Oh! My Super Sunny!

Sunny’s hurled a huge suitcase over the counter. The UPS guy jumped in his seat as she filled her information on the ‘to send’ form. She paused to smile at him briefly then resumed writing. He looked at Sunny. For a small girl, she single handedly dragged what seems to be at least thirty pounds worth of clothes by herself.

“Where are you planning on sending this, miss?”

“Jeonju.” Sunny said as she affixed her signature at the bottom. “There’s this hotel that I’m staying in and I want this package to get there. I’ve already reserved the room for tomorrow.”

“Oh well, that’s fine then.” The boy said, lifting her luggage and weighing it. “Going on a vacation?”

“You can say that.” Sunny said as she handed the payment to the boy in cash. She didn’t even bother to get the receipt as she immediately went out to the parking.

Jessica was waiting outside. She was leaning on Sunny’s green BMW Mini Cooper. She had just finished her phone call when Sunny arrived. She wrapped her arms around her friend. “This is it. There’s no turning back now.”

“Thank you for being such a good friend.” Sunny nodded as she hailed a taxi, got in and drove off.

Jessica felt the same sinking feeling she had when she first saw Sunny's bruises. She didn't know if she was doing the right thing; but she was smiling when she said:

"And thank you for being mine."

She handed the keys to some random stranger. “Congratulations, you won a new car.”

He man looked at her in amazement. However, Jessica didn’t stop there. She got on the hood of the car and pulled out all of Sunny’s credit cards.

“Who wants to go shopping?!”

In one quick pitch, the cards went to the hands of different unknown people.

•••••••

“All done!” Tiffany jumped. All the furniture finally arrived and she had just finished arranging all the stuff in her closet. She sat on the edge of her bed. Now what?

Taeyeon had gone out to meet the staff of Radio Seoul as they apparently wanted the young talent back in the show. So she had been alone in the house all day, arranging the furniture and what not. Now that she’s done though… She looked at the pink Hello Kitty clock that hung on the wall. It’s just past four.

She went out to the common room and turned the new LG OLED telly her Dad sent in, but the television only showed static. Tiffany checked the back of the TV and plugged it to her old Panasonic Bluray but she stopped when she remembered she had left all of her CDs at Jeonju. What the heck? Might as well go outside.

Defeated, she went to her iPod dock and shoved her iTouch in, playing Taylor Swift songs as she took a bath. It took her a little over an hour to finish but when she was done, she looked fresh as ever.

When she riffled her clothes, shorts was an obvious choice for the sunny but cool spring weather. She saw her ‘I love Bench/!’ shirt snuggled in between her pajamas. She actually brought this during one of their many overseas vacations. She wore one of her many Skool Looks coats over it and grabbed her purse. She intended to head to the local music store.

Before leaving, Tiffany took her iTouch and put her earphones on. She switched the song to Adele before putting it in her pocket. She noticed Taeyeon’s ‘post it!’ notes on her study and scribbled ‘our birthday :)’ on it and posted the note right outside their front door. She wanted to ensure that Taeyeon can get inside if she arrived earlier.

Tiffany was walking to Music Alley. Their dorm was near everything. Food, books, clothes… All kinds of boutiques littered the area. If you knew where to go, you can find anything in Seoul.

Another good thing about their apartment was the park that was near it. There is a sense of tranquility when she walked through it. You can feel the burst of life in it. The birds and trees sang and danced the same way Jeonju did. Too bad strolling through the Park itself only took ten minutes to complete, it usually left her with a feeling of sitting down under one of the trees just to reminisce the feeling of being in the province.

She had this bliss of being haunted by her memories with Taeyeon. She absolutely hated herself for giving in to her advances. She just couldn’t stay away from her. Tiffany always had a strong Christian conviction since her mother taught her to pray. But when it came to Taeyeon, she comes off weak and fragile.

She was ashamed of who she had become.

All the kisses Tiffany had exchanged with Taeyeon as well as that single but tender kiss from Siwon; it felt good while she was savoring the feeling of being in someone’s arms. But when she was alone, her thoughts would wonder and her tongue would suddenly have this bittersweet taste as she replays the memories in her head.

Did she really love Taeyeon and Siwon?

Maybe she just liked the feeling of kissing? This embarrassed her more. What was she, some kind of to just wanted physical contact? There had to be some kind of love involved, right?

… Right?

She pulled her iTouch out to change the song to something more upbeat. She figured she was getting all these negative thoughts from the slow and emotional beat of Adele’s song. She tried to fish it out her pocket but something keeps pulling it back. She traced the way the wire go. It looks like a big chunk of it got stuck on the button of her coat. She opened a button to let it slide.

Just then, a frisbee zoomed past her face by an inch! Tiffany jumped in response. She wasn’t hurt or anything, but she was in the mood to tell someone off.

And that frisbee was a one way ticket to the arena.

She noticed a tall boy waving as he ran towards her. She took off her earphones and shot him a very pissed off face.

“Mianhamnida!” The boy shouted. He was wearing the oddest pair of ash grey jogging pants she’s ever seen. The lining as the side was colored in of what seems to be rainbows. He was trying to catch his breath when he reached Tiffany.

She suddenly wanted to get away from the boy as fast as she can. If she was going to fight, she was gonna make sure it was a person with class. She likes to think that picks her fights well.

“Mianhamnida.”  He repeated as he bowed to her.

Tiffany wanted to kick the frisbee so far away that this person would just get away from her. That disc thing almost sliced her face in half! Her legs even moved to stomp on the toy while the boy picked it but…

“Ah, Benchi!” He pointed on her shirt. From here on out, he began speaking to her in English: “My friend modeled for that brand. Have you been to the Philippines before?”

Tiffany kept shut. The nerve of this guy to act so chummy with her! It hasn’t been more than a minute when that toy made of reinforced plastic almost flattened her nose.

“I’m sorry, do you understand English?”

“Yeah.” Keep it short and simple, Tiff.

“You sound like you came from the West.”

Of course I do. I came from America. She thought as she fixed the wires and tucked them inside her coat. “Diamond Bar.”

The boy offered his hand to Tiffany. “California, right? I’m from Massachusetts. Not a lot of people speak straight English here. I’m Taecyeon.”

Tiffany wanted to slap the hand away and just punch him in the face. He really didn’t like guys like this. That’s the reason why Taeyeon scared most of the guys away from her. Or maybe she wasn’t pretending, but she did her part well.

God, where’s Taeyeon when you need her?

Taecyeon immediately took her hand by force and shook it. “Did I do something wrong? I mean, I’m really sorry if my frisbee hit you. I didn’t do it on purpose. Can we start over please?”

She jerked her hand away as promptly walked away. “I really have to go.”

“I mean it. Can we start over?” He blocked her. If Tiffany’s feet would move, so would his. He mirrored every movement her legs make to keep her from leaving. She finally stood in one place, angrily defying his actions. “I’m Ok Taecyeon.”

“Fine, your name is Ok Taecyeon. I get it. Now, go away.” She said coldly. She wasn’t in the mood to be social. It was too bad because she found the boy somehow cute. If they would’ve met at a party or something, maybe they would have hit it off; granted that she was in a good mood as well.

“That was a bit harsh.” He said. “Can I at least get your name?”

“Stephanie.” She glanced at her watch and said. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m just not in the mood right now. Just let me go so we can be on our way.”

Taecyeon was surprised at the girl’s answer. Nobody has ever told him to get lost in such a polite manner. Actually, no one has ever told him to get lost before.

He pulled out his phone and opened his contacts. “Can I just have your number then?”

Tiffany looked at his phone. It was a Sony Ericsson Neo. Not bad considering his taste in clothes, though she stared at it. Her head tilting at its color:

Pink.

“Thirty nine. Eighty one. Eighty nine.”

Taecyeon typed the numbers in but soon got confused. “That’s not a phone number.”

“I wasn’t giving you one.”

“You’re pretty smart.” Taecyeon snickered as he hid his phone back in his pockets.

“And you…” She said. “Have a pink phone.”

Taecyeon smiled. His phone always brought the attention of the ladies. For now, he’s got her marked. “Well, if I can’t get your number… How about, coffee? If you’re not free today, maybe tomorrow? I can wait for you here.”

“Do you do this a lot? Harassing women in the Park?” Tiffany asked.

“Not really. Like I said, I was just playing catch and it just happened to fly by you.”

Tiffany looked for any signs of his friends but all she saw was old people chatting or kids playing tag. “Alone? God, you must be bored.”

Taecyeon smile didn’t waver. “Yeah well, that’s why it just flies wherever. Nobody’s on the other end to catch it.” He joked.

That sounds so… Forever alone. Tiffany giggled but she then realized that laughing would just encourage Taecyeon in talking. “I really have to go buy something.” How can a boy be so nosy?

“Do you go here? A lot?” He said as she started walking. He was trying to follow her pace but still providing her with enough space so she can feel as comfortable as possible.

“I just moved here.”

“So I’ll be seeing you around then?” He said. This stopped her in her tracked as she looked at him, almost horrified at the thought. “I live close by.”

Great. So idiots roam the city too.

•••••••

Taeyeon felt coffee spill from as she coughed. She was surprised at Jessica’s request. To think, her boss is asking her to take her friend in her house! It was the oddest request she had ever had.

“What do you think?”Jessica asked.

She wiped the sweet brown beverage from the corners of . “I really have to ask my roommate if she’s alright with this.” Taeyeon admitted. “The rent is really high and I’m having trouble in paying for the monthly fees even if I work for Radio Seoul again. If Tiffany says yes, then I’d welcome her in. I don't think it'll be a problem.”

Jessica was fondling her phone. “Why don’t you call her right now?” She said. “My friend is staying at a hotel right now but she’s gonna run out of money sooner or later. I'm sorry to push it on you. I'm just really worried for her.”

“I understand the feeling.” Taeyeon said as she dialed Tiffany to ask her opinion on it. "Jamkanmanyo."

Jessica’s eyes went to her phone. She had just received word that Sunny’s package was on its way to Jeonju. She’s outdone herself this time. Booking a week’s stay under Soonkyu’s credit card and sending her clothes to her room would undoubtedly put Jinkyu off scent.

If things go exactly as planned, Jessica would have covered Sunny’s tracks completely before Jinkyu would notice she was missing a sister.

Sunny didn’t have any plans to attend college and she didn’t enjoy working for their company anymore, not when she is constantly reminded of her past. She just wanted to live a simple life, away from everything that caused her so much pain.

I’m genie for you, girl. Jessica thought as she sent her trusted attorney a message. Finding lost people are hard enough, but changing Sunny’s name, fabricating IDs and providing her with a new phone would definitely make things more difficult. She was gonna make sure it would take Jinkyu at least a year to find out what her sister is up to.

Taeyeon tapped Jessica’s hand, bringing her back to reality. “Tiffany told me it’s alright. We'll clear a room for her. Does she have her own stuff though? Like her own bed and dresser?”

Jessica grinned. She was seeing her plan in action. “Oh. Let me handle that.”

“Yeah, well. In that case, I’ll clear the room tonight so she can drop by tomorrow. Tiffany’s room is big enough for the both of us anyway.”

“I’m glad.” Jessica said as she shook her hand, relieved that she can finally rest easy. “You won’t regret this, Taeyeon.”

•••••••

Sunny entered her hotel room. This was the last time she would be living large. No more credit cards or luxurious accommodation for her. From here on out, she is her own person. She would have to get a job like normal people did, wash and feed herself as well as paying the bills and taxes on her own.

Normal. She wondered if all of this was really worth Jessica’s effort. She didn't change her name much. Though she knew Jessica would be furious about that, but there are just some things Sunny couldn’t change about her life.

She had this conflicting identity. To anyone else, she is Lee Soonkyu; but to herself, she is Sunny but was still Soonkyu. It was confusing, even to her. She didn’t want make any drastic changes on her legal name. She can never let go of her surname, but ‘Soonkyu’… The person everyone in the industry knew. That was what she needed to erase.

She opened her meager supply of clothes. Jessica has brought her new clothes and shoes for her. Krystal sent her two bags. She had left everything else at home. All except her Canon DSLR set.

That’s another thing she couldn’t bear to leave behind.

She dug deeper in her bag and fished out her camera and some lens. She wiped the glass and junctioned it to the device. She then walked outside the balcony and shot a photo of Seoul’s night sky; then she took a picture of the city lights. Her camera focused on the dazzling and twinkling lights that danced on the buildings and streets of Gangnam.

It was so weird that she got everything done in one day. This is all happening so fast. She thought. She looked at the sliding door that vaguely reflected her face. The wind combed her hair and she felt like she was becoming a new person.

Sunny returned to the comforts of her room, closing the terrace door from the cold spring night. She dialed the hotel restaurant to order a steak. She then filled the tub with hot water and poured the milk bath in. There were rose petals near the sink so she dumped it in as well. When the food came, the server came in after her permission and Sunny politely asked if it could be placed on the table for later.

Just when the door shuts, she immediately locks herself inside the room. Like a trance, she went up to the steak and took out a knife. She eyed its sharp edges before returning to the bathroom and cleaned the knife with running water. She slowly ran a towel up and down its blade, drying the only thing that can lead her to at least a temporary salvation.

She stared at her reflection first. She was about to kill herself, but she wasn't scared. She was this kind of brave person. She didn’t view death as something to be feared but it was something fresh and invigorating. 

It was life after death.

She took a handful of hair and tugged it upwards. In one quick and skillful slash, her long brown hair fell on the cold tiles.

Soonkyu, the fearless photographer, one who would carelessly jump, climb and crawl for that one money shot. She was dead, but was also alive. She continued to cut her hair, styling it short similar to a young boy’s haircut.

She wasn’t Lee Soonkyu anymore. She was simply Sunny.