Year 2020, At a backseat of a BMW car in the streets of Seoul, Korea

I, Jung Soojung, is beaten. Besides the fact that I am still getting over my Jet Lag I was about to enter another awkward situation. A situation where I will be the only one amongst my best girlfriends to be loveless and alone.

How do I know that?

The call from Suzy last night was obviously an “I am happy and in love, something big will happen type of call. So as I was trying to ignore the pounding headache I was experiencing as well as trying to make my heart stop pounding nervously.

“!” I swore loudly. “ ty love!”

Yes…….I have become pessimistic towards love. Although I love the idea of it and I get butterflies in my stomach whenever I watch a romantic flick. It just seems like love is not meant for me and yet here I am still looking for it.

I seem to always be caught in an intersection where I have to choose the path. Even though I already set my mind in one thing or path that same path seem to still suddenly end up in another intersection. Yet, most of the time I am walking on a straight path but the person I am with suddenly wants to take a U-turn without me.

“Yes!” I spoke loudly again. “I am a fool who falls in love with the wrong person all the time.”

I should stop talking to myself since my driver is giving me suspicious looks from the rearview mirror. I have officially gone mental. An audible frustrated sigh came out of my lips. In my peripheral vision I saw a pharmacy.

So I had to yet again shout “Stop!” Surprising the driver who hit on the breaks immediately. “Let’s stop at that pharmacy I need an aspirin to cure my head.      ` I handed him money. Batting my lashes. “Can you buy me two aspirins please? My head is throbbing really bad…please.” When I saw the driver dropping his smile that he was about to return to me after smiling at him. “Pretty please?” I tried again.

Grabbing the money from my hand he immediately left me in my car. “Well at least his still of some use.” I muttered to myself.

Closing my eyes the faces of both of my best friends came flashing in my head. Boy, was I glad I met both of them!

Since, Suzy was my source of positive outlook in life. She seems to see the world painted in a lot of bright colors unlike me who sees it in a darker shade. While, Jin ri or who we like to call Sulli is my source of calmness. She stays calm in any given situation even though Suzy will be freaking out as well….but not as bad as how I freak out and over analyze things. The tall, gorgeous woman stays calm and collected.

Winter Year 2006, In the basketball court of a School Bldg. Seoul, Korea

As I entered the chaotic basketball court of the School hand in hand with my newly acquired step father I was nervously looking around the whole area. I found kids actively running around the court as they were sweating intensely.

My first day of school just happen to be the last day of the week which happens to be the day for physical education. How absurdly convenient for me since seriously I hate anything that will make me sweat. But as I was stumbling towards the center of the entire court I saw two girls running past me. They seem to be unaffected by the chaos around them. Since the taller one was calmly running light as a feather past me. While the other girl with her ever smiling face and bright eyes immediately noticed my existence and slightly bowed at me.

Blowing on the whistle loudly my step father got everyone’s attention. “Yah yah yah! I need everyone’s attention.” He shouted at the top of his lungs. “I would like to introduce my daughter to you. This is Jung Soojung, she’s from Canada and she will be studying with your guys from now on.”

“When did Coach Jung marry? I never heard he even had a daughter.” I heard someone mumbled behind me.

“I hope you will take good care of her and make her feel welcome.” My step father continued. He looked at me smiling shyly as he signaled to me to say something.

Clearing my throat I spoke “Please call me Krystal instead. Please take care of me.” I bowed and lifted my head seeing everyone turning their backs and going back to what they were doing. I suppose they did not hear me.

“Hi Krystal!.” I heard someone say. Turning my head to the direction of the voice I found the smiling girl looking at me along with her tall friend that was right beside her. They both went near me and extended their arms.

“I’m Bae Suzy.” “I’m Choi Sulli.” They said together. Grabbing both of their hands I shook it. Staring at both of my hands interlinked with theirs I felt happy for the first time that my mom and I moved back to Korea.

We came back because of the mere fact that my mom was unhappily divorced for two years already and somehow she got reconnected with her first love through a friend. Her first love was Mr. Jung who I still feel uncomfortable to call my father since they have been married for only two months. And in those two months my life had completely changed.

My mother was a career driven woman she quit her job as a managerial director in one of the biggest company in Canada. She sold her shares and invested in buying properties in the U.S to have rented out as our source of income. She left and did all of that for her first love Mr. Jung. A very simple nice man who is the overall physical education teacher for a prestigious private school in Korea.

At that time I could not understand why she did that because living simply was never my style. But here we were trying to lower our standards of living to maintain a low profile life in the land where I supposedly came from.

My mom became the usual stay at home housewife who cooks, cleans and wait for us. She seemed to be very happy with what she was doing so might as well be happy for her. As I stood there in an intersection and found both hands extended to me. I had no other choice but to willingly make that turn in my life and accept that change. I shook both of their hands and smiled at both of my new found friends.

Summer 2009, In a driveway of a beach house in Busan, Korea

We were all staring at the loveliest white Villa in front of us with our mouths wide open. My mom and dad (Yes I call Mr. Jung dad now) had happily agreed for me to go on a trip with Suzy’s and Sulli’s family for a week vacation. They were in fact too eager to get me out of the house because even after three years my parents seem to be still in their honeymoon stage.

“I can’t believe we will be staying here all together for a week!” I exclaimed happily in between Suzy and Sulli as I held both of their hands. “I think I’ve finally found my dream home! All I need to find is the boy who owns this exact dream home. Who did you say this belongs to?”

“Best Friends family.” Suzy responded

Frowning I looked at her. “I thought we were your best friends?”

“You are!” Suzy said without hesitation. “This best friend is my childhood friend and his a boy so it makes a lot of difference.”

“So who is more special, us or him?” I asked curiously

Smiling jubilantly. “Of course you’re more special. Girls are way better than boys. You guys understand me more. In fact I have not talked to this friend of mine for almost five years.” Suzy disclosed to us lifting my spirits even more.

I hugged Suzy immediately and pulling in Sulli also to join our embrace. We only got out of the embrace when we heard Suzy’s mom shouting. “Li Xi Ya! I missed you dearly.” Running up the steps this beautiful Chinese woman met Mrs. Bae halfway for a hug.

“Looks like she’s your mom’s best f