“Sulli?” I called. I checked her room, the kitchen, the backyard.

“Sulli!” But the whole house was empty. I had wanted to tell her about the awful guy whose house took over our old barn. But she wasn’t home.

Fine, I thought. I set about straightening things up. Washing the dishes, and then sweeping the floor, and when all was done, I went to go wash up myself. After a shower, I realized that I ran out of things to do, and sat restlessly with a book in my lap that I was only pretending to read.

I tried not to think about my strange encounter with that rude, sarcastic person. I tried not to remember the last look I got of him, of his hard frown as he stared at his own house in my place.

But it was no use. I couldn’t shake the image from my mind. So I decided to stretch out on the couch, close my eyes, and hope that sleep will help me forget.

***

I woke up to the light clink of Sulli’s keyring. And by the sound of it, I noticed right away that Sulli seemed to be rushing around the house. In a frenzy, I heard her grab a glass from the cupboard, draw some water, pull back a chair at the dining table, and have a seat. Then, I heard the soft tones of her phone as she tapped away at it.

“Sulli? Is that you?” I asked unnecessarily. I had let my eyes fall closed again, and let the crook of my elbow drape across them.

But at my voice, Sulli suddenly bolted up, her chair scraping backwards. Then, she ambled to my side, and kneeled next to where I lay on the sofa.

“Unni?” she called softly.

I finally opened my eyes to look at her. She looked wide-eyed and… excited? A coy smile played on her lips.

“Sulli? …What is it?”

“Unni. You’ll never guess what happened.” There was a definite twinkle in her eyes, and her cheeks pinked up a little. “I… I met someone.”

“Someone? Who?”

Her face flushed even more. “Someone… like… a boy.”

I frowned in surprise. Truthfully, this was a moment I had expected all my life. But now that it had arrived, I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to respond. Slowly, I sat up to face her. She took the seat beside me, waiting for me to say something.

“Uh… wow. A…boy?”

She nodded furiously, beaming. “Neh! Oh my gosh, Unni, it was so magical!”

And then I braced myself for her story, hoping that by its end, I can truly show her more excitement than I felt.

~

She told the whole story in breathless enthusiasm. And regardless of my inner warring emotions, seeing her happy made me smile too. I remembered how glad I was that we were sisters who actually got along well enough to confide in each other.

When she finished, she was grinning from ear to ear, waiting for my response.

I shifted a bit in my seat. “So… you met at the grocery store?”

“Neh! The one right in town. Where Omma always goes to.”

“And… you were picking up just a few things, and was about to pay. But you weren’t looking, and neither was he, and you bumped carts trying to get in the same line?”

“Yes! Can you imagine, Unni? I had only, like, four things! If I didn’t get a cart, though, I might never have bumped into him! We might never have met!”

“And… so he let you go first, and you struck up a conversation from there?”

“Yes! Unni, it turns out that he moved here only three or so years ago. He lives with his brother. And he’s so amazing! Very handsome… he has a sharp nose and a really cute smile. And he’s a singer! Can you believe it? When he’s not working, he has a band!”

“That’s…wow. Actually that is pretty cool,” I said. I really did always have a thing for singers. “What’s his name?”

“Woohyun.” Just by saying it, Sulli’s cheeks grew bright red once again. She lowered her voice, as if spilling a secret. “His name is Woohyun. And I’m scheduled to meet with him tomorrow night.”

“Wow… That’s good, Sulli!” I said. “I’m happy for you. Really!...”

“Chincha?? Aww, thank you, Unni!” she shrieked, pulling me into a hug. “You’re the best! I can’t wait for you to meet him!”

I smiled weakly and hugged her back, glad that she wasn’t able to read the strain in my face.

I mean, it was true. I really was happy for her. But I couldn’t shoo away the impending question of why my little sister found someone before me. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t about to let my envy ruin the situation. I’m not the jealous type that would try to take away from my sister’s moment of happiness. But I did wonder if one day, I would be able to share news like this with her too. If I would be this happy, as I told her my goofy story of how we first met.

One day, I thought to myself. But even in my head, it had more of a doubtful tone than a ringing hopefulness.

--

INFINITE IS FREAKING COMING TO SAN JOSE ON MY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND. I THINK I MIGHT DIE.

But also, I don't have KPop friends in the area. Nervous to be going alone... BUT AS IF THAT WOULD STOP ME KYAAA!!!!!!!