**********

 

Brown.

 

Such a common color you see basically everywhere, specifically in nature…..especially in nature. When you ask someone what their favorite color is, you’d rarely hear anyone say brown...just because of how dull it is in comparison to almost everything else. It doesn’t draw your attention like the lovely yet fierce hues of red like crimson or scarlet, the variety of cool blues like azure, indigo or navy…..or even purple and it’s connection with royalty back in it's heyday……

 

And yet, why does brown seem so vibrant whenever you stare someone in the eyes with the color of it? Even if there's blue eyes, green eyes, etc...brown eyes are just as wonderful and captivating to look at just as much as those. Seeing the different shades of hazel....chocolate...amber...so closely just draws you into a world that seems endless just as much as the black void of a pupil in the center. What is it that makes it the glint of an eye so speci-

 

“Yo….Ms.Kang? You okay?" The fanning of one’s hand near my face caused me to break my thoughts, seeing the color of the eyes in front of me.

 

I backed away slightly, a bit confused to what’s going on until her words hit me again.

 

"You okay there? You seem to be spacing out for a bit...”

 

Wait…….for how long did I dwelled into the orbs before me?

 

“...Ms.Kang? Hellooooooo....?”

 

Crap. I rapidly blinked the chocolate of her eyes away and looked elsewhere….anywhere.

 

“I’m sorry, I was just thinking about something...” I finally muttered...maybe too quietly on my part.

 

“…was it about me being your boss?” She asked as she tried to slip into my view again. As I was trying to look away and collect my thoughts, I found that she constantly tried leaning towards my vision, getting me to look her in the eyes again. I soon gave up the fight and caught her gaze, shooting both my hands up and waving them slightly to dismiss her truth.

 

“N-no! Definitely not!”

 

She brought one hand out to cover . "Kekeke….okay……sure."

 

Her curious eyes seemed intent on catching me off guard as they inspected my face in great detail.

 

“FYI, I’m just kidding….”

 

....what?

 

I saw her walk toward the comfy black sofa nearby, turning her rear against it before collapsing into its comforting hug. She leaned back, crossed her legs and began digging into her bag of meat buns before taking one out, motioning for me to sit beside her. I followed suit, slinking towards her as she kept her sight on me with a small yet sly smile. A whiff of the savory goodness she held drew me in like a infatuated bee to a flower as I looked at the snack again, briefly glancing into her eyes before accepting it.

 

“Thank you.” I finally went and sat beside her with a bit of room to spare but that didn't last as she uncrossed her legs and scooted a bit closer to me. She crossed her legs again and simply smiled at me again.....though I'm not sure why she was being so friendly considering I was a stranger to her. Before I even took a bite, the thing she said before lingered in my brain so I had to ask.

 

“.....umm….about your 'FYI'...what do you mean by saying that you were just kidding?” I pondered.

 

She fished around for another meat bun and found one before looking at me again, smiling devilishly now.

 

“That I’m not really your boss…..” she giggled.

 

Again, I found myself at a loss at her words, like an itch she left in my brain that needed a good scratch but couldn't be reached. I was about to speak until she said something first.

 

“I was just looking for a reaction considering you didn’t react to my puns sadly. I thought, might as well catch this girl off guard with something ridiculous…..and it worked!”

 

Even in the short moments of knowing her, the woman was always quite cheerful in her words. Considering how she first left her impressions on me, I don’t know why I was surprised.

 

“I mean I’ll look over things since my pops won’t be here but I won't be your boss per se." She air quoted when she said boss. "So don’t think of me commanding you around or anything if ya thought that...like ‘Hey Ms.Kang, it’s Twinkle Twinkle Little Star day! Make sure Sou-chan learns it in an hour or else I’ll give you a noogie sandwich!’”

 

Just watching her become so animated when she talks was pretty funny, tickling the insides of my mind even though I forced myself not to laugh...to not seem rude of course. It was a hard fight but she definitely had a charming aspect that drew me into her. A war to not laugh at her was getting pretty hard honestly. She’ll raise her hand here, gesture with her fingers there, just anything she did seemed endearing in a way causing me to finally crack a smile.

 

By then, it felt safe to eat the meat bun so I started to devour it in small bites slowly while still being focused on what she was talking about.

 

“So then….what are you Ms.Miyawaki?”

 

She let out a snort followed by a soft giggle soon after. “Kekeke….Ms.Miyawaki eh?”

 

Raising a finger to her chin, she began tapping on it lightly. “Think of me as..….as...” Her eyes narrowed as it bounced around the empty air in front of her. Her actions lingered for a moment before her gaze hit me again with pinpoint focus.  “....a cat.”

 

I tilted my head in confusion, not sure what she meant by that. “A....a cat?”

 

She started mimicking a cat, curling her hands up like a paw and scratching mid-air at nothing in particular as the metal bracelets she wore jingled with every shake.

 

“Yeah….a cat that sticks close by and watches but doesn’t actually do anything. And whenever their owner comes, she tells them whatever-uhh...whatever she saw I guess?”

 

“......but cats don’t really communica-”

 

“Meoooow.”

 

Silence. I have no idea what’s going on as I look at her face, unable to read her at all. She took a large bite from her meat bun, chewing on it like a hamster like nothing strange was happening. Honestly, it was cute but I didn’t have head or tails of what was going on in the current situation.

 

*munch* *munch* *munch*

 

“Wonder what I said just no-....no....what I said just meow?” she asked...with newly added pun of course.

 

*munch*

 

“Umm.....yeah?”

 

“.........I said meow.” she whispered with one side of her hand covering her face like she was telling me a secret.

 

It’s official……..…..what a strange family. Before driving here, my brain pondered on the idea that the family was going to be a group of uptight, condescending, snobby rich folk when in reality, they’re all just so weirdly casual, laid back and….uhh….quirky I guess? You have a loving mom who seemed intent on making her guests eat, a pretty serious yet straightforward dad, a small yet adorable street slang slinging younger sibling and now the beauty in front of me: a pretty and cheerfully animated pun lover who just loves to joke around. It makes me wonder if the younger brother is normal...

 

She took another bite of her meat bun and I could see her smiling through her large hamster-like cheeks, amused at the situation she put me through.

 

“I’m just joking around with you Ms.Kang! I’m not a weirdo okay? Well...I am but..uhh...not too much." She brought one hand towards me and pinched the air. "...a tiny teeny weirdo. Micro kawaii. And Like before, I just wanted to see your reaction....honest!”

 

Really? Again? A reaction to what?

 

“I’m just tired honestly and need a shower to wake up....I really need it after traveling so much today.” she let out a fake yawn afterwards….I could tell. Is this a setup?

 

“Ahh….I see…..”

 

"Is it off?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"The shower." She answered.

 

"Uhh...I don't kno-"

 

“Because when I get , the shower always gets .”

 

………….

 

………….

 

………….

 

…………..oh….my….god....she didn’t just-…..she did.

 

The sound of her laughter filled the air once again as she landed another pun onto the runway of my brain canal, this time of a naughty image that made me slightly flustered no thanks to her. She busted a gut this time, softly slapping my knee a bit as she laughed her off leaning forward to cover her face on it for the next 20 or so seconds. Admittedly, I smiled at her pun even if it left me a bit pink....along with her just leaning on my knee. She lifted herself off finally and wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes.

 

“I’m sorry, your blank face is just too funny!!” she beamed brightly with a face pinker than mines currently.

 

She shook her head and finished up her meat bun, taking a mini-sized bottle of water from inside her bag and proceeded to drink from it. After a small sip, she then cleared and looked at me again, still pink in the face slightly.

 

“Anywho, for the topic before my stupidness: I’m just supervising you without supervising. I basically report back to my dad on your lessons and I’ll help out when needed….like if you have any questions or whatnot.”

 

“Ah….I see...I guess?”

 

She brought a hand to cover her face as she let out yet another soft chuckle that I've gotten used to by now. Her laugh was a bit strange since the sound that came from her was mostly breathy air instead of a usual haha. If anything, her 'kekeke' came out of an online chatroom and that's exactly how it sounded.

 

As she stopped, her eyes bounced around my face, studying it like a scientist would a new discovery.

 

"You know…...you could pass off being an actress."

 

Truthfully, I was a bit taken aback with such a statement since I wasn't expecting it.

 

"An...actress?"

 

She broke our gaze and started to dig around her meat bun bag, fishing one out with glee as she took a chomp outta it.

 

"Yeah, an actress…*munch*.....or to make it easier for you, you are really pretty Ms.Kang. 'Model-like' if I had to use a term."

 

I know I did not mishear that at all as I felt a small amount of heat enter my forehead and cheeks. I bowed slightly, trying to hide the slight embarrassment in my face.

 

"Ahh….thank you Ms.Miyawaki, I'm flattered."

 

"Don't be silly, I'm sure you're more confident in your looks when you're with your friends in comparison to being flattered by a complete stranger. Your looks can get you somewhere you know?"

 

True.....very true....I guess.

 

"Soooo…....you never got any modeling agencies to scout you or anything?"

 

My brain drew a blank, not expecting the conversation to spill into future unknowns, especially since I haven’t officially started the job of being a piano teacher yet. I could tell by the look on her face that she was serious about the topic.

 

"Umm…..I never really tried or thought about it seriously." I answered. I have an active Instagram account I use that’s pretty popular but getting a sponsor of some sort never came up in my mind since taking pictures is just something I do anyway.

 

"Well, do you want to? I actually do part-time modeling here and there so I can help you out in future endeavors."

 

I didn’t know what to think since I had just literally just started venturing out from my old job to find this one. Now, I’m seeing different scenarios in my head that led me to paths I didn’t even think about. I looked at the meat bun I held, barely eaten which was unlike me at all but considering our conversations, I just couldn’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed with thoughts. I could feel her eyes still on me, waiting for an answer that I just didn’t have. Looking up, I questioned her.

 

“.....why so eager to help me?”

 

She stopped eating as she narrowed her focus on me, keeping a cat-like gaze yet her cheeks, full of food.

 

"You're not gonna be a piano teacher forever...right? And actually, I've helped other people find careers that made them happier on where they landed than where they were before......in general, I just like helping people honestly." she chimed in seriously. I could feel the genuine feelings of her words like she really wanted to help me.

 

She’s right. Her point jabbed me like a sharp end of the stick and if anything, this was just a starting point.

 

"I-I guess…."

 

She began chewing again, a bit slowler now as her face returned to normal.

 

"See? Just an option to keep in mind if you ever think about it..." she advised genuinely, as if she’s done this before...not that I knew of that of course.

 

"Again, I'm flattered Ms.Miyawaki….but I'm still…......I'm still..." I brought my head down, thinking about her proposition but I still was unsure of the choices laid before me. I felt her hand touch my shoulder, surprising me from my thoughts as I looked up at her once again.

 

"Ms.Kang...I'm not leading you towards it by the way, I was just projecting my thoughts, as needless as it may be. No need to acknowledge them at all if you don’t want to…..especially since this is the beginning of a new job.”

 

She finished her 2nd bun in a flash, squishing the wrapping paper the bun left and throwing it into the bag itself. Her eyes started staring outside the now almost night time window, even though nothing particularly interesting was happening in her sight. Was she lost in her thoughts just as I was currently?

 

“Honestly, it's a bad habit of mine so I apologize if I put some random thoughts in your head...." Her tone deflated, almost like she was defeated in a way.

 

I waved my hand in front of her to dismiss her now saddened state since her thoughts actually gave me more ideas but her sight seemed focused on what was in front of her then it was on me.

 

"No no no, thanks for that! I'll definitely keep that in mind so don't be sad! Seriously, thanks for putting the idea forward!"

 

“No I insist…..I tend to let my ideas and mouth run wildly sometimes…..sometimes for the worst.”

 

Seeing her frown actually had a weird effect on me and I didn't like it...at all. Maybe it's because of her rather large yet beautiful brown eyes but it was easy to read her facial expressions even without looking straight into them.

 

“Are….are you okay?” I asked, a bit cautious with her sudden change of demeanor.

 

She didn’t answer, seemingly deep in thought just from a single glance of her facial expressions. I poked her on her shoulder, surprising her like a frightened rabbit.

 

“H-huh?”

 

“Are you okay? You were spacing out a bit as I did earlier.”

 

“O-oh….yeah...it-it’s nothing...just me and my thoughts…..yeah.”

 

Her words spilled out like a frantic mess, rattled by a thought in her brain. It was intriguing to see her change and made me question if she really felt as happy as she seemed to be. With just a few sentences of helpfulness from before to now, a sense of doubt shrouding her words, I hope that her thoughts of helping me out didn’t stir something troubling inside of her from her past.

 

“Umm...shall we go?” she asked, quickly changing back to her old self.

 

“Huh?”

 

She got up, dusting herself off before looking at me again.

 

"Please follow me Ms.Kang."

 

I quickly finished off the rest of my snack, throwing it in the paper bag she held as I asked.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

I stood up as she began backpedaling towards the entrance hall, crunching up the used paper bag into a smaller size and shooting it into a wastebasket nearby like it was a basketball and missing completely.

 

“Ahhh…..”

 

She walked over to pick it up, finally throwing it into the trash properly. For some reason after that, she gestured her hands and presented the wastebasket like it was a prize.

 

“Mirá, esa soy yoooooooo…..”

 

Was that....Spani-....it definitely was.

 

“Are…..are you speaking Spanish?”

 

She didn’t answer, pointed at it again before speaking with a cheeky smile on her face. “Basuuuuuura.”

 

Ummm…..

 

I followed her as she turned and started walking again, looking behind her shoulder towards me again.

 

“To answer your question before, we're going to the guest house out back.”

 

“The guest house?”

 

She continued forward as she reached into her pocket, pulling a white plastic card out with a small portrait of her on it to show me as I followed closely behind. She stopped at the front door, pointing at a white device near the door that had a small screen and camera on it. I don't know how I missed it until I remembered that I was too mesmerized by the interior of the mansion when Nako brought me in.

 

“For your Security ID of course! And maybe some papers to fill out….ya know, the usual job thingeroos and whatadoos.”

 

“I get a Security ID?"

 

"Yeah, everyone who lives or works here has one. It’s a nice neighborhood so nothing ever happens here but ya know….just in case."

 

Seeing herself on the screen, she started to check herself on it like it was a mirror, now with half a frown on her face. I wasn’t sure what was up until she started speaking in front of it.

 

"Allo Sakura, c'est encore moi. J'ai beaucoup pensé à toi…..je doute de moi et rien ne va mais...réessayons....okay?"

 

Again another language? What was that she just spoke? Definitely wasn’t Japanese from all the anime that I’ve watched….it was French maybe?

 

She caught me staring at her through the screen and faked a gasp.

 

“Wow….what the heck is that?!” she yelled.

 

Of course, her yell caught my attention as I leaned forward to monitor the screen, wondering what she has seen. She pointed at herself, making me turn my head to look at her in confusion.

 

“It’s Barbie.”

 

……………

 

……………

 

…………...this woman.

 

She began giggling like a madwoman at her rather shameless plug….not to say she wasn’t beautiful since she was, even more than Barbie. I couldn’t help but smile to myself at her weirdness…….heh, the nerve of her confidence and jokes. After about 15 seconds of having a laughing fit, she finally calmed down and started walking down the entrance hall towards the kitchen with me close behind, passing several rooms and doors along the way.

 

“So umm….was you saying to the security monitor just now?”

 

“That? Nothing, just talking to myself....”

 

A puzzle. She was that now. From being quite a happy young woman a few minutes ago now has become someone I wanted to know more of. She was hiding something between that smile of hers but I knew that it was personal for her considering it's solemn tone. I didn’t dare to ask about it again since it’s probably a problem I couldn’t fix….or could I? Not now of course so I promptly dismissed it from the thoughts, keeping it in the back of my mind just I did with the scars on her wrists. Hopefully one day, I can be a good enough friend that could help her if she ever brings either one of these up.....hopefully.

 

"So…you can't do it here from the house?" I asked as jumped into the subject from before. I scanned the newer area of the hall we passed by, admiring the various sumi-e Japanese ink paintings hanging on the walls, painted it with a history of their culture and art. It was wonderful that such few yet well thought out of the ink brush could create such simple yet amazing paintings that screamed concentration and clarity in its image....something I sorely lacked as of now.

 

"The guest house is where most of our work related things are handled actually." She answered back, breaking me from the spell of the paintings as I now watch her casually raising her arms and stretching as she walked. The now darkened glow of the late afternoon sun shone through the kitchen window from the back, showing me how long I’ve been here since I first came to audition. Following the hypnotic swaying trails of her bleach tipped hair, I didn’t expect to be here that long but I didn’t have much to do back home anyway.

 

Rounding the corner into the kitchen, a rather large golden retriever came out of nowhere and started bouncing up and down with glee. It began hugging Sakura as she bent down slightly and lovingly hugged it back, making baby noises in the process. The tips and taps from the dog’s nails echoed in the halls as Sakura held its paws and started to dance along with it in a display of happiness.

 

“Woojean!!!! Hello there mi amor, it's been months!!”

 

I felt my face twist in confusion…..Woojean?

 

“You-you have a dog named.....Woojean?” I asked, curious to know its name.

 

“It’s Eugene actually! And yeah, she's a big ol' happy puppy, isn't that right baby girl?”

 

I stood there, confused with what I just heard yet again.

 

“.......you have a female dog….named Eugene…..Eugene.” I stated dryly, indicating how bemused I was with such a name for a female dog.

 

Sakura started her usual giggling fit and stopped dancing with the dog, placing her paws to the ground as she crouched to pet and scratch its head.

 

“I know exactly what you're thinking….what's up with the name right?"

 

"Well...yeah I suppose. It's kind of like naming a female cat Bob….or Steve...or Doug."

 

She chuckled herself into the dog’s fur, amused at my answer but also nodded in agreement at the same time.

 

"Well I didn't name her FYI. Woojean was a younger neighbor’s puppy and the parents didn’t want to keep it...and that’s basically the story kekeke. That was a few years ago when I used to live here and needless to say, my neighbor begged for me to have it. I couldn't say no of course since my neighbor really looked up to me so yeah, Woojean became a family pet and been here ever since...isn't that right baby girl?"

 

“And that person’s name?”

 

She looked back up to me and smiled. “Ahn Yujin.”

 

A person named Yujin named her dog Eugene….wow.

 

“I remember distinctly what the parents said too. 'We already have one big hyperactive puppy in the house, no need to have another one.' She was an early middle schooler around that time so she bawled her eyes out into my shoulders, hugging me like a koala bear cub would it’s mom. But still, she came here every day to see her….twas sooooo cute. She still sees you right Woojeanie?”

 

Eugene wagged her tail as if her life depended on it and kept trying to hug Sakura’s leg to no end. Obviously the dog adores the woman dearly with how affectionate it was to her. Sakura pointed to me as Eugene followed her fingers to me.

 

"This is Hyewon, gib her hand shaky."

 

In no time flat, Eugene stopped what she was doing and came to me, raising her hand as she waited for me to shake it. Her big brown puppy dog eyes melted my heart in an instant since I can basically read her eagerness with her excessive tail wags.

 

"Hi Eugene...my name is Hyewon." I grabbed ahold of her paw and shook it.

 

"Woof!"

 

Surprising, she actually moved her paw like a real handshake...or pawshake I guess? The interaction caused Sakura to giggle with laughter of course.

 

"Troooooiii ooooooiiiiiii, so cuuuuuuuute!"

 

Troi oi? Is that French too?

 

"She said 'hewwo hooman, I'm Woojean, be mai fwiend. I wike huggies an' head patties'" Sakura started babbling in dog talk like it was a baby.

 

As I looked at Eugene, she nodded her canine head and looked back at Sakura as the latter looked towards me. I peered at Sakura with a straight face, wondering if she was serious and she nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders as if it was the most normal thing in the world. She bent down again, ruffling the back of Eugene’s fur a bit.

 

"I'm just telling ya what she said, right Woojeaniiiieee?"

 

"Woooof!" She barked immediately as if she understood.

 

"Kekekeke….now stand and give a paw clap if you understood me baby."

 

To my disbelief, she sat on her hind legs, raised her front paws and brought them together like she was clapping…..exactly like Sakura said. Eugene then got back on her fours and walked towards me with her tail wagging excitedly, wanting to get petted. I didn't question anything anymore as I petted the smooth and strangely silky fur on its head. It closed its eyes with satisfaction and wagged its tail harder than before in excitement...pretty cute honestly.

 

"She's a smart dog if ya didn't know already. She loves baths for some weird reason, unlike her human counterpart….” she divulged unexpectedly as I wonder who that was.

 

"Human counterpart?"

 

"The girl I mentioned before, Yujin. You'll meet her sooner or later I suppose...that goofy girl will probably pounce on me just like Woojeanie here since I haven't seen her in a while." She crouched down and gave a big ol' smooch on top of Eugene's head and stood back up. "Woojean, we hab to go okaaaay? Go find MomMom in the front."

 

It Sakura's hand and gave a small woof before disappearing in the corner nearby that led towards the front. It was cute seeing how affectionate the woman was even if I've briefly just known her. She'd definitely seem like a fun person to hang out with if we do become friends in the near future.

 

"Anywho, let's continue our journey to make you a Security ID."

 

As she led the way again, I couldn't help but stare at the kitchen and it's...largeness. Everything was so shiny, modern and expensive-looking. 2 huge refrigerators, expensive looking kitchenware and electronics, black marble countertops, the whole shebang for anything kitchen related. Ogling at everything was short-lived as we headed out the back door, finally seeing the backyard in its full splendor as ‘WOW’ was the only thing I could think of. It was bigger than I thought even with the huge in-ground pool in the middle since the backyard ran larger than a standard American football field, which was about 100 yards. There was basically a huge zen garden going towards the back to the right, the middle had the pool and pool house(larger than I thought!) and finally the rather flashy guesthouse that looked more building-like than an actual house. We turned towards the guest house of course as I now walked beside her, wanting to ask questions of all the things I've just seen.

 

"Wow...is this a house? It looks almost business-like." I queried eagerly as we came closer to it.

 

"Yeah it is but we use it for business reasons. We actually have a recording studio in the basement where my friends work….among other things.” Her voice felt confident as if wanting to brag and I honestly wanted to hear her.

 

"A recording studio?!? And what do you mean by other things?"

 

“Like a dedicated gaming room on the ground floor with 6 completely decked out computer setups….an entertainment room to watch movies or shows….a karaoke machine in the lounge area that we do sessions every now and then….even soundproof bedrooms to rest in on the top floor since every other floor is so loud in comparison. Heck, my friends even sleep up there when they’re too tired to go home. I'd tell you more but you'll have to see for yourself..." She raised her eyebrow up and down, making me more interested in what else it had.

 

The beats of drums sounded loudly in my chest after hearing all of that. The guest house had that many things?! I wondered if I coul-

 

“Of course since you’re going to be an employee here, you’ll have access to everything there just as anyone else. Since your shift is pretty short, feel free to hang out here if you don’t feel like going home….hell I usually do whenever I come over kekekeke.”

 

Surreal…..this is too surreal. Heck, it was almost Dreamlike at this point before I even started. We finally got to the front door where she quickly swiped her badge and opened the door, letting a mesmerizing waft of something deliciously fried to fill my nose chambers…..like fried chicken or something. I saw Sakura looking through the door confused, shooting her head left and right as she scanned the area that was supposedly the lounge area. We heard the sounds of music playing faintly in the distance along with the chatter of 2 or more people.

 

“Huh…..someone’s here? That’s weird since it’s now 7:27 PM on a Sunday.” she commented quietly as we stepped through the door. I don’t even know why I was surprised at how spacious the house was. The room was brightly lit, allowing me to see the clarity of all the high-end electronics and expensive modern furniture adorning the open space. There were several burgundy desks with computers nearby, making one section look like an office while the other was like an actual lounge area complete with a circular couch with a table in the middle. A large well designed and modern looking logo hanged on the wall above the office looking section that said "Miyawaki & Co Records".

 

Making her hands into a cone, she shouted loudly towards an open room to the right of us.

 

“Nakoroni, is that you in there?”

 

The chatter stopped for a moment before someone answered in a cute familiar voice.

 

“Sis? Yeah, I’m here with chillin’ with unnie! Come on in here and eat with us!”

 

She glanced over at me, smiling as she nodded to follow her in the direction she shouted at.

 

“Guess my friend was busy this weekend and wanted to record something.”

 

As we walked towards the room, I noticed the lights from the room shut off suddenly while trails of whispering were heard. Sakura didn’t notice since she was still talking to me....

 

“Sometimes she really gets into her works and stays ove-”

 

*click*

 

The lights all around us shut off suddenly, making the rooms a bit dark to see clearly and to my surprise, Sakura jumped unto me and clung to my arm like a frightened baby monkey, hugging it in the process.

 

"EHHHH??"

 

*CLANNNNNNNNGGG* *CLANNNNNG* *CLANNGG*

 

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

 

“Uhhhhgggghhhhhhhh….aaahhhhgggghhhhhhhhh….UGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

 

The sound of something metal dropped in front of us as we entered, followed by a loud moan that scared Sakura even more than she already was. She dug her head deeply into my neck suddenly, hugging me with a force that almost suffocated me like a MMA fighter. A rustling was heard near the corner as a masked figure jumped out, fully garbed like a dirty troll with the dark suit she was wearing.

 

“BOOOOOOOOOOGGIIIIDDDDDY WOOOOOOGIDDDYYYYY WOOOO!!!!”

 

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

 

I stood there firmly, feet rooted like a tree since nothing really scared me. If anything, it was amusing...especially since I saw this prank a mile away. I guess I'll blame myself for not warning Sakura ahead of time....my bad hehehe. The citrusy scent of sweet flowers mixed with a hint of vanilla crept into my nose suddenly, most likely coming from the woman desperately clinging her arms around my neck scared for her life. It was actually quite delightful despite the current events that were occurring beforehand.

 

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA YESSSSSS!!!! Oh man, I got her goooooood!! PAYBACK BAEEEEBEEEEEEEEYYYYYY!!!” the figure spoke, voice concealed by some kind of voice changer she used.

 

Oddly, her speech pattern sounded very familiar….and that laughter…...that darn dorky laughter was familiar too.

 

“Aahahahaha! Ayo Nakoya, turn the light back on!”

 

Wait....that freakin’ voice!? It can’t be...can it?

 

*click*

 

The lights suddenly , revealing the figure in front of us in full costume as she danced in front of us like a dorky playful idiot. I felt Sakura loosen her grip but she was still breathing heavily against me, probably from the shock of the prank. Nako soon came behind the figure and clasped her hands into a praying gesture, guilt is shown plainly on her face as she apologized to her now traumatized older sister.

 

Sakura finally got off me and yelled at the figure, leaving a warm feeling imprinted on my neck as she attempted to grab the person in front of us. The person feinted Sakura's grab and ran behind Nako, laughing as she ran away from the angered woman.

 

“Susmariosep, tanga!!! Bloon baka babo yahhhh, IDIOT!”

 

She definitely multilingually spoke again since I heard idiot in both Japanese and Korean....

 

“Gotcha Kkur-....w-what….….huuuuhhhhh!?!” The figure stopped in front of me, finally seeing my face for the first time it seems....or maybe she just wasn't paying attention.

 

The person reached for her mask and swiftly yanked it off, revealing a very familiar pink haired duck lipped woman staring back at me in shock as I did the same. I knew the mystery woman of course…..that darn freakin’ lovable idiot of a friend.

 

“K-Kwangba-ahhhhhgghhhhh?!” she was cut off as Sakura grabbed her from behind and started shaking her, fake crying in the process as she complained to her friend…..

 

My best friend...

 

The one and only

 

Choi freakin’ Yena.

 

--------------

 

Translations for the chapter! Sorry for using different languages, Sakura's a bit of a polyglot in this story which means she knows multiple languages.

What Sakura said in Spanish. "Mirá, esa soy yo. Basura" (Look, it's me. Trash) Mi amor. (My love)

What Sakura said in French while speaking to herself in the monitor. "Allo Sakura, c'est encore moi. J'ai beaucoup pensé à toi…..je doute de moi et rien ne va mais...réessayons...okay?" (Hello Sakura, it’s me again. I’ve been thinking about you alot lately…..I doubt myself and nothing’s right but….let’s try again...okay?)

What Sakura said in Vietnamese. Troi oi. (Oh my god.)

Various ways she said idiot. Filipino, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean. Susmariosep (Jesus, Mary, Joseph together as one word) Tanga, bloon, baka, babo (idiot)