{ 5 years old Seulgi & Joohyun }

 

It was a festive Monday with the teachers trying hard to supervise the kids at the same time managing a small birthday batch for a five year old boy whom his mother bought a bucket of fried chicken and a sloppy blueberry cake shaped like a car. They were at the mini patch field outside their school playground and the kids were excited as they sang Hyungwon a birthday song although most of them were more distracted by the cake and the chicken. The teacher’s voice was loud when they tried to stop the kids from taking the food but the kids yelling and banter drowned out whatever attempt the teachers made

A girl with a yellow parka, Seulgi, with sparkling new boots stood close at the table, as she munched her second drumstick chicken with a gleeful hum.  The girl beside her, Joohyun, hair tied up in a ponytail with one hand clutched over her own purple sweater; bit the drumstick in her hand with much deliberation. Joohyun stared at the less appealing drumstick; it has been more than five minutes and she hasn’t been able to finish it and what is worse is that her stomach was starting to feel weird.

“You eat so slow.” Seulgi said as she took the plastic plate on the table where their teacher had put a slice of the blueberry cake, “East faster Joohyun! Stwong people eat fast! See ddeulgi eat fast! Ddeulgi is stwong!”

 

Joohyun nodded in determination and took a big bite of her drumstick. Although she had a hard time swallowing it, she managed to in the end and she never felt super accomplished to see her drumstick done for good. She then tapped Seulgi’s shoulder to show her that she had finished and the girl smiled at her with bits of cream all over her cheeks as she offered her a slice of cake. Joohyun was about to intercept it when her insides churned and something felt like it was about to come out.

 

“Hey… are you okay?” Seulgi asked with the plate still being offered to her. “Helloooo Joohyun?”

 

“Seulgi…” Joohyun mumbled as she put her hand over . Something was really threatening to come out. “Joohyun doesn’t feel so good. Joohyun feel –”

 

Her stomach contracted so violently that she had no time to finish her sentence, or even runaway to the toilet. Because there on that spot, vile vicious chunks of vomit overshot from , landing it on the ground below – and maybe a little bit on the cake offered by Seulgi. The teachers and the kids quickly rushed towards her and Joohyun felt sick and embarrassed and so, she cried. But to her surprise, the person in front of her cried – wailed louder than she did. And to this day she doesn’t know why.

 

                                                                                                                                  ***

 

[ Present ]

 

 “….like why did you cry? Did you care for me that much that you even cried with me?” Joohyun asked the girl beside her who is somehow laughing through her nose, an unbelievable look plastered on her face.

 

“Oh yeah I did care about you, but I cried because you ruined my new shoes, silly!” Seulgi took off the lid from her Pringles can and starts to crunch it down, “My mom bought it at Myeondong with me and you just had to vomit all over it – on the first day of me wearing it itself.”

 

“That’s not true.” Joohyun took the can away from Seulgi in which the girl pouts, “I vomited on the ground and on the cake –”

 

“ – which I held for you with my own hands.”

 

“Yes I know. But I don’t recall anything about your shoes.” Joohyun remains puzzled.

 

Seulgi tried to take the can away from Joohyun’s clutch, “Of course you didn’t. Miss Hana took you away immediately and left me crying with the kids and they accompanied me to the washroom. I had to wash my contaminated hand and my shoes with the kids being grossed out on me.”

 

Seulgi finally managed to take the can away as she distastefully eat the Pringles once more with slight bitterness as Joohyun laughs at her statement. Seulgi then turn her body away, like a little kid sulking as she ignores the amused girl.

 

After a few inhales, Joohyun grab Seulgi’s shoulder, forcing her to turn around in which she did, “But you know the reason I vomit – partially, it was your fault, because you force me to chomp down that drumstick.”

 

“How was I supposed to know that you can’t eat chicken?!” Bits of Pringles flew out from the girl’s mouth as she burst, “Everyone eats chicken. You’re the only weirdo who doesn’t.”

 

“Hey!” She slaps the girl’s arm in which the latter snickers. Joohyun was supposed to pretend to be offended at Seulgi’s comment but her frown turns into a smile when she saw how Seulgi’s eyes becomes tiny forms of crescent with the corner of her lips speckled with tiny crumbs as tug upwards.

 

Joohyun could not help herself but to reach out a thumb and swipe the crumbs over Seulgi’s lips in which the girl stiffens as their eyes meet in a small trance. But their trance broke when Joohyun felt teeth sinking on her thumb before she pulls away, with Seulgi already standing up from the bench, running away from her as she yells, “That was for my new shoes!”

 

                                                                                                                ***

 

 

{ 9 years old Seulgi & Irene }

 

It was the first weekend of summer and their local town held a summer festival with a variety of eventful contest and one of it catered for young children like Seulgi who just celebrated her 9th birthday a couple of days ago. She clutched her mother’s hand while the other grip the new colouring set she got as a birthday gift from her dad. There weren’t many kids in line with their parents at the registration booth, and Seulgi’s eyes wonder around, to find a certain someone who promised to enter the competition with her but to no avail.

“Mommy can you call Mrs. Bae?” Seulgi asked as they sat in the waiting area. “The registration is about to close and Joohyun isn’t here yet.”

 

Mrs Kang contemplated as she eyes the surrounding and with a slight of uncertainty in her voice, she spoke, “I’m sure Joohyun would be here soon. Maybe they had something to settle first at home?”

 

“Joohyun is never late.”

 

Seulgi huffed when she saw the woman at the counter about to close the booth, but her eyes became rounded like marbles when she saw Joohyun sprinting at the booth just in time with a purple backpack behind her back. “Joohyun!” She called and waved desperately at the girl who took quite some time to notice, and when she does, the latter waved at her back with equal amount of excitement.

 

They were given an hour and a half to colour a picture of a crowded beach and an hour had passed by and Seulgi was about to do her finishing touches. She peered at the girl on the next table and saw some parts still left uncoloured and Joohyun’s palms were dirty – a patch of dark blue and red were spotted on her palms, making it look as if it was a bruise.

 

“Psst!” Seulgi tried to call the girl, “Joohyun, I’m done. I’m going to pass this up.”

 

“Wait!” The girl hissed back, her eyes still focused on the paper and her hands diligently colour what was left till Seulgi thought the paper was about to tore.

 

After they had submitted, they had permission from their mothers to wander around and shared two different flavours of ice-cream as they waited for the announcement. They leaned their back on the wall, taking turns their ice cream and watched some kids from their school having a soccer match. They saw one of their classmates, Minho, slipped to the ground when the opponent team tried to take the ball away from him.

 

“Aww poor Minho,” Joohyun muttered with a worried tone. “Do you think his leg is gonna be okay? Huh Seulgi? Seulgi? I’m talking to you – hey!”

 

“Hmphh?” Seulgi had just taken a mouthful of their ice cream and the girl quickly shields her body from the light slaps attack Joohyun was giving.

 

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. Come on let’s go. They’re about to announce our results.” Seulgi grabbed Joohyun’s hand and went near the podium where all the kids stood.

 

“…and first place of the Annual Colouring Contest for Suwon Summer Fest goes to…Kang Seulgi!” The crowd cheered and clapped their hands when Seulgi went in front to claim her prize, although some kids had a long face plastered on them, with Joohyun not an exception.

 

Seulgi dragged her mother to show her the colouring that led her to victory, now pasted on one of the show rooms. Mrs Bae came along with them, not noticing the glum expression on her daughter’s face as she congratulated Seulgi but Seulgi was quick to notice. She tugged her mother’s sleeves and whispered something in her ear before her mother took out a single note from her purse and gave it to her.

 

“Tada!” Seulgi presented the triple scoop ice-cream under Joohyun’s nose. “For you.”

 

Joohyun shook her head with her still upturned lips, “You’re the winner and I’m the loser. So you should eat it.”

 

“Nobody’s a loser, Joohyun.” Seulgi still insisted, her eyes looking back and forth from Joohyun and the ice cream that was about to melt. “C’mon take it. It’s melting!”

 

“I’m not good at colouring like you are and you shouldn’t force me to enter this competition anymore, okay?” Joohyun hold out her pinky, waiting for Seulgi to link it in which she did, before she the top of the ice cream. “Hey, I thought that was for me.”

 

“It is. But the ice cream is melting!” Seulgi responded before the ice cream once more with a giggle before Joohyun took the cone with one swift and ran away, with Seulgi catching up behind.

 

                                                                                                    ***

 

 

( Present )

 

“…No, I’m with Joohyun.” Seulgi talked over the phone while digging on the banana split on the table, “Don’t worry Mom. I’ve already settled the payment – yes, all of it. I’m such a good daughter aren’t I?”

Joohyun who sit facing the girl rolls her eyes over the statement, as Seulgi winked at her before ending the phone call with Mrs. Kang. They were at a café downtown and Joohyun was just in the mood to eat some desert after a day dealing with all sorts of things and meeting so many people. Joohyun was more of a home-girl and usually she would let Seulgi do most of the talking, but in today’s case, it involves the both of them hence the slight exhaustion.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to order any other dessert?” Seulgi questions with her head tilting to one side, “Back in the car earlier you kept whining to bring you here and now that I did, you only ordered one banana split and we have to share?”

 

“What’s wrong with sharing?” Joohyun mindlessly ask as she looks around the café.

 

“Hello, you’re talking to Kang Seulgi, a dessert enthusiast.” Seulgi waves her hands in front of her, trying to get her attention, “Whatever, I’m just gonna order another desert.”

 

Seulgi stood up and went to the counter. Joohyun’s eyes fix on the part time worker, probably a college student by the looks of it. The girl has a bright smile when she exchanges her order with Seulgi, too much for her liking. And when Seulgi came back, Joohyun noticed there was a stupid grin on her face.

 

“What took you so long?” Joohyun ask as she plays around with her banana split.

 

“That girl – Nayeon – she suggested on this new flavour –”

 

“ – So her name is Nayeon?”

 

“ – Yeah and because she kept insisting, I bought one scoop for us to try –”

 

“Oh you did? Of course you did…” Joohyun muttered the last words with Seulgi still remaining obnoxious as she was still blabbering about the new flavour. At the corner of her eyes, Joohyun saw Nayeon holding out a plate of the lava cake on one hand with the ice cream cup in another, heading towards their table.

 

“One lava cake and one white macadamia ice cream for you, Miss Seulgi.” Nayeon place the desert on the table with a cheerful smile but it somehow quickly wipes off when she meet her eyes with Joohyun, before the girl briskly walks away.

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