Work Text:
NY: “..Thirty-eight point four degrees. No good. You really should just stay and rest up. We’ll be fine on our own.”
JH: “B-but..”
JY: “Don’t be crazy. Your fever is really high. Just rest here at the dorm.”
JH: “…”
Jihyo was laying on her bed in this Friday Morning due to catching a cold after getting drenched in the rain for some reason. Both her unnies went out of her room and headed to the living room where the TWICE J-Line were chilling.
SN: “..So how is she?”
NY: “She needs to stay at home. I’m going to call our manager about it.”
MN: “How about our schedule?”
JY: “You can manage. Nayeon will be in-charge for the meantime.”
SN: “But who will take care of Jihyo? Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu are filming for ISAC. You have a photoshoot while Nayeonie, Minari and I are scheduled on a radio station appearance..”
MN: “..I think we’re forgetting someone.”
Everybody then turned to look to their right towards Momo, who tried to look to her right as well before realizing that they were all looking at her.
MM: “..Eh? ME!?”
NY: “..Well, you did finish your schedules yesterday so you’re free right? We’ll leave Jihyo in your care.”
SN: “Good luck, Momoring!”
Jeongyeon whispered a bit to Nayeon.
JY: *Psst, are you sure about this? It’s Momo we’re talking about..*
NY: *We have no choice..*
MM: “HEY! I HEARD THAT!”
Sana and Mina giggled with Momo’s reaction. Particularly, she was one who wasn’t really able to take care well of others. Rather, she’s the one who’s being taken care of the most.
MN: “Do it, Momoring. It’s a good chance to return everything that Jihyo-unnie does for you too.”
SN: “Yeah! Besides, you’re older than her. You need to act like an unnie.”
MM: “Can’t you stay with meeee?”
NY: “I would but, missing two TWICE members for the radio station appearance might be bad for our reputation. At least if it’s just Jihyo, it’s understandable if we say she’s sick.”
MM: “How about School Meal Club?”
SN: “They left two hours ago.”
MM: “Jeongyeon?”
JY: “I told you it’s my first magazine photoshoot. I can’t afford to skip on this. Just do it, Momo. Besides, it was partly your fault that Jihyo’s sick.”
MM: “THAT’S WHAT I’M AFRAID OF!”
NY: “..Well, we can’t do anything about it. Do your best, Momo. We’ll bring home a nice meal if you take care of Jihyo well.”
MN: “See you, Momoring. Try to cook some porridge for her later.”
SN: “Don’t burn the house, okay?”
MM: “HEY!”
The rest of the girls left in a hurry out of the dorm. Momo was left all alone to take care of Jihyo.
MM: “AH! What do I do!?”
Momo and Jihyo aren’t really two who would usually spend time together. When they do, they end up annoying each other. Despite their age difference, Jihyo has always been the one that acts like an unnie when they’re together.
She has always taken care of Momo in more ways than one. She lets her eat a lot and order extras, protects her from bugs despite being scared herself, and even making sure she doesn’t get soaked by the rain, which also was the reason Jihyo got sick this time around. While outside with their activities, TWICE was caught up in the rain. A few of them had umbrellas that can fit a person or two, but Momo forgot to bring hers despite being reminded by her leader. In the end, Jihyo made sure Momo didn’t get wet by holding the umbrella above the older girl, despite it being only fit for a single person, leaving Jihyo all soaked in the cold weather.
MM: (..I guess I better check up on Jihyo-ssi.)
Momo silently sneaked towards Jihyo’s room. She peaked inside and didn’t enter to check up on her leader.
JH: “…”
MM: (Whew, looks like she’s resting..)
JH: “..Is.. someone there?”
MM: “AH! H-HI JIHYO-SSI!”
JH: “..Oh. It’s just you, Momo..”
MM: (Just you? I’m trying to be nice here checking up on her!)
JH: “..What do you need?”
MM: “..Eh? No, I’m just here to tell you that I’m going to take care of you today~”
JH: “…”
Jihyo having no reaction made Momo frustrated as if she wasn’t being trustworthy enough to take care of her. She moved closer to Jihyo on the bed and checked on her temperature.
MM: “..Just checking~”
Jihyo moved Momo’s hand away and turned to her side looking away from the Japanese girl.
JH: “..I’m fine. Just need some rest.. Maybe I could catch up with Nayeon-unnie and the others..”
MM: “Nope. You’re staying here. You have a really high fever and Momo-unnie is here to help you out today!”
JH: “..You’ll definitely help me out if you stay out of trouble for the whole day, Momo..”
MM: “HEY! I’M TRYING TO BE NICE HERE! AND THAT’S UNNIE FOR YOU!”
JH: “...You know I wouldn’t be in bed right now if weren’t for you forgetting your umbrella.”
MM: “You didn’t have to use your umbrella on me. Anyway, I’m sorry. Okay? I’ll make up for it by taking care of you.”
JH: “..Just let me rest.”
MM: “..Fine. Just tell me if you need something.”
Jihyo didn’t look back at Momo and just tried to continue resting. As much as she wants to, she definitely would appreciate some help for the day. However, knowing it was Momo who’s going to take care of her, she had a lot of doubts if she can manage or end up causing more trouble. She figured that if she could just recover on her own, things will end up better.
While resting, she could hear some noise. Pretty much Jihyo knew it was just Momo messing around and stuff. Regardless, she thought of letting her do things on her own rather than getting up.
Some time has passed as Jihyo noticed she probably dozed off. She took a look at the clock on her end table and saw an hour has passed since Momo talked to her. She’s not hearing anything. Curiosity got the best of her so she decided to check what she’s doing. Upon turning around and about to sit up, Momo was just on her bedside sitting at her desk reading something on her phone.
JH: “..Huh? Momo?”
Hearing Jihyo’s voice made her lose her focus in reading.
MM: “..Oh! What do you need Jihyo-ssi?”
JH: “..N-nothing.. I’m fine.”
MM: “Okay. Just tell me what you need then I’ll do it for you~”
JH: “…”
Jihyo turned around again facing the opposite side trying to ignore the older girl. This time however, she’s unable to sleep, for the reason that she’s starting to get hungry.
JH: (..Probably best if I still try to check what’s on the fridge..)
The sick girl decided to do it herself. She sat up and tried to stand up. Momo noticed her immediately and went to her side.
MM: “Hey, wait! Where are you going?”
JH: “..I’ll just check what food we have.”
MM: “Oh, we don’t have any left. Tzuyu ate the leftovers last night. But don’t worry, I’ll cook for you!”
JH: “..No. Let’s just have food delivered.”
MM: “That’s not good. You need something healthy, so I’ll cook!”
JH: “..Momo, the last time you cooked, we almost lost the kitchen. So, no..”
MM: “That’s because I didn’t know you could turn the fire lower, hehe. I’ll be fine now, I’ve been reading this site on how to make good porridge! So just stay in bed and let Momo-unnie do it~”
JH: “W-wait..”
Momo made Jihyo lay down on her bed again and immediately left her room. She could hear some noise outside which made her worry whatever Momo was doing. As much as she wanted to get up though, she didn’t have the energy. Jihyo had no choice but to hope no disaster happens.
Some time has passed, and fortunately no accident happened. Momo made her way back to Jihyo’s room holding a bowl of porridge.
MM: “Lunch is ready~”
JH: “..Have you tasted it?”
MM: “..Eh? I’m supposed to?”
JH: “..Nevermind.”
MM: “Unnie is going to feed you now~ Say Aaah~”
JH: “H-hey! That’s embarrassing.. I can feed myself..”
MM: “Nope. You can’t even stand without wobbling. Just sit and I’ll feed you.”
JH: “..I hate you.”
MM: “HEY! I’M JUST HELPING YOU OUT!”
Without saying another word, Jihyo got embarrassed and opened her mouth. Seeing this, Momo immediately took a spoonful of her homemade porridge and fed her leader.
JH: “…”
MM: “So.. how was it?”
JH: “..Bland.”
MM: “Eh? But I followed everything on the recipe!”
JH: “Err.. it’s supposed to be like that.”
MM: “What? Then it’s not good food! Maybe I should fix this..”
JH: “It’s fine, Momo. Can we.. continue?”
Momo’s reaction was as if a child has been praised for a good job. She hurriedly scooped another spoonful for the sick girl.
MM: “O.. Okay! Here~”
After some time, Momo finished feeding her group’s leader.
MM: “Wow. You finished everything. That means you liked it~”
JH: “..I just want to recover soon.”
MM: “I’ll clean up and eat lunch as well~”
JH: “..Huh? You haven’t eaten yet?”
MM: “Yeah. I need to take care of you first! Anyway, I’ll be back~”
Momo left Jihyo on her own for the meantime as she ate lunch and washed the plates for a bit. The sick girl laid on her back again and let out a deep sigh with whatever’s going on right now. After some time relaxing, she suddenly heard a plate break as if it fell on the floor.
JH: “..Huh? M-MOMO!?”
Suddenly shouting made Jihyo’s throat sore. She tried to get up but before she got out of bed, Momo replied to her.
MM: “IT’S OKAY~ MY HAND JUST SLIPPED~ STAY IN BED!”
JH: “B-But..”
MM: “IT’S OKAY! I’LL BE BACK THERE IN A BIT~”
In a few, Momo entered Jihyo’s room again.
MM: “Sorry to keep you waiting~ Anything you need right now, Jihyo-ssi?”
JH: “..I’m fine. Are you hurt?”
MM: “Don’t worry about me! We need you to get well soon! You know how everyone becomes when you’re not around.”
JH: “..Can you.. help me get up?”
MM: “I told you, I’ll do whatever you need. Just lay on your bed!”
JH: “But I..”
MM: “NO BUTS!”
JH: “I NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!”
MM: “..Oh.”
JH: “..I don’t need your help. I’ll go on my own.”
Jihyo slowly stood up from her bed. Momo immediately held her arm.
MM: “Wait, Jihyo-ssi. I’ll help you.”
JH: “LET GO!”
The sick girl stubbornly resisted and pulled her arm away from Momo. This however, made her lose her balance and almost fell on the ground. Luckily, Momo caught her to lift her up.
MM: “..I’m sorry, okay? Let me take responsibility for you today. I am your unnie too, right?”
JH: “…”
Momo helped her walk to the bathroom and opened the door. She waited for Jihyo to finish before helping her out again to the bed.
MM: “..You’re all sweaty right now, Jihyo-ssi. Let’s wash you up.”
JH: “..Huh? Y-you mean..”
MM: “Yeah! A sponge bath. My mom used to do that when I was sick, hehe.”
JH: “Umm.. I’m still okay.”
MM: “Nope. You felt sticky when I was helping you to the bathroom. Wait a moment, I’ll prepare it for you.”
JH: “W-wai-“
Momo already zoomed out of the room before Jihyo could even stop her. The sick girl turned red just thinking about what they are about to do. It didn’t take long for Momo to make her return holding towels, and the basin with water.
MM: “Okay, Jihyo-ssi. Strip!”
JH: “D-d-don’t make it sound weird!”
MM: “..Eh? Ohh.. are you embarrassed? Hehe.”
JH: “O-of course I am..” *cough*
MM: “Hey, stop shouting. You need to reserve your energy. Anyway, why are you embarrassed? We’re both girls. I also remember that you and Tzuyu once took a bath together.”
JH: “Y-yeah, but.. this time it’s just me. It’s embarrassing.”
MM: “..So, do I get naked too?”
JH: “N-no! It’s just that.. I’m not as skinny as you.. I feel insecure with my figure..”
MM: “What are you talking about? You have an amazing body! Besides, it’s important we love ourselves for how we are.”
JH: “..Huh?”
MM: “Come on now. The faster we do this, the better you will feel later~”
JH: “..Okay..”
Jihyo moved the blanket a bit out of the way so she could remove her clothes. She slowly took off her pajama top and bottom for her caretaker, having a red tint creep up on her cheek in the process. Momo stared at her for some time seeing her strong dependable leader showing a completely vulnerable state.
JH: “Err.. Don't stare too much.. Let’s get this over with.”
MM: “..Oh, right! Hehe, sorry. I’m just amazed how flawless your skin looks. Let’s wash you up real good!”
Momo started to wipe off the sweat off Jihyo’s body. It definitely felt good for her, considering how hot she was feeling. She felt relieved with how her temperature started to cool down.
JH: “I-I’ll wipe off my front.. Thanks..”
MM: “Hooo~ Jihyo-ssi being shy is kind of cute.”
JH: “W-what do you mean by that!?”
MM: “Nothing~ I’ll get you new clothes.”
Suddenly, Jihyo got alarmed with what Momo was about to do. It’s not that she doesn’t want her to see her closet. Rather, it’s that she is hiding something that she doesn’t want the Japanese girl to see.
JH: “Ah, w-wait, Momo. I’ll go get it.”
MM: “Don’t worry~ Just tell me which one to get.”
JH: “Err.. Just open the second drawer, okay? The SECOND drawer.”
MM: “Eh? Hmm, okay~”
Momo noticed how particularly specific Jihyo was with just opening the second drawer. This made her curious as to what was inside the first one. Regardless, she just continued doing Jihyo’s request.
MM: “Is this one good?”
JH: “Yeah.. Thanks.”
Jihyo wore a new set of pajamas with the help of Momo.
MM: “There! Feels better, right? That way you’ll be comfy, hehe. Try to rest now, Jihyo-ssi. I’ll be here if you need anything!”
Momo played around with her phone checking on social media as well as how were things going with the other members. Jihyo on the other hand tried to get some rest. However, she was unable to do so for a few reasons. It’s not that she’s not feeling well. In fact, she was feeling much better thanks to the girl watching over her right now. Rather, she was distracted. It has been around ten minutes, Jihyo spoke to her caretaker.
JH: “Hey, Momo..”
MM: “..Eh? You need anything, Jihyo-ssi?”
JH: “..How are the others?”
MM: “Oh, they’re doing good! Nayeon-unnie said they’re almost done there. I’m not sure with Jeongyeon-unnie, then School Meal Club made it to the Finals in ISAC!”
JH: “Wow.. That’s good to hear.”
MM: “Yeah!”
What soon followed was another silent moment. Momo was still on her phone, and Jihyo had nothing to do.
JH: “..Can we talk?”
MM: “..Eh? About what?
JH: “..Anything, really. I can’t sleep. It might help me doze off.”
MM: “..You mean I’m boring to talk to?”
JH: “No I mean. I’m bored that I can’t do much right now.”
MM: “Hmm, okay! So, what do you want to talk about?”
JH: “Uhh.. About our next tour? I heard you, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu are in charge of the unit stages. Have you chosen which routine you’d do and with who?”
MM: “Yeah! You know Taemin sunbaenim’s song Goodbye?”
JH: “..Huh? Seriously? That’s crazy difficult! But I think you can do it solo.”
MM: “Nope. I want it to be a duo. I don’t think my vocals can bring out the whole song to life.”
JH: “..You need to be more confident of your vocals. You’ve been improving a lot, you know.”
MM: “You think so? I still want it as a unit stage for two.”
JH: “The choreography’s difficult, but I think you and Minari can do it.”
MM: “Nah, Chaengie already got her for their unit stage.”
JH: “..Really? So who do you plan on getting for that?”
MM: “..You.”
JH: “WHAT!?”
MM: “Yeah.”
JH: “..No.”
MM: “..Yes.”
JH: “I said no.”
MM: “But I always wanted to do a unit stage with you!”
JH: “..W-what?”
MM: “Yeah. Ever since we began promotions, I always liked how good you were in really working hard despite already debuting as an idol. I always see you practicing extra hours in the recording studios and that’s amazing! There are many people that might not see it, but I always did! And it’s not just your singing, but your dancing as well. You bring out so much energy to your performance. That’s why for me, you’re most suitable for that stage.”
JH: “Momo..”
MM: “..You’re actually my first choice in doing Goodbye with me.”
Jihyo paused for some time, not saying anything. Momo didn’t say a word but kept on staring at her leader who seem to be really thinking hard about Momo’s proposal. Finally, she spoke.
JH: “..W-well.. once I recover, I’ll give it a though if it’s fine..”
MM: “..Eh? Y-you mean..”
Jihyo nodded and looked away. Momo then started jumping put of happiness.
MM: “YAY! FINALLY GETTING A UNIT STAGE WITH JIHYO-SSI~!”
JH: “H-hey calm down! I said I’ll think about it!”
Afterwards, Momo seem to be in a much better mood than before.
JH: “Geez, is it a really big deal for you?”
MM: “Yeah! One of my goals when I debuted as part of Twice was to do a stage with you. That’s why it means a lot to me.”
JH: “Huh? W-why with me? You know that I’m.. the least popular member in the group.”
MM: “But that’s what just people say. In the group, you’re definitely the most popular among everyone~”
JH: “Y-you’re making stuff up..”
MM: “You just don’t know but when you’re not around, we often talk about you too.”
JH: “..I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.”
MM: “Definitely good! Besides, it’s like choosing meat. I’d prefer quality meat that’s a bit fatty instead of a lot of meat that’s tough to chew.”
JH: “..Are you saying I’m a bit fat?”
MM: “..Eh? Of course not! I mean, quality people that may be few but admire you instead of having too many fans that like you only in weird ways. You know, like just because of one’s face and body. I don’t like that. People should look at the inside of a person more!”
JH: “..Sometimes, you can really say the most unusual things I wouldn’t expect.”
MM: “Hey! Are you saying I’m simple minded?”
JH: “Well, being simple minded is good too, you don’t overthink things like me.”
MM: “You’re doing a good job as our leader. Don’t worry! Anyway, I’ll tell you a secret that’s really important to me.”
JH: “..A secret?”
MM: “When we debuted as TWICE, I honestly felt undeserving to be part of everyone who won Sixteen. I was eliminated early on.. However, you always made me feel comfortable that I really am part of the group and never left me out. I’m older than you, but you were able to hold us all together. I don’t think our group will do well without you as the leader. Thanks to you, I was also able to feel it was worth it to be in TWICE.”
JH: “…”
MM: “..Hehe, I’m glad I was able to say it to you. Thank you so much, Jihyo-ssi!”
JH: “..It’s me who should thank you.”
MM: “..Eh? Why?”
JH: “..Nothing.”
MM: “HEY! Are you hiding something from me?”
JH: “Maybe. Anyway, thanks for the chat. I think I can rest now.”
MM: “Oh, okay! I think I’ll rest too, hehe. Just tell me if you need anything~”
JH: “Sure. Thanks, Momo-unnie.”
MM: “..Eh?”
Jihyo laid in bed and turned backwards, facing the opposite side of the Japanese girl again. The latter had a moment to think about what just happened. It was the first time Jihyo called her unnie.
MM: (..That.. felt nice.)
Feeling some unusual warmth in her heart, Momo took a nap by Jihyo’s side as well. A few hours has passed, and Jihyo woke up again upon hearing her caretaker on the phone talking to someone. She opened her eyes and saw Momo just past her door. She tried to listen to the conversation she was having despite it being a bit difficult to comprehend.
JH: (..She’s talking to.. Sana? I couldn’t hear well.)
In a bit, Momo dropped the call and turned around to see her leader awake again.
MM: “Sorry, Jihyo-ssi. Did I wake you up?”
JH: “No, it’s okay. Anyway, who were you talking with?”
MM: “Oh.. that was Sana-ssi. You probably don’t know, but the typhoon’s really strong right now and they’re all stranded at the radio station.”
JH: “I see. How about the others?”
MM: “Just the same according to her. So it’s just us until the typhoon calms down.”
JH: “Oh..”
MM: “Anyway, can I check your temperature?”
JH: “Sure.”
MM: “..Good, hehe. It seems a bit lower now. Though you still need to rest. I’ll go cook something for dinner too!”
JH: “Thanks.”
Momo went out of Jihyo’s room and to the kitchen as she thought of what to make for her leader. It didn’t take her that long to decide as she kept on looking at different recipes earlier that day.
MM: “Wait for a bit, Jihyo-ssi. Dinner will be done in about thirty minutes.”
Jihyo had nothing to do. Then after thinking about everything that transpired that day, she remembered that Momo almost saw what she was hiding in her own drawer. Feeling much better than earlier, she was able to stand up slowly and made her way to her drawer. She then took out an old photo and looked at it: a stolen shot of Momo practicing in the dance room of their old building.
It may look like just a normal stolen shot of her dancing. However, it held so much meaning to Jihyo. Particularly, it was a photo of Momo after getting eliminated from Sixteen, still wearing the clothes she wore right after the decision was made.
After that episode of the reality show was filmed, Momo’s belongings were no longer in their trainee dorm. Upon learning this, Jihyo went back to the JYP building to look for the older Japanese Girl as she was worried of her condition. The security told her she was at the practice room which she immediately went to. As she took a peek inside, she didn’t see a crying Momo. Instead, she saw the girl giving it her all and continuing to practice and work hard in improving herself even more, forgetting that she may have lost an opportunity to debut in the future. This passion was something that Jihyo truly admired. She had the immense passion to sing, while the older girl had the passion to dance.
They may both look like they end up annoying each other, but they have a lot of similarities too. Jihyo almost lost all hope to debut when her original group, 6Mix got cancelled. However, seeing another girls like Momo work hard on improving herself made her worries go away. She then realized it was not necessary for her to go check up on her, but she wanted to remember this moment: A moment where she could see the other girl’s burning passion move her heart in more ways than just being fellow trainees of the same agency.
JH: “(..I need to put this somewhere she can’t see.)
Trying to look around her, Jihyo was unable to find any other location that may probably hide this photo. While deciding, she heard the other girl’s footsteps coming in closer to her location. She immediately returned to bed and hit the photo under her pillow.
MM: “Hey, Jihyo-ssi. Are you fine with Chicken Soup? I read it’s good for colds.”
JH: “Y-yeah. Do you know how to make it?”
MM: “I’ll just follow the recipe hehe. I saw some chicken on the fridge so I’ll do that. Wait for a bit~”
JH: “Take your time.”
Momo left and headed back to the kitchen. Relieved, Jihyo turned to her phone and checked on what’s happening. As she read the news, Tzuyu and the rest reached the finals but failed to get the gold. However, she was still very happy for them reaching all the way to the finals. Jeongyeon was spotted at her photoshoot venue and a few people gathered there as well. Nayeon and the others had a successful interview during the radio talk show as they promoted about their upcoming World Tour. In other news, she was able to see clips of the typhoon that hit Seoul. The winds were really strong and you could barely see anything from the downpour.
JH: (..I hope they’re all fine.)
She played a few games on her phone while waiting for Momo’s dinner. After some time, she heard the Japanese girl slowly heading towards her. This time, carrying a bowl of soup.
MM: “It’s done~ hehe. I hope I did it right! I made sure to taste it this time. It should be good~”
JH: “Sorry for the trouble, Momo.”
MM: “No trouble at all~ Here you go.”
JH: “..Huh? I’ll feed myself?”
MM: “Eh? Are you still unwell? I thought you’re a bit better enough to eat on your own. Or do you want me to still feed you? Hehehe.”
JH: “I-it’s not like that! I’ll eat it on my own then!”
MM: “Don’t be shy now~ Come on~”
JH: “I’M FINE!”
MM: “..Are you sure? You’re looking reddish.”
JH: “G-give it to me! I’ll show you I’m okay.”
MM: “Alrighty.”
Momo handed over the bowl of chicken soup she made for her leader as the latter started eating.
MM: “You like it?”
JH: “..I could taste a bit of flavor. It’s good.”
MM: “Yay! That’s great to hear! I’m starting to enjoy cooking, hehe.”
JH: “..As long as you gain experience, I think you could do well. I’m fine to try them out.”
MM: “..Eh? You’re willing to do the taste testing for me?”
JH: “..I guess so.”
MM: “Yay! That makes me even more motivated~”
JH: “Err, you better follow recipes, okay?”
MM: “Yup~ Anyway, try to finish up with your meal now, hehe.”
As Jihyo continued to eat, Momo received another phone call. She picked it up.
MM: “Hello? What is it, Sana-ssi?”
Jihyo wondered if something was going on again. After about a minute of talking, Momo dropped the call.
MM: “She told me they’re about to leave but will have dinner at a restaurant first. They might be back in two hours or so.
JH: “I see..”
MM: “..Sana-ssi was also worried about you, hehe. She asked me if you’re temperature is lowering down.”
JH: “..Well, you know the answer. How’s Sana? I heard some thunder earlier. Is she okay?”
MM: “Why don’t you ask her? You’re her best friend.”
JH: “..But you’re her girlfriend.”
MM: “Eh? What is that supposed to mean?”
JH: “..Nothing. I’m done eating. Thanks.. I think I’ll sleep again..”
MM: “Are you sure? You haven’t eaten much.”
JH: “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for helping me out today, Momo. Good night.”
MM: “Okay~ hope you recover soon!”
Jihyo went back to sleep and lost most of her energy after being reminded that two of her members were dating: her best friend, and also the dancing prodigy she fell in love with during her trainee days. She very well knew that pursuing her feelings will not just break her friendship with Sana, but ultimately break up their group. She knew it was best the both of them didn’t know. With that in mind, she decided to just rest it all up and resume with her responsibility as the leader as soon as she recovers.
As Jihyo was sleeping again, Momo also had dinner and washed all of the kitchenware. Afterwards, she spent time watching television while waiting for the other girls to come back home. After about an hour or so, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu all returned to the dorm.
MM: “Welcome back~ Did you all eat already?”
DH: “Hi, Momo-unnie! Yeah. We still had food left after the event so we’re fine. Just a little tired because of getting stranded.”
TY: “Is Jihyo-unnie okay?”
MM: “Her temperature is lower now. Don’t worry, hehe.”
CY: “Can we go see her?”
MM: “Well, she’s sleeping again. Let’s not disturb her. Why don’t you three get some rest now?”
TY: “Thanks, unnie.”
The three young girls headed to get changed and rest up. On the other hand, Momo checked up on Jihyo. She took a peek inside and noticed Jihyo was laying on bed sleeping.
MM: (..Good, hehe.. Eh? What’s that?)
The Japanese girl noticed something near Jihyo’s pillow. She moved closer and saw a photo.
MM: (..Eh? This is.. back then..)
Momo recalled the past they all had and when she thought she wasn’t going to debut anymore. She went back into practicing back at the studio despite the frustration she felt. It was obvious, and despite her dancing there again, she came to that point of giving up on her dreams.
However, it didn’t happen because of one particular reason. After Momo finished one last dance routine in the practice room, she decided to pack up and leave for good. However, as she was about to pick up her baggage, she noticed someone was hiding behind the door through the mirror.
MM: “..I knew it was you, hehe. But I didn’t know you took this photo.”
When she was about to leave JYP Entertainment for good and return to Japan, Momo actually saw Jihyo watching her. The young Japanese girl was reminded of the person she truly respected. She waited for ten years for this moment, was not able to debut with the discontinuation of 6Mix, but never gave up in pursuing her dreams to become an idol. She saw her practicing hard everyday with extra hours despite all the criticism the judges and media had on her. She then knee it was all she needed. To see someone like Jihyo who worked hard to reignite her will to go on and continue with her dancing, ultimately leading her to be reinstated as part of TWICE because of all the hard work she has done.
Momo fell in love with her. However, all that they had was needless annoyance with each other. Other than that, she was unable to fit the role as an unnie to her leader. She was the one that needed protecting, but wasn’t able to do it for her. It ended up making her feel that pursuing her emotion will not lead to anywhere good. In a few years, Momo was able to let go of her feelings for Jihyo, and eventually started dating Sana.
MM: “..I owe you a lot, Jihyo-ssi. However, it’s not possible anymore. It will.. break all of us. That’s why, I’ll leave you with this..”
Momo moved her face closer to Jihyo and gave her first and last kiss on the lips of the sleeping girl.
MM: “..Goodbye.”
Momo left Jihyo in her room and went back to her own.
The next day, Nayeon, Jeongyeon and Sana checked up on Jihyo’s temperature. She went to her room first thing in the morning to check up on her.
NY: “..Wow. You’re already back to normal!”
JY: “I didn’t expect Momo to take care of you so well.”
JH: “..Well, she did good with cooking and stuff. But where is she?”
SN: “Umm.. about that..”
JH: “Huh?”
They all went to Jeongyeon and Momo’s room to see the latter laying in bed.
MM: “ACHOO!”
JH: “…”
SN: “..So yeah. It seems like Momoring got your fever this time.”
JY: “Classic Momo.”
NY: “..How did you get her fever anyway?”
MM: “..I don’t know.”
Jihyo looked away and turned red out of embarrassment because of her own thoughts.
JH: (..It wasn’t a dream?)
SN: “You better heal up soon like Jihyo! Rehearsals for our World Tour is coming soon. I’ll take care of you today~”
JY: “So, what’s your plan for the Goodbye Unit Stage, Momo?”
JH: “..She’s doing it with me.”
MM: “..Eh?”
NY: “W-what!?”
SN: “Wow, really? I’m excited!”
JH: “..Yeah. So get well soon, Momo. I’ll have a lot to learn!”
MM: “YEAH!” *cough*
SN: “Hey, don’t shout. Save your energy.”
JH: “Let’s leave for now and have Sana take care of her. I’ll self-study the choreography for now. You both need to practice with Minari and Chaengie too.”
NY: “Alright. See you guys!”
All the girls left Momo except for Sana. Truly, Momo was excited to perform a unit with Jihyo as it was something that she wanted to do. However, Jihyo needed to do this stage with her. Not because she does not have a unit stage yet, but the performance, as well as the song itself held much more meaning for her now.
TWICE continued to practice for their World Tour and came up with excellent choreographies and stages. On the first concert day, their performances highlighted several sides of the group. One particular performance that caught everyone’s eye was Momo and Jihyo’s unit stage ‘Goodbye’ by Taemin. The choreography was known to be extremely difficult, but the two girls pulled of an amazing performance. Fans were able to recognize how good Momo’s vocals improved, and complemented Jihyo’s own. Also, people began to recognize even more of Jihyo’s stage presence and ability to keep up with the dancing prodigy as well.
The performance itself resonated with Jihyo. The lyrics of the song held much meaning for the two of them. She had to accept it that holding on to these feelings will lead to nowhere. She had to say goodbye as well. As their unit stage comes to a close:
JH: I don’t wanna say goodbye
MM: Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye..
Cheers and chills were felt as it was something never before seen from the duo. After a few more songs from the group, they had a short break to talk to the fans about their stages. With one of the questions, Nayeon asked how did Momo end up having Jihyo do this stage with her as everyone else turned her down.
MM: “I seduced Jihyo in doing this stage with me.”
Everyone ended up laughing with her comment except for Jihyo, who actually turned red and turned to her back as she perfectly knew the reason why she accepted it. It was for the both of them as they needed to let go of the feelings they were hanging on to. She could only think about it in her mind.
JH: (It definitely worked, Momo. And I’m glad it did. That performance was for the both of us.)
The first concert was a success, and what soon followed were more successful stops for their World Tour. However, with the recent turn of events, their last few stops had to be suddenly cancelled, similar to how Jihyo had to stop feeling anything for Momo.
MM: “It’s really sad that we can’t do the last leg of the World Tour. I wanted to give my all on our final ‘Goodbye’ performance.
JH: “I am too, Momo. But it’s just how it is. Sometimes, we just have to suddenly say goodbye and accept it.”
- END –