CHAPTER 21     “Hey, Jessie?” Huh? Who’s that lightly tapping my cheeks…?   Still drowsy I wondered, but by the next second shrugged the thought off to resume my interrupted slumber.   “Jessie wake up! It’s already time for morning breakfast! I’m hungry!!! Hurry!!”   But after a while the taps become stronger and stronger in force, turning into nudges and then brash shoving.   “Ummmgh…” YAH! Who’s this rude girl?! Disturbing my sleep?! Only one dares to do that… But it couldn’t be her right? I swatted the annoying hand away…     A few moments more and no longer able to ignore the incessant nuances, I unintentionally opened my eyelids getting a glimpse of the morning perpetrator.   … …   I couldn’t be…   … …   Krystal?   Huh?!   But why?! Does… Does this mean Seohyun has already erased me and I’m back in the VG world?? B-but… if she already erased my programming…   …then should this even exist?     “YAH! Jessieeecaaaaaaaaa!!!!! Wake up! Sheez, no wonder Taeyeon sunbae sent me to call for you. Such a pain in the as- Yah! Unnie OUCH!!!”   “Don’t you dare use those words on me Yoong or else I’ll kick you to death!” I said sitting up in my tousled bed hair, clad in yellow green pajamas, glaring at the girl.   This kid…   So it was Yoong and not Kryssie after all…   “Psshhhh as if you’d do that to… your favourite dongsaeng “me”~! Merong! At least now you’re up, hurry and let’s get stuffed inside! Whiff! Whiff!! Whooo didn’t know Taeyeon sunbae was such a chef! Beats that maid’s cooking anytime…” And she says drumming her fingers on my legs and excitedly leaving the tent.   …   So…   I’m still alive huh?   I blinked, flipping my hands back and forth as if making sure they still are mine…   The god’s must be busy… not noticing me and how I acted with Taengoo yesterday…   I seriously feared last night as I fought off drowsiness savouring every given moment I have with her that that was it. If I close my eyes and succumb to sleep, I shouldn’t expect to open them and greet another day in this world anymore… That it was already lights off…   But strangely it was not… so I’m thankful… Sigh… at least I’ve got another day left to spend with my Taengoo.   A bug then crawled across my foot “KYAAAAHHH!!!” and instantaneously, like flicking a switch, I got up and left the tent, afraid of dealing with the early morning rituals of the insect community.   It was a lady bug guys… a lady bug…   “And this is why I don’t like sleeping out in the backyard! Hmp! No sense of privacy for my sleeping habits!”       XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX       “Oooowaaah and here comes sleeping beauty! Take a seat Jessie, I’ll get you a plate” Yoona said stuffing with more pancakes before giving Sica a hug (A HUG!!! In front of me?!) and moving on to her said offer.   Gosh I can’t believe this girl’s two, TWO years younger than me! Damn, gotta grow some balls really Huh? Taeyeon?! I thought with crossed eyebrows and flaring nostrils…   I haven’t even given Sica a morning hug after all this time living with her, Hmp!       Flashback     “Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! BangBang!!!” “Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! BangBang!!!”   Damn who is it! Creating a ruckus this early… … that person it’s just seven in the morning!   I haven’t even started preparing breakfast for Sica!! (Although I know that girl sleeps like a log)     “Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! BangBang!!!” “Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! BangBang!!!”   YOU!!!! WHOEVER YOU ARE!! “Alright alright I’m coming!!!”   Kachack (Sound of door opening)   I opened the door but kept the latch and chain attached just in case.   …   Huh?   “Yoona?”   “Morning Taeyeon Sunbae, care to let me in?” the girl said, leaning on the front door’s frame and smiling confidently, as if she’s asking the daughter of the house on a date from the head of the family.   And if she did… and I was the Appa… Man, she might actually win me over. UGH!!! Her beauty is too bright!!!   “Ugh…” Human weakness. I slid the chains off and let her inside.   “Come in… Why didn’t you just ring the doorbell anyways? What if it was the wrong door you decided to knock on?! It would’ve caused my neighbors a lot of trouble!”   “Haha well if THAT happened, then they’d be lucky to have seen such a beautiful thing in the morning!” she said following me inside “Oh and I figured banging the door would be more impactful than the normal doorbell. He he It is, isn’t it?” and taking a seat at one of the kitchen stools.   “…” I couldn’t say yes right? Not when she’s sporting that smug face like that.   “So, why’d you come here? Looking for another punch to balance your face?” I retorded sarcastically as I started preparing the ingredients for an American style breakfast. Truthfully, since Sica’s been cold to me after returning, I haven’t had the chance to prepare that coming home breakfast I wanted to for her. Feeling positive with how we felt like normal again yesterday however, I think today I’ll finally be able too.   So it didn’t really matter if that annoying Imp Yoona is in my kitchen sitting down right now.   “Umn… actually Taeyeon Sunbae…”   Huh? What’s with this change of tone from arrogant to meek? I wasn’t very sure with what I was hearing so I faced her direction just to be sure.   GASP.   Oh MY GOD!!!! She looks like a pure innocent sheep right now?!!! KYAAA!!! I wanna take a picture as souvenir…   Crap I hate myself.   “I-I-I’m sorry… I… didn’t, I heard you got expelled… I promise Taeyeon sunbae I, it… That really wasn’t my intention! Sigh…   Promise I’ll talk to Omma and Appa about it… I’m really sorry…” She said head bowed low, like a child being reprimanded by her parents. In the first place, I never really believed she did so, but I appreciate her sincerity and humility in apologizing even if we both know it really wasn’t her fault completely.   Especially with her egoistic personality. This was huge.    Besides, I was a coward to begin with anyways, and that confrontation, aside from condemning me to getting thrown off the school, served as the tipping point in assessing my true feelings for Sica and Fany.   So it wasn’t all that bad. In fact rather… I think she purposely pushed me that far so that I’d be force to come into terms and choose between the two.   Mr. Youngmin unfortunately, just happened to be there to witness the exchange…   I guess Yoona really wasn’t as mental and psychotic as I originally thought huh?   Guess… it’s time for a truce?     End of Flashback        “Thanks Yoong~! … … OH MY GOD!!! Yoong what happened to your face?! Who the hell-” Sica said, getting off her seat and caressing that kid’s face.     Gulp. OH NO!!! Yoona doesn’t know Sica doesn’t know yet!!! I said bitting on my knuckles in panic.   “Haha well, Tae Sunbae had such a nice right hook, it downright made an image on my skin!” Yoong responded obviously enjoying the attention and…   GULP Sica’s… reaction.   “YOU WHAT TAENGOO?!!!!” and Hellsica: Green Light “ON”   “WHY WOULD YOU PUNCH YOONG?! Are you insane that’s a kid?! Is it because of-“   “Ugh… N-n-n-o! Of course not because of THAT Sica!” I tried saying convincingly in attempt to control Hellsica, whatever THAT is.   “Tsk, I.Will.Deal.With.You.Later.” Glaring at me before turning motherly to Yoona. “Yoong, have you put ice on your face already? Come let’s get an ice bag…”   “Oh it’s nothing really Jessie. It’ll heal in a while, and… don’t be angry at Taeyeon sunbae. We really were just fooling around…”   OMG!!! Thank you Yoona!!! Aish why did I even doubt the goodness of this girl?! She’s an angel at-   “but what we should be concerned with really is the impending expulsion Taeyeon sunbae might face this afternoon.”   NOOOOOOOO!!!!! You evil tattletale!!!  That smirk! She’s enjoying this!!   “Expulsion?”   “Umn… someone saw our little fooling around and… it happened to be the dean of discipline…”   “OMG! Taengoo!!! Why didn’t I know of any of this?! Were you never going to tell me?”   “No Sica, I’m sorry I just wasn’t able to bring it up, plus look at it this way, now we have more time to spend toget-“   “That’s not the point here Taengoo… You need your education and I…I’m a…   I won’t stay. I CAN’T”   Sica couldn’t say it in front of Yoona, but I knew what she was trying to explain… it’s her and her Video Girl status again… Sigh… Sometimes I really wonder if things would’ve been different if Sica was born a normal human girl like me instead…   Would she still even like me?   “…”   The air was getting thicker and thicker with no one speaking, and as much as I want to break this silence, I didn’t know how to. I didn’t know which phrase to begin with to ease the building tension. I can’t just throw in comic relief like usual… The end of Sica’s playback time is no joking matter, neither is my school expulsion.   “Cough, Cough, but don’t worry Jessie! Just leave it to Super Yoong! I’ll get sunbae out of the deathrow I promise!”   Yoona takes the wheel and saves the day. Really thanks kid…   “… really Yoong? Could you do that?” Sica looks to Yoona with some relief glimmering in her eyes.   “Hahhahah OH My, have I ever failed at anything I wanted? I… I just have to talk to my parents about it, is all.”   “Thanks Yoong… please do. Now YOU MIDGET. Don’t ever hide anything as big as this again you got me?! Aish… Be thankful I don’t even have enough time to properly be angry with you… L”   Sica mumbled something at the end, but I didn’t quite catch it.   “Yes… I’m sorry again Sica…”     …   The clock continued to tick without anyone neither touching their food nor creating a sound. I continued to avoid Sica’s eyes feeling guilty of YET AGAIN being a big chicken in telling her about the expulsion… UGH this lockdown spell is killing me!!   …   “Well… aren’t you guys preparing yet? Sunbae I remember you mentioned earlier you girls were going on a day trip?” Yoona says not being able to control her food lust any longer forking some bacon into .   “Day trip?!”   “…” I also haven’t told Sica that yet!!!   “Oh My God, TAENGOO!!!! What else are you hiding from-”   “Sica, it’s just an impromptu plan, I just wanted us to go somewhere for the morning, that’s all.”   “But Kim Taeyeon?! Aren’t you even worried about your expulsion even one bit?! Shouldn’t you stay here and help Yoong in convincing her paren-”   “Actually Jessie, it’ll be better if I talk with my parents alone, they’re not the type to be open to strangers, so it’s okay really, go ahead on your trip. I can take care of this.” Gulping some OJ, I made mental note to have Yoona when arguing with Sica and it’ll make it more smooth sailing provided I feed the kid with mountains of food, like the amount she’s devouring now.   Where is she keeping those pounds hidden anyways?!   “…”   “You deserve the rest. Taeyeon sunbae too. So… just go. I’ll be fine I promise”   I wanted to hug Yoona then and there and give the kid my last bag of gummy worms as thank you gift!   “…”   “Sigh… Oh my god, I’m dealing with two kindergarteners. OKAY! Alright! We’re going to that day trip.”   “HOORAY!!!”   ! Seriously this kid’s words are magic.   Better rethink those “art” lessons from her after all. ^^   “But we’d better be back here before that meeting starts or else I’d gut everyone’s throat like a fishmonger does fish’s gills”   “Ugh…”   But yeah. Sica will be Sica.       XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX       When I was young and my parents still alive, at random intervals, or whenever Omma and Appa would have the same day off their work schedule, even if it WAS on a school day (My parents are cool like that Hehe^^), we would often go to the end of the dark blue subway line number one (Incheon station), take the first number 5 or 23 bus and get off in its last stop after around 5 minutes of travelling to a station called Wolmido. I perfectly remembered the journey because my parents taught me the exact same way forwards and backwards just in case we got s