GASP

 

Jisoo exhaled sharply before speaking again. The rest of the gang, save for the other three, looked at her in anticipation. They had just finished eating. It was 30 minutes before lunch break was over. They had to do this as fast and as concise as possible.

 

“The first time we experienced Katie's curse was, like I said, a week after we met Yeri.”

 

GASP

 

The other three were surprised at Jisoo's bravery of mentioning Yeri's alter ego.

 

“Okay, from this point forward I'm just gonna call her She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.” Jisoo interjects.

“That's too long, . Just call her Katie.”

 

GASP

 

Joy rolls her eyes at her friends' antics. By now everyone at the table were convinced they were being silly.

 

“You fool! Don't throw that name around so carelessly!” Seulgi exclaims. Her eyes were wide in horror.

 

Joohyun slaps the back of Seulgi's head. Now they were being overdramatic.

 

“You idiot! Katie is, like, the most human name I've ever heard. Stop being so dramatic.”

 

GASP

 

Joohyun rolls her eyes, Seulgi was sure her eyes travelled into another dimension and back by how intense the eye roll was.

 

“Why are you idiots acting like Katie is a spawn of Satan?” Jennie says, about ready to unleash her alter ego.

 

GASP

 

“Really, Chaeng? Even you?”

“Just wanted to see what it'd be like to be on the non-opposing side.” Rosé shrugs.

“How does it feel?” Seulgi asks.

“Eh, I don't like being on the loser's side.”

 

Jisoo threw her used tissue at Rosé.

 

“Jisoo, manners.”

“What's the big deal about Katie anyway?” Rosé asked.

 

GASP

 

“What did Seulgi just say?! Stop throwing that name around!” Lisa, who was covering her ears, whisper-shouts at Rosé.

“What name? Katie?” Joohyun tilts her head.

 

GASP

 

“Jesus Christ!” Jisoo exclaims.

“Jisoo, language. And Chaeng's right, is Katie really that big of a deal?” Jennie joins in.

 

GASP

 

“My childhood dog's name was Katie.” Joy recalls.

 

GASP

 

“Do you spell Katie with a Y? Or an IE?” Rosé asks.

“IE, and—”

 

GASP

 

“For the love of god will everyone stop mentioning that name. I feel like I'm about to collapse.”

 

Wendy, who was just witnessing everyone's stupidity, complains. She reaches for Seulgi's water. For some reason, your water tastes better she told Seulgi one time, when Seulgi questioned her about her weird habit.

 

“Wendy's right. My head's already spinning.” Lisa said.

“You're just hungover, idiot.” Jennie rolls her eyes. The opposing side really do have strong eye muscles. They've been rolling their eyes non-stop.

 

“Ayt, ayt. Back to the story, as I was—”

“Jisoo, stop biting your nails.”

“saying, we met SWMNBN a week after we met Yeri.”

“Who?” Seulgi interrupts.

“It's short for She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Jisoo just used the initials.” Wendy explains and Seulgi nods in understanding.

“Right. It was a typical Friday night we were—”

“Can you please pass me a tissue?” Jisoo hands Lisa the tissue box.

“hanging out at the bar like we always do. It was different that time though, there was a new addition—”

“Seulgi! That's extra hot sauce!” Joohyun snatches the bottle from Seulgi.

“to the family. We've been hanging out with Yeri ever since we met. That night, we had planned to trick Yeri into drinking expired apple juice—”

“Jisoo, sit properly.”

“again. The night grew deeper, when we checked the time it was already past midnight. We were drunk off our asses, that's when we realized—”

“Haha, the little kid dropped his ice cream.” Rosé points towards the direction of a kid throwing a tantrum.

“CAN EVERYONE ELSE SHUT THE—” 

 

CLANK

 

“Oops, sorry boss. I'll clean it up right away!”

“UP! I AM TRYING TO LISTEN TO THE STORY HERE.” Joy waves her hands aggressively. Everyone sat up at the intensity of her voice. For someone who doesn't have an alter ego, Joy was feared by many in any shape or form.

 

“Yeri was genuinely drunk. She wasn't just acting. Turns out, we forgot to give her the expired apple juice. We still got to enjoy the night though. But by the time Yeri got super wasted, like us, she started introducing herself to everyone as [redacted].”

“What did I tell you about consenting underage drinking!”

“When we woke up the next morning, we were on the other side of the city. It was the same building, but in a different street. We were so confused, we couldn't recall anything from the night before. Our last memory was Yeri introducing herself as [redacted]. We looked around the room, it was almost exactly the same as Seulgi and Wendy's apartment. Except for a few details, but it was still creepy as hell. We went to the living room, no one else was inside the apartment but us. We looked around for clues, or any sign of Yeri, but there was nothing. The only thing we saw was a message written on their whiteboard that says: Katie was here.”

 

GASP

 

“That was the first incident so we decided to just shrug it off. We invited Yeri to another fun night out. It was another typical Friday night, that time we made sure to give Yeri the expired apple juice, not wanting a repeat of last time. But by the end of the night, Yeri had reached her critical stage. Stage 6, or as we like to call, Code Red.”

 

Everyone was listening to the story attentively. Wendy was trying to hold back her tears. It was hard dealing with the memories from her perspective, it felt good to finally let it out.

 

“She was back to introducing herself as [redacted]. We just laughed it off, like last time. It was still the second incident after all. The next morning, we woke up in Thailand!”

“Jisoo, lower your voice.”

“We were staying in a suite we couldn't afford even if we merged our salaries. We tried recalling what we did the night before but we couldn't remember anything. Our last memory was Yeri in Code Red. Our passports were nowhere in sight, not even a luggage was brought! We looked around the hotel room for some clues, Yeri was nowhere in sight. The only thing we found was another message written in lipstick on the bathroom mirror that says: Katie was here.”

 

 

GASP

 

 

By now everyone else gasped at the mention of Yeri's alter ego. Joy looked around the burger place, her fingertips were tingling from fear. She knew what her cousin was capable of, she was one of the lucky few who've never experienced it firsthand.

 

“That time, the second incident was by far the worst. The third incident wasn't so bad. It was a repeat of the night before our blackout. We woke up the next morning in a room filled with Barbie dolls.”

“Oh you're right, that's not so bad.” Rosé comments.

“The were headless.” Seulgi adds.

 

Joohyun chokes on her drink. She couldn't imagine the feeling of waking up to something wildly unexpected, much less being unable to recall the events that happened the night before. They were right, Katie should be feared by everyone.

 

“It became a routine. A very twisted routine. Yeri would reach Code Red, we'd wake up someplace under peculiar circumstances, Yeri would be nowhere in sight, the same message would be written somewhere, and we'd have zero recollection of the night before.”

“Have you tried doing the most logical thing to do? You know, asking Yeri about it?”

 

Jennie eyes the four victims. They looked hopeless and exhausted. Wendy steps in to answer her question.

 

“We did. After the second incident, everytime the curse happens, we kept asking her for details. But she doesn't have a clue either. She'd always look at us confusingly, even asking who this Katie person is.”

 

GASP

 

“So what was the worst experience? You guys said the last time was the worst. What happened?” Joohyun asks.

 

The four girls held each others hands. They've been doing this for a long time, holding on to each other for strength.

 

“It was the night of Yeri's birthday.”

 

 

Lisa looks away, trying her best to hold back her tears.

 

“You already know what happens prior to the incident. When we woke up the next morning, we weren't together. It was different from all the other incidents. We'd always wake up in the same room together. But at that time we were in different beds, in different towns; our hometowns.”

 

Wendy and Seulgi hug each other, bracing themselves for what's to come.

 

“I went out of my room to look for my parents but nobody was home. There was breakfast on the table, everything was still fresh. The coffee was still warm, the toast looked like it just got out of the toaster. It looked like somebody was in the house, until there wasn't. Like they just disappered in the middle of chopping an orange. I kept dialing my parents number over and over again, but nobody would answer. I looked around the house and there, written in ketchup, just above the sink, was the same message we'd wake up to everytime the curse happens. I rushed out of our house and immediately called Lisa and the others. They were in the same situation. We didn't hear from our family until a week later.”

 

Jisoo, Lisa, Seulgi and Wendy were now crying. Everyone else was looking at them with so much pity. They had no idea the incidents were this severe.

 

“We asked them where they were the past week but, much like Yeri does everytime we ask her about the incidents, they just looked at us confusingly, asking us why we're overreacting.”

 

Jisoo ends their story at that. The past three years have been a series of unfortunate events. Seulgi, Lisa and her were lucky enough to be able to tame it. They swore they would protect Wendy and everyone else who's yet to witness the curse, and even Yeri herself. It's the least they could all do.

 

 

 

 

Joy and Jennie separated from the gang first. They had another agenda to attend to. Up until now their thoughts kept leading them back to the events that transpired earlier that day.

 

“Are you sure this is gonna work?”

“Positive. You felt it too, right? Back at the shop? You still felt like you were being watched?”

“Yeah.” Jennie admits. Even during Jisoo's tale of [redacted]'s curse, her mind was still preoccupied by their anonymous stalker.

“Hey, so what can I do for you?” Wendy interrupts their conversation. Before they left, Joy asked Wendy for a favor No Questions Asked, to which the blonde happily accepted.

 

She told Wendy to meet them at the alleyway behind the bar. They were sure the stalker would follow them here. An hour ago, Joy set up a trap at the exact same place when everyone else was too busy eating.

 

“Stand over here.” Joy instructs and Wendy abides.

“And?”

“That's all. Bye.”

 

Joy pulled Jennie away from the alleyway towards a hiding spot she found. She had planned to spy on them from afar.

 

“Wait! Joy! What's—”

“Nah-uh. No. Questions. Asked.”

 

They got into position. Not a minute later, a small figure wearing an Attack on Titan body suit came rushing towards Wendy. Its arms were frantically waving around and its mouth was slightly ajar. It took a while before Wendy realized what was going on. She wanted to run away but her legs wouldn't move. As it got closer, Jennie released the trigger of her watergun and sprayed it all over the moving figure. Joy then, released the rope she was holding, a really thick comforter fell from ten feet above, knocking the figure over and locking it in its place.

 

“SUCCESS!” The two girls screamed in jubilance. Wendy was still in shock.

 

Joy and Jennie approached the small figure. They finally caught the source of their distress.

 

“What the hell is going on?!” Wendy exclaims after recovering.

“Who the hell are you?” Jennie asks the small figure, pointing her huge watergun for defense.

 

The small figure started moving around, trying to escape from their trap.

Joy stepped closer, intent on revealing their stalker. She took another step closer, her heart was beating fast. She wanted to know who was underneath this Titan suit and why it was following them.

She reaches for the back zipper. Her fingers were trembling. She pulls the zipper down, long black hair started popping out of the suit. She zips it all the way down and pulls the part covering the perpetrator's face in one swift motion. Jennie's eyes widened in confusion and relief.

 

“NIKI?” The three of them simultaneously gasped at the revelation.

 

Lisa's younger sister, Niki, looked at the three of them in embarrassment. This was not what she initially planned but she had no other choice.

 

“Why the hell were you stalking us?” Joy points a finger at Niki.

“Where have you been? We haven't heard from you in years!” Jennie exclaims.

“Where'd you buy that bodysuit?” Wendy asks.

 

Niki sighs in frustration. She should've just used a normal approach. Now her bodysuit's ruined!

 

“I wanted to ask for help from you guys. I'm too embarrassed to approach Lili after what I did.” Niki confesses.

“You know, you should've just talked to us back at the café this morning, like normal people would.” Jennie raises her eyebrows at Niki.

“She's right. You didn't have to scare us like that.” Joy agrees with Jennie.

“Does the bodysuit come in a smaller size?” Wendy asks.

 

Niki stood up from her position. She slid the entire zipper down and removed the bodysuit. At least she finally got to talk to them.

 

“I didn't want to be seen. More importantly, heard. People might recognize me.”

“Why?”

“What do you do again?”

“Do you feel hot when you're wearing it?”

 

Niki inhales deeply before answering.

 

“I'm a professional mukbanger. My youtube channel has over a hundred million subscribers. I only show half of my face to my viewers but I'm always talking to them. I didn't want anyone to recognize me, so I changed the sound of my voice when I called you earlier. Sorry about that by the way.” Niki looks away, she hopes her sister's second family would understand.

 

Joy and Jennie look at her in understanding. It must've been hard for her to approach them normally, aside from the circumstances, they did sympathise with her for being reluctant on approaching Lisa. Niki had her reasons and with Lisa's good nature, the two of them will make up in no time.

The two of them hug Niki, offering their comfort and support.

 

“Of course we'll help.” Jennie says.

“We'll make it easy for her, don't worry.” Joy reassures.

“Can you see through the fabric clearly?” Wendy asks before completely zipping the bodysuit up.

 

 

 

 

“Steal that car!”

 

Jisoo looks at Lisa for a brief moment. The idea seemed absurd. She still had a perfectly functioning car. She didn't need to steal a new one from somebody else.

 

“We can play God all we want, but wouldn't you think that'd be too much? Plus, look at the owner! It's an old lady!” Jisoo disagrees with her.

“You're such a sissy! Look how shiny it is!” Rosé interjects.

 

Jisoo stares at the car. It did look fancy but she'd feel guilty. The old lady was just sitting in her car, waiting for the traffic light to turn green. She didn't want to disrupt her peaceful life.

 

“Do it! Nobody's watching us!” Lisa claims.

 

She looks back and forth between her car and the new one, temptation getting the best of her.

 

“Hurry!”

“Stop pressuring me!”

 

She approached the vehicle and hastily pulled the old lady out of the car. She drove as fast as she could without looking back. She didn't want to feel guilty. Driving it felt great, she felt confident and powerful. A few seconds later, police sirens started blaring in the background. She panicked and the car started drifting from side to side, knocking off garbage cans, even running over pedestrians.

 

“Jisoo, calm down! We're gonna get in trouble again!” Rosé screams at all the chaos.

“We're already in trouble! Jisoo, find somewhere to hide!” Lisa starts panicking.

“I don't know what to do anymore! Let's just surrender! We deserve whatever punishment we're gonna face!”

 

Jisoo got out of the car, the police were everywhere. They were surrounded. It was the right choice. Before she could approach the police cars, a group of gang members ran towards her. They were part of the mafia they had beef with ever since they got into this.

 

“It's all over.” The three of them look at each other for the last time. They've come a long way, they just hope at least some of their progress won't be put to waste.

 

One of the gang members approached them with a gun in hand. It didn't take long before he pointed the gun towards her. After a split second, a gunshot was heard. Blood was spilling everywhere. The police officers and the rest of the gang members approached them in a haste. It's all over, indeed.

 

 

WASTED

 

 

The screen flashed. The three of them slumped in their seats. They'd been playing the same mission since last week. They were starting to lose hope.

 

“One more game.” Rosé suggests. Optimism written all over her face.

 

The other two nods at her. This time, they'll get through this. Together.

 

 

 

 

“Come on!” Joohyun pulls Seulgi's arm.

“I can't, Hyun.”

“Why?” Joohyun pouts.

“Because I still have a class to teach.” Seulgi says, waving her paintbrush at her.

 

Joohyun glances at Seulgi's clock. It's 7PM, she was sure Seulgi's last class ended an hour ago. She slaps the back of Seulgi's head.

 

“Your class ended an hour ago!”

“I still can't, I have to pick-up my laundry.” Seulgi says, not making eye contact.

 

Joohyun walks towards the back of the shop and points at Seulgi's laundry bag.

 

“You picked it up after lunch! You even asked me to come with you because the lady who owns the place, in your words, haunts the out of you.”

“Excuse you. I did not say that!”

 

Joohyun raises her right eyebrow at her. Seulgi shudders at the sight. Much like the lady at the laundry shop, the gesture haunts her.

 

“I said she scares me. Get your facts straight.” Seulgi spat.

 

Joohyun wanted to throw the ceramic bowl at her. It was really tempting, but the thought of paying the hospital bill for the damage wouldn't be worth it.

 

“So are you in or not?”

“I can't, we still have to plan Joy's birthday.” Seulgi shrugs.

“Hey man, what's the plan for tomorrow?”

 

Wendy peeks through the glass door of the shop.

 

“Buy a cake. Get drunk. Like last year.”

“Okay. Cool.” as quickly as she arrived, Wendy left.

 

Joohyun rolls her eyes at Seulgi's idiocy. Why is she playing hard to get?

 

“Why are you being so stubborn?” Joohyun complains.

“Because I don't want to!” Seulgi stomps her foot.

“Seulgi. Uno.”

 

Seulgi looks at her. She didn't think Joohyun would use her past technique on her. It's been years since she last used it.

 

“That won't work on me. You don't scare me anymore! Haha!” Seulgi laughs incredulously. She crosses her arms as a sign of confidence, not fear. Not at all. She's not scared by even a fraction!

Joohyun squints her eyes at Seulgi.

 

“Do—”

 

Before Joohyun could finish counting, Seulgi hurriedly picked up her wallet and keys and tidied up the rest of the table, ready to leave.

 

 

“Seulgi, please!”

“Joohyun...”

“Faster, Seulgi. Please! Faster!”

“, Joohyun. I-I..”

“Oh my god! Seulgi!”

 

Joohyun reaches over to help Seulgi. They were walking in a really fast pace. Seulgi tripped on her untied shoe. Joohyun kept nagging her earlier and now she's being bossy.

 

“Would you calm down! The store closes at 10! It's still 7:30. We have plenty of time. I want to get some pretzels. Brb.”

 

Joohyun pinches her right ear and drags her towards the other side of the mall where the department store is. Seulgi was still the same short-attention-spanned submissive little brat that she knew back in high school. Some things never change.

 

“Exactly! It's already 7:30PM! I still have a lot on my list!”

 

Seulgi could only sigh underneath all the struggle. Joohyun was still the same nagging, domineering madwoman that she met in high school.

 

Some things never change.

 

 

 

 

“AH!”

“GAHH!”

 

Jennie and Irene rushed out of their rooms when they heard a loud scream coming from the bathroom of their apartment.

 

“WHY IS SHE IN THERE?! WHAT HAPPENED TO HER SKIN?! AND WHY WHERE YOU IN THERE?!” Rosé gestured towards the direction of their bathroom where a robed Wendy stands, then points to Joohyun and her room.

“You said Jen changed their bathroom mirror! I wanted to check it out.” Wendy shrugged.

 

Rosé kept shaking her head, forcing the images of Wendy wearing an Attack on Titan bodysuit out.

 

“Why the hell did you sneak up on her, Chaeng?” Jennie asks, rubbing at her eyes.

“I thought she was Joohyun!”

“That did not clear anything up at all.” Joohyun says, eyeing Wendy from head to toe. What the hell happened to her skin?

“I was trying to get back at you! Karma got in the way before I could even make a move. I'm done for. Thanks for the disturbing images, by the way. You won't see me at your place on my next sched.” Rosé pats Wendy's shoulder.

“Welx.”

 

As soon as Rosé walked away, a wicked smile enveloped Wendy's face.

 

“Oh, don't thank me just yet.”

 

Jennie rolled her eyes at Wendy's strange demeanor. Joohyun still couldn't figure out what the hell was going on with Wendy's exposed forearms.

 

 

 

 

 

7:00PM

 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOY!”

 

The entire bar erupted in a series of cheers and loud music. Jisoo reserved her bar for a night of invite only. The gang organized an Attack on Titan themed birthday party (Wendy's idea.)

Right after their little meeting; Jisoo, Lisa, Wendy and Seulgi came up with a plan of catching [redacted] once and for all. Since it was impossible for everyone else not to take advantage of the free food and unlimited liquor, they decided to sacrifice their night for the safety of everyone and the future. The idea was to trick everyone else into thinking they were drinking actual liquor, when in fact, it's just expired apple juice. They agreed to keep an eye on Yeri's alcohol intake. Wanting to make sure she reaches Code Red and stops at that. God knows what she's capable of if she goes beyond it, they don't even want to find out. As soon as the party began, the plan was put into motion.

The staff were dressed in the Colossal Titan bodysuit that Wendy mass ordered from a cosplay store she found at the mall. The party goers were instructed to wear anything that was remotely close to the uniforms the characters wear on the anime. Rosé sighed in relief at that. Not that looking over the counter and seeing three Colossal Titans pouring everyone else a drink made it less scarring.

 

“Happy Birthday, Joy!” Joohyun and Jennie greet her.

“!Birthday Happy, Joy—Hic” Rosé slurs.

“Eepee b-day Jwoy!” Lisa taps Joy's shoulder.

“Happy Birthday my love” Wendy greets. Earning a questioning look from the others.

“—ly neighbor!” Wendy fakes a cough. That was close. Why the hell was she being brave tonight? Is it because she's wearing a Survey Corps uniform? Seulgi laughs at her best friend's quirk.

“Happy Birthday, you still haven't paid for the barstool that you damaged.” Jisoo reminds her.

“HBD TC GBY.” Seulgi gestures with her hands and nods at Joy.

“I already greeted you last year.” Yeri says.

 

 

 

 

8:15 PM

 

Lisa stares at Jennie who was sitting beside her at their usual booth. She's nervous for some reason. She has no idea why she's about to go along with Wendy's tip. It's not like that woman had any progress to begin with.

 

“Jennie,” she calls out.

 

Jennie looks at her. She could hear her heart, the beat so strong she feared Jennie might hear it too. She clears . If she looks away immediately after you say the line, she feels the same way!

 

“Can I follow you home? Because my parents—”

“What are you talking about? We just started drinking.”

“No, Jennie. I mean. Are you from Tennessee? 'Cos you're—”

“You already know the answer to that, .”

“Wait. Jennie, listen. Do you know what my shirt is made of? It's made of—”

“Jisoo, stop juggling the lemons!”

“Jennie.”

“Hmm?”

“Kiss me if I'm wrong, but—”

“Never in a million years.”

“Okay.”

 

The coldness in Jennie's voice was enough to silence Lisa. Jennie gets up and goes to the corner by the jukebox where Joy and Rosé were at. She slumps back on her seat. Wendy's tip was useless. Stupid Wendy.

Seulgi, who was sitting beside Lisa, witnessed the entire conversation. She laughs at her friend's failed attempt at flirting.

 

“Watch and learn.” Seulgi whispers, stretching her arms and cracking her knuckles.

“Joohyun.”

 

Joohyun faces her, right eyebrow raising and all. Which caused Seulgi to panic a little. She smiles at Joohyun, eyes her up and down, before saying:

 

“Are you French? Because Eiffel for you.”

 

Joohyun smiles at Seulgi's antic. She looks down briefly, tucks her hair behind her ear then looks up at Seulgi, who was smiling confidently.

 

“There's a saying in French:” Joohyun starts.

“Hors de ma vue,”

 

Seulgi smiles at the phrase. It sounds so poetic.

 

“It means 'get out of my sight.'” Joohyun stood up and proceeded to walk away from the table, towards the other girls. Yeri laughs out loud, causing Seulgi to groan in frustration.

“Aww, thank you for your service.” Lisa salutes her fallen comrade.

“You guys don't know how it's done at all!” Wendy stands up. Taking earnest steps towards Joy and the other girls. Her soul was b with confidence.

 

“J—”

“Not now, Wendy.” Joy puts a hand up halting Wendy even before she could finish saying her name. She nods, turns around and starts walking back to their booth. Embarassment covering her entire face.

 

“Not. A. Word.” she glares at the other four.

 

 

 

 

10:26PM

 

It's just like any other party they had. As the night grew deeper, people started crowding over an improvised dance floor, Rosé was already speaking in an Australian accent, Joy was flirting with someone who isn't Wendy, Jennie and Joohyun had an ongoing bet on who's gonna throw up first (Jennie bet Jisoo, Joohyun bet Jennie, it's obvious who's gonna win.) and Yeri, who was being rowdy on the dancefloor, was already on her fourth bottle for the night. Meanwhile the other four, who grew even more envious at the state of their other friends, kept a close watch over Yeri. Any minute now, they observed, Yeri's almost at the end of her third stage of drunkenness, Dancerist Yeri.

 

“There goes her dancerism.” Seulgi whispers to the other three, who looked so out of place (which they were) by the jukebox. Their only consolation for the night was their ability to control the music. Everyone else was too preoccupied with doing what you usually do when you're at a party, drinking the night away.

“Stage 3: Dancerititis.” Wendy snorts.

“It must be the alcohol's effect. I think she has Danceremia. ” Lisa counters.

“Look at her! She's having a Dancelipsy.” 

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Stop it guys! Y'all are a bunch of Dancerophobics!” Seulgi says. The four of them laughed at their own corniness. If they have to get through this night without any ounce of alcohol in their system, they had to rely on each other for the sake of their sanity.

 

Moonbyul looked at the four of them in disgust.

 

 

 

 

12:40AM

 

It was already midnight when they started noticing the numerous personality changes. Before, they'd only ever took note of minor details. Like how during stage 1, Yeri becomes a little less teasing and a little more deep. When she reaches stage 2, Yeri reverts back to being a serial prankster. Stage 3 is when she starts moving, literally. By Stage 4, she starts applying every etiquette she learned from British soap operas, even lifting her bottle of beer with a raised pinky. Stage 5 is when Yeri becomes too friendly. And stage 6 is when [redacted] comes out.

Based on their presumptions, Yeri is at the peak of stage 5. They spotted her talking to the girl who owns the laundryshop, Wash Goin' On. The woman they fear the most in Rouge Street; Tiffany, who was also talking to the girl who owns the bookshop beside Wendy's store, Into the New Word, a petite girl named Taeyeon. Not too long ago, Yeri was talking to a girl named Saeron, who owns the salon Hairs to You. At the beginning of stage 5, they saw the sudden shift of Yeri's demeanour, which prompted them to presume that she was at the peak of her semi-final stage of drunkenness. 

Tonight though, it was vaguely strange how the details seemed to only stop there. There was nothing more to the stages. The minor details they noticed when they were intoxicated were as is. Now that it was midnight and they were still sober, unlike all the other times, it was weird how they didn't miss out on anything important that could pass off as clues for their investigation. They noticed all of that. They spent the entire night spying on Yeri's whereabouts, the people she's interacted with, how many drinks she's had, how she carries her conversations. And nothing seemed to feel even slightly off about it.

They watch as Yeri drowns her last bottle, anticipating the sudden change of the bar's atmosphere and hearing the dreaded name come out of her own mouth. Hearing it sober would hit different and it scared them.

Yeri ends her conversation with Tiffany. She puts down her bottle, wipes , and looks around the entire bar. When her eyes landed on the four girls, she smiles and starts walking towards them.

 

 

 

 

“Joohyun, stop!”

 

They heard Jennie scream from outside the bar. Joohyun looked like she's about to attack someone. Joy was using every ounce of her strength holding her back. Rosé was beside them holding her phone, taking a video of everything that's going on.

 

“Let me have 'em!” Joohyun shouts.

“Say that again but with more force!” Rosé instructs.

“Why are you so weirdly strong?!” Joy complains.

“Jennie! Get out of the way!”

“Joohyun, it's not worth it!”

 

Joohyun tries to loosen Joy's grip on her. Her arms were starting to sore but she didn't care. She won't stop until she gets what she wants. Irene never loses! Especially not to a bunch of old people!

They were at the convenience store across the street. Joohyun was about to reach for the last pack of Pepero when an old couple beat her to it. The three girls tried bribing them, but the old couple didn't accept and drunk Joohyun did not take it well.

The old couple looked at the four girls in fear. They just wanted a midnight snack. They didn't expect to be challenged to a game of Tang-su-yuk for a box of sweets.

 

“Go! Go! Before it's too late.” Jennie instructs the old couple. They nod in return, thanking her for her bravery of taming the crazy woman at the convenience store who tried to steal our snack, as they would later describe to their family.

 

“Joohyun, this isn't you.” Jennie says, cupping her face, begging for her friend to stop fighting back.

“She's right. I pegged you as more of a streetfighter.” Rosé comments.

“This is the best birthday ever!”

 

 

 

 

As Yeri reached the four of them, they tried their best to act drunk. They didn't want Yeri to know they were sober. For all they know, Yeri might hold her alter ego back from doing her thing if she found out they weren't intoxicated enough for the curse to be successful.

 

“Hey guys, I—”

“We already know who you are.” Seulgi says.

 

So much for acting drunk. She couldn't hold back any longer. She wanted to lift this curse once and for all. But in order to get answers, they had to talk to the perpetrator themselves.

Yeri raises her left eyebrow at them.

 

“What—”

“Don't play dumb.” Wendy interrupts.

“I—”

“Seulgi's right. You don't need an introduction, we already know who you are. We've been observing you all night.” Lisa says.

“Are—”

“It's time to reveal your true colors in front of our sober state.” Jisoo points to Yeri.

“Huh—”

“Say something!” Seulgi exclaims.

“THEN STOP INTERRUPTING ME YOU IDIOT.” Yeri flicks Seulgi's forehead.

“What are you guys on about?”

“How about you? What did you plan for tonight, huh?” Wendy asks bravely.

 

Yeri stares at them before answering. Her friends are acting weird.

 

“Me and Big Ed were just about to leave. I have to be up early tomorrow. I came here to let you guys know.”

 

The four of them looked at her in confusion. Big Ed's here?

 

“I don't remember inviting him. And what?” Jisoo asks.

“What do you mean 'what'? I'm not gonna repeat myself to you.”

“No, she means, you're done for tonight? Drink some more! Six bottles of beer are nothing! Come on, let loose!” Lisa says.

 

Yeri is starting to get irritated. Her friends were definitely not acting normal. Nor were they drunk. She can tell from the way they kept addressing her differently. If her memory serves her right, around this time of the night they'd usually start calling her by a different name. Kaitlyn was it? She tries to recall.

 

“Why are you guys being weird and why aren't you guys drunk? You didn't drink tonight did you?” Yeri asks in suspicion.

 

The four girls looked at each other in panic, confirming Yeri's suspicions. She smiled to herself. Her friends are so easy to read.

 

“H-how'd you know, Katie?” Seulgi asks nervously. Ah, there it is. But wait, aren't they sober?

 

GASP

 

“Well that's new.” Yeri says.

“What is?” Wendy asks.

“You didn't drink, right? Yet you called me Katie. What's really going on?”

“What?”

“What?” Yeri asks back.

 

The five of them just stared at each other for a solid minute. They were so confused, even more confused than when they woke up all those years ago in a different place.

 

“One of you better start talking.” Yeri breaks the silence.

“How about you start explaining yourself?” Lisa counters.

“Explain what?”

“Why did you do everything that you did all those nights ago? For pleasure? For revenge? What, Katie? Give us answers now!” Jisoo exclaims, a pitch higher.

 

GASP

 

Then it hit Yeri.

 

“Are you idiots talking about all those times you tricked me into drinking expired apple juice and then ended up being drunk off your asses to take care of me, an underage introverted teenager?”

“Huh?” The four of them ask in unison.

“Wait, wait, wait. Can you please elaborate?” Wendy says.

“All those times you tricked me into drinking expired apple juice. I mean, I wouldn't say tricked since I knew it wasn't actual whiskey. You guys really thought I was that stupid not to find out after the many many many times you did that trick? Who do you think is the idiot here?” Yeri laughs.

“Do you remember the first night? When Seulgi started calling me Katie out of nowhere? You guys thought it was funny, so every time you reached a certain stage of drunkenness you always asked me to come up to people and introduce myself as Katie. It was supposed to help me with my confidence or something. I don't know. You guys merge your brains when you become that drunk. It's like one person thinks for the four of you. And that person, unfortunately, is me.” Yeri explains.

 

The four of them were stunned. These were not the answers they were expecting to get.

 

“I'll take your silence as a 'go on'. I don't expect any of you to remember anything at all. You have no idea how crazy you guys become whenever you reach the peak of your drunkenness. I know, I've witnessed all of it. Like that one time I asked you where you live and you gave me the address to a building in Red Street. That time Wendy mass ordered 40 Barbie dolls instead of that one Barbie doll that she wanted, and you guys started pulling their heads off because they kept judging our fashion sense, Jisoo's words exactly.”

 

The four of them were still stunned. It all started to make sense. They recall those conversations they had with Yeri. They asked her if she knew Katie and she'd always answer with I don't but you guys do.

 

“What about the 'Katie was here' messages? Why'd you write them?” Seulgi asks.

“Every time you did something stupid I always ended up taking care of you. Even that one impromptu trip to Thailand! I was a student then, you guys already know that. I couldn't stay with you guys even if I wanted to because duh, I had classes. I figured I'd write Katie instead of Yeri thinking it might help you remember the events from the night before better. But the next day, you guys always ask me the wrong questions. Like instead of asking 'How'd we end up in Thailand?' you guys asked 'Where were you last night?'. You even put all of your passports and wallets on my bag. Not so funny now that you think about it, huh? Idiots.”

Their brains were going into overdrive. Out of all the possibilities they came up with as to why those incidents kept happening, the explanations they were getting from Yeri herself now were the most unexpected. It never would've crossed their minds.

 

“What about the last time? Where were our parents then?” Wendy asks, almost afraid to ask the question. She still couldn't digest the information properly.

“Ah, now that one's the most intriguing. You won't believe me but that was when I realized how fun my life would always be if I stuck around with you guys. My life was already fun because you guys were in it, I wanted it to stay that—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now explain.” Jisoo interrupts.

 

Yeri flicks her forehead. Just when she thought the five of them could finally be serious about something.

 

“STOP INTERRUPTING ME WHEN I'M TALKING. Anyway, those were all pure coincidences. It was really cool. Seulgi and Wendy's parents left for a trip overseas and they forgot to tell you guys about that, they only told me. Jisoo's parents weren't in town that time you woke up at your house. I don't know about Lisa's parents though, maybe they just didn't want to talk to you. You're annoying.”

“Fite me shortie!” Yeri flicks her forehead.

“Shut up, meerkat. The breakfasts were from me. I took you guys back to your hometown because you kept weeping about how you missed your family so much so I did what I could. It was a thank you gift for all the fun times I had with you guys prior to my birthday. The next morning, I dropped by at each of your houses to cook your breakfasts. The coincidence still amazes me.”

“Why didn't you tell us sooner!” Wendy exclaims.

Yeri just shrugs. The first people she considered as her 'friends' really are a bunch of idiots. She couldn't ask for more. Literally. Four idiots, two madames, a stray Australian and a new mom are more than enough. Who was she kidding, she alone is a handful to Seulgi.

 

“You asked the wrong questions.”

 

 

 

 

“AH!”

 

Joy woke up from her slumber, her head throbbing from a brewing hangover and the really high pitched voice that echoed in their living room. She got up and forced herself to get out of the room. She doesn't want to be liable if a murder takes place.

Wendy came rushing out of the bathroom, looking petrified. She went to the kitchen and picked up a fork, getting in position to nudge her eyes out. Images of what she just witnessed engraved in her memories forever.

She turns to face Joy. Her eyes were glossy and her lips quivering. With all the strength she has left, she shouted at the top of her lungs.

 

 

 

 

 

“WHAT THE HELL IS BIG ED DOING IN THERE?”