Warning: underage drinking (by U.S. standards), some censored language, emergency situations

Life had been simple, and Jeonghye had loved it.  Most days she had put on her school uniform, kissed her father on the forehead, hugged her mother as she packed her lunch, biked to school, and studied hard.  However, when her father had been laid off, her little family had been forced to move to the city, where there were more available jobs.  Then life became more complicated.

“Would you look at her?”

“She’s obviously a country girl.”

“Goodness, she’s plain!  Is she wearing any makeup at all?”

“You’d think she’s never heard of even using eggs to give her hair shine!”

Jeonghye bit her lip as she walked through the halls.  She had never been talked about so much, let alone in such a way.  She hoped that all city people were not so judgmental.  But after even after a few weeks, when the spotlight of her newness should have faded, Jeonghye’s fellow students either regarded her with the same strong air of superiority or ignored her altogether.  At least it was left at that, though.  She could brush off most of the spiteful words.

“Oh, bother!”  Jeonghye searched her locker once more before digging through her school bag.  Her literature notebook was missing, which was very unfortunate, since the supposedly-subjective analysis (and overthinking) of established authors’ works was not her forte.

“Missing your brain, country girl?” some other student struggling to seem both snide and witty sniped as she strutted by.  Jeonghye ignored her as she prepared to retrace her steps since the class.

As Jeonghye scanned her literature classroom once more from the doorway, she heard whispers of “No, you do it, I’ll only screw it up for us!” and “You do it, I’m afraid I’m dreaming again!” and “We’re not exactly being subtle, you know.”  Turning, she saw five boys in a huddle some meters down the hall.  She had seen them before, but they almost exclusively kept to themselves.  They had never bothered her before, so she had categorized them as among those who simply ignored her as not worth their time, even though on occasion she could catch one of them looking at her for longer than a normal glance.

“See, I told you,” the boy with a cap pulled to the side of his head said pointedly to his companions.

“Alright, Mom,” grumbled the one with tired eyes.

“Aw, she’s leaving!  Aren’t you supposed to be the responsible one, Youngbae?  Why do I always have to be the one to do the hard stuff?” groaned the one with longer dark hair.  He stumbled toward Jeonghye, holding something out to her.  “Here.  We think this is yours,” he said.

A quick glance at the cheap composition notebook was enough to tell Jeonghye that it was hers.  No one else that she had seen in the school carried such ‘low-class’ items.  “Thank you,” she said as she reached for it.

“You’re welcome,” said the boy in a voice filled with a combination of shy awkwardness and anxious hope as he handed it to her.

The moment Jeonghye’s fingers touched the notebook, she was in another world, jumping on stones across a lively stream, defending a fort drawn in an abandoned parking lot with chalk in a rundown urban area, and laughing with friends as she lay in summer grass.  Her head spun, and the notebook slipped from her hand.  Her breath caught in , tickled obnoxiously, and forced itself out as a series of dry coughs.

“Are you alright?” the boy asked, an unusual amount of concern for a stranger contained in his voice.

Jeonghye was overwhelmed by a strong sense of déjà vu as she looked blankly at the boy’s face.  “Jiyong?” she found herself asking.

“W- what?” the boy asked, sounding surprised.  He knelt down to retrieve her fallen notebook.

His movement brought her back to reality.  “Sorry,” she said quickly.

“Don’t worry,” he said as he handed it back to her.  She hesitated briefly before taking it.  Nothing happened.

“Thank you,” she said.  “Sorry for troubling you.”

“It was nothing,” she heard him say as she walked away.  It was not until Jeonghye entered the public library near her home that she realized that none of the boys had mentioned their names.

Time passed, and Jeonghye found herself inexplicably drawn to the five boys.  She found herself noticing their presence more, learning their names, and being able to pick their individual voices out of a crowd, as if she had known them for many years.  That she could live with.  However, the dreams she could not.  On occasion, she was happy with her five best friends as they made their way through life as simple people in a country that she did not recognize outside the dream world.  More often than not, though, Jeonghye was voluntarily isolated and incredibly lonely, longing for her dearest companions, wishing that she could tell them one last time how much she loved them, but there was nothing she could do about it (apparently she had made some choice for the greater good).  She often could not tell until she saw her mother in the kitchen of the apartment that she was truly awake, so realistic were her dreams.

That year on her birthday, Jeonghye found a little metal charm in her locker with a note scrawled on in five different handwritings.  She had a good guess at from whom it came.  At lunch, she approached the table that they alone were occupying.

“Thank you very much for your gift,” she said quietly.

“Do you like it?” Seungri asked, excited.  “We weren’t sure if you still like the same things, and we don’t have too many savings to spare.”

“You talk too much,” Seunghyun said, pushing his younger friend back.  Seungri’s eyes went comically wide as he clapped his hands over his mouth and sat back.

“How did you know it was us?” asked Daesung.

“No one else in this place would give me a present,” Jeonghye said.

“Please, there’s no need to stand,” Youngbae said, gesturing to the table.  “Sit.”

And so Jeonghye joined their little group.  Now that she always had company, the rest of the school was content to forget that she existed, and the snide comments stopped.  When she asked her parents if she could have her friends over to work on a project (well, just her and Daesung – the others were in different grades) and hang out, her father nearly spit out his food when he learned that they were all male.  However, he and Jeonghye’s mother were pleasantly surprised as they observed closely their only child’s interactions with her new friends.  The boys were well-mannered and respectful, as well as a protective of the lone female among them.

One day, Jeonghye returned to her gym locker after class only to find both the metal charm and the chain it was on missing.  “I clearly remember taking it off so it wouldn’t get tarnished by my sweat,” she said in distress to Youngbae during lunch.  “When I came back after class, it was gone!”

“It was stolen,” Youngbae said quietly.

“It must have been,” Jeonghye said mournfully.  “I don’t understand – I thought all those other girls had their own fancy necklaces.  Why would they want mine?”

“Probably just to spite you,” Youngbae said.  It sounded as if he took personal offense.  “I’ll talk to the others.  We’ll get it back for you, I promise.”

“But how?” Jeonghye asked.  “I have no idea –”

“If you give us a list of who’s in your class, we could track it down, I’m sure,” Youngbae said.

“That seems like an awful lot of work,” Jeonghye said.  “You guys don’t have to do that.”

“We want to,” Youngbae said.

“Come on, you can’t speak for them,” Jeonghye said.

“I know they’d say yes,” he said with quiet confidence.  And it turned out that he was right.

“I mean, I know you guys are my friends, but why do you go to such great lengths for me?” Jeonghye asked after school as she wrote down the names of the girls in her gym class.

“You’re special to us,” Jiyong answered easily.

“But what makes me so special?” Jeonghye asked.  “You guys have only known me for five months, or something like that.”

“Has it really only been five months?” Seungri asked.  “It doesn’t feel like it.  I feel like I’ve known you forever!”

Quirky Seunghyun was the one who spoke with wisdom.  “You’re not like most of the other people in this city.  You’re better than every single one of them because you don’t try to be anything other than yourself.  That’s why you stand out as special.”

“Yeah!” Daesung agreed.  “They’re all jealous, which is why they say and do mean things.”

Seungri laughed.  “Someone’s gone so far as trying to dress like you by stealing your necklace!  It’s really silly when you realize that all they have to do is be natural and themselves.”

Jeonghye quickly realized that she could not talk her friends out of hunting down her necklace, so she allowed herself to be walked home and bade them goodbye.  It was a few days before Jiyong came running up to her in the halls.

“We’ve found it!” he said excitedly.  “Jung Haneul has it, and she’s actually wearing it in plain sight!”

“The problem is getting it from her,” said Youngbae as he caught up with Jiyong.  “We’ll come up with a plan later, okay, Jiyong?  We’ve got class now.”

“Yeah, I know, I just wanted to tell her,” Jiyong argued as he was dragged away.  Jeonghye smiled.  She had no idea what she had done in a past life to deserve such wonderful friends, but she silently thanked her past self for being a good person.

Daesung sat down next to Jeonghye in their science class.  “Okay, Seungri made me promise to tell you the plan so far.  We’re going to follow Haneul after school and confront her.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jeonghye said.

“Neither do I,” said Daesung.

All the same, after school they tailed the thief to her luxurious apartment building, where Jeonghye, Youngbae, and Daesung talked some sense into Jiyong and Seungri, who both wanted to march in after her, security and all.

“I can see it the headlines tomorrow,” Daesung declared.  “Students Stalk Heiress to Steal her Trash.”

“It’s not trash,” Seunghyun remarked.

“Of course not, but that’s what she’ll probably play it off as,” Youngbae said.

“No necklace is worth the wrath of a spoiled, rich brat,” Jeonghye said.

“This one is,” Jiyong said.  “It’s yours.”

“That’s very sweet of you to say,” Jeonghye said as she coaxed them across the street to a café.  An hour and half later, Haneul strutted out of her apartment building, dressed for clubbing.

“Well, now we know where she’s going,” Seungri said.

“We do?” Daesung asked.

“The only club I ever hear the rich kids talking about is the Golden Tree,” Seungri said, as if he was stating the obvious.  “Haneul’s rich, and she’s going clubbing, so she’s gotta be heading to the Golden Tree.”

“Great.  Now how are we gonna get in?” Youngbae asked.

“I hate to say it, but we’re gonna need makeovers,” Jiyong said with a sigh.

The six of them managed to get themselves ready in half the time it had taken Haneul, and they had not had anything to get ready with in the first place.  Seunghyun called in a favor from a senior (read ‘blackmailed’) who he was helping not fail, and soon they had the clothes, the IDs, and a car to get them into the Golden Tree.

“I think we might be going a little overboard,” Jeonghye commented from the back seat.

“Aw, come on, when was the last time you played dress up?” Jiyong asked cheerily as he brushed Jeonghye’s made-up face with a translucent setting powder.  “Roll with it!  Here, have a mirror.”

Jeonghye took the powder case and glanced into the mirror.  She did a double take before fully comprehending that this was her.  “I look…different,” she finally said.

“We all do,” Seungri said.  “See?  No more panda eyes!”

“They’ll have a hard time incriminating us if they don’t recognize us,” Jiyong said, proud of his handiwork.

“And they’d be tempted to call the cops on us why?” asked Youngbae as he inspected the luxurious car from his position in the front seat.

“Well, if I see that greedy girl wearing our Jeonghye’s gift, I might be tempted to rip it off her neck,” Jiyong said casually.

“It’s on a strong chain,” Jeonghye said.  “I used it with unlikely things such as that in mind.”

“So we’ll just have to get close to her and slip it off,” said Seungri.

“And how do you propose we do that?” Youngbae asked.

“Seduce her, of course!” Seungri declared.

“Do you even know what that means?” Jiyong asked.

Seungri rolled his eyes.  “Guys, I have a cumulative age of, like, thirty-two, or something like that, right?  I know exact-”  He caught Seunghyun giving him a look, and quickly stopped talking.

“As if,” Daesung said, maybe trying a little too hard to write off the comment.  “I think your mental age is a lot smaller than that!”

“You know, there’s always a chance that she changed the chain…” Seunghyun remarked.  “We might still be able to grab it.”

“We should stay in groups,” Youngbae decided.  “I’ll keep Seungri in line.  Ji and Seunghyun, why don’t you two go together?  Daesung, you and Jeonghye pair up.”

“Wait, why would we split up?” asked Daesung.  “None of us really know what we’re doing!  What are we even going to do?  Blend in?  Get drinks illegally and dance raunchily?”

“Of course not,” Jiyong said.  “We’ll show all those richy-riches how to have real class.”

“How?” Daesung asked, unimpressed by his friend’s answer.

“Unbeatable elegance?” Jeonghye suggested hesitantly.

“Cloaked in an air of arrogance,” Seunghyun added.

“Act too good for them!” Seungri chimed in.

“Are we all ready to go?” Youngbae asked.  “I’m going to start driving.”  A short ride later, Youngbae parked the car.

“Oh, goodness, remind me why I went along with this?” asked Jeonghye as she started to get a little panicky.

Seunghyun offered her his arm.  “Just hold on to me,” he said gently.  “If my impression of a rich person is good, no one should ask any questions.”  Jeonghye gratefully took it.

“Just look down at them disapprovingly,” Jiyong said as he stayed close to her.  “Especially at any girls.  That way they’ll think you’re being possessive of your boyfriend or something, and they’ll keep their distance if they know what’s good for them.”

“Boyfriend?” Jeonghye squeaked.

“Just roll with it,” Seungri said, grinning a little too broadly for her liking.  “We’ll take care of you!”

The six of got into the club easily.  Surprisingly, their senses were not bombarded by pounding music the moment they entered.  Rather, they could feel vibrations coming from deeper inside the facility, apart from the fancy-looking bar area.  Seungri leaned back, pointing to a stairwell.

“I think that leads to a balcony above the dance floor,” he said in a low voice.  “I don’t see Haneul drinking here, so she must be in there.”

“Why the balcony?” Jeonghye asked quietly.

“I don’t think you’d like it on the floor,” Seungri said.

“I don’t feel like dancing yet,” Seunghyun said in a conversational voice.  “I think I’ll step up and observe for a bit.  Would you like to accompany me…”  His pause told Jeonghye that he had forgotten the name on her ID card.  “…my lady?” he asked finally.

“How courteous,” Jeonghye said in what she hoped was a somewhat indifferent and arrogant tone.  “I shall accept.”  As she let him her up the stairs, she saw the others head down to the dance floor.

The balcony was lined with booths and tables for relaxation and what little conversation could occur over the loud music.  Seunghyun snagged an empty one, and the two of them settled in.  Jeonghye looked out over the dance floor and wondered how the other four would ever be able to find Haneul among the many bodies in the dim light.

“I can’t dance,” Seunghyun told her as they sat, trying to look aloof.

“I don’t think I can either,” Jeonghye said.

“Have you tried?” he asked.

“No,” she admitted.  “And you?”

“Yes,” he said.  “It was not a pretty sight.”

“I’m sure it couldn’t have been that bad,” she said.

“It was,” Seunghyun said.  “Seungri beat me badly.”

“Beat you?” Jeonghye asked.

“We were bored and there was music,” Seunghyun said.  “It was so long ago that it almost seems like it was another life.”  In the dim light, Jeonghye missed the distant look in his eyes.  Their conversation ceased for a while as they felt the music pounding around them.

It was not long before the other boys joined them in their booth on the balcony.  Youngbae brought with him several colorful drinks.

“Did Mr. Responsible just bring us mixed drinks?” Seunghyun asked, amused.

“Not doing so would look odd,” Youngbae said as he set his glass down.  “Rich people come here to party and drink, and we’re rich people right now.”

“I wish,” Seungri said as he slouched in the cushioned seat.  “How does it taste?”

“I’m the designated driver,” Youngbae said.  “I haven’t had any.”

“Can I smell it?  I’ll be good,” Seungri promised, trying to give puppy dog eyes.

“It smell and tastes like expensive fruity alcohol,” Seunghyun said as he sipped one of the drinks.

“Can we make an exception for me being almost sixteen for the sake of our cover?” Seungri asked hopefully.

“You guys only get one,” Jiyong decided before Youngbae could say anything.  “Make it last.”  He pushed glasses over to Daesung, Seungri, and Jeonghye.

“Hey,” Daesung said, not paying attention.  “Isn’t that Haneul?” He nodded toward the center of the dance floor.

“No wonder we couldn’t find her,” Jiyong said.  “She’s basically surrounded.”

“We need to draw her out,” Seungri said.  “But how?”

“I volunteer Seunghyun,” Daesung said.  “He’s the tallest, so he could get her attention.”

“I can’t dance,” Seunghyun said.

“Doesn’t matter,” Jiyong said.  “Make it look like you’re looking for something.”

Seunghyun threw a pleading look at Youngbae.  “I’m not going back down there,” Youngbae said.

“You don’t need to do anything you don’t want to,” Jeonghye said.  “It’s not that important.”  In response to that, Seunghyun slid out of the booth and headed for the stairs.  Jeonghye shook her head and cautiously smelled the contents of her drink.

“If you’re worried, one drink consumed slowly shouldn’t do you any harm,” Youngbae said from across the table.  “Though if you’d like, I could get you something to eat first.”

“I don’t want you to spend any more of your money,” Jeonghye said.

“It’s on me, then,” Jiyong said.  “I’ll be back.”

“I see Seunghyun,” Seungri said as he looked over the dance floor from the balcony.  “How is he so good at looking good?  He’s such a goof with us!”

“Natural talent?” Daesung suggested.

“I’m jealous…” Seungri pouted.

“He’s got four years on you,” Youngbae reminded him.  “A lot happens between fifteen and nineteen.”

“Wait, Haneul’s actually noticing him!” Seungri exclaimed.

“Let me see, let me see!”  Daesung pushed himself up to see around Seungri’s head.

“Could you be any more conspicuous?” Youngbae asked.  “We’re supposed to be too good for this, remember?”

“Right.”  The two settle back down, peeking every so often over to see their oldest friend’s progress.  Eventually Jiyong came back with a waiter carrying spicy rice and fish cakes, sweet dried squid, and a fresh fruit platter.

“Thank you, that will be all,” Jiyong said coolly to the man.  The man nodded and left them.  “Alright, guys, enjoy yourselves.”

“Jiyong, this is too much,” Jeonghye said.

“Eh, enjoy an early birthday treat,” Jiyong said, waving his hand.  “How’s Seunghyun doing?”

“Well,” Youngbae said, gesturing.

Jiyong glanced over and grinned.  “How long do you think before he needs to be rescued?”

Daesung thought for a minute.  “I’d give him fifteen minutes.”

“It depends on how much Haneul has already had to drink,” Youngbae said.

“So…ten?” asked Seungri.

“She could play hard to get,” Jiyong commented.  “I’d give him a half hour.  Any guesses, Jeonghye?”

“I’ll go with fifteen minutes,” Jeonghye said.

About twenty-five minutes later, the five got a group text from Seunghyun.  ‘Help,’ it read, ‘I’m supposed to take her somewhere private.’

“Whoa, didn’t realize Seunghyun was so good!” Seungri exclaimed.

Another text came through.  ‘And call me Mark it’s the first thing that popped in my head.’

“Well, how should we go about this?” Youngbae asked.

“Jeonghye could pretend to be jealous and pull him away,” Jiyong suggested.

“One of us could say we need his help with someone who drank too much,” Seungri said.

“We could just walk up to him and say it’s time to attend to more important business,” Jeonghye said.

“I like that idea,” said Daesung.  “We could act all high and mighty, like this place is below us, or something.”

So the five of them swept down the stairs and into the quieter hall where Seunghyun and Haneul stood.  Her arms were looped around his neck as she kissed him, and he had his arms up behind her back, trying to subtly get his hands on the necklace.  Jiyong strode over to him and pulled Seunghyun’s shoulder, whispering into his ear.  Seunghyun gave a curt nod and spoke quietly to Haneul before he gripped her necklace and ripped it off.  She made an indignant noise, but Seunghyun held it up and said, “To remember you by.”

“You’re turning into a sentimental old fool,” Youngbae said as he walked by with the others.

“Someone has to be,” Seunghyun said, shrugging as they left Haneul gaping.

Back in the car, Seunghyun grimly popped breath mints.  “That was uncalled for,” he said finally.

“I feel so bad,” Jeonghye rambled.  “If it wasn’t for that silly necklace, you wouldn’t have had to-”

“Hush,” Seunghyun said as he turned around in the passenger seat to hand Jeonghye the necklace charm.  “I’d do it again for you.”  Jeonghye felt her cheeks burn as she quietly accepted it.

“We’ll get you a new chain,” Daesung said.

“You guys, you’ve done so much for me,” Jeonghye whispered.  “What did I ever do to deserve friends like you?”

“You are you,” Seungri said simply.  “That’s all you ever need to do.”

Jeonghye stayed in Daesung’s apartment since both his parents happened to be out of town and she had told her parents earlier that she would be working on a project with him that night.  Since her parents had warmed up a great deal to her friends, they had no problem with her staying with the polite and humorous Daesung.  He insisted that Jeonghye sleep in his bed and that he sleep on the couch, and she reminded him that he could always take his parents’ bed.  Snuggled up under his covers after removing her fancy clothes, makeup, and hair products, Jeonghye dreamed.

It was so realistic that there was no way it was the result of having a few sips of alcohol.  Jeonghye woke feeling like what she had dreamed were memories of a past life, one where she had been happily growing up with the best friends she could ever ask for before she learned she had a terminal illness of the lungs.  Determined to keep the others from catching the disease, she pushed them away, trying to protect them by isolating herself.  Her attempts failed in the end, though.  As she lay in the hospital, struggling to breathe, they found her.  Their mix of anger, confusion, and hurt had melted away, and the six of them vowed to find each other in the next life.

There was a knock on the door.  Jeonghye blinked, realizing that she was in Daesung’s house.  “Jeonghye, do you want breakfast?” he asked through the door.

She slipped on a bathrobe she saw hanging off a chair and opened the door.  “Daesung, did we know each other in a past life?” she asked.

Daesung’s eyes widened.  “Did you have a dream?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” Jeonghye said.  She told him what she knew as they heated up food that Daesung’s parents had left for him.

“All five of us guys have had our own versions of that dream,” Daesung finally told her as they ate.  “For me it happened in pieces.  I actually had the end of the dream first, and then slowly learned why I was so upset when this girl who apparently I couldn’t find or didn’t want to be found died.  Then when I went to school, I saw Seunghyun, Youngbae, Jiyong, and Seungri, and I thought it was it was too weird for all four other guys in my dream to have real life doppelgangers to be a coincidence.  We noticed each other looking at each other strangely, and started talking.  It wasn’t long before Youngbae finally asked if we’d had a certain dream, and then we just kept an eye out for you.  When you showed up, we weren’t sure what to do, since you didn’t seem to recognize us, and, well, you know the rest.”

“Everything makes so much more sense now,” Jeonghye said slowly.  “Why you were always watching me, how you knew what I like, and why you all were willing to do so much for someone you knew in this life for such a short time – it’s all because we’ve already known each other for…how old was I?  I think eighteen or nineteen?”

“Can I tell the others?” Daesung asked.  “They’ll be so excited to hear that you remember!  Good thing it’s the weekend; we can all meet in the park or something!”

The moment Daesung and Jeonghye caught sight of Seungri, who lived the closest to the park, he charged at them.  “I’ve missed you so much!” he exclaimed as he hugged her.

Jeonghye held the younger boy close.  “I’m sorry I was such a jerk,” she said.  “I was selfish; it wasn’t just that I didn’t want you guys to get sick, I also didn’t want you to see me so weak.  I was stupid and afraid, afraid that you wouldn’t like me anymore because I was so pathetic and helpless-”

“Don’t say such things,” Jiyong said as he pressed a finger against her lips.  “You were told you were dying.  It’s only natural that you might act a little silly.”

“I should have had more faith you, my closest friends,” Jeonghye said as she patted Seungri on the back since he seemed determined not to let go of her.  “I messed up, I pushed you all away, I-”

“Hush now,” Seunghyun said as he nudged Seungri with his foot.  “We’ve had a long time to think about everything.  Hey, Ri, budge over.  We all want to hug her.”  And he pulled her into a tight embrace.  “I missed being able to do this,” he said.  “I didn’t want to scare you off before, but now…”  He trailed off as he held her.

“Group hug?” Youngbae asked as he arrived.

“Sounds good to me!” Daesung said as he threw his arms around both Seunghyun and Jeonghye.

“I think we might be making a scene,” Jeonghye said from the center of the hug.

“Let them stare,” Jiyong said.  “Having someone remember their past life is a special occasion.”

And despite her words, Jeonghye could not think of a time when she felt more at peace than when she was like this, with her dearest friends.  “I swear I’ll fix things,” she whispered as she melted into their embrace.  “I’ll make up for my mistakes and cherish you all the way you deserve to be.”

Two years later, it was Jeonghye’s eighteenth birthday.  Seungri had insisted that both Daesung and she come to his house after school that Friday.  “I know that look,” Jeonghye said with a laugh when he insisted without reason that they come over.

“Can’t I have my best buddies at my house for no reason?” Seungri asked, mock-offended.

“You always have an ulterior motive,” Daesung said.

“What?!  Jeonghye, defend me!  I’m not always scheming!” Seungri exclaimed as they walked along the sidewalk.

“You called me last night and told me to bring makeup and a non-business pair of heels,” Jeonghye said.  “That doesn’t exactly scream ‘sleepover’ to me.”

“And you told me to bring a nice button-down shirt and tie,” Daesung added.  “’And bring a blazer if you’re feeling fancy,’ you said,” he quoted, mimicking Seungri’s voice.

“I do not sound like that,” the younger said indignantly.

“The point is that you’re planning something,” Daesung said.

“You don’t know that,” Seungri said playfully.

“I’ve known you for the better part of fifteen or so years,” Jeonghye said.  “I think I know when you’re up to something.”

“But you guys are still going along with it,” Seungri pointed out.

“Is it a bad thing that we still trust you after all the trouble you give us, you little whippersnapper?” Daesung asked.

“I’m getting close to eighteen myself,” Seungri reminded him.  “I don’t think you’re justified in calling me ‘little’ anymore.”

“It doesn’t matter, you’ll still always be our baby,” Jeonghye teased.

“I’m a strong baby!” Seungri complained.

“Take the title that allows your supposed cuteness to let you get away with murder and run,” Daesung said.

Seungri responded maturely by sticking out his tongue.  When they entered their apartment, he instructed them to dump their book bags on his bed and get dressed.  “What, in my school clothes with my heels?” Jeonghye asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Nope, I’ve got something special for you,” Seungri said, winking.

“I’m a good twenty or so centimeters shorter than you, if you haven’t noticed,” Jeonghye remarked as she followed Seungri to his closet.

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I got your measurements right,” he said as he opened the door and pulled out a dress.  It was a midnight blue club dress, classier than daring and more flattering and stylish than revealing.

“My goodness, Seungri, you shouldn’t have!” Jeonghye exclaimed.

“I swear I didn’t spend an arm and a leg to get this,” Seungri said.  “It helps that I didn’t pay for all of it, though.”  He nodded to Daesung.

“Wait, you were in on this the whole time?” Jeonghye asked, impressed by her friend’s acting skills.

“Of course!” Daesung exclaimed.  “Do you seriously think Seungri could pick a dress this nice out for you on his own?  You should have seen some of the things he suggested!  I don’t think Bae would have let you be seen in public in some of them, if you’d even leave the room wearing them in the first place.”

“You insult me,” Seungri said dramatically, clapping a hand over his heart.

“Okay, so I’m putting on this dress, getting made up, and going where?” Jeonghye asked.

“It’s a secret for now!” Daesung said cheerily.  “Seungri, let’s go to the bathroom and let her change.”

Jeonghye slipped on the dress, managing to zip it up in the back herself.  She let the boys back into the room and took the bathroom mirror to do her makeup, which she had learned to do with Jiyong’s help.  “The only thing I’m missing is jewelry,” she said when she reentered Seungri’s room.

“That will be remedied,” Daesung said mysteriously.  “But believe me, you look gorgeous without it.  Close your mouth, Seungri, or you’ll catch flies.”

“So where are we going?” Jeonghye asked as the boys escorted her to the apartment building’s elevator and to the parking garage.

“It’s a secret,” Seungri insisted as he stopped at the curb.  “Where are they?” he muttered to himself.  “I texted them ten minutes ago!”

“Who?” Jeonghye asked.  Neither boy answered.

Presently, a car stopped in front of them.  The passenger door opened, and Jiyong stepped out, dressed up for the evening.  “Your chauffeurs are here,” he said, grinning as he opened the back seat for them.

“Ji?!” Jeonghye exclaimed as she was led to the car.  “You’re back from college?”

“Just for you!” he said, saluting.

“Hello, beautiful.”  Jeonghye turned to see Seunghyun in the driver’s seat.

“You too?!”  Jeonghye hugged him from the captain’s seat as Jiyong closed the door after Daesung got in the car.

“Of course,” Seunghyun said.

“What, no hug for me?” Jiyong complained.

“You’ll get one when we get wherever we’re going,” she promised.

“If I give you a present would you mind reaching across and hugging me?” Jiyong asked as he held out several small boxes.

“Alright,” Jeonghye said as she accepted them.  “Open them now?” she asked.

“Yes,” Jiyong said, nodding eagerly.

Jeonghye tore off the gold paper to reveal jewelry boxes.  Ah, so this must be what Daesung had meant when he said her lack of accessories would be remedied.  She opened the boxes to reveal a matching set of mother-of-pearl earrings, necklace, and rings.  “Oh, Jiyong, this is too much!” she gasped.

“Nonsense,” Jiyong said as he accepted her hug.  “I’ve got a good job at school, and I split the cost with Seunghyun here.”

“You guys, seriously?” Jeonghye asked as Seungri leaned forward from the back seat to clip the necklace around her neck.  “This is going overboard!”

“You only turn eighteen once,” Seunghyun said.

“Technically, didn’t I turn eighteen already in the last life?” Jeonghye asked.

“That doesn’t count,” said Seungri.  “We didn’t get to celebrate it with you, so we’re making it up to you now.”

“But I was the one being pigheaded-” Jeonghye began before being cut off.

“Oh, come on, can’t we splurge a little for the sake of our best friend’s birthday?” Jiyong asked.  “We’re all big boys now, we can afford to have a little fun!”

“Speaking of all of you, where’s Youngbae?” Jeonghye asked.

“He’s our ticket to the place we’re taking you,” Jiyong said.

“Well, at least I know it can’t be too bad a place if it’s on Youngbae,” Jeonghye said with a mock sigh of relief.

“Oh, come on, we’re not all Seungri,” Daesung said.

“Yeah, that’s right, bash the youngest,” Seungri complained.

“What?  I can’t hear you, you’re so far back,” Jiyong joked, cupping a hand to his ear.

“Wait, is that the Golden Tree?” Jeonghye asked, looking around Seunghyun’s shoulder.

“It seems fitting that the place where you had your first drink is the place we celebrate your entrance into adulthood,” Seunghyun said as he pulled up to the door.

Jiyong left the passenger’s seat and opened Jeonghye’s door.  “Ladies first,” he said as he offered her his hand.  The four of them exited the car and Seunghyun drove off.  Jiyong showed the guards at the door an ID, saying, “We’re with Sol,” and they were let in without a question.

“Sol?” Jeonghye asked as they walked up to the balcony where they had sat the last time they were at the club.

“Bae’s taken to DJing as a part-time job,” Jiyong explained.  “He goes by the stage name of Sol.  He’s got talent, and he’s met a couple of people who’ve proven pretty helpful.  Tonight’s an example.  Don’t worry, he’ll have time some time to hang out, but it means you’ll have to go down on the dance floor with us.”

“I’ll definitely need some food and drink in me before I do that,” Jeonghye said with a laugh.

“We can certainly take care of that,” Seungri said as he slung his arms over the back of the bench.

“You can’t, Mr. I’m-still-seventeen,” said Daesung.  “Allow me.  Got any requests, birthday girl?”

“Surprise me,” Jeonghye said as she slid into the booth.

“Will do!” Daesung said as he headed back downstairs.

“Hey, there’s the DJ’s platform,” Jiyong said, gesturing for Jeonghye and Seungri to come over.  When Youngbae looked up, Jiyong waved wildly.  Youngbae sent a nod of recognition their way before turning back to his work.

Ten minutes later, both he and Seunghyun returned with food and drinks.  After a good deal of food consumption and a drink or two, Jeonghye decided that she was ready to brave the dance floor.

“I think I can do it,” she declared as she set down her glass.  “Masses of sweaty people, here I come!”

“Then our Bae awaits,” Jiyong said with a flourish of his hand.  “Shall we?”

Seungri finished his drink with a gulp.  “I’m ready,” he said.

“Same,” Daesung said as he finished off his plate.  “Man, it’s been so long since I’ve seen him!”

Jiyong checked his phone before the five of them headed down the stairs and onto the floor.  “Oh, goodness, I take it back.  I actually don’t think I’m warm and fuzzy enough to deal with this,” Jeonghye said as she stepped out.

“Aw, just hang in there while we make our way over, okay?” said Seungri as he gave Jeonghye his arm.  “The DJ platform’s just over there.”

“Fine,” Jeonghye said dramatically as she leaned the side of her head against his arm in an attempt to muffle the music.

As the song playing came to an end, Jeonghye heard the DJ, Youngbae pick up a microphone.  “Hey, I’ve got a shout out for a V.I.P.: ‘Happy birthday to our shining light, from your five biggest fans.’  Alright, you special person, you, have a very happy birthday.  Wherever you are, this song is for you.”  The music started blasting at full volume again, gold lights started flashing, and people started dancing.

“Okay, I think he’s done being cool,” Jiyong said.  “Let’s go.  Actually, no, Seunghyun, clear the way.”

“Since when can you boss me around?” Seunghyun asked as he rubbed the top of his younger friend’s head while he pushed ahead.

“Aw, come on,” Jiyong complained playfully as he swatted at Seunghyun.

When they reached the DJ platform, Youngbae greeted them with a wave and then gestured for Jeonghye to come up.  Jeonghye stepped forward and he enveloped her in a hug.  “Happy birthday,” he said in her ear.

“It’s so good to see you,” Jeonghye said as she held him close.  “Thank you so much for everything.”

“Sorry I won’t be able to hang out much with you tonight,” Youngbae said.  “But I’m gonna be around for the rest of the weekend, so I was hoping to take you out tomorrow or Sunday to make up for tonight.”

“I’d love that,” Jeonghye said, smiling.

“I’m glad.  Now go have fun,” Youngbae said as he let go of her.  “The night is young, and I expect to see you out on the dance floor at some point.”

“Alright,” Jeonghye said.  “If you want anything to eat or drink, just let us know, okay?  Just because you’re working doesn’t mean that you can’t have a little fun yourself.”

“I’ll be sure to,” Youngbae said.  “Now go on.”  He smiled encouragingly at her.  “We all want to see you dance.”

Jeonghye took Jiyong’s hand and stepped down from the DJ’s platform before he pulled her onto the dance floor.  She felt the music (and probably some alcohol) coursing through her, and she let herself move.  She could not remember the last time she had felt so free! Seungri and Jiyong had a little dance-off with a few club-goers, and Daesung sang loudly enough that his voice was actually a little audible over the volume of the music.  Seunghyun even danced in his adorably silly manner for a little while.

“It’s been a good night,” Jiyong declared when they sat back in their booth on the balcony.

“For certain,” Jeonghye agreed.

“Is it really already two in the morning?” asked Seungri.  “It sure doesn’t feel like it.”

“I feel like it,” Daesung said as he munched on what was left of the food.

“I hope Bae’s driving,” Jeonghye said as she suppressed as yawn.

“He is,” Seunghyun said as he finished off his drink.

“You!”  The five looked up.  Jung Haneul stood before them.  “I know you!  You’re Mark!  You led me on and then left with my necklace!”

Seunghyun blinked.  “I did?”

“‘To remember you by,’ you said,” Haneul spat.  “And then I never saw you again!”

“Here I am,” Seunghyun said, shrugging.

“Is that all you have to say?” she asked, angry, probably more than she needed to be because of alcohol.

“Is there anything else to say?” Seunghyun asked.  “I had more important things to do that night.  Also, what were you then, fifteen?  Far too young.”

“I was sixteen, thank you very much,” Haneul snarked.

“Still too young,” Seunghyun said.

“And how old is your ----- over there?” asked Haneul.

“Don’t speak about our precious flower with such vulgar words,” Daesung said, seriously offended on Jeonghye’s behalf.

“Oh, let her run off,” Jiyong said dangerously.  “Obviously this woman recognizes her own inferiority and feels the need to attempt to validate herself by trying to bring down those around her.”

“Yeah, -----?  You gonna admit that you throw yourself at those guys in hopes of-”

“Please, stop talking,” Jeonghye said, feeling a more riled than she would ever let herself get under normal circumstances.  “I happen to have sources which say a person such as you would sink so low as to petty theft in a pathetic attempt to make yourself more appreciable to other people.”

“What?  Why would someone of my status need to do that?” Haneul asked haughtily.

Jeonghye ignored her.  “If only you knew the secret to having true charm,” she said with a hint of drama.  “If only someone as shallow as you could understand that to be an attractive person, all you need to do is stop trying to fit an image created by society and have your own individual features.  Then you might stand out as unique and likeable.  You might think you’re beautiful as you are now, but all I see is a scantily-clad, made-up, and overly-perfumed wannabe.”

“Preach!” exclaimed Seungri as he applauded his friend.

Haneul’s jaw dropped.  She floundered for words as she opened and closed angrily, and then she her unattractively high heels and left.

Jiyong laughed.  “We should get you to drink more often!” he exclaimed with a grin.  “That really was something!”

“Did I really just say that?” Jeonghye asked, realizing what she had done.

“It was well-deserved and very amusing,” Seunghyun said.

“Aw, Bae will be so sad he missed the night that Jeonghye totally sassed someone!” Daesung laughed.  “That was awesome!”

A surprising amount of lively chatter for three in the morning filled the car as Youngbae navigated the city streets.  Jeonghye covered her face as she listened to her friends give Youngbae the rundown of what had occurred.  “Man, you should have seen Haneul’s face!” Daesung said from the captain’s seat next to Jiyong.  “She looked like a fish with opening and closing like that!  I thought she was going to start turning red, she was so mad!”

“It was really something,” Jiyong said.  “You’ll have to make her tell you tomorrow or whenever you take her out.”

“I will,” Youngbae promised as he stopped the car at a light.  “Are you all buckled up back there?”

“Yes, Mom,” Seungri called from the back seat next to Jeonghye.

The chatter continued until Seunghyun glanced the rear view mirror for the tenth time.  “What’s wrong?” Jiyong asked, noticing.

“I think we’re being followed,” Seunghyun said.

“Maybe someone just lives near Jiyong’s place and is taking the same route as us,” Youngbae said sensibly.  “Take a little nap, Seunghyun.  It’s been a tiring night.”

“That car has been following us from the Golden Tree,” Seunghyun said.  “Ji, do you know anyone in your apartment building who likes clubbing?’

“I’ve been at college for the past year and half,” Jiyong said.  “Someone who does could have moved in for all I know.”

“Hey, is that Haneul?” Seungri asked as he looked out the back of the car.

“My eyes are on the road, Ri,” Youngbae said patiently.

Jiyong turned around.  “Hey, it is!  She looks mad.”

“She doesn’t live around here, either,” Seungri said.  “We know where her apartment is, remember?”

“Also, isn’t she a little drunk to be driving?” Daesung asked, worried.  “She was definitely intoxicated an hour ago.”

“Oh, never mind, she turned,” Jiyong said.  “Guess she’s not following us after all.”

“Maybe I do need to sleep,” Seunghyun said as he leaned his head back.

“It’s three in the morning, Hyun,” Youngbae said.  “Of course you do.”

“Stop being smart,” complained Seungri.  “You didn’t drink anything so you’ve got an unfair advantage.”

“To be fair, though, he was working all night,” Daesung said.

“Good point,” Jiyong said.

Jeonghye sighed contently.  It was so good to have her best friends around her again, even if it was just for the weekend.  To hear them chatting was comforting, and it both brought back memories of good times in another life and promised good times in the future.

The sound of honking horns up ahead shook her from her thoughts.  “Gosh, why are people allowed to drive at three in the morning?” Jiyong complained.

“We’re doing it,” Youngbae pointed out.

“We don’t count,” Jiyong said.

“Holy crow, is that driver drunk?” Seungri asked in horror as he looked down the road to see a car swerving as other cars hastily got out of the way.

“Evasive maneuvers recommended,” Seunghyun commented from the passenger’s seat.

“Noted,” Youngbae said as he wisely to a different road.  “This should let us go around.  Does anyone feel like calling the police?”

“I’ve got it,” Daesung said as he pulled out his phone to dial the number.

After going around a block to miss the crazy driver, Youngbae prepared to pull back out onto the main road.

“Yes, we’re just about to take a right onto Main Street from Clear Road,” Daesung said.  “The driver was attempting to head north on Main Street-”

As Youngbae made the turn, Jiyong screamed, “NO!”  Something crashed with terrifying force headlong into the front of their car.  Jeonghye felt gravity changing before her head hurt and everything went black.

She woke to the sound of sirens with her head against broken glass and a warm body over her.  She could feel soft breath on her, which meant that the person, Seungri most likely, since he had been next to her, was alive.  She moved to undo her seat belt, but as she shifted, pain shot through her left arm.  It was probably broken, Jeonghye realized.  She heard shouting from outside the car, which was a good thing.  She would not be able to move easily, not while lying on a broken arm.

The process of getting out of the car was hazy.  She heard something about blood loss, which did not bode well.  She had enough sense to ask about her friends, though.  No one was willing to give her an answer, which made her very anxious as she lay on the stretcher in her new dress.  As she stared off into space, she listened to the voices.  She caught snippets here and there.  One drunk female driver dead on impact in her car, Miss Jung Haneul, if her ID was real.  The same in the other car that had been hit – the two in the front seat had also died either on or just after impact.  A third in the captain’s seat had died shortly after.  The one who had called was not in good shape.  Neither was the lone female passenger.  Losing blood rapidly, losing her rapidly.  In the ambulance, out the ambulance.  Dead.  Three were dead.  No!  Losing the one who had called!  Quickly, doctor, do something!  What can be done?  Lost a lung.  Wait – no!  Not her too!  Losing them, losing them, losing them…

~*\_/*~

“We will be landing shortly.  Please turn off all electronic devices and store all bags in the overhead compartments or underneath your seats.  Please return to your seats and fasten your safety belts.  Thank you.”

The cool female voice woke Vera.  Disoriented, she looked around.

“Oh, good, you’re up,” a woman Vera did not know said.  “I was just going to wake you to let you know we’ll be at the airport soon.”

“Thank you,” Vera said.

“That was quite a nap you had!” the woman said conversationally.  “I wish I could sleep on planes like you just did!”

Vera nodded absently as she let everything come back to her.  She was about to land in Japan for a well-deserved break from her first year in graduate school.  There was absolutely nothing to worry about, aside from not speaking the language and getting lost in Tokyo, among other things.   She had not died in a plane crash like she had feared.  So why was she so anxious?

When she stepped out of the plane and into the tunnel that led to the airport, Vera breathed a sigh of relief.  It was good to have her feet on the ground, as they should be.  She retrieved her luggage (which had thankfully not been lost in the mix, as she had anticipated) and headed out to look for someone holding a sign with her name on it.  Nothing had gone wrong yet.  Maybe this vacation would do her some good.

---

And this is how a lazy author time skips…at least there was no semester-long wait for this chapter, right?  And it’s more than twice the size of my longest chapter before this!  Anyway, so, Vera’s finally in Japan…I wonder what’s happening in Japan in the winter of 2013-2014?

I hope you liked my rendition of Last Farewell.  I did my best to reference parts of the music video.  By the way, the name ‘Golden Tree’ comes from the tree-like décor in club in the video.

As a side note, according to Wikipedia, there is no drinking age in South Korea, but the legal purchase age is 19 (18 to the rest of the world).  In the U.S., 21 is the legal purchase and consumption age.  Now, this chapter does not necessarily occur in this specific universe, but still, the first time they go out, Seungri is 15 (almost 16!), Jeonghye is 16, Daesung is 17, Jiyong and Youngbae are 18, and Seunghyun is 19 in standard years.

Got any questions, comments, complaints, corrections, or anything?  Leave it for me in the comments and I’ll do my best to get back to you as soon as possible!  I predict that the next chapter will come out around spring break, but I unfortunately can’t make any promises because of the second semester’s potential workload.  Serious, multivariable calculus?  I can barely remember differential calculus right now!  Anyway, I don’t know when all of your second semesters started – if you’re in high school, it was probably a couple weeks ago – but good luck in all your future endeavors.  And happy early Lunar New Year!