dialogue guide:

"normal" - seulgi

"bold" - joohyun/irene

"italics" - seungwan/wendy

"bold/italics" - other characters

introduction

middle school

***

I had overheard many things about Bae Joohyun. This was before she’d be known as Irene in case you’re confused. The name-change she and Wendy adapted came in during high school, but I’ll get to that soon. We’ve got plenty of time to cover everything.

As I was saying, I had overheard many things about Bae Joohyun. I was the newbie on my second year of middle school so I naturally cared less about the rumor mill since I hardly knew anyone involved. Gossiping just wasn’t in my middle schooler brain, you know? My classmates, on the other hand, had their mouths running like they were aiming for gold at the Olympics.

It would be a lie to tell you I wasn’t secretly listening in. I have a hypersensitive sense of hearing—a feat that comes in handy in the future by being with my unsuspecting best friends—which made everyone’s chatter impossible to ignore, and with the talk surrounding unnie, I couldn’t help but be curious. I was teetering in the middle of trying to mind my own business and having my curiosity fulfilled.

And so, as early as my first week in a new school, I was able to gather this much about the girl:

One. She missed a whole year of schooling as a result of a sledding accident two years ago.

Two. Said accident had caused her to be behind from her class, falling in the same grade with Wendy and I.

Three. An upperclassman I befriended told me that she wasn’t much of a talker who tended to keep to herself.

And four. Unnie is easily startled by the smallest of things, including me barging in the restroom brandishing a broomstick, and has an ear-splitting scream that may have permanently damaged my eardrums.

“I come in peace!”

“Then why are you charging at the restroom with a broom in your hand?”

“I, uh, came in awhile ago and saw a spider—”

“Spider? Wh—where?!

“No, no, no! Please don’t scream again, and don’t freak out!”

“Not freak out?! How can I not freak out when there’s—”

“I meant, I thought there was a spider. A clearer look on the floor now…it’s just a scrunchie.”

“…”

“My bad.”

“It’s okay.”

“…”

“…”

“That was one heck of a scream you’ve got.”

“…”

“It—it’s not bad! You could belt out some high notes with that range.”

“Um. Thank you.”

“You’re…Bae Joohyun, am I correct?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m Kang Seulgi from Class C. I recently moved here from Ulsan.”

“Nice to meet you, Kang Seulgi.”

“…”

“…”

“I should, uh, return this broom back, huh?”

“You should. I have to head back to class.”

“Oh yeah, me too, I made a pitstop to the restroom on my way to the library.”

“Okay.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“You were lost weren’t you?”

“…”

“Do you want me to take you?”

“Please.”

_

I had also overheard stories about Son Seungwan. In a slightly contrast to the grapevine pertaining unnie’s reclusive persona, the school’s general population were singing songs of praises for Wendy’s academic prowess and her overall friendly demeanor. She was, what did that kid say? Something along the lines of “the human embodiment of a Labrador Retriever.” Don’t snort. You have to admit it’s accurate.

I had seen her in passing at the hall, circled by her friends with stretched from ear-to-ear. I didn’t assume she would’ve known me, ‘cause I’m the new kid in school, but she gave me this easy-going smile, and I immediately agreed to what everyone had been saying. She did personify a happy Labrador taking on a human form.

Scratch that. She does personify a happy Labrador. The past Wendy and future Wendy aren’t too far apart.

First of all, Wendy was commended as the school’s vocal powerhouse and has been leading the middle school choir.

Second, she was an active member of the theater club as well.

Third, she topped every exam in our grade, hence the crown of our grade’s academic prowess bestowed upon her.

And fourth, she was nowhere shy in approaching complete strangers, considering the lack of hesitation in singing along with me while in separate restroom stalls, the bottom of my skirt in my arms, Hello Kitty undies drawn and my firm on the porcelain throne. Our first meeting wasn’t as conventional as first meetings should go. Amidst the unusual introductions, it was branded as the highlight of my week together with meeting unnie.

“Hey, why’d you stop? That was pretty good!”

“Uh, I kind of need to finish peeing first.”

“Oh! My apologies, go ahead.”

“…”

“…”

“I’m done so, uh, do I just continue…?”

“Go back to the chorus and I’ll jump right in.”

“Okay, uh, Neoui nun ko ip—”

“Neoui nun ko ip.”

“Nal manjideon ne songil—”

“Nal manjideon ne songil.”

“Wow, your voice is unreal.”

“Thanks! I’m Son Seungwan.”

“Oh, hey, it’s nice to finally hear the voice everyone’s been hyping about! I’m Kang Seulgi, the newbie from Class C.”

“I’d shake your hand from under the stall but that would be unhygienic, wouldn’t it?”

“Maybe we could do that outside of the stall?”

“I would…then I’d have to blow my cover.”

“Are you hiding?”

“Yeah. I did a…thing.”

“What thing?”

“I sorta wrote someone’s name on the choir’s audition folder without the person knowing. She found out and well…she’s not too happy about it.”

“She can just erase it. Can’t she do that?”

“She’s very stubborn. People already knew about her “auditioning” so she’s going through with it. Not before killing me—”

“Son Seungwan!”

“…”

“…”

“I know you’re in here, open up this stall right this instant—oh, Seulgi.”

“Uh. Hi, unnie.”

“The honorifics isn’t needed. And, um, sorry about interrupting your…yeah, I swear, I heard Seungwan in here and—"

“Okay, okay, I’m out, I’m here! I can’t stand hearing you ramble and getting all flustered in front of other people.”

“I’m not flustered…”

“You are a bit red.”

“Not helping.”

“Sorry.”

“So…you’ve met Seungwan?”

“Yeah—”

“You should have heard her sing, Hyunnie! She’s got a great voice. Like, suuuper great. She could join the choir with us!”

“With you, you mean. I’m supposed to be “auditioning” remember?”

“You two could help each other prepare! I’ll coach you. What do you say?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it…”

“Seulgi?”

“Um, I’ll think about it?”

“Don’t think about it, just do it!”

“You sound like a Nike advert.”

“Come on, Seulgi, you’re preventing my murder by being Joohyun’s practice buddy. My death is literally on your hands.”

“Why am I friends with you…”

“You’re getting off-topic! Convince her, Hyun!”

“Um, will you consider it, Seulgi? My nerves aren’t as bad with having a practice buddy to accompany me, that is, if you’re interested in joining. The high school choir from the neighboring school is one of the judges, and Taeyeon-unnie will love you. She won’t be tough to please.”

“You haven’t even heard me sing yet.”

“I have faith in Seungwan’s judgment.”

“So…what will it be?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Okay, I’ll audition.”

-

One of my life’s biggest mysteries would have to be how Wendy managed to worm her way in Irene-unnie’s safe space. We spent almost every afternoon for two weeks to practice, and that gave me the time to thoroughly observe unnie. She was definitely aloof when we began. Quiet. Reserved. I’d have to be the one to spark a conversation or we’d lapse into this awkward silence.

That might be difficult for you to imagine. The unnie you’ve hung out with is a total chatterbox, but back then she barely breathed a word to me unless necessary.

I had finally understood what her former classmate relayed to me about this intimidating aura wafting around her. Like a personal mist to ward off unwanted people from nearing her. But I didn’t back away. There was something genuine hidden behind unnie’s stoic expressions. Maybe “intimidating” was just the term those kids used due to how little the knew about her. She wasn’t an open book, and that made her incredibly hard to read on the get-go.

Amazingly though, Wendy didn’t have difficulty in filling in the silences with small-talk. It could be attributed to their already established friendship. She would go on great lengths to have unnie answer her other than single-worded responses. Also got her to laugh. I didn’t expect anyone could be capable of getting her to crack a smile until Wendy got her to giggle. To me, it was a superpower she possessed. I couldn’t do it. Wendy did it with ease. She said she mastered the art of breaking the Great Wall of Bae Joohyun.

God, she was unrelentingly greasy at fourteen.

“That went well, don’t you think?”

“Yeah.”

“Your voice perfectly matches the R&B song Seungwan chose for you.”

“Mhmm.”

“It sounds really good.”

“Thanks.”

“…”

“Yours too.”

“U—uh, thank you. Practicing the last two weeks did its job.”

“It did.”

“…”

“…”

“Tomorrow’s the day, you guys! Based on our practices, I say you’re going to be a shoo in for sure!”

“Oh, we can’t get ahead of ourselves…”

“Nonsense! Chin up, Seul. Just perform as you did, and you’ll be performing next to me in no time. What’s with the frown, Hyun? It’s normal to have the jitters, but you’ll be fine. Now, show me your best smile.”

“…”

“…”

“Ugh. My heart can’t take it. My eyes have witnessed an enchanting goddess’ once in a blue moon smile!”

“You’re crazy.”

“Crazy for you, yes.”

“Son Seungwan, you have officially lost your marbles.”

“How’d you do that?”

“How’d I what?”

“Make her laugh.”

“I’ve mastered the art of breaking the Great Wall of Bae Joohyun.”

“…”

“Yup. You have lost your marbles.”

-

Before joining the choir, my singing was exclusive to my thirty-minute bathroom rituals. Hey. You can’t make fun of me. Tae-unnie says you hog the bathroom for eternity these days. Anyway, I hadn’t fully considered showcasing my singing on stage. Thanks to Wendy backing me up at the restroom that fateful day, I discovered the beauty in performing for a live audience.

My newfound love for the performing arts wasn’t my only discovery. I experienced firsthand the vocal champion in action. Initially, I thought being in the choir was purely us kids singing songs from Glee. I wasn’t expecting anything grand so I was shocked at the drive and perseverance Wendy exerted into our performances.

Apparently, it went beyond lending our voices to the club. I wasn’t skeptical of Wendy’s capabilities beforehand, but it felt surreal experiencing it myself. She was very meticulous in creating the perfect blend for our melodies. Humming to herself was a routine. She was handling the members in our grade and had one-on-one sessions with everybody to assess where we had our troubles.

Wendy was a natural-born leader no doubt. She would take the initiative to solve a problem without being asked. That’s just a Wendy-esque thing to do, isn’t it? But I was in awe. I’d never seen someone so hands-on. She gained more of my respect for her dedication. I did believe she would be making a career out of music, though you and I both know that wasn’t the path she was going to take.

As for Irene-unnie, her socializing skills improved after settling in the choir. This improvement is the manifestation of the unnie you’ve always known. She wasn’t apprehensive in engaging in conversations as she used to be, gradually loosening up to former acquaintances and gradually forming new friendships. She had this quirk of fiddling with her blazer while chatting. You’ve seen it. that thing she does with her fingers when she’s anxious, besides the sniffing on her sleeves. Her obsession with fabric softener hasn’t stumbled into my knowledge yet.

Anyhow, what mattered to me was unnie tried. Her effort counted nonetheless. It was endearing to watch someone grow before your very eyes. The presumptions everyone had of her were only applicable to strangers. If given the opportunity to pass the invisible barrier they hesitated to cross, they would’ve changed their minds about her like I did. Introverts, as you may not be aware of since you’re a giant extrovert, are delicate creatures who unravel their true selves once they’re comfortable with you. Ample time was what it took for unnie.

Once she became comfortable with me, I was on the receiving end of her actual screeching laughter mimicking a dolphin and a pterodactyl’s hybrid love-child. Not that I could vouch for how a pterodactyl’s screech sounded like. The comparison just somehow makes sense in my head. You get the picture. You’ve encountered unnie’s demonic laugh to empathize with me.

“Oh my gosh. My stomach hurts.”

“That’s because Seungwan has got you cackling like a banshee.”

“She’s doing a weird dance without music! How could I not laugh?!”

“For what it’s worth, it’s nice to see you this carefree. Smiling and laughing.”

“Thank you, Seul. To tell you truthfully…I didn’t have any luck with friends before. I did have some, but they didn’t really stick around? More like they felt bad for the new kid from Daegu. I guess it was my fault for not being approachable in the first place. I used to be conscious of my Daegu accent so I’d just stop talking altogether.”

“You’re from Daegu?”

“Mhmm. Moved here after graduating from elementary school. My first friends here, they were alright, but they already had a fixed crowd. I was struggling to fit in. Then the accident happened. It got worse. Mostly because everyone saw me as a sunbae instead of one of their own, like I was lightyears ahead. Being a year older isn’t that much of a difference, really. But Seugnwan…she doesn’t call me unnie to make me feel like I truly belong—not that you calling me unnie is a bother either, I’ve grown extremely fond of you over the past month. S