Hard Love: Reminiscence - Michaeng || Book II

-11-

At the LAX airport of Los Angeles, the raven-haired woman with grumpy smirk tugs on her lips, her shoulder hanging a crossbody backpack that's big enough for her to carry all she needed during the stay here.

Jihyo pulls out her earphones when she saw the raven-haired woman and stops tapping her feet onto the floor, a motion of impatientness. "And I thought you value the time?"

"Do you expect me to jump off and skydive here to you?" Irony enough for the Korean to shut up as soon as she sensed the annoyance in the Japanese tone too. "The plane had to circle above around due to full parking and so it got delayed." Still, she reasoned out for the Korean to nod at the situation.

"Where are we heading now?" With the small talk ends, they already reached outside the terminal while Jihyo is hailing a cab for them. Momo's grumpy expression soon changed as it reminded her purpose here. Instead of answering the Korean first, she opened the door of the cab and made herself comfortable sitting on the leather chair while Jihyo follows, closing the door with her. The Japanese's lips curled up into a smile and looked into the rear mirror to met with the driver's eyes.

Somewhat the driver averted his eyes to the front, feeling a cold air sneaking onto the crook of his back neck during their eyes gawking, the smile wasn't sweet nor innocent at all, what the driver felt was threatening even though the woman did nothing. Jihyo who's watching all these intense beside nudged the Japanese on the elbow, which Momo eventually dropped the smile and replaced by her signature smirk that made the driver tenses more as he gripped tighter onto the stirring wheel.

"SCY Incorporation," Jihyo sighed at the mention of the company, she knew it. "Make it faster, we're late." The driver nodded and quickly stepped on the gas, driving off.

"Do we have an appointment?" Jihyo asked when the car started off too fast and suddenly that caused her to slumps back on the seat. Momo shook her head and put back on her sunglasses, leaning back on the seat. "Then how-"

"I'm not meeting the cub, not today." That makes Jihyo frowned, she thought the woman is here for Chaeyoung since she has been talking about it last week. "I thought she's the main purpose you're coming? Isn't that why you asked me to stay here till now or I'd be heading to Japan last Sunday?" Momo bobs her head left and right while humming, indicating she's not wrong but ain't right either.

"Hm, indeed."

"Then why..."

"Someone was reported to be interfering with our... hmm, how shall I reframe this..." Momo's hand in the half of the air, turning it as she's trying to find the suitable word for her sentence. Then her motion stopped as she does the air quotes and uttered, "business." 

Jihyo looked at her weirdly, she's not getting it at all. The woman is full of riddles and is a mystery herself, no one can figure out that corrupted mind of hers but Momo herself. "Who?" She asked, wanting to know whoever is digging in with their so-called "business".

"Snowwhite."

"The who?" Momo did not answer anymore, leaving Jihyo confusing over her last given clue. She's frustrated that the raven-haired woman would always leave her puzzled ever since her early days. No matter how many times she had asked Momo to stop with the roundabout talking, it'd always end up staying the same. Well, she can't blame the latter since it is her lifestyle, a kind of behavior because of the different lives and duties they are having. The Hirai family. It is a thing that stays only between the childhood friends of Osaka, though Mina before she forgets everything.

-

"Finally!" Mina whisper yelled in relaxation, clasping her hand together as she shut the tablet and throw it aside. It's been almost a week since she's an assistant to the great photographer, Katarina Son, not to mention a hard-headed one as well. Though Mina has to admire the cub's working efficiency and her coolness under pressure. This is another side of Chaeyoung that Mina newly discovered, the Korean sure has changed a lot but deep inside, Mina knows she's still the cub she used to know. Only because Chaeyoung is good at camouflaging her true emotions towards the Japanese.