So High 08:2

~ Dinner Dates ~

 

 

They made their way to the beach house hand in hand. Jessica carried the bottle of wine that she and Sunny had picked out with the help of the sales girl. Jessica giggled a little as she recalled that moment…

 

---

 

She had approached a friendly looking girl for some advice on a suitable wine to pick. The girl was zealous and touchy. She touched her arm several times in the course of introducing a few wines and even made her laugh a few times. Sunny wasn’t too pleased however. She glared at the sales girl and slipped her arm around Jessica’s waist possessively, slipping her hand into Jessica’s jeans’ back pocket. Jessica blushed at Sunny’s move and tried to remove the warmth from her but Sunny kept her hand in her back pocket the entire time. The sales girl seemed to get the hint and politely excused herself to serve another customer.

 

‘We’ll just pick this one.’ Sunny pointed at the bottle that she thought looked the prettiest. Jessica nodded and bought the bottle that Sunny had chosen. They left the bottle shop and it was only then that Sunny removed her hand and walked away from Jessica.

 

Jessica didn’t get it at first. What’s wrong with Sunny?

 

Then she got it. And she found it amusing. Is Sunny jealous?

 

She caught up with the petite girl and slipped her hand into her back pocket, mimicking Sunny’s move from before. Sunny ignored her and walked faster.

 

‘What can I do to pacify my jealous bunny?’ Jessica wondered out loud on purpose. A couple of passerby looked at her strangely but she ignored them completely. Sunny however, turned back immediately.

 

‘I’m not your bunny.’ She pouted. ‘I’m not jealous.’

 

Jessica laughed at her pout which she thought was adorable. ‘You are my bunny and you are jealous just because I laughed along with that sales girl!’

 

‘Not only that – she was touching your hand every time she passed you a bottle to look at!’ Sunny retorted, only to realise too late that she had contradicted her own claim of not being jealous.

 

Jessica laughed even harder and caressed Sunny’s cheek with her hand. ‘Would a kiss make my bunny less jealous?’

 

Sunny pretended to scoff but she couldn’t stop herself from nodding. Jessica giggled and leaned in for a kiss. Her lips closed in on the soft, luscious ones that were waiting. Then they parted, smiling like two big dorks in love. Oh wait. They were two big dorks in love.

 

---

 

Jessica pressed the doorbell. There was a wall surrounding the house. They heard a click and took it as a signal to push the gate open. It swung open easily and they stepped into the premises of the house. There was a beautiful garden with beautiful flowers. A pretty woman was waiting for them in the garden. She smiled and welcomed them with open arms.

 

‘Welcome to my home. I’m so glad to see the two of you again. I don’t know why but I just find the two of you so adorable. Haha… And you…’ She pointed at Jessica. ‘You really remind me of myself once upon a time. Well… I’m glad you both could make it. And… another girl will be joining us. She’s about your age too.’

 

Jessica nodded and smiled. ‘Thanks for inviting us Juhyun shi. We really want to thank you for helping us get together. If I hadn’t taken your advice… I don’t think I will be so happy today. Here’s a little something from the two of us.’ She handed the bottle of wine over to the woman.

 

‘Please… don’t be so formal. You can call me Juhyun unnie. Just don’t call me ajumma.’ Juhyun joked.

 

Jessica and Sunny giggled. ‘Juhyun unnie!’ They chorused.

 

Juhyun laughed at their exuberance. ‘Come on in.. It’s getting cold out here.’

 

 

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

 

 

They sat around the dinner table, chatting comfortably about life in general. Juhyun learnt that they were in fact the same age as her guest and that they were even in the same high school as she was. What a small world.

 

‘My guest today also attends So Nyuh High!’

 

‘Really? What a coincidence! Is she in the same year as us?’ Sunny asked curiously.

 

‘Yes. You are all of the same age. Her name is –‘

 

DING DONG.

 

The doorbell interrupted Juhyun as she was about to tell them her guest’s name.

 

‘Excuse me. That must be her.’ Juhyun pressed the button to unlock the gate and stepped out of the house into the garden to receive her guest. She gave the petite girl a big, warm hug and ushered her into the house with a wide smile on her face.

 

‘Girl, meet Taeyeon. Taeyeon… this is Jessica and Sunny… they are from your school! Do you know them?’

 

The three girls gaped at each other. Woah. This was just too much. Taeyeon wasn’t prepared to see them. She had prepped herself for school but she hadn’t prepped herself for this. Her heart thumped as she saw Jessica’s arm hanging around Sunny’s shoulder and Sunny’s hand resting comfortably on Jessica’s thigh. She swallowed the huge lump that had formed in and stood rooted to the ground.

 

Jessica took her arm off Sunny’s shoulder when she saw the look on Taeyeon’s face.

 

Taeyeon blinked and clenched her fists for a split second. Then she smiled and turned to Juhyun. ‘Juhyun unnie… I know them. They are my very good friends.’

 

Juhyun too had sensed something amiss with Taeyeon. She was a keen observer and pretty much nothing slipped past her razor sharp eyes. She noticed the rapid, drastic change in the atmosphere when the three girls met. There was something going on here but this wasn’t the time to find out so she smiled.

 

‘Why that’s a nice surprise. Since we all know each other… we can skip the small talk.’

 

She led Taeyeon to the table and sat her down. ‘You girls can chat while I serve dinner.’

 

Jessica stood up immediately and followed the woman. ‘Let me help you.’

 

Juhyun smiled at her and nodded.

 

Sunny and Taeyeon smiled awkwardly at each other.

 

Taeyeon spoke first. ‘It’s such a coincidence isn’t it? Haha… Juhyun unnie is the one who got talent spotted me and helped me a lot with the other things.’

 

‘Sica told me about your contract offer. I’m very happy for you Taeyeon.’

 

Taeyeon. It’s not Taeyeonie anymore…

 

Can she keep on calling me Taeyeonie? Sigh… I guess not.

 

It’s time to move on Taeyeon ah.

 

‘Thanks Sunny.’ Taeyeon smiled warmly at the girl who was once hers to hug and kiss. This lack of intimacy would take some getting used to. She still had slight urges to hold her hand and hug her like she used to.

 

Juhyun and Jessica returned with steaming hot dishes on trays.

 

‘Wow! Juhyun unnie… did you cook all of these by yourself?’ Sunny was in awe.

 

‘Haha… this isn’t much. You’ll be able to cook like this when you become a mother. Speaking of which… I need to wake my son up. Please excuse me for a moment.’

 

She disappeared into a room and returned with a sleepy looking little boy.

 

‘Say hi to your unnies… Do you still remember Jessica unnie?’

 

Her son nodded sleepily. Jessica smiled sweetly at him.

 

Juhyun smiled at her guests. ‘Well, let’s eat. Tuck in everyone.’

 

And so they did.

 

 

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

 

 

After dinner, they sat down on the couches enjoying the fruits that Juhyun had cut for them.

 

‘Your father must be Lee Soo Young shi then!’ Juhyun gasped in surprise.

 

Sunny stared at her and nodded. ‘How did you know?’

 

‘Haha… there aren’t that many major production companies that do musicals you know. And I’m a musical actress myself so I am familiar with all the different companies. Soo Young shi and I go back a long way. He helped me a lot when I first started out. He’s like my mentor.’

 

‘This world is getting smaller and smaller.’ Sunny joked.

 

Juhyun smiled warmly at Sunny. ‘If you need any help in future, you can come to me. Especially since you’re interested in running a production company like your father. I’m no longer the rookie kid. Wow… it’s so exciting… to think that I can help my mentor’s daughter with her dreams. This is such a good way to pay back your father’s kindness to me.’

 

‘I shall thank you in advance then.’

 

‘You’re welcome Sunny. And who knows… one day… Taeyeon might just be a cast in a musical produced by your company. Imagine that.’

 

Sunny nodded slowly. Yeah… imagine that…

 

 

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

 

 

The dinner ended on a pleasant note and Juhyun waved goodbye to her guests. Jessica turned to Taeyeon.

 

‘Need a ride home?’

 

Taeyeon shook her head. ‘I have my scooter.’

 

‘We’ll see you back in school then. Bye Taeyeon ah.’

 

‘Bye Sica. Bye Sunny.’

 

She watched as Jessica and Sunny got into Jessica’s chauffeured car. She waved till the car disappeared from sight before dropping her arm listlessly.

 

‘How long is it going to take me to get used to this?’ She murmured to herself as she got onto the scooter and drove home as well.

 

 

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

 

 

‘Welcome back Yuri and Yoona. Two plates of escargot as usual?’

 

‘Yes please. And throw in a bottle of sparkling juice while you’re at it Taewoo oppa.’ The tall man who had gotten to know the two girls through their frequent visits to his restaurant smiled and nodded. He winked at Yoona before turning to get their orders done.

 

‘Why did he wink at me?’ Yonna asked, feeling mystified.

 

Yuri stifled a giggle but Yoona noticed. ‘You know what’s going on don’t you? What was that about?’

 

‘I’m not telling. You’ll find out soon enough anyway.’

 

Yoona eyed her suspiciously but Yuri would not give anything away.

 

Taewoo returned with the two plates of escargot and a bucket of ice for the sparkling juice. He winked at Yoona again and even giggled a manly giggle this time. That really got Yoona going.

 

‘Oh my gosh Yuri. Just tell me… the suspense is killing me.’

 

‘Good things are worth the wait and the suspense.’

 

Yoona growled but Yuri wouldn’t say a thing more.

 

Taewoo returned with a rather cute looking bottle of sparkling juice. He opened it and poured it into two wine glasses before putting it in the bucket of ice.

 

‘Enjoy your dinner ladies.’

 

‘Thanks Taewoo oppa.’ Yuri smiled and raised her glass. She took a sip and smacked her lips. ‘Nice and fruity.’

 

Yoona tasted it and liked it. She beamed. ‘This is really nice! I so glad you didn’t order real alcohol Yuri.’

 

The tanned girl grinned sheepishly. ‘Er… I think I’ve learnt my lesson.’

 

Yoona liked the sound of that.

 

They were in the midst of their meal when Yuri suddenly looked as though she had seen a ghost as she locked eyes with the girl who had just walked in. That girl tried to turn to leave but her friend grabbed her, preventing her from running away. Her friend asked her what was wrong and she nodded in Yuri’s direction. Her friend looked and froze. Then she pulled the girl with her and approached Yuri.

 

‘Yuri! What a surprise to see you here. And who is this girl you’re with? A good friend?’

 

Yuri knew that she was fishing for information so she decided to just tell the truth; as awkward it would be for her and the other girl who was now looking at the floor. She stood up.

 

‘Hyuna… this is Yoona, my girlfriend.’ Then she turned to the girl who was determined to bore holes in the ground by staring. ‘Hara? It’s good to see you again.’

 

Yoona stood up, feeling rather uneasy. She was quite sure that Hara was quite upset about something.

 

Yuri turned to Yoona. ‘Yoona… This is Hyuna and that’s Hara. They are my good friends from the US. They are also Sunny’s friends. The four of us are close friends. We were all in the same class – G7.

 

Yoona smiled and extended her hand to Hyuna. Hyuna shook it politely. Hara still hadn’t looked up from the floor yet. Hyuna laughed awkwardly. ‘Hara is quite shy at times. Don’t mind her.’

 

She cleared and looked at Yuri. ‘We need to talk.’ She gesture a triangle consisting of her, Yuri and Hara.

 

Yuri nodded. ‘Tonight, my place. I’ll text you. What’s your number in Korea?’

 

The girls exchanged numbers.

 

Hyuna nodded at Yoona and Yuri. ‘We’ll see you later then. We’re heading to another place to eat. Have fun you two.’

 

Yuri and Yoona sat down again. Yoona was still feeling puzzled by Hara’s strange behavior.

 

‘Is Hara really that shy? I’m certain that she’s quite upset about something.’

 

Yuri looked at Yoona with sad and sorry eyes. She heaved a huge sigh. ‘Yoona ah… this is quite a long story but I suppose I have to tell you now but before that… I want to show you the surprise I had planned for you.’

 

‘What surprise?’ Yoona’s doe-like eyes widened as she watched Yuri pour out all the sparkling juice into the ice bucket. She placed her hand at the opening of the bottle and caught the silvery object that slipped out of the bottle with the liquid.

 

‘Yoona… I saw this and thought that it would look really nice on you.’ Yuri put the bracelet on Yoona’s wrist as the younger girl gaped in surprise. It was a charm bracelet that had the letters I, Y and A as well as heart shapes dangling all around it.

 

‘Yuri ah…’ Yoona’s voice was so soft that Yuri could barely hear it. ‘It’s so beautiful… thank you.’ The younger girl leaned over the table and pecked Yuri’s lips chastely.

 

Yuri grinned like a dork. ‘I’m glad you like it.’

 

‘I love it.’ Yoona murmured. Yuri heard it and grinned even more dorkily than before.

 

‘So what’s the long story that you wanted to tell me? Is it about Hara and Hyuna?’

 

Yuri’s smile slipped when she remembered that she had a story to tell Yoona. It wasn’t going to be easy for her to tell it.

 

‘Yoona… whatever the story makes you feel… please… hear me out… okay?’

 

Yoona looked at Yuri warily. ‘I’m not going to like this story… am I?’

 

Yuri shook her head sadly. ‘No you’re not.’ She sighed.

 

‘Okay… I give you my word. I will hear you out.’ Yoona promised.

 

 

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

 

 

‘I… used to be quite the player when I was in the US.’ Yuri cleared uncomfortably.

 

Yoona cocked an eyebrow but she didn’t react as drastically as Yuri had expected.

 

‘You aren’t angry about that?’ Yuri asked in surprise.

 

‘I sort of guessed it when I saw the way you behaved with Bora. You looked exactly like a player then.’

 

“Oh… well… I suppose I was kind of guilty of flirting too much.’ Yuri’s eyes couldn’t quite meet Yoona’s.

 

‘Yes and that was why I was so angry with you Yuri ah.’

 

‘I’m sorry about that. I really am.’ Yuri looked at Yoona with sorry eyes.

 

‘I know… and that’s why I forgave you.’

 

Yuri sighed. ‘Well… it’s payback time now I guess… I’ve been playing around too much. Hara and I… we had sort of an on-and-off relationship. We didn’t really go out as an exclusive pair like us now. I’d date her sometimes but I would flirt with and date other people too. Now the trouble was that I didn’t know that Hara had a lot more feelings for me than I realised. She had always seemed fine with me dating other people. She dated some others too so I thought she was fine with how our relationship worked, plus we were close friends as well.’

 

Yoona frowned. This sort of behavior did not go down well with her values at all.

 

‘Then one day… Hyuna told me to stop what I was doing to Hara. She told me that Hara was hurting. I talked to Hara and found out that she was in love with me all along. Well… for a while I was shocked. I suppose I wanted to make it up to her or something because I actually agreed to be exclusively committed to her. That was my mistake because I very quickly realised that I did not love her in that way. So I broke it off for good. And then… I got the scholarship and ended up in So Nyuh High… meeting you… and when I least expected it… I fell in love with you… I lost the player in me because of you.’

 

Yuri finished her story and fell silent. She looked at Yoona timidly… fearing the worst.

 

Yoona reached for Yuri’s hand and covered it with hers. ‘I’m not angry with you Yuri. This is your past. I’m glad you shared it with me. I’m glad that you’ve changed so much and you touched my heart when you said that you changed because of me.’

 

She leaned forward and met Yuri’s lips with hers. The two girls moved their lips against each other’s and smiled when they parted.

 

‘I love you Yoona. I know that to be true because of my past relationships. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. You are special to me. I want you… and only you.’ Yuri looked deep into her doe-like chocolate brown eyes and smiled lovingly.

 

Yoona was so touched by Yuri’s declaration that she pulled the older girl in for another long, deep kiss.

 

 

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

 

 

The two girls stepped out of the restaurant into the chilly night. Just before they got into Yuri’s car, Yuri turned to Yoona apologetically. ‘I suppose… Hara turning up here isn’t good news. When I left… I had given her no choice but to accept the breakup. It doesn’t look like she has come to accept it even after so many months later.

 

Yoona ran her fingers through Yuri’s luscious locks of raven-black hair. ‘Don’t worry Yuri ah… I understand. Do what you need to do… I’ll be here waiting for you to come back to me.’

 

Yuri felt so relieved to hear Yoona’s reassuring words that she let out a whoop of joy, startling some pedestrians who were passing them by.

 

Yoona laughed at her dorkiness and slapped her arm. ‘Ya… behave yourself… people are staring at us now.’

 

Yuri grinned devilishly. ‘Let them stare. We’re going to make them jealous of us.’

 

‘Huh? Jealous? Of us? How?’

 

Yuri cupped Yoona’s face with both her hands and claimed her lips aggressively. Her lips moved like never before, roving over the younger girl’s soft lips, nudging them open and slipping her tongue into the hot cavern to express how she felt about the beautiful girl who had just relieved her of all her worries. Yoona returned the kiss ardently, catching on to Yuri’s hot and aggressive moves. Their tongues pushed and gave way in turn, dancing the most passionate dance together. The two girls moaned as they felt the desire in their loins being set ablaze.

 

Their half-lidded gaze connected with each other and their eyes shot sparks of love as they silently communicated their love for each other. Yuri gave Yoona one final loving peck on the tip of her nose opening the car door for her. She had to prep herself for a good, long talk through the night with Hyuna and Hara.

 

 

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

 

 

Yuri called Sunny over for some support. She felt unusually vulnerable and she didn’t know why. Now, the four friends were reunited in Yuri’s apartment but they weren’t exactly cheering and toasting to everlasting friendship.

 

Hara kept her eyes on the floor but the other three girls knew that she was tearing. Hyuna was determined to fix Hara’s heartbreak.

 

‘Hara needs you Yuri. She needs you in her life.’

 

Yuri remained silent. She looked at Sunny, pleading her to speak up for her.

 

‘Hyuna ah… why don’t we let Yuri and Hara work it out on their own? Only the two of them can work out what is best for them.’ Sunny turned to Hara and gave her a warm hug. ‘Haragoo… you’re a strong girl right? I know that you can handle this… right? I can understand your pain… I went through something similar only recently but really… it’s not the end of the world… there will always be something better waiting for you somewhere.’ Sunny cupped Hara’s face in her hands and wiped the falling tears gently with her thumbs. ‘The Hara I know is a brave girl who can get through difficult times. Are you still that Hara I know?’

 

The younger girl nodded and sniffed. ‘Sunny unnie… I will be brave.’ She tried to smile through her tears at the older girl.

 

Sunny smiled encouragingly and patted her head affectionately. ‘That’s great. I’ll head to get some late night snacks for the four of us. Hyuna ya… come with me.’

 

She turned to Yuri and smiled encouragingly. ‘You have a good talk… alright?’

 

Yuri smiled gratefully and nodded.

 

Sunny left the apartment with Hyuna and the two former lovers were left alone in the apartment.

 

Yuri took a deep breath and held Hara’s hands in hers.

 

‘Haragoo… I’m really sorry for all the hurt I’ve caused you. You know that I wouldn’t want for you to be hurt right?’

 

Hara blinked her tears away and nodded.

 

‘I’m very sorry for treating you that way. I should never have done that… especially to you.. my close friend.’

 

‘Yuri ah… I know that you have a girlfriend now… but I have one last request.’

 

‘What is it?’

 

‘One last date and one last kiss.’

 

Yuri was shocked into silence. She couldn’t do that… it would kill Yoona. She squeezed her eyes shut as she recalled what Yoona had said to her earlier.

 

‘Don’t worry Yuri ah… I understand. Do what you need to do… I’ll be here waiting for you to come back to me.’

 

Do what I need to do…

 

Yuri sighed. If one last date and one last kiss would do it… she would do it… she owed Hara that much.

 

‘Alright. One last date and one last kiss. Hara… I hope that this is the right decision for the both of us.’

 

Hara smiled through her tears and nodded her head. ‘I will find the courage to walk away. I just want our last time to be perfect. I want this to end beautifully.’

 

Yuri understood. ‘You deserve to have the ending that you want. Name the time and place.’

 

 

•°★°••°★°••°★°•