samo Soulmate AU 

“They’re soulmates except they’re not because they got other people marks on their bodies”

 

" Happy birthday!" Sana clapped her hands together as her best friend blew out the candle atop a cupcake. 

 

"Thank you, Satang." Momo smiled at the girl sitting next to her. They were able to get away from friends and family for a few hours to have a more private celebration of Momo's eighteenth birthday. 

 

Momo took a bite of her cupcake, at the rich chocolate frosting hitting her taste buds. "This is delicious, baby, thank you." Momo offered a piece of the cake to the girl sitting next to her, 

 

Sana shook her head. "I can't eat." She bounced a little in her seat. "I'm too excited for your mark." 

 

Momo put down her cupcake and took Sana's hand to calm the bouncing girl down. 

 

"Sana..." 

 

"And then next month I'll get mine and we can show off our marching marks to all our friends and family!" The hand holding Sana's doing nothing to lessen her excitement. 

 

"Sana, honey. We need to talk." Momo didn't want to ruin the mood. She was having a great birthday, but underneath all the celebrations there was the sick realty of their lives waiting to ruin everything. 

 

Momo met Sana when they were kids. They were neighbors and naturally grew up with each other. They became friends quickly. Sana being the main force behind their friendship. Momo was unsure about the hyperactive girl, but she grew fond of Sana in no time. The yin to her yang. They were always together, inseparable even. 

 

As they grew older their friendship took the natural turn to something more romantic. Surprisingly, it was Momo that took the first step and kissed Sana after school one day their junior year. Since then everyone, including Sana and Momo, expected their soulmate marks to match. 

 

Children were taught as soon as possible that on their eighteenth birthday, a mark would appear on their skin and that mark would match that of their soulmate's mark. The mark could be anything, but it would burn on three occasions. The first burn would be on your eighteenth birthday when the mark first appears. The second burn would come when you come face to face with your soulmate and your marks are near each other. The third and final burn happens when your soulmate passes away. 

 

Soulmates marks were every person's dream or their nightmare. For Sana she had dreamt of the day her and Momo would be able to walk around flaunting their matching marks together. For Momo however, her eighteenth birthday was something she was dreading. 

 

While she was excited to finally turn eighteen, she couldn't get the idea of her soulmate mark out of her head. More importantly, she couldn't get the fact that her mark could possibly not match Sana's who was due to get her mark just one month after herself. Sana on the other hand was convinced they were soulmates. 

 

Momo didn't not think they were soulmates. No, she loved Sana more than anyone and she prayed every night for the past year her mark would match Sana's, but deep down she knew none of that mattered. Fate would decide if they were soulmates or not. 

 

No matter how much they loved each other, if their marks didn't match, it would be the end of them. Soulmates worked like high powered magnets. They would constantly be pulled towards each other until they're together. The more you resist the pull of your soulmate, the harder it becomes to resist. 

 

Too many tragic stories of star crossed lovers pulled apart by opposing marks. Individuals driven to madness trying too hard to stay with their non-soulmates. Everyone knew the dangers of defying fate. 

 

That's why Momo's heart was breaking at the thought of getting her mark. The odds were not in their favor. 

 

"Talk about what, Momoring?" Sana asked. 

 

"You know what." Momo mumbled. 

 

Sana did know. She wasn't stupid or as naive as everyone thought she was. Sana knew the dangers of falling so deeply in love with someone before you turn eighteen. 

 

But Sana also knew in her heart that she and Momo were meant to be together. 

 

"You're worried about your mark?" Sana asked as she glanced at the clock on her phone. It read 11:45pm. Just fifteen minutes before Momo's mark appears. 

 

Momo nodded her head. She became quiet after bringing it up. 

 

Sana wrapped her arm around Momo's waist and pulled her closer. 

 

"What do you think a soulmate is?" Sana asked. Her breath felt on the shell of Momo's ear as she leaned her head on Momo's. 

 

"The person you share a mark with." Momo answered simply. 

 

"Yes, but what is a soulmate? Why do we have them? Who are they?" 

 

Momo shrugged her shoulders, not understanding where Sana was going. 

 

"Are they just someone that shares our interests, our hobbies? Someone that compliments our weaknesses and strengths? Is it someone that shares an unexplainable deep understanding and connection with us?" 

 

Momo pulls back and faces Sana directly, waiting for Sana to continue. 

 

"Because I think it's all those things and you're all of that to me, Momo." Sana leaned her forehead on Momo's forehead. "You're my soulmate. I know it deep in my heart." Sana put her hand over her chest. "And it aches when I'm not near you. Don't you feel that pull to me too?" 

 

"Of course I do, Sana. I love you so much, but none of that will matter if my mark matches someone else. We need to be prepared for that." Momo began kissing Sana's face. First her cheek then her temple, forehead, chin, neck. Momo tried to cover Sana in kisses knowing that tonight could change everything between them. "There's no one on this earth I'd rather be soulmates with than you." 

 

"But you don't think we will." It wasn't a question. Sana could sense Momo was just trying to make her feel better. Did she actually believe her own words? 

 

"I never said that. I want to believe we will be soulmates, but you know me..." Momo pulled their faces back only slightly. "I'm always preparing myself for the worst outcome." 

 

"Have faith, my love." Sana cupped her lover's face in between her hands. Sana's thumbs drawing soft circles on Momo's cheeks. 

 

Momo closed her eyes and nodded. She needs to believe it could be true, they could be soulmates. "I will always love you Sana, no matter what stupid mark appears on my skin. You're it for me." Momo's voice wavered as she leaned in to kiss Sana directly on the lips. Sana responded instantly and deepened their kiss. 

 

The kiss continued, both girls losing themselves in each other and maybe even a little desperate. Momo wanting this moment to last forever, wanting the universe to be on their side and match their soulmate marks. 

 

A burning pain began to prick underneath Momo's skin but she continued kissing Sana. She slipped her tongue past Sana's lips and a small moan from Sana soured her on even more. She tried her best to ignore the pain, but eventually it became too much. Momo pushed herself away from Sana and yelped in pain. 

 

Grabbing her shoulder, Momo stumbled backwards hitting the wall behind her. 

 

"Momo?" Sana followed after Momo, concerned about the amount of pain she seemed to be in. 

 

" it burns." Momo closed her eyes as if that would lessen the burning blossoming under her skin. She quickly tore her shirt off. 

 

Sana looked at her phone. It was midnight, officially Momo's eighteenth birthday. 

 

"Your mark." Sana whispered as she stared at Momo writhing on the ground. 

 

Momo pulled her hand away from her shoulder and watched as a shape began to take form as if she was watching someone tattoo her skin. She didn't notice the tears streaming down her own face, she was too engrossed in watching, the pain forgotten. 

 

"What... what is it?" Momo asked. 

 

Sana took a few steps towards Momo, her eyes glued to the spot on Momo's shoulder. 

 

"It's a peach." Sana knelt down next to Momo to make sure she's seeing it correctly. The closer she got the more obvious the shape. The round pinkish fruit was etched into Momo's skin. 

 

"A peach?" Momo looked confused. "I don't understand." She expected her soulmate to have the fruit for which she shared a name with seared into their skin not her. It made no sense. 

 

"It's definitely a peach." Sana didn't know what to make of it. On one hand, it gave no hints as to whether Sana is Momo's soulmate. On the other hand, she could very well have a matching mark. Some kind of fruit maybe, she wondered. It kept her hopeful. "Does it still hurt?" 

 

Momo shook her head. "No, it's just tender I think." Momo's eyes shift around the room. " Can you hand me my shirt?" 

 

Sana picked up the clothing that had been thrown to the floor and handed it to Momo. 

 

The rest of the night was awkward between the two girls. They decided to go to bed no long after Momo's mark appeared. Sana stayed the night to which Momo had offered. Sana had accepted gladly, they had the house to themselves as Momo's parents and sister gave them privacy for the night. 

 

In bed, Momo held Sana to her chest. A position they found themselves in on most nights. Unlike most nights however, Momo was stiff. Sana noticed but said nothing, too afraid to approach the elephant in the room. 

 

Sana eventually fell asleep. Momo could hear the light snore coming from the girl she loved. She tried to focus on Sana's breathing, but she couldn't fully ignore the slight tug she felt deep in her chest. Like a rope was being pulled from somewhere else, a rope ties tightly around her heart. 

 

Sana's birthday was very different from Momo's. About a month later, Sana and her closest friends gathered to celebrate her eighteenth. Normally she would have wanted to be alone with Momo, but their relationship took a strange turn after Momo's mark appeared. 

 

To an outsider everything would have appeared normal, but to Momo and Sana things were strange. Not bad, just strange. It was hard for either of them to put into words, but the space between them when they would sit next to each other, the loose grip when they would hold hands or even the short chaste kisses told a bigger story. The story of a couple being forced apart by the universe. 

 

Momo wanted to be anywhere but at this birthday party. Of course she wanted to be with Sana but not with an audience of a dozen people about to watch their world come crumbling down when Sana's mark appears. Momo had been preparing herself ever since her mark appeared for Sana to not be her soulmate. She couldn't say the same for Sana though. The other girl still spoke as if they had a future together. 

 

Maybe that is what this party was, a distraction for Sana to act as if everything was fine. Everything would work out the way they wanted. 

 

When the time came, Momo stood next to Sana and kissed the side of her face. A small 'I love you' whispered right before midnight. All Momo could do as Sana felt the tell tale burning emanating from her arm was hold her hand. Tell her she was okay. Rub her back as Sana cried out in pain. 

 

Momo backed away when Sana's cries dissipated. She wanted to give the girl space, but she also wanted to see her mark for herself. 

 

As Sana held her arm out, a single sunflower etched onto her forearm was clear as day. Sana sob and her other friends quickly came to her side as Momo continued to back away. Momo felt a tug from her shoulder, almost demanding that she leave, but at the sight of her love crying, she willed herself to stay put. 

 

Momo doesn't know how long they all stood there watching Sana cry. It didn't seem like she would let up any time soon. 

 

One of Sana's friends, a girl Momo knew well, approached Momo after a while. She had a look of pity on her face that Momo hated. 

 

"Maybe you should give her some space." The girl suggested. 

 

Momo wanted to scream. She wanted to yell and tell everyone to leave the two of them alone. Let them have their privacy. No one but them should have been privy to this scene, but Sana made that choice without her. Sana wanted the comfort of others rather than Momo. And how could she properly comfort Sana in this moment? Not when her heart was pulling her in a completely different direction. 

 

So Momo nodded and began to leave. She was only stopped by a hand on her shoulder, the shoulder with a healing mark underneath her clothes. Momo turned slightly and saw the tear stained face of her first love. 

 

"Sana?" Momo looked down at the hand on her shoulder. If they were soulmates their mark would have begun to burn once more, but there was nothing. Not even a tingle. It sent Momo over the edge and all but confirmed what she knew the moment she turned eighteen. 

 

"I will always love you, Momo." Sana choked out. 

 

"I'll love you until the day I die, Sana." Momo spoke the truth she felt. She'll always have love in her heart for Minatozaki Sana. 

 

No other words were exchanged between the two before Momo left, leaving Sana to cry in the arms of her friends as Momo took a long walk home. 

 

After that night, Momo, without telling anyone but her family, left Japan. She decided to let the pull of her soulmate mark lead her to wherever she was meant to be. Which is how she ended up in Korea, teaching dance classes to young aspiring dancers. On occasion she would even be hired by a big time entertainment company to choreograph a number for some girl group she could never remember the name of. 

 

A few months in Korea and Momo thought she had made a mistake. Maybe this wasn't where she was meant to be. She felt an emptiness in her chest and she didn't know who or what could fill it. 

 

As if the universe could hear her thoughts, Im Nayeon came crashing into her life. Literally. 

 

Nayeon had taken one of Momo's dance classes. She was dragged to the studio against her will by her best friend, Yeri. Yeri convinced Nayeon eventually when she mentioned the hot dance instructor. 

 

On the first day of class, Nayeon stepped left instead of right and smacked directly into Momo. Having felt the body of her dance instruction against hers, Nayeon reached out to grab a falling Momo. Instinctively, Momo held onto the girl that ran into her, but quickly let go when a searing pain began to spread out from her shoulder. She wasn't the only one though, as Nayeon grabbed at her own shoulder in pain. 

 

The rest of the class stared as the two girls locked eyes with each other. 

 

"Oh my god! You're soulmates!" Yeri yelled from across the room. 

 

Momo and Nayeon stared at each other in shock. Eventually Momo moved her hand from her shoulder to reveal the small peach. Nayeon followed suit, showing off her own little peach sitting atop her shoulder. 

 

Sensing the situation, Momo looked around the room at other students watching them.

 

"Class dismissed." Momo instructed. 

 

No one moved, however, looking at the two girls in the front of the class. 

 

"Didn't you guys hear her? She said class dismissed!" Nayeon was a much more demanding voice and everyone immediately cleared out. Momo smiled at the shorter girl. 

 

"Hi." Momo said when they were finally the only people in the room. 

 

Nayeon looked up at Momo. "Hey." She smiled and revealed a pair of bunny teeth that made Momo melt a little. She was cute, Momo thought. 

 

"So, I guess we're soulmates." Momo said. 

 

"I guess so." 

 

"Hirai Momo." The girl stuck her hand out awkwardly, not really sure what the next step was. 

 

"Im Nayeon" Nayeon shook Momo's hand but didn't let go. Momo didn't mind one bit. 

 

"Can I buy you dinner?" Momo offered. 

 

Nayeon nodded, full smile on display. 

 

The hole Momo had felt in her chest seemed smaller than it was just moments ago. Is this really? She thought. That easy? A part of her thought of Sana. Was the other girl alright? Has she found her soulmate yet? Momo didn't lie when she told Sana she would always love her, but she was excited to see just how much she could love Nayeon, her soulmate. 

 

—10 years later—

 

Sana felt the sun on her face and groaned. She wasn't ready to get up just yet. The night before was long and she barely got a wink of sleep. Not that she was complaining. 

 

The reason for her lack of sleep somehow snuck out of bed without waking Sana up. Sana didn't wonder too hard where her other half was. She always had a hard time staying still, even in bed. 

 

"Park Jihyo!" Sana yelled from her cozy spot in bed. A few moments later she could hear her soulmate puttering across the wooden floor of their apartment. The door to the bedroom opened and Sana was suddenly being jumped on. 

 

Sana giggled at Jihyo's antics. 

 

"You summoned me?" Jihyo grinned as she laid practically on top of Sana. 

 

Sana moved some of Jihyo's hair out of her face. "Yes, I was wondering why my perfect wife wasn't in bed with me." 

 

Jihyo rolled off of Sana and propped her head on her hand. "Well you see, I woke up early like I usually do and I wanted to let my beautiful soulmate sleep in." Jihyo leaned in to peck Sana's lips. Sana quickly tried to deepen the kiss, but Jihyo pulled away. "I also made us some breakfast." 

 

Sana stretched her arms above her head and groaned. "How did I get so lucky?" 

 

"Luck has nothing to do with it, my love." Jihyo said as she lifted her arm, showing off the matching sunflower mark on her forearm. "It's fate." 

 

Sana smiled at the sight of her wife's soulmate mark. It looked exactly like her own. A little voice in the back of Sana's head said a name she thinks of from time to time. 

 

Momo

 

Anytime the topic of soulmates or fate is brought up, Sana can't help but think about Momo. She often wonders if Momo is in the arms of her soulmate much like Sana is now. She feels guilty thinking about Momo, especially when Jihyo has been nothing but a wonderful soulmate and partner. Jihyo was perfect, but she wasn't Momo and Sana still grapples with the loss of her best friend. Her eighteenth birthday was the last time she saw or spoke to Momo. 

 

Not for a lack of trying though. Sana tried so hard to reach out to Momo, but she never received any response back. After a few years, she took the hint. Sana figured Momo had found her soulmate and wanted nothing to do with her now. 

 

For Sana though, Momo wasn't just someone she was in love with, she was her best friend. They grew up together, spent so much time together and for all that to be thrown away when they both turned eighteen, it didn't sit right with Sana. 

 

"Did you hear me, Love?" Jihyo's voice broke through Sana's wandering mind. 

 

"Hmm?" 

 

"I asked if you wanted to come shopping with me today." Jihyo looked at Sana fondly. 

 

"Shopping?"

 

" I need to get a birthday gift for Mina. Her birthday is in a few days." Jihyo answered.

 

"Of course I'll come. How is Mina doing anyways?" Sana asked. Mina had been a close friend of Jihyo's even before Sana was in the picture. 

 

"She's alright. You know how she is. She doesn't leave her house much anymore." Jihyo's smile dropped. 

 

You see, Mina and another one of Jihyo's close friends, Jeongyeon, were soulmates. They seemed like the perfect couple, heart eyes and all. They welcomed Sana into their group with open arms and the four would go out on double dates often. 

 

All of that changed when one day, Jeongyeon left. It happened only a few years after Sana and Jihyo found one another. On the day, Mina had called Jihyo hysterical, saying how Jeongyeon had left her, her soulmate was gone. 

 

It took all of Jihyo's willpower not to track down her best friend and beat the out of her for hurting Mina, but she was too forced on making sure Mina was okay. 

 

It took years for Mina to be a fraction of her former self. With her soulmate far far away, a near constant pain in her chest made sure Mina would never be the same again. It was one thing for your soulmate to die, but it was a whole different animal to willingly leave your soulmate. 

 

Jeongyeon's reason for leaving was complicated. At least that's what Mina would always say. Neither Jihyo or Sana ever felt comfortable enough to press the issue as it usually ended with Mina in tears. 

 

It made Sana think about what would happen if Jihyo ever left her. 

 

She shuddered at the thought. The movement didn't go unnoticed. Jihyo slid her arm up and down Sana's in a comforting motion. 

 

"Hey, that'll never happen to us." Jihyo knew exactly what Sana was thinking about. "I love you." 

 

"I love you too." Sana didn't want to put a damper on the whole day. "Let's go shopping!" 

 

The mall was crowded as it seemed like the couple weren't the only ones who needed to do some shopping. Sana didn't mind though. She loved walking around and looking at all the shops and people. 

 

Jihyo had just popped into a small shop, leaving Sana outside to watch as groups of people passed by her. Sana for the most part had spaced out, not really paying any attention to anything in particular. That was until she noticed a couple walking by, two women around the same height. What got her attention was the laugh of one of the women. She knew that laugh. 

 

"Momo?" Sana called out loud enough for the couple to stop in their tracks. 

 

Momo heard her name being called but didn't register the voice of who called her until it was already too late. Momo turned around expecting to see one of her friends she's made since moving to Korea, not the big puppy dog eyes of her former best friend/ lover aka Minatozaki Sana. 

 

"Sana?" Momo asked in disbelief. 

 

Sana walked closer to the couple. The other girl standing next to Momo looked between them with her eyebrow raised. 

 

"Hey." Was all Sana could think to say.

 

Momo on the other hand grinned and wasted no time to bring Sana into a bone crushing hug. 

 

"Long time no see, Sana-chan." Momo said in Japanese. When Momo pulled back from the hug, Sana still in a state shock, the girl next to her stepped up, 

 

"Hi, Im Nayeon, I don't believe we've met." Nayeon extended her hand out for Sana to shake. 

 

When Sana didn't immediately take Nayeon's hand, Momo cleared and spoke. 

 

"Sana, this is my soulmate, Nayeon." 

 

The word soulmate brought Sana out of her head. She looked at Nayeon and took the girl's hand, which was surprisingly large for such a small girl. 

 

"Yes, of course. So lovely to meet you Nayeon." 

 

"Nayeon this is Sana. We grew up together in Japan." Momo didn't say anything else about their relationship. It rubbed Sana the wrong way. Why not say what they really were? 

 

"Honey?" Jihyo's voice rang out behind them. Relief washed over Sana. It always did when her soulmate was near. 

 

Sana waved Jihyo over who instinctively slid her hand around Sana's waist. It was a protective gesture Sana adored. 

 

"Jihyo, baby, I just ran into Momo and her soulmate Nayeon." Sana explained. Jihyo knew who Momo was. It was one of the first things Sana told her about herself when they first met. The girlfriend that ran off after her eighteenth birthday when their soulmate marks didn't match. Jihyo was understanding and gentle with Sana. She held no judgment towards Sana about her feelings towards Momo.

 

That being said, Jihyo was understanding because she wasn't expecting Momo to show up in the flesh. 

 

The hand on Sana's waist tightened its hold, pulling Sana in closer to Jihyo. 

 

"Of course, Sana told me all about you, Momo. What are the odds the two of you ended up in the same city?"  To Momo it was a friendly greeting, but Sana knew Jihyo better than that. Jihyo was sizing Momo up. Making sure Momo knew that Jihyo knew exactly who she was.  

 

"Right? Who knew." Momo chuckled. A pit formed in Momo's stomach. How much did Jihyo know about them? 

 

"Well, it was nice seeing you again-" Sana started to say her goodbyes. She wanted to be as far away from Momo as possible. Even though a voice in her head wanted to ask Momo a million questions. 

 

"You should come over for dinner one night." Jihyo interrupted Sana. "To catch up." 

 

Sana looked back at Jihyo trying to find someone in her soulmate's eyes what on earth she was planning, but all she saw was a smile. 

 

"That sounds like fun, right Momo?" Nayeon nodded. "We'd love to." She didn't wait for Momo to decline before agreeing to said dinner. 

 

"Perfect! Then I'll let Sana and Momo decide on when." Jihyo said. 

 

"Oh no, Momo is horrible at planning things." Nayeon pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Here add your number Jihyo and we can figure things out." 

 

Jihyo added her number to Nayeon's phone and the couple said their goodbyes. Sana clenched her fist and once Momo and Nayeon were out of sight, Sana her heels and began walking towards their parked car. Jihyo had to jog to catch up with how quickly Sana was walking. Sana made it to the car and once Jihyo was inside she let it out. 

 

"What was that Jihyo?!" Sana raised her voice. 

 

"What? Did I do something wrong?" Jihyo's fake ignorance only made Sana more mad. 

 

"You know exactly what you did. What on earth gives you the idea that I want to have dinner with Momo and her soulmate?" Sana crossed her arms over her chest. 

 

"Sana, don't you see? This is perfect. You'll finally get the closure you've been wanting." Jihyo said but when Sana didn't respond, Jihyo continued her explanation. "When we met, you were still hurting from Momo leaving. You confided in me and I, as your soulmate, knew I needed to help you through it." 

 

"And you did. I got through it. I got over it, Ji." 

 

"But you never got an explanation from her. Now you can." 

 

Sana shook her head. "What sort of explanation could she give me that I already haven't thought of in my head? We weren't soulmates, there was no reason for her to stay." 

 

"But you loved her. She owes you an apology at the least." Jihyo took Sana's hand and kissed the knuckle on her fingers. "You deserve that much." 

 

"So this dinner is just to get an apology from her? You don't know Momo like I do." Sana laughed cynically. 

 

"She was your best friend, Sana. Your ex. The person you thought was going to be your soulmate. You might not love her like you used to but I don't believe that you don't miss her. Don't you want to know how she's been?" 

 

Yes. Of course she does, but that's exactly why she shouldn't. Jihyo was her soulmate, not Momo. So she should have no desire to know how the other girl is doing. Still, Jihyo had a point. Momo was her best friend before they were romantically involved. She can't lie to herself; she misses Momo, her best friend. 

 

"Fine. One dinner and that's it." Sana relents. If Jihyo thought it was a good idea, then it won't hurt to try. Jihyo always knew what was best for Sana. 

 

Meanwhile, Momo and Nayeon were having a much more silent drive home. Momo wanted to express her displeasure about Nayeon agreeing to the dinner, but something stopped her. She hated conflict for one, but there was something else stopping her. Maybe. It was the way Nayeon fake smiles when introducing herself to Sana and her soulmate. Or maybe it was the way Nayeon looked at Sana when she found out that she and Momo knew each other. 

 

Nayeon always gets jealous easily. It never really bothered Momo before. Not until today. 

 

Nayeon usually got over her petty jealousy quickly. It was easy when she remembered the soulmate mark on her shoulder. No one else matched Momo but her. Now though, Nayeon seemed to be planning something. Momo recognized the tell-tale signs of a jealous Nayeon, so why did her soulmate accept the dinner invitation? 

 

"You never mentioned a Sana before." 

 

And there it was. What was really bothering Nayeon. Momo couldn't help but roll her eyes. 

 

"I didn't think it was important to mention." Momo countered. 

 

"Oh c'mon, Momo." Nayeon scoffed. "Don't act dumb with me. You guys were avoiding each other's eye contact like it was the plague." 

 

"So?" Momo didn't know what Nayeon was implying. 

 

"So? Who is she and why did she tell her soulmate about you, but you didn't tell me about her?" 

 

Momo sighed. 

 

"She's exactly who I introduced her as. We grew up together in Japan." Momo really didn't want to lie to Nayeon, but if Nayeon knew about her and Sana's true relationship, Nayeon would be pissed. 

 

"Well if you told me literally anything about yourself and your life in Japan, I wouldn't be asking, you know." 

 

Nayeon had a point. Momo avoided any sort of conversation about her past in hopes to never have to explain Sana to her. 

 

" I know, I just..." Momo paused. She could lie and say Sana was just a friend, but it felt wrong. Nayeon was her soulmate, she shouldn't be lying to her. "I was worried what you would think of me." 

 

Nayeon's face softened. "Momo, I love you. Nothing you can say will change that. I just want to know you, every part of you." 

 

Momo swallowed. "Sana and I dated for a few years. We obviously broke up when we found out we were each other's soulmate." 

 

Nayeon chewed on her bottom lip. "Did you love her?" 

 

"Of course I did. She was my best friend. I thought she'd be my soulmate." 

 

Nayeon grabbed Momo's hand and squeezed it. 

 

"When she turned eighteen, I left. I couldn't stand being around her knowing we didn't match." Momo turned to look at Nayeon. Her soulmate was looking out the window of the car. She was in her head, thinking. "Nayeon, we were young and naive. I loved her, but she's not my soulmate. You are." 

 

Nayeon nodded her head. "I know." She looked back at Momo with a genuine smile. "Thank you for telling me." 

 

"I'm sorry I kept it from you, but it was just embarrassing. I know I hurt her when I left, but I needed to. I needed to find you." Momo bared her heart on her sleeve. Only Nayeon could get that out of her. Momo kept her feelings close to her chest, but Nayeon could open her up like no one else. 

 

"And I'm sorry for accepting the dinner invitation without considering your feelings." Nayeon apologized. 

 

"It's okay, Nay. I love you." Momo lifted their connected hands and kissed the top of Nayeon's. 

 

Nayeon wasn't satisfied with such a simple kiss though. She released Momo's hand to wrap an arm around Momo's neck to pull her in for a proper kiss. 

 

A few days passed and the night they were meant to have dinner with Momo and Nayeon arrived. Sana paced back and forth in the kitchen while Jihyo was busy prepping dinner. 

 

"Sweetheart, I love you, but you're going to burn a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that." 

 

Sana stopped in her tracks and flopped down on   one of their chairs at the kitchen table. "I'm nervous. I can't help but pace." 

 

"Talk to me, baby, what are you nervous about?" 

 

Sana sighs. "I don't know. It's Momo, I know Momo, so I shouldn't be nervous, but at the same time I don't know her. It's been so long. Is she even the same person I knew?" 

 

Jihyo puts down the spatula she was holding and wiped her hands on a kitchen towel before kneeling in front of Sana. 

 

"You're overthinking things, my love." Jihyo said affectionately. "Besides I'll be right next to you the entire time. Nothing bad is going to happen." 

 

And Sana believed her. She knew as long as Jihyo was there, nothing could hurt her, not even Momo. Sana nodded and let Jihyo get back to cooking. 

 

Soon, the doorbell rang and all of Sana's nerves came back with a vengeance. Before she could back out and cancel the whole night, making some lame excuse, Jihyo opens their door. 

 

"Nayeon, Momo, welcome." Jihyo let the couple into their home. "I was just finishing up dinner." 

 

Nayeon bounced in with Momo not far behind her. 

 

"Would you guys like anything to drink?" Sana offered. 

 

"Nothing for me! I'm driving." Nayeon said before tiring to Momo. "Honey?" 

 

"Uhh sure. I'll have whatever you've got." Momo awkwardly said. Momo looked everywhere but at Sana. 

 

"Red or white?" Sana asked Momo. 

 

"White. Please." 

 

The room grew quiet as Jihyo was busy and Sana was left to entertain their guests. She poured Momo a glass of wine and led the couple over to the dinner table. 

 

"So, Sana, Momo tells me you guys knew each other in Japan. How did you end up in Korea?" Nayeon began the conversation. 

 

"Jihyo and I lived in Japan for a few years before her job asked her to move back to Seoul." Sana answered. 

 

"Really? Jihyo, what do you do for work?" Nayeon asked loud enough for the busy women to hear her. 

 

"I work for a marketing company. Nothing too interesting." Jihyo answered over her shoulder. 

 

"What do you do Nayeon?" Sana got a little more comfortable at least with speaking to Nayeon. Momo was content to sit beside her soulmate and sip on her wine in silence. 

 

"Don't laugh, but I'm a social media manager." 

 

"Laugh? I would never. That sounds like such an interesting job." Sana briefly looked over to Momo who was smiling at her soulmate. 

 

"Alright guys, dinner is served!" Jihyo walked over with the first set of plates and bowels. 

 

Sana immediately stood up to help her wife's 

 

"What's for dinner?" Nayeon asked. 

 

"Homemade kimchi jjigae and banchan courtesy of my mother." Jihyo proudly set dinner on the table. 

 

"Wow this looks delicious Jihyo." Momo finally spoke up. 

 

"Momo loves kimchi jjigae. You know the way to her heart is through her stomach." Nayeon laughs. 

 

Sana joins in the laughter. Momo seemed to have not changed much in that aspect. The girl always loved to eat. Sana found it incredibly endearing when they were younger. 

 

"Dig in!"

 

Everyone began to eat, commenting and complimenting Jihyo's cooking. 

 

"So how did you two find each other?" Jihyo causally asked.  It was a common question to ask a couple. How did you run into your soulmate? When did your life really begin with your soulmate?

 

Nayeon's eyes lit up and automatically grabbed Momo's hand on the table. "We actually met when I took one of Momo's dance classes. I literally bumped into her." 

 

Sana perked up a little at the mention of Momo teaching dance. "You teach dance now?" 

 

Momo ducked her head a little and nodded, embarrassed to be the subject of conversation. 

 

"That's amazing Momo." Sana had the urge to reach across the table, but the sight of Nayeon's hand holding onto Momo's stopped her. "You always talked about owning your own dance studio when we were kids." 

 

"Awww really?" Nayeon cooed at her wife. 

 

Momo's face turned red. "I don't own a studio. Just teach." 

 

"For now." Nayeon added. "So how did you guys meet?" Nayeon asked the other couple. 

 

"I was studying abroad in Japan and some colleagues of mine dragged me to a bar one night and this beautiful girl just happened to be there too." Jihyo slung her arm over Sana's shoulders. "I was looking at her the entire night wanting to buy her a drink or something. Eventually I got the courage and when our hand accidentally touched, well you know how it goes." 

 

Sana remembers back to that night. She really didn't want to go out drinking, but her friends insisted. What Jihyo said was true, she was practically staring at Sana the entire night. It had set Sana's skin on fire just thinking about the intense stare Jihyo was giving her that night. 

 

When Jihyo offered to buy her a drink, she couldn't say no. There had been many moments where Sana was offered a dunk by some random person in a bar and each time she turned them down, not wanting to lead them on to something she definitely didn't want. Something was different about Jihyo that night. Of course she wasn't hard on the eyes, that much Sana knew, but a stronger force had finally made her accept the offered drink. Now she realizes it was the universe pushing two soulmates together, but Sana liked to think she would have accepted the drink that night even if they weren't soulmates. 

 

"Cute." Nayeon squealed. "It's crazy how these marks work, right?" 

 

Everyone agreed and went back to eating. The conversation was mainly led by Jihyo and Nayeon, talking about work and all the mundane things. They seemed to really get on and Sana would be happy if at least Jihyo found a new friend out of this. 

 

Momo on the other hand seemed to be in her own little world. Sana knows that's how Momo would cope with anxiety years ago. She would basically just space out until someone or something pulled her out of her head. Sana wanted to comfort Momo, tell her should have nothing to be anxious about, but that job fell onto Nayeon now. Sana had no business comforting Momo. 

 

"Momo and I can't stay too late by the way. We have some babies at home to take care of." Nayeon said. 

 

"Babies?" Sana was shocked. Momo had children?

 

"Dogs. Babies as in dogs. I keep telling Nayeon to stop referring to them as babies. It confuses people." Momo explained. 

 

"They are our babies though!" Nayeon fought. 

 

"How many dogs do you have?" Jihyo asked. 

 

"Three growing baby boys." Nayeon spoke fondly of their pets. 

 

"Well three dogs will certainly be a handful when you do decide to actually have children." Jihyo chuckled. 

 

"We don't plan on having any kids." Momo curtly said. 

 

"Really?" Sana was taken off guard at the statement. "I thought you wanted to have kids Momo?" When they were together at least Momo had spoken about having children with Sana. 

 

Momo shrugged. "I guess I changed my mind a while ago. Both of us don't really want children." Momo looked at Nayeon. 

 

Sana wonders just how much has changed. Is Momo even the same person she loved anymore?

 

Just then Sana remembers she's meant to be mad at Momo and seeking an apology from the girl. That's what Jihyo had suggested, right? 

 

"So, Nayeon, do you like bikes?" Jihyo suddenly asked. Everyone had finished with their meal. 

 

"Bikes?" Nayeon looked confused. 

 

"Yeah like motorcycles." Jihyo explained. 

 

"Uhh sure, I mean I don't dislike them." 

 

"Why don't I show you my bike I got down in the parking garage for a minute. I promise you'll like it." Jihyo suggested. Sana knew what Jihyo was trying to do. She wanted to get Nayeon out of the apartment so Momo and her could be alone and Nayeon caught on quickly. 

 

"Okay! Sounds like fun!" Nayeon sprung up from her chair and quickly gave Momo a kiss on the cheek, before following Jihyo out of the apartment. 

 

Sana stood up and began collecting the dirty dishes from the table only to find Momo had also begun doing the same. 

 

"You don't need to do that." Sana said. 

 

"It's okay. I can help." Momo simply stated. 

 

Sana let Momo help her bring the dishes to the sink and the pair mindlessly started washing the dishes together. Sana washed while Momo dried each dish the other girl handed to her. 

 

"So, Jihyo has a motorcycle" Momo tries to start up a conversation. 

 

Sana nodded and added, "she actually has two. One she likes to ride and an older one her dad gave her when she got her license." 

 

"That's cool." Momo bobbed her head up and down trying not to picture Sana on the back of a motorcycle. 

 

"I'm really happy to have bumped into you again after all these years Momo." Sana thought now was as good as ever to try and have a serious conversation with Momo. "I'm glad to have met Nayeon too. She seems like she makes you happy." 

 

It was an innocent comment. At least that's what Sana thought, but Momo took it a different way. As a challenge. 

 

"Of course she makes me happy. She's my soulmate. Jihyo makes you happy, doesn't she?" 

 

"Yes, I just meant it was nice to see you happy, that's all." Sana's face scrunched up in irritation. 

 

"A little silly to think I'm unhappy with my soulmate." Momo is blunt as always. 

 

" I never said that, Momo. And there are plenty of people who are unhappy with their soulmates. Don't act like it's all rainbows and butterflies just because you have a soulmate." Sana countered. 

 

"I'm sorry to disappoint you Sana, but Nayeon and I are completely happy." 

 

"That doesn't disappoint me. I literally just said I'm happy for the two of you. Why are you trying to make this into an argument?" 

 

"I'm not. You implied that I could be unhappy with Nayeon. Which I'm not." Momo put down the last dried dish and backed away from the sink. 

 

"Okay, okay. Let's just calm down. It was a misunderstanding. I was just trying to be supportive of you and Nayeon." Sana tried to de-escalate the conversation. 

 

Momo didn't say anything however which gave Sana another opportunity to speak. 

 

"I mean, I haven't seen or heard from you in ten years, Momo." 

 

"So?" 

 

"So? You disappeared from my life the moment I turned eighteen and now you're here again. I can't help but wonder what happened." Sana fidgeted with her own fingers, nervous to even broach this topic. "Then you appear out of nowhere with your soulmate and I'm supposed to act like everything is all sunshine and rainbows. That's not fair." 

 

Momo scoffed. "You act like I had no reason to disappear, Sana. I made the right choice for both of us that night. Now we're both happy with our soulmates. Why even bring up the past?" 

 

"Because you hurt me, Momo. I was devastated that night and you left me to deal with it alone." The emotions began to rise in Sana's voice. 

 

"You weren't alone. You had other people there with you." 

 

Now it was Sana's turn to scoff. "I wanted you next to me, not them. I wanted my best friend there, my girlfriend, the person that meant the most to me there." 

 

Momo shook her head. "Why? So we both could be in pain?" 

 

"So I could feel like our love wasn't set on a timer. That it meant something to you beyond just a placeholder for Nayeon."

 

"Don't bring Nayeon into this." Momo warned. "This all started way before she was even in the picture." 

 

"That's the thing Momo. She was always in the picture. You thought about her even before you knew her name. Did you think about her when you were with me?" Sana didn't want the conversation to go down this road. All she wanted was an apology, but Momo seemed unapologetic. 

 

"What do you want from me, Sana? You're acting like me thinking about my soulmate is a crime." 

 

"I want you to admit you were selfish. You broke my heart and left me to piece it all back together." 

 

"Maybe I was selfish, but my heart broke too." Momo finally began to show what she was feeling on the inside. The sadness she felt leaving Sana seeped through her voice like it was the very night she left. "I loved you Sana. So ing much. I could stand watching that all go down the drain. I had to leave for my own sanity." 

 

Sana knows it shouldn't hurt this much. She has Jihyo for god's sake, but the stab of pain hearing Momo say "loved" instead of "love" almost made her double over. She had held out some hope that Momo still held some love for her, no matter how wrong it was. 

 

"Do you feel even the slightest bit of regret from that night?" Sana asked. 

 

"Of course I do." Momo's voice raised in volume.  "I would do it all differently if I could, but I can't. All I can do is move on. Which is what I wish you would do. 

 

"That was our childhood. Our adolescents. I can't just move on." 

 

Momo began to stalk forward towards Sana out of frustration. "Tell me, please, what do you need me to do to help you move on from this, Sana. I can't change the past but what do you need from me now?" 

 

Sana felt cornered and backed into the kitchen counter. Momo didn’t notice how close she had gotten to Sana until they were face to face. 

 

"Please tell me." Momo practically begged. 

 

"I just want you to apologize and tell me that it was all real to you." 

 

Momo took a deep breath, knowing what Sana needed to hear. She raised her hands and hesitated a moment before cupping Sana's face. 

 

"I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you more than was inevitable for us. You were my everything and I thought if I had control over when I left then it would hurt less." 

 

"Do you think it helped? Choosing when to leave?" Sana whispered. 

 

Momo shook her head again. "It still hurts to this day. I still feel the guilt and pain of us not being soulmates, Sana. It's torture." Momo's voice cracked at the end. 

 

"Oh Momo." Sana wrapped her arms around Momo in a hug. Momo's shoulders began to shake and Sana suspected she had begun to cry. "It's okay, Momo. Please don't cry." She swayed back and forth to try and console the crying girl. 

 

"I love Nayeon, but there is still this part of my heart that wants you, Sana. I tried to hate that part of myself, to make it go away, but it never does." 

 

Sana wants to cry as well. She knows exactly what Momo is feeling. The shame of having and loving your soulmate but still yearning for another person. 

 

"What do we do?" Sana sobbed. 

 

Momo pulled away from the hug. "What do you mean? We do nothing. We continue our lives with our soulmates. That's all we can do." 

 

"We go on just pretending the other doesn't exist?" 

 

"What would you have us do then? Act like we were just friends? Momo now had Sana at an arm's length. "I'm not leaving Nayeon. I can't be without her." 

 

And Sana couldn't be without Jihyo. Jihyo was her biggest supporter. The person she relies too much on, but Momo is... Momo. 

 

She couldn't get past Momo. She should. She should be able to accept that Momo wasn't her soulmate, but something deep inside her heart was holding on. 

 

Momo could tell Sana was having an internal battle. 

 

"Sana, I can't be your friend. It would be too hard." Momo sighs. "I don't see a way we can be in each other's lives without hurting our soulmates." 

 

Sana swallowed hard. "I don't want to hurt Jihyo." 

 

"And I don't want to hurt Nayeon." 

 

"So this is it?" Sana was afraid to ask. She just got Momo back into her life and now it seemed like Momo was leaving again. 

 

"I'm sorry Sana. This is what's best for both of us. Don't you think so?" Momo asks. 

 

Sana nodded. "You're right. 

 

Momo could barely hear Sana. 

 

"This time though I can properly say goodbye." 

 

Sana looked up at Momo with watery eyes. "Yeah. That'll be nice." Sana chuckled a little. "I love you Momo. I always will." 

 

Momo smiled at the bitter sweet moment. "Until the day I die, Sana." She repeated the same words she said all those years ago. 

 

Momo leaned forward and kissed the side of Sana's face before walking towards the front door. 

 

"Momo, wait." Sana said before Momo was able to open the door. "Be good to, Nayeon, yeah?" 

 

Momo grinned. "Of course." 

 

Momo opened the door and closed it behind her, leaving Sana once again. Sana couldn't help the free tears that dropped, but this time instead of feeling the despite of losing Momo, she felt an odd sense of peace. 

 

When Sana thought of Mina and her predicament, she felt so much sorrow for her friend. Even the thought of Jihyo not being with her made anxiety bubble under her skin. 

 

She knows she'll always miss having Momo in her life and maybe one day they could meet again, be friends even. For now, though, Sana needed to let the past be in the past. She had a whole life and future ahead of her with her soulmate after all. 

 

Speaking of soulmate, Jihyo walked through the door minutes after Momo left. 

 

"Hey." Jihyo strided over to Sana to make sure her wife was okay. "What happened? Momo came out and said they needed to leave. Is everything okay?l 

 

Instead of answering, Sana leaned her head onto Jihyo's shoulder and wrapped herself around the shorter girl. 

 

"Baby?" Jihyo asked again. 

 

Sana looked into her soulmate's eyes and saw something completely different than what she saw in Momo's. 

 

In Momo's eyes she saw the lingering pain they had caused each other. The past love they shared. In Jihyo's eyes she sees an endless road of a future she's meant to have. There was safety in Jihyo's eyes and that's what Sana needed. 

 

"I love you, Park Jihyo." Sana ignored the questions and decided to make her declaration clear. 

 

"I love you too. Is everything alright?" Jihyo looked a little less worried. 

 

"Everything is great as long as I have you." 

 

Jihyo 's worry melted away into pure affection for the girl in her arms. 

 

"You have me forever." 

 

On the other side of the door Momo and Nayeon silently left the apartment building. Nayeon could sense Momo was deep in thought and knew she needed some space. Once they got in the car however, Nayeon couldn't take the silence anymore. She also couldn't take the voice in her head telling her all the worse things. 

 

"You still love her, don't you?" Nayeon knew Momo better than anyone. It came with being her soulmate. She could tell her soulmate was struggling with her feelings. 

 

Momo couldn't look her soulmate in the eyes. 

 

"I love you." Momo said. 

 

"But you love her too." Nayeon corrected. She didn't sound mad or upset. Just curious. 

 

"I don't know what I feel for her. All I know is that I need you." Momo looked down at her hands. 

 

"So what now?" 

 

"Now we go on with our lives. I can't live my life wondering what ifs. I just have to live knowing that you're my soulmate and there's a reason for that." Momo felt more confident in her own feelings the more she spoke about them. 

 

"Do you think there was a reason for you and Sana?" Nayeon asked. 

 

Momo thought for a moment before speaking. Was there a reason her and Sana had met and fallen in love with each other when they did? 

 

"I think so. I'm not sure why yet, but maybe I'm never meant to know. Maybe I'll figure it out in the years to come or maybe it was just a lesson in heartbreak. I don't know." Momo grabbed Nayeon's hand. "All I know is that I love you and I plan on spending the rest of my life with you, Nayeon." 

 

"I love you too, Momo." 

 

"Now let's go home to our babies." Momo laughed as Nayeon wiggled in her seat, putting the car in drive. 

 

Momo took one last look at the building she just left, knowing Sana was in there with her soulmate. Knowing where she was meant to be just like how Momo was meant to be in the car with Nayeon and nowhere else.