04- Euphony

She somehow placed the thought of her childhood friend at the back of her head and all she could think about is Jessica. It was all a blur on how it happened but gradually she had started eating her words about love that she once always told her friends. Slowly, she had always looked forward to her and the illuminating girl’s random hang outs, she sometimes calls it dates, and it was gradually becoming often.

She and Seulgi were on the way to pick Jessica and Wendy up from their favorite ice cream shop. Jessica and Wendy are apparently related and are living with each other along with their sisters.

“Unnie, hurry, I don’t want to let them wait long~” Seulgi rushed as she texted Wendy that they were on their way. Yuri laughed at how cute her sister is.

“You don’t want Wendy to wait long.” She teased and she can clearly see the cheeks and tips of her sister’s cute ears starting to turn red.

“It-it’s not-”

“You like her, don’t you?”

“She’s my friend, unnie, of course I like her!” Seulgi defended. Yuri let it drop for now. She can sister later. It doesn’t look like it’s something major for now. She just snickered and drove off. It only took them ten minutes till they were parked in front of the ice cream shop and with the three girls waiting for them.

“Hey~” Jessica greeted. Seulgi got out of the passenger seat and transferred to the back seat.

“I hope you don’t mind.. I invited Irene unnie.. she told me that she wanted to go to the amusement park too.” Wendy looked up at Seulgi and the latter just nodded her head.

“Hop in.” She motioned for her two friends to go in first. Yuri watched her sister carefully, gauging the expressions, the movement of every feature on her face. The bear had helped Wendy buckle up beside her quietly before doing her own seatbelt and staying quiet the whole thirty minute ride even if the two girls beside her, well one girl, is chatting animatedly. Jessica touched her hand and smiled, and suddenly all her worries for her sister are gone and she was in a calm state once again, basking in the pleasantness of it all.

“We should ride the roller coaster first!” Wendy exclaimed happily.

“No, let’s save that for last! We should do the arcade first~” Seulgi chimed in.

“I want to ride the teacups first.” Jessica mumbled and there was a chorus of different voices shooting out what they want to do. Yuri sighed and clapped her hands once to get everyone’s attention.

“Okay let’s split up then. We’ll meet later here at lunch time okay?” She asked and everyone nodded.

“Irene unnie, what do you want to do first?” Wendy asked, face flushing in excitement.

“I’d like to go to the arcade first.”

“Okay, then, to the arcades we go!~” Wendy exclaimed and Yuri saw a flash of annoyance from Seulgi’s face until it was replaced by the calmness that she always wore. Maybe she should ask her sister if she wants to tag along with her and Jessica... but before she could even voice it out, Seulgi had already hugged her goodbye before skipping to keep up with her friends.

“Don’t worry about them, Yul. Here~” She looks at Jessica and what she’s giving her--a pack of strawberry popping candy, she laughed and took it. Shaking it first before eating some and the taste was so familiar that she felt like her taste buds were hit with a crashing plane by how nostalgic it is. She searched her memory again but all her brain could give her is a flash of brown bangs and the sound of familiar laughter once again, and it was gone a split second later. She heard giggling beside her. “You okay? Did the popping candy shock you too much?” and she looked at the swirling brown orbs and suddenly she doesn’t care for much about the little flashback she has. Instead she grinned back and intertwined her fingers at the now beaming Jessica.

“Don’t be silly! Now let’s go ride those teacups you like so much.” They have spent their time riding almost all the rides in the amusement park and she feels like she’s floating. It was a little past twelve when they finally realized that they need to meet the younger girls. When they reached their meet-up place, the girls had already ordered them food and was just waiting for them to sit so they can start.

“Wow, Wendy, that’s a big bear...” Jessica commented as she saw that there were two extra chairs just for the huge stuffed toys.

“Isn’t it? Seul won it and she gave it to me~” Wendy grinned as she patted the stuffed white bear.

“And the Olaf?” Jessica rose one of her eyebrows.

“Oh, that’s mine. Wendy gave it to me. It looks like her, right?” Irene laughed and you can clearly see Wendy’s face blushing again. Yuri glanced at her sister and she saw the oncoming of something but it was gone in a flash and she wondered if she was seeing things.

“Let’s eat~” Seulgi announced as she pushed the food towards the two eldest and began eating herself, humming happily as she tasted the food. And like that, the others followed and before you know it, they’re parting ways for the second time, the younger ones wanting to do the rides now, while Yuri and Jessica went back to the car to drop the stuffed toys off before going to the arcade. They had talked about meeting up on the ferris wheel, so that they can ride it later.

She had tried to win the squirrel plush toy for Jessica but she just can’t seem to make the cans fall down. She groaned in frustration and it only took a touch from Jessica for her irritation to fly off the window.

“Let me try~”

“Okay. Good luck~” Jessica nodded cutely before getting one of the baseballs and throwing it. She had tenhundred doubts that Jessica will not hit the cans but in some sort of twisted chance, the ball went straight to the middle, knocking those three cans out.

“AND WE HAVE A WINNER!” the employee bellowed, “what prize will you pick?”

“That one please~” Jessica’s eyes was bright as she was handed the plush toy she won.

“A monkey?” Yuri asked.

“Yeah~ It looks like you~ MonkeyYul~”

MonkeyYul

Monkey Yul~~

“Your ears are like that of a monkey’s and also your smile~” a little girl with brown hair exclaimed as she placed her hands on Yuri’s ears.

“Yuri~”

Yuri…

Yuri?

“Earth to Yuri?” Jessica waved her hands in front of Yuri’s face and the latter blinked before focusing back to the smaller one.

“Sorry...”

“It’s okay~ Let’s go play some other games before we meet with the kids~” She nodded her head as they went from stall to stall, winning prizes here and there.

It was around five when they finally went in front of the ferris wheel ride and not long enough the three younger girls joined them. They chatted while they were in line until it was finally their turn. Jessica and Yuri went in the first carriage. They waved to the younger ones as they descended up. There was a peaceful silence between them as they both looked at the sky that’s turning from orange to dark blue gradually. Jessica turned to look at Yuri and gave her a smile that reaches the inner corners of Yuri’s heart. She smiled back and they were in locked gazes once again. She can see it from Jessica’s eyes, the swirl of starlight that makes those explosions from inside her emit once again until she is just filled with supernovas from within and it’s like she’s eight again, back in the hospital, staring at the girl from the other side of her window, as the fervour of the moment enveloped her whole.

She blinked and then she’s nineteen again and staring at those eyes that suddenly gives light to the darkness in her past, and then she’s asphyxiated by the flowers blooming in her heart and the blaze engulfing them whole. And suddenly, the sun had set and the ride had stopped and they were going out of the carriage, hands linked together, and then she saw her sister standing alone, leaning on one of the light poles, and all the things she was feeling was put on hold as she saw her sister’s unguarded face.

“Seul.” She called out and it was swift how the unguarded expression turned to one that had been practiced a lot of times---a smile that looks genuine but she knew better. Then the two other younger girls appeared, both wearing a serene smile. There were no words to be said as she herded the girls and quickly drove them back home.

“Bye Yuri unnie, bye Seulgi, see you on monday~” Irene waved as she was dropped off first.

“Bye unnie.” Seulgi gave a small smile and wave.

“Bye unnie!~ I’ll text you the details of the assignment later when I get home!~” Wendy chimed. Yuri and Jessica gave Irene one last wave before driving off again and this time dropping Jessica and Wendy off.

“Bye Yuri unnie~ Bye Seul~ Thanks for today! I’ll make it up to you, I promise!~” Wendy said as she waved at Seulgi. The latter only gave her a smile before moving to the front seat.

“Bye Seulgi. Bye Yuri, I’ll see you soon.” Jessica grinned before walking away from the two sisters. Yuri started driving again, now with Seulgi beside her.

“Do you want ice cream? It’s still early, we can stop by.”

“..........”

“I’ll let you get two scoops~”

“Okay…”  she turned a right and stopped in front of their favorite ice cream shop. They went inside and Seulgi ordered two scoops of double dark chocolate while Yuri ordered the peppermint chocolate one. They found an empty table and sat down, eating their respective ice creams in silence.

“You like her that much, huh?” She started and Seulgi’s practiced exterior crumbled as she nodded her head.

“She likes Irene unnie though and I think she told her how she feels earlier….”

“How do you know?”

“When it was our time in the ferris wheel, the conductor said that only two people are allowed. Irene unnie told us that Wendy and I should go and she’ll wait but Wendy had looked at me and it’s like I know that she’s pleading for me to let her and Irene unnie ride together so…”

“So that’s why you were there alone when we got off the ride.” Seulgi nodded.

“I should just stop now, right? It’s not like she’s going to like me back…”

“Hey, when did my sister become a quitter?!” Yuri exclaimed and Seulgi just stayed quiet. “Why don’t you at least try? And if you really think there’s no chance, then you stop.”

“I don’t know unnie…”

“Fight until you can.” She said with enthusiasm and that perked her sister up.

They were walking a bit after their ice cream stop over and she was listening to Seulgi talk about the paper Joy wrote about the 210 ways you can eat chicken when something caught her attention. She scrunched her eyebrows in concentration.

She can hear it… The faint sound of a familiar euphony being sung by someone and she knew she had to find this person. Had to see this person. She sprinted into a run, leaving Seulgi shouting behind her. She had to get closer to that person. She just had to. She rounded an alley and she can hear the voice becoming clearer. She ran a bit faster and came out at the other end, the voice becoming clearer than the night sky. She walked a few steps and saw the person singing while sitting down on the swings in the playground. A pretty voice fit for such a beautiful girl dressed in lilac. She approached her. Slowly, steadily, eyes never leaving the scintillating features of this beauty.

Step.

Step.

The girl stops singing and finally looks up to her and she had to stop and take a deep breath.

“Hello?” the girl looked at her curiously and she was met with eyes so dark, it could swallow her whole. She had to take a moment to compose herself.

“Hi.” She croaked out. The girl smiled though it didn’t reach her eyes. She smiled herself, “I’m Yuri.”

“Hello, Yuri. What are you doing here?”

“I..I heard your voice. It’s so beautiful. I just had to see who owns it.” The girl grinned at her, eyes still rayless. “May I know your name?” She asked, the girl looked at her as if she was examining her.

“Taeyeon.” The girl finally answered with a smile. “My name is Taeyeon.”