Yuji laid flat on her stomach in her bed, silently reading the group messages that beeped her phone every 5 seconds. Her group for a project in Literature got along well, unlike most group projects. They suggested meeting up for a night of karaoke, which happened to be her favorite past time.

Are we going to the karaoke place near the Jay’s Supermarket?

Yeah, I hear that one has a good price!!

Get ready for lots of emotional ballads to hit your hearts!!!!!!! xD

No, Kyung, stfu.

Are all of us going?

Yuji, are you going?

Yuji sighed. For some reason, she wasn’t feeling the mood to do anything, despite her affinity for karaoke. But if everyone went, so should she, right?

I can’t go tonight, sorry guys :( Have fun though!

It’s not technically lying, right? She doesn’t have a ride, but she could have asked someone else to take her. But she didn’t want to go anyways. She felt like staying in.

Yuji never comes!! 3

Yuji’s eyes widened. Does she cancel that often? She pursed her lips. She counted the number of excuses she’s used to cancel plans. She had to watch someone’s dog, got sick, mom won’t let her (multiple usage), phone was off, already made plans, was in another state… She needed to start attending these events.

A couple hours later, Jongdae called her.
“Yuji! I’m coming to get you!”

“Why?” She mumbled.

“I lost one of my socks! I think I left it in the trash by accident! I need you to look with me in the dumpster!”

“Jongdae… you idiot. I’m coming.”

“Are you telling me that we’re actually going to dumpster dive?”

Jongdae bit his lip. “Please~ I don’t ask many favors.”

Yuji sighed. “Yes, you do.” She watched Jongdae roll up his pants and sleeves. As if that would help.

Jongdae stepped into the dumpster, holding his nose. “Oh geez, this smells disgusting.” He began rummaging through the trash bags that his parents used, but it was problematic when other neighbors seemed to have used the same kind of trash bag.

“What’d you find?” Yuji hollered.

“A bunch of paper towels, a broken watch, a crumpled up picture of… Lee Min Ho? Poor Min Ho, lost a fan this week.” Jongdae continued shuffling through garbage bags.

Yuji, beginning to feel bored, rolled up her sleeves. “Alright, I’m going in.”

Jongdae cheered, helping Yuji into the dump.

They searched inside bag after bag (good thing they had gloves), but to no avail an hour later.

Yuji screamed, immediately shoving a bag far away from her.

“What is it? Was it a rat?” Jongdae panicked.

“No. It was… it was…A USED !”

Both of them screamed, but they stopped at the sound of Jongdae’s phone ringing. They both hopped out of the dumpster and removed their gloves.

Jongdae answered the phone. “Hello? Yeah, I’ll be home soon.”

Yuji watched Jongdae have a conversation, assuming with his sister. She saw Jongdae’s face pale.

Jongdae hung up and slowly put his phone into his pocket.

“So? What’d she want?” Yuji asked.

Jongdae bit his lip and slowly backed away from Yuji, eyeing the street back to his house. “You see… it turns out… my other sock got mixed in with my sister’s laundry…”

Yuji stiffened, her face reddening. She clenched her fists at her side. “Are you saying that I lingered in a stinky disgusting dumpster for an hour with you for no reason?”

Jongdae laughed nervously and took off in a sprint towards his house.

“COME BACK HERE, KIM JONGDAE! I’M GOING TO BEAT YOU UP!” Yuji screeched.

“Thank you for inviting me over for dinner, Mrs. Kim!”

Mrs. Kim smiled over the kitchen counter. “Not a problem, dear! I heard what Jongdae made you do.”

Jongdae draped himself over his mother’s shoulders. “Mom! I’m going to die! By the hands of that over there!” He pointed a finger to Yuji. “We must move now to a location where she can’t find us!”

“Oh dear! I can’t tell the difference between the both of you! I’m hearing two Yujis!”

Jongdae gaped. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Mrs. Kim rubbed Jongdae’s shoulders. “It means that I have two melodramatic children now.”

Yuji plopped onto a seat next to the counter. “Sorry, Jongdae. There can only be one melodramatic kid.” She slid a finger across while maintaining a threatening stare at Jongdae.

Jongdae gulped. “I’m not melodramatic.”

“You weren’t before,” Mrs. Kim corrected, “But you are now. Yuji, you sure have influenced my son. Now, if you can get him to do some chores around this house…”

“Will do, Mrs. Kim! I have a way!” Yuji made eye contact with Jongdae and cracked her knuckles.

Yerin came down to the kitchen while the Jongdae and Yuji hung out upstairs. “Hey, ma.” She grabbed an apple and bit into it.

“Don’t eat too many snacks,” Mrs. Kim scolded. “We’re about to have dinner soon.”

“Don’t you worry, ma. This tummy’s got a lot of room for snacks, dinner, and dessert.” Yerin rubbed her stomach happily.

Mrs. Kim tsked. She washed some dishes in the sink and paused. “Yuji’s influencing Jongdae a lot lately.”

Yerin nodded. “Definitely. He’s becoming more theatrical. It’s irritating.”

“I like it.” Mrs. Kim smiled. “He’s talking more to me now. He used to barely say more than a ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye’. It makes a mother happy.”

“What. I talk to you plenty mom. Am I not enough?” Yerin cutely pouted and pretended to cry.

“Aish, my daughter is perfect. But I don’t need another dramatic child.” Mrs. Kim bopped her on the nose.

Jongdae played ping pong with Yuji upstairs. “I hope I didn’t interrupt you from doing anything today. The dumpster isn’t an ideal hangout place.”

“Nope, I wasn’t doing anything.” She smacked the ping pong ball across the board, causing Jongdae to flail for it, yet he still missed.

Jongdae picked up the ping pong ball. “Did you want to take a shower? Since you smell and all?”

Yuji scoffed. “I’d rather stink up your place in revenge.”

They continued to play ping pong, but Yuji played while having something else in mind.

Who in their right mind would rather go dumpster diving instead of having fun with a bunch of people at karaoke? She must’ve been out of her mind. She felt some sort of comfort around Jongdae whenever she hangs out with him. Maybe it’s so I don’t have to force myself to be sociable in a group. Either way, she’d prefer hanging out with Jongdae than anyone else, anytime.

I guess that’s what you call a best friend.