CHAPTER 20     “HAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!” OMG my Ajumma laugh is unleashed!!! “So you mean to say, after Soshi Café you guys went to Noraebang (Karaoke)? Then had massage on a jimjilbang (Korean Spa) within the district?!”   “Yeah!!! And my gosh, Yoong is seriously not a singer, that girl’s all pretty, chic and all, but she sings poems like a pro.” Sica says, holding the kitchen knife and waving it around to prove her point.   “WAHAHAHAA I knew it that twerp was lying!!!” No wonder she said “AHH!!” “Ahhh~” Of course… the sounds of singing a high note and getting a massage! SUCH A Prick!   “What?” Oh Sica doesn’t know that little argument I had with Yoona, and I think it’s better to not let her worry, anyways, I’m already off the hook…   “Oh nothing… hehe, OH WAIT!!! Jimjilbang?! Doe-Does that mean?!” they took a dip on the spa pools both ?!   (Take note that one part of the jimjilbang spa culture in Korea is where everyone, of the same gender of course, strips down to their birthday suits, scrub grime off their bodies and take a dip in different types of relaxing pools)   Taeyeon starts to imagine the annoying, but let’s face it, fantasy Yoonsic scene when…   “What?! Haha no, Yoong apparently is shy! Hahahaha We went separately, one after the other, me first, then I had a full body massage on a different floor, while she takes a dip! SOOOOOO GOOOODDDD!!! Taengoo you should try it!” Sica says with that wide proud smile and I felt guilty imagining erted things about them… Sigh… Sorry Dookong… Sorry Yoda… I really think after confirming my feelings to her like this I might start abandoning the Byun life…   … …   NAHHHHHHH just lessen it I guess?! Hihihihi Just to Sica then!^^ Hihihihhihii   “but how did you end up spending the night in her house?” I said spinning sideways on the metal counter stools.   “Oh, hihi I ended up sleeping in the jimjilbang’s massage table :P the next thing I know I’m in one of the guest rooms in Yoong’s house and it’s already four in the afternoon” she said, turning her back on me again to focus more on chopping vegetables.   Hmnnnn I see, so yeah, she did sleep her way into that kid’s lair. Aish! Kid’s not a liar but a big fat tease!!   Slightly feeling hungry and… not wanting to give Sica her peace hihi I jumped out of the stool, swiftly took a piece of cooked meat and gave it a taste test. “AH! Hey! Taengoo!!!! No picking on the food while I’m cooking!!”   “God I missed this horrible food…” I said in tears relieving past memories of having to eat Sica’s cooking (She only ended up making a delicious dish that day Fany came, all other following ones kinda… failed) and actually feeling nostalgic about it. Ahhhh is this growing old?!   “YAH!!!! WHAT.DID.YOU.SAY.TAENGOO.?!! May I remind you what a three syllable word starting with H, ending with A, and has my name in between means?!?!” Sica said pointing the tip of the kitchen knife my way.   Oops hehehe YUP! TOO NOSTALGIC A TIME LIKE THIS!   “Hahahaha Ohhhh time to take a shower before dinner! La~la~la~” Quickly I skipped out of the kitchen and headed to get pajamas from my room.   Better not trigger Hellsica if I can. Gulp.     On the way though…     RRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIINNNNGGGGG   RRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIINNNNGGGGG   Huh? I wonder who’s calling?   “Kim Residence, Taeyeon speaking!”   “Hi, Taeyeon? This is your homeroom teacher Ms. Narsha… and I’m afraid to inform you that you have just been expelled from school…”   WWHAT?! Expelled?! But I thought?!!       While Taeyeon is shocked over the news of her current school status however, the sounds of kitchen knife chopping, grew slower and slower until it came to an eventual stop.   No longer sporting her teasing and energetic aura in the presence of her Taengoo, on her face was painted a silent and serious expression.   “This… this is the last time I’ll cook for you Taengoo…”          “You’re expelled from school” it was my homeroom teacher Ms. Narsha calling.   “What?! B- Ma’am the school president just said this afternoon that h-he’ll overlook it this time…”   “I know Taeyeon he mentioned he did… and mostly that’s really how he treats cases such as this, but unfortunately the president of the PTA, Mrs. Im, didn’t forgive it.” Mrs. Im?! Could it be… Yoona’s mom!?   “As a matter of fact, it was her daughter Im Yoona that you hit”   Damnit I knew it… but… was that her agenda all along? To get me expelled from school to keep me away from Sica?   I kept thinking about it, but as much as I tried to believe that that was her motive all along, I couldn’t help but NOT see it that way. I could clearly remember Yoona’s face when Mr. Kim saw our little commotion and it wasn’t a look of satisfaction she had in her eyes of a plan well executed.   It was the same shade I had in mine, of fear and anxiety…   Plus she kept glancing back my direction and telling the school dean of discipline we were just fooling around as he dragged my wrist in the direction of the president’s office…   That couldn’t be it… right?? As much as I’m annoyed with the girl, I’m actually thanking her deep down for finally letting me come face to face with my inner demons…   “Anyways… I’m really sorry about this Taeyeon but it’s the president’s decision. Sadly, I cannot do anything about it… You should come tomorrow at dismissal time in his office. I think he’ll tell you personally”   “Thank Ms. Narsha… Umn Good Night. Yes, I’ll be sure to drop by his office tomorrow. Good Bye-”   Click.   I’ve just been expelled…   I was pretty shocked at how things went the way they did. Never in my wildest dreams have I thought of the possibility of being kicked out from school… suspended yes, but isn’t being expelled a bit too harsh?   Anyways even Yoona said we were just fooling around…   Sigh… I wonder how I’ll tell Ajumma this… Sigh… She’s gonna grill me for sure! Especially now when she’s back somewhere here in Korea…   Well anyways, at least I have Sica… I can spend more time with her.    The only consolation for this dire turn of events…       XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX       “Bloughck! Bloughck! Ssssizzzle”     When I stayed the night at Yoong’s house, I finally decided that as long as I do not have the mentality to accomplish this “Support Theme” I should just stay away from Taengoo and watch Taeny (I hate having to come up with this name but… it is convenient… at least I won’t completely imagine the name of my Taengoo with that Tifanny girl) in the sidelines letting things develop on their own. And…   Knowing completely well that these feelings I have in my heart won’t ever disappear and I won’t be able to ever get over it and undertake this support theme…   I guess I just have to say good bye to Taengoo forever huh? I bit my lips and tried my hardest to keep a tear from falling. Oh no, a tear fell into the pot!   Quickly I wiped away my cheeks using the underside of my long sleeves and washed my face using the kitchen’s faucet and sink. Using a fresh kitchen towel, I patted dry my face and continued cooking…   Hearing the sounds of the showerhead turn open, and realizing how far apart our hearts really seem to be when we’re just on two different sides of the house, I couldn’t help but get misty eyed once again.   How? How I can think about someone this much?!   How is it even possible to just beat for one single person?!   Is… Is this how being human is? Cause it hurts… It ING hurts! Not having the chance to LOVE.   The moment I tried grabbing the pot’s handle to plate the dish however, I was shocked to see my hand pass through it like I see ghosts do on movies I used to watch on TV whenever Taengoo left me to go to school, “KYA-!!” and immediately I placed my other hand over my mouth to stifle the sound of my voice.   Taengoo can’t know. She can’t know what’s happening to me. She can’t know the decisions I’ve made. I want this to be a happy memorable day! A happy day!     I repeatedly said in my head, sobbing silently with both hands over my mouth as I sat in one of the kitchen’s stools, not having enough energy left to stand.    Am I not even allowed to grieve?   And that was the reason why the supposed to be sauce’d beef pot stew, turned dry.       XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX       “WAHHH!!! Amazing platting skills as usual Sica!” I said marveling at the explosion of colours served on multiple plates in the dining table. A banquette of the eyes.   Literally, just the eyes.   “What do you call this again Sica?” I pointing my chopsticks indicating the whole of the table and talking a bite of this… ugh, over simmered beef stew?   “Service à la française” She says, which I still didn’t understand but I smiled just the same remembering the first time she mentioned the name the day she first came, and then my smile turned wider realizing it still sounded so y, if not ier rolling off Sica’s lips.   “YAH! Byuntaengoo! What got you grinning like that huh? Thinking something dirty again? Hahaha” She giggled, taking a bite and scrunching her face at the taste.   Yup. Sica’s cooking never changed alright. Still the same unique taste as ever!   Suprisingly though this night, both of us continued stuffing our mouths out as if it was the best home cooked meal in the world.   I didn’t know why Sica would do that, but me, I missed Sica, so much, SO MUCH so it didn’t really matter whether we were having a five star meal or pieces of chips and gummy worms (HEY! I love that!) for dinner, having a meal with her and smiling and bantering like this together normally was enough. More than enough.        XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX       “Hey Taengoo what do you want to do?” Sica asks as I wash the dishes and clean up our surprisingly empty plates.   “Ugh how about we watch a movie here?”   “OUCH! Yah Sica! What if that Dookong fell into the sink and got wet!!!” Yep I also have Dookongs in the kitchen.   “Well, if you didn’t have your precious Dookongs cluttered all around I wouldn’t have thrown that.” And really THAT was the problem with her actions? She then glanced over one of the small plastic but hard animal figur