“You midgets didn't call me yesterday. I'm upset.” Sooyoung had said. She visited Yeri's house to try and get some updates on what happened after leaving them at the amusement park.

 

“Sorry. We were too busy having fun without you around. It passed on our minds.” Yeri teased. She then grabs a piece of chicken from the take-out her best friend had brought. “Oh, my chicken-nim!” she dramatically gasped, and takes a bite on it. “Hmm, this stuff is really delicious.”

 

“So, what happened on the haunted house trip?” Sooyoung starts.

 

“Ugh, it was horrible. I don't really want to remember that anymore. Not ever.” Yeri suddenly grimaces at the thought.

 

“Yeah? I bet the house was filled with all of your annoying screaming. I'm now concerned on Chaeyoung's state of hearing.” Sooyoung teases. She ducks immediately to dodge a flying Hello Kitty.

 

“Shut up! I bet if you were there, too, you'll be screeching and flailing you arms.” Yeri countered.

 

Sooyoung just laughs it off; picking up the stuffed toy. “What else happened? I remember getting 5 sets of tickets. What was the last one?” She slurped noisily on her drink.

 

“Oh.” Suddenly a flashback of what happened last night starts to reel in. Yeri tries her very best to suppress the growing smile on her lips. She then coughs, clearing and answered, “W-We rode on the ferris wheel.”

 

“Okay?” Sooyoung urges Yeri to continue. The shorter one is avoiding her stares. “Yah, are you hiding something from me? Come on, spill it out!”

 

“N-Nothing! Nothing happened! It was just the usual ferris wheel ride.” Yeri stutters. She looks away; suddenly getting interested in staring at her Red Velvet poster on the wall.

 

Sooyoung is still not convinced. “There's something you're not telling me, I know it. Remember, you're talking to your best friend here.”

 

Yeri hesitates for a moment. Thinking that she can't really lie to her, she sighed as she decides to tell her what happened. “Okay... Nothing really happened on the ferris wheel ride... It was after the ride...” She begins.

 

Sooyoung nods at her, “Go on.”

 

Yeri let's out a long breath. “We were eating after the ride, and you know me, I get really excited on the thought of eating that I didn't notice I had accidentally made a mess on my face. So she tried helping me in wiping it clean but then she...” Yeri paused, hesitating for a moment. Sooyoung was still quietly listening to her. “Chaeyoung... she—she tried to kiss me on the lips.” She can see Sooyoung's eyes getting wide. “B-But it didn't happen, I promise! It was interrupted with the display of fireworks.” She immediately explained.

 

After a minute of silence stretched, Sooyoung then said, “Wow. I didn't know Chaeyoungie was into girls. But it makes sense, though. I didn't hear her making a fuss about the boys in our school, anyway.”

 

“Really? Even with Yoo Seungho sunbaenim?”

 

Sooyoung nods. “There was one time I remember Chaeyoung talking on that Krystal girl. I can't blame her, though. That chic is gorgeous.”

 

“Kangjoon sunbaenim, too. Gosh, him and Seungho sunbaenim are so cool.” Yeri was suddenly immersed thinking about the two popular senior guys in their school.

 

“Uh huh. Wait, I thought you're supposed to be gay?”

 

“Hey! Am I not allowed to express my admiration to the other gender now?”

 

“No, not really.” Another noisy slurping coming from Sooyoung.

 

“We're getting out of the topic. Anyway, it didn't stop there,” Yeri continues. “So, after the fireworks interruption, I walked her back to her apartment. But before going in, she did something unexpected.” She paused, grabbing her drinks as she suddenly got thirsty. “Before going in, she had really kissed me.”

 

Sooyoung choked on her drink and is now coughing badly. She struggles to let out a 'what'.

 

“It was on the cheeks, unnie. Don't get too excited.” She soothes her best friend's back to calm her coughing fit.

 

“Oh my god!!” Another cough. “I really didn't expect Chaeyoungie to be this interested in my little fart!” Sooyoung excitedly said. Feeling a bit better, she begins hitting Yeri in the arms.

 

Yeri lets out a yelp of pain. “I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that insult.” she pouts, rubbing the sore spot on her arms.

 

“What are you going to do about it, though?” Sooyoung suddenly asked.

 

Yeri didn't understand the question. “What do you mean, unnie?”

 

“I mean, what about Seulgi sunbaenim? I thought you're into her.” Sooyoung clarifies.

 

“I still am,” Yeri said truthfully. “But ever since Chaeyoung appeared, I feel really happy. She's making me feel things I was hoping Seulgi unnie could give... Sometimes, I even feel like Seulgi unnie just treats me like a younger sister. And every time I think of that, she suddenly does things out of nowhere and messes up my feelings again. I don't really know... I'm getting confused right now.”

 

“Hmm, that's very hard. I'm really no expert in love whatsoever, but...” Sooyoung pauses to think. “Maybe you can weigh things a little? I mean, try to hang out with the both of them more and see for yourself who can give you utmost happiness.” She explained. “It's not really necessary that one of them should be doing all those things to you like what a lover must do. Even those simple gestures and acts already makes a big difference. More importantly, make sure that the both of you are happy with what you both are doing and have a mutual understanding.” Sooyoung pauses. Seeing Yeri getting more quiet, she pats her head. “We're living in a complicated world where this kind of relationship is not that really accepted by others fully. Just remember to be careful with your actions and decisions, alright?”

 

“Okay. I'll keep that in mind, unnie.” Yeri smiles.

 

“Even though I'm always mean to you, I care about you a lot. Heck, if I see you crying and hurting because of them, they better get ready to catch these hands from me. I won't care even if they're my friends.”

 

Yeri can only laugh at her statement, but feels assured somehow. “It feels weird hearing these words coming out from your mouth, unnie,” she said.

 

“Be honored, then. It's a once-in-a-lifetime event you can experience. Watch me as I plan on making you suffer and drag your ... but I'll do it tomorrow. For now, savor this cheesy image of mine.”

 

“Alright, alright. Whatever.” Yeri smiles.

 

---

 

It's already the middle of their exam week and Yeri felt even more tired than usual. The English exam she took earlier was really draining even though it's her favorite subject. She can't help but think their professor must be mad at her students for the questions were far too complicated and hard for her poor brain to handle. She was glad, though, since it was the last exam for the day.

 

Getting suddenly thirsty, she walked on the hallways, looking for the nearest water fountain. Approaching an available one, she noticed Chaeyoung and Sooyoung, a meter away from the fountain and are giggling to themselves. After they saw Yeri did they immediately put on a poker face and looked away. Sensing it was weird, she decides to confront them after drinking.

 

“God, so thirsty,” she muttered and stepped on the pedal. Feeling nothing but air, Yeri frowned. She tries again but was unsuccessful. She checks the backside of the water fountain and frowns as she can still see it is correctly plugged. Scratching her head, she looks back at Chaeyoung and Sooyoung whacking at each other, tears evident in their faces as they kept on giggling uncontrollably. She can hear a faint, “Oh my god, my stomach hurts,” from one of them.

 

Yeri walks closer to them. “What happened? Are you guys okay?”

 

“Yeah. We're feeling fantastic!” Replies Sooyoung.

 

“Oookay...? Then, can you help me with the fountain? I'm really thirsty and it seems broken.”

 

Chaeyoung pushes Sooyoung forward with Sooyoung doing the same thing. 'It feels like deja vu,' Yeri thought. “Are you guys really okay? Why are you acting like that?”

 

Both of them ignored the question as they now ushered Yeri near the drinking fountain with the two of them behind. Chaeyoung checks the back of the fountain and said, “It's already plugged in, anyway. It should work.”

 

“I know. I tried it after checking but the water won't come out.” Yeri explained.

 

“Do it one more time. We'll try to do something here.” Sooyoung instructs.

 

“Okay.” Yeri can hear a snort coming out but can't pinpoint as to who did it. She ignores it and then complies, face now hovering on the faucet. Still nothing, she kept on stepping the pedal and points at it to let Sooyoung and Chaeyoung know. “See? I think it needs a fix.”

 

The next thing happened in an instant. She can remember Sooyoung removing something from the faucet before closing her eyes as she felt her face getting wet from all the water spurting out from the fountain. She immediately removes her feet from the pedal and quickly wiped her face with a handkerchief. She then ran to catch her two friends who were now laughing loudly, eager to get her revenge.

 

---

 

“You should stop hanging around Sooyoung unnie. You're getting influenced with her satanic plans.” Yeri said. They are currently eating instant noodles at the nearest snack store. She remembered buying some foods here before.

 

“Why not? It's fun anyway.” Chaeyoung beams, earning a satisfied nod and a thumbs up from the Satan.

 

“You looked really funny trying to figure out why the fountain didn't work earlier.” Sooyoung said.

 

“I knew there was something weird going on the moment I saw you two. I should have confronted you guys earlier. Good thing we don't have any exams after.”

 

“It was Chaeng's idea, by the way,” Sooyoung confessed, earning an 'I did not!' from Chaeyoung. “It was supposed to be a prank for the other students but then you suddenly appeared and it happened on you instead,” she finished.

 

“I can't believe this.” Yeri can only sigh in disbelief.

 

Another cup of ramen was placed on the table and the three of them looked up to see another person joining them.

 

“Tzuyu? You're supposed to be attending some customers,” Chaeyoung scolds.

 

“You two know each other?” Sooyoung asks.

 

“Yup! Hello,” The tall girl bows. “I'm Tzuyu and it is spelled as T-Z-U-Y-U. It's unique, right? I know.” Tzuyu beams, answering Sooyoung's question.

 

“Oh, right. I remember you. You were the one who attended me before.” Yeri said, earning an eager nod from the tall girl.

 

“What about the store?” Chaeyoung asks once more. She's getting nervous all of a sudden.

 

“No worries, cupcake. I decided to close it early. I want to meet your new friends!” Tzuyu said.

 

'Here we go again at the nicknames,' Chaeyoung can only roll her eyes.

 

“I like this girl.” Sooyoung starts. “My name's Sooyoung and this little fart right here,” she gestures at her left, “is Yeri.”

 

“I swear I'm gonna kill you some day, unnie.” Yeri grumbles.

 

“You're cute, Yeri, so it's fine.” Tzuyu said. “Wait. I just remembered something.” Turning to Chaeyoung, she continued, “Pumpkin, was she the one who gave you the flowers and chocmph—“ she was unable to continue as a hand halts her speech. Chaeyoung can only chuckle awkwardly.

 

“What flowers is she talking about?” Sooyoung asks and looks at Yeri. forms an 'o' as she recalled her phone call with Yeri after her supposed to be confession with Seulgi. “Ah, so she was the girl you told me before, I see.”

 

“The chocolates were very delicious, by the way.” Tzuyu adds, successful in removing Chaeyoung's hand.

 

Yeri chuckles awkwardly and glances at Chaeyoung. The latter mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to her to which Yeri can only smile.

 

“We should hang out some time.” Tzuyu suggests.

 

“Why not? You're really cool and pretty.” Sooyoung comments.

 

Yeri and Chaeyoung both looked at each other then to Sooyoung. “What? She really is pretty. I always thought that I'm the only pretty girl here in the neighborhood but this person right here proves me otherwise. It's like I'm getting challenged and I like that.”

 

“Let's high-five to that!” Tzuyu exclaimed, happy for being complimented. Sooyoung then followed to complete the high-five.

 

“I need to keep an eye on these two,” Chaeyoung whispered to Yeri.

 

“Me, too. I'm sensing something fishy here.” Yeri agrees.

 

And the store's quiet atmosphere was replaced by the four girls' laughters.

 

---

 

A short vibration from her device made Yeri distracted for a moment. She picks up her phone to check who was messaging her.

 

 

[Hi, Yeri]

 

 

She gets another random message from Seulgi. Deciding to take a brief break from studying, she typed away her reply to her senior.

 

 

[Good evening, unnie! Are you done studying? :)]

 

[Nope. I can't study properly...]

 

[Oh, why?]

 

[Is it okay for you to go outside for a while?]

 

 

Yeri ponders on the question and glances at the clock. The digital numbers are displaying 8:00.

 

 

[I think so? I'll have to check first if my parents are downstairs. Are you okay, unnie?]

 

 

It took five minutes before Yeri can get her reply. Yes, she counted it.

 

 

[...I don't know. Can you accompany me for a moment? I'm actually outside your house now.]

 

 

Yeri feels her eyes widen after reading the text. “She's here?” Wanting to make sure, she opened her window and looked outside. She can see someone's backside glancing at her phone. Yeri calls immediately the contact.

 

“Seulgi unnie? Is that you outside?”

 

The figure outside turns around and found an opened window.

 

“Yeah. Hi,” Seulgi chuckles, waving out a hand.

 

“Oh my god, wait...” Seulgi can hear some scrambling on the other line. “I'll be there. Hold on.”

 

Immediately grabbing an available jacket, Yeri dashes out of her room. Seeing her parents still watching some show downstairs she then said, “My friend is outside, I'll be back in a bit!” without waiting for any of her parents' confirmation or disapproval.

 

Once outside, she runs over to where Seulgi was standing.

 

“Unnie? What happened? Why are you here?” Yeri shoots her senior immediately with questions.

 

Seulgi chuckles and ruffles Yeri's hair. “Slow down.” She saw Yeri pouting and didn't stop herself from pinching her cheeks. “You're really cute, you know that?”

 

“Ow, that hurts, unnie.” Yeri said, soothing the attacked cheeks.

 

“Let's talk there?” Seulgi points at the empty bench on the street.

 

After sitting down, the older one sighed loudly.

 

“What's wrong, unnie?” Yeri carefully questions.

 

“I'm sad,” Seulgi simply replied and faced Yeri. “You know the feeling that someone else's skills, achievements and every little things are being compared to yours? It really frustrates me. I don't understand why my father keeps on saying those things to me. I've been diligently doing other things perfectly and studying really hard to please him but I think he's not satisfied with all of it.” Seulgi confesses.

 

Yeri just listened intently. She tries to open but closes it again. She doesn't know how to react to that.

 

“It's okay. You don't need to say anything, really. I just needed someone to talk to about this.” Seulgi immediately wipes a tear that escaped. “Why am I even crying? Stupid me.” She chuckles.

 

Feeling concerned about Seulgi's problem, she reaches out to comfort her. “Don't say that, unnie. I may not really understand why your father constantly does that but I know it's for your own good. In my case, especially for my grades at school, my parents do that sometimes but at the end, they just let it be since there's really nothing they can do about it. It's what my stored intellect can produce.” Yeri shrugs.

 

“I just hope my father would at least acknowledge it, you know?”

 

Yeri gently pats her back. “Maybe he does, but just not in front of you? Like, what if he has been telling about you to his friends or his co-workers? That could happen if you try to think about it.”

 

“Maybe... I really don't know...” Seulgi looks up at the sky. “Sometimes, I want to be a star.”

 

“A star? Why so?”

 

“Because I know I can still shine brightly by myself even without doing anything. People would admire me from afar, notice my existence and not get bored or feel disappointed at me.”

 

Yeri ponders on Seulgi's reference. Without thinking, she blurted out, “You already are.”

 

Seulgi chuckles. “Really? Thanks, I guess.”

 

The both of them got silent after a few minutes.

 

“Thank you again for joining me here.” The older one said.

 

“Nah, it's fine. It's actually good to talk about your feelings once in a while.”

 

The older one could only smile at that. “Anyway, it's getting late. We should head back.” Seulgi said as she begins to stand up, helping Yeri in the process. The moment the shorter one was able to stand up properly, she felt Seulgi's arms encircling her body. “Thank you, really.” Seulgi repeats for the third time that night.

 

Yeri feels her heart thumping loudly and silently hopes Seulgi can't feel that. Just as she was about to reciprocate the gesture when Seulgi decided to entangle herself from the contact. Yeri wants to frown. However, her right hand was gently held by the older one. Not expecting the action, Yeri can only lower her head as she tries her very best to hide the growing blush on her cheeks. And this is one of those times that Yeri thinks Seulgi's confusing her feelings again with her actions. Seulgi's hold on her hand makes her feel content and safe; and she felt herself getting relaxed as they continue to walk back to Yeri's house.

 

Seulgi—still holding Yeri's hand—made sure that she was escorted safely since she doesn't want to see the younger one getting hurt by herself like what happened before.

 

“I want to ask you something,” Seulgi starts. Yeri can only nod her reply.

 

“Do you have other plans tomorrow after school?”

 

“Uhh... no? Not really, as far as I know.”

 

“Is that so? I was actually hoping we could go somewhere after school.”

 

'Oh my god, is she asking me out for a date?' She can't believe this.

 

“Yeri? You still there?”

 

“Oh, y-yeah. I'm sorry. It's fine with me.”

 

“Great! I'll see you at school tomorrow, then. I'll call you on where we should meet.” Seulgi said, clearly excited.

 

“Okay,” Yeri smiles. She can't help but get infected with Seulgi's smile. “I'll see you tomorrow, unnie.”

 

Seulgi removes her hold on Yeri and motions her to go inside. “Go now. It's getting cold.”

 

Hearing the cold word, she suddenly remembered her jacket; removing it to place it on Seulgi's shoulder and struggling a bit since her senior is taller than her. But not that much. “You can bring this with you. It's okay.”

 

All the while Yeri's placing the jacket, Seulgi has been staring at her. Yeri looks up and locks her gazes with the older one. It never fails to render her speechless whenever Seulgi looks at her like she's the only thing that matters.

 

Seulgi immediately places kiss on the shorter girl's cheeks and jogs away, shouting her farewell to Yeri. The younger one can only stare back at the retreating figure. She hates Seulgi. She hates her for messing up her feelings again. (But not really.)

 

Once back in the room, she goes to her bed and laid there silently. She gets her phone and notices another message from Seulgi.

 

 

[Good night. I really enjoyed the company. See you tomorrow! :D]

 

[Good night, too. Sleep well. ^^]

 

 

Yeri slowly closes her eyes, deciding to rest in preparation on what's going to happen tomorrow. She's now dozing off quietly, a smile imprinted on her face. Without knowing, the screen of her phone lit up as an incoming text message arrived. Seulgi had replied with a simple '<3'.

---

 

 

 

Hello! I'm back for a long time. I really apologize for the lack of updates this month. Work's been taking up much of my time :( Luckily, we have granted a holy week vacation so I'm gonna spend the rest of my days brainstorming, writing and (hopefully) upload another chapter for this story. I think I'm gonna find plenty of things to write on since little by little, Twice Velvet is happening. Godbless MCD for putting No-Fun Brothers as MCs.

Anyway, I'm gonna resume to my writing. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter ^^ Comments are very welcome. It really encourages me to know that you guys are liking this so far.

P.S.: There's a SeulRi date in the next chapter. ;)

 

See you guys!

- R.