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The intense brightness of the stage lights burn into her skin as Sharon Swan sang into the mic with all her heart and energy. Her eyes caught the reflective lens of the broadcast camera to her left, following her movements as she prepared to dive into the chorus, ruby red lips curled into a smirk. Cheers from the audience erupt from excitement from her dazzling stage performance. She could feel the sweat sliding down the sides of her face and the ache from the bottom of her feet from her heels, but she pushed forward until the end, giving it her all.
Once she sang the last note and posed for the ending shot, she enticed the viewers and the audience with another smirk and a hypnotizing gaze.
The final broadcast for this comeback was finally over, and promotions for this cycle officially concluded.
---
When she wasn't the captivating Sharon Swan, she was plain and ordinary Myoui Mina.
For someone who was born and raised in Japan, Mina was fortunate and extremely lucky to have a stable and established career as a soloist in South Korea. Surprisingly, she was also on good terms with her company and the managers assigned to watch over her. The only thing real issue with her position was the fact that being a soloist was lonely. Mina was envious of girl groups she'd meet during broadcast recordings, often wondering what it was like to train and debut together. She knew that befriending other female artists was an option, but growing those friendships would be difficult when there was little free time between her packed schedules, even if the promotion periods were over.
It was past midnight when Mina returned to her apartment. She wasn't sleepy yet and wanted to grab something to eat. After donning on a large black hoodie and dark grey sweats, Mina made her way to her local CU convenience store to grab a packaged egg sandwich and bottled green tea. Typically, she took her food back to the apartment to eat but the evening weather felt nice and decided to eat on a bench at the nearby park to help clear her mind. She kept her hood tucked over her head to hide her face from the few people that passed her by. There have been times where she had been recognized in the past when she was out in public. She was not in the mood to be disturbed.
The moment the thought crossed her mind, a small golden brown terrier suddenly appeared at her feet, gazing up at her and panting happily. Mina easily broke out into a wide grin; dogs were her weakness. Setting her sandwich and bottled tea against the back rest of the bench, Mina stood up before kneeling down on the pavement to be more at the pup's level.
"Hi there. Where did you come from?" Mina cooed softly while stroking the fur along the dog's backside. The terrier became excited at the attention and jumped at Mina, practically tackling her down until she was on her back, letting out a squeal when the dog began licking her cheek.
"BOO! STOP THAT. OFF! GET OFF, NOW!" A feminine voice sounded from behind Mina. The owner picked up Boo the terrier off of Mina and set him back down on the pavement, ordering him to sit, which he did obediently while wearing an innocent expression. "I'm so sorry about him. He gets hyper when he is doted on." The girl extended out her hand to Mina, offering assistance.
When Mina looked up, she found herself staring into the eyes of a girl who looked to be around her age. She wore a black baseball cap and the color of her hair was a bluish grey. She wore a gray cropped sweatshirt, showing off her toned abs, and matching colored sweats.
After taking a couple more seconds to take in the girl's appearance, Mina finally took the hand and allowed herself to be pulled back onto her feet. The momentum caused her hoodie to fly off Mina's head and exposed her face to the dog's owner. Mina squeaked and immediately pulled the hoodie back over her head and turned away. She was already prepping herself for the other girl to recognize her but several seconds of awkward silence passed: nothing.
"Uh, are you okay?" she asked Mina.
Mina cautiously turned to face her again, letting her hood fall back down. The phrase you don't recognize me? was on the tip of her tongue but the soloist knew that if she said that, that would pique the interest of the dog owner.
"Sorry… Wearing a hood over my head makes me feel comfortable… Protected…" Mina explained slowly, hoping that her reasoning sounded somewhat convincing. To her relief, the girl nodded in understanding.
"I get that. There's something about an oversized, comfy hoodie that makes you feel safe. I'm Momo, by the way. You've already met my hyperactive son." Momo motioned down to the small terrier, still panting happily at Mina, his small stub of a tail swishing side to side.
"Mina. It's nice to meet you, Momo," Mina greeted and slightly bowed her head out of habit.
"I've never seen you around before." When Mina raised a brow at her, Momo continued to elaborate. "I always take the same route every night when I walk Boo."
"I needed some alone time to think. Figured getting some fresh air would be better than being cooped in my apartment." Mina wasn't sure why she was explaining herself to a stranger. She could see Momo's curiosity in her eyes but was thankful Momo didn't press further.
"Well… if you ever decide to come back the park for midnight meditations to clear your head, I'll be around if you need company," Momo offered carefully, giving Mina a reassuring and warm smile. "Get home safely."
Mina watched as Momo coolly slid her hands into her pockets and motioned with her head for Boo to follow her, the small terrier giving Mina one last look before returning to his owner's side.
Once Momo and Boo were out of view, Mina touched her cheek and realized just how wide she was smiling.
---
To her own surprise, Mina found herself returning to the park at the exact same time.
She also found herself being tackled to the ground by Boo again. Seconds later, Momo showed up right on Boo's trail and swiftly picked up the terrier off of Mina to scold him.
"I don't know what it is about you that makes Boo want to jump on you, but hopefully this won't become a habit that I'll always see you on the ground when we see each other," Momo laughed and offered out her hand for the soloist.
Mina was pulled back onto her feet by Momo and a buzzing warmth spread from her chest to her cheeks. "Well, at least it will be memorable. You'll never forget me," she said smoothly, silently surprised by her own boldness. Mina felt her heart thump against her ribs when she saw Momo smirk after.
"That's true. You've already made quite the impression on me," Momo admitted with a teasing glint in her eyes.
Somehow, Mina fell into this unexplainable rhythm with Momo. Because she already wrapped up recent promotions and her schedules happened during the day, it was easy for Mina to stay up late to meet up with Momo at the park. Sometimes she'd come with Boo, other times it would be just her. Mina learned Momo was taking a one year break from university to focus on teaching urban dance at a nearby dance studio and to figure out if she wanted to continue pursuing sociology or switch to a different major. She also learned that Momo was homesick and missed her family in Japan, and that she was currently not on speaking terms with her best friend, Sana, due to a disagreement they had. Momo didn't delve further on the reason, and while Mina was curious, she didn't push it, especially because the things she had told Momo were lies. To Momo, Mina was a trainee hoping to debut one day in a group. It was the reason why Mina was never available during the day because of singing lessons, since Momo wanted to spend time with her when the sun was actually out.
Their usual routine involved going to one of the many convenience stores nearby to grab something to eat or drink before inevitably settling back on their usual bench at the park. Mina was thankful Momo never questioned why she always had her mask and a hat on when going inside a store, though she was sure Momo wondered why.
Tonight was no different. After a trip to the convenience store, Mina was happily slurping a cup of Shin Ramyun while Momo was enjoying an egg and mayo sandwich. Of course, that didn't stop the dancer from wanting some of Mina's ramyun, which she was happy to oblige. Mina held the cup below Momo's chin and carefully fed her some noodles.
"One day when you're not too busy from practice, we have to meet up on the weekend. I know this place that makes delicious authentic Japanese udon. Or maybe this dessert café one of the other instructors at the studio recommended to me," Momo brought up.
Mina's heart sank. She really did want to spend time with Momo like a normal, everyday person would. However, with her schedules, it would be impossible. A part of her wondered if she should disclose the fact she was Sharon Swan, that maybe it'd be easier if she did, yet another part of Mina was afraid that Momo would treat her differently when she discovers that Mina is very well-known. She treasured this bond she shared with Momo. Ever since her path crossed with the dancer's, it was the first time Mina felt so happy in so long. Which only made it harder every time she had to keep up the façade.
"Of course. Once I know, I'll be sure to tell you," Mina lied with uncomfortable ease. "Those all sound delicious."
"Cool, I can't wait," Momo said as she flashed a toothy grin.
That's when Mina noticed there was some stray mayo near Momo's lips. "Oh, one second. You have something on your face." Without thinking too much of it, Mina reached over and gingerly swiped her thumb to rid the mayo from Momo's face, accidentally brushing against Momo's lips in the process. Mina felt herself blush when she felt how soft Momo's lips were and felt her cheeks grow warmer when she saw Momo's flustered reaction, quickly retracting her hand back.
"Sorry, um, you had some mayo on your face," Mina mumbled out her reasoning, eyes darting everywhere except Momo's.
"Oh. Thanks." Momo paused, tapping the part of her lip that Mina touched, then glanced over at her. "Um… your moles."
Mina managed to look back at Momo. "Excuse me?"
"Your moles," Momo said with more clarity. "I like them."
"Thank you." Mina was taken aback by the sudden compliment, but before she could question further, Momo began gathering her things and stood up.
"I should start heading out. I have to teach a 8am class tomorrow. Goodnight Mina. Text me on KakaoTalk when you want to meet next."
"Okay. Goodnight Momo. See you next time."
Mina waved as Momo headed off east, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She thought back to what transpired moments ago about her moles. Then she thought about where her moles are placed and how for a few seconds, Momo's gaze was lowered down to her lips.
The thought made a wave of warmth to wash over Mina and she couldn't stop her heart from thudding rapidly against her rib cage.
---
After arriving at the Hongik University stop, Momo hopped off the subway train with her friends from the dance studio, Nayeon and Chaeyoung. They had finished a hip-hop class from one of the senior instructors and decided to hang out in Hongdae.
"And I think if I swerved my foot to the right at the beginning of the second verse, it'd make easing into the next move a lot more smoother," Nayeon concluded her explanation as all three of them tapped their T-Money cards over the card readers.
"It's worth a shot. We don't have the class till Friday but I'm down to come to the studio tomorrow morning if you are," Momo offered. "What about you, Chae? Wanna meet up tomorrow?"
"AHHHH!" Chaeyoung squealed excitedly. That was not the answer Momo was expecting.
"Why are you screaming?" Momo asked while cringing, covering the ear closest to Chaeyoung.
Nayeon looked at the large ad display on the wall that Chaeyoung was glued to. "Ah. Looks like Sharon Swan's birthday is coming. Her birthday ads are already being posted."
"It's really pretty this year. Her fansites did an amazing job taking photos of her from her recent comeback," Chaeyoung sighed happily, before putting on a smile as she took a selfie with the display.
Momo took a closer look at the large colorful birthday ad. When she studied Sharon Swan's features, the cogs in her mind began turning at a rapid rate once it registered who she was looking at; she knew those moles from anywhere.
"That's Sharon Swan?!" Momo cried out in disbelief. Nayeon and Chaeyoung both turned to her with raised eyebrows.
"Uh… yeah. Obviously, Momo." Nayeon rolled her eyes. "Can't you read? Her name is literally right here. I know you don't listen to mainstream music like the hipster you are but come on now." She sighed exasperatedly at her friends, with Chaeyoung still a starstruck fan and Momo staring dumbly at the ad with her jaw hung open. "Girls, let's go. I'm hungry and I want to get to the café before the rush!"
Chaeyoung took one last picture before skipping back to Nayeon's side.
Reluctantly, Momo followed after her friends but not before giving the large fluorescent display one last glance, still processing the fact Mina and Sharon Swan were one and the same.
---
It had been almost been a week since Mina last saw Momo.
Her company managed to arrange a brand deal for Mina so she had to make the responsible decision to sleep early for her early morning photoshoots on top of her usual schedules. Luckily, all of the required shoots for the brand concluded today so Mina wasted no time in texting Momo if she was free tonight to meet her at their usual spot. It was silly to admit considering Momo was a stranger not too long ago, but Mina really missed her. Momo crossed her mind more times than Mina was unable to keep a mental track record anymore.
Mina was engaged in an internal conflict with herself, wondering if it would be too weird if she motioned to hug Momo when they hadn't been separated for that long, when Momo appeared from her peripheral.
"Hi, Momo," Mina stood up from the bench as she greeted the other girl. She tipped her head to one side when she noticed Momo's expression. "Is something wrong?"
"1997… March 24…" Momo muttered quietly.
Mina's breath hitched in her throat. "I-I'm sorry?"
"Your birthday… Sharon Swan." Momo stared at her, and Mina felt her ears turn hot from embarrassment.
"Ah… So you found out…" Mina laughed weakly, eyes drifting downwards at the ground.
"Why didn't you tell me who you were? Why lie?" Mina didn't miss the pained tone in Momo's voice, which only amplified the wave of guilt washing over her.
Mina exhaled slowly and allowed her stiffened shoulders to relax before finally meeting Momo's gaze. "Because everyone around me only know me as Sharon Swan. They only know me as the charismatic, alluring soloist from Japan. When you saw me and didn't recognize me as Sharon… it was really nice."
"And you didn't say who you were because you were afraid I'd change how I'd act around you?" Momo questioned, to which Mina nodded.
"I liked that you saw me as Myoui Mina… the real me. I was scared you'd start to act differently around me and that we'd lose the relationship we have. I know it's not an excuse for lying to you, and I'm sorry that I did…" Mina trailed off, rubbing her arm uncomfortably. She was ready whatever verbal lash Momo had prepared for her, but to Mina's surprise, Momo held out a small black box.
"Here. It's for you."
Mina blinked slowly and took the box from Momo's hand. When she opened it, inside was a sterling silver necklace with a small swan charm. "Momo, what is…?"
Momo shrugged then rubbed he back of her neck. "It's your birthday gift. You'll probably be busy on the actual day to spend it with me so I’m giving it to you now. I know that you're annoyingly popular and that you'll be very busy whenever your next comeback is announced, but I hope we can still see each other."
Mina stared dumbfounded at Momo for several seconds before a wide grin spread across her face, unable to resist throwing her arms around Momo to bring the dancer into a hug, trying to hide the fact she was close to tears from relief.
After Mina had calmed down, Momo helped her hook the necklace around her neck before they went on their usual convenience store run, but this time hand in hand with their fingers intertwined with one another.