The Shape of Appetite

Momo’s day started before I officially belonged to her. That was how the rotation worked sometimes.

The handoff did not always happen with ceremony. No clean bell. No curtain drop. No dramatic shift where yesterday’s girlfriend stepped back and tomorrow’s stepped forward. Sometimes it happened over breakfast. Sometimes it happened while Ben was trying to get a second kiss out of Yeji by weaponizing sadness.

Sometimes it happened while I was still sitting beside Jeongyeon, eating because she had made not eating more difficult than surrender. By the time we reached the pavilion, breakfast had already become impossible.

ITZY was there. TWICE was there. Ben was too attached to Yeji to be called seated in any normal way. Ryujin had the expression of someone who had survived trouble and planned to deny all details. Yuna was glowing with the reckless pride of a person who had definitely made something worse. Lia looked peaceful enough to be suspicious. Chaeryeong was quiet, but not absent.

There had been something about headphones. I chose not to ask. That was growth. Probably.

Jeongyeon sat beside me like a woman who feared nothing and had slept well enough to prove it. She did not announce victory. She did not look smug. She only placed food on my plate whenever my attention drifted too far from it.

The first time, I noticed. The second time, I obeyed. By the third time, I had stopped pretending this was not happening. Across the table, Momo watched.

Momo rarely watched loudly. She could be loud when she was happy, confused, or offended by bad food, but when she was thinking, she went still in a way that made people underestimate how much she was taking in. She looked at the food on my plate. Then at Jeongyeon’s hand. Then at me, chewing.

Her expression changed by one quiet degree. I did not know what it meant yet. That made it dangerous, yet breakfast kept moving around us.

Ben received one kiss from Yeji, then immediately became tragic enough to attempt emotional fraud for another. The table encouraged this because everyone had apparently chosen violence before coffee. Yeji saw through him, punished him by understanding him too well, then kissed his cheek anyway.

Ben lit up “Second treat.”
Yeji pointed at him “That was pity.”
“Pity treat still counts.”
“It does not.”
“It touched my face.”
I groaned “I hate that I understand his argument.”
Mina nodded “Contact was made.”
Yeji looked at Mina “Why are rich people like this?”
Mina blinked “I am not involved.”
“You confirmed him.”
“I observed.”

Jihyo laughed. Not loudly. Not fully. But enough that everyone saw it. Nayeon gasped. “She laughed.”

“I did not.”
“You did.”
“I exhaled.”
“With joy.”
Sana leaned against her “Our leader is healing.”
Jihyo covered her face with one hand “Breakfast has become impossible.”
Ryujin grinned “Breakfast has become free.”

Jihyo lowered her hand and looked at me again. I was eating. Still eating. Jeongyeon had won. Jihyo smiled faintly “Maybe that is not the worst thing today.”

That softened the room for one small second. Momo waited for that second. Then she set down her chopsticks “I want barbecue later.”

The entire table shifted.  I looked at her “Barbecue?” Momo nodded firmly “Outside. Grill. Meat. Vegetables. Seafood if they have good seafood. Rice. Side dishes. Everyone can eat properly.”

There was something in her voice this time. Not just a suggestion. A decision. Simple. Bright. Very Momo. She looked at me “And I want you with me.”

I paused. The table quieted slightly. Not teasing now. Listening “With you,” I repeated.

 “For grilling?”
“Yes.”
“As emotional support?”
“For grilling,” Momo repeated, more seriously “For tasting. For eating properly. For not doing documents.”

I blinked “No documents?”
“No documents.”
“That sounds suspiciously kind.”
“It is my day,” Momo said simply “I choose kind.”

The words settled. Softly. Even Nayeon did not immediately ruin them. I looked at Momo for a second longer. Then nodded “Okay.”

Momo smiled “And meat.”
“There it is.”

The table relaxed into laughter again. Not because it became less sincere. Because Momo made sincerity edible. Chaeryeong straightened immediately “I can help prepare side dishes.” Momo turned to her “Yes, please.”

Chaeryeong blinked, surprised by the direct acceptance. Momo continued, “But you eat too.” Chaeryeong’s mouth closed. Then she nodded “Yes.”

Momo looked satisfied. “Good. Then you help me.” Chaeryeong’s face softened “Okay.” Nayeon smiled “Momo planned a date.”

Momo looked at her “Yes.”

Nayeon paused. Everyone paused. Momo returned to her food “With barbecue.”

Sana covered her mouth “That is so Momo.”
Tzuyu nodded “Food is important.”
Jihyo leaned back slightly, still watching me “Barbecue is fine.”

Everyone looked at her again. She sighed “What?”
Nayeon smiled “You’re really allowing things today.”
“I am choosing not to create unnecessary structure while everyone is behaving.”

Ryujin opened her mouth. Jihyo pointed at her “Relatively.”
Ryujin closed her mouth “Fair.”

Momo kept eating after that. Like she had not just claimed the shape of the day. Like she had not made kindness sound like a plan. Like smoke, fire, meat, vegetables, rice, and not doing documents could somehow become a date if she put them in the right order.

I looked down at my plate. There was still food on it. I ate. Momo saw. She smiled into her breakfast. That was where her day began.

The beachside grill station looked like something the resort had built for people who wanted to feel rustic without ever being in danger of inconvenience. There were prep tables under wide umbrellas, a charcoal grill near the sand, folding chairs arranged around a low wooden table, and enough distance from the main pavilion that the waves could be heard without everyone needing to raise their voices.

Momo loved it immediately.

She did not say that. She just stood there for two seconds longer than usual, looking at the grill, the table, the trays, the space where everyone could sit later, and the cooler path leading back toward the kitchen. Then she nodded once “Good.”

That was praise.

The staff had already brought the grill equipment and basic setup, but Momo had insisted on handling the food herself. Chaeryeong had come with her.

Not because anyone made a big thing of it. Not because there had been a formal assignment. She simply drifted toward the prep table when Momo started checking vegetables, accepted a cutting board, and became part of the work before anyone could ask if she wanted to. Momo handed her a bowl “Sauce?”

Chaeryeong nodded “I’ll adjust it.”
“Good.”

Then both of them turned back to the food like the decision had already become fact. Ben arrived shortly after, clearly trying to look like a man who had chosen this voluntarily and not a man whose girlfriend had told him to spend time with people who were not her.

He looked at Chaeryeong. Then at Momo. Then at the trays “I can help.” Momo looked up. Suspicious. Ben straightened “Normally.”

That did not help. I stepped beside him “Try again.”
Ben exhaled “I can stand somewhere and be useful without making anything more expensive.”

Momo considered that. Then nodded “Okay.”
Ben looked relieved. Too soon “I can arrange better meat,” he said.
Momo looked at him “No.”
“You do not know what kind yet.”
“Billionaire meat.”
Ben blinked “That is not a category.”
“It is today.”
I looked at him “She’s right.”
“You haven’t even heard the offer.”
“The best part of barbecue is doing it yourself.”
Momo pointed at me immediately “This.”

I looked at her. She was already checking one of the trays, but the agreement had come so fast that it landed a second late. Then, without looking up, she added, “That is why I like vacation John more than manager John.”

Everything in me stopped. Ben looked at me. Then at Momo. Then very wisely said nothing. Chaeryeong, who had been stirring sauce, paused for half a second. Not long enough to make it obvious. Long enough for me to know she had heard it too. Momo noticed the silence and finally looked up “What?”

“Nothing,” I said.
Her eyes narrowed “You made the face.”
“That was a lot.”
“It is true.”

Then she went back to inspecting the meat like she had not just disarmed me with one sentence and left me standing beside a grill with no defensive structure. Ben leaned closer.

“For the record, I understand why that hit.”
“Shut up.”
“Emotionally, not logistically.”
“Shut up twice.”
Momo lifted one tray and handed it to me “Bring this.”
“Yes.”
Ben looked around. “Why did the staff not just bring it all the way here?”

I looked at him. He looked back, innocent in the way only a billionaire could be innocent while asking why physical objects had not moved themselves “Stop thinking in rich.”

Ben’s mouth opened. Closed. Then opened again “Thinking in rich is my first language.”

“Translate.”
“Into what?”
“Carry the meat.”
He sighed and took the second tray “This vacation is radicalizing me.”
“No,” I said “It is making you help.”
“That is what I said.”

Momo approved neither of us out loud. That was how I knew we were doing fine. A few minutes later, Jihyo and Jeongyeon arrived carrying an ice box between them. Not two beers. An entire ice box. Ben stared at it “Is that beer?” Jihyo set her side down with the expression of a woman making peace with her own vacation “For later.”

Jeongyeon opened the lid, took one bottle, and handed it to me. I stared at it “Really?”
“It is barbecue,” Jihyo said.

Ben looked at the ice box like he was witnessing institutional change “Leadership has evolved.” Jihyo pointed at him “Leadership can still revoke privileges.”

Ben accepted a bottle carefully “Evolution respected.”

Jeongyeon took one for herself. I looked at her “You too?”
She opened it “I said one. I did not say only you.”
“That feels like a clause.”
“You like clauses.”
“I hate that everyone thinks that.”
“You have clauses.”
Ben lifted his bottle “I feel seen.”
“Do not,” Jihyo said.

We stood near the grill while the charcoal caught. Momo and Chaeryeong worked at the prep table behind us, close enough to hear if they wanted, far enough that it did not become their conversation unless they chose to step into it. Smoke rose in thin gray ribbons, twisting toward the water before the wind broke it apart.

Ben had changed into a tank top at some point. That was how the tattoo became impossible to ignore. The black lines wrapped over his right upper arm, bold and geometric, following the curve of his shoulder with the kind of clean symmetry that looked almost like armor. The design moved in sharp bands and layered points, but the center pulled the eye first.

A turtle sat inside the pattern. Its shell had been changed into a compass rose. Jihyo noticed before anyone else said anything. Of course she did. She took a sip of beer, then nodded toward his arm “That one.”

Ben looked down “My arm?”
“The tattoo.”
“I have several.”
“That is why I said that one.”
I adjusted the tray in my hands “Congratulations. You have been selected for questioning.”
Ben looked offended “Why am I being interrogated while doing manual labor?”
Jeongyeon leaned against the prep table and took a drink “Less escape routes.”
Jihyo kept looking at the tattoo “That one is different.”

Ben’s expression shifted. Not much. Enough “It is.” I looked away from the grill. Jihyo saw that too. Her eyes moved to me “You know this one?”

“I was there.”
Ben lifted one finger “As my witness.”
“As your luggage with a passport,” I corrected “All expenses paid.”
“Witness sounds better.”
“You flew us to Samoa because you wanted to do it properly.”

That made the air change slightly. Not heavy. Just attentive. Behind us, Chaeryeong’s knife slowed against the cutting board. Momo glanced at her. Chaeryeong did not stop working. But she listened.

Jihyo looked back at the tattoo “Samoa?”

Ben nodded “It is Samoan-inspired,” he said carefully. “Not a pe’a. That was not mine to ask for.” Jihyo’s eyes stayed on the turtle and compass worked into his right upper arm “So what was yours to ask for?”

Ben was quiet for a second “Permission.” The word landed strangely from him. Small. Unbought “I went there thinking I was asking for endurance and guidance,” he said. “They told me that was not a design. That was a question.”

I looked at the tattoo “He thought the hard part would be pain.”
Ben’s mouth twitched “It was not.”
“What was?” Jihyo asked.
“Being nobody important.”

The charcoal cracked inside the grill. Ben shifted the tray in his arms, and for once, did not complain about carrying it “I carried what they told me to carry. Food. Water. Mats. Supplies. I cleaned after meals. Sat when I was told to sit. Listened when I wanted to explain. They took away patterns that were not mine. Changed meanings I thought I understood.”

His thumb brushed once near the turtle before he caught himself “They watched what I did when nobody cared who I was.”

Jeongyeon took a sip of beer “That sounds worse than the pain.”
Ben looked at her “It was.”

Chaeryeong had stopped stirring now. Only for a moment. Her eyes were on the turtle at the center of his arm, then the compass built into its shell “So you did not choose it?” she asked quietly. Ben looked over “No. I brought the question.”

Chaeryeong looked down at the sauce again “They gave you the answer.”
No one spoke for a second. Then Ben nodded once “Something like that.”
Jihyo’s expression softened “And if they said no?”
“Then I came home with nothing.”

I glanced at him. He meant it. Ben looked down at the ink “Money paid for the road there. It did not pay for the yes.”

The grill smoke shifted between us. Chaeryeong looked at the turtle again “It carries its home, right?”

Ben did not answer immediately “So even if it is lost,” she said, softer, “it is not empty.”
Jeongyeon looked at the tattoo, then at him “So you got lost.”
Ben exhaled “That is reductive.”
“But you kept moving.”
Chaeryeong stirred the sauce once “And carried something with you.”

That shut him up better than any question had. Jeongyeon did not make a big thing of it. She just nodded toward the tray in his hands “That is enough meaning. Carry that.” Ben stared at her. Then looked down at the meat.

“Did you just emotionally process me into manual labor?”
“Yes.”
Jihyo smiled into her beer “It worked.”
I looked at him “Stop thinking in rich.”
Ben sighed and shifted the tray properly in both hands “I am literally explaining ink on my body.”
“Still rich.”
“It is probably the most expensive tattoo I have.”
“Because you flew to Samoa for it.”
“Because I respected the process.”
“And because you flew to Samoa for it.”
Ben paused “Both things can be true.”
Jihyo’s mouth curved “That is a lot of meaning for one arm.”
“I was insufferable when I got it.”

Jeongyeon looked at him. I looked at him. Jihyo looked at him. From the prep table, Chaeryeong looked at him too. Ben exhaled “Fine. Am.”

Chaeryeong finally stepped closer with a spoon “Taste this.”
Ben looked at the spoon “Am I trusted?”
“You are available.”
“That is less romantic but acceptable.”

He leaned down and tasted the sauce. For a second, his expression turned surprisingly serious “Needs lime.”
Chaeryeong nodded once, like that confirmed something “Okay.”
Then her eyes moved to the bottle in his hand “Also, Yeji unnie knows there is beer.”

Ben went still. Chaeryeong looked at him calmly “If I see you smoking, I have permission to drag you into the ocean.”
I lifted both hands “I support coastal safety initiatives.”
Ben stared at me “Betrayal.”
Chaeryeong glanced back toward Momo and the prep table “The food will be safe.”

Momo looked up. Considered that “Then okay.” Ben looked at all of us “I am surrounded by women with logistics-based violence.”

Jihyo took another sip “Skill issue.”
Jeongyeon nodded “Historical damage.”
Ben closed his eyes “I hate this beach.”

Chaeryeong turned back to the prep table with her spoon. Momo accepted the lime without comment and continued working. But Chaeryeong glanced once more at Ben’s right arm before she went back to the sauce. Not curious now. Warmer. As if the tattoo had made him a little less impossible to approach.

I looked at Ben. He looked at the ocean. Then at the grill. Then down at the tray in his arms. For a man who could turn money into movement, he looked strangely careful standing there with meat he had not bought his way out of carrying.

Jihyo noticed. Jeongyeon noticed. I noticed too. Momo did not look over. She did not need to. She had given everyone something to do. And somehow, nobody was in charge of the whole thing.

For a few minutes, the beachside grill station stayed like that. Almost peaceful. Momo and Chaeryeong worked at the prep table. Ben and I stayed near the grill with trays we had been emotionally blackmailed into carrying. Jihyo and Jeongyeon stood close enough to supervise without admitting they were supervising. Smoke kept rising in thin gray lines, then breaking apart whenever the wind came in from the water.

Then Yeji arrived.

She came barefoot through the sand, hair tied back, cover-up loose over her swimsuit, looking at the grill with the careful expression of someone who had been told her boyfriend was helping and had decided to verify the definition.

Ben saw her immediately. His entire posture changed. Not enough to drop the tray. Enough “Hi, love.”

Yeji looked at him. Then at the tray in his hands. Then at the grill “Are you actually helping?”
Ben straightened “Yes.” I coughed. Ben glared at me. Yeji stepped closer “Is everything okay?” Ben leaned in and kissed her cheek. Soft. Quick. Automatic “Everything is fine.”

Yeji did not look convinced. Because she loved him. And because she had eyes “Benjie.”
“It is meat,” he said “There are no hidden financial mechanisms inside the meat.”
“That sounded rehearsed.”
“It was not.”
“It sounded legally careful.”
Chaeryeong, from the prep table, spoke without looking up “It actually is fine.”

Yeji turned to her. Chaeryeong added another spoon to the sauce bowl “He tried one billionaire shortcut earlier. Momo stopped him. John translated him into carrying meat. Since then, he has only been annoying in normal ways.”
Ben stared at her “That was a damagingly accurate report.”
Chaeryeong looked at Yeji “Also he said the sauce needed lime. He was right.”

Ben lifted his chin slightly. Yeji’s expression softened “Good job.” Ben smiled before he could pretend not to “With the sauce?”

“With listening.”

The tray in Ben’s hands lowered by one small inch. That was all. But everyone near the grill saw it. Momo saw it too. She turned her head toward me. I was trying very hard to look like I had not. Momo pointed at the grill

“Keep grilling.”
“I am.”
“Take notes.”
I looked at her “On grilling?”
Momo’s eyes moved briefly to Ben and Yeji, then back to me “On that.”

My face warmed. Ben’s head snapped toward us. “Excuse me?” Momo ignored him. Yeji did not. She smiled slowly “Momo unnie.” Momo looked innocent. “What?”

“That was dangerous.”
“It was useful.”
I looked down at the charcoal “The grill is not even ready yet.”
“It will be,” Momo said.
“That does not help me.”
“It was not supposed to.”
Ben leaned closer “Take notes faster.”
“Shut up.”
Yeji touched Ben’s arm “You too.”

Ben closed his mouth, Chaeryeong looked at Yeji’s hand on Ben’s arm, then back down at the sauce. This time, she did not hide the small smile fast enough. Ben noticed “I saw that.”

Chaeryeong picked up the lime “No, you didn’t.”

The others arrived after that in pieces. Not all at once. That would have looked organized, and this vacation had clearly rejected that.

Sana appeared first with Nayeon, both of them already interested in the smell before they reached the table. Dahyun followed with Chaeyoung, narrating the scene under her breath like she was preparing a documentary no one had approved. Tzuyu came behind them, calm and focused, as if she had arrived for a serious cultural event. Ryujin and Yuna showed up arguing over whether smoke made food better or just made people dramatic. Lia followed at a peaceful pace that made both of them look louder.

Mina arrived last. No one knew from where. She simply appeared beside the low table, looked at the sauces, and said, “This one has lime.”

Chaeryeong blinked “Yes.”
Mina nodded “Good.” Then she sat down.
Dahyun stared at her “How did you know?”
Mina looked at the sauce “It looked finished.”
Ben leaned toward me “That was terrifying.”
“That was Mina.”
“So yes.”

Momo clapped once. Not loudly. Enough “Food soon.”

Everyone settled after that. Chairs scraped against sand. Plates were passed around. The ice box opened and immediately became public property. Jihyo tried to say something about reasonable portions, then accepted a beer from Jeongyeon before the sentence could become leadership.

Nayeon pointed at her “Evolution.”
Jihyo pointed back “Food’s not ready, eat later.”
“I am emotionally eating now.”
“That is not how barbecue works.”
“It is how I work.”

At the grill, Ben and I finally started cooking for real. The first batch hit the heat with a sharp hiss. Smoke lifted. Everyone looked over. Momo smiled. Not big. Not dramatic. Just satisfied.

Lunch had begun with smoke, then noise.

Then Sana stealing the first vegetable skewer before Momo had officially declared it ready. Momo turned. Sana froze with the skewer halfway to her mouth “It looked lonely,” Sana said. Momo stared at her. Sana smiled around the bite. Then closed her eyes “Oh.”

Momo’s expression changed immediately. “Good?”
Sana nodded with her whole body.
Momo relaxed “That one is ready.”
Dahyun pointed at Sana “So she is quality control.”
Sana lifted the skewer proudly “I accept this duty.”
Jihyo reached for a plate “You stole food.”
“For the group.”
“That is not leadership.”
“It is sacrifice.”

Nayeon leaned over and stole one piece from Sana’s skewer. Sana gasped like she had been betrayed by family. Nayeon chewed, then nodded “Sacrifice accepted.”

“Unnie.”
“What? I am also the group.”
Tzuyu took a plate from the stack and looked at both of them “If this is the system, it is unstable.”
Mina, already seated with perfect calm, picked up her chopsticks “It is us. The system was never stable.”

No one had a defense for that.

At the grill, I turned the first proper batch of meat while Ben stood beside me holding another tray with the seriousness of a man who had been temporarily trusted with civilization “Do not crowd the grill,” I said.

“I am not crowding.”
“You are looming.”
“I am providing presence.”
“You are blocking smoke from escaping.”
Ben shifted two inches to the left “Better?”
“No.”
He shifted another inch “Now?”
“Emotionally worse.”

Yeji, sitting near the low table, smiled into her drink “Benjie, let John grill.”
“I am assisting.”
“You are being tall near fire.”
“That is a form of assistance.”
Ryujin pointed at him with chopsticks “You look like a decorative security feature.”
Yuna nodded “Luxury grill fence.”
Ben turned slowly “I am being bullied by people who came here to eat my work.”
Jeongyeon glanced at the grill. “Your work?”
Ben’s confidence faltered “Our work.”

I looked at him. He corrected himself again “The charcoal’s work.”
Jeongyeon nodded once “Better.”

Momo took the first plate from me when the meat was ready. Not with ceremony. With purpose. She arranged it quickly, added vegetables, handed it to Jihyo first, then immediately made a second plate for Nayeon before Nayeon could complain about not being first.

Nayeon accepted it with a satisfied smile “I knew you loved me.”
Momo pointed at the rice “Eat with rice.”
“That is not romance.”
“It is better.”

Jihyo tasted her piece, then stopped. Momo noticed “Too salty?”

“No.”
“Too sweet?”
“No.”
“Too much smoke?”
Jihyo looked at her “Momo.”
“What?”
“It is good.”

Momo blinked. Then smiled like that was the only review that mattered for the next ten seconds. Dahyun leaned toward Chaeyoung “Leader approval acquired.”
Chaeyoung nodded “Barbecue government has passed the bill.”
Jihyo pointed at them without looking “No bills during lunch.”

Mina took one piece from her plate and dipped it into Chaeryeong’s sauce. Paused. Then looked at Chaeryeong “You balanced it well.”

Chaeryeong’s shoulders lifted slightly. Only slightly “Thank you.”

Dahyun turned immediately “Mina unnie complimented sauce. That is serious.”
Mina blinked “Sauce can be serious.”
Tzuyu nodded “It affects everything.”

Chaeryeong looked like she did not know whether to be embarrassed or proud. Momo solved it for her by putting another bowl beside the first “Make more later.”

Chaeryeong nodded “Yes.”
Ben leaned toward her from the grill “See? Lime was correct.”
Chaeryeong did not look up “The sauce was good. Lime made it brighter.”
Ben placed one hand over his chest “That is the most respectful correction I have received today.”

Yeji looked at him. He immediately added, “After yours, babe.”
“Good recovery,” Lia said peacefully.
Ben pointed at her “Thank you.”
Lia smiled “It was not praise. It was relief.”

Ryujin laughed hard enough that Yuna had to hit her arm. Then the next batch came faster. Meat, vegetables, seafood, then more meat because Momo had planned like someone who understood both hunger and greed. Plates moved from my hands to Momo’s hands, then outward. Momo somehow knew who wanted rice, who wanted more sauce, who was pretending not to want more, and who had only taken vegetables to look responsible before circling back toward pork.

That was Nayeon. Everyone knew. Nayeon still tried to act surprised when Momo placed another piece on her plate “Oh? For me?”

Momo stared at her.
Nayeon smiled. “Thank you.”
“Eat properly.”
“I am eating beautifully.”
“Properly.”
Sana leaned into Nayeon’s shoulder “She is feeding you with disappointment.”
Nayeon took a bite “It tastes good.”
“It is still disappointment.”
Dahyun raised her chopsticks “Momo unnie, can disappointment be added to the sauce?”
Momo considered it “No.”
Chaeyoung looked at the sauce bowl “Too bitter?”
Momo nodded “Bad balance.”
Mina took another quiet bite “Accurate.”

At the grill, I reached for one of the smaller pieces that had charred at the edge. Not to test it. Not to check seasoning. Just because it looked good. I put it in my mouth before thinking too hard about it. Hot. Smoky. Too hot, actually.

I hissed through my teeth. Ben looked delighted “Amateur.”
I pointed at him with the tongs “Do not make me remember you negotiated with pork.”
“I was establishing dominance.”
“The pork won.”
“But I grew.”

Momo looked over. Her eyes dropped to my mouth. Then to the grill. Then back to me “You ate.”

I froze. Not because it was accusation. Because it was not “Yeah,” I said. Momo’s expression softened before she hid it by turning back to the table “Good.”

That was all. Just good. No lecture. No careful question. No one else even noticed. Except Jeongyeon. Of course. She saw it from her seat, took one sip of beer, and said nothing. That made it worse. And better. I turned another piece of meat. Then took one more from the edge. This time, I waited half a second before eating it.

Progress.

Tzuyu arrived at the grill with her plate held carefully. I looked at her “Request?” She looked at the meat, then the vegetables, then me “The piece with more char.”

Ben’s head lifted “Excellent taste.”
Tzuyu looked at him “Not burnt.”

Ben’s head lowered. I gave her the piece. She accepted it “Thank you.”
Then she looked at Momo “It is good that he is eating near the fire.”

Momo blinked. I blinked too. Tzuyu continued, perfectly calm “He cannot pretend he is only serving if the food is already in his mouth.”

Then she walked away. Ben stared after her “She is terrifying.”
“She is correct,” Jeongyeon called.
“I did not say she was wrong.”

Momo looked at me. This time, she did not hide the smile fast enough. I looked away first. The food kept moving. Sana tried to feed Momo a piece and nearly got sauce on her cheek. Momo opened her mouth anyway, chewed, nodded, and then immediately adjusted the next batch like the bite had told her something. Nayeon declared one plate “romantic” because it had two pieces touching. Jihyo said that was not how romance worked. Mina said it could be. Jihyo stared at her. Mina ate rice.

Chaeyoung drew a tiny smiley face in leftover sauce on her plate. Dahyun leaned over.

“Is that me?”
“It is meat.”
“How is that meat?”
“It has emotional char.”
Dahyun nodded slowly “I respect the medium.”

Ryujin tried to steal one of Jeongyeon’s pieces and failed because Jeongyeon moved her plate without looking. Ryujin stared “How did you know?”

Jeongyeon took a bite “I know thieves.”
Yuna gasped “Unnie, she called you a thief.”
Ryujin pointed at Jeongyeon “Accurately, but rudely.”
Lia placed one vegetable skewer onto Ryujin’s plate “Start there.”

Ryujin looked betrayed by nutrition. Momo passed by and nodded approvingly “Good.”
Ryujin whispered, “The food authority has spoken.”

Yeji had settled near the edge of the table, close enough to Ben that he kept glancing at her whenever he successfully turned something. The third time he did it, she gave him a small thumbs-up.

Ben became unbearable immediately “I am improving.”
“You flipped one piece,” I said.
“With clean wrist motion.”
“Do not make grill technique sound expensive.”
“It could be.”

Momo pointed from the table “No billionaire shortcuts.”
“I was not buying anything.”
“You were thinking rich.”

Ben looked wounded.

Yeji smiled “You do have a face for it.”
“My own girlfriend.”
“My own grill intern.” Yeji corrected him

He softened again. Dahyun saw it. Dahyun always saw it “Developing story: grill intern motivated by praise from supervisor.”

Ben turned “Do not print that.”
“I am off duty.”
“That has never stopped you emotionally.”
Dahyun smiled “Correct.”

Chaeryeong brought another bowl of sauce to the grill. Not to Momo. To Ben and me “Use this for the next batch.”

I took it “Thank you.”
Ben leaned in slightly “Is this the lime one?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent.”
Chaeryeong looked at him “Do not say excellent like you invented lime.”
“I was appreciating it.”
“You sounded proprietary.”

Yeji covered her mouth. Ben looked at her. “Babe, are you enjoying this.”

“I am watching you get managed by food.”
“That is not what is happening.”
Chaeryeong handed him a brush “Use this.”
Ben looked down. Then at her “Am I being assigned?”
“Yes.”
He accepted the brush “Understood.”

I laughed. Momo watched that too. Ben with the brush. Chaeryeong pretending not to be amused. Yeji pretending not to glow at the sight of him listening. Jihyo noticing that nobody was being dragged into disaster. Jeongyeon pretending she was not pleased. The table loud. The grill hot. The food disappearing.

Momo looked happy. Not because everything was perfect. Because everything was being eaten. The final lunch batch came off the grill with the best char of the day. Ben tried to claim it. I stopped him. Momo took the plate from both of us before the argument could form “Mine.”

Ben blinked “The whole plate?”
Momo looked at him “For everyone.”
“Ah.”

She carried it to the table and began distributing pieces herself. One for Jihyo. One for Nayeon. One for Sana, who looked personally blessed. One for Jeongyeon. One for Mina. One for Dahyun and Chaeyoung to argue over until Momo put a second piece down. One for Tzuyu, who nodded again with grave approval. One for each of ITZY. One for Yeji, who took a bite and looked toward Ben “It is good.”

Ben looked proud. Then Momo reached back without looking and placed one piece onto my plate. I looked down. Then at her. She did not say eat. She did not have to. But she also did not watch me like a test. She turned away and gave Ben one too “Grill intern.”

Ben accepted it “Thank you.”

Momo looked at me again. Just once. I picked up the piece. Ate it. Not fast. Not because I needed to prove anything. Because it was hot and smoky and good. Because lunch had been loud. Because no one had made the plate feel like a prescription. Because Momo had built a day where eating was not maintenance. It was participation.

Momo’s eyes softened. Then Nayeon ruined the moment “John looks happy.”

I choked.

Jeongyeon handed me water without even turning. Momo glared at Nayeon.  Nayeon lifted both hands “What? It is true.” Sana nodded “He does.”

“Do not observe me eating,” I said.
Dahyun leaned forward “Public figure spotted enjoying pork belly.”
Jihyo pointed at her “No.”
Chaeyoung looked at me “It is okay. Your secret is safe with the beach.”
Mina added, “And everyone here.”
“That is the opposite of safe.”
Tzuyu took another bite “It is fine. You are among witnesses.”
“That is also worse.”

Momo stood beside me, trying not to smile. Failing. I looked at her “You planned this.”

“I planned barbecue.”
“You planned evidence.”
Momo’s smile widened “Eat properly.”

There it was again. But this time, it did not feel like instruction. It felt like invitation. So I took another bite.

Around us, lunch kept going. Not forever. Just long enough for the noise to soften into the lazy kind of full. The kind where people still reached for one more piece even after saying they were done. The kind where rice stuck to plates, sauce bowls sat almost empty, and everyone started leaning back like the sun had quietly increased gravity.

Sana was sitting half against Nayeon, still holding the remains of a vegetable skewer like evidence “I helped,” she said.
“You stole,” Jihyo corrected.
“I helped the vegetables reach their destiny.”
Nayeon nodded “It was beautiful.”
“It was theft,” Tzuyu said.
Sana pointed at her with the skewer “But delicious theft.”

Tzuyu considered that. Then nodded once “Still theft.”
Dahyun leaned toward Chaeyoung “The court finds Sana guilty but fed.”
Chaeyoung nodded “Sentence: another skewer.”
Momo looked over immediately “Vegetables?”
Chaeyoung froze.
Dahyun pointed at Sana “Her idea.”
Sana gasped “Betrayal.”
Mina took a quiet sip of her drink “This is why you do not commit crimes with witnesses.”
Jihyo closed her eyes “I am surrounded by children.”

Jeongyeon, seated beside her with the peaceful expression of someone who had eaten properly and intended to survive the afternoon, lifted her bottle “Full children.”

“That is not better.”
“It is slightly quieter.”

As if summoned by the word, Ryujin and Yuna started arguing over the last piece of charred seafood “It was on my side,” Ryujin said.
“There are no sides in barbecue,” Yuna said.
“There are absolutely sides. That is why side dishes exist.”

Lia calmly reached between them, took the piece, and placed it onto Yeji’s plate. Both of them stared. Yeji blinked at the food. Then at Lia. Lia smiled “Leadership tax.”

Jihyo looked across the table “I approve that system.”
Nayeon lifted her hand “I object.”
“You are not leadership.”
“I am emotionally senior.”
“That is not a rank.”
“It should be.”

Momo moved through all of it with the contentment of a person watching food do its job. Not feeding. Not forcing. Just making the table warm enough that people kept reaching for more. I reached too. Without thinking. One small piece from the edge of the plate.

Then rice. Then sauce. Momo saw. Of course she saw. But she did not say anything this time. She only walked past me and nudged the water closer with her knuckles. Not a command. Not a check. Just there. So I drank.

That made her smile. Small. Private. Then I ruined it by reaching for one of the used trays. Momo caught my wrist “No.”

I looked at her “No?”
“No cleaning.”
“I was just going to move it.”
“That is cleaning with better branding.”
Ben, still near the grill, pointed at me with the tongs “She’s got you there, best buddy.”
I pointed back “You are holding tongs like a weapon.”
“They respect me.”
“They are tongs.”
“Respectful tongs.”

Yeji patted his arm “That’s my Grill Intern.” Then she leaned up and kissed his cheek. Ben went completely still. Not dangerous still. Not billionaire still. Rewarded golden retriever still. The tongs lowered by one dignified inch. Dahyun, from the table, slowly raised her chopsticks “The treat economy has expanded into workplace benefits.”

Jihyo pointed at her “Do not.”
“I said it academically.”
“You said treat economy.”
Ben recovered enough to lift his chin “I accept the title.”
Yeji smiled “It is temporary.”
His face fell.
Chaeryeong, without looking up from the list, added, “Internships end.”
Ben turned to her “Rude.”
“Accurate.”
I looked at the tongs in his hand “You got promoted and threatened with termination in the same minute.”
Ben stared at me “That is a hostile workplace.”
Momo took the tray from my hand “Keep grilling.”
I looked at her “Me?”
She nodded toward Ben, who was still trying not to smile from the cheek kiss “He is distracted.”

Yeji looked very pleased with herself. Ben pointed the tongs at me “I am focused.”

Chaeryeong glanced at him once “You are pink.”
“I am warm from the grill.”
“You were warm before the grill.”
Dahyun leaned toward Chaeyoung “Developing story: Grill Intern denies visible compensation.”
Jihyo closed her eyes “I regret allowing lunch.”
Ben looked at her “Rude.”
“Internships end.”

Dahyun gasped from the table “Developing story: Grill Intern dismissed before dinner.”
Jihyo pointed at her. “No headlines during digestion.”

Momo ignored all of them and turned to Chaeryeong “Can you handle dinner planning?”

Chaeryeong blinked. Not because she could not. Because Momo had asked like she already believed the answer would be yes “Me?”

Momo nodded “You know the sauces now. And the side dishes. And what people ate.” Chaeryeong looked at the table. Then at the remaining trays. Then at Ben. Ben’s face changed. Slowly. Suspiciously. Chaeryeong looked back at Momo “Yes,” she said “I can handle it.”

Momo smiled “Good.”
Then Chaeryeong added, very calmly, “Ben can help me.”
Ben straightened “Why did everyone just assume I would help?”

I looked at him. Momo looked at him. Chaeryeong looked at him. Even Yeji looked at him.

Ben’s eyes narrowed “That is an unsettling amount of silence.”
“You would have helped if they told you not to,” I said.

Ben opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again “That is manipulative because it is accurate.”

Momo nodded “Then help.”
Ben looked at her “You are becoming very comfortable assigning me tasks.”
“No billionaire shortcuts,” Momo said.
His expression flattened “I had not even offered any.”
“You were thinking them.”
“I think many things.”
“Not those.”

Momo handed Chaeryeong the folded list from the prep table “Make sure he does not do billionaire shortcuts.”
Chaeryeong accepted the list with both hands, like it had become official “I’ll watch him.”
Ben turned to her “That sounded threatening.”
“It was dinner planning.”
“Somehow worse.”

Yeji smiled into her drink. Ben noticed “You are enjoying this.”

“I am watching you make friends.”
“I am being assigned to labor.”
“Same thing, sometimes.”
Chaeryeong unfolded the list and scanned it once “No better meat without asking.”
Ben sighed “The phrase better meat has been criminalized.”
“No private chef,” Momo added.
Chaeryeong nodded “No private chef.”
“No staff replacing the work.”
“No staff replacing the work.”
“No ordering something impossible just because you can.”

Chaeryeong looked at Ben. Ben looked wounded “I am not a villain.”
“You are convenience with legs,” I said.
“That is worse.”
“It is accurate.”
Yeji looked at Chaeryeong “He will try to make one thing more expensive.”
Ben turned to her “Betrayal.”
Yeji kissed his cheek “Preventive care.”

He went quiet. Chaeryeong folded the list once “I can handle him.”
Ben stared at her. Then, after a second, his mouth curved “Confident.”
Chaeryeong looked back at the prep table “Available.”

I laughed before I could stop myself. Ben pointed at me “Do not encourage her.”

Momo stepped closer to me and took the tray from my hand before I could pretend I was still helping “Come.”

I looked at the table “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“The dinner—”
“Chaeryeong has it.”
“The grill—”
“Ben has tongs.”
Ben lifted them “Respectful tongs, best buddy.”
Momo did not even look at him “And you have me,” she said.

That shut me up. Softly. Completely. Momo’s hand slid into mine, warm from the sun and faintly smelling of smoke and sauce. Behind us, Chaeryeong had already started asking Ben whether the dinner rice should be fresh or reheated.

Ben said something about texture. Chaeryeong said, “Normal words.” Ben tried again. Momo pulled me away before I could hear the rest. For once, I let someone else handle what came next. We left the grill station behind slowly. Not because Momo walked slowly. Because I kept looking back.

The table was still loud. Sana was trying to defend vegetable theft as a service. Dahyun was interviewing Chaeyoung about sauce art. Tzuyu had somehow acquired the last clean plate. Jihyo was pretending not to relax. Jeongyeon was pretending not to notice Jihyo pretending. Yeji stood near Ben with one hand on his arm while Chaeryeong pointed at the list and made him listen.

Dinner would happen. Without me. That should not have felt strange. It did. Momo squeezed my hand once. I looked at her.

“No looking back,” she said.
“I was just checking.”
“I know.”
“That is reasonable.”
“No.”
“Momo.”

She stopped walking. Not abruptly. Just enough that I had to stop with her. Then she looked at me properly “I know you want to check,” she said.

That was not what I expected. Her hand stayed around mine “I know it feels better when you know where everything is.”

I looked back toward the grill station. Only once. Momo saw it “I’m not trying to stop you because it’s bad, I’m stopping you because it’s my turn.”

The words were simple. Not soft. But they landed soft anyway “Your turn?”

She nodded “To have you looking here.”

I did not answer fast enough. Momo looked away first, which was how I knew the sentence had cost her more than it sounded like. Then she tugged my hand once “Come.”

This time, I went without looking back. The beach path curved away from the grill station, past the shade of palms and toward the quieter side of the resort where the water looked clearer and the noise from lunch thinned behind us “Where are we going?”

“Water.”
“We were already near water.”
“In water.”
I slowed. Momo did not “Momo.”
She kept walking “Snorkeling.”
“We just ate.”
“Good. You have energy.”
“That is not how medical advice works.”
“Today it does.”

I looked at her profile. She looked very serious. That made it worse “Did you plan this?”

“Yes.”
“When?”
“When you ate the second piece without being told.” I stopped for half a second. Momo stopped too “You saw that?”

“Yes.”
“It was just food.”
“No.” She tilted her head “It was you wanting food.”

I did not have an answer ready for that. Momo waited this time. That was somehow worse than when she did not. The wind pushed a strand of hair across her cheek. She ignored it. I reached before thinking and tucked it behind her ear. Momo went still. Not frozen. Just caught. My hand lowered slowly “Sorry.”

She shook her head “No.”
Her voice came quieter “You can do that.”

The path went very quiet around us. Not empty. Just ours. Momo looked down at our joined hands “I chose snorkeling because of that,” she said.

“My hand?”
“Your body.”
I blinked “That is more concerning.”

She frowned at me “I mean…” She searched for the words and immediately looked annoyed that words were required “You looked happy eating. Not because someone told you. Not because you needed to. You wanted it.”

I said nothing. Momo squeezed my hand “I wanted to see if you could move like that too.”

“Hungrily?”
That made her smile “Stupidly.”
“Better.”
“Without checking everything first.”

I looked toward the water. The marked snorkeling area glinted under the afternoon sun “And if I can’t?” Momo’s answer came after a second “Then I wait.”

That did something to me. Not because it was dramatic. Because it was not. Momo did not say it like a promise she wanted praised for. She said it like the easiest fact in the world.

Then she started walking again.

The snorkeling area sat on the quieter side of the resort, marked off by floating lines and a small shaded platform where staff had already prepared masks, fins, towels, and water.

Of course they had. Momo saw my face “No documents,” she reminded me.

“I did not say anything.”
“Your face did.”
“My face is being slandered today.”
“Your face is busy.”
“That is worse.”
She picked up a mask, then turned back to me “Sit.”
I looked at the bench. Then at her “You are very commanding today.”
“It is my day.”
“That keeps explaining too much.”
“Good.”

I sat. Momo stepped between my knees with the mask in her hands. Not close enough to make it dramatic. Close enough that the world narrowed anyway “I can do it,” I said.

“I know.”
“Then why—”
“Because I want to.”

That stopped me faster than an order would have. Momo lifted the strap over my head and adjusted it carefully, fingers brushing my hair back from my forehead. Her touch was practical. Gentle because practical did not have to mean careless.

“Too tight?”
“No.”
“Can you breathe?”
“Yes.”
“Then stop looking like this is a performance evaluation.”

I laughed once. Too quietly. She smiled “There.” Then she tapped the front of the mask with two fingers “Cute.”

“I look ridiculous.”
“Yes.”
“Momo.”
“Cutely ridiculous.”
“That is not better.”
“It is better to me.”

She reached for her own mask. I took it before she could put it on. Momo blinked “What?”

“Your turn.”
“I can do it.”
“I know.”

Her mouth closed. Then opened. Then closed again. I smiled “That sounds familiar.” She stared at me for a second. Then stepped closer.

“Fine.”

It was my turn to adjust the strap. I moved slower than she had. Not because I did not know how. Because touching her like this made my hands careful. Her hair caught under the band. I eased it free, fingers brushing the back of her neck. Momo’s eyes lowered. Only for a second. Enough.

“Too tight?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“Can you breathe?”
“Yes.”
“Then stop looking like this is a performance evaluation.”

She hit my shoulder. Not hard. Enough to make me laugh.

The staff gave us a short reminder about the marked area, the shallow reef, the current, the signals. Momo listened seriously. I listened too, then immediately started tracking distance, wind, sightlines, staff positions, and how far the others were from us.

Momo looked at my shoulders “Stop.”
“I did not do anything.”
“Your shoulders did.”
“My shoulders are cautious.”
“Your shoulders are being the manager.”
I looked down at myself “That feels unfairly specific.”
“It is true.”

She stepped into the water first. Then turned and held out her hand.

“Float first. Move after.”
“That sounds like dance advice.”
“It is body advice.”

I took her hand. The water was warm around my ankles, then my knees, then my waist. The sand shifted under my feet, soft and uncertain. Momo kept walking backward, still holding my hand, eyes on me like she could read every place my body tried to brace before I admitted it “Do not fight the water,” she said.

“I am not fighting it.”
“You are preparing to negotiate.”
“With the ocean?”
“You negotiated with lunch.”
“I did not.”
“You checked the grill three times.”
“That was responsible.”
“That was not necessary, and this is snorkeling.”

I had no defense for that. Momo smiled like she knew. Then she pulled her mask down “Ready?”

“No.”
“Good.”
“That is not the correct response.”

She dropped backward into the water. I had just enough time to think that was unfair before she tugged me with her. The water closed over my ears. The world changed. Noise vanished first. Not completely.

It became distant, soft, broken into bubbles and the hollow sound of my own breathing through the snorkel. Sunlight fractured across the sand below us. Small fish moved in flickers near the coral, appearing and disappearing like thoughts I did not have to answer.

Momo was beside me. No. Ahead of me. Not far. Just enough. Underwater, she became quiet in a way I had never seen on land. Not still. Quiet. Her body knew how to belong to movement. Even with fins, even with the water pushing back, she did not fight anything. She adjusted. Turned. Waited.

Then her hand found mine. I almost surfaced out of instinct. She squeezed once. Not hard. Enough to say stay. So I stayed.

She pointed toward a cluster of fish near the reef. I looked. Then looked at her. She pointed harder. I looked back at the fish. Then at her again. Even through the mask, I could tell she was glaring.

I smiled around the mouthpiece. That made the snorkel almost flood. Momo tugged my hand, offended even underwater, and led me forward. I followed.

That was the strange part. I did not lead. I did not check the shore. I did not try to calculate where everyone was or whether the staff needed anything or whether dinner planning had become complicated behind us.

Momo moved. I followed. Float first. Move after. It should have felt like doing nothing. It did not. It felt like letting something else carry the first half of my weight. We surfaced near the shallow edge, where the water came up to our chests and the reef dropped gently behind us.

I pushed my mask up. Momo pushed hers up too. Her hair clung to her cheeks. Water ran down her neck. She looked bright and annoyed “You were supposed to look at the fish.”

“I did.”
“You looked at me.”
“You were there.”
“The fish were also there.”
“They were less interesting.”

Momo splashed me. I wiped water from my face. “That was violent.”

“That was correction.”
“I am learning everyone’s version of correction today.”
“Good.”

She stepped closer in the water, close enough that her hand found mine beneath the surface. Her thumb moved once against my knuckles “You followed me,” she said.

I looked at her “Was I not supposed to?”
Momo shook her head “No. You were.”

The water moved between us. Soft. Restless. Her eyes stayed on mine “You usually try to lead even when you are tired.”

I did not answer. She looked down at our hands under the water “This time you let me.”

There were several jokes available. I knew that because I reached for all of them and none of them came. Momo noticed.

She smiled, smaller now. Not teasing “You are quiet.”

“I am underwater-adjacent.”
“That is not a word.”
“It is today.”

She laughed. A real one. Small, bright, gone quickly into the sound of the waves. Then she looked at me again, and the laughter softened into something else “I like you like this.”

“Wet?”

She splashed me again “Momo.”
“Quiet,” she said.

I blinked. Her hand tightened around mine beneath the water “Not quiet like sad. Quiet like…” She frowned, searching for the word and not liking that she had to “Like you are not waiting for something bad.”

The water moved. I could feel every place her fingers touched me “I do that?”
“Yes.”

I looked away first. Toward the reef. Toward the sunlight broken on the surface. Toward anything easier than her face. Momo did not chase my eyes. She only stayed there. That was worse.

Better. Both.

“You stopped,” she said.
“For a minute.”
“That counts.”
I laughed softly “Very generous.”
“No.” She shook her head “Important.”

The word landed differently from her. Momo did not decorate things. If she said something was important, she meant it with both hands. I looked back at her “You make it easier,” I said.

She blinked “To stop?”
“To follow.”

Her expression changed. Not much.

The water moved again, pushing us half a step closer. Her hand stayed in mine beneath the surface, fingers threaded through where no one else could see “I was scared you would hate it,” she said.

That surprised me more than anything else she had said all afternoon “Snorkeling?”
“No.” Momo looked down, then back up “Following.”

I stared at her. Her voice stayed quiet “I know people like when I dance. When I move. When I know what to do.” She swallowed once “But leading someone is different. If they do not want to follow, it feels…” She frowned “Lonely.”

That took the air out of me. Not all at once. Slowly. Like the water had learned where to press “Momo.”

She shrugged, but it did not work “Food is easy,” she said “People eat. I know if they like it. This is harder.”

I squeezed her hand. Her eyes lifted “I don’t hate it,” I said.

“I know.”
“Do you?”

She hesitated. So I moved first. Not far. Just enough to close the small distance the water kept making and unmaking between us “I liked following you,” I said.

Momo’s fingers tightened around mine. This time, she was the one who did not have a joke ready.

I wanted her to feel that too “I liked not knowing where we were going,” I added. Her mouth parted slightly “Really?”

“Terrifying.”

She frowned. I smiled. “But yes.”

Momo stared at me for a long second. Then nodded once, like she had decided to believe me before fear could vote “Maybe later,” she said, voice small but steady, “you follow me again.”

My breath caught. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just enough that she saw it. Her cheeks colored. Only a little. But Momo did not look away.

I did not either “Okay,” I said.
Her eyes narrowed “Just okay?”
“If I say more, I’ll make it sound like a plan.”
Momo’s mouth curved “Then don’t plan.”
Her fingers tightened around mine under the water “Just come with me later.”

The words settled between us. Warm. Salted. Quiet. From somewhere far behind us, the lunch table burst into laughter at something that was probably Dahyun’s fault.

I did not look back. Momo noticed that too. This time, she smiled openly “Good,” she said. Then she pulled her mask back down.

I stared at her “We are going again?”
She nodded “Fish.”
“Momo.”

She pointed at the reef. Then at me. Then, with exaggerated seriousness, pointed at her own eyes before pointing back at the fish. I laughed and pulled my mask down. This time, when she took my hand and moved forward, I followed without making her tug.

Underwater, no one needed me to explain. No one needed me to lead. No one needed me to become useful before I was allowed to enjoy what was in front of me. There was only Momo’s hand.

The reef. My breathing. And the strange, difficult relief of moving because I wanted to stay with her. Float first. Move after.

By the time we came back up, the sun had shifted. Not much. Enough that the water looked softer. Momo pushed her mask up first, blinking saltwater from her lashes. I surfaced beside her, breathing harder than I wanted to admit but not in a bad way.

Not seawall tired. Not even close. Just alive enough that my body had opinions again. Momo studied my face. I tried not to look like I was being assessed. Failed.

She smiled. Then reached out and patted the top of my head. Once. And then twice “Good.”

I stared at her “Did you just praise me like I passed snorkeling class?”
“Yes.”
“I am twenty-seven.”
“You did well.”
“That does not answer the problem.”

Momo patted my head again. The worst part was that I liked it. The worse part was that she knew. Her eyes brightened “You like it.”

“I did not say that.”
“Your face did.”
“My face is having a very difficult day.”
“Good face.”
“Momo.”

She reached up to pat me again. This time, I caught her wrist. Not hard. Just enough. Her hand stopped above my head. Momo blinked. I lowered her hand slowly, still holding her wrist under the water “If I did well,” I said, “I think I want a better reward.” Her mouth parted. Only slightly. Enough “What reward?”

I leaned closer instead of answering. Momo did not move back. That was permission. So I kissed her. It was soft at first, because the water kept moving and because her hand was still caught loosely in mine and because the afternoon around us felt too open to rush.

Momo made a small sound against my mouth. Surprised. Then not surprised.

Her free hand found my shoulder, fingers pressing there as if she needed somewhere to put the feeling. I started to pull back after one kiss, because one kiss felt polite. Momo apparently disagreed. She followed. Her mouth found mine again before the water could put distance between us.

This one was warmer. Less careful. Not loud. Momo did not kiss like she was trying to prove anything. She kissed like she had decided one bite was not enough and had no reason to apologize for wanting another.

When she finally pulled back, her cheeks were pink. From sun. Probably. Mostly. I looked at her. She looked back at me. Then frowned.

“What?”
I smiled “Nothing.”
“You are smiling.”
“I am happy.”

Momo stared at me like that was too direct to be trusted. Then her fingers tightened on my shoulder “Say it again.”

“I am happy.”

Her expression changed. Small. Soft. So I ruined it before it became too heavy “Lunch had competition.”

Momo blinked “From fish?”
“No.”
She narrowed her eyes “From snorkeling?”
“No.” I leaned a little closer “From you.”

For one second, she did nothing. Then she splashed me directly in the chest. Harder than correction “Momo.”

Her face was red now. Definitely not just sun “That was smooth.”

“Was it?”
“Yes.” She looked deeply offended by the fact “I hate it.”
“You kissed me twice.”
“I can hate things and do them again.”

That shut me up. Momo saw that too. Her smile came back slowly. Dangerously. Then she lifted her chin. “Maybe later.”

My breath caught again. She liked that. Of course she did. The vocal version of Momo had apparently survived snorkeling and discovered leverage. I cleared my throat “Later?”

She nodded once “After dinner.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
“No.” She took my hand under the water “That sounds like wanting.”

There were several answers available. None of them felt safe. I chose honesty, which was somehow worse “I want that.”

Momo’s hand tightened around mine. Her smile softened “Good.” We stayed there for another moment, water moving around us, lunch noise far behind, dinner waiting somewhere we did not have to control yet.

Then Momo looked toward the shore “We should go.”
I blinked “Already?”
“Yes.”
“You were the one who said no checking.”
“We are not checking.”
“We are going back early.”
“To see dinner prep.”
“That sounds like checking.”

Momo shook her head “No. Checking is nervous.” She started walking toward the shallows, pulling me with her “This is curious.”

“That is cleaning with better branding’s cousin.”
She looked back at me “I want to see if Chaeryeong is doing okay.”
“And Ben?”
“I want to see if Ben is behaving.”
“That is absolutely checking.”
“That is entertainment.”

I laughed. Momo smiled like she had won. We left the water slowly, masks in hand, hair wet, skin warm from sun and salt. A staff member offered towels. Momo took one, then immediately threw it over my head before I could take it properly. The world went white and soft “Momo.”

“Dry.”
“I can do that myself.”
“I know.”

Her hands rubbed the towel over my hair. Firm. Messy. Affectionate in the least dignified way possible. I let her. Mostly because I liked it. Mostly because she liked that I liked it.

When she finally pulled the towel away, she looked at my hair and nodded like she had created acceptable damage “Cutely ridiculous.”

“That phrase is becoming legally dangerous.”
“Good.”

Then she handed me the towel properly and started drying her own hair. I watched her for one second too long. She noticed. This time, she did not splash me. She only smiled “Come.”

I followed. Not because she tugged. Because I wanted to.

The path back toward the grill station was quieter than before. The lunch noise had settled into scattered voices, clinking plates, and the occasional burst of laughter. Smoke still drifted from the beachside area, thinner now, mixed with the smell of charcoal and something citrusy.

Momo walked beside me, close enough that our wet hands brushed every few steps. Neither of us moved away. As we neared the prep tables, Ben’s voice reached us first.

“I am saying rice texture matters.”
Chaeryeong answered, calm and merciless “I asked if we need more rice.”
“That depends on intended texture.”
“It depends on number of people.”
“Both are variables.”
“Normal words.”
“I am trying.”
“You are adding variables.”

Momo stopped beside me. We both looked toward the prep area.

Ben stood with the folded dinner list in one hand and a pencil in the other, expression offended by the existence of practical limits. Chaeryeong stood beside him with another sauce bowl, unimpressed and somehow fully in charge.

Yeji sat nearby, watching them with the soft pride of someone witnessing a difficult animal learn a new command.

Dahyun, of course, had found a seat with a good view. She turned when she saw us. Her eyes dropped to our wet hair. Then to our joined hands. Then to Momo’s pink cheeks. Her mouth opened. Jihyo pointed at her without looking “No.”

Dahyun closed her mouth. For half a second. Then whispered to Chaeyoung, “Developing story.”

Jihyo’s finger sharpened. Dahyun smiled innocently. Momo ignored them and walked toward Chaeryeong “How is dinner?”

Chaeryeong looked up. Then at Ben. Then back at Momo “Manageable.”
Ben lifted one finger “I object to the emotional tone of that report.”
Chaeryeong did not look at him “He has improved.”

Ben lowered his finger slightly. Then Chaeryeong added, “From dangerous to manageable.” The finger went back up “That is a hostile revision.” Yeji smiled into her drink “It sounds accurate.”

Ben looked betrayed “You were supposed to be my character witness.”

“I am.”
“For which side?”
“The truth.”
“That side is very crowded today.”

Momo stepped closer to the prep table, still holding my hand loosely in hers.Her hair was drying badly from the water, curling at the ends from salt and sun. Mine probably looked worse. No one had commented yet, which meant everyone had noticed and was waiting for a better opportunity.

Momo looked at the list in Chaeryeong’s hand “What did he do?”
Ben straightened “Helped.”
Chaeryeong looked at Momo “He tried to upgrade the meat.”

Momo’s eyes narrowed. Ben lifted both hands. “One meat.”
“No billionaire shortcuts.”

“It was not a shortcut. It was a negotiated improvement.”
“He became weirdly intense,” Chaeryeong said.
“I became appropriately passionate.”
“He called it a hostage negotiation.”

Momo looked at him. Ben paused. Then corrected, “I said it had the emotional stakes of one.”

I stared at him “Over meat?”
“Quality meat.”
Momo looked at Chaeryeong “How much?”

“One type,” Chaeryeong said “Only one. No private chef. No staff replacement. Still our grill. Still our sides. Still our sauce.”

Ben lifted one finger again “And I gave up several superior options.”
Chaeryeong nodded “After I said no.”
“Repeatedly.”
“Because you kept asking.”
“Because negotiation requires persistence.”
“Because you are difficult.”

Ben looked at Yeji. Yeji took a slow sip “I am not helping you.” He looked wounded. Chaeryeong continued, calm and merciless “The final agreement was one upgraded cut, no additional equipment, no premium seafood tower, and no changing Momo unnie’s plan.”

Momo considered that. Then looked at Ben “And?”
Ben blinked “And?”
Momo’s eyes stayed on him.
He sighed “And two treat-economy kisses.”

Yeji nearly choked and I just looked at him “You negotiated kisses into meat planning?”
Ben looked at me like I was being unreasonable “I was under pressure.”
Chaeryeong looked down at the list “He asked for three.”

“One was symbolic, one was ridiculous.”

Yeji covered her face with one hand. Dahyun, who had apparently been listening from the best possible distance, slowly leaned forward “Developing story: meat hostage situation resolved through controlled affection.”

Jihyo pointed at her from the table “No headlines.”
Dahyun lowered her voice “Unpublished notes.”
“No notes.”
“Emotionally retained notes.”

Momo looked at Yeji “You agreed?” Yeji lowered her hand, cheeks faintly pink “He did listen.”

Ben immediately softened. Too much. Disgustingly. Yeji noticed and pointed at him “Do not become impossible.”

“I am inspired.”
“You are on probation.”
“I am inspired on probation.”
Chaeryeong looked at Momo “It was still within the rules.”

Momo studied her for a second. Then nodded “Good.”

Ben relaxed. Too soon. Momo pointed at him “No more.”

His mouth opened. “No,” Momo repeated. He closed it. Chaeryeong’s mouth twitched. Momo noticed. Then, instead of turning away, she asked, “Was he difficult or only loud?”

Chaeryeong blinked. Ben blinked too. I looked at Momo. She was still holding my hand, thumb moving lightly against the side of mine like she did not realize she was doing it. Chaeryeong answered after a second “Both.”

Momo nodded seriously “But useful?”

Chaeryeong looked at Ben. Ben looked hopeful. Chaeryeong sighed “Yes.”
Ben’s face lit up. Momo looked satisfied “Then keep him.”
“I am not a stray,” Ben said.

Momo ignored that and looked at Chaeryeong again “If he tries rich again, tell Yeji.”

Ben went still. Yeji smiled sweetly “That is effective.”
Chaeryeong nodded once, like receiving emergency instructions “I will.”
Ben turned to me “Your girlfriend has escalated this beyond reasonable governance.”

I looked at Momo. She looked back at me. Then she smiled. Not the usual small smile. A fuller one. Open. Pleased. Still a little wet from the ocean and suddenly not shy about the fact that she was happy.

Chaeryeong looked at her. Then her expression changed. Not big. Just noticing “You’ve talked more today.”

Momo froze. Only for a second. TWICE did not. Nayeon’s head lifted immediately. Sana covered her mouth. Jihyo’s eyes narrowed with fond dread. Jeongyeon leaned back like she had been waiting. Mina looked at Momo, then at me, then back at Momo. Dahyun’s soul visibly entered reporter mode. Momo frowned “I talk.”

Nayeon smiled “Not like this.”
“I talk.”
Sana leaned forward, delighted “This is real Momo language.”
Momo’s frown deepened “What does that mean?”
Jeongyeon answered dryly, “It means you are happy.”
Jihyo added, “Or comfortable.”
Mina took a sip “Or serious.”
Dahyun lifted one finger “Rarely serious, but it exists.”
Chaeyoung nodded “Like a hidden track.”
Tzuyu looked at Momo with calm approval “Girlfriend mode also increases vocabulary.”

Momo’s face went red. Not completely. Enough. I looked at her. She looked at me. Then she squeezed my hand hard enough to punish me for witnessing it. I winced “I did not say anything.”

“You looked.”
“I have eyes.”
“Bad eyes.”

Nayeon said something in Japanese. I did not understand it. But Sana immediately laughed, Mina smiled into her drink, and Jeongyeon’s mouth curved, which meant it was absolutely about me. I looked around “What?”
Nayeon widened her eyes innocently “Nothing.”
Sana added something else in Japanese, sweeter and worse.
Momo’s blush deepened “Stop.”
I looked at Jihyo “Was that about me?”

Jihyo took a drink. Coward. Ryujin, from ITZY’s side of the table, suddenly laughed. Yuna gasped “Unnie.” Lia looked peaceful in a way that meant she understood too. Yeji smiled at Momo. Chaeryeong looked down at the list, but she was smiling now.

I slowly turned to Ben. He was arranging his face into neutrality. That was suspicious “You understood that,” I said.

Ben looked at me. Then, very calmly, in Japanese, said something that made every Japanese-speaking person at the table freeze. The silence lasted half a second. Then Nayeon’s mouth dropped open. Sana pointed at him “Ben.”

Yeji stared “You speak Japanese?”
Ben switched back to English with unbearable calm “I know John does not understand, but I do.”
I stared at him “You what?”
Ben shrugged “Business. Travel. Yeji. General usefulness.”
“That is too many explanations.”
Dahyun leaned forward slowly “So you heard everything?”

Ben looked at TWICE. Then at ITZY. Then at me.

“Yes.”

Momo’s grip on my hand tightened again. I looked at her “What did they say?”

“No,” Momo said immediately.
“That was suspiciously fast.”
“No.”

I looked at Ben. Ben opened his mouth. Nayeon pointed at him “Translate and we end treat economy.” Ben closed his mouth. Yeji nodded once “I support this condition.”

Ben’s face changed. Careful. Calculating. Then wounded “That is disproportionate.”

Sana smiled “No cheek kisses.”
Yuna added, “No grill intern praise.”
Ryujin nodded “No workplace benefits.”
Chaeryeong lifted the list “No negotiated incentives.”

Ben stared at all of them. Then turned to me with tragic dignity “Sorry, best buddy. I have unfortunately lost access to Japanese.”

“You spoke it ten seconds ago.”
“A temporary condition.”
“That is cowardice.”
“Essential for the survival of my beloved treats.”

Dahyun whispered to Chaeyoung, “Breaking: multilingual billionaire silenced by affection embargo.”

Jihyo did not even point this time. She just sighed. Momo tugged my hand “Dinner.”

“You are changing the subject.”
“Yes.”
“At least you admit it.”
“Good.”

Dinner happened slower than lunch. Not quieter. Just slower.

Lunch had been smoke and hunger and everyone grabbing at things before they disappeared. Dinner had lamps coming on around the beachside tables, the air cooling, the water turning dark in the distance, and people settling into the kind of comfort that made time feel less organized.

Ben’s negotiated meat arrived. Only one type of meat, exactly as promised.

He looked too proud when it came out. Chaeryeong noticed “Do not make a speech.”

“I had no intention of making a speech.”
“You inhaled like a speech.”
“I breathe.”
“You prepared.”

Yeji touched his arm.

“Normal breathing, Benjie.”
He exhaled through his nose “Fine.”

The upgraded cut sat on its tray with an annoying amount of dignity. Even I had to admit it looked good. Momo stepped closer, inspected it, then looked at Chaeryeong “Still our grill?”

Chaeryeong nodded “Still our grill.”
“Our sauce?”
“Yes.”
“No private chef?”
“No.”
“No extra staff?”
“No.”

Momo looked at Ben “One meat type.”
Ben nodded solemnly. “Only one meat type.”

Momo considered that. Then nodded “Okay.”
Ben’s face changed like the sun had personally risen for him “Approved?”
Momo nodded “Approved.”

Nayeon leaned closer. “Wait, we are allowing billionaire meat now?”

“One meat type,” Momo corrected.
Tzuyu looked at the tray “It looks worthy.”
Sana nodded “It smells worthy.”
Jihyo sighed “I hate that I agree.”
Jeongyeon took one look and shrugged “If he only won one battle, let him have it.”
Ben placed one hand over his chest “I am moved by this democratic process.”
Chaeryeong looked at him “You were outvoted into limits.”
“A structured victory.”
“You negotiated yourself into supervision.”
“A romantic victory.”

Yeji narrowed her eyes “Why romantic?”
Ben turned to her immediately “Because I achieved something under difficult conditions.”
“No.”
“I obeyed rules.”
“Mostly.”
“I accepted limits.”
“With grief.”
“I did not purchase a second grill.”

Yeji paused. Everyone paused with her. Ben saw the opening and stepped into it with the confidence of a doomed man “I believe this achievement qualifies for treat economy.”

The table reacted before Yeji could. Dahyun lowered her drink slowly. “He filed a claim.” Chaeyoung nodded. “Formal benefits request.” Mina looked at the tray. “For one meat.” Tzuyu added, “But the meat is impressive.” Jihyo pointed at Tzuyu. “Do not encourage legal precedent.”

Yeji stared at Ben. Ben stared back, hopeful and shameless “You are asking for a kiss because Momo allowed one upgraded type of meat?”

“I am asking for recognition of disciplined growth.”
“You negotiated with Chaeryeong three times.”
“Persistence is not indiscipline.”

Chaeryeong did not look up from the rice “It was indiscipline.” Ben looked wounded. Yeji sighed. Then leaned up and kissed his cheek. Quick. Ben went completely still. Rewarded golden retriever still.

The table groaned.

Dahyun whispered, “The claim was approved.”
Jihyo closed her eyes “No more claims.”

Ben’s smile was already becoming dangerous. Yeji pointed at him “That was for listening. Not for the meat.”

“Understood.”
“And if you become impossible, I revoke future benefits.”
Ben’s smile softened into something more obedient “Understood.”
Ryujin stared at him “That worked too fast.”
Yuna nodded “He has a button.”
Lia smiled peacefully “Yeji found it.”

Yeji looked proud and embarrassed at the same time. Ben looked like he would have accepted worse terms. Chaeryeong handled the prep table like the dinner list had become a military document. Sauce bowls moved where she wanted them. Rice timing became her territory. Side dishes were checked, adjusted, and covered again. Every time Ben tried to add a suggestion with too many expensive words, Chaeryeong looked at him until he translated himself into normal food language.

I stayed at the grill with Ben. Not because dinner needed saving. Not because I had quietly taken over. Because Momo pointed at the grill, pointed at me, and said, “Cook.”

Then she sat down. Just sat down. At the low table. With the cleanest plate. Like a queen who had already done enough labor for one vacation. I stared at her.

Momo stared back “What?”
“You are not helping?”
“I helped lunch.”
“That is true.”
“Dinner Momo is princess Momo.”

The table went silent for one beautiful second. Then Sana made a sound into her hand. Nayeon leaned forward immediately “Dinner Momo is what?” Momo lifted her chin “Princess Momo.” Jihyo closed her eyes like she was filing this under things she would regret allowing.

Dahyun whispered, “Historic statement.”
Chaeyoung nodded “Constitutional change.”

Tzuyu looked at Momo seriously “Valid.”
Momo pointed at Tzuyu “See?”

I looked at Jeongyeon for help. Jeongyeon took a drink “No. She is right.”

“You too?”
“She helped with lunch. You grill.”

Ben lifted the tongs beside me. “As Grill Intern, I support this labor structure.”
Chaeryeong did not look up from the rice “You are still an intern.”
Ben lowered the tongs slightly “Supportive intern.”

Yeji smiled “That’s my Grill Intern.” Then she leaned up and kissed his cheek. Again. Ben went completely still. Not dangerous still. Not billionaire still. Again, rewarded golden retriever still.

The tongs lowered by one dignified inch. Dahyun, from the table, slowly raised her chopsticks “The treat economy has expanded into workplace benefits.” Jihyo pointed at her “Do not.”

“I said it academically.”
“You said treat economy.”

Momo tapped her plate once “Meat, please.” I looked at her. She looked back like she had said the most reasonable thing in the world “Princess Momo requires service?”

“Yes.”

Nayeon nearly dropped her chopsticks. Sana leaned into her shoulder, laughing. Mina’s mouth curved. Jihyo muttered, “This is what happens when we encourage her.”

Tzuyu shook her head “No. This was always inside her.”
Momo nodded once “It was.”

I turned back to the grill before my face could betray me more than it already had. Ben leaned closer “She has awakened.”

“Shut up and focus on the meat.”
“I am witnessing history.”
“You are burning history.”

He looked down. Swore softly. Then flipped the piece. Dinner Momo watched us grill. Not passively. That was the dangerous part. She gave instructions with her eyes first, then with small words when we failed to understand fast enough.

“More sauce.”

Chaeryeong handed it over before I asked “Not that one,” Momo said. Chaeryeong paused. Then switched bowls. Momo nodded “Good.”
Ben stared “How did she know?”
Chaeryeong looked at him “She has taste.”
“I have taste.”
“You negotiated meat kisses.”
“That is advanced taste.”

Yeji touched his arm again “Normal breathing, Benjie.”

Ben inhaled carefully. Dinner kept building.

Meat hissed on the grill. Vegetables blistered at the edges. Seafood curled and turned white over the charcoal. Chaeryeong controlled the side dishes. Ben handled the upgraded cut like a man trying to prove the hostage negotiation had been worth it. I grilled what Momo pointed at and tried not to look too pleased every time she watched me do it.

That failed too. Momo noticed. Of course she did. When the first dinner plate was ready, I started to set it down in front of her. Momo did not take it. She looked at the plate.

Then at me. “First bite.” I blinked. “For you?” She nodded. I started to hand her the chopsticks. Momo did not take them either. Her eyes stayed on mine. Then she opened her mouth slightly. The entire table froze. I froze with them “Momo.”

Her face went pink. But she did not look away “From you,” she said.

Sana made a sound that did not survive becoming a word. Nayeon slapped one hand over her own mouth. Dahyun stared like breaking news had personally slapped her. Jihyo looked at the sky. Jeongyeon smiled into her drink. Mina blinked slowly “Princess behavior, indeed.”

Momo’s face went pink. But she did not take it back. That was the thing. She was embarrassed. Not retreating.

I picked up one piece with the chopsticks. My hand was very steady. My dignity was not “Like this?”

Momo nodded once. Very serious. I held the bite out. She leaned in and ate it. Slowly enough that my brain stopped working for half a second. Then she chewed. Considered. Then swallowed “It’s delicious.”

Ben, beside the grill, went very still. Not golden retriever still this time. Idea still. Yeji saw it immediately “No way.”

Ben turned to her “I have not said anything.”
“You made the face.”
“What face?”
“The copying-John face.”
“I have many faces.”
“That one is not allowed.”
Ben looked personally wounded “I was inspired.”
“No.”
“I have been grilling faithfully.”
“No.”

“In front of everybody?” Ben asked, voice already tragic. Yeji folded her arms. “Absolutely not in front of everybody.”

The table reacted as one body. Nayeon’s hand hit the table. Sana disappeared into her own shoulder. Dahyun inhaled like she had just found the headline of her life.

Chaeyoung whispered, “She specified location.”
Mina nodded once “Important distinction.”
Tzuyu looked at Yeji “So not no.”
Jihyo closed her eyes “Please do not analyze the clause.”
Ryujin leaned forward “There is absolutely a clause.”
Yuna pointed at Ben “He heard the clause.”
Lia smiled peacefully “Everyone heard the clause.”

Yeji’s face went red. Ben’s face transformed. Slowly. Beautifully. Disastrously “Oh.”

Yeji pointed at him “Do not.”
Ben placed one hand over his chest “I almost lost treat economy today.”
“Benjie.”
“I endured sanctions.”
“Ben.”
“I remained silent under multilingual provocation.”
“You were threatened with no kisses.”
“And I survived.” He looked at her with wounded devotion “But now my acts of love are rejected?”

“They are not rejected.”
“In public.”
“That is different.”

He gasped softly “So the spark is not dead?” Yeji covered her face with one hand “It was never dead.”

“Then why did you let me believe I was standing beside the ashes of us?”

Jihyo muttered, “Because you are impossible.”

Ben ignored her, fully committed now “Was it the meat negotiation? Did I become too useful? Too humble? Too grill-adjacent?”

Chaeryeong looked up from the prep table “You became too dramatic.”
“I am fighting for love.”
“You are fighting for public feeding privileges.”
“Same battlefield.”

Yeji lowered her hand enough to glare at him “I said not in front of everybody.” Ben went very still. This time, everyone saw it. Yeji saw it too. Her eyes narrowed “Ben.”

He looked at her. Not smug. Worse. Hopeful. The table held its breath. Yeji stared at him for one more second. Then looked away first, which doomed her “Fine.”

Ben blinked. Everyone blinked with him. Yeji pointed at his face. “Do not make that expression.”

“What expression?”
“The expression that says you think you won.”
“I am trying very hard not to celebrate.”
“You are failing.”
“I am overwhelmed.”
“You get one.”

Ben inhaled. Chaeryeong immediately said, “Normal breathing.” He exhaled. Then reached for his chopsticks. Yeji caught the movement instantly “No speech.”

“I had no intention—”
“Benjie.”

He closed his mouth. For someone who had protested hard enough to involve public policy, Yeji watched him choose the bite very carefully. Too carefully. Everyone noticed. Especially Ben.

He picked up one small piece from his plate and lifted it toward her. Yeji stared at it. Then at him “No way.”

Ben did not move the chopsticks closer. He only waited. That was worse “Benjie,” she warned “One.”

“In front of everybody?”
“You said not in front of everybody.”
“This is in front of everybody.”
“I am aware of the difficulty.”
“Then why are you still holding it?”
“Because you have not said no to the bite.”

The table made a sound. Not loud. Worse. Interested. Yeji’s face went red. Ben’s face stayed hopeful in the most devastating way possible “You are impossible,” she said.

“Yes.”
“That was not praise.”
“I know.”

She stared at him for one more second. Then leaned forward and took the bite. The table made a collective sound of disgusted affection. Dahyun slapped Chaeyoung’s arm “The clause activated.” Chaeyoung looked spiritually affected “This is workplace romance.”

Mina took a sip “After hours.”
Jihyo pointed at Mina “Please do not help.”

Ryujin covered Yuna’s eyes. Yuna pulled her hand down “I have seen worse things on music shows.” Lia nodded “That is true.”

Yeji chewed very carefully, like dignity could still be saved if she focused hard enough. Ben watched her like the entire treaty depended on her review. She swallowed “It is good.”

Ben softened immediately. Not dramatically. That would have been easier. Just enough that Yeji saw it before anyone else did. Then he leaned in and kissed her cheek. Shamelessly grateful “I love you,” he said.

Yeji froze. The table froze with her. Then she pouted. Actually pouted. Small and betrayed, like he had attacked her in public with sincerity “I love you too, Benjie.”

Ben’s smile became unbearable. Nayeon made a sound into Sana’s shoulder. Sana was no help because she was already gone. Dahyun whispered, “Treat economy has entered emotional inflation.” Jihyo covered her face.“Please stop naming the economy.”

Chaeryeong looked at Ben, then at Yeji, then back at the list “He is going to be difficult now.” Yeji sighed, still pink “He was already difficult.” Ben lifted one finger “I am lovingly difficult.”

Chaeryeong did not look up “Normal words.”
Ben lowered the finger “I am happy.”
Yeji’s pout softened against her will “That is better.”

Ben picked up another piece of meat from the plate and looked at Yeji again, maybe he tried his luck, or was pushing it. Probably both.

“One more?” he asked Yeji.
“No.”
“Private later?”
“Ben.”
“Question withdrawn.”

Yeji’s mouth twitched. That was his victory. He knew it. She knew he knew it. Which made her blush harder.

Momo, meanwhile, tapped her plate again “More please, John.” I looked back at her. She was still pink. Still holding eye contact. Still princess “You are enjoying this.”

“Yes.”
“At least you admit it.”
“Food please.”

Nayeon made a strangled sound. I picked up another piece. This time, Momo smiled before she ate it. That was worse.

Ben whispered, “Respectfully, I need to look away.”
Yeji did not even look at him “You are still looking.”
“I am respecting from a distance.”
“You are two feet away.”
“Emotionally distant.”
Chaeryeong sighed “He is trying very hard.”

Yeji’s mouth twitched again. Ben noticed again “Do I get credit for trying?”

“No more public feeding.”
“I asked credit.”
“No.”
“I accept the boundary.”
“Good.”
“Privately, however—”
“Benjie.”

He closed his mouth again. Momo chewed, swallowed, then looked at Yeji “Later.” Yeji’s eyes widened “Momo unnie.” Momo nodded with the solemn authority of a princess who had been fed properly “Not in front of everybody.”

The table fell apart again. This time, even Jihyo laughed before she could stop herself. Ben turned to Yeji with renewed hope. Yeji pointed at Momo “Do not learn from her.”

Ben looked at Momo. Then at me. Then back at Yeji “I am learning nothing.”

“That is also a lie,” Mina said.
“It is a survival statement.”

Momo tapped my wrist “John.”

I looked at her. She opened her mouth again. The table tried to recover and failed. So I fed her another bite. And after the third time, it stopped feeling like a performance. Or maybe I stopped caring that everyone could see. Momo wanted princess treatment. So I gave it to her.

Dinner became that after a while. Not all the time. Enough.

I grilled with Ben. Chaeryeong kept the rest of dinner moving. Momo sat close enough to my station that I could turn from the grill and find her already waiting, plate angled toward me, eyes bright every time I brought something over. She accepted bites from me whenever she felt like it.

She fed me back whenever she decided I had gotten too comfortable pretending this was only for her “Your turn.”

“I am grilling.”
“Eat.”
“You are very demanding for royalty.”
“Yes.”

She held up a piece. I leaned down and took it. The table reacted every time, because apparently nobody had emotional discipline anymore. But Momo did not stop. And after the third time, neither did I.

At some point, she shifted even closer to the grill side of the table so I did not have to keep crossing the space between us. Not across. Not distant. Close enough that I could turn and find her knee angled toward mine, her fingers catching my wrist when she wanted the next bite, her eyes following me whenever smoke curled between us.

That was Momo’s version of clingy, apparently. Not arms around my neck. Not dramatic leaning. Just her plate near my station, her hand near mine, and the quiet certainty that if she wanted me, she would make it very difficult for me to misunderstand.

“Try this,” she said. I took the bite she offered “Good?”
“Good.”
“Better than lunch?”
“That is dangerous.”
Momo’s eyes narrowed “Answer.”
“Different good.”
She considered that. Then nodded “Safe answer.”
“Honest answer.”
“Both.”

She placed another piece on my plate. I looked at it. Then at her “You know I can get food myself.”

“I know.”
“Then why—”
“Because I want to.”

The line came back from earlier. The mask. The water. Her hands. My face warmed before I could stop it. Momo saw. This time, she smiled like she had meant to do that. From across the table, Sana said something in Japanese. Nayeon immediately hid her smile behind her cup. Mina looked down. Jeongyeon coughed once. I pointed at all of them “I know that one was about me.”

Dahyun smiled “You are growing.”
“I am still uninformed.”
“That is also growth.”

Ben, still beside the grill, looked like he was fighting for his life. I slowly turned toward him “Ben.” He lifted both hands, tongs and all “I am under sanctions.”

“What did they say?”
“I cannot confirm or deny.”
Yeji smiled sweetly “Good answer, babe.”

He relaxed immediately. The treat economy had him fully compromised. Dinner stretched on. Momo got happier the later it became. Not louder in the usual way. Not chaotic. Just more open.

Her sentences came easier. Short still, because she was Momo, but less like directions and more like little admissions she kept handing me when no one was supposed to be looking “This one is my favorite.”

“Sit closer.”
“You smell like smoke.”
“You too.”
“I like it.”
“You like smoke?”
“Today, yes.”

At some point, she rested her chin briefly on my shoulder while watching Dahyun and Ryujin argue over whether Ben counted as rich staff, rich guest, or rich hazard. Ben argued for “valued contributor.”

Chaeryeong said “manageable.” The table accepted Chaeryeong’s ruling. Ben objected again. No one cared. Momo laughed against my shoulder. Not because the joke was that funny. Because she was warm, full, a little flushed from drinks, and close enough that I could feel the laugh before I heard it. I turned my head slightly “You okay?”

She nodded against my shoulder “Happy.”
I stopped. Momo lifted her head “What?”
“Nothing.” I said.
“You made the face.”
“I like when you say it.”

She looked at me. The table noise moved around us. For a second, she did not hide “Happy,” she said again. Softer. Just for me. I swallowed “Good.” Her foot pressed lightly against mine under the table “Good answer.”

Later became later without anyone deciding it. The lamps glowed warmer. The plates thinned out. Someone brought fruit. Someone else opened another drink. Jihyo stopped pretending she was going to make everyone sleep early. Nayeon had folded herself against Sana. Mina looked like she had been carved into calm. Tzuyu was listening to Yuna explain something with her entire body. Lia was laughing softly at Ryujin failing to imitate Ben’s “business voice.”

Ben, for the record, said the imitation was legally poor. Yeji said it was emotionally accurate. He accepted that.

Momo had one more drink. Then another half. Then she leaned very carefully into my side with the exaggerated seriousness of someone trying to look casual. I looked down at her “Momo.”

She blinked up at me “I think,” she said slowly, “I had too many.” I looked at the drink in her hand. Then at her face. Then at the way she was absolutely not swaying “Did you?”

“Yes.” Her nod was very committed. Too committed “I need help.”

The table went quiet in the worst way. Nayeon’s eyes lit up. Sana’s hand flew to her mouth. Jeongyeon looked down at her plate like a woman refusing to be legally involved. Mina blinked slowly. Jihyo inhaled. That was never good.

Then Nayeon said something in Japanese. Sana answered immediately. Mina added one soft line. Chaeyoung made a strangled sound. Tzuyu nodded once like the evidence was conclusive. Momo sat up “Quiet.”

I looked at her “You understood that?” Momo’s cheeks flushed “No.”

“That was a lie.”
“Quiet.”

ITZY caught on next. Ryujin leaned back, grinning. Yuna whispered something in Japanese badly enough that Lia corrected her pronunciation. Yeji covered her smile with her cup. Chaeryeong looked at the list like it could protect her from witnessing this. Ben, unfortunately, chose that moment to clear his throat.

“As a reminder,” he said, “I also understand.” Everyone turned to him. He lifted both hands “I am merely stating the linguistic reality.” I pointed at him immediately “What did they say?”

Ben looked at me. Then at Momo. Then at the reast TWICE. Then at ITZY. His eyes flicked to Yeji. Mistake.

Nayeon smiled “Translate, and no treat economy.”
Sana added, “For the rest of the night.”
Ryujin lifted her hand “ITZY supports.”
Yuna nodded “Fully.”
Lia smiled peacefully “A united front.”
Chaeryeong, still holding the folded dinner list, added, “No negotiated exceptions.”

Ben’s face went still. Devastated. He turned to Yeji “Love?”

Yeji looked at him with great tenderness. Then kissed his cheek. Very lightly. A warning and reward at once “Do not translate.”

Ben closed his eyes like a man accepting the terms of surrender. When he opened them, he looked at me with grave regret “I have once again lost access to Japanese.”

“You are the weakest man alive, dude.”
“I am loved and strategically contained.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It is the only answer I am allowed to survive.”
Dahyun leaned toward Chaeyoung “Developing story: treat economy prevents international leak.”

Jihyo finally pointed at her “One more headline and you clean dishes.” Dahyun sat back immediately “Silence is a civic duty.”

Momo stood. A little too steadily. Then remembered she was supposed to be affected and placed one hand on my arm “Help.”

I looked at her. She looked back. Very serious. Very pink. Very obviously lying. I stood anyway. Because some lies deserved cooperation “Okay.”

Nayeon made a sound. Momo turned to her “Quiet.”
Sana smiled. “We did not say anything.”
“You thought it.”
Mina took a sip “She is very fluent tonight.”
Tzuyu nodded “Real dialect.”

Momo’s face turned red again. I looked at Ben. He shook his head immediately “I heard nothing.”

“I did not ask yet.”
“I am preparing.”

Yeji laughed softly and touched his arm “Good intern.” Ben brightened. The entire table groaned. Momo pulled my hand “Come.”

I let her lead me away from the table.

Behind us, TWICE immediately started speaking Japanese again. ITZY joined in. Ben said one sharp sentence back in Japanese. Everyone exploded. I stopped walking. Momo yanked my hand “No.”

“What did he say?”
“No.”
“Momo.”
“No translations.”
“Why?”

She looked up at me, cheeks warm, eyes bright, hand tight around mine “Because you are helping me.” I looked at the path ahead. Then at her “You are not drunk.”

“I had too many.”
“You had one and a half.”
“Too many for walking alone.”
“That is not how numbers work.”
“It is how today works.”

I stared at her. She stared back. Then, softer, with none of the fake-drunk performance left, she said, “Come with me.”

That did it. The table behind us was still laughing. Ben was probably defending his language skills under threat of affection embargo. TWICE and ITZY were probably saying things I was never going to be allowed to understand. Momo did not look back. So I did not either.

I followed her into the warm dark of the resort path, her hand in mine, dinner smoke still clinging to our clothes, salt still drying on our skin. This time, she did not have to tug. We walked past the turn toward her room. I noticed. Of course I noticed.

“Momo.”
“Hm?”
“Your room is that way.”
“Yes.”

We kept walking. I looked at her “Momo.” She did not look at me “You said you needed help to your room.”

“I said I needed help.”
“To your room.”

She finally glanced at me. Her face was still pink, but her eyes were steady “I changed it.”

“To my room?”
“Yes.”
“That feels like important information.”
“I am telling you now.”
“That is not how directions work.”
“It is how today works.”

I laughed once, quiet and helpless. She smiled. Then slowed as we reached my door. The air changed there. Not heavy. Not rushed. Just closer. The kind of quiet that had followed us from the water, through dinner, through every bite she had asked me to give her and every time she had said later like it meant more than time.

I opened the door. Momo stepped inside first. Then turned back before I could follow. For one second, I expected shy. The fake-drunk act. The princess face. The table-safe version of wanting that everyone could laugh at because laughing made it easier to protect.

But that version stayed outside.

Momo stood in my room, smoke still clinging to her clothes, salt still somewhere in her hair, eyes warm and clear and not drunk at all. Not even close.

I stepped inside and let the door close behind us “You’re not drunk.”

“No.”
“You needed help.”
“Yes.”
“To your room.”

Momo looked at me. Then, very calmly, said, “I needed a polite reason to leave.” My breath caught. She did not look away. That was the dangerous part. At dinner, she had hidden behind short words, pink cheeks, fake excuses, and everyone else’s teasing.

Here, there was no table. No Japanese. No Ben losing access to languages. No one to laugh for her. Just Momo. And Momo was not hiding anymore “You followed me,” she said.

“I did.”

Her fingers tightened around mine “Good.” The word was not soft this time. Not quiet like the water. It was certain. I looked at her “Momo.”

She stepped closer. Not rushed. Not shy. Absolutely wanting “You followed me in the water,” she said “You followed me from dinner.”

Her hand lifted to my chest, palm resting there like she was checking if I was still breathing the way she liked “Now follow me here.”

There were jokes available. Maybe. I did not look for them. I moved closer instead “Yes.” Momo’s breath caught Then she smiled. Not big. Not loud.

Hungry in a way that did not need to be hidden anymore “Good,” she said again.

Then she reached for me first.

The door clicked shut, sealing us away from the muffled laughter of the beach and the distant, rhythmic pulse of the ocean. The silence of the room rushed in to meet us, heavy and thick with everything we hadn't said at the table.

The air still carried the residue of the day. I could smell the faint, charred scent of barbecue clinging to my shirt and the sharp, briny tang of salt drying in our hair. My skin felt tight from the sun, humming with a lingering warmth that had nothing to do with the weather.

Momo didn't move toward the bed. She didn't even let go of my hand. She stood there, her chest rising and falling in a steady, intentional rhythm. The fake-drunk haze was gone, replaced by a clarity that felt hungry in the most intoxicating way.

"Sit," she said.

It wasn't a request. It was the same tone she used when she told me to eat, but stripped of the playfulness. I did as I was told, sinking into the heavy wooden chair by the desk. I felt my pulse hammering in my throat, my body bracing for a direction I no longer wanted to manage.

Momo stepped back, creating a small, charged distance between us. She didn't start with a flourish. She didn't look for a mirror or check the lighting. She just looked at me.

"You spent all day following me, John."
"I did."
"Do you know why?"
"Because you told me to."
Momo smiled, and it wasn't the princess smile. It was something hungrier "No. Because you wanted to. You wanted to see where I'd take you."

She reached for the hem of her top. Her movements were slow, agonizingly deliberate. She didn't rip the clothes off; she peeled them. She moved with the ingrained grace of a dancer, every shift of her weight a calculated invitation. As the fabric slid up, revealing the pale, smooth curve of her stomach and the dip of her waist, I felt the air leave my lungs.

It was not a performance. That was the problem. Performances had distance, a stage, a boundary between the actor and the audience. This had none. This was just Momo, in my room, showing me exactly what she had been thinking about since the first piece of meat hit the grill.

She shrugged the top off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor in a discarded heap. She stood before me in her bra, her skin glowing under the dim room lights. I could see the faint lines of her muscles, the toned strength of her core and the soft, inviting swell of her breasts.

"Don't move," she whispered.

I gripped the edges of the chair, my knuckles white. My eyes tracked every inch of her. She reached behind her back, her fingers nimble as she unhooked the clasp. The lace dropped, and her breasts spilled free, the nipples already peaked, reacting to the cool air and the heat of my gaze.

She didn't cover herself. She didn't blush. She just stood there, owning the space, her eyes locked on mine. She reached for the button of her skirt, her fingers grazing the fabric.

"Do I look like a princess now?"
"You look..." I struggled for a word that didn't feel like a cliché. "You look like you're about to ruin me."

Momo laughed, a low, throaty sound that vibrated in my chest. She slid the skirt down her hips, stepping out of it with a fluid motion. She was down to her underwear—a thin, sheer scrap of fabric that did nothing to hide the swell of her hips or the dark shadow between her legs.

She stepped closer, the scent of her—salt, skin, and a hint of something floral—filling my senses. She didn't stop until her thighs were brushing against my knees. She reached down, hooking her fingers into the waistband of her panties, and slid them down slowly, pausing when the fabric was halfway down her thighs, teasing the view of her wet, plump lips.

Then, with one sharp tug, she was completely naked.

She was breathtaking. Her body was a masterpiece of contradictions: the lean, powerful lines of an athlete and the soft, lush curves of a woman. Her breasts were perfect, heavy and round. Her waist tapered into wide, flared hips and a tight, toned stomach. Between her legs, her pussy was a neat, swollen mound, the lips glistening with a clear, sticky wetness that told me she had been ready for this long before we left the beach.

Momo leaned over me, her breasts brushing against my chest, her nipples scraping against the fabric of my shirt. She reached for the buttons of my shirt, her fingers working with a sudden, frantic energy.

"My turn," she breathed.

I reached out, my hands instinctively moving to cup her waist, to pull her flush against me.

"Not yet," she murmured, her voice a command. She slapped my hands away with a playful, sharp flick. "I told you. Follow me."

She stripped me with a focused intensity, tossing my shirt and trousers aside until I was as bare as she was. When she finally stepped back to look at me, her eyes dropped to my cock, which was straining, thick and pulsing, reaching for her.

"You're so hard," she whispered, her voice thick with desire.
"You did that."
"I know."

She didn't wait for another word. She lunged forward, her mouth crashing against mine. It wasn't a soft kiss; it was a collision. Her tongue pushed into my mouth, tasting of the drinks from dinner and raw, unadulterated hunger. I groaned into her mouth, my hands finally finding purchase on her back, pulling her in so hard that our hips collided with a wet, fleshy thud.

We moved around the room in a blur of friction and heat. We stumbled toward the bed, our bodies sliding against each other, skin on skin, the friction of her breasts against my chest making me dizzy. We fell onto the mattress in a tangle of limbs, the sheets cool against our backs, but the heat between us was incinerating.

Momo scrambled on top of me in an instant, her knees pinning my thighs, her weight settling firmly over my lap. She looked down at me, her hair wild, her eyes dark and blown out.

"I've wanted this since the second you started grilling," she whispered.

She slid down my body, her breasts dragging across my stomach, her nipples leaving trails of fire. She didn't stop until her face was inches from my cock. She paused, looking up at me through her lashes, her tongue darting out to lick her upper lip.

"I want to taste you," she said.

She didn't ask. She just opened her mouth and took the head of my cock inside. The sensation was an electric shock. Her mouth was scorching, her tongue swirling around the rim of my glans with a precision that made my hips jerk involuntarily. She wasn't tentative. She was sloppy, intentional, letting her saliva coat me in a thick, glistening layer of wetness.

I let out a choked sound, my fingers digging into the mattress "Momo..."

She ignored me, sliding deeper. She took more of me, her throat opening up to accommodate my length. I could hear the wet, squelching sounds of her mouth working over me—the sound of her tongue against the underside of my shaft, the soft, suctioning pops every time she pulled back just enough to let air in.

She was hungry. She used her hand to stroke the base of my cock, her grip firm and rhythmic, while her mouth focused on the head, sucking hard, creating a vacuum that felt like it was pulling the very soul out of me. She looked up at me, her eyes wide and wanting, her cheeks hollowing as she drew me deeper.

I felt the pressure building, a tight, coiled spring in my gut. I tried to slow my breathing, tried to plan the pace, but Momo sensed it. She sped up, her head moving in a frantic, blurred rhythm, her tongue flicking against my frenulum with devastating accuracy.

"I'm... I'm going to—"

Momo didn't pull away. She leaned in, her eyes locking onto mine, and sucked harder. I buckled, my back arching off the bed. The first few spurts of cum hit the back of her throat, a hot, rhythmic pulsing that made her gag slightly, but she didn't flinch. She clamped her mouth tight over the tip, swallowing the first few bursts with a focused intensity. As the climax peaked, she took my entire length into her mouth, draining me completely, her throat working in powerful gulps to take every drop of my seed.

When she finally pulled away, a thin, silver string of saliva and cum connected us for a heartbeat. She didn't look disgusted. She looked satisfied. She leaned forward and licked the remaining droplets from the head of my cock with one long, slow swipe of her tongue.

"Delicious," she whispered.

She didn't give me time to recover. She pushed herself back up, her pussy sliding against my thigh, the wetness of her arousal leaving a glistening trail on my skin. She guided my cock back toward her opening, the head brushing against her swollen clit.

"Follow me, John," she commanded, her voice a low growl.

She lowered herself slowly. I felt the initial resistance of her tight walls, then the sudden, sliding heat as she sank down onto me. She was incredibly tight—the muscle control of a dancer manifesting in the way her pussy gripped me, clamping down on my shaft with an intensity that made me gasp.

Momo didn't settle. She began to move, her hips rotating in a slow, grinding circle that rubbed her clit against my pelvis. She was loud, her moans filling the room, raw and honest. She didn't try to muffle them; she let them rip from her throat, a series of high, needy sounds that told me exactly how good it felt for her.

"Oh god, yes... right there... John, you're so big... you're filling me up..."

She picked up the pace, her movements becoming frantic. She bounced on me, her breasts jiggling with every impact, her nipples brushing against my chest. The sound of our bodies meeting became a rhythmic, wet slapping—the squelch of her pussy taking me in and pushing me out, the shlicking of our combined fluids.

I watched her, seeing the way her head tossed back, her neck straining, her face twisted in a mask of pure, unadulterated pleasure. Seeing her lose control, seeing her surrender to the feeling, made me lose my own. I stopped trying to manage the moment and just reacted, my hips thrusting upward to meet her, driving myself deeper into her heat.

Momo let out a piercing scream, her internal muscles suddenly clamping down in a series of violent, rhythmic contractions. I felt her climax ripple through her entire body, her pussy squeezing me so hard I thought I might break. The intensity of her release triggered my own. I roared, my body shaking as I blasted my cum deep into her, filling her to the brim.

We collapsed together, our breath coming in ragged, synchronized gasps. We lay there for a long time, the only sound the distant crash of the waves and the thumping of our hearts. Then, Momo shifted. She didn't move away; she just looked at me, her eyes softening.

"My turn to follow," she whispered.
I blinked, confused "What?"

She leaned in, giving me a deep, lingering kiss that tasted of salt and sex. When she pulled back, her gaze was challenging.

"I want to know how it feels," she said "I want to know how it feels when you're the one moving. When I'm the one who has to let go."

She slid off me and lay back on the bed, her legs falling open in a gesture of complete surrender. She looked small against the white sheets, her skin flushed, her chest still heaving.

I hesitated. The instinct to manage, to ensure she was comfortable, to plan the movement, flickered in my mind "Don't plan, John," she whispered, her voice a plea "Just want me."

I moved over her, my body heavy and warm. I entered her slowly, savoring the sensation of her walls sliding around me. Unlike the first round, I kept the pace sensual. I moved with a slow, deliberate friction, pushing in deep and pulling back until I was almost out, then sliding back in with a steady, crushing pressure.

Momo’s reaction was immediate. She let out a long, low moan, her fingers digging into my shoulders. The change in pace seemed to overwhelm her. She wasn't used to the slow build, the agonizing tension of a sensual rhythm. She began to arch her back, her hips lifting to meet me, her breath coming in short, jagged hitches.

"It's... it's too much... John, please..."
"Too much?" I whispered, leaning down to kiss the hollow of her throat.
"It feels... everything... I can feel every inch of you..."

I continued the slow torture, my movements precise and heavy. I could feel her pussy twitching around me, her body craving the release she had already had once, but this was different. This was a slow-burn hunger. Her moans grew louder, more desperate, her voice breaking as she begged me to stop being so careful.

"Faster... please, John, go faster! I can't... I'm almost... I'm almost there!"

I felt the tension in her body reach a breaking point. I shifted my grip, pinning her wrists above her head. I pulled back until only the very tip of my cock remained inside her, just barely clinging to the entrance of her pussy.

Momo let out a strangled cry, her hips jerking upward in a desperate attempt to pull me back in.

Then, I slammed into her. I began to fuck her with a sudden, violent intensity, the pace shifting from a crawl to a sprint. The change was explosive. I could physically feel her pussy tighten in response to the speed, her internal muscles gripping me with a desperate, crushing force.

The sounds in the room became primal—the wet, slapping sound of our skin, the raw, guttural moans from Momo as she was swept away by the current. She was screaming now, her voice echoing in the small room, her body shaking under me.

"Yes! Right there! Give it to me! Everything! Give me everything!"

I didn't hold back. I drove into her with everything I had, my vision blurring, my world narrowing down to the point where our bodies met. I felt her climax hit again, a massive, crashing wave that pulled me under with her. I let out a final, guttural roar and emptied myself into her once more, my body collapsing onto hers as we both spiraled into a dark, exhausted oblivion.

The morning light filtered through the curtains in soft, golden streaks, dancing across the rumpled sheets. I woke up slowly, my mind foggy, the remnants of the previous night's passion still humming in my veins.

Then, I felt it.

A warm, rhythmic pressure around my shaft. I looked down and saw Momo, her eyes half-closed and sleepy, her hand wrapped around my cock, jerking me off with a slow, practiced motion.

"Momo?" I croaked, my voice thick with sleep.

She looked up at me, a small, sheepish smile on her lips. "Sorry," she whispered, her voice a soft, morning rasp. "I woke up and you just looked... too adorable to resist."

I didn't protest. I couldn't. I reached out, my hand finding the soft swell of her breast, my thumb brushing over her nipple. She let out a tiny, contented sigh, her grip on my cock tightening.

I shifted, pulling her closer until our bodies were fused. I used my other hand to slide between her legs, my fingers finding her pussy, which was already warm and slick. I slid two fingers inside her, feeling the soft, welcoming heat, while my thumb began to circle her clit.

Momo gasped, her head falling back against the pillow. I leaned in, capturing her lips in an intense, hungry kiss. As our tongues clashed, I moved my hand from her breast to cup the underside of her breast, squeezing it firmly.

I broke the kiss for a second, looking into her wide, shimmering eyes "You have no idea how hot you look right now," I whispered.

Momo didn't have time to react before I dove back in, the kiss becoming deeper, more desperate. I increased the pace of my fingers, feeling her internal muscles begin to pulse around me. I could feel the build-up, the familiar tension of her approaching climax.

I didn't stop my hand on her pussy, and she didn't stop her hand on me. We were a closed loop of pleasure, our breaths mingling in the quiet morning air.

I felt the surge coming. I groaned, my body tensing as I hit the point of no return. I didn't pull away; I pushed into the kiss, my entire body shaking as I came. The hot, white spurts of cum hit her stomach, splashing across her skin, some of it running down to her thigh and landing in the crease of her hip.

Momo didn't stop. Even as I was pulsing, she kept stroking me, her hand moving with a steady, devoted rhythm until the very last drop had left me.

I gasped, my chest heaving, but I didn't let her go. I kept my fingers moving inside her, faster now, my thumb hammering against her clit "Wait..." she panted, her voice trembling. "You... you already came..."

I leaned down, my lips brushing against her ear, my voice mirroring the energy of the previous night.

"I'm done," I whispered, "but you're not."

Momo let out a loud, broken moan, her body arching off the bed. She gripped my forearm, her nails digging into my skin as she crashed into a powerful, shaking climax. She cried out, her voice filling the room, her pussy clamping down on my fingers in a series of violent, rhythmic spasms.

We lay there for several minutes, tangled and spent, the morning sun warming our skin.

Eventually, Momo shifted. She looked down at her stomach, at the white streaks of my cum glistening against her skin. She reached down with her fingers, scooping up a small amount of the fluid.

I watched, breathless, as she brought her fingers to her lips and slowly licked the cum off, her eyes locked on mine with a playful, lingering gaze.

She smiled, the princess returning, though this time, the crown was invisible.

“We need to get dressed,” she said, her voice bright and clear. “It’s time for breakfast.”

I stared at her. Momo stared back.

Then she smiled like she had not just ruined every reasonable thought I had left in my body “Breakfast,” she said again. “I’m hungry, and if we are late, they will make worse jokes than the ones they are already planning.”

“You are unbelievable.”
“I know.”
“That was not praise.”
“It sounded like praise because you are tired.”

I laughed, because if I did not laugh, I was going to do something that would make us late for breakfast in a way nobody at the table would ever let me forget.

Momo seemed to know that too. She rolled away from me before I could reach for her again and sat up, hair messy, shoulders bare, sunlight warming the curve of her back. For one dangerous second, she looked soft enough to undo me all over again.

Then she turned her head.

“Do not look like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like breakfast can wait.”
“It can.”
“It cannot. Food is important, and I already proved my point.”

I blinked.

She stood before I could answer and started collecting clothes like she had not just committed a crime against my ability to function.

I sat there, still trying to process her speaking in full sentences before coffee “Momo.”

“Hm?”
“You are very awake.”
She looked over her shoulder “I slept well.”

That was unfair. Deeply unfair. She knew it too, because her smile turned smaller and more pleased.

We cleaned up in the quiet way people did when the room still remembered too much. No dramatic silence. No awkwardness. Just towels, water, clothes, small glances that kept landing too long, and Momo occasionally watching me like she was pleased with something she had no intention of explaining.

When I finished buttoning my shirt, she stepped in front of me and fixed the collar.

“I can do that.”
“I know.”

Her fingers slowed. The line had followed us everywhere. Mask. Towel. Food. Now this. I looked down at her hands. Momo noticed.

For once, she did not joke immediately. She only smoothed the fabric once more and said, “You look better when you let someone help you.”

I swallowed “That sounds like a lesson.”
“It is not a lesson.” She looked up at me “It is just true.”

Then she took my hand. And because apparently I had learned something yesterday, I followed. The resort path looked too innocent in the morning. The lamps were off now. The sand had been cleaned. The air smelled like salt, coffee, and breakfast being prepared somewhere out of sight. Nothing about the path suggested that Momo had used it last night to lie politely to everyone we loved.

I looked at her “You know they’re going to notice.”
“They already noticed last night.”
“That is worse.”
“No. Worse would be if they were quiet about it.”
“They might be.”

Momo looked at me. We both knew that was impossible.

By the time we reached the breakfast pavilion, most of the table was already there. Of course they were. Because apparently nobody believed in privacy when a story could be witnessed. Jihyo saw us first. That was expected. Jeongyeon saw us second. That was dangerous.

Nayeon saw Momo’s hand in mine and sat up so fast Sana had to grab her sleeve. Dahyun’s eyes sharpened. Chaeyoung looked like she had already accepted whatever headline was about to happen. Tzuyu observed us with the calm of someone who needed no confession. Mina took one look, blinked slowly, and picked up her coffee.

ITZY was there too.

Ryujin smiled. Yuna gasped before anything had even happened. Lia looked peaceful in the way that meant she had already understood enough. Chaeryeong looked at Momo. Then at me. Then back at Momo. Her expression changed first.

Not because of our hands.

Because Momo smiled at her and said, “Good morning, Chaeryeong. Did you sleep okay after dinner? You worked hard, so I hope Ben did not make your dreams expensive.”

Chaeryeong froze. Ryujin leaned forward. Yuna pointed “Wait.” Lia’s smile widened. Yeji lowered her cup slightly. Chaeryeong blinked “Momo unnie?”

Momo tilted her head. “What?”
“You are talking.”
Momo frowned “I always talk.”
Ryujin shook her head “No, you talk. But this is talking-talking.”
Yuna nodded quickly “That was a whole sentence with a joke and follow-up care.”
Lia added, “And a Ben insult.”
Ben, seated beside Yeji, lifted one finger “I object to being used as a linguistic milestone.”
Yeji patted his arm “You are useful.”
“I am emotionally conflicted by that.”

Chaeryeong was still staring at Momo “I’m used to you being quieter,” she said “Before. During schedules. Even when you were nice, it was usually short.”

Momo sat down beside me, still holding my hand like that was simply where it belonged now “That was work Momo,” she said “This is vacation.”

ITZY stared. TWICE did not.

Nayeon leaned back, satisfied “There it is.”
Sana covered her mouth, eyes sparkling “Vacation Momo.”
Jeongyeon took a sip of coffee “She has always been like that when she is comfortable.”
Jihyo nodded “Or happy.”
Mina added, “Or serious.”
Dahyun lifted one finger “Or extremely pleased with herself.”
Momo’s face went pink “That last one is not official.”
Tzuyu looked at ITZY “It is official.”
Chaeyoung nodded “TWICE-certified.”
Chaeryeong looked from one member to another “So this is normal?”
“For us?” Jeongyeon confirmed, “Yes.”
“For other people?” Mina said. “Probably surprising.”
Ryujin grinned “So we are seeing rare content.”
Momo pointed at her “Do not make me sound like a limited photocard.”
Yuna gasped “She is still going.”
Nayeon clasped Sana’s arm “She really is in vacation mode.”
Sana leaned forward, delighted “Momo, say more.”
“No.”

The table laughed. Momo tried to look annoyed. Failed. Then Nayeon’s eyes sharpened in the way that meant she had waited long enough to become dangerous “So,” she said.

Jihyo immediately pointed at her “No.”
Nayeon ignored her “You slept well?”
Momo reached for the menu “Yes.”

Sana made a small sound. Momo did not look up “I said I slept well.”
Mina took a sip of coffee “No one questioned the wording.”
Dahyun leaned forward “For the record, there is visible afterglow.”

Momo’s hand stopped on the menu. My soul left my body. Chaeyoung nodded slowly “Strong afterglow.” Tzuyu looked at Momo with calm assessment “Confirmed.”

“Momo,” I whispered.

Momo’s face turned red. Not pink. Red “There is no glow.”

Nayeon smiled “There is a full resort sunrise on your face.”
Sana nodded “Very bright.”

Jihyo covered her mouth with one hand, but she was not hiding horror. She was hiding laughter. That was worse.

Momo looked at her “Jihyo unnie...”
Jihyo tried to compose herself. Failed. “I am on vacation.”

Everyone went still. Nayeon slowly turned. Jeongyeon’s eyes narrowed. Sana’s mouth opened. Dahyun whispered, “Breaking—”

Jihyo pointed at her without looking “Do not.”
Dahyun whispered softer, “Historic.”

Jihyo exhaled, looked at me, then at Momo, then at the menu in front of us. Her expression softened “John is eating. Momo is talking. Nobody is trying to organize a crisis before breakfast.” She picked up her coffee “I am choosing peace.”

Jeongyeon smiled “Vacation Jihyo.”
Jihyo took a sip “Do not name it.”
Mina blinked “Too late.”

Momo looked relieved for half a second. Then Ryujin ruined it “So about the noise.” I closed my eyes. Momo dropped the menu onto the table “No.”

Ryujin lifted both hands “I did not say what noise.”
Yuna nodded “But we all know what noise.”
Lia smiled politely “It was noticeable.”
Yeji’s eyes widened “Lia.”
“What? I said it politely.”

Chaeryeong covered her face. Nayeon leaned over Sana, triumphant “See? It was not just us.”

Sana was already laughing into her hand. Momo looked at TWICE “You heard?”
Jeongyeon stared at her “Momo.”

That answered everything. Momo’s mouth closed. Then opened. Then closed again. Dahyun leaned forward, voice grave “The drinking ended early.”
I stared at her “What?”
Chaeyoung nodded “Emergency retreat.”
Tzuyu added, “Noise control protocol.”
Mina lifted her coffee “Fortunately, we had the headphones.”

My face burned. Momo covered her face with both hands. Not because she was ashamed. Because she was losing the battle against laughing. Jihyo sighed deeply “I am grateful for the foresight.”

Nayeon pointed at me “We should thank you for making us pack noise-cancelling headphones.”
“I did not do that.”
“You inspired the policy.”
“That is worse.”
Sana leaned against Nayeon, still laughing “It was very passionate.”
Momo lowered one hand enough to glare “Quiet.”
“You were not quiet,” Nayeon said.

Momo covered her face again. Ben, who had been quiet for an unusually strategic amount of time, slowly looked at Yeji. Yeji saw it “No.”

“I have not said anything.”
“You made the interview face.”

Ben turned to me with frightening professionalism “John.”
“No.”
“As a fellow man in a complex multi-girlfriend adjacent ecosystem—”
“Absolutely not.”
Ryujin pointed at him “No, wait. He should take notes this time.”
Yeji’s head snapped toward Ryujin.
Ryujin grinned “What? Last night put Ben and Yeji to shame.”
Ben placed one hand over his chest “I feel challenged.”
Yeji’s face went red “You feel WHAT?”
“Challenged in a respectful way.”
Yuna leaned forward “Ask John what he did.”
Momo’s hands dropped from her face “No.”
Dahyun whispered, “Interview begins.”
Jihyo pointed at her “Do not enable this.”

Ben leaned toward me with full fake seriousness.

“Question one. Would you describe your method as rhythm-based, emotionally intuitive, or aggressively Momo-specific?”

I stared at him. Momo reached across the table and smacked his arm. Ben accepted it like field research “Subject reaction: defensive.”

Yeji smiled sweetly “Benjie.”
He straightened immediately “Yes, love?”
“Continue this interview and treat economy enters indefinite suspension.”

Ben’s entire body stopped. The table went silent. He turned slowly toward me “I have no further questions.”

Ryujin groaned “Weak.”
Ben looked at her, wounded “I am preserving a sacred resource.”
Yeji took a sip of coffee “Good choice.”
Mina nodded “Effective governance.”
Dahyun whispered, “Treat economy prevents academic advancement.”

Jihyo pointed at her again. Dahyun sat back “Breakfast civic duty.”

Momo reached for the menu again, pretending she was above all of this. She was not. Her ears were still red. But she was smiling. I leaned closer “You okay?”

She looked at me. The table noise moved around us.

“Yes,” she said, then pause. “Actually, yes. I am embarrassed, but not sad embarrassed.”
“That is very specific.”
“It is vacation specific.”

I smiled. She smiled back, softer “What do you want for breakfast?”

That should not have been difficult choice. It was only breakfast. Eggs. Rice. Soup. Fish. Fruit. Coffee. Normal things. But yesterday had turned food into something heavier and easier at the same time.

Momo waited. She did not choose for me. She did not watch like a test. She only sat beside me, close enough that her knee touched mine under the table.

I mentioned a simple egg and bacon dish along with some coffee. Momo looked. Then nodded “That looks good. I want some of that too.”

Momo’s smile came slowly. Small. Real. Jeongyeon saw it. Jihyo saw Jeongyeon see it. Nayeon tried very hard not to say anything and looked like she was suffering physically.

Mina, merciful and not merciful at all, said, “Progress.”
I looked at her. She took a sip of coffee “What?”
Dahyun lifted one finger “For the record, breakfast government recognizes voluntary ordering.”

Jihyo closed her eyes “Why is there still government?”
“Because there is society.”
“There is toast.”
“That is society with carbs.”

Momo ignored them and ordered. For herself first. Then for me. Then added fruit because she wanted it. Not because anyone needed to be balanced. Because she wanted fruit. That mattered too. When the food arrived, Momo did not immediately push something toward me.

She ate first. One bite of rice. One bite of egg. Then she closed her eyes for half a second “This is good,” she said “I missed morning rice.”

I watched her. She opened one eye “Eat yours before it gets cold.”
“Yes, princess.”

The table froze again. Momo’s eyes widened. Only a little. Then she kicked me under the table. Not hard. Enough. Nayeon made a sound that was almost a scream. Sana grabbed her arm.

Dahyun whispered, “The title survived the night.” Jihyo pointed at her without looking. Dahyun whispered softer, “The title survived quietly.”

Momo’s face was red now. But she was smiling into her breakfast. That was the important part. I took my first bite. No one said anything. No one needed to.

The food was warm. Simple. Better because I had chosen it. Better because Momo was beside me, eating like she had earned the morning and had no intention of apologizing for it. She watched me after the second bite.

Not like a test. Like she was happy. “Good?” she asked. I nodded “Good.”

“Happy?”

The question landed softer than the first one. I looked at her. Then at the table. At Jihyo actually relaxed now, coffee in one hand and no clipboard energy in sight. At Jeongyeon pretending she was not pleased. At Nayeon visibly dying from withheld commentary. At Sana smiling like sunrise. At Mina quiet and knowing. At Dahyun holding back a headline with heroic effort. At Chaeyoung watching the sauce on her plate like it could save her. At Tzuyu calmly witnessing my downfall. At ITZY scattered around the table, already too comfortable in our chaos. At Ben, silent under treaty. At Yeji, who knew exactly how to keep him there. Then back at Momo.

“Yes,” I said.

Her expression changed. No joke. No princess. Just Momo.

“Good,” she said.
Then, after a second, she added, “I am too.”

That was new. Or maybe it was not new. Maybe she had always been like this and I was only now getting the vacation version. Breakfast continued after that. Not perfectly. Not quietly. But properly.

Momo ate until she was satisfied. I ate until I was full. No one made a speech. No one turned it into a health report. No one placed food on my plate like an instruction I had to survive.

At some point, Momo leaned lightly against my shoulder. Just once. A morning version of clingy. I did not move away. Sana saw. Of course she saw. Her whole face changed. Not teasing this time. Excited. Bright— almost vibrating with the effort of waiting.

Momo noticed and smiled. Then she sat up properly “Sana.”

Sana straightened so fast Nayeon almost lost her grip on her sleeve “Yes?” Momo reached for my hand under the table, squeezed once, then let go. Formal. Deliberate. Exactly how Sana liked it. The table quieted.

Even Ben behaved. Momo looked at Sana with a soft smile “My day is done,” she said “Thank you for waiting.”

Sana’s eyes softened. Momo looked at me once. Not sad. Not reluctant. Full. Then she turned back to Sana “I’m giving him to you now, Satang.”

Sana froze. ITZY froze harder. Ryujin mouthed, “Satang?” Yuna’s eyes went huge. Lia looked immediately to Chaeryeong. Chaeryeong stared at Momo like she had just seen a door open in a wall.

TWICE reacted differently.

Nayeon melted. Jeongyeon smiled. Mina’s eyes softened. Tzuyu nodded once, as if confirmation had been officially received. Jihyo took a slow sip of coffee and looked deeply, dangerously relaxed. Sana looked like she might cry and laugh at the same time “You called me Satang.”

Momo tilted her head “Yes.”

Sana pressed both hands over her mouth. Nayeon leaned toward ITZY, whispering with great authority, “That means it is real vacation Momo.”

Jeongyeon nodded “She does not use that one casually around others.”
Mina added, “Comfort language.”
Tzuyu looked at Chaeryeong “Confirmed.”
Chaeryeong blinked “So this really is normal for her?”

Momo looked embarrassed again. Jihyo smiled “For us, yes.”
Sana reached across the table and took Momo’s hands “I will take good care of him.”
Momo nodded “I know.”

Then Sana turned to me. The brightness returned. Dangerous. Immediate “My day.”

I looked at Momo. She smiled at me. Still warm. Still full. Still vacation Momo. Then she pointed at my plate “Finish first.”
Sana gasped “Momo.”
“What?”
“You handed him over.”
“He still needs to finish breakfast.”

Jihyo laughed. Fully this time. No denial. No correction. No pretending it was an exhale. The whole table heard it. Nayeon slowly turned toward her. Jihyo held up one hand “I am on vacation.”

Jeongyeon smiled. Sana beamed. Momo leaned back in her chair, satisfied. I looked down at my plate. Then at Sana, already glowing with plans. Then at Momo, who had ended her day full, happy, and somehow more herself than when it began.

I finished breakfast. Because apparently, growth had rules. And Momo still enforced the important ones.