[Chapter 6]

Eavesdropper

Christmas had come and gone, only this time with a brighter vibe for the girls that used to celebrate like the lonely Scrooge. They were able to spend their holiday with their best friend. Instead of being the depressed and secretive girls they used to be, everyone was happy and joyous of the festivity surrounding the city. Gifts were exchanged amongst each other and laughter filled the air in every household. This was truly what a Christmas was supposed to be like.

As for the three So Nyuh Secret members, it was obvious to say that there would be plenty of things to talk about at their next meeting. However, that next meeting wouldn't be until the annual New Years party that the Jung sisters would always host at their vacation house, a few days after Krystal and Amber would come back from the states. It was a great way for everyone to remember who their closest friends were by spending the first day of every year together. Needless to say, this year was definitely going to be different.

[New Years Eve]

“Llama!” A voice called throughout the Jung vacation house. Unlike the Jung residence a couple of blocks away, this place had a beautiful view from the backyard which simply looked out to the Han river. As well as the amazing view, the Han river was also the best place to hold the big firework show at the of midnight. It was no wonder why this place was always the selected party ground for New Years Eve.

Stepping into the family room, where a plasma screen TV rested, was a short haired brunette tomboy dressed in a fairly new tuxedo, minus the blazer. The elegant topper was instead draped over a one seater couch not too far from the television. “Yeah Princess?” The tomboy called out in her native language of English. She scanned the room and smiled happily when her eyes rested upon her caller. The short haired girl then walked up behind the latter and wrapped her arms around her waist.

Spinning in place to meet the owner of the arms wrapped around her was Krystal Jung, the younger Jung sister between her and Jessica. Despite the fact that they only shared a few similar facial features, Krystal's personality was the one that definitely matched her older sister. The younger Jung had hair that flowed to her back, sharing the same shade of brown her girlfriend had and even if she was in an apron, she still looked rather elegant with the casual party dress in which she sported. Krystal looked into the tomboy's eyes and smiled, mentally cherishing the way her girlfriend would always hold her. “Amber, as much as I'd like to have some alone time, we can't. We're hosting the New Years party tonight remember?” Krystal answered with the same Californian language. However, her answer only made a disappointed sigh release into the air from the short haired girl. Being the party host sure was a tiring job. They had to get the place ready, cook the food for the guests, and then clean up the mess once the party was over. “C'mon. Help me cut the vegetables while I cook.”

Resting her head on the younger girl's shoulder, Amber couldn't help but give her girlfriend a tight squeeze. “But Krys, I can't do any culinary work while I'm in a suit and tie.” She complained, purposely using her whiny child voice on the latter. It was her number one attack to get her out of doing the little things. If that didn't work, a little temper tantrum would do the trick. Although, she wasn't exactly planning on stooping that low just to get out of helping her girlfriend cook for the party.

Krystal stood up straight so a giant weight wasn't literally resting on her shoulder anymore. “Yah. That voice isn't going to work on me today.” The younger girl poked the latter gently on the cheek to try and put a smile on Amber's face. She looked at her girlfriend up and down, determining how much damage to her suit would be done if she helped. “Plus, you aren't even wearing your jacket. There's no way your entire suit is going to get dirty. Now c'mon. I can't cook a feast by myself. If you're so worried about your outfit, there's an apron hanging in the pantry.”

“Fine...” The tomboy grumbled to herself while walking over to the sink. “Why don't you just ask Jessica to help you cook? Since you're such a great chef, it has to run in the family right?” Amber suggested while rolling up her sleeves. She was starting to think of anything to not cook. One thing she hoped for was Krystal to also stop what she was doing so they could just be in each other's arms. Then again, this was still considered alone time with Krystal, it's just that it took part in the kitchen.

Hearing how her own sister should help her cook for the party made Krystal laugh. “Jess? Cook? Are you trying to poison somebody at the party?” The younger girl questioned with a giggle. Just the sheer thought of her older sister conjuring up something tasty, let alone edible, amused Krystal to the point that her smile stretched from ear to ear.

After a quick wash of her hands, Amber looked at the latter, “I've never tried your sister's cooking. Is it really that bad?” The tomboy soon dried her hands and snagged the extra apron in the pantry that was hanging on a hook. Quickly, she slipped on the shirt shield, not even caring to tie the back strings. Once she was set, the short haired girl marched over to help her lover peel some of the vegetables.

“Hey. I don't feed you her food because I love you.” Krystal confessed. That only made Amber stare at her in disbelief. But really, how bad could it be? There's no way that someone could be that bad at cooking. “Well, let me put it this way.” Krystal stated when she noticed how unconvinced Amber was of how horrible her sister's cooking was. She put down the knife she was holding to look at her girlfriend straight in the eyes. “One time Jess cooked us ramyeon.” The younger sister started. Amber nodded, egging her to continue. What could be so bad about her sister cooking the most common Asian dish? For dramatic effect, Krystal paused for a moment. “She burnt it.”

Dumbfounded with the ending of the incredibly short food horror story, Amber couldn't stop her jaw from dropping. “She burnt ramyeon?” Krystal's only answer was a nod as she turned back to the chopped up veggies. The tomboy's mind was utterly puzzled. Was it even possible to do such a thing? Finally composing herself, Amber shook her head and tilted it slightly while asking, “How...How do you burn ramyeon?”

The simple lift and drop of her shoulders was the maknae's only answer. “Don't ask me. I was only 12.” Amber's eyes only widened more at the discovery of her girlfriend's age at the time. She knew the age difference between the Jung sisters. Krystal would state it every now and then during their past conversations. So if Krystal was 12 then that means that Jessica was-

Suddenly the front door opened and closed, immediately silencing the talkative two. A trail of footsteps were easily heard nearing the kitchen and family room. “Out of the way!” A voice cried out just before two bodies became visible to the young chefs. The first to practically barge in the room was Yuri. In her hands was a tray of food that was covered with aluminum foil loosely while steam could be clearly seen coming out of the foil air ways. Rushing through the room, the tanned girl set the food on the large wooden table before snatching her hands back to blow on her pink fingers.

Then strolled in Jessica. In the auburn haired girl's hand was a paper bag of food that seemed to be fast food take out. “We're back.” Jessica announced in an uncaring manner. “And here's some food for you two.” She continued on, carelessly placing the bag next to the steaming foil.

The mention of food that was already ready to eat quickly snapped the tomboy's attention away from her work. Immediately she spotted the new table ornaments, feeling slightly water at the sight. “Food!” Amber shouted. She practically dropped everything in her hands to race for the newly exposed edibles.

“Yah!” Krystal suddenly cried out. Instantly, Amber was still, just inches away from the source of scents that were now intruding her nose. Temptation surged through her body to just dig in and scarf down everything that was presented. “You can't get any food until you're done helping me.” The maknae in the room stated strictly. “Now get back here and help me cook.” Despite being the younger one between the two, it was rather obvious on who wore the pants in the relationship.

An innocent pout formed on the latter's face. Even her tummy growled lustfully at the tempting consumables. “Don't worry.” Yuri chuckled. She patted Amber on the back gently. “There's nothing wrong with being whipped.” The tanned girl whispered teasingly while grabbing the fast food bag and taking a relaxing seat at the dinner table. “In the meantime, I'll make sure to leave you a bite.” She added, opening the top of the bag that only released more mouth watering scents into the air. It only made Amber whine softly at the unfair treatment she was getting.

However, just before Yuri's hand could reach into the bag, the sound of a clearing throat caught her attention. Her eyes met with Jessica's, making her gulp nervously. “Don't even think about eating until you get the rest of the shopping bags from the car.” The Ice Princess said sternly. When Yuri was practically petrified, Jessica simply raised an eyebrow intimidatingly to make the latter retreat. Instantly, the tannest one in the room crumpled the top of the bag again and stood up from her seat.

“You were saying?” Amber whispered with a victorious smirk just as Yuri passed her to go back to the car parked outside. With the Jung sisters, no one else would ever wear the pants in their relationships. The two hungry beings then parted their ways with the food and each other to complete their given tasks. Of course, taking bags out of a car took less time than peeling and chopping up vegetables so Amber was left envying Yuri from across the room. “Can I go eat now?” The tomboy whined for the millionth time to her girlfriend. By now the veggies were already in the pot and the stoves were the only ones that had to do their job.

A simple eye roll and nod of the head was Krystal's answer. “Fine. I guess you've helped out enough.” Instantly, the 'llama' ran to the table to join Yuri, practically begging her for anything that was left. The display of her girlfriend left a smile on Krystal's face as she lowered down the flame of one of the burners on the stove. Once the cooking food was checked over once more, the maknae of the room strolled over to her sister at the couch. This whole time, Jessica was just watching television. All of that cooking stuff wasn't exactly her specialty anyways. “Annyeong unnie.” Krystal greeted with a hug.

Jessica looked to her younger sister and smiled, sitting up to complete the hug. “Annyeong.” It really was a long time since they've actually had any quality time together. School was definitely getting in the way of their bonding time. Not to mention the quality time needed for a girlfriend. “Where are your friends? I was expecting them to have shown up before Yuri and I came back from grocery shopping.” Just to be safe, Jessica looked around the room one more time. The last thing she wanted to do was miss the most obvious thing right in her face. That's already happened one too many times to her.

Krystal sighed at the mention of her friends' absence. “I got a text last night from Sulli saying that she and Luna were gonna be spending New Years together out of town. As much as they wanted to help prepare for the party, things just came up. Oh well I guess.” The maknae stated with a shrug. “It's not like I'm can force them to come anyways.”

The talk about their friends also caught Amber's attention, making her turn around after taking a bite of her food. “That reminds me,” the tomboy managed to say as soon as she tucked the bite to one cheek. It wasn't long until she gulped down the food and washed it down with a swig of soda. “Victoria unnie said she can't make it either.” Amber finally continued.

“Victoria?” The youngest one's eyebrows furrowed together confusedly. She had to go through a list of people to remember who that was. It definitely wasn't one of her classmates, she would have known. Then it hit her. “Wait, you mean our dance teacher?”

Amber looked at her girlfriend dumbfounded. How could she forget her? “Well yeah. I invited her to come. She's pretty cool. You even said so yourself one time. Remember?” A victorious smirk ventured on the tomboy's face. Both of them could remember the day Krystal complimented their instructor, even if it was a mumble under her breath. “But she said she can't come anyways because she's spending New Years Eve with her fiance, Nichkhun.”

Krystal innocently tilted her head in confusion. “Nichkhun? I didn't know she was engaged.” The maknae's eyebrows furrowed together as she stared at the tomboy blankly. She was too busy trying to figure out when this announcement was made...if she had even announced it in class at all.

“I didn't know you were taking dance classes.” Jessica butted in. Her eyes were locked on her younger sister. That's when Jessica knew that it really had been a long time since they've last had a heart to heart conversation. She didn't even know what courses her own sister was taking. There was so much catching up they had to do.

Yuri and Amber stared at each other for a quick moment. “I didn't know that ran in the family.” The tanned girl mumbled with a smirk towards the tomboy. Her hands gestured to the two sisters before taking another bite of her food. However, her muttering wasn't exactly as soft as she expected it to be.

“YAH!” Both sisters called out. Two pairs of eyes glared at the long haired muncher. A gulp slithered down Yuri's throat nervously as the older Jung sister stood up from the couch and sauntered over to her...

“Mianhae Sica! Mianhae!”

[One Hour Later]

“Annyeong Taeyeon-unnie! Hey Tiff!” Amber greeted bilingually, with a quick bow, at the front door. She side stepped to make a path for the pair. All of the guests have officially arrived for the party now. “We were wondering when you'd be coming. Yoona-unnie's been whining about when she can dig in.” The tomboy continued on with a chuckle, closing the door behind the party guests.

Tiffany's eyes disappeared behind her signature crescent moons. “I'm surprised Sooyoung didn't say anything.” She joked while the three of them headed to the family room where all the food was. By now the table was topped with more food compared to earlier, but space could easily be made for more.

Amber took a seat on the arm rest of the couch, knowing she would have to get up soon anyways. “Actually, Sooyoung-unnie isn't here.” She pointed out to the two. “In fact, Hyoyeon-unnie and Sunny-unnie aren't here either.” The tomboy's lips pursed slightly at how small their usually big New Years party had gotten.

Hearing how there was an absence in the usual party goers surprised Taeyeon. She acted as unfazed as she could while sliding her potluck of food next to the other trays, but even her mind couldn't stop racing. Who's gonna distract the others while we have our end of the year meeting? The leader of the secret group looked up to make quick eye contact with the other two members. Apparently their thought process was all the same.

“Do you know where they are?” Tiffany questioned. It was as if she had read Taeyeon's mind. “It's not really the same without them you know?” A small pout formed on the eye-smiling party attendant's face. Meanwhile, a small smirk crept upon the oldest girl's features. You look so cute like that Fany-ah.

Jessica instantly whipped out her phone and fumbled through it to reach her text messages. All the while, uttered the explanation of, “They texted me since I'm the host of the party.” It wasn't long until she stumbled across the most recent text excuse from the girls that weren't there. “Let's see. Hyoyeon is at an 'End Of the Year' dance competition. It's the reason why she was always late when we would meet up at the mall.” Tap. Tap. “Sunny is at a video game convention where they will 'announce the biggest releases for next year'. It was something she 'couldn't miss'.” Tap. Tap. Tap. “And Sooyoung is at a 'Harry Potter Forever' book event.” Jessica's eyes lifted away from the screen to lock onto Tiffany seriously. “They're giving away free food based on the book.”

Immediately after, Taeyeon face palmed herself. The leader of the secret group shook her head and sighed. Just when she needed the tall giant, she would be gone the minute 'free food' would be mentioned. “Our shikshin will always stay true to her title.” She mumbled under her breath. More thoughts ran through her mind at the thought of having a final meeting with the others while still keeping it a secret. It would be obvious if one, let alone three people, were gone at the same time.

A clap in the room quickly gathered everyone's attention. The source came from a certain tomboy who was now standing. “Well then why don't we all be shikshins now? We've got a table full of food that is ready to be eaten.” Amber settled her eyes on Yoona with a small smile on her face. “Some of us have been dying to dig in more than others.” A bunch of giggles slithered into the air from the surrounding patrons. “I mean, who says that we have to have a bad time just because we're missing a few people?”

Just like that, everyone grabbed a plate and began to feast.

The continuous hunger eventually died down and only hours were left on the clock before the New Year began. Everyone was gathered at the sofas with enough room for one to a cushion. Though a full on conversation was going on between the girls, only half really paid attention while the distracted minds had their eyes glued on the plasma screen. Top chart singers and artists were performing live at a big outdoor concert that was packed from block to block. It really was a sight to see. But then again, a small party with close friends was the girls' way of making memories. Still, no doubt that the party was less exciting compared to previous years. The missing guests were the ones that always created such entertaining chaos.

As the crushes went into deeper conversation about the newest love story drama on TV, the members of the unspoken group shared glances with each other. They nodded slightly here and there to let the other know that it was time to pull off their alibi setter. With the plan now set mentally in their heads, Yoona focused all of her attention on Yuri. “Unnie, do you still have that jacket I let you borrow that one time?” The youngest member tilted her head curiously while waiting for an answer.

Yuri jutted out her bottom lip in thought. “Well now that you mention it, I'm pretty sure I do. It might be in one of the closets around here. Why don't you come with me and we can look together?” With that, their alibi was set. With all the clothes and closets the girls would have to go through, it would certainly take a while to find the 'missing' jacket. Thankfully their conversation was loud enough for everyone else to make a mental note of their disappearance from the party.

Witnessing the whole ordeal from the sofa beside them was Taeyeon. She was always fascinated with how the look-a-likes could pull off such a convincing scene every year. None of it was ever scripted. All of it was always improvised right from the top of their heads. These two should be actresses. It wasn't until the twins stood did Taeyeon realize that she too had to make up an excuse to ditch the fangirl circle. “Yah.” The leader pointed an accusing finger at the lieutenant. “You still owe me the 20,000 won I covered for you when we went to the restaurant.” Taeyeon's head lowered slightly, glaring a bit at the darker member. Hopefully her acting was just as convincing as the others.

Going along with the accusation, Yuri huffed out a sigh and folded her arms. “Alright shortie.” She waved for Taeyeon to join them. “If you help us find Yoona's jacket then I'll pay you back.” The tan girl snickered when she spotted the group leader puff her cheeks angrily at the height insult. Still, it was enough for Taeyeon to stand and march into the hallway with them. Now everybody's alibi was now officially set.

Despite the party place being a vacation home, it was still a place that could blend in with the average house on the block. Every year the trio walked the same walk way, going down the same hall, only to end up in the same room where they held the same end of the year annual meeting. Their room was one of the few at the end of the hall, just past the bathroom. None of the other girls have ever interrupted their past meetings there and that was just how they liked it. After all, they couldn't be considered a secret group if everyone found out about their meetings.

In short, the meeting room was a second conference room. There were sofas against the wall, a coffee table in the middle, a desk to the side, and lamps at the end tables. It looked like a smaller version of the living room only with a door to give those inside a sense of privacy to everyone else in the house. This was a great place for any meeting, including the So Nyuh Secret meeting.

On their way to the usual room, the trio walked in silence, listening to if whether or not they were being followed by a group outsider. Pleased with it just being the three of them, the two younger girls let out a sigh of relief. However, the oldest member wasn't exactly at ease like the others were. “You're gonna pay for that Yuri-ah.” Taeyeon eventually grumbled under her breath as she led the way.

Yuri's eyebrows shot to the roof in confusion. “Mwo?!” Her eyes settled on the shortest one in the group, finding no answer for why the girl could possibly be mad at her. “What did I do?” Wanting to make sure that she could hear everything Taeyeon would grumble, Yuri caught up to the leader's side, leaving the group's maknae to trail behind them.

Folded arms across the leader's chest was her only response. Taeyeon then looked away from the Black Pearl, huffing out an offended breath. “You called me short.” She finally explained with a bit of a snap in her voice. As much as it was the truth, Taeyeon was never a fan of being considered the short one. Why couldn't she be just as tall as the other members?

That's when everything finally started to clear up. In fact, it even put a grin on the offender's face. “I was only stating the truth.” Yuri chuckled with an innocent shrug of the shoulders. She wasn't lying. Everyone knew that Taeyeon was short, and even though she was her unnie, Yuri found nothing wrong with sisterly teasing.

However, tensions didn't let up. In fact, Yoona even felt the danshin amongst them getting even more irritated with the height topic. Being the maknae between them, Yoona wasn't sure if she should interfere with their end of the year clash or not. Her lips pursed while her eyes shifted between the two unnies she was trailing behind. “Yuri-unnie.” She piped out. “Do you really wanna start a new year with Taeyeon-unnie glaring at you from over the shoulder?” Her head tilted to the side with her eyes locked on Yuri, hoping to spot even a glimpse of regret for the short joke.

Instead, the exact opposite facial expression surfaced on the Black Pearl's face. “Ha! I doubt that will happen Yoona.” Yuri glanced over her shoulder at Yoona with a big smile on her face. “I don't think Taeyeon can even see over my shoulders!” The lieutenant of the group placed a hand over her stomach as nothing but laughter left . She couldn't help it with all the short jokes! Such great opportunities were coming her way. She just had to take them! Besides, Yuri found it as a sibling joke. She was sure that Taeyeon was seeing things eye to eye with her...figuratively speaking of course.

Taeyeon let out an irritated sigh as she closed the door after the other members entered the room. “You really wanna go out with a bang this year don't you, Yuri-ah?” The leader of the group grumbled under her breath, even glaring at the Black Pearl a little. In her head, the general went to the point of imagining the group's lieutenant being shot of a cannon, just to make her saying very literal. Then again, her mind was also stirring up other situations to where she was the giant and Yuri was on her knees begging to not be squished.

It wasn't until a gentle, “Unnie?” from the youngest member caught the oldest girl's attention. “Is it okay if we leave the door open just a little? We're starting our meeting a little later than usual and it would be easier to hear anyone if the others are looking for us.” A weak smile flashed itself towards the general. “You know, in case we run our meeting too long or something.” Yoona mentally prayed that Taeyeon wouldn't lash at her for a simple request since there was still some fire in her eyes that needed to be extinguished.

Letting out another sigh, this time to calm herself down as much as she could, Taeyeon opened the door just enough for any hallway noises to enter in the room. She then glanced over at Yoona. “Better?” When the captain simply nodded her head, Taeyeon let out one last breath before joining the other two at the sofas. Taeyeon knew that she had to be calm and excited for the upcoming year and not think of squishing Yuri with a giant wooden hammer like in those classic cartoons. “Alright girls.” General Taeng stated while taking a seat in the single seater sofa.

Suddenly, the leader paused, hearing something that sounded like footsteps heading their way. Everyone quickly hushed while they listened to the pitter patter of the feet. Eventually, a door opened and closed, sounding as if it had come from the bathroom. The three girls waited for a second and all was still again. Eventually, Taeyeon let out a sigh of relief and relaxed in the sofa chair. “Like I was saying, it's time for our mandatory end of the year So Nyuh Secret-”

“Seobang Secret.” Yuri butted in with a finger in the air. On her face was her usual smirk and raised eyebrows, as if the others had said the name wrong and not her. One thing was certainly surging through the girls' heads. Yuri was very much a kkab tonight compared to any other night.

The two other members completely face palmed at the incorrect name of the group...again. Taeyeon looked to the tannest girl in the group. She was really squeezing all of the patience out of her now. “Yuri-ah. If we change our name to 'Seobang Secret' will it make you happy?”

The Black Pearl's eyes lit up with excitement. “Neh!” She practically squealed. “And the fact that we'll be changing the name on New Years Eve sort of symbolizes a new beginning for the group. Don't you think?” Her smile widened from ear to ear.

Finally, it clicked in the other girls' heads. The remaining two members simply looked at each other and right away they knew that they were thinking the same thing. For once, Yuri's suggestion didn't seem so bad, now that there was an actual reason to the group's name change.

General Taeng then nodded her head once. “Arasso. Starting next year, we will officially change our club name from 'So Nyuh Secret' to 'Seobang Secret'.” The kid leader looked over to the ecstatic member of the group. “For Yuri's sake.” She muttered under her breath.

Finally having her way, after who knows how long, the excited Black Pearl clapped away happily. However, just as fast as the kkab celebrated, Yoona clasped her hands tight around Yuri's noise makers. “Shh unnie.” She hushed with a finger going to her lips.

As this was being said, a certain tomboy just exited the bathroom quietly. She felt a little bad for practically barging into the bathroom earlier. Then again, that's what she deserved for waiting until the last minute to tend to nature's calling. Amber let out a gentle sigh as she stood by herself in the hallway. Her mind was debating with whether or not she should go back down the hall to the girls that were too busy talking about dresses and make up on the T.V dramas and commercials. Despite how much she loved her girlfriend, that sort of topic just wasn't something for her to go crazy over. I wonder where the others are. Maybe I can talk about something not so girly with those three. Amber sighed again. She ran a bored hand through her short hair. The thought of looking for the other unnies was an idea she was ready to stick to as an excuse to not hear about the latest actors that were 'so dreamy' to everyone else.

“We don't want anyone to know what we're talking about.” Yoona's voice slithered into the tomboy's ear. Immediately, Amber was hooked on the conversation. Not only had she now found out where the others were, she finally had an excuse to not go back to the girly conversation. Instantly, she scanned the hallways trying to find out where the voice came from. There, just past the bathroom was a door with light escaping into the hallway from its narrow openings. Amber smirked and quietly sneaked up to the closest wall, gently following it to the room that the meeting was held in. The eavesdropping tomboy made absolutely no noise to the door. What fun would eavesdropping be if she got discovered? Slowly, Amber peeked into the room, spotting the three missing party attendees.

Hmm...I wonder what they're talking about.

A/N: Annyeong everybody! Sheesh! It seems like I just dropped off the face of the Earth when it comes to updating huh? Mianhae for taking so long! I've been so busy with school and work! I work every weekend and go to school every week day! I've also got a research paper due tomorrow too! I didn't even start it yet. In fact, I have a midterm in like....30 minutes. xD But I put aside some studying to update for you readers because I feel like you deserve the update that you've all been waiting so patiently for.

For this chapter, I acutally had to cut it in half because it was reaching somewhere around pages when I typed it up and my average chapter is usually 7-11 pages so I know I had to cut it! I think this one is only 7 pages long so it's not much. Anyways, I'm almost done with the next chapter. I just have a few chapters to write and then I'll polish it up! Promise! But for now, I hope you like this update. I know it's not that much but please be understanding! Anyways, enjoy!

-Jeo