Episode Nine

Seungwan is too jolly for someone who was dumped. But then again, she wasn’t, not technically.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to say yes because I don’t really know you well enough for me to do so. So instead, we can take this slow, right? I can get to know you, right?”

Joohyun’s words were obvious, and despite the impending rejection she was expecting, things turned out for the better. The burgers they had that evening were splendid, and especially the cake. Seungwan even wrote the menu to show it off to her best friend. Seulgi will really love the place.

And there was also Joohyun’s smile that for the first time is all for her. It appeared so much as an achievement already. Joohyun turns out to be a lot more than she has expected. Her awkward jokes and genuine giggles whenever she does something clumsy… Seungwan couldn’t get enough of it.

Gods, am I in love with her? This bad? Seungwan laughed at the idea. If her younger sister spots her being this love-struck, she won’t hear the end of the other’s teases. But it is that bad. Irene is just so… different. She’s more than a pretty face. She was like an entire poem that you take time to understand.

I want to get to know her.

So should she be sad about being rejected? No. How can she be when her chances of 1% skyrocketed to something around twenty? She’ll be stupid to let that all go to waste.

She said she wants to get to know me… she said that with an unsure face, but her voice, it was filled with hope… I-I…

Seungwan can’t fight the smile forming on her face.

“I did it. I really did it.” Seungwan muttered, feeling giddy like a young girl in love. She glanced at her phone and her grin went wider. “I should send her a good night text! Wait, would that make me clingy? I don’t want to seem clingy though. I might turn her off. Ahhh!”

Collapsing back to her pillows, Seungwan sighed. She’s hugged her teddy bear on one hand and her phone on the other, still contemplating her choices.

“But isn’t it a common courtesy? I can tell her how much fun I had this afternoon and I’m thankful.” Seungwan nodded her head. “Yes, I can do that. Nothing too sweet and nothing too cheesy. It has to be simple but it should also show how interested I am, yes.”

『Hey! You’re pretty this afternoon! Let’s go out again, next time』

“Ey, this sounds too interested.”

『Hey. I had fun. Thank you. Good night.』

“Eyyy, this sounds too stiff.”

『Hey Irene! It’s fun this afternoon! I’ll see you again at school! Good night! -Son Seungwan, Sent 11:31 PM』

“Ok, that should do it!” Seungwan grinned as she hit the send button.

If someone tells me I’ll ever have Joohyun’s number, I would tell them to stop joking around. But here I am, actually having my crush’s number. This is totally the best day ever! Well, so far! I will ask Irene to be my girlfriend again, someday! And I will hold her hand and smile and someday when we’re old enough, I’ll definitely marry her! But is it weird if I look that far to the future? Irene might not like that! But… But that’s what I wish… I’m not dating her just to make her my girlfriend…

Seungwan stared at her ceiling, biting her lips. “I wonder if she’s thinking of me tonight the way I’m thinking of her… even if it was a mere sentence from the thoughts that ran through her mind, it would make me feel better.”

“After all, if I get my name in her mind once, it’ll make me less guilty of having her in my mind all the time.”

Just when she’s about to fall asleep daydreaming of her crush, her door slammed open again which shook her out of her reverie.

“Yah, Yerim, can’t you knock before going in?! This girl, really!” Seungwan complained as she sat down from her bed, glaring at her younger sister who looked like she ran a ten-mile course. “What’s up with you?”

“Can you flick my forehead? I’m under a spell and I need to wake up from it!” Yeri walked over to her sister’s bed, sitting next to her as she closed her eyes. “Make sure it’s a strong one!”

Seungwan, although concerned, can’t pass by the chance of revenge. Yerim caused her a lot of problems already and if this is the way she could get back at the young troublemaker, then so be it. Hah, I won’t let this chance pass, younger sister!–Insert evil laugh here-

Seungwan didn’t even count up to three, she just flicked her sister’s forehead with all her might, enough for Yeri to fall in the bed at such force.

“YAH THAT WAS MORE LIKE A PUNCH, DO YOU WANNA DIE?!”

“YOU WERE ASKING FOR IT!!!”

“YEAH BUT YOU WERE ABOUT TO TEAR MY WHOLE HEAD OFF!”

“Sweeties, please stop fighting. I’m about to sleep already.”

The sisters crossed their arms with a hmph, but still lowered their voices.

“Why are you even asking me for a flick? That’s so unlike you. You hate being involved in pain.” Seungwan asked her sister as she stood up to do one last cleaning of her room. She was quite fastidious, and since she had a significant day, a clean room would be enough to make her sleep peacefully that night.

Yerim bit her lip, weighing the pros and cons of what she was about to say.

“I like Saeron.” She finally let the cat out of the bag but then shook her head just as immediately.

“No, I think she put me under a spell! We were playing video games today and then she won and under normal circumstances, I would have been dead annoyed at her because unnie, she’s annoying! But I didn’t and then it made little sense so I thought… anyway, it was almost like flowers are blooming around her, unnie, especially when she flashed that annoying grin at me and it looked pretty for a moment! But that can’t be possible! I must be going crazy, right? Unnie, take me to the hospital please, I still have a dream and I am still planning to win the middle school soccer championship and I can’t deal with this, I—OWW WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!”

“You’re rattling too much, it’s annoying.” Seungwan hit her sister with a pillow one last time. “And that’s what it is all about?”

“WHAT? That’s what it is all about?? Unnie, I just told you I like Saeron!” Yerim gasped. “How could you brush that off coolly? You’re never cool with the love department!”

Seungwan flicked her sister’s forehead one last time. “I am cool in the love department. And you and Saeron, I tell you, Seulgi and I saw it coming.”

“YOU WHAT?!”

“Sweeties, seriously, it is near midnight and if you want breakfast the next morning, I suggest you close your traps! AND YOUR EYES! FOR AN ETERNITY IF I MUST ADD!”

“Yes, mom!” The two simultaneously replied.

Seungwan grabbed her favorite hamster stuffed toy and hugged it. “Anyway, I suggest you be chill about it because there’s not much you can do.”

“What do you mean?” Yeri narrowed her gaze at her sister who isn’t acting the least bit interested.

“Saeron doesn’t like you,” Seungwan answered plainly. “At least, it’s not happening soon.”

Yeri pouted. “Help me make her like me.”

“That’s impossible. You’re not exactly charming in girls’ eyes.”

“Aish, seriously!“

“Timing is important in the love department, kid.” Seungwan cut her off as she slipped in her comforter. She’s too tired for the day, and she needed some sleep. “Take it as something off from my experience, hmm?”

“Fine.” Yeri released an exhale. She lied next to her sister and hugged a pillow. “Unnie, you seem happy today. Did something good happen?”

“Hmmm…” Seungwan replied, with her eyes already closed. Yerim clapped her hands to close the bright lights until they were left with the warm light from her sister’s mood lights. “I confessed to Irene today.”

Yerim formed an “o” with her lips. “What is her answer?”

“She said it’s too fast, and she wants to get to know me first.”

“You got dumped.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then why are you happy when you are clearly dumped, unnie?”

Seungwan opened her eyes. “She didn’t dump me. She said she wants to know me first, which means I still have at least four months to make her like me.”

“That’s hard.”

Yerim, you’re realistic is seriously testing me tonight. Seungwan gritted.

“You just have to be optimistic about it.” She ended up replying.

“You’re a pessimistic person, unnie.” Yerim pointed out.

That was true. Seungwan never had much optimism with love. After all her love mishaps during middle school and a striking ‘puppy love’ during her childhood, she almost gave up on it.

“But I decided to be optimistic this time. Besides…” Seungwan trailed off as she got reminded of Joohyun’s bright smi