Chapter 4

Seulgi suddenly texted everyone in the group chat. She had finally realized her feelings for Wendy. Yeri felt an uncomfortable chill in her heart as though someone had held down her airway and she couldn’t breath for a moment. It wouldn’t be weird if both Seulgi and Wendy had started dating years ago but for some reason, the pair didn’t. There was a sort of chemistry between them that everyone could see but there was an unseen barrier between them. Maybe they had been best friends for years that they didn’t see each other as intimate partners but everyone in the group had felt the duo would eventually be together someday. Yeri held back her fears and went ahead to visit the girls.


She had secretly known Jisoo and Seulgi were on and off for years and she was banking on them to become a real couple. But if Seulgi is at Jisoo’s place now, the cat is probably out of the bag and a crack would appear in the thin ice of the secrets. Everyone had taken to voting if Seulgi should tell Wendy that she had deceived her.


JOY

So what are you planning to do?

JISOO

We don’t know so we’re asking you guys.

IRENE

What else is there to do? Just tell Seungwan the truth. Honesty is the best policy.

Jennie clicks her tongue at the sentence. In any other times, she would agree with Irene but part of her is feeling so indignant for Jisoo that she can't control herself right now.


JENNIE
What a load of crap. If being honest is so great, then why did she disguise herself as her brother? Why would she lead someone on for seven years if she doesn’t have feelings for that someone?

JISOO
Stop it, Jen. It’s not like that between Seul and me.

JENNIE
Why are you still speaking up for her?

IRENE
Isn’t what you implied exactly the reason why Seulgi should be honest with Seungwan? Besides, what happened between Seulgi and Jisoo is their business. Jisoo doesn’t need you to fight on her behalf.

JENNIE
Yeah and it’s totally okay for you to fight for Seulgi. I see how it is.

IRENE
Jennie Kim, what is your problem?

JENNIE
My problem is you. You and that stick so high up your that you can’t smell the like the rest of us mortals do. So please do me a favor and stop with that sanctimonious lecture about honesty.
           

Before the fight can escalate, Jisoo and Seulgi interrupt them. The two angry bulls are just about ready to charge at each other, making Joy and Yeri a little somber from the tension.
 

JISOO
Stop it, we’re here to help Seulgi.

JOY
I vote for telling Wendy unnie the truth. What about you, Yeri?


The answer was obvious. Seulgi just had to tell Wendy and the story would be over. Happy ending. The two will finally see each other. Yeri felt a small pain inside her chest. Even if it’s petty, she didn’t like this ending. She hated all the love stories where only people are happy in the end. What about everyone else? Why are only two people allowed to be happy in a story of romance?


YERI
I vote for keeping the secret. You don’t have to tell Wendy unnie now… maybe you can wait for a better or more appropriate time, right?


Chapter 5

The girls wanted to visit Wendy’s bakery to find out more. It was perfect. Yeri wanted to know more about Wendy so she tagged along enthusiastically. She went head first into the bakery but was disappointed to see Wendy flirting with customers.


MINJEONG
Unnie, can I get your number? So, we can order our bread for pickup next time.

YERI
Don’t bother, Wendy unnie doesn't answer calls, ever.

KARINA
Really? She answers my call all the time though.

YERI
What?

WENDY
Yeah, don’t listen to her. I’ll answer your call. Minjeong-ah, your phone is nice, but it’ll be nicer with my number in it.
 

        The two customers squeal at the cheesy line while Yeri rolls her eyes at the scene. Wendy flashes her biggest, brightest smile while packing up the goods for the girls.
 

WENDY
Here, a roll cake on the house for our lovely Minjeong. It’s your birthday this Saturday, right?

MINJEONG
I can’t believe you remembered, unnie. Thank you so much!

WENDY
Anything for my favorite dongsaengs.
 

        Yeri nearly pops a blood vessel at the sentiment. There are a million things she wants to say but she clenches her fist instead and waits for the customers to leave before unloading on her unnie. Wendy packed her some food and Yeri left feeling angry and jealous but she returned to meet the girls at the cafe, she found that Wendy had packed her an assortment of desert such as eclairs, chocolate chip cookies, cream puffs, macaroons and canale in it along with a note with that says ‘on the house ;)’ in it. The gifts lift her gloomy mood immediately and Yeri almost breaks into a smile, but she keeps the happy feelings to herself. She wouldn’t want people to know how much she likes her Wendy unnie.


Chapter 10 and 11


Wendy had suddenly announced that Jisoo and her are openly seeing each other out of nowhere. Yeri didn’t know what happened that day in the bakery but things had changed too quickly and severely. She felt upset at Jisoo, Seulgi and herself for coming up with the dumb idea of visiting Wendy’s bakery. A part of her was thankful that Jisoo and Wendy are taking things slow but her head turns into a mess whenever she sees them hanging out in social media. Yeri texted Wendy one day to hang out but she said she was meeting Jisoo at her place. She feared Wendy was being stolen away so Yeri came up with a plan.

She texted Rose and Lisa in the group chat and asked them to hang out instead. Yeri played drinking games with them until everyone was drunk. She would have an excuse then to get Wendy out to fetch them instead. Yeri felt ashamed that she had manipulated her new friends but the fear of Jisoo stealing away Wendy outweighed whatever morals she had. Yeri simply didn’t want to see this ending either. Not Seulgi and Wendy. Not Jisoo and Wendy either. In her little drunken stupor, she confessed a small story of herself to Rose and Lisa.


Yeri’s parents had hired a private tutor for her. They told her the private tutor studied overseas, is fluent in English and scored straight A-s across the board. Yeri assumed that someone like that must be a bespectacled nerdy student but the person who turned up was Wendy. Wendy was always dressed neatly with collared shirts and freshly pressed pants with a ponytail hairstyle. Yeri didn’t include the next part to the girls but she wanted to.


Wendy was so beautiful that Yeri couldn’t believe it. Whenever Wendy would sit closer a little to reference the books on the far side of the table, Yeri would feel her heart beat faster. The tutor always smelt so nice and Yeri would purposely push up against her to feel Wendy’s warmth slightly. Sometimes, their hands would touch a little going through the textbook problems and Yeri would face away to secretly blush a little.


Thanks to the private tutoring lessons, Yeri started to catch up with her studies (Of course, having a hot teacher also helps). When Yeri passed her exams, Wendy dropped by Yeri’s school to congratulate her and all her classmates started pestering her about the super-hot sunbae who came by. It started off with a small lie but Yeri wanted to brag about how much of a playa she is so she told her classmates that the girl who dropped by was her girlfriend. One thing led to another and the lie started snowballing. Some of the students started a shipping fanclub of the mysterious sunbae and Yeri online while others spread the story of how an alumni student courted Yeri. On graduation day, Wendy surprised Yeri by showing up again and everyone in Yeri’s class started squealing and screaming.
 

ROSE

What did you do then?

LISA

What happened next?

YERI

You know what? Forget it. I’m not going to tell the story.

LISA

What?!

ROSE

I’ll buy the next round if you finish your story.

YERI

HMMmmmm…

ROSE

Next two rounds!

Yeri continues her story. Wendy was watching Yeri with the audience when the principal was still handing out the certificates. All of Yeri’s classmates were going wild backstage because of the rumors of ‘how Wendy desperately chased after Yeri’, ‘Wendy is Yeri’s millionaire sugar mummy’ and so on. The shipping fanclub members were waiting to talk to Yeri’s ‘girlfriend’ and all excited to take a selfie with the celebrated couple. There’s no hiding anymore and she was going to be exposed so Yeri did the only thing Yeri could do. Yeri went up to the stage, received her certification and walked towards Wendy. Wendy was expecting a hug but Yeri just kissed her on the lips, then calmly picked up her things, walked out of school grounds and never looked back.

LISA

Oh my god. How did Wendy react?

YERI

I don’t know. I didn’t look back.


But Yeri wanted to. She was dying to look back at Wendy. She wanted to see if Wendy was looking at her the same way she was looking at her. 

Chapter 12

Yeri had heard from Seulgi that she was going on a date with Wendy again. Seulgi was going to confess the truth to Wendy. It felt like a train moving in slow motion. The story is as linear as can be. Wendy will forgive Seulgi and they both would be an official couple. Yeri wanted to cry. Even if it was premature, she felt everything was over.


On the day itself, Yeri secretly followed Wendy from her home. It felt pointless but she didn’t know what to do. It felt like her body had its own will and they were moving along. Wendy was dressed in a blue sweater, blazer and jeans. It felt like the day when Yeri had first met Wendy. Even if she wasn’t wearing the same clothes, Wendy had the same smiley disposition. Everyone had always described Wendy as a squirrel but Yeri always thought of Wendy as her sunflower or an energetic, happy puppy. As though Wendy detected the thought, she looked back and Yeri hurriedly hid behind a pillar.


Before long, Yeri sees Seulgi and Wendy together. They were shy at first but they quickly turned friendly. It’s just the way two soulmates are, the chemistry they had was unreal. They were laughing at each other’s jokes. Yeri felt a familiar pain in her chest. It was the same pain she had whenever Wendy and Seulgi were together. It was the pain she felt when Jisoo and Wendy went out together. They say that people get used to heartbreak once they experience it enough but it is such a lie. The pain only becomes familiar but never lesser. Yeri grips her phone bitterly but is quickly interrupted by a bunch of students bullying a small middle school kid. She wanted to help but Wendy and Seulgi had already stepped forward so Yeri just mentally noted down the school uniforms of the delinquents.


The couple drove off the kids and helped the girl up. The way Seulgi and Wendy move and talk is so similar it's almost like they share the same mind. They are both so kind, thoughtful and passionate. A cloud of anxious thoughts flood Yeri’s mind. She wanted to stop them from falling in love but she didn’t know what to do. She follows them to a restaurant to peep through the windows.


The elderly couple started bringing out the dishes and she was spared from sobbing publicly. Seulgi watches in silence, the cogs in her mind are turning much like Seungwan’s. They are thinking of different ways to help Chaeyoung from her bullies. Seungwan begins texting someone about this situation and Seulgi has the same idea too. She starts to text Yeri for help. Yeri receives a text from both of them at the same time about this girl named Chaeyoung being bullied by some students. Yeri wanted to help anyway but her mind is already overloaded with jealousy.


YERI (to herself)
Stop. Quit having so much chemistry with each other.


The elderly couple interrupts them and tell them to eat up before the food gets cold. They both look up to see Chaeyoung busy wolfing down the food.

CHAEYOUNG

What? Is mum and dad ready to eat? I said thank you for the food but both of you seem to be busy texting someone.

WENDY

Cheeky brat.

GARAM

You were much cuter when you were shy.

YERI (to herself)
Stop it. Stop being so perfect together.


Yeri steps away and without thinking, she starts calling Garam on the phone. Yeri didn’t say the reason or anything except to just come down to the restaurant and she has something to show him. Garam was confused but he could tell Yeri was upset and so he followed her instructions. Just after she ends the call, Yeri hears loud noises in the restaurant and she recognizes the group as the delinquents who were confronted by Seulgi and Wendy earlier when she peeps through the windows. Yeri sets up her phone camera and goes in to help them.


STUDENT 2
What? You thinking of fighting all 6 of us alone?

STUDENT 3
The last guy who gave us the side-eye ended up in the hospital.

WENDY
There’s three of us!

CHAEYOUNG
Three?!

WENDY
Yes! Including you.

CHAEYOUNG
Uh-oh…

SHOPKEEPER
Four.

SHOPKEEPER’S WIFE
Five. I’m not too old to teach someone else’s kid for them.

DELINQUENT 1
HAHA, all of you must be crazy. Two ing chicks and two old bags want to throw hands at us?

DELINQUENT 2
Even then, there’s still 6 of us and 5 of you.

YERI
I’m the sixth!

DELINQUENT 3
That’s your plan? Another midget?


        The third delinquent grabs Yeri by the wrist hard and she struggles to break free. Wendy tries to run over to help but another bully pushes her off balance. Wendy’s left arm made an impact with a cutlery and drew blood. Yeri felt an uncontrollable anger within her seeing Wendy had gotten hurt.

WENDY
Yeri!

DELINQUENT 2
That’s your plan? You guys are dead.

CHAEYOUNG
Unnie, you’re bleeding!


        Seulgi closes in on them with her head down with no defenses. She didn’t say a word but trudges slowly until she is centimeters apart from the first delinquent.


GARAM
Seungwan, Chaeyoung and Yeri. Here’s the plan… follow my lead.

STUDENT 1
What? Are you going to apologise? It's too late for that now.
 

         The bullies start laughing amongst themselves and Seulgi clenches up. All of her strength pulls together like an overly tight guitar string and she gathers them into her fist. When the first bully turns back, she punches him straight in the face. He falls over with blood flowing out of his nose and everyone, including the bullies, are shocked.


DELINQUENT 1
You ! You broke my nose! Where are you guys standing around for? Get them!


GARAM
Run!

 

         Seulgi grabs Seungwan’s hand and they start running out the door. The elder couple retreats to the storeroom and locks the door while they wait for the police. Yeri grabs her phone by the window sill and takes Chaeyoung by the hand but the last girl standing pulls Chaeyoung back.


STUDENT 1
Son Chae-Young! Don’t think you can escape us. We will make sure your school life every day from now on is a living hell.

YERI
What are you doing?! Fight back!

CHAEYOUNG
I…

 

         The rest of the bullies are slowly recovering and if they get up, Chaeyoung and her friends won’t be able to escape. She balls up her fist and it took everything that she had but she decided to go for it. Chaeyoung closes her eyes and strikes blindly at the ringleader of the bullies. The fist lands right at the perfect angle and knocks the girl right in her left eye and she falls over. Yeri’s hand tightens over her wrist and they run out the door after Seulgi and Wendy. They ran and ran and ran. Every lamp post they passed over, it feels like a time leap of memories. Every few steps, Seungwan sees Seulgi and then the breeze glazes her and she becomes Garam again. Yeri looks on from behind and sees Seulgi and Wendy through the years. It was always them. It was always just the two of them. Tears well up in her eyes and she wipes them away with her sleeve every few steps. Yeri starts texting Garam their new location. The group continued to run till their lungs burnt and hot air scorched their throat. A drop of sweat glistened on Garam’s neck and her hands held over each other tightly. It is a familiar warmth, like a contained summer within a winter home. Garam and Seulgi’s image overlaps again and Seungwan calls out unconsciously.


SEUNGWAN
Seulgi?

GARAM
Yes?

 

Both of them stopped immediately and their eyes matched each other. The exhaustion catches up to them and the both of them start panting heavily. When her thoughts sync with her body, Seungwan tries to pull her hand away but Garam catches her again and pulls her body in closer. Seungwan feels her heart beating quickly and she loses herself in Garam’s eyes as if he has so many untold emotions and feelings inside of him. They move in closer to each other and her stare doesn’t leave Garam’s lips. Closer still… and even closer still. Before they can kiss, a loud voice interrupts them.


YERI
HEY! Stop! I’M HERE!

 

The younger girl with her new friend catches up. Chaeyoung is seen at the back panting heavily, almost nauseous from her once in a lifetime run. Yeri reaches over and pulls Seungwan away from Garam. Yeri’s eyes were hawkish and she glared angrily at Seulgi.


WENDY
Yerim-ah, I’m fine. Stop fussing.

YERI
What is wrong with you?

WENDY
What? Me?

YERI
No, you!


        Yeri steps over to Seulgi and shoves him with all her strength and she staggers over.


YERI
Why are you fighting thugs when you’re around Wendy-unnie? If you can’t protect her, why would you go around starting ?

SEULGI
I…

CHAEYOUNG
It’s not like that…

YERI
Don’t in, you kid.

CHAEYOUNG
You’re also a kid!

YERI
Shut up. Wendy wouldn’t have gotten hurt if not for you.

WENDY
Yerim-ah, it’s fine. Those kids harassing Chaeyoung is the problem, not her.

YERI
Don’t worry, I’ll get to those bullies later. But right now, I need you to go home with me.

WENDY
Wait-

 

Yeri forcibly takes Wendy’s hand and drags her away from Seulgi and Chaeyoung. Seeing Seulgi almost kiss Wendy was too much for her and she wanted to rip Seulgi to pieces


SEULGI
Yeri, wait.

YERI
Why? I’ve been waiting my entire life. My whole life is just waiting, why would I want to wait even more? Why is everyone telling me to wait?

GARAM
Huh?

WENDY
You’re not making sense, Yeri.

YERI
I don’t have to make sense. I’m a kid.

CHAEYOUNG
Your friend seems confused.

YERI
I’m the only sober one around. You. You just let some bullies walk all over you and pretend being a doormat is okay? As long as someone else will save you right? And you, (pointing at Seulgi) why do you think it’s okay to just waltz up to Jisoo and then Wendy and pretend to be their only one? As long as you get what you want, you don’t care if you hurt another person, right?

WENDY
What are you talking about, Yeri?

GARAM
Seulgi?

SEULGI
Oppa?

 

The real Garam has suddenly shown up out of nowhere and he’s staring at his doppelganger. Wendy becomes momentarily stunned at the revelation. Even Chaeyoung becomes wide-eyed at the split image.