~Long chapter ahead

Nicole's POV

     It was safe to say that my first day of school went well. No, not well, it went excellent. Despite the times where I sometimes got lost in crowds, it turned out to be a pretty good day. When school was released, Hyuna met me by the front and took me to get Bubble Tea  for an afterschool snack. She metioned that she would take me out as much as she could. She would have taken me on a walk after we got Bubble tea, but she had homework to complete. 

     It was now five o'clock in the evening, and I was sitting in the living room downstairs. The fireplace was going and it was giving off an excellent source of heat. I was decorating a notebook I had found in the basement. I was still familiarizing myself with the house. So far the notebook had stickers on every corner, little Korean phrases on the front and inside on the pockets, there were also pictures of landscapes that I had found laying around in the basement as well. 

Startling me, my aunt came over to me and tapped me on the shoulder, show casing her beautiful smile, "Nicole-ah. What are you up to?" She took a seat on the floor next to me, and stared at the notebook lying in front of me.

"I found this notebook in the basement, so I thought it was okay if I could take it and put it to good use!" 

My aunt took the notebook in her hands and flipped through the blank pages of pink and blue paper. "Wah! This is very creative. I wish Hyuna could be more like you. All she does is sit around and watch TV and bug me."

I laughed, and so did my aunt. "Do you want to help me decorate it? I just need a few more touches, here and here." I said, pointing to the two last spaces on the front of the notebook.

"Ah, I would love to, but I have to get started on dinner. What do you want? I'll let you chose tonight." Giving my cheek a squeeze, my aunt steadied herself off of the floor and started her way to the kitchen. 

"I was actually going to go out for dinner. If that's okay with you." I added, "It's already five, and I haven't gone for my walk yet."

My aunt gave me a concerned look, "Your walk?"

I nodded and began explaining. "Back at home I take walks so that I can clear my mind. You know, of the bad things. It's also a great oppurtunity to take the world in."

"Sure, you can go out for dinner, do you need money? Oh, and I would absolutely love it if you could take Mi Ho with you. She hasn't been for a walk around here, and she's been bugging me lately to take her."

     Mi Ho was my younger cousin. She was seven years old and in her first year of school. She was such a doll. The only bad thing was, Mi Ho was very shy around me. The last time I had seen Mi Ho, she was in her high chair throwing and splashing spaghetti around the room. 

I gave my aunt a curt smile and nodded, "Of course, I would love to take Mi Ho with me for a walk. I have my own money, so don't worry about giving me any." 

Mi Ho ran downstairs at the mention of her name and clinged to her mothers leg. "Umma, umma. I want to go on a walk with Nicole unnie. Can I? Can I please?" She was just too adorable. The way her cheeks pressed to her mother's leg, and the way her cheeks turned bright red when she noticed me sitting there in the living room.

"Yah~ You can go, okay?" My aunt ran to the closet and started bundling my younger cousin up. She gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled right at her, "Be safe, okay?"

I, as well, bundled myself up and walked to my younger cousin, picking her up and smiling at her, "I'll take good care of her. Don't worry. We'll be back before her bedtime." I held my pinky out for my aunt to shake it, and she did, "Promise."

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Outside, Mi Ho was telling me about her day at school. I valued every single word that escaped . "And then, the teacher told me that I had earned my way to Student of the Month!" 

I clapped and cheered for Mi Ho and gave her a pat on the head, "Wah! What a good girl you are, Mi Ho-ah!" Giving her cheek a squeeze, I could feel my stomach start to grumble, "Where do you want to eat dinner? I'll take you absolutely anywhere."

I know I was new to the city, but I felt that I could manage my way around if I had another set of eyes, i.e, Mi Ho. 

Mi Ho tapped her chin, "Frozen Yogurt for dinner tonight, unnie?"

I nodded and grabbed her hand, "Anything for you!" 

     I did not know where I was going. I didn't see frozen yogurt anywhere around here. Desperate for directions, I went up to a group of kids that looked my age and tapped on one of their shoulders. The teen was wearing a black hoodie and tan shorts. His shoes were white high tops and he had two diamond stud earrings in his ear. I wasn't at all frightened, I was rather happy and filled with relief that I had found someone to give me directions.

"Can you tell me where the Frozen Yogurt lounge is?" 

The teen removed his hood from his head and bowed to me, giving me a shock. "Nicole? What are you doing out here?"

     I was filled with even more relief that it was Jonghyun who's shoulder I had tapped. Jonghyun looked so different when he was out of school uniform. I gave him a smile and chuckled, bowing back to him.

"I'm taking my cousin out for dinner. She wanted frozen yogurt, do you have any idea where it could be?"

Jonghyun looked at his friends who laughed at my question. "There isn't a frozen yogurt around here. But there is a burger place right down the street. I could take you there." He bent down to Mi Ho and smiled, "Would you like to eat burgers for dinner tonight?"

Mi Ho hid behind me and swallowed hard. Her reaction was the cutest thing ever. 

I nodded in response to his question and held on tightly to Mi Ho's hand, letting her know that I was still there. "Of course she would like burgers for dinner."

"Kaja!"

     Jonghyun started to lead us down the street. We made a few turns and I took in my surroundings, just in case I wanted  to come back here for burgers. In no time, we were standing in front of the burger place. It was a small shack, but it sold food, and that's all that mattered. Jonghyun held the door open for me and smiled when Mi Ho passed through. Surprisingly, Mi Ho smiled back and so did I. 

"That's cute." I said, standing in front of the menu, trying to think of what I would order.

Jonghyun laughed and stood next to me, close enough for me to smell his cologne. "What is?"

"She smiled back at you. She didn't start smiling at me until today. She's so shy around strangers."

Mi Ho was staring up at Jonghyun and I, watching our every move.  When Jonghyun noticed this, he bent down to her and smiled again, "What would you like to eat? There's burgers, french fries..." Jonghyun stated everything off the tip of his mind.

"Oppa, can I have a hamburger? I also want a slurpee and french fries.''

     When I heard Mi Ho call Jonghyun "oppa" I giggled at her, ruffling her hair. It was so nice to see how well she adjusted to Jonghyun. After all, Jonghyun was a very jolly and fun person to be around.

"Of course! You can have anything you want, okay?" Jonghyun stepped to the counter and ordered for us.

"Annyeonghaseyo! Can I have three cheeseburgers, a french fry and one small blueberry slurpee?" 

     The man behind the counter nodded his head and wrote down Jonghyun's order on a tablet. Jonghyun set his money on the counter and bowed his head, thanking him for his service. I was shocked that Jonghyun had just bought us dinner, and I was even more shocked at how fast our food got there. Jonghyun reached over the counter and took our tray of food, setting it down on a table in the back by a window.

"You didn't have to do that! I have my own money. But, thank you anyways for ordering our food. And showing us here. And paying for us." I unwrapped Mi Ho's burger for her and put salt and ketchup on her french fries, smiling as she started to eat.

"Don't mention it. Eat, eat, eat. We don't want our food to get cold." Jonghyun unwrapped his burger and mines as well, motioning for me to start eating.

     I don't know what it was, but I was starting to get comfortable around Jonghyun. I started viewing him more as my brother rather than just a friend. Whenever I got comfortable around someone, I started talking to that person everyday, and I started to get connected to that person, as well. I felt like I could be myself around Jonghyun. He had always been able to help me when I needed it. Like this morning he showed me around to our morning classes, he even showed me to my afternoon classes. It was so sweet of him. Even if his classes were on the other side of the building, he still agreed to show me to mines. 

Jonghyun leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. "That was so good!"

I looked down at my hamburger, it had only two bites taken out of it. Again, I felt guilty for not eating all of it. But, I wasn't done with it just yet, so I wasn't worrying too much about being a slow eater. I picked up my hamburger and took two more bites, wiping the corners of my mouth in case there as something lingering.

Mi Ho looked up from her empty plate and smiled, letting out a small burp and giggling. "Oppa! I'm done just like you!" 

Jonghyun tapped Mi Ho's nose and added, "Yes! But I finished my burger before you!" He added enthusiastically.

"One day I will finish my burger faster than oppa!" Mi Ho pouted a little and then turned her face from sad to happy. 

Jonghyun stared at me, "How do you like the school so far?"

I nodded my head and swallowed the food I was chewing on, "I like it so far, actually. I have only met you so far. I met your friend Joon, somewhat before he stormed off with his phone. The teachers seem like they are drags, but the work is pretty easy, so I like it." I took another bite of my burger.

"That's great to hear! Yeah, Joon is good people. We've been friends for a while now. Maybe we should all eat togther in the courtyard tomorrow for lunch." Joon suggested, shrugging.

I started to protest because of the cold weather, but the thought of us three eating together sounded pretty good. "Sure, why not!? It'll be fun." I smiled and wrapped up my empty burger wrapper, getting up and zipping my coat back up again. Mi Ho did the same.

"You are leaving already?" Jonghyun looked surprised at how fast I got up and scooted out of his chair.

"Yeah, Mi Ho's bedtime is in thirty minutes and her mom would freak out if she was even a second late. So, we have to get going."

"Do you need me to show you to your house, just in case you get lost?"

I shook my head and started for the door, turning back to Jonghyun and smiling, "Aniyo. We remember our way there. But, you should probably get back to your friends before they leave you."

Jonghyun chuckled and nodded, "Arasseo, I will. It was nice meeting up with you today. I'll see you in school tomorrow, then?"

I nodded and gave Jonghyun a curt nod. "Of course, I'll see you tomorrow."

I picked Mi Ho up once I noticed she had yawned and walked out of the burger place. "Pack a good lunch tomorrow!" Jonghyun yelled after me.

"I will!" I yelled back and disappeared behind the trees.

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     I returned home and noticed that all the lights in the house had been turned off. Opening the door, I stepped into the living room and took off my shoes and Mi Ho's shoes. There was a blanket and a pillow laying on the couch and I noticed Hyuna was sleeping under it. Careful not to wake her, I crept past her and walked quietly up the stairs to Mi Ho's room. I undressed Mi Ho and put her in her pajamas, she herself had fallen asleep on the way here. After she was all dressed for bed, I tucked her under the covers and gave her a kiss on the forehead, smoothing her hair back. I felt like Mi Ho was my own child. My connection with her was growing rapidly.

     I walked down the hallway to my room and undressed myself as well, throwing on an over-sized t-shirt and pulling my hair back in a loose ponytail. I still had my light off because I was scared that I would wake everyone from their deep sleep. It was hard to maneavur around in the dark, but I managed well. After I was done getting ready for bed, I snuggled under the covers and closed my eyes, dreaming about tomorrow and how my day would turn out to be.

*The Next Morning

     I arose from bed an hour early. It was still a little dark outside, and I could still hear the crickets sounding outside my window. There still were no lights showing through the house, except the light from the bathroom. I remembered that I had left it on when I went to use it in the middle of the night. I laid my uniform out on my bed and went to the bathroom to wash myself before everyone clogged it up.

     After I was done washing up, I walked back to my room, my hair damp from the water. I put on my uniform and ran a comb through my hair, scruntching my face whenever I hit a "tough" spot. Once my hair was combed out and air-drying, I slipped on my slippers and tip-toed downstairs. Hyuna was still asleep on the couch. Her tossing and turning was startling to me because I felt as though I had interrupted her sleep. Remembering that I was eating lunch today with Joon and Jonghyun, I went over to the refridgerator and looked in.

     Stacked up on each other were cans of tuna. I shook my head at this sight. I then settled on a bowl of rice that was from the night before, and I grabbed a bottle of water as well. I heated  the rice up inside the microwave and wrapped it with plastic wrap, slipping it into a container and putting it inside my bag. I also slipped the bottle of water inside of it as well. I jerked my head up, hitting it hard on the refridgerator when I felt a hand pat me on the back.

"...!" I rubbed my head and closed the refridgerator door, turning around to face my cousin, Hyuna.

Hyuna looked tired. She still had on her pajamas and she had her hair tied up in a bun. She scratched her stomach and looked at me, "Mornin'..." She yawned and blinked a few times to wake herself up.

I chuckled at the sight and nodded my head to her, "Good morning!" I must have been too loud because Hyuna pressed her fingers to my lips to quiet me down. "Ah, miahnae." 

Hyuna smiled at me sleepily and scratched her head. "Why are you up so early? What time did you go to bed last night?"

"I woke up about fourty minutes ago, and I took Mi Ho for dinner last night...we got back around seven thirty and she was tired so I put her to bed. Then I noticed you were sleeping, so I also went to sleep."

"Jinjja? Ah, sounds like you two had fun. My mom told me you had went out. I got bored so I took a nap, turned out to be a deep sleep." Hyuna looked over at my bag. My rice was sticking out of it. "What's that?" Hyuna nodded her head torwards the bag.

"That's my lunch for today..." 

"Just rice? And water? Are you feeling okay?"

"Actually, I am feeling fine." I gave Hyuna a soft laugh and continued on, "I'm eating with friends today. So I packed light."

Hyuna looked confused by this and tapped her chin, "Friends?"

I nodded, "Joon and Jonghyun." I zipped up my bookbag and settled down in a chair at the table.

Hyuna turned to me quickly and scoffed. "You're eating lunch with them?"

I turned to Hyuna and furrowed my eyebrows, "Is that a bad thing?"

"Ani."

These past few days, Hyuna was really making me think deeper than I should have been. Whenever I mentioned Jonghyun or Joon, she would either look down and change the subject, or she would scoff and make a sarcastic comment. Hyuna had been really urking my nerves with this. I wanted to find out why she had been acting like this, and I was going to start now.