CHAPTER V

THE BLUE DOLPHIN

A couple of days had past and Tiffany was struggling to keep up with her trainings. She didn’t have school yet; as she was still waiting for her uniform and books to be delivered, although she had received the papers necessary for her transfer. Her vocal lesson started at 16.30, and ended at 19.00. She then had dinner break for one hour before she continued her to her next lesson; which was dancing. Her training supposed to end at 21.00, but the coach liked to give them extra lessons so she would finished at 22.00 or later; and she would be dead tired at that time that she went straight to the dorm and her bed.

She met a few new faces during her trainings, and she was excited to get new acquaintances. But since their trainings were harsh; they never really had the chance to become friends. Luckily Tae-yeon and Ri-in were in the same vocal class as her, so at least she had friends she was already close to.

“What’s your next class?” The shorter girl asked while the three of them were taking a break after dinner from their vocal class.

“It’s etiquelle…” She said.

“It's etiquette…” Tae-yeon giggled and corrected. “… It’s really boring; you mostly just take notes. I always fall asleep in that class.”

“Really?” Tiffany was relief since her body was still not accustomed to all the physical strains of dancing lessons, and the opportunity to be in a class that did not require her to use her limited physical strength made her happy.

“Yeah. Just make sure the teacher doesn’t catch you sleeping…” Ri-in giggled.

“Hey, do you guys know a trainee named Jessica?” The black haired girl suddenly asked.

“Oh, yeah, I know her.” Tae-yeon said. “She’s supposed to be in this class too…”

“I haven’t seen her these couple of days…” Ri-in added.

She then looked at Tiffany, “Why? Do you know her?”

“Well, Young-jin oppa said that I’ll be going to the same school as her…”

“Oh,right. She goes to Kent too,” Tae-yeon just realized. “And she’s the same year as us.”

“Mhm. So what’s she like?” Tiffany asked again.

“Well; she’s nice…” The shorter girl smiled, “… But we don’t talk much.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think she’s a bit shy, I mean; I always start the conversation, and she usually just smile at me…”

“Yeah, she does that…” The Chinese girl explained, “… She doesn’t talk much; but she’s really nice, you know.”

"How do you know?" Tae-yeon asked her.

"Well, I've known her longer than you," She explained. “And whenever I have problems with the lessons she always helps me out…”

“Oh, and she’s really pretty!” Tae-yeon giggled. “Like Barbie doll-pretty.”

“We usually have vocal lessons together…” Ri-in wondered. “… I wonder if she’s busy filming something…”

“Filming?”

Tae-yeon flashed her mischievous smile, “Yes, filming. There are a few trainees here that already have appeared on TV; like shooting commercial or MVs…”

“Wow…” Tiffany was awed, “… So cool…”

“Don’t worry, Tiffany.” She winked, “You’re pretty too, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re offered a gig.”

“Okay, break time's over, guys.” Ri-in said as she stood up before Tiffany could say anything. “Come on, Tae.”

“Yeah.” Tae-yeon followed her. “See you back in the dorm, Tiffany…”

“See you guys later…”

The etiquette class was every bit the same as what Tae-yeon told her. After 10 minutes sitting in the back of the class Tiffany was already drifting into the dream world. The voice of the lecturer in her mid 40 was a sweet lullaby to her ears as she closed her eyes and slowly drifted deeper. “… And what an idol represent is not only herself, or her company; but also the idea of a celebrity—“

“—I’m sorry I’m late…” Another sweet calming voice could be heard.

“Ah, yes, Jessica ssi; have a seat please.”

Jessica… She repeated the name in her mind as she was nodding off.

“And I know you are tired; but please don’t sleep in my class; Soo-young ssi…”

Tiffany was surprised and quickly opened her eyes as she thought that teacher was talking to her. The class giggled and all eyes were fixed on the tall girl at the corner of the room opposite from where Tiffany was sitting.

“I’m sorry, sunsaengnim…” The tanned girl giggled in embarrassment and scratched her head. “… I had a big dinner…”

The class laughed at her innocence, including Tiffany, who was now wide awake. She could hear a cute giggle coming from her left, and she turned to see the owner of that beautiful voice.

She stared at the pretty girl with long eyelashes and blue bright eyes. Her lips were small, thin, and were covered by a shade of orange colored lip tint.  Her hair was a long light-vanilla blonde and looked very soft.

“Hello…” She smiled at the staring girl.

“Oh, hello…” Tiffany was surprised.

The blonde girl turned her attention to the front as their lecturer resumed her lesson. Tiffany forced herself to listen to their lecturer and tried to take some notes.

I guess this is a perfect time for me to practice my Hangul, she thought as she scribbled some details the lecturer pointed out.

“You wrote it wrong.” The girl beside her said and giggled again.

“Hm?” She was not paying attention. “Which one?”

“That one.” She pointed out with her finger. “I think you should write in English instead, and then copy it to Hangul later.”

“Oh, right.” The black haired girl agreed.

She continued writing in English when she finally realized, “Hey, you’re the American girl!”

The whole class turned back and stared at the both of them. “Yes; she is, actually. What an astute observation…” The lecturer said, and the class was filled with laughter again.

Tiffany bowed in her seat in embarrassment and the blonde girl covered her laughter with her hands.

After a while the laughter subsided and the lecturer resumed her lesson, yet again. Tiffany was still red and she leaned forward to hide herself from the teacher’s gaze.

“I’m Jessica Jung.” The blonde whispered to her.

“Tiffany Hwang…” She answered as she slightly turned her head towards Jessica.

“Nice to meet you, Tiffany.” She smiled.

“Nice to meet you too, Jessica.” And the blushing girl returned the smile.

The class finally ended and the trainees all sighed in relief. As Jessica packed up her notes and put them in her bag, Tiffany reached out to her. “So, you’re going to Kent high school, right?”

Jessica turned her face to look at Tiffany and nodded as she smiled.

“I’ll be going there too, you know…” The black haired girl continued,

“… It would be nice to have a friend in my new school…” She eyed the blonde girl as she said those words carefully.

“Of course.” Jessica smiled again. “I’ll be your friend.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you!” Tiffany jumped in joy and grabbed Jessica’s hand. “I can’t wait to see you in class!”

Jessica giggled at the sight of her new friend jumping around.

“Hey, Sica…” The tall-tanned girl excitedly walked towards them.

“Let me borrow your notes.” She said, smiling at the both of them.

“It’s the same as last year’s notes; why do you need them?” She said as she pulled her notes from her bag.

“Oh, really?” She grinned. “I don’t need them then…”

Jessica stared at her tall friend and put her notes back into her bag.

“So, who’s your new friend?” She asked as she looked at the black haired girl beside Jessica. “I’ve seen you in dance class yesterday…”

“Oh, yes; I saw you too.” Tiffany nodded. “My name is Tiffany Hwang, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Choi Soo-young,” She shook Tiffany’s hand and smiled. “I’m this girl’s best friend.”

“Oh, okay…” Tiffany smiled back. I didn’t realize being her friend is a competition…

“So where you’ve been these couple of days?” Soo-young turned to her blonde friend once more. “You didn’t call or text me back…”

“I was shooting an MV…”

“Really? With who?” The tall girl asked further.

Jessica smiled and looked at her friend, “It’s a secret…”

“Boo; no fun!” Soo-young stuck her tongue out.

“Oh, I have to go…” The blonde said when she checked her cell phone. “… My dad is waiting for me out front.”

“Oh, your dad is picking you up?” Tiffany asked, “You don’t stay at the dorm?”

“No, she’s doesn’t…” Soo-young answered for her. “… She lives with her parents. Their house is only like, thirty minutes from here…”

The blonde smiled at Tiffany.

“I see…” Tiffany nodded as they walked to the entrance together.

“You guys want a ride? I can ask my dad to take you guys back to the dorm.” The blonde girl said.

“Oh, no; I don’t want to impo—“ Tiffany was about to say but was cut by Soo-young.

“--Oh, cool! Thanks, Sica…” She said as she put her arm around Jessica’s shoulder. “It’s been a while since your dad pick you up.”

“How about you?” Jessica turned her gaze to Tiffany who was walking slightly behind them.

“Hmm, okay…” She smiled.

The ride to the dorm was pretty nice; as Jessica’s father was happy to chat with his daughter’s friends. Tiffany looked at her new friend’s dad in the driver seat; he was quite young for a father, probably in his mid 40s. His face was calm and kind, and very Korean. Tiffany wondered if Jessica got her hair and eyes from her mother.

“Thank you for always taking care of my precious daughter, Soo-young.” He said as he turned to the back seat where Tiffany and Soo-young were.

“It’s alright, appa…” Soo-young giggled. “… She’s a nice and sweet girl.”

This must not be her first encounter with the father, Tiffany thought, seeing how friendly they were with each other.

“And Tiffany…” Her father continued, “… My daughter said you were from the U.S?”

“Yes, I am.” She said as she smiled politely. “I was born in San Francisco, but grew up in Los Angeles…”

“San Francisco, really?” Mister Hwang sounded surprised. “We’re from the city, actually.”

“Oh, really?” Tiffany was surprised too.

“Yeah, but we moved to Korea when Jessica here turned 11…” He explained. “What are the odds, eh?”

“Yeah, what are the odds…” Tiffany agreed as she looked at the rear-view mirror and saw that Jessica was staring back at her with her enchanting blue eyes and cute little smile; and Tiffany wondered if she was staring at her the whole time.

“Appa; no-no speaking English!” Soo-young slapped Jessica’s father on his shoulder.

The man laughed, “I’m sorry, Soo-young.”

“So, where are Yuri and Ju-hyun?” He asked when he finally stopped laughing. “I miss them…”

“They have dancing class today, appa…” Soo-young sounded a little annoyed, “… I thought I was your favorite…”

“Really? What makes you think that?” Her father teased. “If I had to pick, I would surely choose Ju-hyun…”

“Oh, my God; I hate you, appa!” Soo-young shouted and everyone but the tall girl laughed.

“I was kidding, sweety…” The father said as he stopped the car. “… You’re all are my favorite.”

“And now I have another one.” He winked at Tiffany through the mirror.

Tiffany blushed at the comment and smiled sheepishly.

“Well, here we are…” The father said again and they realized that they had arrived at their destination.

“Have a good night, you girls.”

“Good night appa, good night Sica…” Soo-young said as she exited the car. “… Thanks for the ride…”

“Good night, mister Hwang, good night, Jessica. And thank you for the ride…” Tiffany said politely as she opened the door.

“Good night, Tiffany.” Jessica said as she kept her gaze on Tiffany through the mirror. The black haired girl noticed her and flashed her infamous eye smile.

“He seems nice…” Tiffany said as they entered their apartment building.

“Hm?” Soo-young asked as she kept her attention to her cell phone. “Oh, Jessica’s dad? Yeah; he’s cool…”

“You seem close with her dad…” Tiffany asked as she pressed the elevator button.

“Yeah, yeah; we’re close—“ The tall girl looked like she read something disappointing on her phone and sighed. “—Right…”

“So, you’re really from America, huh?” Soo-young asked as they entered the elevator. “Which floor?”

“Seven, thanks…” Tiffany nodded.

“So, tomorrow’s Sunday, and I was wondering…”

“What?” She stared at the tanned girl beside her.

“… Well I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me and some of my friends…”

“Oh…” Tiffany wondered the sudden invitation and pondered whether she should accept it or not.

“… No, thank you…” She finally said.

“What?” Soo-young looked surprised. “Why? Do you have better things to do?”

“Well, no…” She replied, “… But I wanted to rest tomorrow; since I’m so tired these couple of days.”

“Fine.” Soo-young gave up. “Give me your cell number then.”

The elevator door opened as they had reached the seventh floor, and Tiffany walked out.

“I haven’t got a cell phone…”

“What?” She held the elevator door opened.

“Well, I just moved here and I haven’t the chance to buy one.” The shorter girl said.

“That’s it, then!” Soo-young exclaimed, “Tomorrow you’re coming with us to the mall and you can buy a cell phone there!”

“Uh-What?” Tiffany was a little confused.

“What’s your room number?”

“703, but--”

“--Great, I’ll pick you up at eleven!”

“Wait a minute…” Tiffany was about to say something but Soo-young had already closed the elevator door.

What a strange girl, she thought as she walked towards her shared apartment room.

“Oh, you’re home.” Yu-jin greeted her as she walked into the living room.

“I’m home…” She said.

“Welcome home.” Ri-in said.

“Where are Tae-yeon and Ji-hye?” She asked as she sat on the couch beside her friends.

“Tae-yeon went home to Jeonju, since this is the weekend.” Ri-in explained.

“Ji-hye’s not home yet, she has dance class today.” Yu-jin said. “You know how they like to drag the class…”

“Yeah…” She nodded in agreement, as she remembered how she was supposed to go home at nine but ended up staying until ten thirty these last two days. “… What are you guys watching?”

“Some drama…” Ri-in voice sounded tired.

“So… I’m going with some friends to the mall tomorrow…” Tiffany said. “… You guys wanna come with?”

“Hey, it’s nice to see you’re making friends…” Yu-jin said as she sunk her body deeper into the couch.

“Yeah, good for you…” Ri-in added.

Tiffany knew that the two of them were genuinely happy for her making new friends, although they did not sound excited at all. It was just that trainee days were very hard and energy consuming that after training they would not have any strength left to do anything; even to sound excited.

“So, are you guys coming or not?” Tiffany asked again.

“I can’t…” Yu-jin’s voice was weak. “… I have to go home tomorrow…”

“Me too…” Ri-in followed. “… I’m sorry but I already have plans tomorrow…”

“Okay, then…” Tiffany sighed as she did not feel comfortable to go and hang out with people she did not know.

“Can’t help it then…” She said tiredly as she walked towards her room. “… Good night, guys…”

“Where are you going?” Ri-in asked as she kept her gaze to the TV in front of her.

“Bed. Tired.” She waved at the Chinese girl.

“Hit the shower first!”

“Can’t. Too. Tired…”

“Oh, no, you don’t. Go take a bath first!” Ri-in shouted. “I won’t sleep next to a dirty girl!”

“Okay, okay…” She said lazily.

“Oh, you have a package, Tiffany.” Yu-jin said as Tiffany entered her room.

She found the package at the foot of her bed. She picked it up and read the note. Kent International Foreign School…

“Oh! This must be my uniform!” Tiffany shouted in glee as she tore open the package.

She found her uniform inside the small box. It was two dark blue jackets, three white shirts, three brown and yellow checkered plaid skirt, two brown and yellow striped ties, three dark blue socks, and a pair of brown leathered shoes.

This is so cute, she thought to herself.

She could not wait until Monday so she could wear the uniform and went to school. But she could not understand why she was so excited about going to high school.

I’m probably happy because this is new to me, she thought.

And I already have a friend in my class… And she could see the smiling blonde girl in her mind.

She has a very warm smile… It’s very soothing…

And yet; very alluring…

“Tiffany! Shower!” Ri-in yelled to her from the living room.

“Okay, okay, I’m going already!” She yelled back as she put down the uniform and grabbed her towel and pajamas.

After showering she sat back on the couch next to her friends.

“So, I’m starting school on Monday…” She said.

“Oh, that’s great…” Yu-jin replied. “… Kent International, right?”

“Congrats…” Ri-in added. “… Now your days are going to get a lot more tiring; like ours…”

“You know how to get there, right?” Yu-jin asked. “They have buses to take you there; just wait for the orange bus at the bus stop near the mini mart…”

“Really?” Tiffany asked, “How do you know?”

“Well that school is pretty famous…” Ri-in explained, “… I originally wanted to attend that school too…”

“Yeah, so, why can’t you attend schools here again?” Tiffany asked.

“My visa…” Ri-in answered, “… Like I said; it’s complicated. Basically I don’t have the permit…”

“But now I get the same lessons as you would in high school; so I’m good…”

The drama ended and Tiffany and Ri-in decided to go to their rooms to sleep, while Yu-jin wanted to wait for her best friend/roommate Ji-hye.

“So how far is Jeonju from here?” Tiffany asked her friend as they both lied on their beds.

“More than two hours…” Ri-in said as she closed her tired eyes.

“Wow…” Tiffany was awed. “… That’s pretty far.”

“And every day Tae-yeon goes there for school and back here to train…”

“… She’s awesome…”

“Yeah, she’s something, alright…” Ri-in sighed.

“You know, we’re pretty awesome too,” She continued, “Since we came here without our families and all…”

“Especially you who traveled half the world to get here…”

“Yeah, we’re pretty awesome too, huh?” Tiffany giggled.

“Yes, we are…”

Tiffany stood on top of a tall building, overlooking the city below. It was night time and she could see the glimmering city lights. She could see that the city was busy as ever, with cars and people passing around below her. They looked like small toys to Tiffany. She took a deep breath and stared above her; the sky was filled with billions of shining stars and the moon was incredibly much larger than usual.

She sat herself down on the edge of the roof and stared at the distance.

What a magical and beautiful view, She thought.

“More beautiful than me?” A familiar voice could be heard beside her.

“Maybe…” She said as she turned to her right to see the blonde girl with her shining face sitting there.

“If I could see your face then perhaps I could decide if you’re more beautiful than this view or not.”

The blonde giggled, "What's wrong with my face?"

"It's shining like a light bulb!" Tiffany was surprised that the blonde girl did not know about the lights on her own face.

"Uh, thanks... I guess..." The girl was confused and decided to take what her friend said as a compliment; a weird one.

"No; it's literally shining!" The black haired girl tried to explain.

"Okay..." The blonde stared at the night sky.

"You know what; nevermind..." She gave up.

“I made a new friend today.” Tiffany continued. “Somehow she reminds me of you.”

“She has the same hair as you…”

“Really?” The blonde asked. “Is she more beautiful than me?”

“Maybe…”

“What’s her name?” The blonde ask again.

“Jessica…” She smiled, “… Isn’t her name the cutest?”

“Nope. It’s an ugly name.” The shining girl said, “I bet she’s ugly too.”

“No, she’s not!” Tiffany defended, “You’re just jealous!”

“Maybe…”

“You didn’t bring any friends with you today?”

The girl giggled once more and pointed out to the sky. “There he is.”

Tiffany turned her head to see what the blonde girl was pointing at. There was a blue dolphin swimming in the sky. She could see that its body was made from some sort of glass; making it partly see-through. The black haired girl smiled at the sight as the blue dolphin slowly swam towards them.

“He’s cute…” Tiffany said as the dolphin swam and circled around the two girls.

“Do you want to name him?” The blonde asked.

“Of course.” She replied. “We’ll name him…”

“Blue!” Both girls said at the same time.

Tiffany looked at the girl’s shining face and they both laughed.

“It’s a perfect name for him.” The blonde girl giggled as she pet the blue dolphin.

“Yes, it is…” Tiffany smiled.

The girls played tag with Blue for a while until they got tired and sat back at the edge of the roof. Tiffany was happy to play around with her best friend, although she had not seen her face or knew what her name was.

Blue was back swimming with the stars up in the night sky. “I’m really happy you’re my best friend…” The black haired girl said.

“And I’m happy too…” The blonde girl replied.

“Promise me we’ll always be together?” Tiffany asked.

“I promise, Tiffany.”

“Now can you tell me your name?” She stared at her shining face.

“I would, but it wouldn’t be fun.” The girl giggled.

“Well it’s not fun for me right now…”

The blonde laughed and said, “I’ll tell you what, if you can guess what my name is; I’ll give you a prize.”

“What kind of prize?” She was intrigued.

“Something you cannot buy with money.”

“How many times can I guess?”

“Once.”

“What? That’s not fair!” Tiffany shouted. “It’s impossible!”

“That’s why you need to be sure before you take a guess…” The blonde giggled.

“It’s not fair…”

“I promise you that the prize will be worth all the effort.” The blonde stood up and walked along the edges of the roof.

“Can you give me a hint?” The black haired girl pleaded. “What’s the first word?”

“Nope, I won’t give you anything.”

“Meanie…” She pouted.

“Now wake up; you have a date.” She turned around to face Tiffany.

“Wha-How did you know?”

“Don’t worry; I’m not jealous.” The blonde tried to balance herself by spreading both of her hands. “I’m excited!”

Tiffany opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. She rubbed her eyes and forced herself to sit on the bed. She looked at the clock and sighed; it was only nine in the morning. She scratched her head and turned to her left, and found that her friend Jang Ri-in was already gone.

She went to the living room and found that the apartment was empty. Sunday morning and she was all alone. She went to the kitchen to drink a glass of water then head back to the living room and sat on the couch. Tiffany turned the television on and browsed through the channels.

This is boring… She thought to herself after a while.

She looked at the clock on the wall and realized it was ten.

I guess I’m going to the mall after all… And she picked herself up and went to the bathroom.

Tiffany put on a simple pink T-shirt with a small white famous sports company logo on the left chest and a blue denim shorts. She looked at the mirror in the bedroom and fixed her hair with her fingers. She put on a light makeup and pink lip tint. Satisfied with her look; she went to the kitchen and searched the small refrigerator for something to eat. She found a box of chocolate cereal she had bought two nights before and decided to fill her stomach with them while watching TV.

As soon as she finished her late breakfast; the doorbell rang. Tiffany looked at the clock and she was a little surprised, as it was exactly eleven.

Someone’s very punctual… She thought as she walked towards the door.

And the doorbell rang once again. “Coming…!”