.And Then Came Four.

Krystal sat uncomfortably on the sofa, her body half sloped down. Her fingers continuously press the ‘Channel +’ button on the remote, sighing as each channel passed by. There was nothing interesting to watch. No more food shows. No more sitcoms. Her eyes popped out in mild shock as she sprang from her position:

‘Another body has been found and police still has no trace of what happened or who could have possibly done it…’

Everything else seemed to have cut itself from her ears, or it may have been the opposite. She wanted to pull her hair now. How many times did she have to repeat herself?

“Hyo Jin!” Krystal called out loudly. From the kitchen, the sound of dishes banging into the washer could be heard.

“What! Stealing my tv spot wasn’t enough for you?” Hyo Jin answered angrily.

“When is Taeyeon supposed to be back from her order?” Krystal asked just as loudly back.

The sound of dishes stopped banging for a brief moment.  “If she’s on the news again, then call her!”

Krystal got up from the sofa and walked to the pink telephone that was hanging next to a silver-layered picture frame of a bamboo forest and white clouds. She picked up the phone and pressed the digits that would connect her to her so-call famous sister.

The phone rang three times before a ‘Hello’ came through.

“Did we not just talk about leaving souvenirs behind yesterday?”

From the other line, Taeyeon paused for a bit. “He said he wanted to be publicly known.”

Krystal raised her tone, “So if he asked you to go buy some food for his pet rabbit first, you would go running down the pet store?”

“Um, no, because he does not have a pet rabbit,” Taeyeon answered slyly with a little chuckle, “He has a turtle. I saw it.”

“That’s not the point! Look, our clients rely on us to do a clean and fast cut-”

“Hey, Taeyeon, talking about the store, can you stop by to grab me some salt?” a familiar voice interrupted from the other phone line connected through the kitchen wall.

“Hyo Jin! Hang up the phone!” Krystal stated firmly into the phone she was still holding, “This is important stuff.”

“I don’t care. You kicked me out from watching Supernatural,” Hyo Jin answered back and then talked to Taeyeon again from her line, “Sam and Dean always have salt on them.”

“Oh my gosh, here we go again. Look, Sam and Dean don’t exist in real life,” Krystal retorted, “so hang up. You can talk to Taeyeon when she is home.”

“Why? Look, buy me some salt, a lot of them,” Hyo Jin said again, in a much more demanding tone.

“I just brought you some salt the other day,” Krystal answered.

“It wasn’t enough. I need more. Anyways, I never know what will pop out in front of me. Excess salt is very handy. Haneul needs some, too.”

“She is not going with you. She has exams tomorrow morning,” Krystal snapped back from the line.

“Then you come with me, scaredy-cat,” Hyo Jin stated.

Krystal hung up the phone and stormed into the kitchen, where Hyo Jin was still holding onto her phone, glued to her left ear, “Seriously? We live in the same place.”

Hyo Jin stared, “How does it feel to get kicked out? It hurts deep, doesn’t it?”

Taeyeon laughed from the other line, “Alright kids. I know I’m beautiful but please, no need to fight over me here. The Goddess will be there soon.”

Hyo Jin rolled her eyes into fake disgust. Taeyeon always has a method that stops every situation, dead on its track: flattering herself.

“Just get the salt,” Hyo Jin repeated before hanging up. Krystal stood there still. Hyo Jin shrugged her shoulders and walked past, with a smile on her face. Oh, such sweet revenge for kicking her off of the sofa.

---

Haneul walked slowly up the front door, taking out the key that would open it. The sun had already gone to sleep. She looked up at the house. No lights on. Windows seem dark.

She hesitated. Please, be asleep already.

The door propped open surprisingly, and with Hyo Jin’s huge smile right in front.

“No!!!!” Haneul screamed. In her mind, she imagined she had run far away, and Hyo Jin just could not catch up because her legs were moving snail-like.

“It’s you and me again, kiddo. Pump up more courage than yesterday, okay?” Hyo Jin said calmly.

Haneul took her backpack off and threw it on the ground, before stepping on it with her black and white sneakers, “Why do I even go to school!”

Hyo Jin looked at the backpack on the ground. There was a huge yellow sticker of a happy emoji in the front, now stamped with a dirty shoeprint. Haneul sure can be pretty dramatic sometimes.

“Taeyeon is in trouble with Krystal in there. So the only one left is you.”

Haneul whimpered, almost like a child about to throw an annoying tantrum that would involve double time out, “For once in my life, spare me.”

“Well…I can always tell you who lives in your room then, “Hyo Jin said with a smirk.

Haneul shook her head ‘no’ as cold chills climbed from her feet to the spine and then neck, “Fine! Let me put my stuff away!”

Being the youngest is so unfair.

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