Something about this just felt terribly wrong. I swiped a little bit of foundation from the back of my hand and softly applied it to my face, the first step in all of my make-up routines. From the reflection of my dresser mirror I see Nara on the bed flipping through fashion magazines and twirling a stray bit of hair with her index finger. I continued with eye shadow and liner along with the rest of the bits and pieces that I needed to make myself presentable while continuously eyeing my baby sister who still persisted in simply not caring.

“I totally don’t have to go,” I told her, and from the annoyed look on her face I could tell that Nara was considering throwing me that magazine so I could shut up. It just felt strange, after everything, to go out and have fun by myself. “Alright, alright,” I finally conceded, a little scared. Finished with my face I walked towards the wardrobe and scanned its meagre contents. And it was because of that that I stood frozen and at a loss at which option I should go for.

“I need something to wear.”

“You need to go shopping,” Nara added. She found her place standing next to me and eyed my clothes with a sad expression. 

“Quiet. Help me choose,” I snapped. “Wait, actually no. Why should I think that my teenage sister knows more than me?”

“Because I do.” Nara shoved me aside and went through the hangers trying to find an ensemble that would be presentable. Almost as if it were instinctual, she reached out for black high-waited shorts, a white blouse that dipped in a ‘V’ and some coloured heels. I blankly received them and then she made her was to my dresser for a gold necklace to add some variation to an otherwise monotone outfit. 

“Thanks…” I muttered in surprise.

“Seriously, go shopping. And have fun!” With that Nara waved goodbye to me and strutted out of my bedroom like pro, clearly aware of what she had accomplished. I scoffed in amazement and disbelief. Seriously though, how could I not love this girl like crazy?

The Italian pizzeria near Itaewon was located on the second floor of a small glass building, sparkling with fairy lights wrapped around its banisters to attract curious passers-by. I basically sprinted from the subway to the location, having completely lost track of time, and pounded my legs up the stairs. The maître d’ smiled at me in welcome, choosing to ignore my breathlessness and showed me the way to a table of six facing the city streets. There I was greeted by five gorgeous women, all beaming and beautiful and grown, who basically shook the entire restaurant with their exclamations when they saw me. I would have been embarrassed had I not basically ran to them, engulfing each and every one with a huge hug. I’ve missed them so much, and I never realized that until now.

“Oh my god, I think I might cry. It’s been so long,” Jae In said, the poster perfect Gangnam girl. Her skin was pale, her brown hair wavy and long, her figure nice and slender, but her heart was the most pure and innocent thing I had ever witnessed. She dabbed at her eyes a little with the tissue and held onto my hand tightly.

“You just said you left for New York and we hardly heard from you since,” Mi Na added. I reached out to hold her hand as well, and smiled in apology.

“I know. It was all too sudden for me as well. I just knew that if I didn’t go, I’d regret it.”

“So, what did you do?” Ha Ni asked.

“Dance. I do modern dance and went to an academy, even had a chance to enter a production as well before I came back here.”

“That’s amazing,” Ji Eun added. “But I’m glad you’re here. Somehow, everything feels complete now.”

“Aw, you guys!” I exclaimed. “I’ve missed you so much. Honestly. But, forget about me though, what about all of you?”

“Well we’re all working now except Jae In, who’s still at the music university with her gayageum. And this girl here,” Ah Rang said pointing to Ji Eun, “Is engaged, Mi Na hooked up for the thousandth time about two months ago, again. And Ha Ni just got dumped.”

“Hey!” Ha Ni and Mi Na said in protest.

“And Ah Rang is forever alone,” Ji Eun quipped. 

“Yes, but I choose to be.”

“She’s going for a feminist thing, but I don’t believe it,” Mi Na told me. “As soon as she finds a guy she’ll change just like that.”

“And you?” Ha Ni asked. “Did you leave behind some hot American guy with blue eyes and brown hair, Shin Ae?”

“Totally. Along with a kid.” There was an awkward silence that hung in the air as I finished my sentence, and I could almost smack myself for my stupid American humour. I really should stop using sarcasm. “It was a joke,” I said.

“I know, but oh my god I went blank there for a minute,” Jae In said, patting what appeared to be a shocked heart.

“Sorry, sorry,” I chuckled. “It’s a strange habit of mine.”

“All I could think of was your body looks pretty damn good for a mom’s,” said Ha Ni.

“Ya…” I replied, not sure why I was embarrassed. 

“Honestly, why can’t you say something about her brains or her demeanour? It always has to be about looks with you,” Ji Eun sighed.

“What, she’s a dancer. It’s a compliment.” Good food, good wine and good company was the perfect triple combo which kept me entertained for hours on end. It felt like nothing had changed since high school, the dynamics and roles remained practically the same but most importantly, we remained close with one another as if all these years were no more than a couple of days. 

I lay down on the grass resting my head on top of Ha Ni’s stomach as she on a lollipop during lunch break. The sun is blaring from the dead heat of summer, and I hold up a book to block its lights from blinding me, but find myself reading its contents on Korean history as well. Somehow, things seem a whole lot more interesting when we aren’t forced to learn them.

“Ya, I’ve grown fatter haven’t I?” Ha Ni asks me suddenly. “Tell me the truth.” I reshuffle the position of my head on her stomach and try to come to an accurate evaluation.

“A little. Stop going for deokbokki after school for a week and you’ll be fine.”

“She entices me Shin Ae. I swear she flirts with me with that amazing sauce of hers.”

“Stop blaming it on the poor ahjumma,” Ah Rang says, smacking Ha Ni’s head with the lid from her lunch box. “You’re better off exercising, come and play tennis with me this afternoon.”

“What, and get tanned? No way.”

“Shouldn’t you guys be studying?” Jae In sheepishly asks. “We’re in our last year.” Ha Ni and Ah Rang stare at her for a long while before shaking their head.

“I believe in my brain,” Ah Rang confidently says.

“And I just don’t care.”

“Honey, you shouldn’t even try with them,” Ji Eun says, placing a comforting hand on Jae In’s shoulders. “Especially with Ha Ni. She still thinks some smart and rich chaebol will come and pick her up in his Lamborghini and drive away to Cheongdam-Dong.”

“Why not?”

“There needs to be a place for the two of you to meet first. That means you need to get into one of the SKY universities,” I explain. “It’ll increase your chances from just hoping you’ll bump into one randomly on the street.” Ha Ni is silent for a moment, mulling over this new piece of information and suddenly sits up in surprise, letting my head fall onto the hard ground. I yelp in protest but remain completely ignored as that twinkle of determination suddenly falls into my dear friend’s eyes.

“Oh no…” Ah Rang says. “Now she’s really going to study.”

“Guys! GUYS!” the approaching shouts from across the field catch our attention and we see Mi Na running towards us, the hair from her long ponytail swinging from side to side from her exuberance. 

“What?” I shout in return.

“You’ll never guess what just happened,” she says, trying to catch her breath. We all look at her, eager for what appears to be the latest gossip. “That guy from class 1, Kim- something or rather, the really smart good-looking one. He just told me he liked me!” The sound of typical news was met with a glass wall to Mi Na’s disappointment. We all groan simultaneously and go back to our original resting positions except for Ha Ni who looks up at the sky.

“Damn it!” she exclaims. “Why, god!? Why!?”

We were one of the last customers in the restaurant, and finally shuffled out onto the still crowded street with full stomachs and contented hearts. A man in an office suit was waiting outside, across the street and I saw Ji Eun’s face light up in happiness as she went to greet her fiancé. It was an ordinary thing, waving hello and holding hands, but I could feel all our hearts twisting in envy at the sight of finding someone that you were willing to spend the rest of your life with. The notion was so simple yet doing it was a whole other story. I glanced over at our own little feminist and knew that she felt the same way.

Having parted, I walked arm in arm with Mi Na trying to find a taxi to share seeing as we were going in the same general direction. I was guiding her through the maze of people as she was sending messages on her phone while somehow being able to carry a decent conversation with me, until she stopped in her tracks and looked at me, scanning me up and down.

“So you don’t have a boyfriend right?” she asked.

“No…” I replied a little unsurely.

“You want to meet some people? Models, very hot, if Korean guys are your thing.”

“So Hyun-ah, I’m not really looking.”

“Think of it as a chance to meet famous people then, come on. My boyfriend’s nearby with his friends.”

“Your boyfriend’s a model!?” I exclaimed, surprised. I could see her smile forming in pride. 

“Just one block that way,” she said, pointing down a street lined with cafes. Her plump lips were basically pouting in desperation and my heart melted quite easily to her attempts. Now I kind of knew why guys could fall for her left and right. Soon enough I was dragged down the road, inside a café and up the wooden stairs where our heels loudly clunked against the timber. My heart remained a little unwilling but as she promoted her seemingly perfect boyfriend with his fair skin, big eyes and the ideal body to boot, the teenage girl inside of me couldn’t help but be curious at what candy I could feast my eyes upon. As we rounded the corner at the end of the stairs however, I saw the four guys sitting comfortably on fabric couches and arm chairs, chatting privately amongst themselves. My eyes took in their faces one by one, until I realized that I should have listened to my instincts. I knew there was something wrong about tonight, and I was almost right. There were two things wrong about it. Bottom line is that I shouldn’t have gone. 

AN: New year, new start? Hope everyone had a wonderful start to 2014. Next chapter! Enjoy!