Mina's fists grip lightly on the sheets, holding them up to her chest. She doesn't know if it's the cold air hitting her bare back or the person lying on her bed, making her shiver. She's sitting on the edge of the bed, shoulders curling in, one foot tapping endlessly on the floor; her phone beside her, open to the last text she got from Nayeon the night before.
Her body feels heavy and sore — she's an exhibit of bruises and marks from last night's mistake.
She doesn't notice she's shaking until a gentle hand on her back steadies her.
Momo crawls to Mina's side and adorns the latter's shoulder with a series of feathery kisses. Mina recoils on the fourth kiss. She raises the sheets up to her chest further, like a last hurrah, a final act of defiance to show the enemy hasn't triumphed. But Mina knew she was lying to herself. All the defences and walls she's built have been torn down the moment she let Momo step foot into her
home.
"What's wrong?" The grogginess in Momo's voice disappears the very moment Mina flinches away from her.
There's a million ways to answer the question, really, but a single word will suffice. "This." Mina scoffs and points back and forth to Momo and herself. "Get dressed and leave immediately."
"You haven't let me explain yet." Momo mumbles a sorry reply.
"I don't think you've earned the right to." Mina walks to her closet and clothes herself with a robe, the only semblance of comfort and warmth she'll be having this morning.
Momo stares at her feet and sweeps her hair back until her hands circle at the back of her own neck.
"I still love you, Mitang."
Mina takes this as her cue to exit the room. Momo scrambles to get on her feet, and realises she left her clothes outside at the living room, so she grabs the nearest top hanging at the back of the door.
It's an emerald green sweatshirt, one she's seen and held before — it's the one she gifted Nayeon a year back.
"Mina, I—"
"You can't just show up after all these years, fuck me senseless, and expect everything to return to how it was before." Mina cuts Momo off.
"I know that. I'm not expecting things to revert to how they were before. I know the damage I caused you is irreparable and irreversible, but I want to set things straight."
"Why now?" Mina's jaw clenches. "I was doing fine. I was healing. Then you come along and do this. I know, I admit, it takes two to tango, but you didn't have to show up at my door. I hate you for showing up, but I hate myself even more for letting this happen." Mina feels the ache in her chest as if her ribs puncture her lungs every time she breathes in.
When Momo gives nothing but silence as an answer, Mina takes it upon herself to continue the conversation by unloading her emotions. "I hate the fact that I welcomed you so easily, so desperately. I left myself defenceless and unarmed."
There's no point in holding back her tears.
"I'm disgusted with myself."
The words suddenly hit the switch in Momo's mind that triggers her therapist mode. It pains Momo to hear those words, but she allows the Mina to reveal her thoughts further.
"I hate how I'll be hurting Nayeon when she finds out this happened." Mina sobs uncontrollably.
"It feels like I've wronged her."
A realisation hits Momo, but even a random passerby can tell: Mina cares deeply about Nayeon. It may or may not reach the threshold of loving someone, but it's somewhere there, lingering in the blurred line between liking and loving someone.
And this sudden awareness comes as a slap across Momo's face. She shouldn't have done this. She should've known better than disrupting Mina's healing process and swooping in to take the girl her best friend likes. But she's human too. Reason doesn't always triumph over emotions. How can it be so wrong to run back to the arms of the one you love?
"Stop analysing my words and speak up, goddamn it!" Mina slams her hands on the table.
"It's long overdue, but I wanna say I'm sorry. For everything. When-when I saw you with Nayeon recently, it dawned on me that I was scared to lose you completely." Momo stammers. She actually had a speech rehearsed in her mind, but being in front of Mina is an entirely different thing.
"You already lost me in Vegas years ago." Mina looks away, staring at the opposite wall. She can't face Momo like this. She doesn't want Momo to read her like an open book.
"What happened in Vegas..." Momo sighs.
"That wasn't me and Sana."
"Bullshit. I saw Sana and you, under her. I heard her scream your name." Mina spits out with distaste. It's also the first time in years she uttered her sister's name. The name feels bitter on her tongue.
"That wasn't me with her. It was a random girl we met at the casino."
"And you expect me to believe that?" Mina replies indignantly.
"Yes! Because I followed you when you ran away crying. I saw you wandering alone going to some pub. But I can't approach you, so I held myself back. We needed you to believe it was real. You needed to break up with me and hate me. I needed you to stay away from me. And then..." Momo swallows. She shakes her head in denial. "I saw you making out with a stranger that night. It turns out I knew her. I lost you to Nayeon that night, Mitang." Momo says, exasperated.
"So this is about Nayeon? You came back into my life because you saw me with Nayeon again? Don't you dare bring her into this! You can't absolve yourself from the pain you caused me all these years just because you caught me making out with someone after believing you were sleeping with my sister. I told you then, I didn't care what my father did to me. I told you I was willing to risk it for you, for us. I didn't care if I got kicked out of the registry."
"You didn't know how far your father was willing to go! Sana heard him say that you're just confused because you haven't been exposed to a real man. He was going to send you a guy to make you realise 'what you're missing'." Momo's head falls.
"W-What?"
"We were just so scared of what he was gonna to do you, Mitang." Momo tries to approach Mina a little closer, and this time, Mina doesn't flinch or move away. "When Sana heard your father talking to someone on the phone about it, she was so scared. I've never seen her more distraught in her whole life. She wanted to protect you so she reached out to me. She explained that you and I had to breakup, or else you'll be put in danger. I knew you were ready to risk everything for me, but I wasn't ready to lose you."
Mina shakes her head. "I fell for your act hook, line, and sinker, but it shouldn't have been that way. You should've told me. We could've made it work. We could've found a way out! We could've been together until now."
"Mitang, what's done is done and I'm terribly sorry. That's why I'm trying to make it up to you now. Please give me one more chance to make things right. One last."
"That's a selfish request."
"I know, I just—" Momo takes Mina's hands into hers.
"We will hurt people if we do that." Avoiding Momo's eyes was harder than what Mina expected.
"We'll make it work this time. Please?"
"Sana's my sister and best friend. She likes, no she loves you. And Nayeon...you're Nayeon's best
friend. And I like her."
"Sana and I...just love each other platonically. And I know Nayeon likes you..." Momo sighs. "As her best friend and as her therapist, I'm so angry and frustrated with myself. I don't even have the
right to call myself that. But as Momo, as myself, I'm saying please give me another chance. I'm in love with you, Mitang. I'm so in love with you even after all these years."
"Do you even hear yourself right now? I still love you too...but you don't deserve that." Mina lets out when she finally looks Momo in the eyes. Her eyes are an abyss of hurt, betrayal, confusion, anger, desperation, fear, disgust, and a slight bit of hope(?).
"I understand that and I'm willing to do everything right this time just to be worthy of your love again."
Mina can't find it in herself to refuse Momo outright. She just can't. She still loves her after all.
"Mitang, I'm not forcing you to take me back or do anything you don't want to. But I'll be here, proving myself to you."
But Momo didn't even have to ask Mina to reconsider. Mina's been through this debate with herself for years. When Momo comes back and asks for a second chance, will I let her in? Though she tried to come up with excuses and let logic take control, the answer is always, without fail, a pathetic yes. But then again, things have changed and this choice does not involve only the two of them.
She knows her sister best. From the way she stood the night of their encounter, Mina knows the love Sana has for Momo isn't just platonic. It's something more profound. She can't hurt her sister like this. And Nayeon too. Nayeon doesn't deserve any of this. It would be unfair to Nayeon if Mina makes a decision now.
So she answers with uncertainty. "You need to leave now."
Momo looks at Mina with her signature puppy eyes, but Mina averts her eyes quickly, knowing it's a trap. She changes into her clothes and heads out. "We're endgame, Mitang." Momo says as a goodbye.
Mina hears the words in flesh after years. It's instinct for her heart to do a flip, but this time, it hurt more than it warmed her heart. Momo's words send Mina to a spiral of reflection. Were they really endgame? Does Momo deserve a second chance? Was Momo lying? How did Momo even find her address? Does Nayeon deserve her love more? All these questions chain Mina down in shackles she has to walk with for an indefinite time.
*****
[Sana ]:
How did it go, Momoring?
How is she?
[Sugar Mom-o]:
We talked and I explained everything.
She needs time, and I'm willing to wait.
She doesn't seem okay.
[Sana ]:
I miss Mina. I miss my baby sister so much.
I'm giving her time to think about things first before I talk to her.
I know she hates me, so...
[Sugar Mom-o]:
I don't think she hates you. Mitang said there'll be people hurt if we get back together.
Nayeon for one, and you.
But you won't get hurt, right? You'll be happy for us?
[Sana ]:
Of course, I'll be happy. I love the both of you. I love Mitang.
I love you.
If she takes you back, you better take care of her well!!!
[Sugar Mom-o]:
Of course!
[Sana ]:
How about Nayeon?
When will you talk to her?
[Sugar Mom-o]:
Idk yet. I'll figure it out.
And hey
[Sana ]:
What?
[Sugar Mom-o]:
Thanks for letting me go.
I mean we weren't together-together, but you took care of me so well you made me feel like we were.
[Sana ]:
Not a problem at all!
*****
But it was a problem.
*****
"Yah! Im Nayeon, are you even listening? Your best friend's gonna propose to your other best friend." Jeongyeon tries to get Nayeon's attention, whose eyes are locked on her phone.
"I guess it really has started. It's really happening, huh?" She sighs and slides her phone to her pocket.
"What has started?"
"Nothing. Sorry, I got distracted. Continue. Where were we? If you give Jihyo a lousy and lame proposal, I'm gonna stage my own and marry her instead." Nayeon warns. "Have you talked to her family yet?"
"Yeah. I asked permission from her parents. And sisters. And her cat too. And now I'm asking for your blessing too."
"The cat was first before me?!" Nayeon frowns and puffs her cheek.
"Save the best for last, of course." Jeongyeon winks.
"You're walking on thin ice, Yoo. Anyway, your plan. Go."
"I'll take her to our kindergarten, since that's where I first met her. I was thinking our campus in LA but kindergarten sounds cuter."
"Yeah, that actually sounds cuter. And when you think about LA, I know you think about me." Nayeon sticks out her tongue and laughs. "How do you plan to get her there?"
"I'll say I'm donating funds for renovation. I'll ask her to check it out with me. When we're there, I'll lead her to the playground because that's where I fell for her, literally. Can you believe it, she was so feisty even as a toddler! She pushed me off the swing." Jeongyeon laughs.
"Okay, okay. Sounds cute so far."
"And then we'll play in the swings. I'm gonna swing so hard until I fall to the ground and then someone will blast Here, There, and Everywhere through the speakers and I'll pull out the ring and pop the question."
Nayeon feigns wiping her tears away. "Yoo Jeongyeon that's so cute! Give me a hug!"
Jeongyeon embraces Nayeon. "Do you think she'll say yes?"
"Of course, she will! If she doesn't, call me up and I will!" Nayeon laughs. "I'm so excited! I'm so proud of you guys. Look at you, about to propose to Jihyo. You were just a snotty bob back then."
"Shut up, Nabongs." Jeongyeon's almost in tears too. "Look at you being a supportive best friend even after all the shit we've been through."
"If you're saying that just to get me as your maid of honour, I'm Jihyo's. Get your own."
Jeongyeon pokes Nayeon's side. "I'll just get Momo then."
"Sure." Nayeon face slightly dims at this remark. It's not that she dislikes the idea of Momo being Jeongyeon's maid of honour. It's just that she doesn't know how to talk to Momo. It's been over a month and she hasn't heard from one of her bestfriends.
"Anyway, I still have work. I need to get
going. I'm so happy for you, Jeong."
They exchange a few goodbyes and insults before finally parting ways. At least two of her friends got their shit together.
*****
The deal about keeping distance from each other for a while was benefitting Mina more than she expected, especially with her mistake from last night, it'd be best not to be close to Nayeon. She doesn't have the courage to face Nayeon. When she arrives at the office, the blinds in Nayeon's office were thankfully shut, the files (minus cute notes) Nayeon reviewed were already on her table, and there's no bottle of kombucha waiting for her. From Mina's perspective, it seems like Nayeon's handling it just fine. But it was a misjudgment.
On the other end, Nayeon realises how much her days had been filled with Mina. She has too much free time alone now that she's not by Mina's side. If their deal hadn't pushed through, she would be sitting across Mina right now in some restaurant on their bucket list of trying every restaurant within a 3km radius from the office. If their deal hadn't pushed through, she would be casually brushing the back of her hand against Mina's as they walk, and Mina would've taken it.
Avoiding Mina when they're not supposed to be together is already difficult, but avoiding Mina when they're supposed to be in the same space and same time because of work, proved to be a lot harder.
"Ms. Im, thoughts on Ms. Son's design?" Mina asks from the far end of the table.
"I think Dahyun's research was well-integrated into Chaeyoung's design. It just proves they make a really good team. However, it wasn't mentioned how the smart house will be lit." Nayeon answers, but she wasn't looking at Mina.
Chaeyoung looks at her puzzled, wondering why Nayeon was looking at her instead. She points to Mina with her two thumbs, telling Nayeon to direct her eyes to the team leader.
"Valid point. Make a presentation about it and let's discuss it with the team next time." Mina replies, looking at Dahyun.
"Do I present again, team leader?" Dahyun asks.
"No, Ms. Kim. I wasn't talking to you." Mina shuffles the papers she was holding.
"Oh. Okay. Sorry, I just thought you were, since you were looking at me." Dahyun bows apologetically.
"Is there anything else aside from lights I should include?" Nayeon clarifies, looking at Chaeyoung.
"I don't know. I'm the one who forgot to include it." Chaeyoung chuckles.
"Ah, I was asking Team Leader Myoui." Nayeon's cheeks redden.
"Then why were you looking at me?" Chaeyoung's eyebrows are knitted.
"I can't look at that direction because...because the sun's blinding my eyes—"
"It's raining outside."
"Anywaaaay," Nayeon stops Chaeyoung from exposing her too much. "Do I need to include anything else, Team Leader Myoui?" she finds Mina's eyes. And yes, looking at the sun can be blinding. Nayeon reminds herself she's no Icarus and has no wings to melt, but why does it feel like getting too close to Mina will burn her someday?
"No, just the lights." Mina glances up at Nayeon and holds her gaze for a couple of seconds before blinking out of the trance.
It's the first time they've actually locked eyes today, and good god Mina's stare melts Nayeon on the spot.
The meeting ends and Nayeon wants to stay longer. She misses Mina, so she cherishes every second spent with her in the same time and space. Nayeon fixes her files sloppier than usual; makes a fuss about her feet aching from her high heels, causing her to walk out the room slower; dropping her pen and picking it up. But she knows she has to leave eventually. The trick about leaving is just doing it and not looking back, so she does just that and exits the meeting room. But she allows herself to look at Mina — a mistake.
"Hi." Nayeon says over her shoulder. "I meant bye. Thanks for the presentation."
"I didn't present today, Ms. Im." Mina bites her lip to suppress a smile.
"I...uh...I meant the presentation you assigned me, ugh—never mind. I can't get my way out of this. I'll see you around, Team Leader Myoui."
What the hell was that? Nayeon wanted to punch herself on the face for messing up so badly in front of Mina just because she missed her. Nayeon walks briskly to her office and reprimands herself repeatedly to get it together.
It turns out Nayeon's not the only one having withdrawals. Mina finds her own feet walking to Nayeon's office as if they had their own mind. Her hand acts on it own too and knocks on Nayeon's door.
"Yes, team leader?" Nayeon sits up straight, alert for instructions Mina will give.
"I just need you to review these files." Mina says as a knee-jerk response.
"What files?"
Both of their eyes travel to Mina's hands but see her empty-handed.
"Ah sorry, I think I sent a soft copy. Just check your email. Thanks." Mina says and strides back to her office. She doesn't look back.
That's how you do it. Nayeon tells herself again. The trick when leaving is not to look back, and Mina just did that.
No going home together and no good night kisses or texts. How can Nayeon manage to do that?
When it's time to go home, she paces around her office thinking about what she'll do. She sees Dahyun and Chaeyoung joking around and packing up, and Nayeon decides it's a good time to finally get to know her juniors.
"Can I go home with you guys?" Nayeon jogs to them with her bag slinging on her shoulder.
"We take the bus, unnie." Chaeyoung says.
"So? I can take the bus too." Nayeon raises her eyebrows.
"By taking the bus, we don't mean acquire the means of transportation and streamlining it to ImTech's bus line." Chaeyoung smiles at Nayeon.
"We can teach you how to ride a bus." Dahyun offers. "Where do you live though?"
"I'll just get off at whatever station you're getting off at." Nayeon says and slips her arms to both
Dahyun and Chaeyoung's. "I'll probably have a flat nearby."
"Eat the rich!" Chaeyoung declares with her fist up in the air. "I'm kidding. You're a nice kind of rich. Please don't fire me. Ha ha."
"I'm gonna fire you if you don't let me go home with you guys." Nayeon warns in jest.
Dahyun and Chaeyoung spend the night teaching Nayeon how to navigate through the city with the bus. The adventure momentarily takes Nayeon's mind off Mina, but whenever she sees street names, brands, stores, and anything remotely related to the team leader, she crumbles. She's extremely grateful for Chaeyoung's loud rant about art and politics. She arrives in her apartment almost an hour away from office. Looks like she'll be taking the long way home from now. Home never seemed so empty.
She immediately heads to bed and stares at her phone, waiting for Mina's reply to her text. Or any notification from Mina. None.
Alone time meant a lot of thinking for Nayeon. She wants to prove herself she doesn't only want Mina for sex and company, but she genuinely cares about the girl, and not just the benefits. She also wants to prove Mina that she too, is capable of loving and being loved by her.
How can Mina resist her this easily? Here she is losing her mind every minute, fighting every fibre of her being wanting to call Mina, and yet Mina seems to be handling it just fine. In the same manner Mina thinks Nayeon is doing fine, Nayeon thinks the same way. It was a misjudgment.
In her apartment, Mina sits in a corner, hugging her knees close, sobbing her eyes out until she has no tears left to cry, seething in anger, and drowning in self-loathing.
*****
Rolling all synonyms of slow into one word, would be the perfect definition of how the following days went. Apart from the days being slow and torturing, it's as if Mina and Nayeon went back to square one. Snarky remarks and intellectual clapbacks.
Mina goes to work earlier than usual so as not to have the chance to share the same lift going up, and she leaves later than everyone else. Nayeon spends her lunch and free time with the kids Dahyun and Chaeyoung.
There are times when Nayeon wants to break out of the cage of logic and barge into Mina's office to annoy her and just spend time with her, but Nayeon fights against that urge and repeats to herself
some words of encouragement: Mina's worth the wait.
But some days, Nayeon simply can't stand the thought of being away from Mina. And today, Nayeon misses Mina terribly. Their plans of avoiding each other are aligned; so well-aligned that Nayeon hates it too much she ends up breaking the schedule. So today, she decides to go early just so she could share an extra moment with Mina alone, even if they won't be talking, even if there are glass walls separating them.
The universe had its own way of warning Nayeon not to do exactly that, but Nayeon turns a deaf ear and chooses to be blind to it. People have the tendency to court trouble when they're in love, and in Nayeon's case, she's past the point of courting; she's straight up asking for trouble's hand in marriage.
It started with her alarm not waking her up on time, then her shower heater being broken, then coffee spilling on her favourite white polo, then misplacing her keys. If it were any normal day, she would've let the inconveniences ruin her day. But she made up her mind that today, she'll be going to work early for Mina. No cabs are passing by her area and her phone turned out not to be charging the whole night, so she can't book one either.
She jogs to the nearest corner where taxis are hailed, and she waited for almost 10 minutes before getting into one. Then it started pouring.
At least it didn't rain when she was waiting for a cab. The driver took a different route and ended up on the wrong side of the ImTech building.
That's when she sees a familiar car pulling up by the lobby entrance. Nayeon immediately pays for her cab and runs out to the other side of the road, despite the rain. She sees Mina gets out of the said car, hair a little bit disheveled, not in the brightest of moods, and she walked straight to the glass doors.
Nayeon tries to catch up, but a tugging feeling plants her feet in place. Her eyes shift to the car again, and that's when it sinks in.
It's not Mina's car. It's Momo's.
Momo just dropped Mina off for work.
Momo just dropped Mina off for work.
Momo...just dropped Mina off for work.
Momo...Mina...
Sometimes, when the universe shows signs, it'd be best to follow them.
*****
Nayeon waits for Mina to take the lift before she enters the building. A couple of employees greet her, looking at her with confusion and concern. Nayeon sees her reflection on the elevator doors, and sees the image of a desperate woman, drenched in rain, with coffee spilled on her shirt. It was unbecoming of ImTech's heiress to be this untidy, but fuck what everyone else thinks. Nayeon's not okay.
She drags her feet to her office and slumps to her chair. Nayeon notices that Mina hasn't shut her blinds yet, and the team leader was probably able to witness her walk of despair to her table.
Nayeon's posture was sagging, her eyes were vacant, her hair was damp. As she sees Mina looking at her with concern, she immediately clicks the button to shut the blinds down. This morning was a splash of water to her face, in both literal and figurative ways. What she needs least is pity from Mina.
Nayeon replays the scene in her mind, of Momo dropping Mina off. Maybe it's just Mina getting closure. If Mina already made a decision, Nayeon was sure the team leader would've told her already. So again, she tells herself, Mina's worth the wait. It was enough to keep her going.
The day goes smoothly, she changes into a pair of new clothes, takes the kids Dahyun and Chaeyoung out for lunch, reviews some files, walks to the bus with the kids, drops them off their apartment, walks home to her own. It's slowly becoming a routine, and it honestly isn't so bad. Mina is worth the wait, anyway.
*****
It's been three weeks since Mina asked for time and space away from each other.
Avoiding Mina used to be extremely difficult to the point Nayeon can feel her heart being clawed down, but after these three weeks, she's just desensitised (or at least she makes herself believe she is). It's not that easy to distance herself from Myoui Mina. It's not that simple keeping her feelings for Mina locked in a chamber. A relapse is bound to happen.
*****
"Team Leader Myoui! You have to try these cookies." Chaeyoung springs up from her seat as soon as Mina passes by.
"I'm wary of my calorie intake." Mina politely declines.
"Oh okay. All for me then." Chaeyoung smiles at the cookies.
"I didn't know Nayeon unnie was into baking these days." Dahyun comments, loud enough for Mina to hear and look back.
"Naye—Ms. Im made those?" Mina asks.
"Yeah." Chaeyoung stuffs another one into her mouth and munches on it heartily. "It's so chewy!"
"Chewy? Well, I guess one wont hurt." Mina takes one from the container. Nayeon makes cookies now?
"She's pretty anxious about how it tastes so she gave a whole batch to the office to see everyone's reaction. Word is she learned baking for someone special." Dahyun comments and wriggles her eyebrows.
Mina was never one to join in office gossips, in fact she had a rule not to be involved in talking about workmates behind their back, but this is about Nayeon, and Mina may not know, but she was actually clinging to the hope it was her, Nayeon's baking cookies for.
"I bet she's learning to bake for her boyfriend. I saw Mr. Oh drop by her office earlier." Dahyun wriggles her eyebrows.
"Or girlfriend. I heard her on the phone with some girl and when she saw me she looked secretive." Chaeyoung shrugs.
"What do you think, Team Leader Myoui?"
The thought of Nayeon being with someone else doesn't sit well with Mina. But who was Mina to think that way, anyway? Nayeon deserves someone else, someone better. "That's none of our business." She answers.
As she makes her way to the meeting room, she got reminded of the ' ' contact on Nayeon's phone who is 'someone important'.
*****
"Unnie, Chaeyoung and I are betting whether you baked the cookies for your boyfriend or girlfriend. Which one of us is right?" Dahyun whispers before the meeting starts.
"Neither." Nayeon laughs.
"Oh my god! My friend said there's someone breaking in at the lobby who refuses to be identified." Chaeyoung shows a short clip of security personnel lined up in the lobby.
"Breaking in? I'm sure the security will handle it." Mina enters the meeting room and strides to her seat. "Let's not worry about the person breaking in and start the meeting immediately. Ms. Im, you're up to discuss the research for the lighting we'll use for the ImTech houses in Cheongdam-dong."
Nayeon connects her phone to the projector and starts her presentation.
"The flats in Cheongdam- dong that we are offering, are considered the most esteemed residential units in the area because of high-quality materials for construction, integrated with ImTech's cutting-edge technology. Since the brand we're selling is a 'smart house', every detail from the door, floorboards, windows, beds, to lighting, is important. I figured the best type of lighting would be a mix of LED and halogen bulbs. If you refer to the—" Nayeon is interrupted when her phone rings.
Since her phone is connected to the screen, everyone in the meeting saw that the ringer flashed ' '.
Nayeon rejects the call instantly and proceeds with her presentation.
The missed call is followed by a text from :
'Meet me at the lobby they wont let me in lol'
Nayeon's eyes widen and she disconnects her phone from the screen at once. "I'll be back!" She darts out of the room as fast as she could, almost pushing everyone in her way.
She's in luck since the lift opens just when she gets there. There are other floors the elevator still has to go to, so Nayeon apologises to the people in the lift with her before she bypasses it with a swipe of her card (perks of being an Im), bringing her straight down to Ground.
"She's with me!" Nayeon half-screams, ordering security to let Tzuyu pass.
Apparently, Tzuyu's the person 'breaking in'. The guards immediately make way for Nayeon. She's panting from all the running she did, but she grabs Tzuyu by the wrist and takes the lift going back to her floor.
"Why didn't you text me you're coming today? You caused trouble." Nayeon sticks her tongue out, trying to get as much air as she can.
"I texted you. Like a few minutes ago."
"People thought you were breaking in. You're even dressed like a college student who has no business here!"
Tzuyu just chuckles and shakes her head.
"I have business here. I wasn't breaking in. I just didn't want to give an ID. I said I was meeting you, then they asked if I made an appointment with you. Your secretary said no. I didn't know it was that hard to book a moment with you. Anywaaay, they thought I was being suspicious."
"That was suspicious, Tzuyu! Anyway, I'm in the middle of a presentation. Just stay in my office first. I'll go to you after I finish. I made some good stuff for you."
"What good stuff?"
"Chewy."
"What?"
"No, I meant chewy as in munch-munch, not your name. I don't know if I have the recipe right since it's my first try and I didn't know you were coming today."
"Cookies? You made me cookies! You're the best!" Tzuyu tackles Nayeon for a hug.
Just in time, the elevator doors open, and standing in front of them is no other than Mina.
"Uhh...Team Leader Myoui." Nayeon taps Tzuyu's arms to let go of her.
"You stepped out in the middle of the meeting, where you're the one presenting by the way, without even giving the slightest explanation as to why." Mina's arms are folded.
"Sorry! I can explain. I'll head back right to the meeting after dealing with my guest." Nayeon bows and drags Tzuyu by her wrist to the end of the hall.
"Oooh. Is that the team leader you're pining for?" Tzuyu looks back to take a glance. She sees that Mina's looking, no, glaring at her. "She looks jealous of me."
"Since when did you become so talkative? Wait here in my office. The meeting will be for another hour. You can do whatever you want here. It'll be yours soon anyway." Nayeon pats Tzuyu's head and kisses her on the cheek. "I missed you, little one."
Tzuyu's eyes disappear into her laugh.
"Shut up. You'll always be Little One. I'll go back to the meeting. Behave."
Nayeon doesn't notice but Mina actually witnessed the whole thing. When Nayeon gets back to the meeting, she resumes her presentation. She observed that Mina asked more difficult questions than usual, but she's happy she actually had everything prepared. As expected, the meeting ended an hour later.
"Nayeon unnie, who was that girl earlier?" Dahyun and Chaeyoung immediately hound Nayeon with questions about Tzuyu's identity.
"She's the one 'breaking in' at the lobby." Nayeon laughs.
"Is she your girlfriend?" Dahyun raises her eyebrows suggestively.
From her periphery, Nayeon can see that Mina was packing her notes, but listening attentively, so she makes sure Mina hears her answer loud and clear. "What?! No!" she says as if it's the most obnoxious thing ever.
"Then who were you baking cookies for?"
"Her." Nayeon shrugs. "But it doesn't mean she's my girlfriend. Get back to work, kids."
Dahyun snickers at Chaeyoung. "Pay up."
"Oh my god. Did you bet on whether she was my girlfriend or not?" Nayeon puts her hands to her waist.
"No! We'll head back to work." Dahyun grabs Chaeyoung out of the room, leaving Nayeon and Mina alone.
"I—uh. Sorry for leaving the meeting earlier, Team Leader Myoui. I just had to attend to someone important since she was being held at the lobby." Nayeon bows.
"So I've heard." Mina acknowledges from her seat.
"And she's not my girlfriend!" Nayeon blurts.
"Oh?" Mina releases a shaky breath she didn't know she had been holding.
"Mina, I told you. I'm willing to wait for you. I know I shouldn't be saying this but you don't have to worry about her taking me away from you. I'm yours, Mina." Nayeon relapses just like that.
"Oops. Sorry, sorry. Time and space. Time and space. That's what you asked for." Nayeon mutters almost incoherently, trying to cover up her moment of weakness.
"Either way, I'd like you to meet
her."
"I don't think I need to meet your friend." Mina pretends not to hear the previous statement.
"It's not like a friend-introduction thing. I want you to meet her for business matters." Nayeon explains. "Shall we head to my office?"
Nayeon just takes Mina's hand as they walk to her office, but drops it straight away, the moment she remembers she shouldn't be doing that. "Sorry. Just got used to it." Her relapse is pretty bad.
Once they reach Nayeon's office, they arrive to Tzuyu sitting on the swivel chair, facing the wall.
"So you're back, Im Nayeon." Tzuyu spins in her chair, her hands forming a triangle, imitating a diabolical villain expecting the hero to show up. "Oh. Oh my god I'm sorry. I thought you came in alone." she's quick to stand up.
"So...uhh. Team Leader Myoui, this is Chou Tzuyu. She's the Chou investor everyone's been wondering about for years." Nayeon explains. "And Tzuyu, this is Team Leader Myoui of R&D."
"I apologise for not being able to introduce myself properly earlier, Ms. Chou. I'm Myoui Mina."
She extends her hand.
"Just call me Tzuyu. I've heard great things about you. Not from Nayeon unnie. From the progress reports and financial statements of ImTech." Tzuyu shakes Mina's hand firmly.
"Team Leader Myoui, another reason why I wanted you to meet her is because she'll be the newest addition to R&D."
"I'm sorry?"
"I think she'll be great addition to the team. We've been coordinating for a long time regarding the responsibilities of R&D, and she fully understands, so you don't need to train her much. She's very capable. In fact, she's the one who actually made the presentation you approved two weeks ago. She'll be under my supervision and she'll stay in my office for the meantime." Nayeon recommends. Before Mina can say something, Nayeon gets to her point. "I'm proposing this not as a team member of R&D, but as a member of the Board. What do you think, Team Leader Myoui?"
She needs Tzuyu to get in. It's the first time Nayeon uses her teeth as an Im, on Mina. Figuratively, at least.
"Of course, Ms. Im. I trust your decision."
"Very well then. Tzuyu, you can start working tomorrow. We'll meet Father tomorrow." Nayeon emphasises. "I'll just speak with Team Leader Myoui."
Nayeon follows after Mina to the team leader's office. "I'm sorry I had to bring her in just like that. Don't worry, she'll contribute greatly to ImTech."
"Ah no, it's totally fine. I trust your decisions as the heiress of ImTech." Mina bows. "How'd you meet her?"
"Connections." Nayeon winks. "Anywaaay, I'm gonna head back to my office before my mind comes up with something else to do."
*****
Mina's eyes trail Nayeon as she walks back to her office.One. She counts.
That same night, Nayeon decides she has to stop impending relapses, so she drops by Mina's office to say good night.
"Team Leader Myoui, here are the proposals I approved. The last one is kinda urgent and needs your recommendation. I hope you can approve it as soon as possible." Nayeon submits a stack of folders almost an inch thick, and a white envelope at the bottom of it all.
"Okay, thank you, Ms. Im." Mina replies with her head low, avoiding Nayeon's eyes.
Nayeon wishes that even just once, Mina would stop being so good at sticking to the deal. But Mina is Mina, and she's a stickler to rules.
"Well, then. I guess my job here is done." Nayeon dusts her hands. "Good night, Mina." she smiles sadly, longingly at Mina.
Mina watches Nayeon turn her heel and leave the office. Two.
Almost three hours later, Mina finishes the last folder Nayeon brought her. She finally notices the white envelope and examines it. Nayeon said it needed her recommendation and approval as soon
as possible. When she turns it over, the heading says "Two-Week Notice". Mina blinks rapidly and she wipes her palm on her pants. She opens the letter in trepidation, feeling a knot form in her
throat.
To Ms. Myoui Mina
Research and Design, Team Leader:
Good day!
I am requesting for immediate transfer to the Finance Department. I believe my time in the Research & Design...
...to grow in another department, integral
in the operation of ImTech.
Thank you for being my mentor this past year. You have taught me how being an Im is a privilege...
...With this, I am respectfully requesting that you take Ms. Chou Tzuyu as your mentee as my replacement. Attached to this letter of request to transfer is a letter of endorsement of Ms. Chou.
I hope for a favourable response.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely yours,
Im Nayeon
Mina wasn't able to read and absorb the entirety of the letter. She can't seem to wrap her mind around the idea of Nayeon leaving. It's only a transfer of department, but it sure feels like Nayeon actually leaving.
Adrenaline surges through Mina, and she takes the letter into her hand and rushes to her car. She tries calling Nayeon, but the latter wasn't picking up. Mina didn't know which apartment Nayeon went home to tonight. Finally, she arrives at the fifth flat Nayeon owns. The lady receptionist confirms Nayeon is indeed upstairs, and Mina doesn't even wait for the elevator. She climbs the flight of stairs and ends up in front of Nayeon's doorstep. There was loud music coming from inside, but Mina rings the doorbell anyway. There was no answer the first time, but after several tries, she hears Nayeon's voice.
"Who's there?" Nayeon slurs drunkenly.
Mina may have heard Nayeon stumbling over things before reaching the door.
"Oh." There's a look of shock in Nayeon's face. Mina's the last person she expected to see tonight in front of her door. "What brings you here, Team Leader Myoui?" Nayeon giggles, clearly inebriated. She was only wearing a robe and her cheek's flushed with a shade of pink only alcohol can bring.
"Can we talk?" Mina clutches Nayeon's letter of request in her hand.
"Of course!" Nayeon replies, unaware she's being loud. She pulls up the robe to cover her neck.
"Can I come in?" Mina asks. It's then when she notices
"Ooof. I...don't think now's a good time, Team Leader." Nayeon scrunches her nose and smiles.
She closes the door a little bit more so only her head is popping out.
"Oh. I see. We can just talk in my office tomorrow." Mina cranes her neck just a little bit to see if someone's inside with Nayeon.
Nayeon turns her head back when she hears glass breaking from the kitchen.
"Good night, Team Leader!"
Three. Mina counts.
A shrill shriek comes from the kitchen just before Nayeon closes the door. It's a voice Mina can identify even in her sleep, even if it's muffled. It's a voice Mina grew up loving, but has grown to
resent. It's a voice that's sweet yet stabbing at the same time — it's Sana's.