CHAPTER 5 - THE NEWCOMERS
O.M.G.Nabi felt a light shake - it’s not really light since we’re dealing with Areum here, she’s too strong - followed by an abrupt stop, causing her to fly forward and hit the back of the seat in front of her.
“Owie,” Nabi whined, rubbing her forehead and fixing her glasses that almost fell off her face. Why can’t the bus be kinder to me at my waking moments?
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and pouted slightly, trying to remember why she was in a bus. Oh yea I’m in Seoul, Nabi remembered. She turned to Areum who was dying of laughter because of Nabi’s pain.
Wow, meanie. Areum is a meanie, Nabi thought as her puffed cheeks became sad (if they could be sad).
“Ok ok, let’s go, we’re at the stop,” Areum said in between laughs.
Nabi pouted even more making it impossible for Areum to resist pinching the adorable girl’s cheeks.
“Yah hajima~” Nabi whined, trying to pry Areum’s fingers off of her cheeks because it hurt!
“Ok, ok, let’s go,” Areum urged. “No more messing around.”
“But you were the one who pinched my cheeks….” Nabi mumbled.
“What did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything!”
Areum was skeptical at Nabi’s behavior (when was she not) as she gestured for Nabi to follow her. The girls headed out to the now busy streets of Seoul that were full of tourists, buskers, partiers, students, and the other kinds of people - who kept track nowadays?
Nabi always wanted to go to Seoul because of the nightlife where it was bright and flashy. She would love to be able to live in a house where she would be able to look out to see a world full of life and fun at night!
Meanwhile, Areum always tried her best to avoid Seoul. What’s so good about it, anyways? It’s loud, and it’s obnoxious with prying eyes, she thought.
However, they both loved seeing the active and aspiring musicians that would roam at night, gifting bypassers with their God given voices - it was one of the few common things they shared.
That was the only reason Areum allowed herself to be persuaded to try and be in an idol group with Nabi in the first place.
Without that, she would never ever considered the thoughts of even becoming an idol. It was too much work. It was most likely the same for the other too. That Nabi was always too lazy to do anything anyways, knowing her.
They roamed the darkening streets until they entered an area where it seemed to only be filled with rich and fancy buildings, apartments, and hotels. Of course Areum would have us stay in this neighborhood, Nabi thought, rolling her eyes. I guess it’s not bad to have a rich friend. Except they are meanies. I wonder why.
They kept walking deeper in the neighborhood until Areum suddenly stopped, causing Nabi to bump into her strong back. Areum looked back and giggled at Nabi rubbing her injured forehead once more.
“Gosh, why is your back so hard?” Nabi complained. “What if my nose broke?”
Areum simply shrugged and directed her attention to the massive building in front of them. Nabi took a quick glance at the house and her eyes widened in awe.
“Areum….this house…..is…...SO DOPE OMG!!!!!” Nabi screamed in excitement as she did BTS - Dope dance. This girl, Areum sighed. “This is waaaay bigger than your apartment. Why don’t you live here?”
Areum, unfazed by Nabi’s seizure (she meant excitement), just shrugged and said, “Reasons.”
“AHHHHHHH” Nabi screamed as she ran up the stairs to the house and jumped up and down at the doorstep, waiting for Areum to open the door for her. “Wah, this is so cool! I can’t. Oh. My. God. O.M.G.! hehe. AHHHHHH.”
When Areum finally got up the stairs and opened the door - making sure to be at least 20 feet away from the weirdo - Nabi rushed right in, barely able to contain all her eagerness.
Where does she get all of that energy from? Areum asked in her head. It was a question that she would always ask when it involved Nabi.
The moment her eyes landed on Areum’s luxurious, white couch, she immediately lunged onto the couch to snuggle, purring like a satisfied cat. Areum laughed and shook her head at her cat’s - she meant her friend’s - behavior.
“Come on, I’ll show you your room so you can wash up for dinner,” Areum said while trying to push the spasming girl.
“Give me a second,” the other mumbled as a response as she rubbed her face all over the couch.
…. I need to wash that up later, Areum thought. Wait, can the couch be washed?
“Don’t you try to rub your sweat all over my couch, you cat! It’s a white couch too!”
“Fine. I’m done anyways. It’ll always be engraved into my skin,” Nabi sighed contently as she had her hands on her cheek. “I always love the textures of your couches.”
“Oh. My. God. Weirdo….” Areum facepalmed herself.
“Hehe,” Nabi laughed loudly as she skipped up the stairs, not even knowing where she was going.
Areum chuckled when Nabi turned around to look at her with a helpless look in her eyes.”You should’ve waited for me.”
Areum caught up to the overly excited girl, suddenly dancing randomly in one spot as she waited for Areum, and walked her up to the third floor. Areum stopped in front of two white doors that stood next to each other. This house is so white! Nabi thought. And don’t think wrong, Nabi!
“Alright, so right is you. Left is me. Got it?” Areum instructed.
“Why can’t I be left? Maybe the right is too hot for me! What if the sun is brighter in the right?!” Nabi whined and puffed out her cheeks.
Areum didn’t say anything and forcefully pushed Nabi into her room and slamming the door. “It doesn’t matter, idiot!” she yelled through the door.
“Hm, this room is actually pretty cool!!!” Nabi’s muffled voice came from the other side of the door.
Areum replied with a “told you so” as she made her way into her own room so she could take a shower and rest after that long and stressful journey to Seoul. Areum glared at the the familiar room she stood in. We better pass that audition, Areum thought.
“God, maybe I shouldn't have come,” Areum sighed in frustration.
However, Areum's doubt was completely diminished when she heard a shrill scream coming from the other room.
What the actual fu- her thought was interrupted when she saw a screaming Nabi rush into the room - the door slamming helplessly against the wall [you better not break it, Kim Nabi!] - with only a towel on that barely covered her body and clung tightly onto Areum, her teeth clattering.
“WHAT THE ARE YOU DOING?” Areum screamed, her finger pushing against Nabi’s forehead.
“T-the water w-was cold,” Nabi whimpered. “And you were the first thing I thought of to run to.”
“GET OFF OF ME!” Areum shouted angrily. “AND I DON’T WANT BE THE FIRST THING THAT YOU THOUGHT OF IN THE ING SHOWER, ERT!”
“O-ok, m-meanie,” Nabi complied as she shuffled back to her room, murmuring something about the North Pole and penguins or something.
Well, at least I still have that cat with me and as annoying as she can be, thank god I met her or else my life would be a hellhole. Areum thought as she smiled at the thought of having her best friend being there for her. Hopefully for as long as we live, Areum hoped.
She went to quickly shower and change into her nightclothes, a simple white t-shirt and black joggers that she stole from Nabi, before going out to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Nabi was busy cuddling with the extremely comfortable bed - if only it was red and black - when the smell of food immediately spread over all of her senses. Is that food I smell? Nabi gasped as she shot out of the room like a bullet and ran downstairs to the kitchen.
“I smell ramen!” Nabi exclaimed, her eyes shining with happiness.
Areum turned around and laughed at the sight of Nabi's excited face, turning off the stove. Areum walked up to Nabi and touched her wet, unbrushed hair. “Aigoo, this is why you have such tangled hair.”
Nabi pouted, “Yah! I brush my hair….well sometimes...” Then she added, “Maybe never.”
Areum laughed, shaking her head slightly, and dragged Nabi back upstairs to properly brush her hair, much to Nabi's protest.
“I don’t want my hair brushed! I want my ramen!”
Areum ignored her as she pushed the whining cat on the chair, got out a brush, and began to brush Nabi's extremely curled hair. She had to say, Nabi’s hair was a hopeless cause.
“YAH APA!” Nabi cried out, gripping the sides of the chair.
“Aish, just be glad it's wet so it doesn't hurt even more.”
Nabi whimpered in pain as Areum continue to brush her hair until every knot was out. It took over 10 minutes.
In the end, Nabi's hair was completely straight and sleek from the water. It also reached lower than usual, now it was an inch past her shoulders, since all of the tangles were straightened out.
“Woah, so this is how you get straight hair!” Nabi said as she gaped, running her hand up and down in her hair.
Areum mentally facepalmed herself at Nabi's comment.
“Come on, the food’s gonna be ruined at this rate,” Areum said as she pulled Nabi up.
“...You were the one who dragged me in here to comb my hair in the first place!”
“Well, are you coming downstairs or not?”
“Of course! I’m on my way, Mr. Food!”
The girls made their way down to the kitchen/dining room on the second floor to have their very first meal after such a tiring trip. Nabi was already drooling.
Areum grabbed some chopsticks and handed it over to Nabi. “Let’s eat.”
It wasn’t like Nabi needed to be reminded since she already had her chopsticks inside her bowl. “Aigoo, I've never been happier to see ramen before in my life,” Nabi said smacking her lips to only look up and see that Areum had already eaten through half of her first bowl. Yes, her first bowl.
Areum stopped eating for just a second, “Hm? What did you say?”
“N-nothing,” Nabi replied completely taken aback by Areum's appetite. Never judge a book by its cover, Nabi giggled in her head.
When Areum decided to finally chill with her eating rate - after getting up and refilling her first bowl - Nabi decided to make a some small talk with the girl. Even though they've been friends for this entire school year, Areum was still a mystery to her.
“Is ramen the only thing you can cook, Areum?” Nabi asked curiously.
Areum sighed, “Yep. I don't know how, but I set the toaster on fire because I was trying making toast.”
Nabi gaped at her, “How did you even…”
“Don't ask.”
“Right. right got it.”
“What about you?”
“Well, I can make omelets and noodles… and I can bake… ish. And... I don’t know. I just do whatever my mom asks me to do.”
“Wait, you can make omelets?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh. My. God. You need to make me one!”
“Uhhhh, sure I guess.”
“You know, I actually wonder what omelets taste like.”
“Wait, what! You never ate an omelet before?”
“Nope.”
“I- what- I. YOU DIDN’T EXPERIENCE THIS GODLIKE FOOD CALLED OMELET?” Nabi pounded her hands on the table.
“Yeah,” Areum shrugged, still eating her noodles as if nothing happened.
Nabi stared at Areum, a dumbfounded look on her face. It stayed like that for awhile; the only noises being their slurping sounds.
Then, finally getting over her shock - it took quite a long time - Nabi carefully considered her next question. “So...how did you get this house?”
Areum looked up suspiciously, “Parents.”
Nabi silently sighed at her short answer. “Oh, cool.” Well, I guess I'll learn more about her through the Internet, Nabi thought.
Areum, sensing what Nabi motive was for asking her questions, quickly finished her second bowl and washed it, making her way over to her room as she muttered a quiet excuse. She didn’t want to deal with unnecessary questions right now.
Nabi also cleaned up after herself as Areum disappeared up the stairs. She swiftly tiptoed up the stairs and to her room - she made sure the door was closed - where she pulled out her laptop from her bag and turned it on.
When she was able to access the internet, she instantly got into business. “Okay, Hwang Areum,” Nabi said while typing, “who are you?”
Nabi searched up “Hwang Oil Productions heiress” via Google - it was always Google - but the only thing that came up was the articles about the birth of the new heiress.
Even then there were no pictures of the baby and only showed the parents in a family portrait, expressions solemn and sober as if they were the . They probably were being the bosses of such a big company.
After looking through the other photos, Nabi definitely could tell that they were Areum's parents. Areum’s soft features could be seen through her mother who both had warm brown eyes, dimples, and a beautiful smile whereas she inherited her cold nature from her father. Nabi could easily tell through his hard and serious facial expression.
“Aish, why are there no pictures of Areum?” Nabi muttered softly to herself as she furrowed her eyebrows. She was getting nowhere near what she wanted to know.
The more Nabi researched about the company, the more disappointed she got. Every single picture or article she came across only showed Areum's parents even well after her birth. Where are pictures of her, I wonder?
Even in interviews, if they were to ask about the heiress, her parents gave quick and vague answers before switching the conversation. Some of them weren't even true.
Once, when a reporter asked how Areum was doing, CEO Hwang just replied with, “Ah, yes, Areum. She's doing well in school and is studying hard. A fittable heiress.”
It was true; Areum was still an extremely smart student, ranked second in her class, even without studying, but that's the point. She didn’t study or even come to school; it wasn’t a typical Areum thing. Although, if she eventually did, she always came in the middle and sleep soundly as if school was a waste of time.
To be honest, Nabi questioned these parents’ motive of having and keeping a daughter. Was it because they love her or do they just want someone to take over the company? Either way, now I know why Areum's so cold and mean. That was how she was raised.
Nabi was about to continue when she heard a knock on the door. She quickly closed her laptop and pulled out a book - she always had one no matter what - and pretended as if she was reading it when Areum came in, hoping that she wouldn't suspect anything. Thankfully, Areum thought nothing of it.
“So, when's the audition?” Areum asked once she took a seat on Nabi's bed, crossing her legs.
“Well, it's going on for this entire week but I guess we should go on Friday to get time to prepare for our auditions,” Nabi explained thoroughly as if she went over the information over and over many times by herself.
Areum nodded in understanding, “Speaking of preparation, what are we going to audition with?”
Nabi mentally facepalmed herself, Ugh, I forgot about that. “Uhhhh, why don't we do one of the dances we’ve been practicing?”
Areum shook her head and lightly flicked Nabi on the forehead - a friendly kind of thing that she always did, “Individual auditions ‘genius.’ Plus, one act per person which means singing, dancing, or rapping.”
Nabi visibly paled at the thought of individual auditions. “I-individual? Areum, what if I ?” Nabi whined.
Areum shrugged, “Well, they only release your audition tape if you do well, and plus, you don't know anyone auditioning here so who cares?”
“Y-yeah, I guess.”
“Well, we should just sleep. Tomorrow we’ll decide so let's sleep on it. The ride to Seoul probably got you tired too, right?”
“Yeah, it did. Of course it did, I didn’t get my twelve hours of sleep.”
Areum laughed, “Not only you are a fluffy-addicted cat, you’re a sleep-addicted cat too.”
Nabi had her fist on her chest as she smiled proudly, “Sleep is important. Being sleep-addicted is a must!”
“Right, right.”
“Anyways, NIGHT NIGHT AREUM!” Nabi exclaimed while making kissy faces, waving her hands frantically around like a kid.
Areum got a pillow and shoved it in Nabi's face to shut her up. “Just go to sleep, you annoying cat.”
Nabi giggled and hid herself under the covers as Areum exited the room, turning off the light switch on the way since she knew the cat would be too lazy to turn it off.
Nabi made herself comfortable as she curled up around her big pillow, sighing in happiness as she rubbed her face against its puffiness in the darkness.
In the other room, Areum threw herself on the bed, planting her face onto her pillow. She pulled her body pillow close to her as she hauled her blanket over herself. She leaned over to turn off the lamp on the nightstand next to her. Well, time to sleep, she thought as she yawned in her outstretched hand.
When the two got ready for the night, they worried on the same thought. Gosh, what am I going to audition with?” they thought while drifting off to sleep.
THE NEXT DAY
Nabi opened her door and rushed over to the other room, opening the door as it creaked. She walked, not trying to be quiet at all, toward Areum’s bed.
Hmm, she looks really at peace when she's asleep, Nabi mentally noted. Like all her worries are gone. She casually climbed on top of Areum as if she did this everyday. Actually, she did do this everyday to wake up the other girl for the past few months. That would be, if she woke up early.
Meanwhile, Areum was still peacefully sleeping when she heard not-so-discreet giggles in the room - her room. It was loud and not very well hidden. There was only one person that would be that noisy in the early morning.
Sighing in her head, Areum barely opened one eye to see Nabi sitting on top of her, giggling behind her hand. Areum assumed that was her way of staying silent.
When Nabi noticed Areum was awake - Curse her and her sharp cat eyes, Areum thought - she screamed out, “GOOOOOOOD MOOOOOOORNIIIIIIING!”
Areum winced at the ear-splitting noise this early in the morning. She fished for her phone that had disappeared somewhere into oblivion but, somehow, she eventually found it under the mess of her blanket. When did I leave it in my blanket?
She opened it up - it was a photo of VIXX Leo, her handsome and totally drool-worthy ultimate bias - and saw that it was 11:30 A.M. She groaned at the unreasonable time and covered her head with a pillow. Nabi pouted when Areum made no move to get off her bed and snuggled up next to the still half-asleep girl as an attempt to wake her up.
“Aing~ if I have to wake up this early then the nice thing you should do is wake up too,” Nabi whined in an annoying (Areum meant cute - please notice sarcasm) voice.
“Since when was I nice?” Areum grumbled in a low voice, annoyance clearly showing from her face.
“I think you’re nice! And you can’t deny since it’s my opinion.”
“Whatever. At least get off of me.”
“‘Mkay.”
Nabi finally got off of the drowsy and grumpy girl and sat up cross-legged on the bedsheets, pulling her glasses out to clean out the nose part. It was starting to get oily again already. Areum slowly got up too and kicked off her blanket, pouting slightly. “.”
“AHHH, YOU’RE POUTING!” Nabi squealed, “IT’S SO CUTE.”
As Nabi leaned in to pinch Areum’s cheeks, Areum smacked away her hands, grumbling about how early it was while crawling over to the bathroom in her room to wash up. “You better not come in!” she warned before the door slammed behind her.
Nabi just smiled as she sang a little song while waiting for Areum. Nabi wasn’t the best singer - actually the girl was awful and really loud and very off-tune - but who was there to stop her? Actually, she just wanted to annoy Areum. It was her job basically. A job she was proud of. Mischievous me, she thought, a giggle slipping through her lips.
The playful girl got her wish though when she heard a bang on the door and a very angry “SHUT UP” following after. Nabi smiled, but then again, she was a rapper for a reason, right?
Areum soon walked out with her hair cleaned and brushed, her face dripping a little bit of water, when Nabi immediately grabbed onto her arm - her poor arm - and dragged her downstairs to the kitchen.
“Areum! I made food!” Nabi exclaimed proudly, jumping around excitedly.
Areum’s expression immediately brightened at the sound of food. Well, not exactly “bright” but to people who knew her well, like Nabi, Areum’s face looked like a kid who got to eat a giant lollipop. Food was her life.
The girls were welcomed with the delicious aroma of a Western-style breakfast, filled with eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and toast.
“Hehe, I guess my mom’s lessons were really useful!” Nabi said proudly, puffing her chest out.
Areum replied, “Yeah yeah,” as she immediately jumped to her seat to scarf down the delicious food. Nabi just stared and, yes even now, marveled at the amount her friend ate. How could she eat this much and still stay this skinny? The world is unfair, Nabi thought in her head as she pouted slightly.
“Yah, you shouldn’t eat too much.”
Areum glared at Nabi as if she had committed a crime by telling her to not eat too much and continued to eat the mountains of food she added to her already full plate. I’ll never stop! Areum mentally shrieked in her head. Nabi smiled before she at down and held onto her chopsticks. Time to eat as well. I won't lose to Areum when it comes to food!
When the girls finished their breakfast - after only 15 minutes tops - and finally did a good job at washing the large pile of dishes (most of which were Areum’s), they went downstairs to the living room to discuss their audition.
Nabi immediately cuddled with the couch, purring her comfort against it. Areum shook her head as the tips of stood up. Being with Nabi means smiling and laughing until my mouth goes crooked. Wait, I don’t want my mouth to be crooked! Areum gasped dramatically in her head. Well, whatever.
“Okay, so auditions start at 3:00 on Friday, we can only perform one act, and it’s individual,” Areum retold. “So what the hell are we gonna do?” Nabi was in deep thought but sighed and shook her head. “Well, what can we do?” Areum asked.
“I don’t know,” Nabi sighed helplessly. “I actually don’t know, Areum.”
“Well, you can rap or dance,” Areum narrowed down. “But definitely not singing….” Nabi chuckled at the glare Areum gave her when she mentioned singing.
“Well I guess it gotta be rap since there’s no way I’m gonna be able to memorize an entire choreography by the end of this week,” Nabi concluded.
Areum nodded and took a note in her journal - when the hell did she have her journal? Did it teleport? Nabi thought.
“I’m guessing we’ll be choosing our own songs then?” Areum asked.
“I guess.”
Areum wrote down some more in her journal, her hand moving quickly and precisely, and slammed it close. “By dinner, we have to choose for sure what we’ll be auditioning with.”
“Oh, wait!” Nabi said.
“What?” Areum asked.
“How are we going to get to the audition?” Nabi said, tilting her head to the side. (If only she had cat ears because it would fit well with her. A human cat tilting its head. Interesting right?)
Areum smirked (was that a good thing?), “Just leave it to me, cat.”
“Oooooh, badass Areum is back!” Nabi cheered.
“Yes, yes,” Areum laughed at the innocent rapper. “Well, I need to do something. See you later, cat.” She sat up to head over to her room, slowly walking up the stairs. (Hey! She was finally getting exercise! Good stuff, good stuff)
A few unhurried moments later, she got to her room and closed the door, locking it with a clear click. She pulled out her phone after and punched in an unknown number. She got business to take care of. The phone rang exactly three times until the mysterious person picked up.
“Areum? You’re the last person I’d expect to call me,” a deep male voice answered.
Areum giggled, “I know, oppa. But can I ask you for a favor?”
The man on the other side paused, “Knowing you, your parents don’t know what you’re planning?”
“Ah, you know me so well, oppa.”
“And that means you need a ride, I’m guessing?”
“Yep.”
“For what?”
Areum retold the whole story all the way back from when she met Nabi until now, and the man just listened patiently while considering if he should help her.
This troublesome girl. Already back at it again with another problem, the man thought, shaking his head. He brushed off some of the dust on his black suit as he continued on, “Look, you know I’ll lose my job if I help you.”
“I know, oppa.”
“Hmmm.....how about I hook you up with a ride?”
“Who?”
“I can tell you’re in Seoul if you’re calling me so….how about you meet up with some old friends?”
Areum, being slightly slow (she swore just a little bit. IT’S JUST A LITTLE BIT, SHE SAID), slowly realized what the man meant when he said that, making her smile. “You’re still connected with them?”
“Well, we talk from time to time, but I’m sure they’d do anything for you.”
“Thanks, oppa. I need that ride before the audition starts on Friday.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they get there on time. Just practice hard, got it, kid?”
“Of course, oppa. See ya,” Areum said and then hung up the call.
Areum then sat down at her desk, pulled out her laptop, and began searching for a song or dance she could do. As she was looking through the millions of songs listed, she gave up and glanced over to the left corner of her desk.
There sat a picture of her, maybe when she was 10 years old, with a couple of familiar faces. Some seemed to be around the same age as her while some looked much more older than her. Nonetheless, they were her friends and that brought back some unpleasant and pleasant memories. Areum smiled as she remembered the friends that she left in Seoul to go to Daegu.
“AREUM ,YOU CAN’T GOOOO,” screamed the maknae of the group. “DON’T LEAVE MEEEE!”
“Calm down, Kangmin. Don’t be a baby,” the oldest said, a hand on his hip.
“YAH, I’M ONLY NINE! I CAN BE A BABY IF I WANT TO BE!” Kangmin, the smallest, screamed.
“Don’t worry, Minnie,” 10-year old Areum said, “I’ll be back before you know it!”
The rest of the older ones in the group pitifully gazed at Areum, knowing that she most likely would never come back. Gut feelings were usually true, and it was, no doubt, right in this situation.
“You’ll be fine, Kangmin,” a short yet lean girl, much too lean for an 11-year old, with tan skin said. “Just listen to our old ahjussi, Taesuk.”
Kangmin paused, as if he was considering something in deep thought, “YAH, DON’T LEAVE AREUM! I DON’T WANT TO BE STRAPPED DOWN BY CHAEYOUNG NOONA TO WATCH WEIRD WITH HER!”
“AISH YOU LITTLE PUNK I DON’T WATCH ! NOW YOU’RE REALLY GONNA GET STRAPPED DOWN! MWAHHAHAHAHA” Chaeyoung, the 11-year old screamed like a maniac while flailing her arms around, causing Areum to laugh loudly.
“YAH! I MAY BE THE OLDEST BUT I’M NOT AN AHJUSSI, CHAEYOUNG!” the oldest, Taesuk, complained.
The group laughed some more at the oldest’s behavior despite the situation. It wasn’t that hard, not at all since the atmosphere had never been serious with them anyways.
“Yah, maknae,” a tall guy with good visuals (too good) for an 11-year old said, “you’re not the only one that’s gonna miss her. Why isn’t anyone comforting me!”
The good-looking kid started to fake cry, causing everyone, even the sobbing nine-year old, to double over and laugh.
“Aigoo, don’t cry my brother, Sangchul!” his fraternal twin came up and pretended to wipe his brother’s tears.
“Thanks, Sanghoon, I knew I could count on you,” Sangchul said while still pretending to wipe his eyes.
“AW, HOW CUTE! BROTHERLY LOVE!” a tall girl with cherry red hair and equally as tan skin as Chaeyoung came up from behind the twins and slung her arm around their shoulders.
“Ah hajima, Kyungha,” the brothers said in unison. The typical, creepy twin stuff.
Kyungha just giggled and hid behind Areum even though Areum was a year younger.
“Honestly guys, you’re completely ignoring our precious Areum!” a guy the same height and age as Sangchul and had pink hair that covered his forehead yelled.
“No, please go on, Junsu. I won’t see you guys for a long time but please keep ignoring me,” Areum teased.
“Hey guys! Why don’t we take a group photo together then?” Taesuk said.
The youngest ones, Areum and Kangmin, groaned at the thought of taking a picture. How could anyone stand still, with a smile frozen on their faces, for at least 10 long seconds? No one, obviously.
“Aish, you’re such a mom, Taesuk,” Sanghoon teased.
“Well, he is the halmoni (grandma) of the group,” Sangchul backed up his brother.
“Yeah, he’s like two years older,” Kyungha said dramatically.
“Haha, Taesuk hyung’s a grandpa!” Kangmin mocked.
“YAH, GET IN LINE WILL YOU ALL? AND SANGHOON, HOW DARE YOU NOT SPEAK RESPECTFULLY TO ME? I’M YOUR HYUNG! Taesuk screamed.
“Aish, just take the damn picture so Areum won’t miss her bus,” Junsu complained.
Taesuk held out his arm as long as he could and gestured for the other to try and fit in. Then, after counting to 3 (he had to repeat at least a few times because everyone was loud and no one could hear him), he took a selca with the kids in the background.
(Order from front to back: Taesuk, Areum, Kangmin, Kyungha, Chaeyoung [who forced the twins to carry her while she posed], Sangchul, Sanghoon, Junsu)
“There we go!” Taesuk happily announced, handing the polaroid picture to Areum.
Areum smiled, probably the last time in the next four years, and hugged Taesuk. “Thanks, oppa.”
“No problem, kid.”
“GROUP HUG!” the twins exclaimed, already extending their arms.
Everyone enveloped Areum in a bone-crushing hug until they sent her off to the bus. As Areum stepped up onto the steps to get onto the bus and finally took her seat somewhere in the middle, she could hear the farewells from her friends through the windows. Even then, they were still noisy. She loved it.
“LET’S WATCH ANIME TOGETHER WHEN YOU GET BACK!” screamed the girls.
“HURRY AND COME BACK NOONA!” Kangmin shouted. “I’LL WAIT FOR YOU HERE!”
“COME BACK AND HELP US TORTURE TAESUK HYUNG!” the mischievous twins said while laughing loudly.
“YAH, AREUM! DON’T LEAVE ME WITH THESE IDIOTS!” Taesuk begged, his puppy eyes coming out.
“HURRY AND COME BACK, KID!” Junsu shouted as the bus started to drive away.
Areum sadly smiled and waved goodbye to her friends. When the bus drove far enough away, Areum plopped onto her seat and sighed.
“Don’t worry, sweetie. You’ll love your new apartment!” a sweet (and sick) feminine voice said.
“Yeah, whatever,” Areum mumbled, her tone changing from happy to angry in mere seconds when she regarded the person next to her….
Areum smiled a genuine smile that hasn’t been seen for a long time as she remembered about her friends. She only smiled so brightly around those idiots and Nabi. Areum shook her head and immediately started to go back on her work.
A/N: AND NOW RANDOM KIDS HAVE JOINED THE ADVENTURE!! What exactly is the relationship with Areum’s parents? SUBSCRIBE AND KEEP READING FOR MORE or not I mean I don't give a I'll just post anyways.
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