Kai was beyond excited when he saw the familiar figure of a blonde girl standing next to small bookstore in the middle of Tokyo Station. The girl was looking through some magazines with her usual flat-face, dressed in anotherblack printed tank top with baggy red outer and black short pants. The tall black heels she was wearing added the perfect length of her legs, making Kai found a hard time looking away.

The girl turned around when she heard Kai shouted her name with a loud “Bubblegum girl~” along with his stupid over-excited wave, then grinned. “Hi!”

Kai loves that smile. He always does.

“Have you waited for too long?” the black-haired boy asked once he had stopped right beside Krystal.

“Not really, I just arrived.” Krystal replied and took the magazine she was looking at earlier and brought it to the cashier.

Kai followed her from behind and waited as she finished her payment.

“After this, let’s go and buy the ticket for shinkansen.” Krystal said. “You have JR Pass?”

“Eh, what?” Kai asked confusedly.

“That pass that could be used to ride shinkansens or whatever transportation you need in Japan.” Krystal explained. “You don’t have it?”

“I didn’t buy it…” Kai said when he finally recognized the pass Krystal was talking about. Taemin had warned him about that before but he ignored Taemin. “…I didn’t have a plan to go with shinkansen so…”

Krystal sighed. “Then you need to buy the ticket with cash, then.”

Kai rose his shoulders. “I am so down.”

So after that, they both headed to the small locket where they could buy the shinkansen ticket. Krystal herself then went to the JR pass office to get her own ticket before they both went straight to the platform.

“This gonna be my first time riding shinkansen.” Kai said. “I am excited.”

“For me as well.” Krystal laughed. “I have never ridden it before too.”

“Is it really okay to bring food inside?” Kai asked while looking at two packages of dango they bought before.

“It going to take 2 hours or so, we shouldn’t starve ourselves.” Krystal said then turned her head to the left when he heard a rustling sound of wheels collided with rails from afar. “Ah, the shinkansen is here.”

That was their first time looking at shinkansen. It was very long and big. It took a while before it really stopped in front of them.

“Come on,” Krystal commanded once the door was opened. She dragged her suitcase inside, followed by Kai from behind.

The shinkansen was quite spacious, clean, and very peaceful. The Japanese who sat there were either reading books and newspapers, listening to music, or sleeping. Some teenagers who talked, spoke in a very soft whispering voice. So typical Japanese.

Kai and Krystal sat on the 23^rd seat, right behind one family with a little baby.

“What should we do for the next 2 hours?” Kai whispered.

“Eat and sleep.” Krystal replied, also with a whispering sound. “Or do you have something better to do?”

“Not when we have to keep whispering at each other for the rest of this journey.” Kai whispered back. “Besides, I am not much a talker when I got travel by vehicles.”

“Perfect! We are just so alike!” Krystal replied still with a hissing voice. “Hey, do you want to exchange iPod? Would love to listen to your songs. I got tired of mine!”

“Nice idea,” Kai took out his iPod. “Well-, I know you just want to listen to Bubblegum girl song!”

Krystal chuckled soundlessly then handed her light blue colored iPod to Kai in exchange with the other’s black one. They both busied themselves with their headphones and put them on unison.

Kai took out his psp to play his favorite game while Krystal started to read a book.

The first half an hour was spent in silence, until the baby sitting in front of them accidentally glanced back in curiosity, locking them with her innocent big eyes.

Krystal was the first one seeing her. She tilted her head to the left, smiling warmly.

The baby put her face on the small space between two seats that covering her view away from two interesting couple sitting behind, practically squeezed her chubby cheeks.

Krystal squealed soundlessly in glee, then whacked Kai violently on his arm to force him looking at the kid.

Kai hissed in pain and looked at Krystal in annoyance but followed her finger to see the kid, then finally melted. “Ah, she’s cute!”

They waved at the little baby, making her grinning prettily in glee. She even put her hand out, sticking it in front of Kai and Krystal.

Kai reached out to tap her fingers delicately, then the girl broke into a happy laugh.

Kai and Krystal grinned so big like a proud parents. They about to give more funny faces to the baby when another face popped out on top of the baby’s head.

The mother.

Krystal and Kai’s silly grin disappeared and they looked away to busy themselves with something else.

The mother suddenly felt anxious with the two suspicious teenagers behind her, so she brought the baby away from the small space and hugged her baby on the chest.

Krystal and Kai got a little disappointed when the baby had gone. They looked at each other before chuckled again.

“I love kids,” Krystal whispered.

“Me too.”

They exchanged one more chuckle before turning back to their own world with a still lingering smile on their faces.

It took only 15 – 20 minutes for Krystal to doze off from her book. Her eyelids got heavy and she put it back on her back.

“I’m going to sleep.” Krystal mumbled to herself but Kai couldn’t hear it through the headphone.

Time passed and Kai couldn’t focus on something else other than the game on his hands. He only tore his gaze away when he felt a soft thud on his right shoulder.

Krystal.

Slept with her head laid on his arm.

Kai widened his eyes but he couldn’t bring himself to move. He was stuck in his position, frozen.

What should he do? Should he wake her up?

Kai felt slowly but sure, his face burnt up in embarrassment. He put his phone down on his laps, then covered his face with free hand.

Damn his heartbeat that increased more and more as the second passed by.

Damn the sudden numbness on his right arm where Krystal leaned her head on.

And damn his nose which accidentally inhaled the sweet strawberry scent from the blonde’s hair.

Kai kept on listing things that he cursed including the shinkansen which suddenly made a sharp turn out of nowhere and made Krystal’s head slipped off his arm. The girl was awakened with the sudden move and returned to her original position with eyes closed.

The boy sighed both in relieve and also disappointment. He knew he shouldn’t take advantage of Krystal while she’s asleep but he actually wouldn’t mind having the next hour sniffing that addicting strawberry-scented shampoo from Krystal’s hair.

Okay, enough. He sounded so much like a ert now.

The boy then cleared his throat and focused his attention to the song playing on Krystal’s iPod instead.

That girl had full albums of Jessica Jung’s songs inside. Jessica Jung was an ex member of a girl-band in Seoul. She was kicked out of the group 3 years ago without any clear reason, but she went on solo and her album was quite successful. Kai is not Jessica Jung’s fans, nor Jessica’s ex band’s, but he could always recognize the singer’s voice among all the singers out there. That was Jessica Jung’s last album before she stopped being a singer in entertainment world 2 years ago to pursue her other career. She has stopped appearing on screens ever since. Rumor once said she had moved overseas.

Kai smiled as he listened to the song played there. It was one of Jessica’s song, “Big Mini World”. It was one of Kai’s favorite song and he listened to it a lot back then in his senior high school.

It’s a song about freedom. About being away from the demanding world, escaped the small invisible cage that traps people, and truly believe on our own wings’ to fly.

Krystal has a nice sense of music, and possibly is Jessica Jung’s loyal fans. Among all of Krystal’s songs collection, Jessica’s songs are the only songs that were released before 2016. The rest were a brand new songs, a sign that Krystal always updates her iPod’s songs frequently.

What Kai didn’t know is…

…Jessica Jung and his bubblegum girl are sisters by blood.

A/n

Yeassh, so Jessica here is the singer Jessica from SNSD, and Krystal is her sister. The difference is, Krystal isn't an artist, never want to be one. She gonna explain the reason why on the chapters ahead. The reason why I put Jessica's existence as Snsd member here is because I am planning to write a story about her separation with Snsd and let my imagination takes it to the whole new level ^^. I am planning to make this story relates to Jessica's later on lol. 

So, alright! Here's the new chapter before we are going to move to OSAKA on the next chapter /yeay/

Thank you so much spending your time to read this story, and God bless you!

*for the love of writing, onerusticpen*