“We’re going to join a club and form a band Hyunnie!”

Joohyun almost spat her watermelon shake at Seulgi’s answer. She just asked the younger girl (of only one year; Joohyun is 16 and Seulgi is 15) what her plans are as they are starting their first year of high school a week from now. She meant plans academically and not for extracurricular activities. “W-what?! Are you serious Seulgi-yah?!”

Seulgi frowned at the reaction. “What? We sounded great!” She cheerfully said as she finished her pineapple shake in one gulp and placed the glass back on the table, then she gripped her left hand back on the neck of her guitar, her fingers re-positioning for a chord, as her right thumb and index finger that held the guitar pick did some plucking on the strings, making adjustments on the melody they just did a while ago for their habitual jamming sessions. “We can make it big Hyunnie! Not that you can be big but we’ll be on stage, so they’ll be able to see you—AW!”

Joohyun smirked at the hurt Seulgi who’s caressing her head after she hit it in a chop, but immediately frowned. “No Seulgi-yah. I don’t want to join a club and form a band. It’s a no for me.” She plucked her bass guitar in some gloomy melody.

“Oh come on why not Hyunnie?! Are you satisfied with all our jamming sessions inside my room or your room? We both are good, and we have great harmony and chemistry when we play together on our duets. Our talents deserve some audience other than the both of us and our unwilling families!” Seulgi retorted, their families’ support at this point have evolved into nonchalance at their hobby and that leaves only the two of them as plausible audiences, if Seulgi doesn’t do anything about it.

And that’s exactly why, Joohyun thought. “No, I don’t want any audience other than who you mentioned, thank you very much.”

Seulgi exhaled sharply. “Is this about your nerves again Hyunnie? You got to get over that Hyunnie! And this is a way for your bunny to get out of your rabbit hole—AW!”

“How many times did I tell you to stop calling me a bunny Seulgi-yah?” Joohyun crossed her arms on her chest, resting it on her bass guitar.

Seulgi pouted. “I have lost count already but you look like one—AW!”

“I don’t!”

“But bunnies are cute, don’t you agree?”

Seulgi coaxed in a cute and almost convincing way, but Joohyun knew better. So she eyed her with doubt. “Yeah… bunnies are cute…but—”

“And my Hyunnie is cute too…” Seulgi reached out to her pouting unnie, pinching her cheeks.

Joohyun pouted more.

“If bunnies are cute and Hyunnie is cute too, then Hyunnie really looks like a bunny!”

Joohyun knew it. “YAH KANG SEULGI!” She landed another harder chop on Seulgi’s laughing head.

“It’s a simple analogy Hyunnie. And here I thought you got the smarter pants between the both of us.” Seulgi snickered which earned a sigh from the older.

“It’s smarty-pants, you dumb dumb.” And admittedly, out of the two of them, Seulgi is the one who’s too much of a smarty-pants for her own good—and that good is bad for Joohyun, because it meant Seulgi’s witty and annoying teasing.

Joohyun sighed again and placed her bass guitar on the floor gently, before standing up from sitting on the floor then went towards Seulgi’s bed and slumped herself there with a bounce, still feeling the younger girl’s teasing gaze on her.

“Seriously Hyunnie, it’s going to be good. It’ll help you not to be too shy around people—” Seulgi continued explaining.

Joohyun scoffed. As far as she can remember, Seulgi was the one at fault that she became this shy for her or her parent’s liking.

“Woah, Joohyun-unnie’s accent is so cute~”

Seulgi’s comment on Joohyun’s Satoori accent after she introduced herself during their first grade of elementary, which earned snickers and laughter from their classmates.

“I name my drawing Joohyun because this bunny looks like Hyunnie who looks really pretty and cute.”

Seulgi during their second year of elementary. All their classmates for looking like a bunny after that.

“UWAH! Hyunnie’s drawings are so cool!!”

Joohyun ended up being nominated as their class’ representative in a drawing competition and lost miserably against those who were really good at drawing. They were grade 3 back then.

“Caramel sauce for you, dearest
Granulated sugar, brown sugar
Caramel sauce for you, dearest
Maple, honey, fine-grain sugar—wow Hyunnie, this poem is so sweet I almost had a diabetes! And your handwriting is so beautiful!”

To Joohyun’s horror during their 4th grade, Seulgi read her private poem out loud—an assignment that’s supposed to be only read by their English teacher for the topic of poem figure of speeches. She remembered how she never wanted to smack the hell out of someone this much in her whole ten-years of existence back then. She wished Seulgi would really have a diabetes and cease to exist together with her for a moment there, but then again, that’s a bit too much for her friend, right? But then again, is she really Joohyun’s friend? Because she’s starting to doubt if Seulgi sees her as her friend or her target for bullying. But then again, Seulgi really is her friend, even though as already mentioned, she’s an evil tease incarnate.

“Saranghandae~”

Joohyun froze on her stance, and she knew everyone in the class snapped their heads towards her seatmate on her left, and to her. Seulgi, as she clearly remembered the name, just mimicked how she said the previous word; her Satoori accent slipping through as she narrated the things she loves. This seatmate of her, from that first day of school, who commented on how her accent was cute, has been shoving her into the spotlight, making her earn the unwanted attention and snickers.

Geez, why did they have to move in Seoul anyway? To hell with her father’s business or whatever (she learned the ‘to hell with’ term from one of her books). She had great friends during her kindergarten years, unlike here. If she only knew how their accent will be of great deal here, she should have practiced her seven-year-old tongue for the city accent.

She pursed her lips, frowning in embarrassment as her classmates silently giggled around her. She pouted and swore that she’d hold herself from speaking to avoid any more of this.

“Joohyun-unnie, you love reading and listening to music too?”

Joohyun snapped her heads towards the whisper on her left, not sure how to feel about it. As soon as their teacher announced recess after asking everyone on the class to speak about the things they love, Seulgi asked that with curious and smiling eyes. She’s confused, isn’t she the one who initiated to make fun of her accent just a while ago? She hesitated but answered meekly, “Yeah… eumak saranghan