with You

Trouble

The week dragged on like a slow crawl, each day stretching painfully into the next. Momo had slowly started to regain some of her mobility, the pain in her ankle easing with each physical therapy session. She was almost back to her full strength, and with the group's next comeback approaching, she was itching to join the others in practice. But something was gnawing at her—a sense of frustration that grew heavier with each passing day.

Momo's phone sat on the coffee table, the screen glaring at her with its persistent silence. It had been a whole week since she'd heard from Mina. A week filled with missed calls and unanswered messages, and every time Momo picked up her phone, she felt a pang of disappointment stab at her chest. Despite the support from the other members, there was an ache that only Mina could soothe, and without her, Momo felt adrift, lost in a sea of longing and unresolved feelings.

The day of practice finally arrived, and as Momo slipped on her favorite dancing sneakers, she felt a rush of determination. She had spent the last week watching the others dance from the sidelines, her heart yearning to be part of the action again. Today, she would finally rejoin her members, and she couldn't let anything stop her—not even the tension simmering just beneath the surface between her and Mina.

As she arrived at the studio, Momo was greeted with cheerful hellos from the other members. They were all excited to see her back, and for a moment, she felt buoyed by their energy. Nayeon came over, beaming as she threw her arms around Momo. "I'm so glad you're back! Ready to show us what you've got?"

"Yeah, I think I'm ready," Momo replied, trying to keep her voice steady, even as her heart raced at the thought of dancing again.

But as soon as she turned to see Mina, her heart sank. Mina was standing by the mirrors, chatting with Sana and Jihyo, her gummy smile radiant as always. But there was a distance in her eyes, a flicker of something that Momo couldn't quite place. It felt like a wall had been built between them, one that was impossible to breach.

As practice began, Momo fell into the familiar rhythm of the choreography. She was able to watch videos that were sent to her during her recovery, but moving again, each step felt liberating, and her body finally moving in sync with the music. But every time she glanced at Mina, she felt a tight knot forming in her stomach. There was something hanging in the air, a heavy tension that made it hard for Momo to focus.

Mina had taken her usual place on the front line, dancing effortlessly as always, but Momo noticed the way Mina's movements were slightly stilted, as if she was holding back. It made Momo's heart ache, the realization that Mina was struggling too. But instead of reaching out, the fear of rejection rooted Momo in place.

"Let's take a break!" Jihyo called out after an hour, breaking the tension that had settled thickly over them. The members began to disperse, stretching and chatting, but Momo remained rooted in her spot, unwilling to move. She felt as if she were standing at the edge of a cliff, staring down at the turmoil inside her, too afraid to take the leap.

Mina approached her, and Momo's breath caught in her throat. The air around them crackled with unresolved emotions, the weight of their silence suffocating. "Hey," Mina said softly, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"Hey," Momo replied, forcing herself to meet Mina's gaze. But as their eyes locked, she felt a wave of frustration wash over her. "You didn't call me. Not once this week."

Mina's expression faltered, and for a moment, Momo thought she saw a flicker of regret. "I... I was busy," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't want to bother you while you were recovering."

Momo's heart sank further. "It would have been nice to hear from you, you know?" she shot back, unable to keep the frustration out of her voice. "I thought you were my friend." All of this was one-sided, but Momo didn't care. Yes, Mina called many times in the first week, with not one reply from Momo. But the pattern of Mina's calls everyday kept her hopeful, even if she couldn't admit it to herself. The words stabbed Mina in the heart.

"I am your friend!" Mina exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise. "It's just... everything changed when you got hurt. I didn't know how to—"

"Then what? Just ignore me?" Momo interrupted, her voice rising. "You're not the only one who's been struggling here, Mina! I've been sitting around with my thoughts, and all I wanted was to hear from you, but you just... disappeared."

Mina's expression shifted, her brows furrowing in distress. "I didn't mean to—"

"You didn't mean to?" Momo echoed, incredulous. "It feels like you didn't even care!"

The silence that followed was deafening, and Momo could feel the heat of her words hanging in the air. Mina's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and for a moment, Momo regretted her outburst. But the hurt was too raw, too fresh to pull back now.

"Momo, I'm sorry," Mina said finally, her voice trembling. "I didn't want to make things harder for you. I just... I've been dealing with my own stuff too, okay? I didn't know how to reach out."

Momo's anger began to wane, replaced by a painful recognition of the truth in Mina's words. "Then why didn't you say anything?" she asked quietly, her heart aching. "I would've understood."

Mina took a step closer, her eyes searching Momo's face. "Because I didn't want to burden you," she confessed. "I thought maybe you needed space. I thought maybe it was best to just let you heal without me getting in the way."

Momo clenched her jaw, torn between the desire to comfort Mina and the frustration that bubbled just beneath the surface. "You're never a burden to me," she said softly. "I just... I wish you would have trusted me enough to talk about it."

A small tear escaped Mina's eye, and Momo felt her heart twist. She took a step closer, wanting to bridge the distance between them, wanting to close the gap that had grown during their silence. "I don't want us to drift apart," Momo said, her voice breaking slightly. "I miss you, Mina."

Mina's breath hitched, and Momo could see the conflict in her eyes. "I miss you too," she whispered, and for a moment, the world around them faded into nothingness, leaving just the two of them suspended in the tension of their mutual, yet forbidden, feelings.

Bu tthen the moment shattered, the weight of everything unacknowledged crashing back down as the other members began to filter back into the studio, oblivious to the exchange that had just unfolded. Momo took a step back, the familiar sense of longing creeping back in as she watched Mina slip back into her role, the moment lost.

The tension remained heavy between them as practice continued, each glance shared filled with a mixture of longing and heartache. Momo danced with determination, pushing through the pain in her ankle, but every move felt heavy, weighed down by the unspoken words lingering in the air.

As they wrapped up practice for the day, Momo felt the frustration bubble up again. She wanted to confront Mina, to demand answers and clarity, but the fear of losing what little they had kept her silent. Instead, she plastered on a smile, laughing along with the others, even as her heart ached with confusion.

When she returned home that evening, Momo sank onto her couch, the weight of her thoughts pressing down on her chest. The memory of Mina's teary eyes haunted her, and the hurt of their unresolved feelings left her restless. Momo realized that the healing process for her ankle might be easy compared to the healing her heart would require, and the thought filled her with a sense of dread.

As she lay in the dark, staring at the ceiling, Momo knew one thing for certain: things had changed, and she couldn't ignore the ache in her heart any longer. She needed to confront her feelings for Mina, to find a way to bridge the distance that had grown between them before it consumed her entirely. But the question remained—was she ready to face the truth, no matter the cost?