4

A Peaceful Morning

 

 

It’s been a week since Eunbi took over managing her grandmother’s apartment, almost a month since the accident, between then and now a lot has happen or it seems so. The apartment manages to run smoothly thanks to her grandmothers’ trusted friend and of course the ever so reliable Chaeyeon. Chaeyeon has a deal with her grandmother regarding her rent and for her help instead of paying half the rent as usual, Eunbi decided to forego the younger’s rent for this month.

 

As Eunbi continue reviewing the terms of each of the girl’s leases. She manages to learn a few tidbits about some of them – it’s something she hopes will be helpful in the future. Her concerns, for now, are shifted in filling in the vacant rooms. She logged into a website and updated 48Diamonds Apartment’s profile, uploaded some photos of the available rooms and info about accommodations provided.  

 

 After finishing the job, Eunbi leans back on her seat, cross her legs, breathe deeply satisfied of what she accomplished today. She spotted a fedora hat with a cute rabbit mascot attach to the side of it. Seeing this gives her warm feeling, making her smile. Yuri who just arrived yesterday from her vacation in Busan bought it for her as a welcome gift, giving her such a positive impression of the girl. How she wish she could give her something in return. With this she finally stands, joined her hands and stretch her arms, today is a peaceful day or so she thought. The breads she is baking are calling her.

 

Just as she opens the office door she heard the very familiar frustrated voice of Minjoo shouting ;

 

“YUJIN! Where are you going comeback here!”   

 

 Eunbi can visualize clearly the veins popping up on Minjoo’s neck it’s something she started getting used to.

 

“Aishhh, Kids – toned down your voice, please.” Eunbi said in short, direct but caring manner.

 

“Sorry, Unnie.” Minjoo replied apologetically as she bowed to her then subsequently darted trying to catch up to Yujin.

 

It’s one of the things she got wrong, she thought at first Yujin respects and follows Minjoo’s words. Heck she thought they are roommates, they are not. All along in this relationship it’s the younger energetic kid who has control of the dynamics.

 

 “Yujin, you get yourself to the bath, or I tell your mom you have not done your summer math assignments yet!” Minjoo said, threatening the younger girl with her weakness, her mathematical aptitude or lack there off. It’s very rare for Minjoo to raise her voice but she has done that a lot lately since Yujin arrive. On other things that have nothing to do with Yujin being annoying brat, Minjoo is the voice of calmness.

 

 “Go ahead, do it -  Unnie. ” Yujin replied , while pulling her tongued out, lifting her left and right leg alternately and wiggling her hips in sort of a weird annoying dance. 

 

Minjoo clasped her hands in exasperation as she tries her best to corner Yujin. She would from time to time peak at Eunbi crying for help.

 

“Yujin, for the last time, PLEASE” She said trying not to raise her voice further, veins visible on her neck – desperation evident from her tone, she is almost crying.

 

“No chance – unnie. hahhahaha” As Yujin laughs and hides behind one of the sofa.

 

Minjoo, who seemingly gave up trying to corner her, stand on the opposite side of the sofa Yujin is hiding and just glared at it.

 

“I’m going to send your mom the picture of your last math examination, in all its 6 points glory.” She finally said in deep voice seemingly coming out from the depths of hell or at least the way it was delivered.

 

Yujin shiver at what she heard it; she pokes her head up the sofa and said “Foul play, unnie, foul play.”

 

She sound as if she gonna cry, that’s a gotcha moment for Kim Minjoo. There seems to be a law that’s states the quitter and kinder someone is the scarier they get when they are angry – does that explains the “thou shall not make Kang Hyewon upset” rule.  

 

“Take a god damn bathe, does not matter if it’s in my room or your room. Just take a bath – you stinking dog.” Yujin gulped after hearing this from Minjoo, specially the emphasis on stinking dog.

 

Minjoo is scary not when she shouts or raises her voice. She is scary when she looks so calm when delivering a rather threatening message. Yujin truly crossed the line. Now she is the one looking at Eunbi asking for help – tears are starting to develop in her eyes.

 

 “Ya, Yujin – you do need to take a bath, Yena have been complaining about you.” Eunbi said teasingly. It is such a classic anime betrayal moment, Yujin learning that her partner in crime, her trusted unnie complained about her.

 

“Ya, ya – you need to take a bath now, Yujin. You stink. ” Yena said as she climb down the stairs, the hood of her cream colored hoodie up, her hands in its pocket, her duck mouth irritatingly visible while she walks like a dumb gangster from a comedy movie.

 

“Don’t drag the stinky dog to our room. I don’t want the smell to linger.” Yuri added grinning – just evidently trying to low-key tease the youngest.

 

Minjoo look at her direction and nod, Yujin then formed a fist and made an action as if threatening to punch the other two. Yena made an escape to the kitchen – Yuri followed her and subsequently glomped her from behind.

 

“I misshh, Yena Unnie.” She said in aegyo voice while burying her face behind the older girls back.

 

That’s another foul play. Yena gulped, trying to look at the ceiling, while her heart is doing summersaults in different direction and wants to jump out of her chest. She does miss Yuri, that despite constantly messaging the younger when she was away. She hides that fact from the stinking dog of a roommate she has – who would for sure nonstop.  One part of her wanted Yuri to release her from the hug but another side hopes it does not end. She likes this warm feeling and she right now is in her heaven.

 

Eunbi giggled watching this, she was not so sure about what’s going on but she likes the fact that the girls are close to each other. She hopes to be close to them too but she also hopes that they tone down their voices in the morning.

 

On the opposite side of the reaction is a Yujin pretending to gag at the couply moment Yena is seemingly enjoying. Teenage girls do have the ability to spot who has crush with who and she know for long, which is not that long - just a week, the week she arrive and before Yuri went home to Busan , that the dear duck is a panicking child around the younger Yuri, who constantly teases her.

 

Minjoo is just puzzled, she is just coming down to earth or more like descending up from hell whichever way you prefer. She grab Yujin’s colar before the dog can escape and silently tries to drag her to her and Yena’s room to finally force her to bath.

 

She looked at Yena in the eye and silently communicated. “Is your room open?”

 

Yena replied with thumbs up, a nod, a silent but understandable “You can go ahead – it’s not locked.” 

 

“Unnie – let me go, Ok I’m going to take a bath now! No need to follow me.” Yujin said as she tries her best not to choke on her collar. Minjoo just glared at her in return and you can hear Yujin with that MNET style gulping sound fx loud and clear.

 

“Good luck, Yujin-ah – make sure to scrub yourself.” A grinning Yuri said as she further teases Yujin. Yujin really wanted to punch her now as she struggle to remove Minjoo’s grip on her collar.

 

On their way up, they come across Chaewon who is going down the stairs hand in hand with a very sleepy Hyewon. Chaewon motioned her free hand up to her nose and raise one of her brows up – reeling Yujin further. To all the kind of teasing she get its Chaewon’s brand that she can’t fight back, the later’s style is always subtle but that does not make it any less annoying.  

 

It’s not like Yujin really stink that badly – all the girls – including the currently very sleepy Hyewon just want their youngest to get proper hygiene habit.  Sleepy Hyewon even pump her heavy fist up to wish Minjoo goodluck in her endeavor.  Bathing a hydrophobic puppy is hard afterall.

 

“Do you really need to follow me?”  Yujin asked, Minjoo finally loosen up her grip – but have not let go of the younger. 

 

“Yes.” Minjoo’s short and direct answered.

 

“Honestly, I even plan to follow you inside, just to be sure.” Minjoo said as she looks at Yujin with those wide eyes reminiscent of certain frog meme that Yujin saw in the internet.

 

“You are joking right?” Yujin asked again, not sure if her unnie is dead serious or just playing pranks on her.

 

“Then don’t make me do it, take a proper bath and don’t’ try to run away.” Minjoo answered.

 

Yujin’s eye widened and she muttered “You are creepy, unnie.” As she wiggled herself out of Minjoo’s grip. She runs straight to her room, Room 203 located in the other side facing Room 204.  

 

Minjoo just sighed she does not care anymore; she could not even process what the kid is talking about.

 

“Don’t lock it.” Minjoo asked Yujin in a very tired exasperated voice.

 

Yujin peaked out of the door decided she is not going to pull up anymore prank, she opened the door a bit more as an answer to Minjoo while she walk inside. She is pretty apologetic and have the look of very guilty puppy asking for forgiveness specially the way she walked inside her bedroom. That put Minjoo at ease and atleast made her smile for a second.

 

Once Minjoo is inside the shared room of Yena and Yujin, she sat at the bench around the corner. Each apartment room has enough space for a small sofa set, a table, tv set, a small refrigerator, and in the case of Hyewon getting in a PS4 gaming rig is possible. There are two room designs, this being the odd numbered room means there are two mini-rooms that are essentially separate bedrooms and Yujin’s is the one nearer the bathroom.

 

Minjoo just watched Yujin gather her stuff and followed her with her eyes until she finally entered the bathroom. She sighed in relief and just slump herself on the bench until she unknowingly fallen asleep.

 

Why does she bother taking care of this kid with unlimited energy that it’s more proper to call her a puppy? It’s her mother’s and Yujin’s mother fault if she is looking for someone to blame. It turns out their parents are close friend, though she have no recollection of ever playing or encountering a Yujin in her childhood. Yujin’s family transferred to Seoul with the younger Yujin or so she was told. Minjoo decided to study in one of Seoul’s highschool so here she is.

 

Who would have thought that Yujin’s family situation changes and they decided to return to their hometown? Regretting wasting the younger’s prospects of entering a school in Seoul their parents manage to set this situation up. Now Minjoo is here trying to takecare of a puppy that seems hell-bent on making her life miserable. It’s not all that bad and she did develop a soft spot for the girl in the few weeks they are together. Yujin is a distraction to her life she just doesn’t know if it’s good or bad but it’s a change she is slowly welcoming, a change she might have actually been longing for.

They did not specifically ask her to take care of the kid to this extent, she did it on her own.

 

In the meantime Hyewon and Chaewon joined the others in their rather late breakfast.

 

Yuri is now trying to feed a panicking Yena, she does enjoy the older reactions and she does not know why. To her it’s cute and hugging Yena always makes her feel fluffy inside. Hyewon who was barely aware that Yuri has arrived, infact the younger arrived yesterday afternoon, an afternoon Hyewon spent catching up to some of her favourite animes that her dinner was instead deliver to her room by Chaewon.

 

“Yuri-ya~~~” Hyewon said softly. It’s so soft that it can make the heart of those who heard it flutter.

 

“Hyung~~~” Yuri returned with a smile.

 

Hyewon is more often than not an instinct sort of person, especially if she just woke up. So now here we have Hyewon who boldly just put her hands on the edge of the table cornering Yuri. She then looked down at the younger with the most caring eyes, pursing her lips – then them. Yuri who is equally fond of skinship put her arms around the older’s neck and look up to her expectantly.

 

Yes folk’s right in front of Yena’s salad – uhm- breakfast and right in front of Eunbi’s freshly baked breads. The duck is so shock its jaw literally hits the floor and Eunbi could not comment any further.

 

It’s seems they are going for a kiss, until Hyewon’s instinct for food kicks in and she smell the newly baked bread right in front of her. Chaewon quickly picked up one of Eunbi’s freshly baked bread rolls and almost shove it to her beloved unnie’s face.  

 

“Unnie look, they smell so delicious right? Eunbi unnie baked it for us.” She said in manner that sounds soft and caring but the words went through her teeth. No kissing, no going R-18, no inappropriate behavior, no! , not in front of Kim Chaewon – she is not gonna let that happen especially if it involves her beloved Kang-chan.

 

Eunbi saw something new as she try to understand the dynamic and relationship between each of these girls. That is really new – who would have thought that the seemingly sweet Yuri who gave her the hat with rabbit accessory and the innocent and pure looking Hyewon together can be so scandalous.  She almost pulls out her phone to take a picture just so she can tease those two. She did not do it as she feels she might get murdered by princess - ehm - Chaewon.

 

Once she recovered, Eunbi remembered something.

 

“What time is Chaeyeon going home?” She is quite befuddled on why Chaeyeon still needs to take other part time jobs; she is too shy to ask for a reason. She thought the girl might just really need it. She hopes though that she won’t overwork herself. She just wants to tell the younger that she doesn’t need to pay rent for this month as payment for the time she took care of the apartment.

 

 “Around 4, in the afternoon, I think.” Chaewon replied.

 

As the day went and the clock hits five minutes pass four, Chaeyeon finally clocked out of her work at the convenient store two streets away from the apartment.

 

As she walk her phone rings, it’s rare for her to get a call. In this day and age most people just message one another.  She looked at the caller ID and surprise to learn who it was.

 

LEE KAEUN

 

Amused she picks it up and answered, “Hello – Kaeun Unnie. It’s been a long time. ”

 

---

Noted:

Lol I tried a cliff-hanger thing ahahah. My set up is pretty mundane - its just really this day and this happened - even if I dont have an orverarching plot overall planned I did have sort of target for each character lol. 

I also said I don't have much on terms of ship, though definitely ships is here [i have my endgames lol], I just don't want to focus on romance [as I dont know how to write one lol].  The month is something I forgot to mention - the story started at Korean summer around July.

Thank you, I hope you enjoy this chapter installment of IZOne doing cute things - a Sakuraesque - winkeu to the ships I touched on. I also hope you enjoyed IZONE things that happened in vlive/fancams that I referenced. 
 

Sketches: It's hard to write on weekdays let alone draw - so I ended with just one. Enjoy Yuri.