EIGHT

 “...it’s due to next week, I won’t take any excuse...”

Joy observed Seulgi who’s tidying up the papers with her chin cupped.

“...okay, see you next week!” The single eyelid smile appeared as she proceed to the door.

The blonde sighed in amazement at how endearing her professor was. Her orange locks which suited her the most, her bangs which slightly dancing as she walked, her single-eyelid eyes which made them look charismatic.

An idiotic smile appeared on Joy’s face as she watched Seulgi leaving the class. Though the orange-haired was already gone, she's still being possessed with her ghostly appearance.

!

Joy jolted away and chased after her,

“Joy!”

Damn!

Being grabbed on the wrist by Wendy who looked a bit frustrated, she tilted her head, confused at her hamster friend’s action.

“You did not forget about our plan today, did you? I wouldn’t want to die alone! Come with me, brat!” Wendy's shaky hand hit her hard on the arm, making the blonde cried.

“Oh, right!” Something hit her piggy bank memory as she slapped her head quite hard, “…why Mrs. Son.. WHY!?” she cried out to the sky, dramatic enough for people to think that she’s crazy.

Mrs. Son, the toughest woman ever in the entire life of Park Sooyoung. Wendy Son's 'beloved' mother who’s the slightest of her appearance could either be a hell or heaven. On the contrary of her cheerful self, Mrs. Son had a strict characteristic.

Once in a while, Wendy’s mom would always invite Joy for dinner. But the definition of ‘dinner’ was somewhat different to Mrs. Son, as the preparation would be filled with teaching tone, loud chopping sounds, telling them how grown up girls should be. Much conventional for their own good.

They would begin with shopping for the ingredients, cooking them –although it’s always being done by Wendy’s mom, 'cause none of them can cook-, then learning table manners over and over again until they got no mistake. And the worst part was, Mrs. Son would do it all with her endearing smiley face on the outside, but they knew –like they actually knew- she’s holding an invisible knife that would stab them any time.

That’s how strangely scary Mrs. Son was.

“Hahahahaha!”

They both stunned then turned away to the direction that laughter was coming from. There's bunch of girls who were –fortunately, not laughing at them- talking out loud in the hallway. Much to their appearance, Joy and Wendy could see that they’re from a higher stratum in society. All their clothes seemed more-pricey than Joy’s pocket money for three months.

One girl got her attention, because the girl just weirdly stayed quite most of the time while her other friends were screaming out their monstrous laugh. Joy knew, although the girl was wearing casual clothing, she could not even predict how many zeros would it cost.

Joy found the girl was quite unique with bunch of certain anime character which game became viral these days. One toy was hanging on her bag’s zipper, seemingly quite old.

I think I’ve seen that somewhere

“Who’s that girl?”

“Hmm, which one?”

“That one with toys.” Joy said, pointing with her eyes

“I don’t know her name, but she’s caught my eyes many times. I mean, you can’t not see a person with that weirdly-catchy taste of fashion, right?” The Canadian answered while judging the girl so hard like a professional judges on America's next top models.

“Yeah.”

“She unquestionably loves turtles”

Joy looked at her left, with I'm-not-blind expression written on her face as the said girl was mostly wearing those, “You’re genius.” She clapped lazily for Wendy.

“Geez, you only look high-spirited when it comes to Seulgi!”

Joy snorted, “Of cour-…” suddenly, she remembered something, “Dammit, Seulgi!”

The blonde dashed out to where Seulgi had gone before, leaving a pouty Wendy behind.

“And… there she goes again!” Wendy shook her head looking at her smitten friend who’s tripping head-over-heels for a certain orange-haired. With a smile creeping out to her face, she followed the blonde slowly.

***

The parking lot was nearly emptied when the blonde arrived. Strangely enough, Joy heard whispering sounds surrounding her and few people even pointing at something, mostly boys. She looked at the directio and saw Seulgi near her car.

Not alone.

“Seulgi-yah…”

Joy stopped herself from running when she saw the most beautiful, mesmerizing human being in front of her. Just like in a movie where music was being played and then a protagonist character came out with her hair blowing, that’s how Joy felt when she saw her.

The object of everyone's attention.

Hazily, she could hear their conversation.

“Hyun, how is it?”

“I did what you asked me to do.” The girl replied.

Hyun...

Something hit the blonde's mind real hard. 

Hyun, that was the person Seulgi called secretly that day. 

Hyun, that was when Seulgi cornered her, made a bruise to not only her body but also her pride.

Hyun, she's so beautiful.

Joy suddenly heard drum roll's playing inside her chest. The sound of something important to her that she might lose.

Without thinking even further, she ran out to Seulgi, crashing a crowd of gossip boys, throwing them here and there just like those bowling pins.

"Professor!"

She bumped her head onto Seulgi's back real hard. A red mark appeared on her temple. Joy's action made Seulgi also bump onto that Hyun girl, causing her to protect the pretty girl with a hug.

The commotion she caused caught many unwanted audience there.

"Are you okay, Professor? -Ouch" Joy touched her head with grimace.

"You okay, Hyun?"

Seulgi didn't seem to hear Joy's concern tone for her and asked the pretty girl’s condition instead.

"What's with you?!"

Orange-haired turned to Joy, bursting the anger out.

"I'm sorry."

The professor groaned before helping that beautiful girl stand up and brought her to the car then faced her pain-in-the-eyes student. 

"What do you want?"

"Who... is that?"

Seulgi's brows formed a curly shape just like a twig, indicating that she was confused at the blonde's act.

"Why do you want to know?”

Joy could see a smirk on Seulgi’s face, as if mocking her that she didn’t know anything about the orange-haired at all. That she’s purely an outsider to her. And Joy wanted the opposite of that,

“I don’t like her!”

That answer making Seulgi burst out laughing, at how it ridiculously making a cute wave formed on the blonde’s face

“Why?” Still laughing, she tried to question Joy’s antic, “You don’t even know her.”

“But you know her! That’s enough reason for me to become a hater.”

Seulgi’s laugh instantly faded away. A silent fell between the two, a chirping sound of people there deafened, suddenly. Joy wasn’t actually sure what she did was right or not, but she’s sure that she didn’t want to lose a grip of Seulgi.

And that’s sufficient amount of not wanting to lose, making her become more blunt than she already was.

Joy daringly looked at Seulgi’s orbs and she realized there’s a soft grimace in there. Unlike the previous mocking one, this one’s really captivating, with a brown circling them. Joy took a step further to look at them and she vaguely saw a brim of purple there.

How endearing

Joy smiled at Seulgi’s grinning orbs, she had finally decided,

“Free your sched tomorrow, Prof.” She simply said

Seulgi’s eyes widened at that, at the commanding tone Joy just voiced.

“Tomorrow! I won’t take any excuse!”

Mimicking the way Seulgi’s teaching, the blonde walked backwards, taking a glimpse sight at the beautiful girl who’s staring at them inside the car, she then turned her back to Seulgi and ran before the Professor had a chance to reject her not-so-polite-request.

Leaving Seulgi, whose face beaming a slight red, unknown to Joy.

Joy had finally decided, if just by expecting something miraculously could happen to them did not turn out good, and even risking something to lose, then she’d decided,

She would take the first move.

***

Ding dong!

Ding dong!

The bright morning for everyone didn’t apply to a certain person as her student suddenly came barging into her house.

Ding dong ding dong!

Creak…

Inside the open door, Joy could see Seulgi’s morning look with a swelling face that looked even cuter, -to Joy only.

“Monin’!”

A smile appeared on the blonde as she showed a bracket in her hand,

“I’ll make lunch, special for you”

A wink escaped Joy’s eye as the blunt-her shoved herself onto Seulgi, daringly hit Seulgi’s shoulder in a light bump. She went straight to the kitchen with Seulgi following behind. A grimace could be seen on professor’s face,

“It’s morning, I haven’t even eaten lunch yet, I haven’t even changed my pajamas!”

“What are you talking about? It’s almost 10, Sseul!”

An invisible power pushed the professor aside upon hearing that petname. Seulgi hit the wall behind her and had her eyes opened wide,

“S-Sseul?!”

“Yup, Sseul.”

“Dare to call me that aga-“

“Sseul!”

And now a gasp came out from the professor’s mouth as the blonde staring straight at her, not even flinch at Seulgi’s pierced orbs like she used to before.

“Or do you want me to make it even cuter?”

Joy saw Seulgi fall silent, just waited of what’s going to come out from her rebellious student’s mouth,

“Ddeulging?”

Those single eyelid eyes became even more widened like it was possible for them to crack. Joy was almost scared that they’re going to come out from their places as Seulgi continued to raise her brows further,

“WHAT THE HECK IS DDEULGING?!”

“You!”

“I refuse to be called by that!”

“And I refuse to stop calling you that. Your choice, you wanna go with Sseul or Ddeulging?”

The blonde cockily huffed her nails as if dust dirtied them. She then looked at Seulgi with the most annoying y face an antagonist in dramas could pull.

Joy was focused on Seulgi’s confused mouth on whether she wanted to say something as it opened few times but the owner repeatedly closed it again. And Joy knew, Seulgi’s pride must be hurt by now, but the blonde couldn’t give up. She had made up her mind.

“Grrr... just do whatever you want!”

“That’s what I thought…” A troublesome wink flew out to Seulgi, “…Sseul!”

Those eyes, those chocolate ocean orbs weren’t the same ones she received. Weren’t the same orbs Joy had grown upon. Weren’t the same cold things like before.

Those orbs had become much softer when staring at hers. Those orbs had become much warmer when looking at hers. Those orbs finally had a ‘life’ that was missing.

And Joy’s glad.

She’s glad she could make the opposite of what she got. Even if it’s not much, she knew Seulgi will slowly open herself to her.

She put an apron and was ready to hit the ‘stage’ –the kitchen.

“Don’t dare to come near the kitchen while I’m cooking.”

She warned the orange-haired before heading to prepare the ingredients.

“I said do what you want.” Seulgi's seemed to be giving up by now.

Receiving the green light, Joy started to wash everything she bought before coming to Seulgi’s. The veggies were neatly done and time to prepare the chop board. Joy pulled out the thing and a knife, then thought of slicing them into pieces.

As much as she claimed herself a perfectionist, she actually couldn’t pull a perfect score at everything she’d done.

She could dance, but not that good. She could sing, just a little bit. She could draw, on the level of elementary school kids. She could play music, only reaching the point of happy birthday song.

And she’s a good cook, but so far she only tried to not burnt the water... twice.

The kitchen had become a field of war with Seulgi’s chopping board and veggies as her opponents. The carrots she wanted to chop with the same lengths, turning into different shapes –ones were too big, ones were too thin. The greens she put much effort to pick, was turning into 'blacks' as she crushed them too hard, until they looked more like porridge soup.

Pang pang!

Pieces of potatoe