The tension was so thick you can probably cut it with a knife. It was a silent ride home and Joonmyeon didn’t like that their house was almost half-an-hour drive from the restaurant. She replayed the conversation in her head many times and still wasn’t able to guess what made Yifan upset. If anything, he should be upset with his friend Zitao because she must have developed an extreme dislike for Joonmyeon even before they met.

“How did you become friends with them?” She addressed Zitao directly out of nowhere and suddenly, the happy chatter stopped.

“I used to beg around the neighborhood and they took pity.” Though Zitao’s voice was calm and even, her red ears said otherwise.

“Huang Zitao.” Qian’s tone was reprimanding. “Zitao’s father is my dad’s good friend. Zitao grew up with us. Khun was the foreign kid in school and the boys rescued him from being bullied.”

“They did not! I was not being bullied!” Nichkhun was vehement.

“Of course you were! There’s this one kid who kept  throwing your lunch box away and you were close to crying.” It was either Soryong or Daeryong. One or the other. The light banter ensued but now even Yifan was silent.

Before long, the car was pulling up in their driveway. And unlike any other instances, Yifan did not readily exit the car to open the door for her.

“Yifan-ah, are you mad at me?” She asked in a small voice. If he indeed was mad, then she didn’t want him to blow up in her face. “I didn’t mean to offend anyone, I was just wondering—“

“There are questions that you raise and there are questions that you keep to yourself so you won’t hurt other people.” He panted from saying everything in one breath. He got out of the vehicle and opened the car door for her. “Goodnight, Joonmyeon. I’ll see you on Monday.”

He didn’t even kiss her goodbye. “W-Wait—“ The Maybach left smoke and a broken Joonmyeon in its wake.

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

“Yifan-ah, are you mad at me?” She asked in a small voice. Was this for real? Didn’t she realize what she did? “I didn’t mean to offend anyone, I was just wondering—“

“There are questions that you raise and there are questions that you keep to yourself so you won’t hurt other people.” He panted from saying everything in one breath. But because he was raised to be a gentleman, he still got out to open the door for her (and because he doubted if she ever opened a car door in her life). “Goodnight, Joonmyeon. I’ll see you on Monday.”

But even when he reached home, he was still guilty that he didn’t even wait for her to enter the house. And that he didn’t even look back when he drove away. Or that he didn’t kiss her goodnight. Maybe he should have let explain? Maybe she was just genuinely curious about his friends? Maybe she wasn’t raised to mingle with people with lower status than her?

Yifan’s friends were very important to him. Qian lived right across his house and she practically raised him. She was this it girl who excelled in everything—even sports. She even taught him basketball when he was being bullied because he was lanky and clumsy as a kid. One day, Qian came to the country club with a toddler who won’t let go of her skirt. She was cute and chubby and was permanently on a lollipop.

“Jie, is she sick?” He asked.

“I don’t think so, why?”

“Then maybe she was hit by someone! We should call the police!” His six-year old self wasn’t aware that eye bags exist. “And the doctor! She has blackeyes! Baby girl are you hurting?”

“Wu Yifan, calm down. She’s born with it. She’s not hurt or sick. You’re perfectly fine, right Taozi?”

There were inseparable since then. He will learn later than Zitao’s father worked for Qian’s family and they lived in a house inside the Song property. Qian was an only child and she treated the younger girl like a real sister. Two years later, another family moved to the same street and they had twin sons in Yifan’s age. Since the Wu and Song property practically occupied the whole block, they were the only kids in close proximity and Yifan was glad he didn’t have to always put up with playing house with the two girls.

Daeryong and Soryong didn’t speak a word of Mandarin and they were the only ones who stuck with them until they’re way past using their hands as means of communication.

They were in middle school when a strange foreign kid transferred to their academy. He only spoke English and the other kids found it very annoying. He was being bullied by older kids until Yifan and the twins stepped up. And the bullies loved their livelihood so they had to stop. Khun, as they called him (because his name was so hard to pronounce), was a Thai royalty. Not only was he a descendant of a Thai noble family, he’s also heir to an international pharmaceutical giant.

And though his friends had everything money could buy, they were the most down-to-earth people he knew. And for Joonmyeon to insult someone dear to him really ruffled him. Maybe some of the things people said about her had some basis. Some but definitely not all.

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

Kyungsoo didn’t even bother to open her eyes when she reached for the phone in the nightstand. Why didn’t she put it in silent mode again? She blindly answered the call. Her parents went to Bora Bora for the weekend and maybe they just want her to know they landed safely.

“Yobosaeyo?” He voice husky from sleep.

“S-Soo…talk to me…” The voice on the other line was almost garbled but she won’t mistake it from anyone.

“Joonmyeon-ah? Why? What’s wrong?” She was instantly awake. She glanced at the digital clock and saw that it was almost 3am. She figured her friend won’t call her in the wee hours of the morning if it wasn’t important. She hoped.

Instead of answering her though, Joonmyeon began sobbing loudly. “Omo! Gwenchana? Tell me what’s wrong!” While saying this, she’s already pulling out random things from her closet to change into. “Nevermind. I’ll be there in a bit so try to calm down. You’re going to be sick.” Kyungsoo wished she’s able to apply it to herself. Joonmyeon hardly cry. And to hear her friend bawling like that wasn’t doing her weak heart a good job.

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

“I didn’t like that you snappy attitude during dinner, Huang Zitao. I’m sure Uncle Jin didn’t raise you to be like that.” Song Qian in a tone she barely used especially when it came to Tao. They were on their way back to Yifan’s house where they would all stay for the rest of their vacation. The younger girl was still fiddling with her phone like what she was doing practically the whole evening.

Recently, Tao got hooked in this online dating app that matches people’s profiles base on their interests and preferences. One of the boys she met took interest and they were talking for months. The boy would even spend hours on the phone with her. She let her do whatever she wanted because she knew how responsible she was and she’s totally capable to protect herself. She thought it was good for Zitao to make new friends outside their small circle. Moreso, because in a year or so, all of them will be leaving for further studies abroad.

Weeks after Yifan moved to Korea, they all miss him terribly that they decided to visit him for a few days. Zitao was ecstatic. She didn’t think much of it since Zitao used to follow Yifan like a lost puppy. She had this hero-worship for her gege and she cried for a long time after they sent him off.

But a few days before they left, she noticed the considerable change in Tao’s attitude and demeanor. She was always staring at a distance and Qian even caught her crying once. “I’ll ask again and make sure you tell me the truth because I will still make you and it will be ugly. What is wrong with you?”

Instead of answering her though, she started to sob loudly. She was glad the boys loaded in a different car because they were afraid of her wrath. They knew she will tell Zitao off because of what happened during dinner. “Tao…”

“I told my boyfriend I’m coming to Korea to see him but—“ And she was sobbing loudly again.

“B-Boyfriend?” It wasn’t the guy she just met on some app…right? She sighed loudly. For the first time since she met the chubby little girl that she was, Qian wanted to hit Tao for being so careless.