Chapter Text
Momo feels like shit. The moment she leaves her bed, it feels like the world is spinning, her throat is itchy and her head hurts like hell. But she ignores all of this, gets up, does her morning routine but all of her movements feel heavy and sluggish. Still, she tried her best to prepare for work because capitalism wins, sadly.
Despite Momo's struggles, she miraculously arrived at her work early. She even has time to stop by the cafe to order some coffee, praying that the caffeine can make this day bearable. After her quick trip to the cafe across her office building, she proceeded to take her usual path towards her office. The moment she stepped foot at their office door, silence welcomed her. She thanked the heavens as it will give her some time to catch some sleep which may ease the throbbing on her head.
The moment Momo sat down, she resisted the urge to plop her head on her wooden desk, not caring about the consequence of her action. Maybe it will help since the throbbing didn't subside despite having drunk a quarter of her large coffee order. She looked around and there's nobody in her vicinity, Momo decided to close her eyes for a few seconds trying to ease the dizziness that she felt.
Momo doesn't know how long she was asleep, but she was brought back to her consciousness when there was too much noise around her.
"Good Morning!" A lively voice greeted Momo which made her lift her head to face the direction where the voice came from. When she opened her eyes she was greeted with a blinding smile that would put the sun into shame. Her shoulder length brown hair was curled into soft waves, tied into a half ponytail while the rest rested on her shoulder. Her curtain bangs are swept to the side of her face which makes her features softer.
"Are you having a bad day Momoring?" Momo just groaned in response as she dropped her head back into her desk
"Did you pull an all-nighter or something? You even brought a large coffee."
"I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, and I'm feeling under the weather." Momo grumbled as she faced her work neighbor, Minatozaki Sana. The office sunshine that knows everyone and seeing her makes the world a little bit better. She is also Momo's desk neighbor and work bestie and miraculously, they started working at the same time which made them bond more because nothing beats a company in times of misery.
"Did you take any medicine? I can call someone to make a quick stop at the pharmacy if you want." Worry is evident in her voice as she plopped to the chair beside Momo and started to arrange her desk to get ready for another day at the office.
"I can do that when I get home later– I think." Momo cleared her throat after answering Sana as she feels like drinking a gallon of water with how parched she feels.
"Are you really alright Momoring? Your voice doesn't sound too good. I think you should just take the day off." Sana's voice is laced with concern as she stood up and approached Momo.
And she is right, Momo doesn't feel good. Her head is spinning, her body feels on fire, her throat is itchy and dry. She wants nothing but to lay on her bed and wrap herself with her blanket and curl up praying for the forces from above that when she opens her eyes, she will be better. But alas! She is here– inside her office fighting for her life to stay awake because her boss' wrath is scarier than fainting–possibly dying.
"I can still manage"
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Momo in fact, can't manage.
After a few hours of trying to work, the numbers on her screen started spinning and she may or may not have blacked out but she can't remember so maybe she did (she totally did). Seeing her state, Sana panicked and tried to get her to the break room to lie down as she contacted their manager to ask if she and Momo could take a sick leave for the rest of the afternoon. While Sana was busy calling their manager somebody entered the room.
"Is she dead?"
"Hey! Don't be like that!" Sana yelped, then a slapping could be heard as Sana reprimanded the newcomer.
"Sorry, sorry. I'm just kidding. Are you alright Mo?" Her tone is still filled with teasing but there's also a hint of concern.
"Go away Jeong, you're making it worse"
"Still grumpy I see. She will be fine." Jeongyeon said while laughing but Sana shushed her.
Nobody spoke for a while as they waited for a response from their manager and the HR. Momo took this time to get some shut eye but the peace didn't last as she felt a gentle tap on her cheeks.
"Momoring, wake up. I just received a response from our manager." Momo groaned as she slowly sat up and rested her head on the sofa back.
"What did they say?"
"Well, you can go home and rest but I can't accompany you since I still have some work left to do." Sana said, disappointment is evident with her voice.
"It's alright Sana-chan, you did a lot for me already and I am grateful" Momo grasped Sana's hand to reassure her that she's fine and to send a message that was grateful for what her friend did for her.
"But I want to see you safe and sound," Sana said with a look of sadness in her eyes. Before Momo could utter a reply, the door opened and Jeongyeon showed up with a plastic bag dangling on her left hand and a cup of coffee on the other hand.
"There's nothing we could do, company policy or whatever. Anyway, Momo's ride will be here at any moment."Jeongyeon said as she handed Sana the coffee she was holding
"Thank you Jeongyeonnie"
"As much as I want to wait with the two of you, Mina is calling me about a check from I.M pharmaceuticals and I think it is pretty urgent so I have to go. Take care and get well soon Mo!" Jeongyeon hurriedly left but before leaving completely she turned back,
"And don't die Hirai!" And just like that, she left laughing.
Fuck Yoo! One of these days she will strangle that woman!
Momo fell asleep the moment her butt touched the seat of the car. Thankfully, Jeongyeon arranged for her family driver to drive her home—at least she cares for Momo's well-being after all. The middle aged driver woke her up when they arrived at Momo's apartment building but to her disappointment, the pharmacy across her building was closed with a big sign saying "under renovation". So Momo hurried and searched for the nearest pharmacy near her and it was 15 minutes away. Momo wants to cry, her head feels like it will break any moment, the pharmacy is closed down and she has to travel for another 15 minutes to get her damn medicine, the stress of the day is piling up making her even sicker. But Momo has to suck it up since she can't afford to have her sickness worsen. So she asked the driver to drive towards the location of the nearest pharmacy which Momo was thankful for as the driver didn't leave yet—maybe out of concern of just a coincidence.
Thankfully, the ride was short. Momo willed herself to walk towards the pharmacy but each step she takes, her energy depletes faster than her will to live. But she had to push through chanting "one more step" over and over and it worked miraculously, she reached the counter without fainting. Momo feels like she is about to fall asleep, but she is trying her best to get home safely so she leaned her body on the counter as she waits for the pharmacist or any of the staff to notice her and cater to her needs.
"Welcome, how may I help you?" Momo quickly looked at the direction of the person that spoke to her and her soul almost left her body. Her knees buckled and her breath hitched, Momo almost swears that she was in heaven and she's not complaining. The person behind the counter is an angel, the way her red hair—Momo is unsure the exact color but she thinks it is wine but who cares about hair color when there's a literal goddess standing in front of her.
The pharmacist's wine-colored wavy hair flows freely on her back, she looks at Momo expectantly, waiting for her response and Momo's brain short-circuited.
"Miss? Is everything alright?"
"Uh, I'm not feeling well. I need some meds." Momo cringed at her reply.
'Of course you need some medicine dumb ass, you're at the pharmacy.'
As Momo prepares to dash off to prevent on embarrassing herself any further, she heard a soft chuckle. Momo thinks that her brain is about to turn into goo.
"I– sorry, that was dumb. I need some meds for fever and hea–" Momo didn't finish her sentence when she felt her knees buckled as if her body couldn't support her. This alarmed the pharmacist that she was talking to.
"Hey, careful!" Momo feels like she died and was brought back to life–maybe she did as she swears she blacked out. But that was negligible because she was brought back to life when she felt a warm hand grasping her arm which prevented her from falling over.
She feels like the heavens are playing tricks on her because in her worst moments, the heavens gave her the chance to meet the potential love of her life (Momo is sure that she is but she's keeping her mouth shut so she wouldn't jinx it). But halfway through her mental argument with her supposed guardian angel, the angel and the love of her life (supposedly) caught her attention
"Woah there! I'm glad I caught you. If I didn't you would have fallen." The pharmacist said, her voice was filled with relief.
If Momo was a shameless flirt she would have said something like ‘I would gladly let myself fall for you if you catch me too' and end it with a killer smirk and a wink for good measure but sadly she is none of those so instead she becomes a stuttering mess disguised as a human being.
"I- I'm okay! Th-thank you for s-saving me." The pharmacist chuckled and Momo was about to ascend, she made the creature that God had taken their time to make laugh! The way that her eyes have changed into a subtle crescent shape and her mouth has widened to show her perfect white teeth—Momo is about to combust.
"I didn't save you but thank you. Anyway, if you want you can wait and sit on the chair as I prepare your medicine" The pharmacist said as she retracted her hands that were holding onto her arm (Momo forgot about that) as she pointed towards the chair near the snack aisle.
"By the way, do you have any brand that you want to buy?"
"Uh, no. I'll leave it to your own judgment"
"Alright, sit there and take a rest because I feel like you're about to pass out any moment now. I'll just call you when it's ready" Momo nodded like a little kid as she walked towards the place that the girl had pointed. The moment she sat down,she dozed off but Momo's nap was cut short when she felt a gentle shake on her shoulder.
"Hey, I got your meds ready. I kept calling you but you're not answering so I came to check and I found you asleep" Momo became flustered, she hastily stood up and she almost lost her balance.
"Sorry! How much was it?" Momo managed to squeak as she fumbled to bring out her card to give it towards the pharmacist but in her haste she gave her company id instead.
"No need. It's on me. Just make sure that you'll get better. I put some stuff there as well, don't worry it's free." The pharmacist handed her a white plastic bag that was too big for it to contain some medicine.
"And here, your id." Momo dazedly accepted the things that were given to her as she watched the pharmacist walk back behind the counter. When she gave Momo a small wave, she took it as a cue to leave.
Momo doesn't remember much of what happened, it seems like her body has moved on autopilot. It is a miracle that she arrived at her apartment safe and sound. All she knows is that Sana visited her in the evening and made sure that she can feed herself for the next three days. She also questioned about the pack of onigiri and a bottle of pocari sweat that came along with her meds but Momo is too tired to form a coherent answer so Sana let the whole thing slide. The next morning, Momo felt a little better as it doesn't feel like the world is spinning as she has to drink a tub of water just to quench the thirst that she feels. She also sent a quick thanks to Sana for taking care of her and she asked her friend if she could ask her company about her condition and grant her another day off. After a little while, her friend replied that she already took care of it and she should just take her time to rest. So Momo spent most of her time laying on her couch watching some videos about people eating absurd amounts of food while here she was, eating a reheated soup Sana prepared for her. Trying her best to distract herself from thinking about her encounter the other day and she failed miserably. All Momo could do was wallow in self-pity about her embarrassing encounter and her useless self when it comes to beautiful women.
The next morning, Momo readied herself to work, as much as she wants to enjoy lounging around and maybe watch some cooking videos and save some of them which will be forgotten, unwatched, and uncooked but her real life responsibilities matter more (sadly). Just thinking about the pile of data she needs to process, Momo willed herself to move.
When she arrived at her workplace she was welcomed by Sana and the first thing that her friend did was to put the back of her hand on her forehead.
"Sa-tang, I'm fine," Momo said as she removed her friend's hand on her forehead.
"Just making sure," Sana replied with a pout.
"I think coffee is what I need right now, just thinking about the backlogs that I have makes me wish I still have a fever"
"Stop being dramatic," Sana replied with a laugh.
Momo's routine for the rest of the week consisted of trying to catch up with the work that she missed and making sure she's up to date with the projects she's working on. But once in a while her thoughts drifted towards the pharmacist.
Momo can't believe she's doing this, who in the right mind would spend their precious weekend driving towards a pharmacy–her apparently. Momo kept convincing herself that there are more productive things to do with her time–maybe finally cooking the recipes she saved, or walking around the park near her apartment or maybe shopping for some new clothes but here she was, driving towards the pharmacy just to see a glimpse of a girl she doesn't even know the name.
After she parked her car, Momo just stood outside the door as she kept on reaching for the door handle and stopping herself midway and retracting her hands as she kept on debating whether she wanted to enter or not. After a few minutes of intense internal debate with herself, she took a deep breath and entered the place.
When Momo entered the establishment she was welcomed with several rows of shelves filled with snacks and other daily necessities. Tucked on the right corner of the store were several fridge stocked with different kinds of drinks and after walking past the shelves, lies the counter situated at the furthest part of the room where all the medicine and the pharmacist stays. But Momo did not went straight to the counter, trying to act normally, she browsed the shelves checking out the items while trying to spy on the people working behind the counter, she also picked out few items that piqued her interest—the newly released item of Hagen-Dazs which was mentioned by Sana in passing, a drink with a weird but interesting flavor and few of her favorite snacks.
When Momo finished her impromptu snack shopping, her hands were already full so she headed towards the counter where she was greeted by the girl with monolid eyes, her skin is so white she's practically glowing.
"Welcome! Do you need anything else?" The lady behind the counter greeted her with a beaming smile. Momo just nodded as she put her snacks on the counter absentmindedly as she continued to scan the people around her, looking for any signs of the red head she met the last time she was here.
Dejected, she decided to take a good look towards the person that attends to her goods and if Momo was instantly curious if this girl has a built-in spotlight that follows her around on how she glows. While she was thinking about how and why the girl shines so bright, a golden metal pinned on the girl's white uniform caught Momo's attention. Engraved in a gold plated metal was "Kim Dahyun" and below, in smaller font "Pharmacist I" was written. Once the realization dawns upon Momo and she wants to strangle herself.
She could've had an easier time trying to find the angel that helped her when she was literally dying but her luck must have run out since she didn't notice the name of the redhead. She could have done a lot of things with the redhead name, for starters she could give a name to the girl of her dreams, find her socials, talk about her to her friends, a name to give to different shamans to check their compatibility–there are several reasons why it was such a waste and Momo wants to cry out of frustration. But she is a grown woman who opted to stare into the nothingness as she scolds mentally mentally.
A week later Momo was back and to her dismay, she was greeted with a different staff. She's taller than Momo, with her long black hair flowing freely at her back. Momo's first instinct is to look at the girl's name, "Chou Tzuyu, Pharmacist I".
Momo can't help but feel a little (a lot) of disappointment but she just sighed internally and put the assortment of snacks that she picked randomly. Tzuyu nodded at her as the pharmacist started scanning her items.
Momo cleared her throat and asked the pharmacist, "Don't you have any coworkers? Why are you manning the counter and the pharmacy at the same time?" Momo's question stopped the pharmacist from scanning her snacks.
There was a brief pause and Tzuyu just looked at Momo, face unreadable
"Well, I didn't mean to pry or anything, I just noticed." Momo added as she laughed nervously while scratching her nape.
"Well, I have coworkers. It's just that this pharmacy is currently understaffed hence the one-man team you're seeing."
"Oh, that sucks." Tzuyu just hummed as she finished her task.
After her interaction with Tzuyu, Momo visited the pharmacy three more times, once in the morning, afternoon, and evening. She was attended by Dahyun once and twice by Tzuyu but never by the redhead. Momo is starting to think that the girl is just a figment of her imagination conjured by her fever driven mind.
As a consequence of her frequent visit to the pharmacy, her house and office is cluttered with snacks that she has to resort to giving it to Sana and Jeongyeon which have received drastically different reactions. Sana is delighted and thankful while the latter was teasing her for being too generous with her food, Momo just rolled her eyes at her.
Now, Momo is spending her precious Friday night with Sana and Jeongyeon as these two dragged her to a fancy gastropub right after they clocked out of their work. When they entered the place, it felt cluttered but at the same time gave off a cozy vibe. The lights are predominantly dominated with red and white, the walls are decorated with large paintings with eye-catching designs and colors. There are also signs scattered all over the place. Their water offered them the available seats and they chose to sit on the table near the bar counter.
"Order up! It's on me" Jeongyeon said as they looked at the menu. Momo eyed her suspiciously.
"Did something happen? You have too much energy for someone who clocked out of work. I almost thought you're Sana for a second there." Momo's statement made Sana giggle
"Why? Is it a sin to be happy?"
"I did not say that"
"Well, well, somebody is in the foul mood it seems"
"Hey, stop teasing Momo and just order." Sana interrupted before they could quarrel like a child, but Momo stuck her tongue at Jeongyeon when Sana was not looking, which made the Jeongyeon raise her middle finger at her but Sana, who was seated beside Jeongyeon saw slapped her hands scolding her, this made Momo laugh and mouthed "loser" at Jeongyeon.
While they were waiting for their order, they filled their wait time by talking about various things but mostly about their work. Jeongyeon mentioned that her manager is a bit tense these days, probably because of their upcoming partnership with I.M pharmaceuticals that's eating most of their time.
After a while, their food arrived and they started digging in. Half-way through their meal, Jeongyeon ordered some wine produced somewhere in Europe and the year that Momo hardly remembered. They talked about some office gossip and before they finished their meal they're already on their third bottle–which was mostly drunk by Sana and Momo.
Momo can feel her face going numb and she feels lightheaded. When she looks at Sana, her friend is not faring better. Her eyes look like they're about to fall off and her face is as red as a tomato. Then her attention went to Jeongyeon who kept on laughing at Momo and Sana's state.
Their night ended with Sana slung on Jeongyeon's back–thankfully she's wearing trousers and Jeongyeon's coat while Momo is fighting for her life so she wouldn't fall head first on the ground. When they arrived at the reserved parking outside the restaurant, Jeongyeon gently removed Sana on her back and made her stand while making sure that she's safe. Then she turned her attention toward Momo who just kept on looking at her steps making sure that she's not stepping on anything that will make her trip.
"Mo, can you stay here for a bit? Let me just put Sana inside the car." Momo—who is now sitting down on the tiny bump of concrete just gave her a nod looking like an obedient puppy. Looking at her state, Jeongyeon hurriedly opened her car and put Sana at the back seat, making sure that she's not in an awkward position. Then she made Momo stand up and made her sit beside Sana.
For a while their ride home was peaceful with soft music playing on Jeongyeon's car. Momo also feels a little better, Jeongyeon bought her and Sana a bottle of pocari sweat and she drank it until it was half-full. She also gently tapped Sana to make her friend drink as well.
The silence lasted for a while until Sana spoke
"Are we home yet Momoring?"
"We're close, Jeongyeon is driving."
"Hmm'kay, I'm really lucky to have such an amazing girlfriend" Momo just grunted and rolled her eyes in disgust and said, "Please don't continue whatever you're about to say, I'm sick and tired of it." But Sana acted like she didn't hear anything.
"Like, I wake up everyday as I thanked my past self for collecting good karma to meet such a beautiful human being. She's caring, thoughtful, generous but I can't think of anything to describe her right now because my head is hurting." Sana's statement earned a chuckle from Jeongyeon.
"And do you remember that one time that I had a severe allergy and I still got to work and my face got all puffy? She gave me meds and–" Momo stopped listening.
"Yes, I get it, she's a perfect girlfriend and you're the luckiest person on the earth. Please have mercy on my single self alright? Don't rub it in my face that you're dating Jeongyeon from accounting. I get it!" She has heard this story a million times already (that's an exaggeration, she maybe heard it twice but it makes her feel so single and she hates it).
"Can you do something about your beloved girlfriend Jeong?"
"Why would I? I'm really enjoying this conversation Momoring"
"You two are insufferable!"
Despite the splitting headache that she feels and the burning feeling on her stomach, Momo found herself back at the pharmacy. Partly because the one near her home is still closed and because she vowed to herself if she doesn't see the pharmacist that she desperately wants to see, she will accept it as the will of the gay gods.
The pharmacy was not as busy when compared to the other times that she visited, there were two elderly browsing the snack aisle, holding hands. When her gaze fell on the counter the first thing she noticed was red, specifically red wine hair that became the subject of her dreams and daydreams. Momo was overjoyed, to the point that she felt like she could do a triple continuous backflip (she doesn't even know how to do that). The moment she took a step towards the pharmacist who was busy sorting through the various boxes of medicine when she felt a cold sensation at her legs. When she looked down, she found a little boy holding a cup of slushie–now almost empty as the rest of the contents were spilled on Momo's legs and on the floor. Momo was about to ask if the kid was alright but her voice was cut off by his cry. This caught the attention of all the people inside the pharmacy, the elderly couple and the red haired girl. The sudden attention made Momo panic, the boy's cry was getting louder and Momo was unsure what she would do to calm him down.
"H-hey, It's okay!" Momo said to the kid but it didn't do anything so she kept looking around to see if his guardian was picking him up but there's no one coming in their way.
"Please don't cry, let's get another one alright?" Her words seemed to get through the kid as he stopped crying momentarily and looked at Momo with his tear stained eyes.
"But first, let's get this cleaned up alright?" the boy nodded as he wiped his face with his hands. Momo was about to walk towards the counter where she last saw the pharmacist but a voice stopped her from her tracks.
"Hi! Is everything alright here?" When Momo faced the woman that asked her she almost passed out. She was greeted by a blinding smile that could rival the sun with its radiance. It took Momo a few seconds to be brought back to life but as she was about to answer the pharmacist, the little boy beat her to it.
"Auntie hyo!" The kid left Momo and ran towards the pharmacist.
"Oh, Changmin-ah, I've been looking for you. I hope you didn't cause any trouble." The pharmacist said as she gently stroked the boy–Changmin's hair. Then she turned her attention towards Momo
"He didn't do anything bad, I hope?" Momo should have passed out right there but by some miracle she kept her composure and answered the girl.
"About that…" Momo gave the red haired girl a sheepish smile while scratching her nape as she pointed towards the spilled slushie or was a slushie now it's just a small puddle of colored water.
"But please don't scold him, it's partly my fault because I was distracted with something" Momo said—her voice was getting smaller for each word that she spoke as she could feel the pharmacist's gaze on her.
"And there's no harm done so it's really fine" Momo added and the girl nodded in understanding and looked at the kid
"Hey kiddo, did you apologize to this pretty lady? You caused some trouble after all." Momo's face and thoughts are on a different states, albeit her face remains blank, her head is going haywire.
'Pretty lady?! Me? Oh my god, she called me pretty lady! I could be struck by a lightning right here right now and I could still die happily but not I'm wishing it should happen to me. I have a lot of things planned such as our wedding, honeymoon, retirement…' Her train of thoughts was interrupted when she felt a small tug at the hem of her shirt,
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump at you" The kid said looking at the floor while still tugging Momo's shirt.
"It's not big deal really, what about we get that ice cream that I promised earlier hm? " Changmin's face brightened up immediately, he looked at his aunt, seeking approval which was acknowledged by pharmacist with a nod.
"By the way, I haven't introduced myself right? I'm Jihyo, Park Jihyo" The pharmacist—Jihyo said as she stretched her hand towards Momo.
'Her name is as pretty as her face. I sincerly thank your parents and all of the people that was involved in bringing you in this planet as well as the people that allowed you to grow up and thank you for the car or subway that allowed her to travel today so we coul—'
Momo's dramatic monologue was interrupted when she realized that Jihyo is waiting for her. So as a barely functional human being, she must conform to the social courtesy.
"Uhm—Hirai Momo" and she accepted Jihyo's hand. But it only lasted for a second before Momo retracted her hands from Jihyo and dragged (gently) Changmin to get his promised ice cream. If Jihyo was weirdied out with Momo's behavior she kept it to herself but maybe—just maybe she found it cute. Who knows.
After her serendipitous encounter at the pharmacy, Momo's friends became the receiving end of Momo's ramblings about Jihyo. Due to the nature of their work arrangements, the people that heard the most about the pretty red haired phramacist was Sana and Jeongyeon.
At first, they're genuinely happy for their friend as it has been so long that Momo has showed interest in someone else. Jeongyeon even remarked that she thought Momo will be married to her work. But her happiness was short-lived when all Momo talks about was Jihyo for almost a week now. Every break, lunch time, and every conversation it's filled with Jihyo—how her face was personally sculpted by Michael Angelo, the way her hair cascades at her back and flows gently when she moves or her voice that makes the sirens in the green in envy.
On a Saturday afternoon where the rain patters softly, Momo's boots was stained with mud—she got it a while ago when she accidentally walked into a small puddle. When she arrived at the cafe, the rain has stopped and the sky is blue with a tinged of yellow and orange. Momo wiped her boots and left her folded umbrella outside and entered the cafe. The serene atmosphere inside startled Momo especially how it contrasted the noise outside. So she scanned the cafe to look for her friends and it didn't take long for her to find them. The first one to greet her was Sana.
"Hi Momo-chan, I hope the weather didn't dampen your mood?"
"Nothing can put her in bad mood these days"
"Shut up, Yoo. Anyways, are we waiting for someone?" Momo looked around after she gave deadly stares at Jeongyeon which the girl just mocked.
"Yes! She said she's near while ago—oh! she's here!" Sana's face lit up when she saw the newcomer.
"Chaeng! Here!" Sana waved her hands enthusiastically. Momo doesn't need to look to know who it is. Their officemate, Son Chaeyoung was assigned for fieldwork in almost a month and she just got back today but instead of resting she was dragged by the couple to hangout today.
"Oh, you guys managed to drag Momo-unnie away from her house? I'm impressed."
"You guys act like I'm a hermit or something" Momo grumbled but she still hugged Chaeyoung. She's glad to have the girl back. At least she's not the only person that suffers from the overly public display of affection by Sana and Jeongyeon.
"Anyway Momo-unnie, I heard that you have a crush?" Right after Chaeyoung uttered those words, Jeongyeon burst out in laughter, which earned a glare from Momo.
"Yah! Why do you make it like having a crush is such a bad thing?" Momo said as she keeps on giving deadly glares at Jeongyeon. The latter noticing that Momo is genuinely upset stooped laughing immediately.
"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you I promise, I just find this whole ordeal funny. Like remember when we tried to find her socials but we got nothing but a linkedin profile with no information? We even tried to visit the pharmacy this week but work has been brutal that we we're being forced to go overtime for the whole week." The moment Jeongyeon mentioned work, all of them felt like their soul was being sucked out of their body.
This week has been intense for all of them, their company is on a critical period to seal a big deal with I.M pharmaceuticals so everyone is on the edge. If it's not for Jihyo, Momo would have broken down a long time ago. Just thinking about the red haired pharmacists, Momo can't help but to smile, which earned her a teasing with her friends.
"Whatever, let's just order. You're paying for me Jeong"
"What?!" Jeongyeon protested immediately so Momo raised her brows at her— the other girl paused for a moment, let out a sigh and agreed reluctantly.
"Why do I feel like you guilt tripped me?" Jeongyeon muttered and snuggled closer to her girl which earned a disgusted groan from Momo and Chaeyoung.
Momo's jovial mood from last week didn't last. In fact she wants to file her resignation letter right now. Ever since the deal with I.M pharmaceuticals has fell through, their company didn't waste any time to give them more work. Now, her head is filled with numbers and graphs that even plagues her in her dreams.
So when Friday came, she accepted her friend's invite to unwind and get some good food and drinks. Her uncharacteristic behavior never went unnoticed by her friends and Momo just replied, "Work is brutal, I need a drink".
So here she was, clad in her work clothes—dark navy button down, the sleeves were folded up to her elbows, paired with her cream-colored trousers and black belt with her coat is hanging on her right arm. When she walked at their office earlier, she got instantly teased by Sana and Chaeyoung for dressing up like she wants so attract women. Which she replied by rolling her eyes.
'Yeah the outfit is good but it's useless if I want to tear my hair out of my scalp every minute because what the fuck is this work load! If I don't receive a bonus after this I think I need to draft my 30 days notice'
Right after their working hours ended, Sana, Momo, and Chaeyoung hurriedly packed their things and rushed through the company's parking where Jeongyeon is already waiting for them. Without much of a fuss, Sana occupied the passenger seat, Jeongyeon at the driver while Momo and Chaeyoung fought on who can connect to the car's speaker and in the end Momo lost and she sulked the whole ride but she was ignored by everyone which made her sulk even more.
When they arrived at the restaurant, the place was bustling with people, even the seats outside were occupied. Before Momo can observe the patrons and the staffs, they were ushered by their waiter to come inside the. Momo was welcomed with the restaurant's interior—large marbled pillars support the wooden ceiling which is covered with artificial plants—well, Momo thinks it is. But they are ushered further towards the patio of the restaurant. The marbled pillars was replaced with wooden ones and the ceiling was replaced with lights and the night sky. When they were ushered towards their table, Momo saw a familiar red wine hair.
'There's no way that she's here right? Like in this specific restaurant, almost 30 mins away from their pharmacy on a random friday night. Must be someone else with the same hair color right?'
As they walked closer, a realization dawned upon Momo, as they are walking closer, she realized that they are walking towards the girl with the red wine hair she looks super familiar like the pharmacist that was in her head in almost a month named Jihyo.
'Oh my god! Don't tell me it is really her. Oh no… What should I do? Should I just run and bolt out? But that would be embarrassing and eye-catching. Or should I just excuse to the bathroom and just leave? No! They will hate me for it. What should I do?'
While Momo was busy with her own thoughts, her sudden change of behavior was not unnoticed by Chaeyoung who is walking beside her.
"Momo-unnie are you alright?" The girl just nodded her head. So Chaeyoung just decided to observe her friend for now.
When they were seated, Momo got a clear view of the people on the table beside them and she almost passed out when she recognized who they were. One of the girls have long black hair, she towers over the girls she is with, even when she's sitting. The other one was white and pale, even in this dimly lit room, her skin still manages to glow, and the last girl was she all could think of, the woman of her dreams, THEE Park Jihyo. Momo is unsure if she would consider herself as a creep because she knows all of Jihyo's coworkers Tzuyu and Dahyun.
If I will make myself as small as possible they wouldn't recognize me right? I mean I was only there a couple (?) of times they wouldn't recognize me right? And I haven't been there for two weeks now. I should be fine. I hope. Yes! You will be fine Momo-yah. It's gonna be fine.'
While Momo is busy consoling herself in her current situation, Chaeyoung kept on checking on her noticed how her behavior it suddenly changed when they entered the patio. So she looked around trying to find out the source of her unnie's weird behavior when her eyes landed on the girls beside them then she saw a familiar face, someone she had not seen since university, Chou Tzuyu—the campus goddess, the person that everybody wants to be or to be with, liked by girls and boys alike. Admittedly, Chaeyoung was once one of these admirers but that quickly faded when she realized that she will never have a chance so she buried those desires on the depths of her heart. The last time she heard, Tzuyu is in a relationship with someone but she's not sure if it's true or not.
Chaeyoung's thoughts was interrupted when their waiter brought them their menu and Momo took this opportunity to "discreetly observe" the table beside them. She used the menu to cover her face in the pretense of looking over the food served by the restaurant but instead of looking discreet, she is doing the opposite. Her face is too close on the menu that it covers her entire face. She was reprimanded by Jeongyeon which made Momo pout but complied anyway.
While waiting for their orders they chatted about random things until the conversation has drifted to their work
"I heard that there's a company dinner scheduled next month?" Chaeyoung said as she picked up the strawberry from one of the cakes they ordered.
"Yeah, I heard about that too, but it's a little too early for that I think. Do you have any idea about it babe?" Sana added.
"Why would I always be the one to be asked about company gossip. But I think it for the successful negotiations with I.M industries. I heard HR talking about earlier."
"And you wonder why we always ask you about company teas" Momo quipped which earned her glare from Jeongyeon. Their banter earned them a few giggles from Sana and Chaeyoung.
"Anyway, any plans tonight? I suddenly had the urge to drink."
"Are you sure you're not planning it from the start Chaengie? But I kinda want to do it too, it's been a while after all."
"Okay drunkards. If you excuse me, I have to use the bathroom and pay for the meals and you can plan what wee will do for the mean time."
"Thanks babe" Sana said as she playfully blew a kiss at her girlfriend s. This made Jeongyeon smile and gave Sana a playful wink in return their interaction earned a disgusted reaction from the rest of their friends.
It took a while for Jeongyeon to return and Sana keeps on craning her neck to where the other girl was headed.
"Stop fidgeting Sa-tang, it's not like the toilet swallow her or something"
"Maybe the line was long unnie"
"But—" Sana's response was interrupted when the figure of the girl they were talking about has emerged.
"Sorry for the wait, there's a lot of people out there. So where to next?"
"Took you long enough Yoo. If you were a minute late, Sana would have exploded" Momo said, while ruffling Sana's hair which the latter brushed off her hands in protest.
Before they left the restaurant, Momo looked around the restaurant, searching for any signs of Jihyo on the table next to them but they already left.
The ride for the bar that was chosen by Sana and Chaeyoung was quick and forgettable or maybe Momo was just exhausted. Either way, Momo wants to go home. But before she could regret her life choices, Jeongyeon's car stopped. When she got out of the car, Momo can faintly hear the chattering of the crowd and the symphony of the live band inside the building. When they entered, they were welcomed by the retro vibe of the place.
Red leather seats, music vinyls anchored at the wall along with massive posters and signatures from various artists. Beside the rows of tables and chairs, there's a grand bar counter where the bartender serves drinks and tucked at the corner of the bar was a small platform full of instruments where the live band plays some jazz music—well Momo assumes it's jazz.
"I didn't expect you guys chose this place. Chaeyoung is the type to choose this place but not you babe" Jeongyeon said as kept looking around the place as they sat at the table near the live band.
"Well, I say it in my feed a while back and I want to check it out then the perfect opportunity to do so arrived" Sana replied while she put her head on her girlfriend's shoulder
"The night is not getting younger unnies, let's go?" Chaeyoung said as she raised her hand to order their first round of drins
Momo couldn't remember much after their third round. Now she found herself trying to find her friends after visiting the comfort room, she didn't even realize that she brought her coat with her instead of her pouch. When she was about to go back to their table, an opened fire exit caught her attention. Despite the protest of her rational mind Momo didn't hesitate—she blames the alcohol she consumed clouding her judgment. When she looked around, she spotted a red haired girl leaning on the railings of the staircase. Momo would be a fool of she mistakes this girl for someone else.
"Jihyo-ssi?" The sudden call of her name in a secluded spot startled Jihyo. She cautiously turn her head and she sighed in relief when she saw who called her.
"Momo-ssi. I didn't know you are here"
"It's really you Jihyo-ssi" Momo murmured. She meant it to say in her head but she said it outloud instead. Looking at the other girl's state; flushed ears and cheeks, droopy eyelids and her eyes barely keeping it's focus.
'She's cute' Jihyo thought.
"Had too much to drink Momo-ssi?"
"Yeah." Momo answered and she plopped on the stairs.
"And just call me Momo, it's weird being called formally."
"Okay then call me Jihyo as well." None of them spoke for a while after their exchange. Not wanting to lose her chance to talk to the other girl, Momo took the initiative to start a conversation despite knowing that it is not her strongest suit.
"So, what are you doing here? Oh wait, that came out wrong, I didn't mean to sound interrogative and rude. Sorry" To physically stop herself from rambling further, Momo decided to cover her mouth with her hands
'Gosh, you're such a dummy Hirai. This is your first time talking to her outside her workplace and you decided make a fool of yourself. Now she's going to leave. Way to go Hirai!'
Instead of leaving, Jihyo let out a chuckle and Momo thinks it's out of the most beautiful sound she ever heard not that she's biased (she is).
"It's fine, you didn't offend me Momo. I'm actually touched that you're interested in my whereabouts." Then she walked towards Momo
"Can I seat here? My feet is killing me." Momo nodded as she made space for Jihyo and cleaned the spot next to her with her hands.
"To answer your question, I was looking for a quite place to answer a work call and I found myself here. Then some asshole spilled his drinks on me when I was about to go back to my friends. I don't want a confrontation so I came back here to compose myself and then you found me." Momo nodded as she took her coat and draped it on Jihyo's back. While Jihyo was talking, she decided to observe the other girl, then it registers with Momo. She is wearing a white fitted tubed-dress with a visible stain on her left side. Jihyo also kept on rubbing her hands on her shoulders.
"I hope you don't mind the coat? I can take it back if it makes you feel uncomfortable." Momo uttered as she anxiously gauges the redhead's reaction.
"Thank you" The girl gave her a grateful smile as she clutched the coat closer to herself.
"No problem, I hope I made you feel a little better." They remained seated beside each other, listening to the faint sounds produced by the band. Then Jihyo's phone buzzed.
"Oh, it seems like they are looking for me. I'm sorry but it seems like I have to go" Jihyo said as she looked at Momo apologetically. Momo just stood up and offered her hand towards Jihyo as she helped her to stand up.
"Oh, no problem. Let's get back together?"
"Sure and before I forget, can I have your number?"
"What for?"
"I want to give your coat back after I wash it" Jihyo replied
"There's no need for that, you can keep it."
"No, I insist. Please" Jihyo looked at Momo with her expectant eyes and Momo doesn't have enough strength to refuse so she give in. Sensing that she won, Jihyo offered her phone to Momo which the latter accepted and typed her number.
"I called your number, make sure you save it Mo."
When they turned their backs at each other, they kept a faint smile in their lips. Keeping a secret encounter that only they knew close to their heart.