06 | Teaming Up

 

***

 

Long and frustrated sighs escapes someone's lips from behind, which made Yoona stopped from opening a cigarette. This cause her from placing the pack under her pocket and turns around to see who's standing with an obvious annoyed face. "What's up?"

 

"I hate funerals." Yuri mutters, stepping forward to stand next to her cousin.

 

"Why not? It's our grandma's... and... "

 

"Fake people around." Yuri explained with a rolling of eyes. She exhales so loud, looking up to the peaceful night sky. "If only Grandma can come, all of these fake people will be scolded." she said, glancing to her cousin but her brows furrows. "Why are you outside?"

 

"I can't stay longer inside." Yoona said with a small pout.

 

"Why not?" Yuri's turn to be confused.

 

"I can't stay watching people kneeling to grandma’s picture. I feel like it will suffocate me. I mean, it just reminds me that Grandma is indeed forever gone." says Yoona, puffing her cheeks briefly and giving her cousin a small smile.

 

Yuri had a little chuckle. "We're the same then. But with the fake people trying to please my parents and Grandpa."

 

"Do you know when will the Lawyer contact us?"

 

"About the Last Will of Testament?"

 

"Exactly." The younger girl's shoulders shrugs.

 

"I don't know any further details anymore. Let's just wait for it. Wait - are you in a hurry?"

 

"I just can't wait to leave San Diego." Yoona replied drily. 'I can't wait to escape this place after Grandma's funeral'. She thought at the back of her head, planning to escape her parents plans for her in taking Medicine.

 

"Wae? Where do you want to go?" Yuri curiously asked.

 

"It's none of your business." But the doe-eyed girl has no interest in telling her own cousin.

 

"Are you kidding me?" Yuri exclaimed. "It's also my business since we're cousins. First degree cousins to be connected from now on."

 

"Did someone ask you to stick with me? I'm actually surprised and you're here." Yoona jokes.

 

"Yah!"

 

Chuckling after the hit on her arm, Yoona corrected herself. "I'm just kidding. Seriously, I'm escaping."

 

"Escaping?"

 

"Escaping from my parents’ plans for me. You know Grandma clearly wants us to follow our dreams."

 

"Oh." Yuri nodded in understanding. "So you are saying you want to leave your Parents' shadows after getting your share? And you want to use it to become a chef?" she grinned afterwards.

 

"Obviously."

 

"Then bring me with you." Yuri grabs her cousin's hand and holds it in place as she continued. "Bring me with you and let's reach our dreams together." staring intensely straight to Yoona's eyes.

 

The doe-eyed beauty immediately yanks her cousin's hand away. "No!" as she declines firmly.

 

"Why not?!"

 

"You're annoying sometimes. I don't think it will be a success."

 

"You're kidding me, aren't you?"

 

"Of course not. Let's separate our ways. And do it on our own."

 

"Hmm, why not a competition? or a deal?" Yuri suddenly got an idea, wiggling her brows in the process.

 

Yoona felt weird. "What is it?" but she's curious herself, as she steps back a little from her cousin's annoying face.

 

"Let's go on separate ways to reach our dreams, but the moment we see each other, we should be professionals already. Like me, a professor and you... and chef. If one is still not, then she should buy a car for the winner. Deal?" Yuri stretched her hand out, almost immediately.

 

Yona chuckles heartily. "You're so random... but what If I don't want?"

 

"Then you're a loser." Yuri immediately pulled her hand back.

 

"Ugh." An annoying roll of eyes appeared in Yoona's face. "Fine." as she couldn't decline anymore. "Let's make a deal." She held out her hand. "And do as what you said earlier."

 

A big smile plasters Yuri's face. "It's a deal then."

 

"You better prepare your money for the car."

 

"No, you should do." Yuri smirks back.

 

"Wait, so what if we're both professionals by then?"

 

"Then just a dinner would do." Yuri wiggles her eyebrows once again.

 

Yoona however doesn't like it. "What the - I'm a chef by then. I will just cook for you. That's unfair! What about a club? Let's hang out until dawn."

 

"Omo, that's a cooler suggestion." Yuri's eyes brighten. She instantly shows two thumbs up. "Let's hang out until our bodies couldn't take it."

 

Yoona laughs heartily. "What a kkab. Hahahaha."

 

"And let's also look for new girlfriends."

 

The doe-eyed girl stops from laughing. "How would you know I'm still single by then, eh?"

 

"Who knows? I mean you look like you're deeply in love with your ex-girlfriend." said Yuri with her teasing smile. "I wonder who was that lucky girl, eh?"

 

Yoona scoffs. "Look who's talking. You're the one who told me that you're worried about your ex-girlfriend after the breakup. You are obviously so deeply in love with her."

 

"Well, I admit I am. But you are too, so don't freaking deny it, Im Yoona. By the way, you should quit smoking already. You know that's not good for your health."

 

Yoona hits her cousin's arm. "Say that again and I will also scold you for being an alcoholic."

 

"You know I already quit that."

 

"Then I am also." Yoona mocks back. She saw Yuri a month ago, drinking alone in a restaurant. She can't be wrong that she still drinks.

 

"Ugh, let's quit our habits then. Otherwise, we're not going to stay a longer life, araso?" Yuri said firmly.

 

"That means, 5 years later, we shouldn't be alcoholic and smoker by then." Yoona stated as a fact, smirking back to her cousin, who smiled at her genuinely.

 

"Sure. So to start with." Yuri did not warn and she took the pack of cigarette from Yoona's pocket. "I'm throwing this away." she said and walks back inside. "You better come inside also before our parents look for us." she added, reminding her that they're still in their Grandma's funeral.

 

Yoona chuckles. "Yes! Ma'am! I'm coming back in a while!" but after her cousin disappears, she bends down to take the one stick of cigarette from her sock and straightened herself again as she talks to it. "One last time, make me relax." without thinking twice, she took her lighter from her pocket and lightens up the stick. She honestly just smokes when she's stress of something, like her Grandma's loss and her parents for being the boss of her life.

 

Yuri who was just nearby is apparently shaking her head in disappointment. "You better quit that later." she said to herself. "Coz I'm serious with my promise." and confident about her own habit.

 

 

***

 

 

"Yah! Seo Joohyun!"

 

Seohyun accidentally drops her milk to the ocean upon hearing her name being called. "Aish!" She got frustrated and immediately scolded the person who called her. "Did you know what you just made me do?!" She exclaimed. "You freaking dropped my milk!"

 

"Oh, Sorry about that." It's Hara, with her apparent smug smile. "But that's not important anymore. There's more than important than that." she snatch her hand and immediately drags her back inside.

 

"Wait... where the heck are you taking me?" Seohyun instantly tried to struggle from Hara's strong grip, but she's not taking it.

 

"You will love it." Hara keeps on dragging the clueless girl.

 

"What?"

 

A big smile appeared in Hara's face. "It's fun, so you'll see." as she felt so excited to share it with a new found friend.

 

"I have told you already, right? I have tried everything in this cruise already, so there's no more fun if I do it again." Seohyun said as a matter of fact.

 

"You're talking too much. You haven't really tried everything."

 

"Really? Then that should be fun." Seohyun said that made Hara stopped and looked at her in the eyes.

 

Hara put her arm around Seohyun's shoulder. "It's really going to be fun." And once again drags her with her, passing stores, restaurants and foreigners in the process.

 

Seohyun who had nothing to do with her current situation couldn't stop her friend anymore as she just follows her lead and got curious about her idea. Either way, she had been roaming around the ship without doing anything, just chilling, watching people doing their own thing and drinking milk in front of the ocean. She took this turn of events as a way to make her day better than her previous days.

 

"Tada!" Hara surprised the younger one a piece of paper, "What do you think?" That shows a registration form for the upcoming cooking contest in 4 hours. "Do you want to do this with me?" she smiled as big as her previous smile earlier.

 

"You mean you want us to be partner for this cooking contest?" Seohyun took the form and wanted a confirmation.

 

"Obviously!" Hara hits her friend unconsciously.

 

"I'm not a good cook." Seohyun returns the form almost immediately. She turns around and was ready to leave when Hara held her hand. "Yah! Just ask someone else, not me!" she frustratingly declined.

 

"You're just my assistant, you're not going to cook you know. That's why I took you here. It's not like we're going to cook together. If that's the case then we're like competing each other!" Hara explained in defends of the said event.

 

Seohyun had another second thought of declining the offer. "I'm the assistant chef?" That leads her to completely changed her mind.

 

"Absolutely." Hara replied with a big grin.

 

"And we'll have the prize both?" Seohyun's eyes now sparkled, thinking about saving money again with the prize. It's not all the time a blessing comes.

 

"Why would I bring you with me if not, right? Aigoo, you're talking too much again." Hara quickly took a pen from the table behind her and started filling up the registration form.

 

Behind, Seohyun is clasping her hands and smiling like a fool, couldn't wait to wear the uniforms, which was being hung behind the lady taking care of the registration. Her eyes sparkled when she finds out the prize, which is 100 thousand dollars. Then she started to imagine, how is it to wear a real chef uniform. It must be so cool. She's not a good cook, no she never tried cooking other than frying eggs and boiling noodles. It's always her Aunt who cooks for them back home, so it excites her to do cooking more than just frying.

 

"Alright, that's finished. We'll comeback in four hours. But we should do this first while waiting." Hara said as she handed another paper to Seohyun.

 

"Oh, we should buy ingredients ourselves?"

 

"Of course. How do you think about them providing us the ingredients? And it says there that we should buy it to the caribbean island we're about to reach in one hour. So let's plan this out and prepare ourselves later."

 

"Okay." Like an instant, Seohyun put her arm around Hara's and jogs with her.

 

Meanwhile, Jessica was having a coffee in a cafe when she noticed who just passes by. Her eyes blinks for a couple of seconds before she realized who are them. "Just when did they become so close with each other?" Which wonders her? Because the two looked like they have known for so long, to be hanging out like that. "Aish, why am I thinking of them." Heck, she ends up shaking her head, before she returns to her magazine and her coffee. But just a few minutes later, her mind shifted to the two. It frustrates her unknowingly that the annoying lady is having fun while she's in a table, alone with her coffee. "That's absurd."

 

 

***

 

 

"Yoona!"

 

For the second time, the called girl jumps in surprise upon hearing her cousin's voice while she's busy bowing and sending goodbyes at the same time to the others. She turns to her and hits her shoulder. "Can't you quit doing that to me for once?! You will surely give me a nervous breakdown soon." she scolded and favoured.

 

"Hehe, Sorry. It's just that, I've seen this in your bed." Yuri handed a paper to her cousin. But the latter snatched it and grabs her hand, dragging her friend away from her parents. She made sure they're not going to hear their conversation as she explains about the paper. "Did you entered my room without telling me?!"

 

"I was just going to take a shower in your room since my room's shower is broken when I caught this. Wow, I never thought you already have planned it out well already. So when?" Yuri's brows wiggles as she grins teasingly to her cousin. The paper is a registration for an entrance exam in a prestigious culinary arts academy in New York.

 

"Aish! I don't know yet." Yoona shrugs her shoulders, folding back the paper and put it inside her pocket. "Like I told you, I am only waiting for a chance... maybe after I got my share. Since I can't afford this school if I make it."

 

Yuri sighs. "I'm proud, you're thinking ahead. While me, I'm just waiting for this to end and then have a vacation before I do my plans as well."

 

"Wait, aren't you welcoming the guests visiting the funeral though? Why are you just roaming around there?"

 

"Aish, you're so forgettable, aren't you?"

 

"Eh?" Yoona trailed off as she tries to recall what her cousin is talking about.

 

"Yah! You know it already!" Yuri never thinks twice and she hits her cousin's shoulder.

 

Yoona took time before she figured it out. "Ah... yeah, it's about the fake people around here." But she accidentally says it loud.

 

Yuri almost immediately covered her cousin's mouth and Yoona's eyes widened as they looked around their surroundings. The attention was them and they don't like it, their parents are sending them death glares. With their sheepish smile, they quickly leave the funeral room in an instant.

 

"This is your fault!" Yuri scolded her cousin, as soon as they got their selves out of sight from all the people. Once again back at the balcony of the mansion.

 

"Sorry. Why do you just have