CHAPTER 23 – BONDING

The last morning of 2016 finally arrived. It’s their second day of their Busan short vacation. Some of them, mostly the boys, still in their dreamland. But some of them already wake up since dawn whether to have morning exercise or just watching TV.

Jinah just got back from her morning jog when she found Wendy sit in front of the vanity mirror in their room. It seems Wendy just got showered because her long hair is still wet and she’s having troubles with the hairdryer now. Jinah chuckled seeing Wendy’s frowning face. Jinah walked toward Wendy and stood behind her.

“Let me help you with that,” Jinah offered to help Wendy.

Wendy turned to Jinah and grinned. “Thank you eonnie. My hair usually wild in the morning. It’s because I’ve too often coloured them,” Wendy explained as she pouted her lips.

Jinah chuckled. “Eonnie sometimes got bad hair day, too. It’s because eonnie too lazy to wash eonnie’s hair. Sometimes eonnie doesn’t wash them for a week,” Jinah said as she takes the hairdryer from Wendy’s hand. Jinah started to comb Wendy’s hair carefully.

“But eonnie’s hair so good. I’m envy of your hair, eonnie. They’re so fluffy and bouncy,” Wendy pouted again.

*Wendy pouts*

“Maybe you should minimize on changing your hair colour now. The chemical substances might be the reason why your hair became hard to tame,” Jinah advised. She finished combing Wendy’s wet hair. “Do you want eonnie to just dry or blow-dry them?” Jinah gives option to Wendy how she want Jinah style her hair.

“I want you to blow-dry them, eonnie,” Wendy clapped her hands in glee.

“On it,” Jinah takes her special round comb from the pouch in her travel bag. Then she starts blow-drying Wendy’s hair using the hairdryer and that round comb together.

For some moments, the hairdryer is the only sounds that heard inside the room. Jinah does her work on Wendy’s hair like a pro. She doesn’t know Wendy is observing her in admiration through the mirror all along. Because she's too engrossed and focus on blow-drying Wendy’s hair.

Only then Jinah caught Wendy staring at her with daydreaming eyes through the mirror. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Jinah staring back at Wendy through the mirror.

“You reminded me of someone. Since I was a kid, I love it when someone braiding my hair or just playing with them. My mom usually the one who help to tame my hair in the morning,” Wendy told Jinah as she recalled some her kid’s memories in her mind.

“You must be really close with your mom if she always help with your hair until you grew up now,” Jinah said while keep doing her work on Wendy's hair.

“Yes, we’re close. Woahhh eonnie, you’re like a professional,” Wendy praised and stared at Jinah in amazement when one side of her head has been blow-dryed by Jinah.

Jinah chuckled and stared back at Wendy. “That’s because eonnie like to do this thing. Eonnie loves to play with someone else’s hair. Eonnie’s older sister sometimes asked eonnie to style her hair, too,” Jinah explained. The two of them still communicate and have their eye-contact through the mirror.

“It must be nice to be eonnie’s sister,” Wendy dreamily said. “Being the youngest sister of Kris Ge and Mark sometimes really stressful,” she pouted.

Jinah chuckled again. “Why? You should be grateful to have brothers like them,”

“They sometimes over protective and really love to tease me. Especially Mark. He will tease me till the state I want to strangle him,” Wendy tattled.

“It’s must be because they care about you, sweety,” Jinah chuckled hearing Wendy’s explanation about her brothers. “You know, you really resembled Jaebum. Even the way you called your siblings are the same. Jaebum called our first sibling ‘Noona’ but he called me only ‘Nana’, my nickname,” Jinah pouted to Wendy.

“Omo! Let me be your other dongsaeng, then,” Wendy suggested. “It will be so fun if I were your sister. We can shopping and do other girl’s stuffs together. If we can’t be sister by blood, let us be sister-in-law, eonnie,” Wendy cheekily said while wiggled her brows.

 “Are you teasing me right now?” Jinah narrowed her eyes at Wendy through the mirror.

Wendy shakes her head. “I just tell you my wish, eonnie. I can tell Kris-Ge really fancies you. That’s why I dare to put my hope on you,” Wendy grinned and still looked at Jinah through the mirror.

“You think so?” Jinah become so interested because their conversation involved Kris now.

Wendy firmly nodded. “Kris Ge never went out with girls, without me. He never chats with a girl constantly like he does to you. He never bother to give me or his girl-friends, for example Miyoung eonnie, a birthday gift. But he does all of that to you. He even asked me about what’s the best gift a girl can get. He’s searching all over the mall in town. Nothing he found suitable for you there because he’s really picky. Then I suggested him to give you that,” Wendy said as she pointed the bracelet on Jinah’s wrist. “But don’t worry because Kris Ge is the one who choose it for you,” Wendy added and winked at Jinah teasingly.

Jinah gaped at Wendy. She doesn’t expect that was the actual story behind her birthday gift from Kris. Kris only claimed he got the gift from street vendor. After hearing the story and knowing Kris's effort to find the gift for her, warm feeling automatically filled Jinah’s heart. Butterfly suddenly flew inside her stomach. Jinah unconsciouly smiled to herself.

Wendy doesn’t miss that smile. “Eonnie seems fancies Kris Ge too,”

Jinah puts her pointed finger on her lips signaling it will be their secret. Then they giggled together. Suddenly Soulji came out from bathroom, fresh from the shower and ready to go somewhere with her jacket, beanie and scarfs on.

“Hey, Minseok oppa said we’re going to skiing after breakfast. So I suggest you should shower now, Jinah,” Soulji said when she found Jinah still in her sportswear and haven’t shower yet.

“Go shower, eonnie. Let’s continue after you shower,” Wendy suggested.

“Eh? but it’s better to complete it first,” Jinah said as she stopped to blow-dry Wendy’s hair.

“No, that’s okay. It can wait. Now go shower before it’s late, eonnie,” Wendy pushed Jinah toward bathroom with half of her head still messy while the other side is already presentable and well-groomed.

Jinah finally followed Soulji and Wendy’s suggestion. She took out her outfit of the day and toiletries to the bathroom with her. 10 minutes later, Jinah came out from the bathroom with more fresh look and smells good. Jinah found Wendy still sit in front of the vanity table playing Onet on her phone (A/N: Onet is one of my favorite games >_<). Soulji sat on their shared bed typing something on her phone with smile graced on her face.

“Wooww... you took a little of time in bathroom,” Soulji said in amusement when she spotted Jinah folding her dirty clothes and putting it back inside her travel bag neatly.

“I’m an efficient person,” Jinah said as she flicked her hair dramatically. The reason why she took a little time on shower is because she didn’t wash her hair. She washed her hair yesterday, so today she decided to not wash it.

Jinah walked to the vanity table. She combed her hair and applied a little make-up on her face. Then after she’s presentable enough, she returned to stand behind Wendy to continue her blow-drying work. Her focus quickly rest on Wendy again.

Soulji chuckled. “I’m going first. See you on breakfast,”

Right before Soulji reaches the door, someone knocked on their door. Soulji quickly answered the door and found Kris behind it, the one who knocked.

“Good morning, Kris-ssi,” Soulji greeted Kris and bowed to him. Kris bowed back to her.

Wendy automatically landed her eyes on Jinah through the mirror when she knows it’s her brother. Giving a signal to Jinah with her eyes. Jinah glared at Wendy playfully while still occupied herself with Wendy’s hair.

“Wendy is inside,” Soulji said as she opened the door wider to let Kris in.

“Yeah, thank you Soulji-ssi,” Kris formally thanked Soulji. His main intention to come to their room actually is not for Wendy, but for the other female presence in the room (You know who *wink*).

Soulji came out from the room and walked toward the living room where Xiumin and Luhan sit watching cartoon. Kris stepped into the room and find Wendy and Jinah in the same position as they were before. He stopped for a moment, silently gazing at the view in front of him which is Wendy and Jinah.

“Morning, Ge,” Wendy greeted Kris when she saw Kris is daydreaming and froze on his spot.

Kris regained his composure. “Morning, Mei. Did the two of you play pretend saloon right now?” Kris amusedly asked when Jinah professionally blow-dry Wendy’s hair.

J