Mornings. I don't mind 'em, honestly. It's a new day to experience! Awesome! And, it's even better because I'm on school break! Daebak!

 

        Park Hee Ra tapped her fingers along to the beat of "Nature Boy" by her favorite actor and prince-in-disguise, Jang Keun Suk. She woke with a large, somewhat goofy smile on her face. She imagined Keun Suk was holding her hand and singing sweetly, and with that thought she stood up and made her bed. She turned up the volume on her music alarm and sang along with his sweet voice.

 

"Look at my style closely

I won’t imitate anyone because I’m an originator

Break it away

Break it away

Break it away

 

"(Everybody one step) to this rhythm

(Everybody two step) Let yourself go

eh-oh eh-oh

Break your rules

 

"(Everybody one step) the air of freedom

(Everybody two step) when you breathe

Take your freedom

 

"Dance

Nature boy, nature boy, Oh…

Nature boy, nature boy, Oh…

It’s the best to be yourself, so fantastic

Follow me right away, Oh!

Say doom doom doom doom doom doom doom"

 

        Her mother poked her head in the door. Hee Ra stopped singing and waved good morning to her mother.

 

        "Good morning, my sweet songbird," she said. "Would you mind turning that down a bit? Oppa is still asleep."

 

        "Ne, omonim," bowed Hee Ra. She turned down the alarm and gave a small, apologetic smile.

 

        She happily skipped over to her mother and bowed her head. Umma cupped her face and pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. Hee Ra smiled and hugged her in return. Umma turned and left, probably to check on Oppa.

 

        Hee Ra waited until Umma shut the door, then began to dance and sing quietly to the rest of the song. She spun around, bounced on her toes to the beat, and did every other dance move she knew wouldn't shake the floors too terribly. She was genuinely having fun, even though she wasn't the best dancer. So? Singing was her focus and she could always train to dance later if that's what she wanted to do.

 

        "Nature Boy" ended, and she found herself quickly replaying it. She flopped back on her bed and checked her Instagram feed on her iPod Touch. Nothing. She shrugged happily and opened Tap Tap Revenge 4. She paused "Nature Boy" with much reluctance. When the game loaded, she scrolled through her downloaded songs. She sighed, settling on "Sugar Rush" by AKB48. She really didn't mind the song, but she hadn't purchased any BIGBANG or 2NE1 songs.

 

        "Hmm," she tapped her chin. "Hard mode? Or Extreme? I'm feeling adventurous. Extreme it is!"

 

        Hee Ra steeled her nerves and tapped on the Extreme option. She whimpered a little.

 

        "Oh, this isn't too b- I SPOKE TOO SOON!" she half-screamed, half-whispered.

 

        She tried to follow the beat and the circles, but she was still freaking out. Her breathing became short and she went a little cross-eyed. hung open pathetically, thumbs flying over the touch screen but she was still too slow somehow. The game ended after several more excruciating minutes and her iPod attacked her face.

 

        "Ow!" she said slowly, sitting up and rubbing her nose. She hadn't mean to drop the iPod, but she was overwhelmed. Her score took her by surprise: ninety-seven percent tap accuracy and 524,087 xp points. 

 

        "Omo~!" she exclaimed. "I did better than I thought. I'd better go get dressed, huh?"

 

        If she had her way, she would wear her pjs all day, every day. But, that would get boring after a while. Hee Ra loved clothes. She would wear pretty skirts and dresses and blouses one day, and oversized t-shirts, dark hoodies, and basketball shorts the next. She had several pairs of wedge boots and stilettos, but just as many pairs of sneakers. She could be a princess like Lee Hi, or look like Team H or BIGBANG. She skipped across the hall to the bathroom, but Oppa waddled in front of her.

 

        He rubbed some sleep from his large, round eyes. "'Morning," he slurred sleepily. "Something's wrong with the water. Won't turn on no matter how much you beg. Umma went to the phone to find the problem."

 

        Hee Ra smiled and ruffled his already disheveled dark hair. "Thank you, jagiya," she said, "now go back to bed, please."

 

        Oppa nodded. "Got any water? I'm thirsty."

 

        Hee Ra kissed his pillow-marked cheek. "I will bring you some water, oppa."

 

        She pulled a cup from the cabinet and poured some water from the water jug on the floor by the refrigerator. She poured a cup for herself and a third for Umma. She took the cups to Oppa and her mother, then took her own back to her room. She checked her Instagram again, and she saw that her best friend had liked her brother's selca on her account. Hee Ra rolled her eyes at the caption. "People say I look like Lee Chaerin but whatever," it read. He was doing CL's signature selca pout, but it looked stupid on him.

 

        An idea popped into her head. "Maybe Chingu will ask her parents if we can come over and use their bathroom," she said to one in particular. "They probably weren't affected by this."

 

        "Oh, would you do that?" Umma asked through the door.

 

        "Umma!" Hee Ra cried. "You've startled me. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I asked."

 

        "Would you, baby?"

 

        "Of course! I'll call her right now." Hee Ra picked up her phone and unplugged it from the charger. She scrolled through her contacts and tapped on her friend's name.

 

        Chingu picked up the phone after the first ring. "Yoboseyo?"

she asked.

 

        "Chingu!" Hee Ra said loudly. "Oh! I must be a little quieter. Oppa's still sleeping."

 

        "How are you?" Chingu asked. "Yes; do not wake him up."

 

        "He's probably just lying on his back and staring at the ceiling like the lazy person he is."

 

        Chingu laughed heartily. "Is his hair still that weird shade of red? And the lip piercing is still there?"

 

        Hee Ra rolled her eyes and nodded. "I can hear you rolling your eyes almost!" her best friend commented.

 

        "I have a favor to ask. Can you ask your parents if it's all right for us to use your bathroom? A water main broke over here."

 

        "I'm sure it's fine! Yeah, I'll ask. I hope it's fixed soon!"

 

        "So do I! I still need to wash that paint or whatever out of my hair." She laughed, remembering the small, busted bottle of red acrylic paint falling on her head from a shelf in the art room. Funny it was the last day of school before winter break. That was all anyone would remember, she realized.

 

        "You didn't get it all out after school!" Chingu exclaimed.

 

        "I tried! I had all of these red flecks on my pillow and slipcover when I woke up this morning. It was terrifying, but I figured it out quickly."

 

        "Yeah. Omonim! Can Hee Ra and her family come over here and use our shower? Water main broke."

 

        Hee Ra flinched. Chingu hadn't covered the receiver well enough and was yelling in her ear. "My appa says you can come over. Make sure to bring an outfit!"

 

        "Yes, ma'am," joked Hee Ra.

 

        "All right," Chingu said before hanging up.

 

        Hee Ra plugged her phone back on the charger out of force of habit. It was fully charged; what was she doing that for? She picked out a hot pink sweater that read GEEK across the front, vertically-striped black and white leggings, black Vans with a small, hidden wedge heel, turquoise bead bracelet with a silver cross, and gold angel wing earrings, and folded and placed them neatly in her backpack. She saw her red and black Coup De'tat mask lying on her desk and put it on. She folded the outfit neatly and put it into her trusty tote bag that read, "Everything is a good idea at 2 AM."

 

        She grabbed her phone and earbuds and her change of clothes. She stuck on her black puffy coat and sat on the hardwood floor by the door.

 

        Oppa shuffled down the hall and into the living room and put on his coat. "Why are you sitting on the floor like that?" he asked, the sleep fading from his voice.

 

        "No reason, Oppa!" Hee Ra smiled.

 

        He nodded and zipped his sky blue winter coat and put on a pair of socks. He crawled across the floor and sat next to her, curling up and laying his head on her lap. She laughed as he pulled a cute face and did a few motions of Gwiyomi.

 

        "You know, Oppa," she said, "you are really funny. You make me feel like I have a dongsaeng sometimes. Saranghaeyo!"

 

        He stared up at her and genuinely laughed with no expression. "Love you too, Hee Ra!"

 

        "We'd better get going, yes?" Umma stated rather than asked.

 

        "Ne, Omonim!" the twins said, jumping up and standing feet together and hands at their sides. "We will walk to Chingu's house to get ready for the day!"

 

        The twins grabbed their shoes and waited for Umma to lock the door after herself. The three sat on the top step to put on their shoes and they began walking to Chingu's house, Umma in front and Oppa and Hee Ra a little behind her, arms linked together.

 

        "Snow," Oppa said breathlessly. "I love snow."

 

        Umma smiled and Hee Ra couldn't help but giggle and pinch his cheek. "Aigoo! Why do you always baby me?" he whined.

 

        "I had my children in the wrong birth order, I see," said Umma jokingly.

 

        "I suppose!" Hee Ra smiled.

 

        "Ya! Park Hee Ra-ah!" Her mother had stopped walking and was scanning her from head to toe. "How can you do this? You insane girl! It is below freezing; how are you wearing shorts and a fall jacket at a time like this? And we have to walk far!"

 

        She was. Those offending pink basketball shorts, black knee-high socks, green, blue, and white striped long-sleeved shirt, and black puffy coat weren't practical, but it was what she'd worn to bed. It didn't make much sense to change before actually getting dressed, she reasoned. Her reasoning wasn't all too valid at this point it seemed. Her mother was glaring softly at her, concerned but demanding an answer.

 

        "I'm not cold," she said stupidly. Oppa burst out laughing but quickly clamped his free hand over his mouth.

 

        Umma pursed her lips. "Fine," she said. "But please pay attention. There are big dirty puddles on the ground and they have a chance to freeze over. I wouldn't want any of us to have  a more unpleasant morning." She started walking and her two little ducks followed her happily.

 

        Hee Ra heard a small plop! into a puddle next to her. She let go of Oppa's arm. "Pabo yah!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

 

        "I think I dropped a button," she said, kneeling onto the cold, hard ground. "You go on ahead."

 

        "Catch up with us quickly, arraseo?"

 

        "Yeah." His footsteps sounded over the thin layer of ice and snow. Hee Ra gulped and stuck her uncovered hand into the puddle. "This would have been that water I used to wash that paint out of my hair," she said ruefully. She shrugged, trying to see her missing button. This hole had to be a good four inches deep! A pothole, no doubt.

 

        "Come on, Hee Ra!" Umma shouted. "It's cold!" How did they get so far away? They looked like they were a hundred feet ahead!

 

        After some more moments of fishing, her hand emerged triumphantly, the troublesome little BIGBANG pin in her hand. "Hello, darling," she whispered to it, drying it on the hem of her shirt. "I would have been sad to have lost you. Hop into my bag now!"

 

        She dropped the pin into her bag and stood up, running to meet her family. "Wait for- AAAAAHHHHH!"

 

        Park Hee Ra stepped on one of those frozen puddles. Park Hee Ra lost her footing on that puddle. Park Hee Ra faintly heard her mother scream. Park Hee Ra fell on her back and hit her head on the ground. Park Hee Ra had the wind knocked from her lungs. Park Hee Ra's last image was that of her Oppa standing over her with a panicked, frantic expression.

 

        Park Hee Ra saw black.