O N E;    

 

 

 

@God: @Ladylike, excited to see me tomorrow?

@Ladylike: @God, puh-leaseee. If you still have any shame in you, please stop.

@God: @Ladylike It's confidence.

@Ladylike: @God Please don't make me puke. Anyway, I need to go to bed now.

@God: @Ladylike, fine. Dream of me!

@Ladylike: @God  I don't fancy nightmares.

@God: @Ladylike, you better not pick me up from the airport tomorrow. I don't know what I might do. Off you go to bed.

@Ladylike: @God  HAHA. I'm very interested in what you might do, considering how 'fit' you are. Nights.

@God: @Ladylike  I'm personally offended. Good night.

@God: @Ladylike  Hey, I miss you.

@God: @Ladylike  A lot.

 

The petite girl clad in her flimsy sleepshirt casted her phone aside with a faint smile tugged at her lips. Tomorrow's the day. The day two best friends reunite. Pulling the woolen blanket up to her neck, she closed her eyes shut as she muttered under her breath, "Me too, Taemin. Me too."

 

 

♦            ♦            ♦

 

 

The lorry that had all the furniture loaded on its back roared into life. There were two families gathering at the yard bidding farewell. Taemin's family was leaving. Taemin was only 7. He couldn't even finish his school life with his one and only best friend, Ji Ae and now he had to leave Korea and start a new life in Japan. Ji Ae was sobbing uncontrollably, her pale yellow handkerchief soaked with her tears. Tears that would like him to stay. 

"This is so unfair. Why do you have to leave too? How is Doraemon that attractive that you have to live in Japan?" she cried.

Taemin chuckled, without a hint of happiness. "It's not about Doramon, silly. My parents decided that it's -"

Taemin's mother turned around from the conversation she had been having with her fellow friends and tapped her young son's shoulders with both hands. She may be the nicest person that Ji Ae had ever met but right now, to the merely 7 year-old Ji Ae, she was like a criminal who has committed every crime on Earth. "We have to go now, son."

Ji Ae's fingers gripped the edge of the sleeve of his sweater firmer to the point where her knuckles had gone bone white. She didn't want to let go of him. Not now. Not ever. Choking on her tears, she could hardly enunciate her words clearly, "If we never say goodbye, we'll never have to leave each other, right?"

He nodded and leaned forward to press his lips against her forehead. "This will be our best friend mark. No one can ever erase it."

"Liar," she finally laughed. "You're definitely going to kiss your girlfriend's forehead in the future. Thought I should remind you how obsessed you are with Kim Tae Hee."

"Not even with Kim Tae Hee. This mark is exclusively reserved for Song Ji Ae and Song Ji Ae only."

 

She felt water splashed onto her face in such a force that it actually hurt. Peeling her eyes open that felt as if they'd been shut for a very long time, she realized it was her brother's - the troublemaker - work. She groaned and wiped the remnants off her face. "Rise and shine, sis!" he jumped across her bed with an empty mug in his hand, as if he was claiming the victory. 

"Rise and shine my ."

"You must dreaming about Taemin again! You are usually a light sleeper but when it comes to Taemin, nothing will ever wake you up."

"Didn't I just wake up?" She frowned as she got up and headed to the bathroom to get ready before setting off to the airport. Just the thought about seeing him again eased the fine lines between her brows. It was their reunion. Their reunion after 10 years of separation. 

Ji Ae's brother, Ji Ho hopped off from the bed to set the mug on the nightstand, the sunlight searing through the window making his hair a golden halo. He naturally had light hair colour, which Ji Ae was absolutely jealous of since her parents didn't allow her to dye her hair. "Date him already. You always dream of him," he said.

It was true. Since he had left Korea, she had been dreaming of him most of the time unless she was too exhausted to even dream. But that didn't mean she'd date him. She just didn't understand why can't guys and girls be best friends? Why do they always have to date? This little brat must have gotten himself a girlfriend, judging from his stupid grin and his persuasion for her to get herself a boyfriend.

 

♦            ♦           ♦

 

Ji Ae took the little board sign that she had been designing yesterday before she got off her car. She chuckled. Taemin is going to love this, she thought. She held the sign up high by the bars of the gate. 

WELCOME HOME, THE LEE FAMILY
WE MISS YOU LOADS

She didn't wait for long when a tall figure appear through the automatic door with a pair of couple behind him giggling affectionately. Although they'd always seen each other in Skype but she didn't notice how flawless his skin looked, complemented by his hazel eyes. His eyes glistened when he saw her and the gigantic sign held atop her head. Taemin waved frantically and pointed at Ji Ae to show his parents where she was, in case they still expected for a 50 inches tall little girl who still have her hair braided sideways.

Ji Ae rushed towards them and gave his parents a warm embrarce. It's been long, so long. During that 10 years, they'd never come back and she'd missed them so much that the only things on her mind were the day when she will see them again. "Welcome back!" she exclaimed after pulling herself from them, "mum and dad have to work so they can't pick you up from the airport but they invite you over to our house today for dinner. You'll come, right?"

"Of course we will. What kind of question is that?" Taemin answered in his parents' stead. His parents had already walked off, not wanting to interrupt these two who seclude themselves whenever they get to talk. Taemin smooched her forehead briefly and she smiled. He still remembered.

Taemin feigned frustration. "You're a girl, aren't you? Why's your face so oily?"

"Oh, so we are having this conversation, aren't we? Well, the amount of oil on your face is enough to supply KFC for their fried chicken for 20 years! What a great budget planner," Yoonhee retorted back with a smirk.

"How much of a lady are you, really?" Taemin flicked her forehead.

She winced, "How much of a are you then, GOD?" Her increase in volume attracted the attention of the tourists around them.

Taemin shushed her, putting a finger to his lips. "That's so embarrassing, you idiot," he whispered. He strode towards his parents who were still oblivion to what just happened as he smiled awkwardly to the gaping people. "I don't know her, really. She came out of nowhere. Ha ha."

"Who's the idiot now, huh? You're basically making it worse. Anyone who trusts you must be an ultimate idiot like you." She laughed and chased after him. Ji Ae fell into the step beside him and shoved the board sign into his hands. "Hey, want a surprise?"

"What?" he asked, gazing at her in suspicion. 

There was a piece of paper attached to the board sign below the words THE LEE FAMILY but it wasn't at all noticeable unless you take a closer look. Ji Ae peeled that paper off and revealed what was underneath - . Taemin rolled his eyes, deeply 'fascinated' by his friend's creativity. "Surprise, surprise. My best friend actually prepared something unpleasant for me and she expects me to be pleased. Really, Ji Ae? You'd better change your username because you're not AT ALL ladylike. You're basically a conwoman."

"For the sheer pleasure. The hard work was worth it."

 

♦            ♦            ♦

 

Taemin perched at the edge of her bed, wearing a green shirt that hugged his body in all the right places with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Everything was still the same - The tidy study desk where all school supplies are in place, the huge piles of books read that were stacked up beside her bed because she hadn't had enough book shelves to contain them, her bed sheet that had been purple in colour since they were young (She may have changed the bed sheets but the colour chosen had always been purple) 

Ji Ae walked out of the bathroom with her damp hair straggling around her face in fragrant tangles. He breathed in her lemongrass body wash and beamed. She never changed. She was still the loyal-to-what-she-loves Song Ji Ae. "Ever considering changing your soap? Most girls like lavender, don't they?" he teased, and hurled a comb at her.

She caught it swiftly and brushed it through her tangled hair. "Ladies don't," she retorted back and winced when her hair brush tangled in her hair. Gesturing her to come over, Taemin made some space beside him. She'd always had problems with combing her damp hair. "How ladylike is that," he muttered but she said nothing in return, apparently defeated. Taemin wound his lanky fingers through her tangled hair, slowly pulling strands of hair from the comb in very small amount at a time with a rapt expression. 

Silence fell but it wasn't awkward. In fact, they enjoyed the silence. It was the moment where they can savor each other's presence. It's been long, very long indeed. The detangling took some time time and the sun was already a red silver on the horizon. Removing the comb from her hair, he started brushing through her hair like how he did when they were young. It was a pleasant feeling, reminiscing the past. 

The faint red of sunset had already glowed in through the windows of Ji Ae's bedroom when her mum shouted for them to come down for dinner. There was laughter at the dining room. Taemin and Ji Ae exchanged chuckles with each other when they were thinking about the same thing - The adults were cracking old-school jokes that never occurred to these two as funny or hilarious. They just didn't get the adults' humor. 

The dining table was suffused with many mouth-watering dishes that her mum hadn't even prepared when it was her birthday. Seated, they started their scrumptious meal but the peace didn't last for very long when Taemin stole the piece of beef brisket from her bowl. "Mum, Taemin stole my food!" Ji Ae cried.

Ji Ae's mother grinned, "It's okay. You're too fat anyway." Her remark earned a great round of laughter. Taemin, in particular, laughed so loudly that it nearly pierced through her eardrums. 

"Mum! I thought to all mothers, no other child is more beautiful in their eyes as their own," she exclaimed incredulously.

"Let's just say I'm not any ordinary mother."

There was another roar of laughter and she pouted until Taemin picked a few pieces of beef brisket and put it atop her bowl of rice. "Well, Ji Ae has bunch of homework undone so she would need loads of energy. Bon appetit!" said Taemin, a wide grin stretched across his lip. 

She returned with another smile. As always, Taemin will always be on her side despite anything. Even though he knew that school hadn't started and therefore there wasn't any homework to be done at all, he would always find reasons to side with her.