“Jessie! Please come to my house again.. I’ll be left home alone this afternoon, my oppa is leaving for vacation with his college mates. Pleeeaseee..” Tiffany attacks me with her pleading eye smile as soon as we leave the toilet, as every student prepares to go home.

I sigh, “Okay, let me tell Sooyoung first.”

“Okay! Let’s go to the gymnasium!” She grabs my hand and we are now running through the school corridor. As we arrived at the gymnasium, I turn to her. “And why were we going here jinjja??” She doesn’t answer me, but just points at a figure who is now doing some air kicking in taekwondo custom with some screaming between the moves.

She looks better without glasses.

I notice that there are many other students who also happen to wear the same custom, and I just realize that it is just the time of Taekwondo club’s schedule.

“Soo!” Tiffany calls her.

She stops her moves and walks to our direction.

“Hi, Tiff. What is it?” She asks as arriving in front of us. Tiffany nudges my arm making me startled and Sooyoung confused. I turn to look at her.

Damn. She is even more, better looking from near.

She wipes the sweat that almost falls from her chin.

*gulp*

“Mwo?” She says, stopping my random imagination.

“Ah.. I-I want to tell you that…. I will be in Tiffany’s house until evening.”

“And?”

“Eh?” What does it mean? “Yeah, that’s it I guess.”

“It’s not like we are going to go home together anyway.”

I roll my eyes. “At least if your mother asks where I am, you can answer her, pabo.”

She nods. “Hmmm. Alright, have fun!” She says before turnaround and leaving us to practice again.

That jerk!

Yoona’s POV

I open my ice cream packaging and start to it as I walk exiting the canteen.

“Yoong!”

Her voice.

I turn to her.

“Why are you still here?” She asks.

“Oh, I chatted about the upcoming council student’s event with Tae Unnie before. And you?”

“I just finished my taekwondo schedule.” She says as we now walking towards the school gate. That’s why she doesn’t wear her glasses yet. “The driver doesn’t fetch you?”

“Ani.. Because I said that I would have meeting after school, he left for fetching my little sister. I just take the bus from here.” I turn to her and waves at her. “See you tomorrow, Unnie!”

I just turnaround and take my second step towards the bus shelter when I feel her hand grabs mine.

“Go home with me..”

Dugeun

Dugeun

Dugeun

I look at her with a blank expression which she replied by giggling. “I will send you home with my bicycle.”

But I still don’t answer at all.

“As the reward…” She moves her head towards mine, leaving less than two centimeters between our faces.

Dugeun

Dugeun

Dugeun

“… let me have a bite of this first.” She bits my ice cream a little. Yes, the ice cream which I’m just holding in front of my mouth. The moment she does that, our noses touch, left me both frozen yet blushing hot.

DAMN THAT DISTANCE!

Dugeun

Dugeun

Dugeun

Dugeun

Dugeun

Dugeun

“Let’s go..” She flashes her smile as if she doesn’t do anything wrong.

“Unnie, is it okay? My house is kinda far.” I ask from the back passenger seat as she continues cycling her bike, only to be responded by her usual chuckle.

“Yah, Baby Im.. Don’t talk like I don’t know your house and neighborhood. I have lived there once if you don’t remember.”

“Yeah, and then you moved when we were still elementary school.” I frown.

“And you cried so much on my departure day.” She giggles and I hit her back playfully. “Ouch!”

When we were still elementary school, Mrs. Choi has just got accepted to work as a teaching staff in a school, which now becomes our recent school. Because Mr. Choi had just passed away, causing no one to drive them to school and office, they chose to move to the neighborhood which is nearer to the school.

“You still remember that park?” I say, pointing a park that we are about to cross. She glances and smiles.

“Of course. I won’t forget our first meeting.” I smile back and whisper.

“Chu Unyie..”

flashback

Mr. Im was going out to the park, accompanying his daughter to learn playing her tricycle. He was taken aback when un-purposely another tricycle bumps at her daughter’s.

“Aaww!” Yoona groans and looks behind, trying to find the culprit.

“Sooyoung-ah!”

A man around Mr. Im’s age, who happened to be Mr. Choi, ran towards her daughter, then bowed to Mr. Im.

“I’m so sorry for my daughter.”

Mr. Im smiled. “It’s okay. Are you just alone with your daughter?”

“Neh. My wife is cooking and I’m assigned to play with this brat.” That answer was soon replied Mr. Im’s laugh.

“Hahaaha! That’s an exact same story with mine. By the way how old is your daughter?”

“Aish.. Hahaha she will turn four next February.”

“She’s a year older than my baby, they can be good friends. Is it Sooyoung, her name?”

“Neh..”

“Yoona, Baby Im.. Come on greet Soo Unnie.” Mr. Im patted his daughter’s head.

Sooyoung quickly rose from her tricycle and walked to Yoona.

“Chuyong imnidah! I’m co cowwie foww bumping cu youw befowh..” She overed her hand to the younger kid.

Do you remember when you were so young and small?

Do you remember you and me there?

But Yoona frowned angrily and just turn the vehicle back side and started to cycle away from the new friend. The fathers laughed seeing their interaction. Mr. Im drooped his body a little and talked to Sooyoung.

“Sooyoung, can you accompany my baby to play? Uncle wants to chat with your appa.”

Sooyoung turn her head to her appa and back to Mr. Im, making an O.K. sign with her hand, “Owhkay, Uncle!” Then she ran back to her tricycle and cycling, tried to catch up with Yoona.

“Yaaah! Beybee Im, waich foww meeh!” Sooyoung screamed to call Yoona who was cycling not too far in front of her. Hearing it, Yoona stopped, causing Sooyoung’s tricycle to bump hers again.

“Ouwww!!” They both groaned. Yoona looked at Sooyoung with angry face.

“Donn call meeh beybih!! I’m nott a beybih anymowwh!”

“But youh awh dhat uncle’s beybih..” Sooyoung pointed at Mr. Im who is already far from them.

“Huhhh! Whatevewh!!” Yoona turned her head to the front again, and continued her riding. Sooyoung just shrugged her shoulder. She then decided to take out a box of biscuits from her sliding bag.

Sooyoung was munching her fourth biscuit of the second box when she heard Yoona scared voice.

“Chu Unnyiee!!!! Help meeh!!!!”

There she saw two boys were naughtily kicking Yoona’s tricycle, making Yoona fell on the ground. Yoona was crying holding her hand which probably got hurt because of falling.

We were always together and how they were jealous of us,

do you remember those friends?

Sooyoung felt so angry. She put her biscuits back to her bag and shouted.

“YAAH! SCHAPPP IT!!!”

She bravely walked towards the two boys and pushed them, but they just mocked her.

“Uh, another annoying kid!”

“Just kick her already, Donghae-yah!”

The said Donghae boy pushed Soo until she fell. Yoona’s cry got louder seeing that scene.

But Sooyoung hasn’t given up yet. She then ran to the sand pool, grabbed a handful of sand from it, then threw them to those bad boys.

“Yaah!! What are you doing, crazy kid?!”

“Yah! You!”

“SHOO! SHOO!!!” Sooyoung shouted, still repeatedly throwing up the sand to them.

“Eunhyuk, let’s just go. This kid is bad!” And the two boys ran away.

“Get lowst! Donn discuwwb beybih Im anymowwh!!” The oldest toddler crossed her arms in front of her chest.

She then walked back to Yoona and kneeled beside her. “Aww youh awwright, beybih Im???”

You held my small hand and protected me,

always smiling only at me.

 “It huwwwts..” Yoona said as holding her bruise on her hand, still crying.

Sooyoung leaded Yoona to stand up and wiped the dust from Yoona’s bruise, then blew it a little.

“Pwuuuuuuhhhh…” After that, she kissed the bruised then looked at Yoona’s face, which was then turning red. Sooyoung asked, “My eomma alwaysh did dhis if I’m huwwts. Doez it feeyl betteww nowh?”

Yoona nodded silently, but her tears were still running from her eyes.

“Why aww youh still cwwayingh??”

Little Yoona wipes the tears, but still frowning. “I’m still scawwed. I’m afwwaid dhey will commh again, unnyiee…” Then, she continued sobbing.

Baby, we didn’t know back then,

we were probably pretending.

Responding it, Sooyoung held Yoona’s petite body in her arms. She hugged the younger kid tightly and patted her head.

We were too young.

“Donn be scawwed…”

“…. Chu Unnyie will pwotecth beybih Im!”

end of flashback

I smile and circle my arms around Soo Unnie’s waist and lean my head on her back, but on the other hand hoping she doesn’t hear the orchestra in my heart.

You came to me, into my heart

as something more than a friend

“I miss my appa..” She says out of the blue.

I tighten my hug. “I’m pretty sure he misses you too.” And I’m pretty sure she is now smiling as she hears my words. She then lets her left hand off from the handle and holds my hands which are still on her stomach. My heart beats’ accelerated by her touch, thank God she can’t see how red my face is right now.

Next to you, I hid my heart.

Hiding,

hiding behind the friend label.

“Gomawo, baby Im..”

flashback

The six years old Sooyoung cried silently while sitting in front of her father’s photo. She quietly put her hands in front of her chest and praying. The said kid was neatly clothed in her black shirt and long pants. Mr. Choi just passed away because of sudden heart attack, leaving his wife and only daughter.

Do you sometimes think of those days like I do?

The nice breeze and the warm sunlight that shone us, do you remember?

After finishing her pray, Sooyoung heard someone’s sobbing behind her. She turned around and found Yoona, wearing black dress, was just sobbing. The older girl walked towards her and cupped her wet cheeks.

“Why do you always cry?” Yoona still sobbed.

“Why are you crying now, Baby Im?” Sooyoung asked again with trembling voice. She couldn’t deny that she herself is still in deep pain for his father’s gone.

Yoona looked up, searching for Sooyoung eyes.

“Becaushh…” Sooyoung was waiting. Yoona inhaled.

“Becaushh Syuu Unnie is khraying….”

We resembled each other so much.

You were my precious friend.

Baby, that’s what I believed first

but then you came to me and it was so strange.

Sooyoung tears ran uncontrollably hearing that. She was then quick to pull Yoona in another tight hug. Yoona turned the hug with the same emotion.

There, both of them let out all the hard feelings.

end of flashback

Soo Unnie stops her bike, and I realize that we’ve just arrived in front of my house. I rise from the passenger seat and walk in front of her.

Honestly, I was afraid.

I wasn’t used to my trembling heart when I saw you.

“Thank you.” I said. She smiles. “Wanna come for a while?”

“Aniya. Just sent my regards for uncle, auntie, and your sister.” I nod.

Actually, I resented you for acting like everything was normal.

She pats my head. “I’m going home.”

Why didn’t you know my heart?

She flashes another smile and starts cycling away. I stand there until I can’t see her shadow anymore.

Tiffany’s POV

I’m now lying on my bed, waiting for Jessica to change and wash her face in bathroom. Seriously, that princess always takes like forever when she is in the bathroom. When I’m just blankly looking at the ceiling, I feel some vibrate at the edge of my bed. Then I realize that it was Jessica’s phone. I take the phone lazily.

Kwonyul is calling….

Should I answer?

“JESSIE!!” I scream calling her.

“NEEEEH!!??”

She answers it, meaning she will still take many more time in the bathroom.  I just answer this then. I tap the answer button.

“Yeobeoseyo?”

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I slipped some lyrics in between Soona's moments. It was 'So Long' by Apink. The lyrics perfectly describe Soona's relationship condition in this story. It's nice song anyway, have a try to listen to it! And thank you for reading this chapter :D