Chapter 14

Children’s Day

어린이 날

Seulgi was helping Joohyun lift up the rolling gate after spending the night at her dorm. When Wendy’s shouts reached her bear ears, gaped in delight. “Wendy!”

“Hello Wend—” the eldest also tried to greet the other high school girl but was interrupted by another set of constricting arms flung at her with no warning.

“Joohyun Unnie, are you alright?” Wendy asked again, tightly squeezing the older girl’s two shoulders after a brief embrace. Her expressive round eyes displayed intense worry while scanning the older girl’s face.

“Wendy—I’m tellin’ you—I really am fine.” Joohyun gave her a heartfelt smile. The faces Wendy made always entertained her to no end. Never had she met another person who displayed this much range of expressions.

“Look, Unnie,” Wendy ignored Joohyun’s words and began a speedy, fatherly-sounding lecture. She scrunched up her nose and used her index finger to emphasize her point. “Whatever happened out there with your friend was upsetting, but never think it was your fault. Like you told me, ‘never blame yourself for the things you can’t control.’” (She was updated on everything that happened last night while texting Seulgi on the way to the bakery.)

“I really am feeling a lot better, Wendy,” Joohyun giggled as wrapped her arms around the girl to shut her up. Whenever she saw Wendy being openly caring like that, she felt inspired to be more open to others too. Really, these two high school girls had taught her a lot. “But thank you. Thank you so much for worrying about me.”

“When you need to talk to someone, you can always talk to me or to Seulgi. I can’t be the only one leeching-off comfort and advice from you. I’m probably not as good as you in that area, but I’ll try my best. Helping each other needs to be mutual,” the girl went on talking.

Joohyun put a palm over Wendy’s cheek. “Yes, I will. Thank you, Wendy.” Then there was a sudden mischievous glint in the older girl’s eyes. “Only if you promise not to beat up dough again too.”

Wendy pursed her lips in embarrassment remembering that. “Ah-hah… I promise.”

As the other two were tenderly ogling at each other like a cliché romantic couple, the bear grimaced. She snorted at the sight of her beloved unnie and best friend inconsiderately exchanging heart-eyes in front of her. Are they always like this when they work together?! The lucky bear had no right to complain, though, when she has literally slept with them both. (Really, in the most literal sense of the word…)

“Hello, I’m still here…” the bear muttered. Maybe I should work in a bakery too…

So then, Wendy sharply turned to the attention-seeking bear and asked, “And I really do hope you did not snore with your mouth wide-open last night!”

Seulgi’s entire face turned tomato-red. “Sh-shut up, Wendy! As if you never snore…”

Joohyun giggled awkwardly, seeing them bicker like children. “Is this how you guys usually talk to each other…?”

The three of them set up the shop, getting everything ready before 10:30. As they waited for opening time, they sat on the dining area touched by the warm sunrays. A light chat led to more heartfelt confessions, a few tears, laughs, and smiles. They were now so much closer. At that moment, the previously lonely college girl realized she had found a set of friends who truly care about her. It was like a whole new world.

Wendy, who dominated the conversation, talked on about all the good news so far. She filled Joohyun in on Yeri, who had finally come back for lessons. She talked about her thoughts and concerns about her parents and potential baking dream. And of course, she talked about school and their successful midterms, without forgetting to mention the “super-fun-and-exciting” school trip coming up soon.

“…so, a cruise to Jeju Island, huh? That sounds like a lot of fun, going on a trip with your friends and classmates,” Joohyun said, feeling happy for her young friends. She had been on school trips too during high school. Those were the days when she had made a close friend. Looking back, they were cherished memories almost forgotten. “I wish I can go too. I’ve been to Jeju when I was younger. It’s a really beautiful place.”

“Yeah, I wish you can come too,” Seulgi sighed, feeling all sentimental about Joohyun again. The longing to be with her 24/7 was strong, but she knew dragging her around everywhere or being an annoying leech was a no-no.

Genius Wendy snapped her fingers all of a sudden as if a light bulb flicked on in her head. “You can’t come with us to the school trip, but maybe, maybe you can come with us to someplace else! This is important, and it might just cheer you up after all the madness you had gone through, Unnie. Besides, you need a break and a little fun. Having fun is important, you know.”

“So… what’s your plan?”

May 5th. Children’s Day—a holiday solely for the youth to enjoy themselves and have fun. Grown-ups gifted the youngsters with treats and toys, even pocket money. Though a bunch of teenagers and a legally-aged university student were barely even considered children, there was no stopping them from making the most of the break. They were children at heart after all.

The plan was originally a “Cheer-up-Yeri” party (one among the series of fun activities they prepared before she leaves in the summer) but after some consideration, and Wendy’s insistence, it had turned into a “Cheer-up-Joohyun-Unnie-and-Yeri” day out. At first Joohyun had second thoughts—hanging out with all these younger kids felt like she was being some kind of baby sitter. Won’t she just be that old party pooper?

Plus, they were heading to an amusement park. It may be fun to roam around, but certain rides involving heights and movements inducing motion sickness weren’t exactly her definition of fun. But then again, she finally found friends who wanted to invite her to places, so why not take the chance? She would rather not spend Children’s Day alone in her dorm, and Seulgi and Wendy’s friend Soo-Young’s father was buying the tickets for all of them, so she gets to go for free anyway…

Joohyun stood waiting at the entrance of the park, waiting for the other “children” to arrive at their promised place of meeting. From the point where she stood, she could hear the roars of the reverberating engines and screeching metals accompanied by wails and screams of passengers’…um, enjoyment? Or agony? Joohyun gritted her teeth after getting a glimpse of the zooming roller coaster from afar. It went in loops and ran down the steep drop at a frightening speed. That. Looks. Like. Torture.

“Joohyun Unnie!” she heard a high-pitched voice call out. It was Seulgi, waving her two long arms high above her head as she approached the gate.

Behind her were three other girls: Wendy, their tall friend Soo-Young, and Wendy’s student Yeri. She recalled seeing them all together for the first time more than a month ago and being slightly jealous of their closeness.

Now she was given a chance to spend the entire day with them—definitely not a scene she would have imagined. Although she was close to Seulgi and Wendy, the two other younger girls—Soo-Young and Yeri—not so much. But it couldn’t be that difficult to deal with kids more than 5 years younger.

Seulgi and Wendy each gave Joohyun a friendly hug, while the younger two gave a slight bow and a slightly formal “hello(안녕하세요).” The awkward eldest unnie smiled at the two younger kids and waved at them with a friendly “hello(안녕)” too.

“Ha-ha, the unnie from the bakery…” Yeri let out a few giggles while shyly glancing back and forth from Joohyun to Wendy and then back to Joohyun. “I come to buy bread at that bakery often but I never really memorized your name. Sorry.”

“She wears a name tag, and you never read it?” Wendy side-eyed Yeri, shooting arrows at her bookworm’s pride. “Besides, didn’t I already introduce you guys ages ago?”

“It’s Bae Joohyun. You can call me Joohyun Unnie,” the eldest introduced herself again. “You’re Yeri, right?” Then she turned to Soo-Young on Yeri’s left and said, “And you’re Soo-Young.”

The attention-loving Park Soo-Young’s jaw dropped in amazement. “You remember my name! And we only met once! Oh my gosh, you’re awesome!”

“Yeah, I talk to her about you guys all the time, that’s why,” Wendy nonchalantly stated.

Soo-Young slowly twisted her body to Wendy’s direction and held her heart as if the Canadian had said the most touching thing ever.

“Aww, really…? Does that mean you always think of me while working? Gosh, Wendy Unnie, I’m touched.”

All five of them headed in with top-class ride-all-you-can straps around their wrists. The line took a while due to the crowds of people who came for a fun day just like them. There were folks from all walks of life—from the newborns to the oldest of senior citizens; from Seoul to Busan and foreign lands. There was so many people that they could have sworn the entire country and more were in that very amusement park right now.

“Guys! Hold hands!” Soo-Young yelled. As the tallest, she kept on the watch out for all the “shorties” to make sure they were all still together. And so, all five of them linked arms so as not to lose sight of each other amidst the sea of people heading in the entrance. When they got to a place where the people dispersed a bit, the five girls stood in a circle and tried to come up with a day-plan.

“Here’s the map, where do you guys want to go?” Joohyun said, showing them the parchment she had picked up at the entrance earlier. The four girls tossed suggestion after suggestion. Seulgi and Wendy voted the thrill rides, Soo-Young voted the safari area, and Yeri, well… she was just there listening to the high school triad argue. The eldest looked directly at the youngest, waiting for her own suggestion. “Yeri?”

The other three looked to the thirteen-year-old’s direction. Now all eyes were on her. “Ha-ha… I’ll just go wherever you guys want to go.”

“Wait just one sec,” Seulgi interjected. “This whole thing was all about Yeri in the first place.”

“Oh yeah,” Soo-Young said, regretting the fuss she made because she was outnumbered by the two high school seniors in the thrill-rides-versus-zoo-area fight. “What do you want to do, Yeri?”

“Um…” Yeri glanced down at the map and looked straight to the oldest girl, the one who seemed to be leading this pack. “I don’t really like the scary rides, and I don’t like scary animals either…”

“Okay, fine,” Joohyun spoke up. “We’ll mark every ride you all want and follow a path on the map. If anyone can’t go on a ride, the they can roam near the area until those who want to ride can finish. We’ll go to the safari area last when you’re all sick of rides. But Yeri, if you really don’t want to go see the animals, we can just split up and you can stay with me and take pictures elsewhere. After this, it’ll probably be time for dinner, so we can eat somewhere outside the park before going home. Deal?”

They all agreed with Joohyun’s plan. The unnie thought of ideas to maximize their day with everyone’s enjoyment in mind like it was her job. Everyone thought she was impressive.

The five girls walked through the place, admiring the lively chaos of the scene. Amusing vendors with over-priced helium balloons and colorful sugar-filled snacks attracted children; flowery shrubbery and curiously shaped topiaries and trees were popular backdrops for commemorative photographs among visitors. The five of them took photos of each other and even with one of those brand-new “selfie stick” that Soo-Young had brought along. Just taking photos in and of itself was a whole lot of fun.

As they continued walking, the well-known rides were already gathering long lines. In the meantime, onlookers watched in awe as the ginormous contraptions started swinging and revolving. Seulgi and Wendy lined up for the famous roller coaster immediately and left the other three to wander around nearby. Whenever the three non-riders saw a photo opportunity, Joohyun immediately asked the cousins to pose for a picture. She was only doing this to be a little less awkward with them and to try to get closer to them. While waiting for Seulgi and Wendy, the other three ended up taking so many photos at the garden area.

“Wow, Unnie, you take good shots,” Soo-Young commented as she and Yeri swiped through Joohyun’s phone gallery. “Oh my gosh, I look so pretty and innocent in this photo!” Soo-Young slapped her cousin’s arm while looking at a snap of her smelling a pink tulip among the field of yellow and red tulips.

“That’s good because you’re ugly and crazy in real life,” Yeri sneered.

“Why you—! Kim Yerim! You’ll pay for that!”

The eldest was a bit culture-shocked while watching them. These kids bicker a lot, don’t they? No wonder Wendy thinks they’re nuts…

As Soo-Young swiped through photos, she came across the pictures Joohyun took with Seulgi during their cherry blossom date in Han River. She suddenly started snickering with Yeri and continued browsing through it all without Joohyun’s permission.

Meanwhile, the two inseparable best friends rode the roller coaster and yelled “fighting!” together. Excited screams and the rush of adrenaline and warm air got them both gripping each other’s hand so tightly. They went through sky-high heights and sudden drops without letting each other go. At the end of the euphoric thrill, their hair was a mess and their faces look sapped of energy, but they sure had a fantastic time together.

After Seulgi and Wendy’s ride, they all ended up lining up for the bumper cars. Joohyun surprisingly found it rather fun. Soo-Young and Yeri went around crashing into everyone on purpose. When playful Soo-Young forcefully collided with Joohyun in a hit and run, the annoyed unnie went to chase after her but ended up crashing into poor Wendy instead. It was so much fun, though the silly bear lost control of her car for the most part. Seriously, if everyone who drove bumper cars were given actual driver’s licenses, you bet pandemonium will ensue.

Later—though Joohyun, Soo-Young, and Yeri swore they did not want to go—they finally agreed to ride in one of the less intense coaster rides. It wasn’t one of those terrifying rides twisting upside down or rotating 360 degrees, but Joohyun tightly gripped the handle bars until her knuckles turned white. She also had her eyes closed the entire time especially when the car when up and down in an annoying humpy pattern. Noticing Joohyun’s distress, Seulgi comfortingly put her hand over the girl’s and screamed as they rushed through the wind, “It’s alright Joohyun Unnie! It’s almost over!” In the end, the poor unnie’s knees turned to jelly. Holding tightly onto her fluffy bear was the only way of steadying herself on solid ground.

“That wasn’t so bad, now, was it?” The bear had to admit, having Joohyun cling to her made the ride a lot less boring.

“Are ya kiddin’ me?! That was horrible!” Joohyun unabashedly yelled at the bear using her strong Daegu accent—still trembling from the ride.

“But you survived. You’ve conquered your fear!”

“Uh, I don’t think I’m going on that ride again.” Joohyun listlessly tucked her messy black hair behind her ear. Seulgi tried combing it straight with her fingers. She smiled sweetly at Joohyun when she met her eyes, relieving the fear caused by the wretched ride.

“Me either!” Yeri exclaimed, panting as she bent to hold her knees. It seemed Joohyun wasn’t the only one who thought the ride was horrible.

Soo-Young, who pretended to be tough, laughed at the two other chicken-hearts. “I was scared too at first but that ride wasn’t so bad. Now maybe I want to try other rides too…”

Wendy rolled her eyes at the tall girl’s remark. “Oh, for goodness sakes, Park Soo-Young, you were crying and calling out for your mother the entire time.”

“Hey, let’s go on that one!” Seulgi excitedly pointed to the gigantic wooden Viking ship swinging in a pendulum-like to and fro.

“Right! Let’s go!” Wendy exclaimed, grabbing onto her best friend. “What about you guys?”

The eldest and the youngest stared at the ship, their stunned faces pale with horror.

“No, thanks!” Yeri said backing out and hiding behind Joohyun’s back.

“Ah, I’ll stay here with Yeri and try to recover first,” Joohyun uttered.

Soo-Young seemed uncomfortable about it too, but…

“Hey, Park Soo-Young, we’ll be riding a ferry for our school trip! You can’t go being a chicken on this one!” Wendy taunted.

“Oh yeah!” Seulgi laughed. “You can think of it as preparation! Besides, it’s just a really, really big swing! It’s not scary!”

The two high school seniors chortled and slapped their thighs as they lined up for the ride.

“Hey, you two morons!” Soo-Young yelled at them. “Who says I’m a coward?!” The tallest jogged after the two to join them on the Viking ride, leaving the eldest unnie and the thirteen-year-old together.

“Ha, she’s doomed,” Yeri sneered.

The unnie looked around then intertwined her fingers with the youngest’s hand. She leaned down to the kid’s ear and said, “That previous ride was awful. You want ice cream? Unnie will treat you.”

Yeri’s two eyebrows shot up. “Who doesn’t like ice cream?!”

Together they happily skipped to the nearby gourmet ice cream vendor. As expected, the ice cream was overpriced to cater to tourists, but Joohyun handed in her money anyway. Yeri looked highly pleased as she accepted a large-sized cup of strawberry sundae topped with delightful chocolate-cookie crumbs.

“Is it good?”

Yeri her spoon, relishing every drop. “Oh yeah, this is so good. But Joohyun Unnie, if you’re scared of rides too, why’d you come? You’re a college student. Why would you even want to hang out with us?”

“I just thought I needed a change of scene.” Joohyun dipped her spoon into the cup to eat with Yeri.

“A change of scene?”

The older girl chuckled. “Yeah, I mean, I don’t want to stay in my dorm. And I need to take my mind off things. Just a break from my usual routine. Being in the university area stresses me out.”

“Ah…” Yeri had heard about the suicide from the high school unnies’ conversations the other day during their English lesson. She has read a lot of those in novels but to experience first-hand probably wasn’t as fascinating.

“What about you, why’d you agree to this if you don’t like rides either? They were all doing it for you, but it seems they’re enjoying it more than you do.”

Yeri coughed while eating ice cream. Then she nervously stuttered, “W-what are you talking about? I’m having fun.”

Suddenly, a very distinct dolphin-like, high-pitched screech was heard the moment the Viking started up again. “Ha, Soo-Young Unnie… That’s definitely her,” Yeri changed the topic. “She’s loud when she’s scared.”

Joohyun ruffled the kid’s hair as she watched her devour another spoonful of ice cream. Then she asked a different question. “How are the English lessons with Wendy? Is she a good teacher?”

“Ah, well, she’s alright,” Yeri replied aloofly.

The older girl chuckled and patted the kid’s back. “It’s fine, you can be honest. I won’t tell her anything. It’ll be our secret.” She looked at Yeri with a wink.

“Well, it is true, she is alright.” Then she leaned closer to Joohyun and whispered, “Kind of a drama queen at times, but she’s alright.”

The unnie burst in laughter. “So, Wendy’s a drama queen, huh?”

“Yeah, an overly-caring drama queen, but don’t tell her that!”

“Well, what about Seulgi and Soo-Young?”

Yeri let the ice cream melt in while thinking. “Hm… Seulgi Unnie, she’s kind of a dummy. She’s totally stupid, but she’s the ‘nice kind’ of stupid. You can tell her that and she’ll think it’s a compliment. Then there’s Soo-Young Unnie. She’s ridiculously crazy—almost witch-like. You won’t understand unless you know her.”

Joohyun chuckled at the straightforwardness of the kid’s descriptions. “You must be really close to them.”

“Yeah. I actually have a bunch of baby sisters, but when I’m with the unnies I get to be the baby, and I kinda like that even when they gang up on me. But they all treat me really well too.” Yeri had a melancholic way of saying all of it, and the perceptive unnie caught the mood immediately.

“So, you really do love being with them. You want to cherish your time with them, that’s why you went along with them today even though you’re not big on amusement parks, right?”

“Tch… You’re good at this, aren’t you?” Yeri passed the ice cream cup to Joohyun for her share.

“Good at what?”

“Making people talk.”

“I am…?”

Just then, the high school triad had come back with a hubbub of laughter and jeers after their exhausting Viking ride.

“That was so much fun!” the bear exclaimed.

“Man, my ears, still hurt,” Wendy grumbled. “Soo-Young, you screamed too loud!”

“If I don’t do something, I might...,” the tall one muttered between pants. Then her gaze drifted to the ice cream cup the other two were eating. “Hey! I want some too!”

Soo-Young opened for a spoonful but was met with disappointment.

“Get your own!” Yeri didn’t want to share with her cousin, but she shared with Joohyun because it was her money anyway.

The five of them continued walking through the colorful streets, roaming around with ice cream cups in hand. Then they stopped by to check out the fair booths. There were shooting booths with prizes and claw machines on the sides. Seulgi, the queen of prize booths, won and gifted Soo-Young a duck plushie—because according to her best friend Wendy, Soo-Young was a total “chicken.” She also won Yeri a super-cute Squirtle doll, which the youngest held onto for the rest of the day like a Pokémon trainer on an adventure.

After taking more photos and filling themselves with an assortment of unhealthy amusement park snacks like chicken popcorn, nachos, and churros, they all went to the safari area together. All five of them went aboard an enclosed bus that went through the exclusive safari area. From inside the bus, they were able to spot lions, tigers, and even real bears, resting on rocks and roaming freely by the ragged path. Some beasts were indifferent to visitors, but some tigers menacingly pounced on vehicles and cried out ferocious roars—almost giving Joohyun and Yeri a heart failure. The three high school kids were thoroughly fascinated though. Soo-Young even ended up naming all the animals they passed by and talked to them as if they could understand—or even hear—whatever gibberish she was saying.

There were other seemingly exciting rides like the “Amazon-boat-ride” in the same zoo area, but Joohyun and Yeri called it quits. So then all five of them rode the kiddie train to transfer to another area of the park. The exhausted “children” had gotten tired of all the roaming and walking.

“Oooh! I want to ride that one!” Yeri pointed to a huge Merry-Go-Round where little kids and parents were lining up. It was revolving at a suitable speed that even the scaredy-cats could handle. The horses and unicorns were made of hard, lifeless material, making them the perfect creatures for those less-friendly with real animals. So then, the five of them rode the Merry-Go-Round. By then the sun was also setting and they were all pretty exhausted. This was the perfect easy-going ride to end the day.

“Joohyun Unnie, sit here on the horse beside me!” Seulgi said as she dragged the unnie to a pair of white horses with gold-painted mane.

Before climbing up the horse, Joohyun took her phone and snapped a photo of Seulgi riding her own horse. The unnie smiled in satisfaction at the cuteness. Right in front of them were Wendy and Soo-Young, and Yeri was right behind them, playing with some random stranger’s toddler. Joohyun called out to the two in front and asked to pose for a picture, to which they made peace signs and wide smiles. Soo-Young even happily showed the duck plushie to the camera. Then the photographer also turned around to take pretty candid shots of little Yeri using her Squirtle to entertain an even littler toddler. Everyone looked so happy in the photographs. Joohyun felt herself smile widely at the sight of these sweet keepsakes.

“Joohyun Unnie, Seulgi, Yeri, look here!” Wendy said, as Soo-Young held up her selfie stick so that everyone can be in the picture. Everyone blithely posed.

Moments later, the ride started up, and the Merry-Go-Round started “merrily going ‘round”. Moving lights lined the golden rails; shiny horse figures bobbed up and down. A fun nursery rhyme started playing through speakers, accompanied by riders’ sweet laughter. Joohyun looked back to Yeri who seemed to be enjoying herself in this ride while tightly clutching her Squirtle. Then she looked in front of her and saw Wendy and Soo-Young childishly pretending to be princes.

“Unnie, smile!”

Joohyun glanced at the bubbly bear beside her, holding a phone in her hand. Without having to force herself, a natural smile filled with happiness and gratitude stretched across her face. Seulgi snapped a photograph of her and looked up to her with a giggle. Sliding her phone back into her bag, she extended her hand out.

“Unnie, hold my hand.”

Joohyun looked adoringly into the eyes of her darling bear and held her warm hands throughout the ride that seemed to have lasted forever. And the most blissful ride it was.

The lights… the sights… the smiles and the lovely company… if only they could all be this free of worry and innocently happy forever…

***

“Cheers to this amazing Children’s Day!” Soo-Young raised up her glass of soda and everyone else followed suit. After the Merry-Go-Round, they had all decided to have one final dinner together at the nearest pizzeria outside the amusement park.

“Cheers!”

When their extra-large pizza came to their table, they all began to eat their fill, restocking all the lost energy. It had been a long day. For the first few minutes, they all bit and chewed without speaking a word due to exhaustion.

“Did you all have fun?” Wendy asked amid everyone’s chewing.

“Oh yeah,” Yeri said with a full mouth. “Best day ever!”

“No doubt!” Soo-Young affirmed.

“Even though you were such a chicken?” Wendy teased.

“Keep quiet, I’m eating,” Soo-Young retorted.

“What about you, Joohyun Unnie, did you have fun?” Seulgi asked.

“Yes, I had a lot of fun. Thanks to all of you.” Just like what Yeri said, it was definitely one of the best days ever. Although she felt like dying in that one ride and wanted to faint upon seeing the beasts up close, she was still very satisfied with everything they did together. She had gotten closer to Soo-Young and Yeri, and had a lot of young, stupid fun with Seulgi and Wendy too. Can she still say she was lonely now? For once in a very long time, the answer was no, and it made her heart beat with life. They were successful in their mission: Joohyun truly did get cheered up today.

“Joohyun Unnie took so many great photos,” Soo-Young added. “We should do this again. Have all five of us hang out again before Yeri leaves, I mean.”

“Yeah, we should,” Wendy agreed.

After thinking for a bit, Joohyun suddenly got a great idea. “Actually, our university is havin’ a festival at the last week of May. I heard some popular artists like Psy, Girls’ Generation, and Zion.T are coming to perform. I was also supposed to host for the event, but I ended up quittin’… But if you guys want to come see them, it’s totally for free. Just try to avoid the drunk college students at the tent areas and we’ll all be fine.”

“Oh. My. Gosh. Girls’ Generation?!” Yeri suddenly freaked out. Seeing her favorite idol group for free would be insanely epic.

“Wow, that’s sounds fun! Going to a university festival!” Soo-Young exclaimed in excitement. Then she looked at the other two high-school girls. “What do you say, shall we all go?”

Wendy stood from her seat and held a piece of pizza up. “Yes! Let’s all go!”

“Yeri likes Girls’ Generation a lot.” Seulgi chuckled. “This is will be very interesting.”

“Really? I’ve actually met some of the members,” Joohyun said as if it was no big deal. Everyone’s jaw dropped. “I work at an evening radio for my internship, and when they guest-starred one night, I was there. They were really nice. Nicer than my supervisor, actually.”

“Oh. My. Gosh,” Yeri repeated. “You’re not serious, are you? You even work at a radio station?!”

“I’m serious. Actually, IU will be the guest next week and—”

“No way! I love IU! I’m her biggest fan too!” The other three high school unnies chuckled as Yeri proclaimed her love for another popstar. “Gosh, I wish I can meet her…”

“Hm…” Joohyun thought for a while. Am I even allowed to bring in a kid to the office? Maybe, maybe not… but she sure did want to make Yeri happy on her last days in Korea too. If I could only pull some strings…

“Oh yeah, speaking of next week, the cruise starts on Monday, right?” Seulgi asked, making sure she had her mental calendar in order.

“Yup,” Wendy confirmed for her after checking her smart phone organizer. “Maybe after my job at the bakery this weekend, we have to get packing for the school trip. Yeri, you should tell your mom that we won’t be having English lessons next week.”

The thirteen-year-old heavily sighed. “Okay.”

“Oh, hey, what’s this?!” Soo-Young said, examining her cousin’s scowl closely. “You’re going to miss us while we’re away next week, are you?! Poor Yeri won’t get to annoy and frustrate her unnies next week!”

Yeri’s eyes grew wide and her face blushed as red as the pepperoni on her pizza. Then she gave her mocking cousin a feint attack. “Shut up!”

“Oh, come on, just admit you’ll miss us!”

“Gosh, it’s just a stupid school trip. It’s not like you guys will be gone forever!”

“Eh… Yerim, come on…” The three high-school unnies continued playfully teasing their baby Yeri.

Finally she yelled, “Fine! I’ll miss you all! Happy now?!”

With the sight of this precious little group, Joohyun could not help but laugh along. “You are all so cute!”

Author's Note:

Happy Children's Day! Don't let the child in you die!