It was Sunday. I guess. Can’t be sure, really.

 

 

I’m pretty sure that I was eating cheerios from a gigantic bowl in Lee Yena’s grassy couch. The TV might be on, might be not. Again, not sure.

 

 

 

“GET YOUR HAIRY LEGS OUTTA MY COUCH OR I’M GONNA WAX YOUR INTESTINES!” The owner of the couch barged out from the bathroom, hair wet with a soft pink towel draped around her neck. 

 

 

 

Lee Yena. As you may have already known. She’s probably the only person in this world that could ever yell a thousand different insulting words at everyone and get away with it. Her appearance doesn’t scream ‘EMO’ but her attitude is the exact opposite of the pink towel.

 

 

 

We were friends without benefits (other than free foods for me), but somehow our friendship lasted for a decade by now. Our hate for each other was soooooooo deep that it turned into an inseparable bond.

 

 

 

“Let me point out something. My legs are prettier than your face so you should really do some good and start making out with my shiny porcelain legs.”

 

 

 

The next thing i know is that she sat down on top of my shin-bone. Poking the hard bones of my legs with her sharp -bones (I should apply the word '-bones' into my biology text-book by now) until it hurt like hell. Just when she’s about to split my bones into two equal pieces, the door to her bedroom swung open, showing a little kid hugging a unicorn doll bigger than her whole body.

 

 

 

“What are you guys doing?” The kid in shocking pink asked. By shocking pink, I really meant shockingly shocking pink. Her big teary round eyes were full of innocence and pure curiosity. 

 

 

 

Yena mindlessly jerked back her to my legs, I remember a croaked groan coming out from my throat. “Just playing around, you know Yeye” –her sister’s name is Yerin but we both call her Yeye cause she’s so annoying that we usually just say ‘yes’ to everything she says– “We both love to play jump-jump-hooray.”

 

 

She jutted out her bottom lip. “I see jump-jump. But no hoorays.” She walked towards us, her tiny pigtail hair waving happily within every step she took.

 

 

 

I cringed before finally answered with a small dry ‘Hooray’.

 

 

 

“You should go Yeye, the unicorn can’t wait to see her friends at the playground.” Yena suggested, still sitting on my poor legs.

 

 

Yeye looked down at her pink unicorn. “The unicorn has a name.”

 

 

 

I know that Yena was mentally rolling her eyes, but she showed a kind yet impatient smile. “Yes of course. Yeye’s magic unicorn Mister Ruchus.”

 

 

 

The little kid shook her little head, the gesture made her tiny curly hair wiggled in sync. “No, not Mister. She’s a Miss.” Yeye complained, pointing at the unicorn’s pink-white-purple-periwinkle-blue hair.

 

 

 

“A transgender?” Yena blurted out, I kicked her but not-so nicely, throwing her out the couch. Then I hissed loudly. “I don’t think you should say that kind of words in front of Yeye.”

 

 

 

She shrugged it off, meanwhile Yeye looked like she has a hard time figuring out what’s the meaning of transgender. “Her name is not Terans… ugh, never mind, her name is Miss Ruchus!” Yeye’s face grew red, she puffed her cheeks and (maybe I imagined it) I saw steam rising from her little ears.

 

 

 

“You should call him Caitlyn Jenner.” 

 

 

 

I spanked her dark blue-haired head with my toes, reaching across the couch. I glanced over at Yeye who was putting on that expression like she’s about to poop but the won’t come out. That kind of expression.

 

 

 

“MOMMY! WHO’S CAITEL –AAAAAAH!“

 

 

 

Yena stood up abruptly and ran to her sister’s direction, she swung her hands over Yeye’s bundled figure. She covered the younger’s moth and whispered a, “Do you want an ice cram or no?” and Yeye nodded slowly.

 

 

 

Yeye, looking like a pink woolly ball jogged in little kiddy steps to the front door, humming a happy song from Strawberry Shortcake: The Movie.

 

 

Yena turned her back at me and winked, brushing her palms. “Works every time.”

 

 

 

You see, the thing with Lee Yena is that instead of blood, her heart pumps awesomeness throughout her whole body. Maybe God has spilled to many ‘Awesome Extract’ when He made this particular Lee Yena. Oh but please note, it’s not a compliment.

 

 

 

Yena plopped back to her spot at the other edge of the couch, and the TV, I remember. Now I’m sure that the TV was off all this time. 

 

 

 

Wicked Tuna was playing on Nat Geo at that time. We were both not a big fan of an extreme fishing reality show, and hunting tunas is not our kind of carpe diem anyway. So I actually have no idea why were we watching this tv show.

 

 

 

“How’s the breakup going?” Yena, who was sitting in a fetal position hugging her knees possessively asked out of the blue.

 

 

 

‘DAMN IT, STOP THE SHIP TRAVIS!’

 

 

 

No it’s not my answer, it’s the big fat bald fisherman from the TV. My answer was, “You figured out my password again, don’t you?”

 

 

 

“Well, ‘kaifan01' was not exactly hard to guess.”

 

 

 

Before I feed you guys up with more further information, I assure you, I am a hundred percent straight. 

 

 

 

Kai was this popular kid at our university from art department who covers dances and stuff. I personally think that he’s bloody great, but I don’t want to proclaim my obsession to the whole world. But Yena’s an exception. No matter how hard I tried to hide something, Lee Yena will always be there to reveal it. And humiliate me with it.

 

 

 

“It took me all night, thinking for the right password and all you need is less than a minute to crack it. Now I need to stay up all night all over again to find a new password.”

 

 

 

“I’ll keep you in company,” she raised her hand suggestively, her smile was brighter than the smile on my toothpaste box.

 

 

 

I threw a pillow at her direction. Just as the pillow hit her face, one of the rumbustious fisherman on TV screamed, “TRAVIS! I TOLD YOU TO STOP THE SHIP STUPID!”

 

 

 

Yena rubbed her nose and yelled at the TV, “THAT TRAVIS GUY IS NOT AS STUPID AS PARK CHANYEOL SO KEEP IT DOWN.” 

 

 

 

She faced me, after the bald guy in TV learned his lesson. She sighed and smiled ever so softly that it tingles something in my stomach. I realized that I’ve never seen Lee Yena smile like that before. “I’m glad that she dumped you.”

 

 

 

My eyebrows went up, touching my low hairline. “Easy for you to say, cause it’s practically your fault. You kept on clinging to me at school, she felt like I was cheating or something.”

 

 

 

“Oh please. Our friendship is a notch more famous than Cara Delevingne’s eyebrows, she should’ve known that we’re,” she gestured her hands to both of us, “just friends."

 

 

 

“She just doesn’t get the i-don’t-even-see-you-as-a-human theory.” I shrugged.

 

 

 

Yena straighten her back against the couch. “That hurts, but never mind, I’m used to it.”

 

 

 

“She’s just a little over protective when she herself acted like a full-time professional .” I said, playing a piece of cheerio in between my fingers.

 

 

 

“Ouch touché.”

 

 

 

She made a that’s-nasty-but-i-agree face.

 

 

 

I checked my phone, texting my old fella Kim Minseok a hardcore suggestion to go man up and ask this girl named something-something-Yeon out. Across the couch, Yena has averted her attention to the human-torso-sized tunas on TV.

 

 

 

“Did Jongin really send you a love letter?” I picked up a conversation.

 

 

 

She grunted slightly before facing me. “Yeah, third grade. Good days."

 

 

 

“Was it romantic?”

 

 

 

“He asked whether he could marry me or no.”

 

 

 

“And?”

 

 

 

“I said he could go marry the school’s pet for all I care.”

 

 

 

“You’re a little , even back then.”

 

 

 

“I could be very nice actually. You know, I’m starting to think that I could win the first ever Noble Prize under the category of Best Girlfriend Ever, but no one will know.” She flipped her hair like super model.

 

 

 

I can’t fully disagree with her words. Her words were partially true, the Best Girlfriend Ever is most likely but the ‘no one will ever know’ part is a little… out of place. Put it this way, she’s gorgeous and but not y. Smart but not nerdy. Sarcastic but not careless. She’s a true Virgo, she has everything on balance, God had made her with the right recipe and perfect scaling.

 

 

 

Like, who the hell doesn’t want her?

 

 

 

That time, I didn’t realize that I had praised her for being her too much than I supposed to. 

 

 

I’ve unconsciously placed a toe over the boundaries I made myself. “You’re a nice person.” I blurted out.

 

 

 

“Gee thanks,” she shrugged.

 

 

 

I shifted in my seat, straighten my legs until my toes touch hers. The touch was light and fluffy, my plain toes against her blue polished toe-nails. I wiggled mine and she kicked lightly, pressing her feet a bit more. I felt something pressing inside my stomach. I’ve held her hands a thousand times, I’ve messed with her navy blue dyed hair all my life, I’ve touched her more than any other guy in this world. But I’ve never in my whole life played the tip of my toes against hers.

 

 

 

It felt new and it felt nice. 

 

 

 

She giggled when she caught my fingers under hers. I bought my gaze up to see her face, surprised when my eyes found her dark orbs staring at me. A slight smile was brushed all over her face. Not that skeptical smile she threw at everyone. This is the most genuine smile I’ve ever seen.

 

 

And again, after years of knowing her, I’ve never see this smile before.

 

 

 

Something about the idea of “first” heaved my chest. First toe-contact, first sincere smile and it only took a second before I realized that the first butterfly was starting to flap its wings in my stomach.

 

 

 

I wiggled my toe against hers, tangling it a little.

 

 

My eras caught the sound of her long soft breath before she finally open up that was smiling ever so beautifully. “ Why do you think I haven’t gotten myself a boyfriend?”

 

 

Her perfectly curved brows flicked a little, expecting me to fumble for a proper answer. 

 

 

I let out a short snort. “Because no man is good enough for you?” It was sort of a compliment, but the way I said it sounds like a mock.

 

 

“Yes, but not exact–“

 

 

“Or, or… because you’re the co-admin of the world wide feminism organization.” I interrupted, raising my hand.

 

 

“No and feminism is not an organiza–“

 

 

“Oh I know! Because you’re planning to marry a tanned hot alien from Mars and have a batch of little cute Mars-Earth babies.”

 

 

“Sounds wicked but–“

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We broke apart. Looking at each other while Yeye stays still, dumbstruck. She blinked and started to scream.

 

 

“Holy pumpernickles.” Yena stood up, rushing ta her sister’s direction, covering the little girl’s mouth while hissing at her ears. “Ice cream on me, okay Yeye?”

 

 

She nodded, slow but firm. But the shock was still there glazing her beady eyes. 

 

 

I walked up upon them and smiled gracefully. “Yeye, would you give me the permission to kiss your sister again?”

 

 

Eye looked up, pouting in the cutest way possible. “After ice cream,” she answered loud and clear.

 

 

Just as the three of us walked outside the door, Yena poked my ribcage with her elbow. “Touch my lips again and I’m really going to wax your intestines.”

 

 

“As I recall, you were the one who kissed me. Not the other way around.” I pointed out the beautiful fact.

 

 

“I’m going to find a video tutorial how to wax human intestines and then you have to say goodbye to your hairy intestines.”

 

 

We might have entered a whole new relationship, but I’m glad that she’s still the same.

 

 

She’s still that girl I know running around in Barbie underwear ten years ago.