As soon as Seulgi arrived at the kindergarten, she sensed that something was wrong. Joy was reading a book. A physical book was in her hands. The Joy she knew never read books. Nevertheless, the book sounds interesting, 1000 Ways to Die. It even has illustrations.

On the other hand, the two students of theirs were being strangely quiet. They would whisper in each other's ear, and steal a glance at Seulgi. She asked them what was going on, but neither of them answered. When Irene and Wendy heard Joy's name, they looked frightened. Seulgi understood what this was about. "Joy! Don't kill me! I am too charismatic to die!" Unfortunately, when Seulgi exclaimed her outburst, Joy was drinking water. Surprised as the latter was, water entered through her nose, causing her to cough harshly. If Joy did not have that idea of hunting bear in mind, she certainly does now. "You have three seconds." Before the bomb explodes. The bear ran for her life. She thanked her muscles and brain for cooperating. Knowing that Joy was unapproachable, Seulgi switched her target. Between Irene and Wendy, the slightly--very slightly--shorter girl was the worse liar. If she asked, Wendy would in the end, tell her what was happening with Joy. However, she miscalculated. Wendy was a Pisces; it can be quite emotional. On the other hand, Irene was a Aries; it can act aggressively, sometimes. The above mentioned traits were not always the case, but given what Seulgi was planning to do, it may lead to them. "Hello, Wendy." Seulgi greeted. Her voice was lower than her normal voice, if not an octave lower. "Hi!" Wendy was still as energetics as she usually was. Unfortunately, that will change in a short moment. "Tell me, what is going on with Ms. Park?" "Nothing!" Wendy avoided eye contact with Seulgi. She was obviously lying, because everybody knew that the girl looks people in the eye when spoke to. It feels more sincere, she once said. "Oh, Wendy. You are just like me. You cannot lie. So, tell me." "I can't say! Please!" A single drop of tears fell from Wendy's eye onto the ground. The landing was silent to the teacher, but it was not to Irene. "Ms. Kang! Go away! Stop touching Wendy!" Irene rushed to where Wendy was, and crashed her whole weight into Seulgi. Seulgi heard some cracking noises; hopefully no bones were broken in the accident. Internal bleeding could be a possibility, but she was too dizzy to think. "Alright, Wendy. I saved you. Give me a kiss now." "Irene! You didn't have to kill me just for a kiss! For the record, I did not touch her!" Did Seulgi get a response? Certainly not. Did the two kids listen to her? Obviously not. Being ignored, Seulgi returned to her seat next to Joy, after confirming that the latter had calmed down. Just as she sat down, the power went off. "AHHH! I can't see! Ms. Park!" Irene cried out. Her piercing voice echoed in the room. Seulgi found it weird. Why did Irene call for Joy? She should instead cling onto Wendy, seeing as it was a rare opportunity. In the dark, who knows where the hand will go? "Seulgi, can you check the fuses? I will take care of the kids." "No prob--! Ouch!" No problem, Seulgi wanted to say, but she bumped into the desk. Then the chair. Then the door frame. Finally, she exited the room. Seulgi proceeded slowly and carefully, with a speed of one-eighth meter per second. Five minutes later, she reached the entrance of the school. (The school was a single story building, so each teacher can tell only one story.) Then a realization hit her: she did not know where the fuses were. It did not matter, anyway. The lights came back on. Therefore, she returned to the classroom. "Hey, the lights came back on!" Seulgi announced, yet no one's attention was on her. Joy and the kids were gathering around in a circle, almost like they were performing a satanic ritual. "Cover this up! Fast! " Joy yelled like a mad woman, trying to hide what they were busy with, but it was too late. Seulgi saw everything. "Wow! My birthday surprise! No wonder why you looked murderous." "Not so much of a surprise now, is it?" The younger teacher sighed. She had prepared so long, yet her plan did not work out well. "Well, I am still surprised. I thought you didn't remember!" "Come on. Make three wishes. Keep the third one to yourself." "Firstly, I wish that everyone I know will live healthily. Secondly, I want to be rich. Very, very rich. Like, super gross rich." "Enough, onto the last one." "Well, I hope that--" "Shh!" The other three hushed her simultaneously. Seulgi closed her eyes, and silently made a wish in her heart. Truthfully, if she had spoken the wish out loud, it probably would not end well, seeing as how easily embarrassed Joy was. "Let's have cake!" Joy clapped her hands. The cake was made by Wendy's mother; she held great expectations towards its quality.

"Wait, we have a card for Ms. Kang!"

 

Joy's groan, accompanied by her stomach's growl, did not go unnoticed.

* Dear Ms. Kang, Happy birthday! How old are you now? You look like you are twenty! You are charismatic (Ms. Park told us to write this)! We wish you and Ms. Park a happy ever after! Bear hugs and kisses (Wendy, no!),
Irene and Wendy *

 

"You know, to celebrate your birthday, we should have some alcohol." Joy presented the bottle of wine to her.

Seulgi hesitated, after what she witnessed last time. However, she was not sure that defying Joy was a good idea.

"Sure."

 

Perhaps Seulgi should have persisted further.

Joy drank, correction, chugged a bottle of wine. As expected, she got drunk, and behaved, dare she say, interestingly. To let the the alcohol in Joy's body settle down, Seulgi waited for an hour prior to carrying her to the bathroom. She commanded Joy to shower; the smell on the latter was so strong, since she accidentally spilled a glass on her clothes. "Lipstick check. High heels check. Hairstyle check."

 

"Joy, Joy, Joy. I am fairly sure that you should uncheck all of those things, since you took a shower just now."

"You are smart when I am drunk." "Perhaps I am always smart." "Your imagination is limitless." "Just rest." "Wait! Gift!"

 

Rummaging through her purse, Joy pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Seulgi. 

"Aww, you wrote me a love letter?" Taking advantage of Joy's inebriated state, she joked. "Actually... Just open it." To put it nicely, the contents were shocking. "Gift cards?" "Dunkin' Donuts and Amazon! They are fifty dollars each! Also, I wrote a card!" Seulgi loves both stores, nonetheless, receiving them from her girlfriend on birthday, that feels somewhat insincere. "I know they look ridiculous, but I didn't know what you want." "The only one I need is you." "Aww, I love you." "Drunk Joy is the best." "This is sober Joy." "Sober Joy says she loves me? Even better." "That was your present."

 

"Speaking of present, do you have anything you want?"

 

"Hmm. Maybe the poop and heart emoji cushions we saw at the mall?"

 

"Poop? Nice."

* Dearest Teddy Bear, Happy birthday! Did you enjoy the surprise? I hope you did, because the cake was really good. Wendy's mom baked it. Do you remember the day we met? You still look as young as you were. Although I do not acknowledge the fact often, you are certainly charismatic. However, I am the most beautiful one. I love you love you love you! Love,
Queen Joy *

 

Two days later, the postman delivered an Amazon package at Joy's apartment. Inside the box were the two emoji cushions.