Chapter 10 - I think I'm crazy

 

Yuri walked at faster speed than usual into the house, and went straight to her bedroom.  Instead of getting inside,  she leaned her back against the bedroom’s door.

 

 

 

Yena’s words were still stuck in her head. 

 

 

 

 

 

-Why are you so pretty?-

 

 

 

 

Just the thought of it could make her smile.

 

She felt her chest,     her heart was rather unsteady.           But she liked it,  this feeling.   

 

 

 

 

The sound of footsteps were coming closer, and Yuri knew it was the time to get inside.

 

She quickly went in her bedroom and shut the door closed.  

 

 

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Minju was already waiting for her.     “Why are you acting strangely?”

 

 

“I- I’m not”

 

 

“You are”, Minju repeated.

 

 

“I’m not”

 

 

“Fine—but you are”, Minju said while laughing.

 

 

 

“Yah!   Kim Minju”,    “Come here!”     Yuri was about to smack her when there was a knock on the door. 

Minju used this moment to escape Yuri and opened it.

 

 

“Unnie!, you come just in time.  Thank you for saving my life”

 

 

 

“We did?”

 

 

“Yes, this person-”

 

 

“Unnie!   Aren’t you hungry?”,  Yuri interrupted.     She sounded overly excited.    “The pizza is getting cold.”

 

 

 

Gladly, they were distracted by the smell of the food.   Pepperoni pizza, seafood pizza, fried chicken wings, and fries were tempting enough, and they couldn’t wait.  

They sat down on the floor, and Yena was sitting by her side.  Yuri was well aware of Yena’s presence, but she had yet to speak a single word to the older girl.  

 

The whole time, she was arguing with herself in the head.  Thinking of what to say, but later decided not to say it.   In the end, she just ate quietly.   Yena, on the other hand, couldn’t be more relaxed.  She was eating deliciously.    

 

 

 

 

 

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An hour passed, and they were feeling beyond full. 

 

 

“It’s almost midnight.  Do you still want to practice after?”, asked Yena.

 

“We’ll practice until dawn.  You should practice with us.”,  said Hyewon.

 

“Yah!     Kang Hyewon, what kind of crazy plan is this?    Don’t torture my neighbor”,  Yena placed her hand on Yuri’s back.     A simple gesture made Yuri’s heart fluttered.  

 

 

 

“Unnie, can I practice with you?  Yuri is mean to me”.   Minju jokingly teased Yuri who was still being shy and quiet.  

 

 

Yena chuckled at Minju’s words before saying:   “I’m sure she is doing great”. 

 

 

 

“Unnie, I’m serious.   She’s been strange.  She almost hit me.”

 

 

 

“Because you said so, it doesn’t mean I am”,   Yuri dodged at Minju's words.    She was trying her best to act calm, even when her pulse was beating faster than normal.   She grabbed a glass and started drinking from it to hide her awkwardness.  

 

 

 

“Maybe Yena should be the one who got hit”,   Hyewon spoke in a monotone.  But her words were enough to make Yena's eyes wandered in a nervous mode.

 

“Eh?   Why me??”

 

 

“Took you long enough to realize how pretty Yuri is”,     

 

Struck by the comment,  calm Yuri accidentally spilled the juice on Yena's shirt.

 

 

 

 

“Bingo”,      Hyewon said and laughed.

 

“Hahahaha ”, Minju held her stomach from laughing.    “I was right,  Yuri is really weird today”.         “Yena unnie, your shirt!”,   Minju shouted.

 

Yena took a quick glance on her shirt and noticed the stain.

 

“Oh no!”  Yuri hurriedly put down the glass and tried to wipe the stain on Yena’s.       She used water to remove it, but it was spreading even more.  

 

Yena couldn’t care less about the stain, but she didn't stop her anyway.  The distance between them were inches apart, and Yena was glad that Yuri eventually became more of her usual self. 

 

 

 

 

Minutes later,  Yuri finally gave up on removing it.    She looked at Yena for the first time since she got here.  

“I’m sorry unnie”,   Yuri said with her puppy’s eyes.  

 

 

Yena’s eyes softened a bit, but she quickly put on a poker face and said:

 

 

“You are making a mess.  I’ll let you wash it”.    “You come with me to take the shirt”   

 

 

 

Yena stood up and grabbed Yuri’s hand to pull her up.    Yuri was forced to follow her.    She led Yuri to the front gate and suddenly stopped in front of Yena's house. 

 

 

Yena let out a deep sigh and said,

“This is my favorite shirt.”    “What am I gonna do?”

 

 

 

“It’s your favorite?”,    Yuri was feeling even more guilty than she already was.  

 

 

 

She stared at the ground:

“I’m really sorry unnie.   I promise I’ll make it the same”

 

 

 

“This is hard.  I am mad.”

 

 

 

Yuri was still listening but she kept looking at the ground to avoid Yena’s eyes.

 

 

Yena walked toward her.  She bent down and lower her head to see Yuri’s face.  

“Do you know what is hard?”

 

 

 

Yuri slightly lifted her head up,  wasn’t sure if the older girl meant.  

“Hard?     I don’t know unnie”

 

 

 

 

 

“It’s my favorite shirt”,  Yena pointed to herself.     

 

 

 

 

“I- I’m sorry”, said Yuri.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“But I can’t be mad at my favorite person either”,   Yena grinned widely.    She looked silly.

 

 

 

Yuri blinked twice.   Her jaw slightly dropped.  It took her three more seconds to realize this was a prank.

 

 

“Yah! You’ve been teasing me this whole time”,  she slapped Yena’s arm.  Her cheeks were turning into a shade of pink.

 

 

 

“No, I’m not”,  Yena told her.     

 

“Don’t lie!”,   Yuri said and started chasing her.

 

 

 

Yena was running away from Yuri,  she shouted from the other side                        “At least part of what I said was true!”

 

 

 

Yuri looked annoyed and Yena couldn't hold back her laughter even when she got caught. 

Yuri grabbed Yena by her shirttail.    “Which part then?”,   she asked.

 

 

 

 

“Hmm-   Let me think”.    Yena paused.     She tapped her lips a couple of times, pretending to contemplate.   Sulking Yuri was still pouting at her.

 

 

 

“Oh!  The part where I said this is my favorite shirt”,   said Yena firmly. 

 

 

 

Yuri pouted even more,  “Fine!  I’ll wash it”.      

 

“I’ll take this off then”,      she lifted Yena’s shirt, exposing part of her skin, and Yena panicked.

 

 

 

 

“What are you doing!    ert!      I’m your unnie!”

 

 

 

“Taking the shirt”,     Yuri was so determined that she didn’t seem to stop easily.     

 

 

 

“Yah!   Jo Yuri!”   Yena had to hold on to the shirt,   and she finally surrendered.

“Wait!   Stop!   It’s not my favorite!”

 

 

 

“Seriously, You are becoming crazy”,       Yena checked herself to make sure her outer skin wasn't taken.        She then quickly held her shirt tight, afraid Yuri would resume her mission.  

 

But the younger girl paused for a while.   She looked preoccupied.

 

 

 

 

Yuri was still clenching Yena’s shirt,   didn’t let go.    Her head bent a little, and she kept staring at her fist.  

 

 

 

 

 

Yuri looked as if she was tired.   Yena's eyes were fixed on her, trying to see her expression but it was too dark.

 

 

Yena didn’t know what to say, and she was just standing there until Yuri pulled her shirt, pulling Yena closer.

 

 

The girl rested her forehead on Yena's shoulder.       Her hair brushed Yena’s cheek.      It felt so soft.

That's right.    The scent.   It recently became her favorite.  It was so strong that Yena felt the desire to touch her.  

 

 

 

Yena tilted her head a little to rest on Yuri, and put her hand on the back of the girl's head.   She gently her hair.

 

 

 

 

 

At that moment, she heard Yuri whispered:

“You think I'm going crazy?”   

 

 

 

 

 

“Mm-hmm”,  Yena hummed in response. 

 

 

 

 

 

“But you are too”, she mumbled over her shoulder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yena thought for a moment,      her heart felt so light.    A bittersweet smile formed on her lips before she said

 

“I know”