01- Familiarity

It was four years ago when she first met her best friend. The sky was gray and rumbles of thunder can be heard roaring. Students were flocking in the building, afraid that the rain might pour down anytime soon and drench their new--laundered or bought-- uniform. It was the first day of school after all, older students are more mature than they were last year, while new students feel like they need to make a good impression.

She tugged onto her sister nervously, fidgeting as she observed the other students. She looked up at her unnie and saw the caring smile and she had felt at ease though the nervousness still lingered. She loved her sister very much and had been with her in every ups and downs. She’s proud of her sister; proud of how strong her unnie is at such a young age. Heaven knows she wouldn’t be able to handle the things that her older sister had gone through and heaven also knows that she wouldn’t be able to handle if she lost her sister.

“You’ll do great, Seul~” her unnie pats her cheek affectionately and she can’t help but smile back.

“But what if--”

“Don’t be afraid, my little bear~ You’ll make friends.. and if you don’t, then you still have me~” her sister winked at her and she grinned, jumping into her sister’s arms and embracing her, letting the love seep into her.

“You do good in uni too, Yuri unnie~”

“Of course~ I’ll be the greatest veterinarian there’ll ever live!~” she smiled one last time before getting out of the hug and looking at the school building where she’ll spend the next four years of her life. “Don’t worry too much, Seul~ Now go or you’ll be late~” Yuri pushed her gently and she glanced one last time at her sister before nodding and finding the courage to enter the school grounds.

The school was familiar to her,  her Yuri unnie having just graduated from this same institution just last year had showed her around plenty of times. Yes, the environment was familiar but the faces she’s seeing are new which made the jitters she was feeling earlier to crop up again.She took a deep breath before entering her classroom. She had easily seen the shy smiles and small waves some of her classmates were giving her. She smiled back, equally as bashful, as she looked for an empty chair and quickly sat on one, releasing another sigh to alleviate her agitation.

“Nervous?” the person beside her asked, startling her a bit. She slowly looked at the girl, small eyes meeting round ones and a spasm of familiarity and sereness enveloped her heart and she smiled.

“Yeah, a bit. You?”

“Hmm, nahh~ It’s always nice meeting new people~” the girl smiled back, eyes never leaving the bear’s, both curiously feeling at ease before she lend out a hand, “I’m Wendy by the way~”

“Uhmm...Seulgi~Nice to meet you~” and she held the smaller one’s hands and shook it, the feeling of familiarity and warmness enclosing both of them.

And it was that same warmness looking at her four years later, eyes inquiring a few feet away from where she stood.

“So uh, Seulgi-ah~ would you like to go out with me?” the person in front of her asked, face flushing pink as she looked at the bear’s eyes with intent. The latter’s small peepers turned wide and a different warmness--more hot--came crawling up her cheeks as she fumbled over her words.

“Uhm..uh.. Naeun sunbae.. I’m..” and panicked eyes met back with inquiring eyes in an attempt to ask for help but instead her heart rate went back to normal and she felt serene. She looked back to the elder one in front of her and smiled, “I’m very flattered that sunbae likes me,” she paused, “but you see, I have someone I like already… I’m sorry, sunbae.”

“O-oh..” the smile on Naeun’s face faltered as she looked back at her with sad eyes. “It’s okay, Seulgi… I guess, I wanted to at least see if I had a chance even though my friends already told me to give up.” she sighed, “I guess nobody can take you away from Wendy-shi.”

“W-w-what--” and Naeun laughed at her as she stuttered and looked like a bear in headlights.

“I’ll see you around, Seul~” the older one gave her a pat on the head and winking before turning around and walking away. Around this point, the one with inquiring eyes had decided to walk towards her followed by two girls grinning widely.

“What was that all about?” Wendy asked, looking curiously at her.

“Sunbae..uh.. She...”

“She asked you out, didn’t she?” her childhood friend and neighbor whom she really adores, Yeri, asked, smiling her trademark squirtle smile at her. She met Yeri and her older sister, Tiffany, the first afternoon that they moved to their house. Her Yuri unnie having just come out of the hospital and still in her wheelchair had decided to take a breath of fresh air outside. Little her had pushed the wheelchair and accidentally bumped into Tiffany--with Yeri on the side--making the former fall into her Yuri unnie. Apologies were exchanged, questions were asked, and before they knew it, they were all best friends--siblings, moreso.

“Y-yeah” she meekly nodded at the maknae.

“I knew it! Oi, Joy unnie, pay up!” Yeri pushed the tall girl beside her who was now rolling her eyes.

“Aish, aish! Here!” Joy had pushed some wons in a smiling Yeri’s hands and Seulgi had to squint her eyes at them because, seriously, did they bet on her love life or something? But of course, she couldn’t get mad at Yeri or at Joy--her best friend’s younger sister.

“Is that true?” Wendy inquired and the bear’s eyes had shifted back to see the younger one’s.

“Y-yeah...”

“And what did you say?”

“I said that… that...I’m not interested in her” because I’m interested in you. She finished in her head. She didn’t know when it started. When her feelings for her best friend suddenly metamorphosed into this...whatever emotion that she’s having now. It didn’t happen swiftly or hastily, no, because if it did then she’d be such a lovestruck fool which she’s not. Definitely not. Instead, this sensation had quietly and gradually crept up in her, twisting and mangling, taking its time the past few years until it formed into what it is now--stars, one by one shining from inside her.

“Hmm...” Wendy grabbed her hand, pulling her to begin walking back to their class, it was , afterall, just after lunch break and they still had the whole afternoon left for lessons. “I can’t believe she used Art Club as a petty excuse to talk to you alone.”

“Well.. she did ask me something about art club first….” her voice died at the end as she saw Wendy glare at her. They entered their classroom and she was pushed to sit on her chair with the smaller one sitting beside her (they were seatmates) before sighing and continuing her rant.

“The point is..” Wendy paused, eyebrows meeting in the middle, lips turning into a pout as the girl looked like she’s trying to find the correct words...or forgotten what the point actually is.

“No one’s good enough for Seulgi.” came a softer tone from the girl sitting at the desk in front of them.

“That is correct, Irene unnie~” Wendy agreed, smiling at the older one gently before looking back at the bear expectantly.

“Okay?” Seulgi replied, shrugging before smiling back at Irene who was looking at Joy and Yeri-- chokeslamming each other-- worriedly. Irene was the new transfer student, a new addition to their little group, they met her around the third day of school when Joy had accidentally forgotten her math homework and had panicked. Irene had patted the tallest girl’s back and offered her assignment to the shock of all four of them. Joy had unabashedly accepted the offer and grabbed the purple notebook to hastily copy the math homework. Ever since then, Irene had become part of their circle.

“So, like I’m saying, Seul, nobody deserves you. You’re too good for this world and too pure.” Wendy finished, looking at her decidedly. She sighed.

“It’s not like I’m looking for someone anyway” she whispered, looking back at the front of the class where their teacher had just entered and is giving out instructions to partner up and Wendy already giving opinions on how they’re going to work on the workbook problem.

She was on her way towards the entrance of her school with Yeri in tow--they were both scheduled for class clean up when she looked up to see the now orangey hues from the sky above and smiled at the sight. Closing her eyes and smelling the fresh air because life is so marvelous.

“Unnie, Yuri unnie’s here~” came the giddy reply of their maknae. She laughed because Yeri loves her Yuri unnie maybe more than her own sister, Tiffany.

“On time, as always~” she commented, skipping a bit towards the car and tapping the window.

“Hey, unnie~”she greeted, getting her sister’s attention. Yeri was practically grinning from ear to ear beside her as her Yuri unnie casted her eyes towards the maknaes direction.

“Hey, Yeri~ Want a ride?” her sister asked.

“REALLY, UNNIE?!!”  Yeri exclaimed, making Seulgi’s ears half deaf at the loudness. Her sister laughed and nodded her head.

“Yeah. Come on, hop on in, guys.” The eldest cajoled as she and Yeri entered the car and her Yuri unnie reminding them to put on their seatbelts before stepping on the gas. She looked outside the window, zoning out for today as she unconsciously observed the blurring colors of the trees, streetlights, buildings, and cars they were passing by. She barely registered hearing her sister asking her a question.

“.....--your day?” she turned her attention away from the car window and figured that her sister had asked her about her day. Her unnie had always been so protective of her and always wants to know how her day went. She smiled at her unnie’s cuteness.

“It was okay, unnie.”

“Okay?! Unnie! Seulgi unnie received three confessions today!” Yeri tattled and her Yuri unnie rose her eyebrows at her, it’s not like this is a new occurrence whenever Yeri rode with them, that kid is such a blabbermouth when she chooses to and she always chooses to.

“...And?” Her sister probed some more, smiling gently at her but she can clearly see the strain at the edge of the smile and the underlying tautness in her sister’s voice.

“And I rejected them.” she shrugged and she can see her sister sigh in relief and she had to contain the small smile trying to escape from her lips. Having a different view of things related to the heart, she can’t blame her unnie for wanting to protect her from things.

“I can’t believe she rejected Naeun sunbae! She’s like the most popular girl in school!” Yeri exclaimed once again and she had to roll her eyes at that because she clearly remembers the two youngest betting on it. Those satans.

“I don’t care if she’s the most popular person in the world… I don’t like her.” She answered, looking at Yeri through the rearview mirror and giving her a look that says Shut Up! But it seems that maknae didn’t notice or didn’t care because next thing she knows, Yeri’s eyes were twinkling with mischief.

“You don’t care because you got your eyes set on We-”

“KIM YERIM!” She shouted, face getting warm from embarrassment and anger. She reached for the maknae at the back seat and the latter had moved side to side to avoid her hands.

“Yah! Stop that, you guys” her sister scolded,  stopping in front of their houses. “Yeri this is your stop. I’ll see you tomorrow~”

“Bye, Yuri unnie!~ Thank you and take care~~” Yeri grinned and shot her  an evil smile before running towards her house. She swears, Joy had altered her once sweet Yerim to what she is now--pure evil. She jumped out of the car once it’s parked and went to the driver’s side to open the door for her sister which the latter had rolled her eyes to.

“Seriously, Seulgi. I can do that myself! I’m older than you, I should be doing that.”

“But unnie~~”

“Are you practicing for your future girlfriend? Who is this girl I’m hearing from Yeri, huh?”She felt her cheeks warm up again before her sister rubbed her head, making the bun loose and her hair falling past her shoulders. Her hair was always in a bun, mostly because she’s too lazy to actually give time to fix it nicely every morning (she could use that time to sleep some more).

“Unnniiiiiieeee~~ stooooppp~ She’s just a friend!”

“Uh-huh, okay. But kid, I don’t want to be hearing that you got a girlfriend from someone else’s mouth. I would really feel hurt.” her sister pouted and her heart was filled with love as she latched herself to the older one and hugging her tightly.

“You won’t unnie. You’re the first one who’ll know.” She promised.