Click.

Click.

The soft sound of the camera shutter makes as it snaps a photo.

Click.

The day was exceptionally beautiful; few clouds, bright blue skies and a friendly kiss of yellow sun, it was near perfect. Perfect weather to be outdoors. Perfect for taking photos. And here comes the star of the hour.

Mr. Squirrel climbs down from the tree; it stops to stare at the black lens pointing at it. After its curiosity lapses and its caution fades, Mr. Squirrel proceeds to the acorn.

Click.

Photography isn’t an art. Photography is a science, and if it’s a science then the girl behind the lens is a world class scientist. She would be the physicist who proved the string theory, she would have a Ph.D in Most Awesome Photos. Well, at least that’s what she thought to herself.

Click.

She could do this all day.

Click. Nothing could pry her away.

Click. Nothing...

Buzzzz.

The girl looks at her phone. Well, almost nothing. The text message was overly simple but very precise and clear. No other details are necessary to spark such a reaction.

“Food. Homemade. Yummy. 30 minutes.”

The scientist will have to retired for today, food trumps science. The girl packs away her camera, lightmeter and other equipment into her padded backpack and makes her way out of the park. A slight skip and hop is visible in her step, the excitement of a meal shows as she makes her departure.

*************************

Best Buy seems to have the uncanny propensity to disappoint. She was thoroughly excited to be out in hopes of rewarding herself with a video game. In despite of its large selection of modern videos, games and electronics the store did not; in fact have what she was looking for.

The tiny girl made her way to GameStop; surely they would have it. It was expected of such a place. Although, girls as pretty as her rarely make appearances at a video game store let alone by themselves.

One would assume she was getting a gift for a boyfriend, friend, or relative. It’s not commonplace that a girl is there shopping for herself, but it would appear that the girl was a bit of a gamer.

Her friends called her the Tetris champion as she beat the game twice, on her DS and Brain Age was child’s play for her. The girl did have some secretive gaming hobby in her. At check out the clerk asked if she would like to pre-order anything, she took a moment and scanned the board and answered in her polite yet cute manner, answered, “No thank you, not today.”

She took the bag and retreated to the parking lot to her Mini Cooper S. The buzz of her cellphone warranted a pause before entering the vehicle.

“Very big box came for you today. Errr Boxes... Bring food please.”

Heh. She smirked with the curve of her lips and proceeded off in her car.

***************

“I’m home, I’m here, I’m home. Food! Where’s the food?!” The pretty photographer exclaims coming through the door and rushing to her room to set her things down.

“Just in time Hyomin. It just came out of the oven not to long ago.” proclaimed Soyeon, as she brought the dish to the dining table. “Hurry, Hurry”

“Is it safe to eat?” “Jiyeon asked with a puzzled look of concern and uncertainty affixed on her face.

“Hey! Next time you cook then huh? Asking me if it’s safe to eat,” Soyeon quickly remarked. “Hyomin hurry up.”

Hyomin came out to the table, smiling and looking ever so delighted by the sight and smell of the food.

“Thank you unnie for cooking for us” Hyomin cheerfully adds in Korean as Soyeon cuts a slice and serves Jiyeon and then Hyomin. Lasagna, yum. Soyeon has been working and cooking for the household for some time now. She took the responsibility to take care of the other, younger girls to herself. Soyeon was the oldest and had already graduated from school and was to start working soon.

“Soyeon, it’s really good, did you really make it?” Jiyeon asked

“Of course, that’s why it’s so good! I did everything they said. It’s Rachael Ray, you don’t get any more American than that” Soyeon responds.

“I like it, food is good. We eat Rachael Ray a lot too” Hyomin adds while helping herself to another serving.

No matter how much she ate, she was never really full, but that changed a bit when she moved to America for school. There was something about the food here that made her get full faster. They all came from Korea, going to school in the States seemed like a welcome challenge and their financial situation allowed them the opportunity. In Hyomin’s mind, this was a great journey to be had with great friends.

The girls had studied English quite heavily before their departure years back, the language barrier had not been as great as an obstacle as the cultural differences. It was grateful that the 3 came over together to save the burdens of living through the new environment alone.

“Thank you thank you” Hyomin said through the food in , rushed up out of her seat to put away her plate and utensils. Finishing the last bits of pasta in she yelled out “Desktop, desktop. I need the desktop!”

She rushed to her to get her camera and runs back to the desktop computer in the corner of the living room, also known as Soyeon’s ‘“Office”. Each girl had a laptop, but the desktop was the most powerful computer in their ownership and housed the serious software for Hyomin’s shutterbug hobby. Within minutes she was looking through her photos from her adventure at the park. It’s amazing how everyday things found in the park can turn out so pretty. Hyomin would be consumed to the screen for the next hour playing with the photos.

***********************

She came through the door, with bags of Chipotle with the poise of a victor who just saved the entire human race from annihilation from Martians.

“Oh, Chipotle very nice. Very nice Sunny. Boxes in the living room”, said the girl with the dirty blond hair.

“Tiffany, Sunny brought burritos. Hurry up.”

“Yeah!” Tiffany cheered coming out of her room. “Thank you so much Sunny, I’ll get dinner tonight”

“Hey, you said that yesterday too. Which one is chicken?” Jessica adds.

“Jessica’s. Tiffany’s. Mine.” Sunny quipped while passing out the burritos.

They were a happy trio who all enjoyed food. Sunny liked meat and always opted for it when given a chance. Her discovery, or rather her roommates’ introduction to Chioptle was quite the blessing, all that meat stuffed in rice in a big burrito, what a bargain.

After their lunch attention was gathered to the boxes in the living room, where there were 2 big boxes.

“Yah, what did you uncle send you this time?” Jessica asked in Korean.

“Let’s find out!” Sunny responded in English. Sunny’s English had made vast improvements, and she could hide her accent well, but was still no match for Jessica or Tiffany.

“Here, you open it” Tiffany said handing a knife from the kitchen to Sunny.

Cutting open the brown packing paper around the box had reviewed the box’s original packaging underneath.

“Oh Wow!” Sunny screamed. It was a new big screen high definition TV.

The girls’ parents had money which helped fund their home, college and other expenses, however Sunny’s uncle was a different story. He was a rather wealthy man owning several companies including an entertainment company back in Korean. He would lavish Sunny and the girls with gifts from time to time. This particular moment he chose to send them one of the new 3D TVs and a matching stand. It didn’t cost much to him, as he own shares in many of the major electronics companies as well.

“I guess we should set the stand up first huh?” Jessica asks rhetorically.

For the next moments the girls played construction assembling the TV stand. It was considered a fun group project. Well more or less.

“No A to B!!! That’s the wrong piece!”

“Where’s the bolt?! Where did you put it?!”

“Sunny that’s a 9 not 6”

“That’s not how you use a screwdriver!?!”

Forty-five minutes later the stand was assembled and the girls themselves moved the TV onto the stand and hooked their whole entertainment system up themselves. They were feeling awfully proud of themselves.

“I can’t believe people pay people to do this. It was easy.” Tiffany added in self-satisfaction. This remark resulted in Tiffany getting a slight punch from both Sunny and Jessica, they both felt they did more of the burden of work than her.

After connecting the Playstation 3, Sunny pulled out the video game she bought earlier in the day and started up the game.

“What is it this time? ‘Little Big Planet’?” Jessica asks reading the box. “What is it?”

“It’s cute and fun. It’s about seeing the big world as a tiny person,” Sunny answered.

“Of course it would appeal to you, you are a tiny person.” Jessica added with a slight jovial tone and went back to reading her latest Sophie Kinesella novel.

The PlayStation was actually a gift from Jessica and Tiffany,. Sunny had already taken her challenge to the popular games and adventures, she carried Solid Snake through his last mission, she captured ghosts with the Ghostbusters, she rocked out to Rock Band, defeated the Joker as Batman and saved the world countless of other times. Her collection isn’t large or vast. She preferred to purchase video games and personal fun items with her own money from working.

“Hey, Taeyeon called and I’m gonna go out to dinner with her. Wanna join?” Tiffany asks stepping out of her room after prettying herself up.

“Um, no I think you should go yourself. You look like you’re out to impress someone” Jessica said coolly.

“Sunny?”

“Huh? no no no, I just started” Sunny whined in her cute way, which warranted a slight kick from Jessica.

“Okay, I’ll be back later then. Bye guys!” Tiffany said with a wave as she walked out the door. She quickly re-entered through the door. “Sunny! Move your car!”

“You move it! I’m BUSY!”

“Sunny!!!!” Tiffany cried with a slight stomp. “You know I can’t do the shifting thingy in your car!”

“Go figure it out!”

“I’ll ruin your car, want me to do that?! SUNNNNNNNY!”

“ARGH!!! Okay okay okay!” Sunny said in frustration pausing her game and went outside with Tiffany following her out the door. Moments later Sunny returned and locked the door behind her.

“You know, you should really teach Fany how to drive manual,” Jessica said as Sunny returned to the couch.

“I tried, she just fails.” Sunny retort while resumed to moving the little sackman across the screen.

“I learned okay. Not sure what’s wrong with her” Jessica said slightly in an undertone.

“HEY! You could have moved it! Why didn’t you?!” Sunny proclaimed again pausing the game and giving Jessica a slight hit.

“No one asked me. She doesn’t know I can” Jessica played it off.

“Hate you” Sunny said in Korean.

“You too sweetie, you too” she responded coolly as she turned another page.

“Dinner.”

“Huh? Oh, hmm. I’ll order a pizza.” Jessica gets up to the kitchen to call for delivery.

“Meat!!!!”

“Yes, I got it, got it.”

Forty-five minutes later the two shared a meat-lovers pizza.

“Thank you”

“It’s okay, you still hate me right”

“Of course,” Sunny responded with a smile.

“Oh, forget you need to be at the airport early tomorrow.”

“I know I know,” through the mumbles. “I’m gonna take Fany’s car”

Tiffany drove a compact SUV, which seem more suited for a trip to the airport. Sunny was picking someone up tomorrow. The excitement of the new TV and video game caused a short lapse of memory and stole much thunder from the expected arrival of a dear friend. The two watched some variety Korean shows on one of the channels before both retired to their bedrooms. Tiffany came home not shortly after.

*********************

The petite girl was determined to be early. The best way to greet a friend at the airport is to be there waiting for them. Sunny was up before anyone else, spending a few moments looking for Tiffany’s keys. Searching for it caused a minor delayed but nothing she couldn’t make up for she thought to herself, until stepping in the seemingly large Audi Q5 (it may be listed as a compact but any vehicle seems rather full-size next to the girl of 5’1) to find the needle nearly on empty. She quietly mumbled to herself some remark, most likely pertaining to Tiffany and drove off looking for a gas station before traveling to the airport located just outside of town.

Her prompt planning enabled her to arrive at the airport before the flight touched down, and now it was just simple matter of going to the correct terminal and parking. All said and done, by her watch she had twenty minutes before her friend’s arrival. In the earlier days, one could simply wait outside the gate to welcome a friend or loved one off the plane. The modern age has its slight dangers and security restricts visitors only to the baggage claim area to welcome their arrivals. Which is fine, but Sunny worried that her particular arriving guest would find difficulties to said baggage claim.

“Lee Soonkyu!”

Sunny shuddered to hear her real name called out and looked to find the owner of the whiny voice, and there she was just coming down the escalator. She came down in haste to hug her unnie.

“Hyunah you made it. So good to see you again” Sunny said in Korean.

Kim Hyunah was younger than Sunny by nearly 3 years and had never spent substantial time in the United States. Things were different now, the girl who towered nearly four inches over Sunny had obtained a student visa and would be starting her freshmen year of college at the same school as Sunny, Jessica and Tiffany.

The two made their way over to the baggage carousel hand in hand waiting for flashing lights and the luggage to come out.