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Red is Her Color

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"Because when I'm with you, everything is fun."

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[CONTENTID3]

Soojung stared at her new hair color and frowned. There was nothing wrong with the color, really, but apparently, her family did not fond of her new hair color. She sighed and smoothening her hair to appear presentable. She then proceeded to check on her new uniform and dusted the skirt a little. It was a little shorter than her old school but it was not the first time she had to adapt into a new environment, anyway. She had been going around too much that it started to feel weird if she stayed in a city for a whole school year. After checking out some more, she took her backpack and got ready to go to her new school.

It was another public school that her father enrolled her to with his connection. It was not hard for him to move her school even in the middle of on-going semester. His money spoke for him even though Soojung’s academic records were not something to be proud of. She even missed the mid exam test but the school let her in because her father promised to donate some money to them.

She was lying if she never wished that she could just settle down somewhere, even if it meant she would be alone. She was feeling exhausted by moving repeatedly and leaving so many memories behind. She could not even count how many people she had left without any advance notification.

The walk from her apartment was not that far, it only took twenty minutes and she could even save fifteen more minutes if she went by a car. But she could not find her father driver this morning, along with her parents and her sister. She figured that they were taking Soohyun to her new school, the private one, of course. Her twin sister was more special than her, after all.

She never envied her twin sister for her face because actually they looked like just each other with split personalities. Everyone around them could differentiate them easily as soon as they opened their mouths to speak because Soohyun’s voice was softer than Soojung’s and the way they talked were also different. Soohyun always managed to talk with in a graceful manner while Soojung always spoke with enthusiasm.

Soohyun was everything that Soojung did not. She was feminine, soft‒spoken, smart, talented, beautiful and elegant. Soojung understood clearly why was her parents picked her as their favorite child. She would have pick Soohyun too if she could choose. Who would not, anyway?

They were the total opposite to each other in personalities matter as Soojung was more tomboyish. She tended to speak whatever came into her mind, had an average level of IQ and clumsy at times. Her parents made it obvious that they did not really care about Soojung’s future as she was free to do what she wanted to. Meanwhile they really took care of Soohyun’s future as if she was a born star. They carefully picked the best school in the town and they kept enrolling her to some courses, such as piano, violin, vocal and many more even when Soojung begged them to enroll her in painting course.

“You’re not going to do it seriously like Soohyun do with her musician course.” Her father said at that time and Soojung still remembered how he scolded her for being nosy but then got all soft when Soohyun talked to him.

She really did not want to blame Soohyun for her uncountable talents, she really did. But the way Soohyun always mocked her with fake sympathy when there were only them two inside a room was really infuriating. Soojung somehow was the only person that Soohyun’s showed that side of her. She did not exactly know why, but she thought Soohyun just simply hated her for being such an embarrassing twin.

The view from Haneul Academy entered her sight as she paused on her tracks. Lot of student entered the school while talking to their friends and Soojung bit her lips. She suddenly missed her old friends back in New York. She had never come to Seoul, after all.

She took a deep breath before she entered the school building with heavy steps. She did not have a problem to be friend with the other students. In fact, she was quite a social butterfly. She never had a problem in getting along with someone. But something about this school just made her afraid and felt timid.

Murmurs and whispers followed her as she tried to locate the Principal’s room. She wetted her lips as walked as casual as possible. The school really was big and not to mention, her poor sense of direction totally was useless. She then asked a help from the students who passed by her and they kindly showed her the way.

“Welcome to Haneul Academy, Ms. Jung.” The Principal smiled warmly at her despite how surprised he was at her red hair and handed a paper to her. “Here’s your class list for this semester. I hope you’ll do well at this school.”

She looked at the paper and glanced briefly at the man across of her. “Thanks.”

“The teacher for your first period is going to take you to your first class this morning.”

Just as in cue, the door opened and Soojung turned around to see her teacher. He was still young, in his late twenties, perhaps. He wore a glasses with his hair styled up to the side.

“You must be Ms. Jung?” He asked her with a charming smile and she nodded. “Hello, nice to finally meet you. I heard you’re living at New York and California before?”

Soojung blinked at how well he knew her background and nodded again.

“You must be good in English then. Come on, we’ll be late for the class.” He motioned her to follow him with his chin. “Mr. Gong, we’ll be leaving first. Have a nice day.”

Soojung bowed to the old man before she tailed behind the chirpy English teacher.

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“How’s school, Soojung?”

Soohyun’s voice greeted her as she made her way to the shoes rack. Soojung paused as she watched the clock, it was 6.35 p.m. Soohyun was supposed to attend a Gala Dinner with her musician colleagues at 7 p.m. She even stayed late at school to purposely avoided the older.

“When your older sister asked you a question nicely, wouldn’t it be right to answer it, Soojung? I’m not asking you a hard question, anyway.”

Soojung sighed quietly. “It’s great.”

She did not really have a bad day. Everyone at school were pretty nice to her, except that Jongin guy who seemed to ignore her presence liked she was a bug. They were helping Soojung to cope with the school just fine and Soojung already liked her schoolmates. If only the wicked twin sister would vanish from the world, she would be even happier.

“Ah, that’s good. Mom and Dad were pretty worried about you this morning because you had to walk to your school while they…you know, taking me to my new school. You were not getting lost, did you?”

Soojung rolled her eyes inwardly. This was exactly why she hated coming home to find Soohyun.

“You’re not going to the Gala Dinner?”

Soohyun smiled smugly when Soojung decided to answer her with another question. That meant the younger lost the sarcasm talk. “The event got pushed back until tomorrow night. Mom and Dad are out having some important business meeting. I guess it’s just the two of us tonight, Soojung.” She sat straighter and folded her arms under her chest. “I wonder what to eat for dinner. What do you want to eat tonight, sis?”

A dinner only with Soohyun was the worst thing ever happened to Soojung’s life. She preferred to starve herself rather than sat across Soohyun in a dining table, listening to Soohyun’s arrogant talk thorough dinner time. She felt sick just by hearing Soohyun’s chirpy voice.

“I think I’m going to pass. My friend from the new school asked me out earlier to do some History project.” She did not know from where the lie came out but it was not liked she had other option. “I’m going to freshen up and then go. Sorry.”

Soohyun’s frown was getting deeper by this point. “You’re not lying so you can escape from me, right?”

“Of course not,” Soojung smiled a bit even if it came out so awkward. Somebody said that twin’s bond really was deep and they could even read each other mind but she hoped that was not the case with Soohyun. “Do you want something? I can get them on my way back later.”

Soohyun’s nose flared as she turned around. “Buy me some snacks and cola.” She walked toward the kitchen with angry steps.

Soojung nodded and went up to her room on the second floor, right next to Soohyun’s bigger one on the left side. She did not even question her parents anymore about it because the answer was too obvious.

As she took a shower, she was thinking hard where to go at this hour. Sure 7 p.m. was not that late, but she did not know the direction well and she easily got lost on her own. She sighed in defeat when she finished her shower and decided to go to a coffee shop.

She wore a plain shirt with short jeans and took her homework along with her phone and mp3 player then dumped them all carelessly inside her bag. She let her hair in a simple ponytail and was ready to get out. She figured taking a taxi would be the best option she had right now. She could just ask him where was the nearest coffee shop around the area and then staying there for two hours before coming back home.

The taxi driver took her to a minimalistic coffee shop fifteen minutes away from her apartment. She read the big LED board on the top and it said Café Diem. She frowned at the pun but decided not to comment further at the café’s name.

As she entered the shop, the bell above her rang nicely and the coffee scent was thick at the place. Something about coffee’s scent always succeeded to calm her nerves. She ordered her favorite green tea latte and walked to the table for two in the corner of the room. The huge glass door