A crush?
Momo knew that her best friend really liked her job, but she had never seen her best friend this cheerful after work (in other words, coming home from a date with a client). This was the first time Momo had seen Sana come home with a beaming face and it made Momo wonder what happened during her 'date'.
"Did Park Jihyo just hire you to be her girlfriend?" Momo asked playfully. At that time, she was sitting on the couch in their living room while Sana was walking down the hallway.
Momo knew how crazy Sana was over soloist Park Jihyo. She was Sana's favorite idol and one of the reasons Sana did this job. Sana needed money to buy albums, merchandise, and concert tickets from her favorite idol. Basically, Sana worked hard to spend money on Park Jihyo, someone who didn't even know she existed.
"If Park Jihyo hired me, you would see her with me right now. I wouldn't let her out of my grasp," Sana said as she put her purse on the coffee table and sat down next to Momo. She then put her head on Momo's shoulder.
"You and your obsession with your idol." Momo shook her head. "So, what's making you smile so brightly like this if it's not Park Jihyo?"
You could be the reason I smile so brightly, Sana wanted to say that, but she knew her best friend would never believe it and would just take it as a joke. She was tired of seeing all her advances being taken as jokes by Momo. I know you'll never look at me in that way, Sana thought at some point.
"I just met someone I didn't expect." Sana smiled as she recalled her date with Nayeon. She would be lying if she said she wasn't developing a crush on her. Nayeon was very easy to like and Sana always got infatuated so easily. It was the perfect combination for Sana to have a crush.
"Are you talking about your client?" Momo asked as she pulled one of Sana's hands and placed it on her thigh. She then played with that hand.
Sana lifted her head and looked up. Momo then turned her gaze to Sana and their eyes met. Momo knew that look. She had seen that look many times before. Sana's eyes always sparkled whenever she talked about someone who caught her attention. She knew that Sana was starting to have a crush on someone (again).
“Don’t tell me you have a crush on your client,” Momo said before Sana could answer.
“I don’t have a crush on her!” Sana grumbled and her brows furrowed. Well, maybe not yet, she wasn’t going to admit that in front of her best friend. She knew Momo would tease her nonstop if she said that out loud. “She was just really pretty and nice. She treated me really well even though she was actually—”
Sana stopped talking. She forgot that she shouldn't tell everything right away. It wasn't that she didn't want Momo to know, she just didn't want their other best friend to feel left out if she told Momo first.
"I'll tell everything when we meet Mina," Sana said before putting her head back on Momo's shoulder.
"Aww.. can you give me some spoilers?"
"No, I won't say anything else, but I can give you something else." Sana giggled thinking about what she was going to do to Momo.
"Ugh, don't tell me you're gonna give your kisses to me." Momo pushed Sana's head off her shoulder and made a disgusted face.
"Aww, you don't have to act like you don't like my kisses." Sana wrapped her arms around Momo and trapped her in her embrace. She then leaned forward and pushed her lips forward.
"I swear if you—"
Before Momo could finish talking, Sana lunged forward and showered her face with kisses. She kissed Momo's forehead, both cheeks, nose, jaw, chin, and the corners of her lips. Although Sana had given up on making advances towards Momo, she would never stop showering her with affection and love. Her feelings for Momo were more than just a crush at that point and she didn't know how to get rid of them. She had tried and never managed to get over her best friend. The feelings were always there and never wavered. In the end, she just accepted the fact that she might carry those feelings with her until she died and Momo might never reciprocate them.
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Sana talking about her crush wasn’t something new for Mina and Momo. Sana always told her two best friends whenever someone caught her attention or whenever she had feelings for someone else (except when she caught feelings for Momo because it was her biggest secret). It should've become a normal situation for them, but Mina never got used to it. She hated the tension that arose whenever Sana talked about her crush. The tension arose between Sana and Momo, but strangely enough, Mina was the only one who always noticed it.
"She was really sweet. She never let go of my hand while we were walking and she always asked if I was comfortable." Sana never stopped smiling as she talked about Nayeon. At that time, they were having lunch at their campus. Sana was sitting across from Momo and Mina.
"Are you really sure you don't have a crush on her?" Momo asked with a chuckle. Mina noticed that there was a hint of nervousness in Momo's chuckle.
"I already said I don't have a crush on her! Okay, I admit I was attracted to her beauty. That's why I was so nervous when I met her, but that's it. I don't have any feelings for her!" Sana frowned and pouted.
"I think you're just in denial, Sana." Momo shook her head with a smile. Mina noticed that Momo's smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Ugh, fine! I might have a crush on her. Are you satisfied now?" Sana crossed her arms and turned her face away from Momo. She was still pouting. "And I will ask her to go on a date with me again."
“What?” Momo said. Mina noticed a hint of panic in Momo’s voice. “How are you going to do that? You don’t have her number, right?”
Sana turned her face back to Momo. “Well, I don’t have her number, but I can book her.”
"As in renting her?" Mina finally joined in the conversation after observing her two best friends' bickering.
"Yeah."
"Sana, you know that's not a real date, right? She's just pretending to be your girlfriend. All the affection she'll show you is just—"
"I know, Momo. I work in the same industry as her. I know it's just an act, but that doesn't mean I can't be happy because of it, right? I'm not serious about this silly crush either. It won't develop into something more serious." Sana waved her hand, signaling that her two best friends could ignore this situation.
"Alright, tell me her name then," Momo said before taking her phone that was on the table. She then focused her gaze on her phone screen.
"For what?" Sana raised an eyebrow.
"I just want to see her face. You said she's very pretty. I'm curious," Momo replied without looking away. "I want to know the face of the girl who made you crazy like this."
Mina caught the way her best friend said those words. There was a hint of protectiveness and jealousy in Momo's voice. However, no one noticed it, except Mina. Momo didn't even realize what she was doing, let alone Sana. Only Mina noticed the tension between the two of them.
Sana rolled her eyes and snorted. "Her name is Yuri. She's currently ranked 2nd in the Top 10 Agents. I'm sure you'll be interested in her too if you—"
"She's your type," Momo said before Sana could finish her sentence. She then showed Mina her phone screen. "See, she's totally Sana's type, right?" Momo smirked.
You're her type too, Mina wanted to say that, but she chose to keep it to herself. It wasn't her place to reveal other people's feelings even though she was actually frustrated seeing the unspoken feelings between her two best friends.
Mina looked at Momo's phone screen more closely and noticed the face of the girl they had been talking about. The girl was indeed Sana's type. Mina knew that because she had seen Sana's previous crushes. She wasn't surprised to see Sana quickly fall for the girl. "You're right. She really is Sana's type," Mina replied with a smile.
"Okay, you got me! She's my type. I won't deny it anymore." Sana raised her hands in the air as a sign that she had given up. Her two best friends knew her too well that she couldn't lie to them anymore (Mina knew her more than she thought, but Mina chose to remain silent). "Now, can we talk about something else? I'm already—"
Mina's phone alarm suddenly went off, startling them. All eyes were on that phone and Mina quickly grabbed it and turned off the alarm. Sana raised an eyebrow as if asking what was going on and Momo did the same.
"I have to go now. You know I'm working on a big project for one of my classes, right? My groupmates are waiting for me," Mina explained while tidying up her things on the table.
"Oh yeah, I remember. You said you are in a group with two freshmen, right?" Sana asked as she watched Mina put her things in her bag.
"Yup! I'll introduce them to both of you soon. They are really nice," Mina replied before zipping her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. "I'll get going then. Bye!" She waved her hands at her two best friends.
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"Finally, I can breathe," Mina said as she plopped down on a chair and put her bag on the table. At that time, she was sitting across from Chaeyoung and Tzuyu, her two groupmates.
"What happened to you, unnie?" Chaeyoung asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Did you get scolded by your professor?" Tzuyu added a new question.
Mina shook her head and chuckled. "Of course not! I was just having lunch with my two best friends and they.." She trailed off and lowered her gaze. "I can't stand the tension between them, whether it's romantic tension or sexual tension. I'd rather be the third wheel like I am right now.." She looked up again and her eyes darted between Chaeyound and Tzuyu. "..than seeing them oblivious to each other's feelings."
"Aww.. you love us!" Chaeyoung opened her arms and pushed her lips forward as if she wanted to kiss Mina. She only focused on the fact that Mina was okay with being the third wheel between her and her girlfriend.
Tzuyu then hit Chaeyoung's arm and earned an 'ouch' from her. "Please just ignore her." She took a quick glance at her girlfriend before turning her gaze back to Mina. "This isn't the first time you've talked about your best friends, unnie. Don't you want to do something for them?"
"What can I do? They actually never told me anything about their feelings for each other. I'm just guessing. What if I'm wrong?"
Chaeyoung shook her head and waved her hand. "Unnie, you're really observant. You could even guess that we were dating when you first met us."
Tzuyu nodded her head. "She's right, unnie. I'm sure you're not mistaken. I saw them once and I could see that they were really close. You said they've been together since they were little, right? That's enough time to fall in love."
"I think you can give them a little push, unnie. At least make them aware of each other's feelings," Chaeyoung said.
Mina took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. After that, she opened her eyes again and exhaled slowly. She actually didn't like to interfere with other people's love lives, but she also couldn't stand seeing her two best friends like that. A little push shouldn't be harmful to Sana and Momo, right?
"I'll think about what I can do."
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Nayeon was grateful that her two best friends were able to help her move into a new apartment that day. Her two best friends always had busy schedules, especially since one of them was a famous idol. However, they always made time for Nayeon if she needed help. She was grateful to have them since high school.
“I’m so tired.” Nayeon sighed before plopping herself down on the floor. She then laid down there.
“Hey, we haven’t cleaned this floor yet. Don’t lie down here,” Jeongyeon scolded while looking down at her.
"I can take a shower after we finish organizing everything and cleaning the apartment." Nayeon closed her eyes and waved her hand. She wanted Jeongyeon to ignore her and let her rest for a while.
“Hey, Jihyo!” Jeongyeon looked over her shoulder.
Jihyo put a box on the floor and turned her gaze to Jeongyeon. "What?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Help me lift her.." Jeongyeon pointed at Nayeon. ".. to the couch." She then pointed to a couch not far from them.
Jihyo rolled her eyes before walking over to them. She then crouched in front of Nayeon and lifted her legs. Jeongyeon lifted her body and they carried Nayeon to the couch. Nayeon didn't protest at all. She was too tired to complain to her best friends.
"Now I can clean the floor," Jeongyeon said while clapping the dust off her hands.
"Oh, so you don't care if I get dirty. You just want to clean the floor." Nayeon crossed her arms and pouted.
"Indeed." Jeongyeon stuck out her tongue before going to get the vacuum cleaner.
Jeongyeon and Jihyo continued to clean and organize Nayeon's belongings, while Nayeon chose to rest for a while. She closed her eyes and let the sound of the vacuum cleaner become her lullaby. She then slowly fell asleep on the sofa.
.
.
.
"So, how was your date? Was she like what you imagined?" Jeongyeon suddenly asked. She turned off the vacuum cleaner in her hand.
Nayeon shot her eyes open and immediately turned her face to Jeongyeon. "I've only been asleep for 5 minutes, Yoo Jeongyeon!" She grumbled.
"You went on a date?" Jihyo stopped in her tracks, a box still in her arms. She then turned her face to Nayeon.
"Not a real date. I rented a girlfriend," Nayeon replied before closing her eyes again and placing one arm over them.
"You, a rental girlfriend, rented a girlfriend?" Jihyo couldn't believe what she just heard. "Why did you suddenly—"
"That girl took Nayeon's first place in the Top 10 Agents. So, she wanted to see how good she is." Jeongyeon answered Jihyo's question before she could ask it.
"She wasn't as great as I thought she would be," Nayeon said before pulling her arm away from her eyes. "She was really shy, but she was SO cute. I think that's what makes people attracted to her."
"So, the conclusion?" Jeongyeon raised an eyebrow as she rested her chin on the vacuum cleaner's handle. She seemed amused.
"I'm still better!" Nayeon grinned proudly as she crossed her arms.
"You and your overconfidence." Jeongyeon shook her head before turning on the vacuum cleaner again and continuing to clean the floor.
"It wouldn't be Nayeon if she wasn't overconfident," Jihyo said before walking toward the table and placing the box she was holding on it.
Nayeon intended to go back to sleep and let her two best friends finish whatever they were doing, but her phone suddenly buzzed. She recognized the ringtone. It was the ringtone she always heard when someone just booked her as a rental girlfriend.
“Let’s see who just booked me,” Nayeon muttered before reaching into her pants pocket and pulling out her phone. She then unlocked her phone and opened Rental Love, the app she worked for. “Damn.. I forgot to close my schedule for tomorrow. Someone wants me to be their rental girlfriend tomorrow,” she grumbled.
Nayeon then read the name of the client who just booked her and she started to panic. "Guys!" she shouted, distracting her two friends.
"What's wrong?" Jeongyeon asked. She turned off the vacuum cleaner again.
"What's going on?" Jihyo asked worriedly. She then walked over to Nayeon and Jeongyeon followed her from behind.
"Look who just booked me." Nayeon showed her phone screen to her two best friends. They both paid close attention to the name of Nayeon's client.
Minatozaki Sana
"They must be Japanese, right? What should I do? I've never had a Japanese client before! How am I supposed to talk to them?" Nayeon's panic grew. She started to create scenarios in her head.
Jeongyeon snorted and shook her head. "Good luck, my friend." She ruffled Nayeon's hair before turning on the vacuum cleaner again and cleaning the rest of the floor.
"Maybe they can speak Korean?" Jihyo tried to calm Nayeon down, but the doubt in her voice did the opposite.
"Ugh, I can only pray that they can speak Korean because if not.." Nayeon trailed off. She recalled the moment when Shasha challenged her. "They'll probably give me a low rating and my ranking will drop even further in the Top 10 Agents." She rubbed her face in frustration.
Nayeon spent the rest of her time making plans because she was really worried about facing that client. Little did she know that she had actually met that person and she was just wasting her time by overthinking.
(Nayeon would probably kick Sana's ass when she found out that Minatozaki Sana and Shasha were actually the same person)