“Aigoo.  Is this really happening or what?”  Martin muttered to himself.

“Yeh?  Did you say something?”  Lorraine asked him.

“Aniyo.”  Martin answered while snatching the pizza box from Lorraine’s hand.  “I’ll carry this for you.”

“Okay.  Thank you.”  Lorraine managed to say.  “Martin?  How far is your home from here?”  She asked.

“Huh?  Far.  I told you Ms. Lorraine, I can get you a cab so that you could go home now.”

“No.  Don’t do that.  I told you Martin, I wanna go somewhere, anywhere but not home.  Please.”  She looked at him with blinking eyes.  “Just let me go with you.  Please.”

What’s with her eyes?  Aigoo.   “Araso.  But I need to make a quick stopover.  You can wait for me here.”

“Okay.”  Lorraine said following Martin with her eyes.

Martin entered a neat little bakeshop and approached the woman at the counter.  “Hi Ahjumma.  How much are those cupcakes with strawberries on top?”

“200 won each.”  The woman said matter of factly.

Martin reached for his pocked and counted the money he had left.  500 won, just enough to buy two cupcakes.  “Please give me two pieces Ahjumma.  Thanks.”  He told the woman with a smile.

As he was waiting for the cupcakes to be ready, he looked outside and watched Lorraine.  This girl is really something.  When we met last night, it was really not good.  I got into a fight with a very arrogant guy in order to save her.   And then I couldn’t sleep because I kept thinking of her.  And then of all pizza places, she had to eat at where I worked.  And then I got fired because of again saving her.  And now this?  She’s with me?  She’s coming home with me?  Aigoo.  What is really happening right now?  He thought to himself.

As what she was told, Lorraine stayed outside of the bakeshop and waited for Martin.  She looked at the glass wall of the bakeshop and saw her reflection.  “Omo.  Look at me.  My hair is a mess.  I look exhausted.   Never seen myself look this normal.”  She said to herself.  She eyed Martin and pouted.  Oh gosh.  Am I doing the right thing?  I’m here outside a bakeshop in the street waiting for a guy that I met just only last night.  I barely even know him.  Aniyo.  I technically know him from all the stories Pipa told me about him.  But hey.  It still isn’t a good reason for me to go with him at his house.  Omo.  But if I don’t go with him, where will I go?  What is really happening right now?  She thought to herself.

“I’m sorry if it took me that long.  The lady inside looks annoyed and was purposely delaying.”  Martin explained.

“It’s okay.  Maybe she found you cute and was delaying so she could have a good look on you.”  Lorraine stated and felt awkward at what she said.  “I was kidding.”  She immediately added.

“Can we walk a little faster?”  Martin told her with almost a bored tone.

“Of course.”  She breathlessly said and kept up with his pace.

“Oppa.  You’re here.”  A cute little girl squealed and hurriedly approached Martin.

“Oppa.”  Another little girl who looked exactly like the first girl shouted.  They both ran towards Martin and tiptoed to kiss and hug him.

“Hey.  Did you miss Oppa?”  He asked them.

“Yes of course.”  They both said in unison.

Lorraine eyed them and smiled.

“Who is she Oppa?”  Asked the first girl.

“Oh.  This is Ms. Lorraine.”  He told them and then he faced Lorraine.  “Ms. Lorraine, these are my sisters, Ki and Ka.”

“Hi Ki and Ka.  I’m Lorraine.  Nice to meet you.”  She greeted them with a smile.

“Hi.”  The little girls greeted her in unison.

“You’re so beautiful Ms. Lorraine.”  Ki said.

“Yes.  You’re so beautiful.  I like to have long hair like yours.”  Ka said.  Both girls giggled.

“Thank you.  You two are too cute for words.  Can you give me hugs and kisses too?”  She asked them and she looked at Martin.  The kids also looked at Martin as if asking him if it’s okay.  Martin smiled at them and nodded at Lorraine and then both girls laughingly reached for Lorraine and repeatedly hugged and kissed her.

“Oppa what’s that?” Ka asked Martin pointing at the pizza box.

“This is not ours.  It’s Ms. Lorraine’s.”  He said.  “I’ll put this in the fridge so it won’t spoil.”  He told Lorraine.

“Don’t.  The four of us are going to eat that.”  Lorraine told him with a wink.

Dumbfounded, he placed the pizza on the table and sat.

“Come on girls.  Let’s eat pizza.”  Lorraine said reaching for the girls’ hands with each of hers.

“Wow pizza.  Yehey.”  They rushed to the table.

Lorraine watched Martin’s sisters eat.  They look so cute.  She had always dreamed of having siblings, a sister in particular.  How she wish she could have these girls as her own.  She sighed, but with a smile.

 “Oppa.  It’s really delicious.  Thanks for the pizza Ms. Lorraine.”  Ki and Ka chorused.

“You’re welcome cuties.”  Lorraine told them.  She looked at Martin and realized that he was still holding the plastic which contained the items he bought at the bakeshop.

“What are those?”  She asked him.

“Nothing.”  He said.

She snatched the plastic and saw that he bought cupcakes for his sisters.  She felt guilty because instead of the cupcakes, his sisters were enjoying the pizza.

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll eat these.  I got really tired from jogging and walking that I feel that my sugar level is really going down.”  She asked him.

“But you’re pizza…”  Martin trailed off as he again received a mild blowing wink and all he could do was smile.

“I have to go somewhere.  Is it okay if I leave you with them for a while?” Martin asked Lorraine.

“Oh sure.  Don’t worry.  I’ll stay here with them.”  Lorraine said with a smile on her face.  “You take your time.”  She added.

“Ahm.  Ki, Ka, can I ask you something?”

“What is it Ms. Lorraine?”  The twins asked her.

“Can you call me Unnie?”  She asked them.

“Unnie?  Chincha?”

“Yes.  Call me Unnie as if I’m you’re big sister.”  She told them.

“Yes Unnie.  Wow.  We now have an Unnie.  Thank you Lorraine Unnie.”

Lorraine felt like crying at hearing those words.  Unnie.  She really liked to be one.  How she wish these girls are her sisters.

“Why am I doing this?”  Martin asked himself.  He went to the grocery store and bought ingredients for bulgogi.  He and his sisters are used to eating just bean sprout soup and egg but he felt like cooking bulgogi today.  “Chincha?  What did that girl do to me that I feel obliged to cook something special because she is at our house?  Who does she think she is?”  He irritatingly stated.

“Hey Martin you’re back.”  Lorraine stated.

“Hi Oppa.  Where did you come from?”  Ki asked.

“Uh.  I went to the grocery store to buy lunch.”

“What are we having for lunch Oppa?.”  Ka asked.

He smiled at his sisters and said “Bimil.  You’ll find out later.  For now, you can go and play outside, but be back here before lunch time.  Araso?”

“Okay Oppa.  We’ll be back later.  We’ll play with Jolie first.  Bye Oppa.  Bye Unnie”

“Unnie?  Yah.  Apologize to Ms. Lorraine.  You shouldn’t call her that way.”

“Martin.”  Lorraine cut him off.  She faced Ki and Ka.  “You little cuties go ahead and play with your friends.  You’re Oppa and I have something to talk about.”  She winked at them.

Again, Martin was struck with that wink.  Omo.  How many times does she have to do that?  He thought.

“Okay Unnie.”  And the girls went on their way.

“Ms. Lorraine, I’m sorry about that.”

“About what?”  She asked.

“My sisters.  They shouldn’t have called you that way.  I’m really sorry.”  Martin said.

Lorraine looked down and her face was directed on the floor, her shoulders shaking.

“Hey.  I’m really sorry about my sisters calling you Unnie.  I’m sorry if that upset you.”

Laughter.  “Omo Martin.  I wasn’t upset at all.  In fact, I was the one who asked them that they call me Unnie.”  Lorraine mumbled in between laughs.

“Huh?  Why?”  Martin asked with a surprised look on his face.

“I don’t know.  Yeah I really don’t know why.  But I want to be their sister.”  Lorraine absentmindedly stated.

“What?”  Martin asked.  He felt his heart skipped a beat.

“Uhm.  What I meant was, I’m an only child and I always dreamed of having a sister.  Hearing them call me Unnie is like a dream come true.”  Lorraine said in one breath.

Oh my gosh.  What did I just say?  I want to be their sister?  Yeah right.  Omo omo.  I feel so embarrassed.  I hope he didn’t get the wrong impression.  Wrong choice of words.  What’s with you Lorraine Moon?  Lorraine thought to herself.

What was that?  Did I just assume that she wants to be my sisters’ sister because of me?  Aigoo.  What a lame reaction.  I’m embarrassed beyond words.  What’s happening to you Martin Jang?  Martin thought to himself.