We practically shared the same bed half of the summer. And then she was gone. For two tormenting weeks. I thought I was going to die after day two.

But today, my torture was over. Today, Jung Wheein returned. My best friend and future wife.

Not like I had informed her about that yet, but it wasn’t necessary. Wheein and I had been hanging out since kindergarten. We were inseparable, except for the few hours every day when she had dance practice and I had, well, some time to write how much I loved her in my diary for the sixteen millionth time.

Yongsun and Wheein, that went like Bonnie & Clyde. Like Lois & Clark. We were M&M, really.

The doorbell chimed.

My heart banged against my throat as I tossed my diary to the side, struggling to disentangle the quilt from around my legs. I finally flopped off the bed together with the comforter.

“I’m coming!” On the way down the winding stairs, I raked my fingers through my long, black hair to give it the last bit of oomph before I rushed to open the door. A sunbeam hit me first, then Wheein’s long missed cuteness followed. Her short blond hair fit well with her cute dimple on her cheek when she gave me her warm smile.

Hands shoved into the pockets of her favourite baggy trousers, she just stood there and looked at me. Then curled into her typical sly grin. “What is it, unnie? I know you’re dying to hug me.”

Gee! I flashed my teeth, into a broad smile and gave her the bear hug she expected. She dragged me outside, lift me up and twirled me under the warm sun with her face buried in the crook of my neck.

“How was the tour?” I asked after she set me down.

She mocked me by wrinkling her nose. “Boring as hell without you, what else?”

“Yeah, right. As if.”

To fully understand her, one had to know that, apart from sweet potato chips, dancing was Wheein’s greatest passion in the world. But I appreciated her lie and stuck my tongue out at her.

Wheein tsked at that. “Manners, unnie.” Her face was close enough that her nose brushed mine. I swallowed the urge to tilt my head and kiss her on the lips. So far, I had only dream about the kissed. In regular intervals, I fell asleep in her bedroom when we played video games, or she would crash at mine when her parents were out on business trips. She let me rest my head on her shoulder, even played absently with my hair. So much opportunity. But I was a coward.

I’m already Twenty-Two, a college student and started feeling a little weird because I hadn’t been kissed yet. But no one other than Wheein would touch my lips, and if I needed a few more months to makes her wanted me, too, I could wait.

“Hey, want to go down to the beach? I got this pretty new swimsuit and haven’t tried it out yet.” In anticipation of our reunion, I had put on the neon green bikini in the morning, and now pulled down the collar of my pink tee to with a glimpse. Green was her favourite colour.

“Unfortunately, I have to pass. I’m going to see some friends from the class down at Charlie’s.”

My shoulders slumped. “Seriously? You just got back, what, ten minutes ago? Didn’t you see them enough at tour?”

“Byul Unnie wants to discuss tomorrow’s qualifications. We are going to take part on this year championship. Remember?”

I pouted. Ever since Moon Byul was asked by one of the member in the team to help them, Rainbow Grove, Wheein’s practice time had doubled. And more practice meant less time for her to hang out with me.

I hated that Moon Byul.

“Cheer up, unnie. Why don’t you come along? You know most of them anyway, and I’ll introduce you to the rest. I’m sure Byul unnie won’t mind.” She gave me no chance to argue, or even trade my flip-flops for decent shoes. My hand in a tight grip, she hauled me down the path through our front yard.

“Wait! I have no money on me.”

“Don’t need it. That single soda you’ll sip on for the next two hours won’t ruin me.”

I pulled my hair back and fastened it with a band I had in my pocket as we ambled along to Charlie’s café and diner.

A bunch of high schooler sat around three tables in the shade of the wooden roof sloping over half of the outdoor area. I recognized a few of them from Wheein’s team. Sowon, Bora, Seulgi. NamJoo’s right ankle was laid in a cast. The dance practice obviously didn’t pass without leaving battle scars.

I was surprised with the many new faces there, though. “What’s this?” I whispered to Wheein when we still were out of earshot. “Why are there so many new faces?”

“Cool, isn’t it? It’s because of Byul unnie’s fame, we’ve been getting more members every day. Everyone want a lesson from her”

Some of the girls looked familiar, a student of the college I went, and I even had English with Irene. But a handful of them I swore I had never seen before. Like the one who stood as we approached and kissed Wheein on the cheek with her awfully bright red painted lips.

“You’re late, Wheepup. I almost thought you wouldn’t come.”

Wheepup? Is that Wheein’s nickname? How close are they for her to call Wheein that?

“Hi, Hyejin,” she replied in a strange, cute voice I’d never heard before. Her hands rested on her hips. She turned her head and let her kiss her other cheek.

She winked at her then gave me the strangest once over I ever got. The spite in her eyes made me feel as if I fell short in the looks and fashion department in her book.

My glance skated to Wheein’s face. What the hell was that? And seriously, she didn’t have to drool over her shamelessly thick thighs when she sat down again and swung one over the other. Her white mini dress must have shrunk in the wash, because something red flashed underneath.

Wheein shouted our order to the owner behind the bar. A Coke and Red Bull. The Red Bull certainly wasn’t for me. But when did she start drinking that nasty stuff? Red-lips-and-white dress had a bottle of that in front of her, too. I started feeling really awkward all of a sudden.

“The try-outs are tomorrow, Yongsun’shi. I can put you on the list, if you’re interested,” Byul called out to me, a mocking glint in her eyes. The fact she even knew my name caught me off guard.

Although she was hiding her face from her fans with a mask and a cap right now. I already know how good looking she is. She was somewhere between pretty and handsome. She had a narrow face, with a sharp nose and intense, dark brown eyes. With her long silky hair she could be mistaken as one of the angels.

I’ve always saw her on television, especially on a dancing variety show as one of the juries. Not only that, she even appeared on the magazine and on commercial’s board.

“Unnie and dancing?” Wheein laughed next to me. It hurt in a weird way. “You might as well try to get an elephant to dance the tango. Right, unnie?”

I directed an irritated scowl at my supposed best friend. She didn’t even notice when the entire bunch joined in the laugh.

I picked up my dropped stomach from the ground, deciding to punish Wheein later for her stupid joke. In all the time we had been friends, not once did she let anyone make fun of me without punching their face.

Since she seemed to have forgotten how, I returned the saccharin sweet smile to all of them. “I tried puking my meals in ninth grade, but then this seems to be more you all thing than mine.”

The laughter died, and Wheein choked on her swig of Red Bull while the rest of the group pretended to be conversing in lowered voices some are frowning at me. The only sound, a chuckle, came from the place where Byul sat.

“Did she just insult us?” I could hear some of them whispered among them.

I cut a glance skyward and sipped on my Coke.

Thankfully, Wheein got a text message from her mom a little later. Mrs. Jung was hoping to see her again before she and her husband had to leave town for two days. Wheein looked at my glass of soda and asked me if I wanted to stay with the others.

I downed the drink in three seconds, already standing. “Nope, I’m ready.”

She shook her head, but smiled, and let me walk in front of her.

“See you tomorrow, Wheepup,” Hyejin cooed.

I ignored the rising heat of jealousy and resisted the urge to glare at her over my shoulder. Instead, I counted the tiles on the floor to the exit. One, two, three…

“How about it, Yongsun-shi?” Byul said as I passed her. “Will you opt for the team or not?”

I stopped, stunned that she was serious about it. My eyes fastened on the easy smiling eyes she cast me. “I—”

Wheein’s hands on my shoulders gently pushed me forward. “You shouldn’t , unnie. She’s just not made for dancing.”

My heels dug into the ground. Not because she tried to save me from answering, but because of a snorting laugh behind me. “Know what?” I turned to face Wheein with a determined glare. “I think I’ll just give it a shot.”

“You’re ting me.”

That didn’t require a reply, but I raised my brows at her anyway.

“Cool, so you’re on the list. We meet at ten at the club house.”

I turned to Byul’s amused tone and gave her a polite smile. “I’ll be there.”

A ball cap shadowed her face as she lowered her chin, but I could feel her gaze skim down to where my cut-off jeans ended then travel slowly farther down my legs and back up.

“Don’t be late.” She smirked and winked at me.

This sent a shiver skating down my neck. Wheein shoved me out of the café before I could figure out why.

We walked most of the way in silence, until we were close to home and I exploded right in her face. “I can’t believe you did that!”

“What?” She looked at me baffled.

“They were laughing at me and you let them”

“You had everything under control.”

“Oh, right. It was because of you! You called me an elephant.”

Wheein took my hand and pulled me with her. “You know it wasn’t meant like that. I was just joking, unnie. I don’t see why you’re throwing a fit now. You never liked dancing. When did that change?”

“Today. Now I love it.”

“Yeah, I can see that. So badly that you want to be a dancer.” She rolled her eyes. “Please, tell me you’re not doing this because of them.”

I’m doing it for you, idiot. But it would have taken more than a crazy afternoon to tell her that. I gritted my teeth. “Your team can get lost in their closet full of sweaty, stinky clothes.”

Suddenly, she was clinging into my right arm, and she pulled herself closer to me as we walked on. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re saying my sweats smell bad.”

“We have been best friends since we grew out of our diapers, have I ever complain about your smell?” I moaned, being slightly comforted by her embrace.

“And I promise we’ll still be when we need them again. Thank god then.” Her laugh rocked me with her.

“I and the team might share the same passion. But you’re the only girl I know who can watch E.T. without bursting in tears.”

Even though there was this obvious note of admiration, I couldn’t help but feel a chill sneaking around my heart the way she said it. Like I was one of the guys and not a delicate girl like Hyejin. I still can’t stand how keep calling Wheein by her nickname. I wiggled out of her embrace, and a snort escaped me.

Wheein quirked her brows. “What now, unnie?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you mad at me, unnie?”

“No,” I grumbled.

She waited a second, eying me with scepticism. “Okay. Is this one of those moments where you say no but actually mean yes?”

“No.”

She slapped her hands to her face then slowly dragged them down, glancing helplessly at the sky. “You know, unnie, I can’t understand if you won’t tell me your problem.”

“There is no problem!” I ran up the path to my house, slamming the door behind me.