GOWON POV

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"Is Haseul unnie a mint choco connoisseur as well or not?"

"First of all, ugh. Yes, she's one of you..."

I'm glad I went to get ice cream before visiting Haseul unnie with Yerim. Might as well get her one as well.

"You don't want any, Yerim?"

It seems her basket is filled with every bit of snacks already.

"I'd rather have a 'Property of: My Soulmate' tattooed to me than eating Mint Choco, seriously"

Yeah, I think that was a dumb question.

As she walks away, she tugs lightly on my sleeve, "Let's get going, unnie".

While the cashier scans our stuff, and Yerim snoops around a new issue of a magazine, I can't help reminisce the memories I've had with my friends here...

 

"Yah, yah yah Park Chaewon give me one bite".

"No, get away from me hag". Sooyoung unnie seriously gets on my nerves most of the time. Scratch that, she does all the time.

"Sooyoung, leave her alone. Babies need to eat a lot". Jinsoul unnie on the other hand thinks I'm her biological baby daughter. It's not as annoying as Sooyoung unnie, and it has its advantages like gifts and free food so I let it slide.

"Unnie, I'm not a baby. I can take care of myself", I say as immediately I accidentally drop my fork on the ground.

"Awww coo, let me get that for you, honey". I would've complained but Jinsoul unnie is already halfway down.

"Isn't our baby Chaewon adorable, honey?", Sooyoung unnie always finds time to tease me.

"Don't let Jiwoo catch you calling me 'honey, I don't like to imagine her doing a dropkick on me".

"Oh boo, she's not gonna hurt anyone. You all know how much I kid around".

"Yeah unnie, you're just a joke". I tease as I prepare to stand and run away.

"Be thankful I'm not bustin' your because I'm injured".

I was out shopping for groceries today when they called me to hang with them, which is why I'm surprised Sooyoung unnie is here and not in an infirmary.

She slowly moves her right leg out of the table and pulls her jeans up. Her ankle is wrapped in a bandage, a violet bulk reveals it is swollen.

"Oh my God, did you trip while dancing?"

Jinsoul unnie blows through her nostrils. "Our Sooyoungie here tripped while running away from Haseul because she took off with Seul's underwear".

I thought Sooyoung unnie would feel embarrassed but here she is grinning from ear to ear.

"Unnie, seriously what's wrong with you, you ert?".

"Scold me all you want, it was worth it", she then proceeds to lean on the bench, hands behind her head.

"Oh, I hope it is". Jinsoul unnie chuckles before she sips on her lemonade. "You better pray to God for protection from Gahei unnie's wrath".

I personally have never seen Gahei unnie get mad, which makes this all exciting instead.

"What if I told you she gave me $5 dollars to give her Seul's underwear?"

Jinsoul unnie and I snapped our necks towards her, "She told you to do that?"

"Well no, not really but would you believe me if I said so?".

Jinsoul unnie was quick to smack her in the head, the latter wincing in pain.

"Don't you ever use the Lord's name in vain ever again, Sooyoungie".

 

"UNNIE!"

Yerim's voice broke me out of my daydreaming. "Oh- wait- what?"

"You told me you were paying?"

"Ma'am you're holding up the line."

A couple more customers were piled behind us while I was zoning out. Yikes.

I mutter a quick sorry and hand a bill from my wallet. I was quick to leave the store, Yerim following in pursuit. Looking back to the store, and then to the memories made me feel a bit nostalgic.

"Unnie, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Yerim. I was just..."

Watch me eat 5 dumplings in one bite, Jinsnort...

"Remembering the good times..."

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"Okay but look, after they met the alien in Dun Dun Dance, they all had weird powers too, you can see it from the music video. I'm telling you, Dun Dun Dance is a sequel to Twice's Signal".

I didn't expect the small compliment I said about Oh My Girl's comeback to turn into a full discussion with Yerim for the past hour. "Okay Yerim, cool stuff".

"But- you- don't act like you don't care! You're just as big of a fan as me!"

"Just less the skeptic, I enjoy it like a normal fan".

"You literally have a life-sized standee of Yooa in your room".

"Hey, that's standard Kpop protocol! nothing insanely weird about it..."

"Is it also protocol to practice flirting with a standee-"

I had to cover with my hand. No one must ever hear about this. Not even me.

As I let go followed by a warning, Yerim continues to mumble yada yada at my ear while I start to go through what I'll say to Haseul unnie.

To be honest, I didn't think this far. I admit my decision has big impulse vibes but as the kids say these days, I shall pass the "vibe-check".

To give you an idea of my relationship with her, I might as well tell a bit about her.

Sooyoung unnie tagged me along a beach night out with some of her same age friends back when I was still in 9th grade.

These were times where my -mones were at their peak so to be surrounded with older hot girls, my small lesbian was drooling. Now, I just see them as hags.

I already knew Jinsoul unnie from Dance club, but the two lovey-doveys are a new sight.

Gahei unnie is such a sweetheart who would prioritize everyone's well-being over herself, making sure no one gets too drunk, eats sand and dry-humps a palm tree. She would ask me all sorts of questions to actually get to know me better, while I tried my best not to look down at her fat , holy it was just huge just-

Okay ehem anyways

Haseul unnie on the other hand, my first impression of her was a wimp who gets on all the time, evident as Sooyoung unnie does the whole time, but as I get to know her, I promoted her to a pretty-cool-wimp. It doesn't help that she's a regular school official who at one point gave Sooyoung unnie a warning for wearing lipstick. Normally I'd say it was a stupid call but Jiwoo unnie got distracted and slammed herself on a locker. It's safe to say that lipstick Sooyoung is quite deadly.

One time, she called me over to the Student Council Office to help her assort and rid of some papers. This was when I found out where they keep student documents and profiles. To cut a long story short, I accidentally put a student's documents instead of trash on a shredder and got in trouble for it. Unnie herself had to help the poor student obtain their lost files back. It's safe to say she was hella pissed at me. Ever since then, I was never allowed to enter the Student Council Office again.

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"Okay so, we get in, get permission, check the files, and get out. Simple enough".

The school on weekends, as usual, is devoid of any human life except a few student council people who have some unfinished business.

But I'd bet my money that they just use this occasion to do in class where no one is watching.

"You sure she's here, unnie? "

"An anonymous tip told me so"

"Sure, whatever you say"

Every step I take closer to the same Office I was exiled before, a bead of sweat drips down my cheek. Why am I doing this? Am I really risking my life for some girl I just met for a night? Is she worth it?...

 

 

Is she worth it?...

 

 

I say that my actions were on impulse, but maybe I was following what my heart was saying. It's like there's this string that tugs me closer to someone, but they are very far away. No amount of struggle or thinking otherwise can disconnect this line from me, as time pass, it just keeps on pulling me towards that girl.

I may not remember everything that went down that night, but I know what I felt.

I felt like the happiest girl in the world, even for a couple of hours I was with her. I need to feel like that again.

Not one person will stop me from looking for her, they may not understand why, but they're not me! They weren't in my shoes who was by her side and got to know the most interesting stranger. 

Maybe even you, reader, still wonder who is she? How much of an amazing person must this girl be, that I am simping so hard for her. Well, in a couple of chapters you'll find out.

But the question still stands. Is she worth it?

 

You know what?

 

 

Yeah. She IS worth it.

 

 

"You know, for a person who's always observing the room, you sure do daydream a lot, unnie". 

I didn't notice that we were already standing outside of the Student Council Office.

"Oh uh- okay look I was getting ready, pumping myself up".

If I do enough jumping jacks, maybe I can fool Yerim, as well as tell her that my face turned red because I was warming up. Not out of embarrassment, definitely not that.

 

A couple of knock-knocks, and the door swing opens. A girl in a beige sweater and skinny jeans greets us. 

"Oh, hey girls. What are you doing here on a weekend?... wait, Chaewon? No, don't tell me you're the new rookie member. I specifically told them that you were on a no-application list on the Council!"

"I'm on a what now?"

Haseul unnie forms an "o" with when she makes a mistake. Looking embarrassed, she replies carefully "It's uh- well remember when you had a little accident?"

"Come on, Unnie. It was one mistake!"

Unnie fiddles with her hands, she doesn't like arguing with me. "A mistake is an understatement, Chaewon. I had to help the poor boy make copies of his documents. Even worse, he thought I had a crush on him! a boy, Chaewon!"

I shuddered a bit, imagining Haseul unnie with a boyfriend, but my unprecedented anger is still flaring.

"Look, I'm sorry a boy thought he was worthy of you, but just... no-application list? really?"

Unnie scratches her head, definitely confused. "I mean, are you interested in joining the council?"

That somehow caught me off guard. "What? No... no why would I join your council?"

Yerim taps my shoulder, "Language"

"Oh - right sorry"

 

*Pan to Yerim looking at the camera with a disappointed face*

 

"Then why are you so riled up?"

"I just- you-"

While I was trying to find the words, Yerim steps forward and explains to Haseul, "Look, Haseul Unnie, we were wondering if we can come in."

"You do? Oh, Uhm, I don't think I can do that with all this paperwork lying around here, and we have a meeting coming up later..."

She raises the bag she was holding, "We brought Mint Choco Ice cream"

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come in!"

 

It's that easy? What was the warm-up for?

 

As I let go of my Chaewon wrath, we finally came in maneuvering through the papers and tables. Why did they have so many tables?

"Sorry about the mess girls. As I said, we are still kinda busy here. There's a lot of plans for the upcoming Summer Festival".

For any of you wondering, Haseul unnie is also a Sophomore like Sooyoung unnie, except she studies at our same school still majoring in Political Science. And what better to chisel her skills at politics than the Student Council, huh?

As we sit around a table, ice creams in hand, she sparks a conversation.

"So, did you visit to check on how's your good old unnie doing, or are you finally gonna tell me what you really came for?"

Haseul unnie may seem like a wimp, but she was cunning. How else could she be an effective council officer?

my lips, I reply, "Okay, we admit that we came for a purpose. Before I explain, I have to tell you that I'm serious about this. No bull"

Unnie shrugs her shoulders, trying to look cool like always. "Okay then, shoot".

 

 

And so I tell her the whole story. How we met, How it ended, and how I am in pursuit of my dream girl.

 

 

Unnie stands up and brushes her legs, "Yep, I knew it was bull".

 

I stand second, more aggressively, "Oh come on! I swear I'm serious about her!"

"Chaewon, you met her for one night. In fact, you were lucking you weren't mugged or anything!"

"I tell you, this is true love unnie. Come on Yerim, help me out here!"

She was indifferent, still fixed on her ice cream.

"It's your girl unnie. I have no say in this..."

Can you believe this? My own best friend...

Feeling defeated, I roll up my sleeve and reveal it:

 

"Property of: My Soulmate"

 

Unnie's eyes widen curiosity glints in them.

"Well, at least you weren't lying about the marker. Still, I think this is stupid Chaewon. I won't help you."

"Unnie, just... hear me out please?"

She groans but I know she can't resist me, I'm irresistible like that.

"You know I'm not a people person. Especially not romance. I haven't been this fixated on a person before, not even Gahei unnie and her wonderful "

"Mhmm, wait a minute what-"

"I'm telling you unnie. What I feel for this person is something else. It's not just curiosity, I am actually dying to meet this person. I want to know. Will you help me?"

At first, she opens but keeps it shut and ponders instead.

 

It takes her a couple of seconds of silence before she replies,

"I still believe this is stupid...Oh, what the hell, you are Sooyoung's baby after all. Alright fine, how can I help?"

I squeal in glee, not being able to contain myself I put my arms around her and pulled her in close. We were both stunned at the sudden skinship.

As we let go and pretend nothing happened, I let her continue.

"Okay so, we believe she studies here as well, so we were wondering if we can check on the student files, sort it out and look for her"

Haseul unnie interrupts, "Woah Woah, hold your horses. Chaewon, you know how I feel about you handling documents."

Yerim pipes up, spoon in hand, "I can sort through them, Chaewon unnie can help me identify and stuff"

"Okay then, I guess you can do that. You have to understand that doing this can cause the both of us trouble, so you're gonna have to do a little something for me too".

"Wha- that wasn't part of the deal!"

Teasing us with her little tongue, she retorts, "You thought the ice cream will cut it? No way Jose."

"Ugh, fine. What do you want?"

Haseul unnie has a wicked smile on her face. I don't like this...

 

PART 2 UPCOMING