TWO

The three friends, Sakura, Eunbi and Yena, were making their way over to the small restaurant just across the street from the school to have a meal there as Eunbi had promised to treat both of them some spicy rice cakes. Just before they wanted to cross the road to get to the other side of the sidewalk, Yena’s phone suddenly blasted off and as she checked the phone’s screen, it was apparently her mother. Picking up the phone like a diligent daughter she was, Yena’s bright smile was completely wiped out when her mother told her to head home early to help with the cooking as their relatives will be visiting.

“Why out of all the days, it had to be today, the day when Ms. Kwon Eunbi finally decided to treat us all! Why, dear Lord? Why?!” Yena flailed her arms around dramatically once she ended the call with her mother, which caused some passerby to cast a judging look at her. Seeing how frustrated the other girl was, Sakura could not help but to point her forefinger at her and let out a cackle as she teased Yena out of habit. “Poor little duck!”

The way Sakura was looking at the moment while she cackled her heart away, it was actually quite adorable but to Yena, her Japanese friend was looking a little too similar to a Satan. She glared at Sakura before turning her head to Eunbi, who simply watched her friend's small bantering in amusement. With her lips pouting similarly to a duck, Yena then let out a whine as she lightly shook Eunbi’s sleeves. “Eunbi unnie, you better treat me next time, alright?”

“Sure, if I remember.” Eunbi replied half playful and half serious as she grinned at the other girl, who stomped her feet in response. “I'll definitely make sure you will remember it!” Pursing her lips as she quickly nodded her head, Yena then checked the time on her phone’s screen and groaned in frustration. “I really need to go now. Y'all have fun though! Eat a lot on my behalf, Kkura unnie!”

“Don't worry. By the time I finish eating, Eunbi will regret agreeing to treat us in the first place.” Sakura wrapped her arm around the other girl's shoulder in which Eunbi mirrored her action as she did the same to Sakura. Yena then waved her hand at her two friends as she ran towards the bus stop nearby which thankfully a bus suddenly stopping by and she managed to board on it.

After the bus started to drive away, Sakura and Eunbi made their ways towards the small restaurant. Not wasting any time, they quickly ordered two plates of spicy rice cakes and a roll of kimbap to the old lady, assuming she was the owner of the restaurant, once they were seated in front of one another. The moment the old lady walked away with their orders, Sakura then poured the water from the jug that was provided for free into two glasses and pushed one glass towards the girl before her. Thanking the Japanese girl, Eunbi took a small sip of the water before she popped out a question.

“Who was that girl?” Eunbi tilted her head to one side as she stared at the girl before her.

“Which girl?” Sakura’s brows furrowed in confusion as she was midway wanting to drink her water.

Chuckling at the cute sight of her friend’s frowning, Eunbi then repeated her question in more details after taking another sip. “The one you were talking to earlier when Yena and I were looking for you or have you forgotten of her already?”

Sakura’s lips parted slightly as she exclaimed an “Oh,” upon realising who Eunbi was asking about. “I just happened to accidentally knock her down when I ran up the stairs to get my stuff. I—” She paused with her explanation as she seemed to be thinking for a very brief moment before continuing, “I don’t really know who she is.” Her brows then reconnected as she frowned again and this time, she was the one to ask her friend a question. “Why are you asking me about her, though?”

“I’m not sure but she looks familiar to me, somehow. Also, she’s adorable, isn’t she?” The corner of Eunbi’s lips curled upwards as she answered.

Upon hearing her friend’s reasoning, Sakura’s frown deepened while she was unsure of how to interpret the meaning behind Eunbi’s words. The frowning on the Japanese girl went unnoticed to the other girl as the old lady delivered their orders to their tables and Eunbi was quick to eat as she was feeling quite hungry due to the cold weather. All the while both of them were eating, Sakura kept on glancing at her friend. Each glance at Eunbi made her unconsciously furrowed her brows as her brain was trying its hardest to decipher why she was feeling annoyed and somehow worried with the sudden interest that Eunbi was having towards the girl earlier.

Even if I do know who she is, I definitely won’t tell you, Eunbi. Sakura thought bitterly to herself as she shoved a piece of spicy rice cake into .

ing nightmare.

Hyewon let out a groan as she walked into her classroom while pressing two fingers onto her temples. Slumping herself down onto her chair when she was at her desk, she continued rubbing her temples in hopes to ease out the headache she was having due to the lack of sleep. She would never have thought the first encounter she had with the Japanese girl would lead the girl to be featured in her dream last night. She would have not be complaining if it was a dreamy-like kind of dream, but it was not like that at all.

Not at all.

It did start off sweet and cute however, with both of them sitting on the bleachers while conversing about things that she could not remember no matter how hard she tried. Then out of nowhere, Sakura laced their fingers together and gently her thumb caressed the back of Hyewon’s hand, when her angelic smile turning into one of the scariest smiles she had ever seen. The girl’s voice dropped an octave or two (oh dear, she remembered how hot Sakura sounded like) as she asked Hyewon.

“Were you the one who had been stalking me?”

The next thing she knew, she woke up screaming out loud at three in the morning while staring at her fingers that were still intact onto her hands unlike in her dream. Hence why Kang Hyewon’s head was currently throbbing in pain and having ugly eye bags underneath her eyes.

Chaewon, who had already arrived minutes before Hyewon did, looked at her friend with her lips turning upward slightly as if she was amused at the sight of her friend rubbing her temples. When Hyewon kept on doing so and did not even bother to greet her, Chaewon scooted her chair closer to her before clearing . “Yo, what’s up with you? Headache?”

“Yeah,” Hyewon mumbled softly before she finally stopped rubbing her temples, “I had a nightmare last night. Ms. Miyawaki decided to rip my fingers off of my hands in my dream.” She shuddered as she was reminded of how gory it was when it happened. “It was freaking bloody.”

She then continued explaining of her first meeting with the Japanese girl happened and how she also ended up with a bruised buttock from the bumping incident in such an animated way. Chaewon listened to the whole thing while trying her best to not burst out laughing but of course, she could not help herself but to laugh at her friend’s sweet misery like how she always have.

“Don’t la