Hyoyeon waited for Sunny at the bus stop in front of the shopping mall. She sat nervously as she kept looking at her watch; wondering why Sunny hasn’t arrived yet.

“Hyoyeon!”

She turned to her left to find Sunny running towards her. She stood up immediately.

“I’m sorry.”

Sunny was out of breath and Hyoyeon offered to take the file Sunny was hugging under her arm.

“It’s okay, I can still take it.”

“Nah, you look like you’re going to die soon. Here, take a seat.”

Hyoyeon then grabbed a bottle of unopened mineral water from her bag.

“I got you this. It’s a hot day, you might get thirsty.”

Sunny was taken aback but nevertheless took the bottle from Hyoyeon. She was surprised that Hyoyeon was thoughtful and initiative. Sunny took a sip and gave it to Hyoyeon.

“Hmm?”

“It’s a hot day like you’ve mentioned. We can always share the bottle.”

“Okay, thanks!”

Hyoyeon took the bottle from Sunny and took a gulp. Sunny looked on; she felt at ease each time Hyoyeon smiled at her.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, can we go now?”

“Sure, let’s go then!”

Hyoyeon took Sunny’s file and put it into her hand-carrier. It fitted well. She then slung her bag on her back and took Sunny’s hand.

Sunny was stunned.

“Let’s go, Sunny.”

Hyoyeon pulled Sunny along with her; Sunny was still staring at their intertwined hands.

“What is this?!”

Sunny was confused and ecstatic at the same time.

*

Jessica and Taeyeon decided to eat ice-cream because it was really a hot day.  They decided to head to the famous ice-cream joint in the city. The couple was holding hands tightly and Taeyeon was very protective of Jessica. She made sure Jessica walked on the inside when they took a shortcut through the small lane behind their school. There were too many traffic along that lane.

“Be careful, Jessica. Stand here.”

Taeyeon pulled Jessica closer to her. Jessica was smiling to herself. Taeyeon really took good care of her. She gave a quick kiss on Taeyeon’s cheek. The girl’s eyes grew larger.

“Wae?”

“Nothing, I just thought of giving you a kiss.”

“Ah, you should have just kissed me on the lips.”

“We’re in the public.”

“But you kissed on the cheek!”

“It’s less provocative.”

Taeyeon stared at her girlfriend.

“Fine. You win.”

“I’ll kiss you more when we’re back in our room, k?”

Taeyeon grinned widely.  Jessica gently smacked her on her shoulder. That playful grin was still there; in fact it grew wider from ear to ear. They continued to hold hands and walked happily; Taeyeon was swinging their hands together while humming to “Kissing You Baby.”

Jessica never expected to find a perfect love with Taeyeon. She may not be her type of girl but Taeyeon gave her the strongest security and Jessica knew she could trust Taeyeon whole-heartedly. The way she fell in love was gradually; not that kind of love at a first sight.  She was indeed happier; having Taeyeon by her side.

Suddenly Taeyeon abruptly stopped walking and Jessica almost slammed into Taeyeon. She frowned.

“Why are you stopping out of sudden?”

“I think that girl is familiar.”

“What girl?”

Jessica was looking annoyed at the mention of a girl. She turned to where Taeyeon was staring at. Then her eyes grew larger.

“Is that my sister?”

“Yes and look who she’s with.”

Jessica stood in front of Taeyeon to get a better look. She was stunned to find her sister with Seohyun.

“Is Seohyun dating my sister now?”

“Seohyun’s gay too?”

“Why do you ask?”

“She looks almost perfect. I thought she might be a nun or something.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Seohyun is a model student, right?”

The couple just looked on before Taeyeon suggested spying on them.

“Are you crazy, baby?!”

“We can be 007 agents!”

“You really love to watch such stories, aren’t you?”

“Our lives can get really dull. Let’s do something with more excitement!”

Taeyeon then pulled Jessica with her.

“She’s going to see us!”

“SHH! Let’s hide behind that pillar.”

“I cannot believe I’m doing this with you!”

Taeyeon grinned.

“Welcome to Taeyeon’s world – where the fun and weirdness begin!”

“Shut up!”

Jessica smacked Taeyeon on her back but decided to follow Taeyeon. The couple hid behind the pillar; just to get closer to the other couple.

“I love you, Jessica.”

“Why?”

“For doing stupid things with me.”

“Who asked me to have you as my girlfriend?”

“But you still love me, right?”

“Of course I do.”

Taeyeon gloated over it. And Jessica was rolling her eyes at her.

*

“Do you have other siblings?”

Krystal asked as she scooped her finger into the ice cream. Seohyun looked on.

“Nah, I’m the only child.”

“Huh? Aren’t you bored?”

“Well, my childhood was filled with activities. I took piano lessons, violin lessons, ballet lessons, tuition, swimming and even vocal lessons. And not forgetting, art lessons too.”

“Wow. You have time for all that?”

“I enjoy doing them.”

“Don’t you get stressed out?”

Seohyun took a scoop of the ice cream and shook her head at Krystal’s question.

“My parents spend time with me when I have that free time. We went for holidays together and attended to my piano recitals all the time.”

“You’re so lucky then. My parents are too busy for me.”

“They are earning money for you and the family.”

“We’re rich enough. They don’t have to work so hard.”

Krystal mumbled. Seohyun felt sorry for her. She may look cold and arrogant on the outside but what Krystal really needed was her parents’ love.

“You mentioned you have a sister before.”

“Yeah, she’s studying in a university. My sister has repeated her first year 3 times. This year is her last year. If she didn’t make it, the university will kick her out.”

“Oh, that bad?”

“Actually she’s smart but our parents don’t really care about us that much. So we couldn’t care less.”

Seohyun frowned.

“That’s wrong of her to do that. Our education is for our own future. As we grow older, our parents might not be with us forever. They put you and your sister through school so that you could earn that degree to find a good paying job for a living.”

“You really think so?”

“Well, maybe the way they do it is wrong but you have to think of your own future. There are always friends and you. She has you. And you have her. The two of you are close?”

“Yeah, we’re still kicking alive and well because we kept reminding ourselves that we could only rely on each other.”

“That’s great. But you have one extra person.”

“I know. You’re referring to yourself, right?”

Seohyun nodded.

“Are you always that kind-hearted to strangers?”

“You’re no longer a stranger. We have a connection; a bond.”

“We do?”

“We’re bonding now. From a student-teacher to a friend or even sisterly kind of relationship.”

“Ah, I see.”

Krystal smiled to herself. She continued to eat ice cream but she couldn’t bring herself to look at Seohyun. She knew her cheeks were red because she suddenly felt awed in front of Seohyun. That kind of feeling growing within her was scaring her.

“Krystal?”

“Huh?”

Seohyun’s hand reached out for her lips. She gently wiped off the excess cream at the corner of Krystal’s lips. Krystal felt something in her heart.

“You eat like a baby.”

Seohyun chuckled; Krystal’s face was getting redder by the minute.

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! DON’T TOUC H ME LIKE THAT!

Krystal was panicking. She realized she was in trouble. Her heart was in trouble.

*

Yoona and Tiffany were enjoying themselves. They bought tickets to a movie and since it was still early, they decided to eat first. The other two were just tagging along; they were forced to walk together.

Yuri wasn’t too sure if she could continue doing this. She remembered Boa’s words and her face turned extremely red. Her sister was right. She does have feelings for Soo Young. And now she was struggling to keep it down. She might lose her mind if the silence continues.

Soo Young, on the other hand, kept stealing glances at Yuri. She was desperate enough to hold Yuri’s hand but she remembered Yuri’s warnings to her. She didn’t want to risk her friendship with Yuri either. It was driving her crazy.

Suddenly someone called out to Yuri. The two girls turned at the same time. Both looked stunned to find Boa and Yunho staring at them. Boa was already smiling away.

“Hi Soo Young.”

Hi Boa unnie.”

“Yuri.”

“What are you doing here and why are you holding her hand so tightly for?”

Yuri was looking at her sister before turning her attention to Yunho.

“Eurm, she wanted to hold my hand first.”

Yunho decided to shift the blame to Boa. The girl rolled her eyes. And Soo Young were just looking on. Yoona and Tiffany were inside a shop; they weren’t aware of the meeting.

“Can you stop scolding Yunho? You’re making him uncomfortable.”

“He ought to! And I thought you two have lessons now?”

Yunho and Boa were staring at each other;  Yunho knew how protective Yuri was of her step sister. He didn’t mind that Yuri kept bothering him because he knew how much Boa adores her sister. He was often amused with Yuri when it comes to her sister.

“We’re old enough to skip school.”

“You’ve been doing that?”

“You have never skipped school, Yuri?”

“I’m a model student.”

“Good grief.”

Boa was annoyed with her sister while Soo Young was giggling to herself. Yuri was so cute when she tried to reason her way out.

“What are you laughing at?”

Yuri saw Soo Young hiding her laughter.

“You’re just so cute.”

“Shut up.”

“Soo Young, why are you with Yuri?”

Boa decided to take revenge. Yuri was panicking.

“Well, we were just hanging out after school.”

“You’re alone with her?”

Yuri was about to answer but Soo Young beat her to it.

“Yes, Yuri asked me out.”

“I DID NOT!”

“Don’t try to deny.”

“What?”

“And Boa unnie, please don’t do this to Yuri.”

Boa turned to look at Soo Young. Yuri was already glaring at her.

“What do you mean?”

“You already have Yunho oppa. Why do you need to lead Yuri on?”

“WHAT?”

Yuri and Boa answered at the same time. Just then, Tiffany and Yoona appeared in front of them.

“What are you talking about, Soo Young?!”

Yuri screamed at her.

“She has a boyfriend. Why do you still want to stick to her?”

“HUH?!”

“Err, Soo Young, I think you have misunderstood them.”

Yoona suddenly spoke up. Soo Young turned to her.

“They’re sisters. Boa unnie is Yuri’s step sister.”

Soo Young wanted to die and hide her face. She was embarrassed to the max.

“Soo Young, you think I’m dating Yuri and Yunho at the same time?”

“I..err...I errr..”

“You know what, Soo Young? I’m not even offended. I’m amused. I think the two of you are a match in heaven.”

“WHAT?!”

“UNNIE! STOP SAYING THINGS LIKE THAT!”

“Yuri, why don’t you tell Soo Young how you feel?”

Soo Young was stunned and it was Yuri’s turn to hide her face and die.

“This is so interesting.”

Tiffany finally spoke up.

*

In the end, it was left Yoona and Tiffany alone. Yuri was so embarrassed by her sister that she decided to run off. Soo Young ran after her after Boa urged her to. So it was left Yoona and Tiffany alone; they even gave the extra two tickets to Boa and Yunho. But they exchanged it for another movie instead.

So Tiffany and Yoona would be watching the movie themselves. Tiffany was ecstatic. It was time for the movie and the two girls went into the theatre together. Yoona let Tiffany sat on the inside and the two girls quickly settled down.

“You think Soo Young and Yuri will be fine?”

Yoona was still worried for them.

“They’re old enough to take care of themselves. I think they should be fine. Boa unnie didn’t seem to worry about her sister either.”

“Well I’m more worried about Soo Young.”

“Oh, she’s going to be fine. This is the first time she’s falling in love.”

“Really? So Yuri’s considered lucky?”

“I should say Yuri is the first girl who could control Soo Young’s emotions like that.”

“Wow.”

Soon the lights were dimmed and the movie started.  Yoona sat closer towards Tiffany; their arms touched and Tiffany glanced nervously to her side. She saw Yoona’s arm and she could feel her skin against hers. Her heart was pumping rapidly and her face blushed instantly.

“POM!”

There was a loud sound and Tiffany jumped in her seat. Yoona held her hand immediately.

“Tiffany, were you startled by the loud sound?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be. If you’re scared, just hold on to my arm.”

“Huh?”

Yoona then intertwined her hand with Tiffany and clenched Tiffany’s palm tightly.

“There, you should feel safe now.”

It was more than safe. It was more nerve-wrecking. Yoona’s palm was warm and her skin was extremely smooth. Tiffany was enjoying this too much. She tried to come closer and placed her head on Yoona’s shoulder. The girl didn’t move an inch.

Yoona, I hope I can stay like this forever.

Tiffany wished sincerely in her heart.

*

“You’re cold.”

The movie ended and Tiffany was almost freezing to death. She was wearing her shawl but it was still too cold for her.

“Here, take this.”

Yoona took out her cardigan and put over Tiffany. She was adjusting her cardigan properly and the older girl was just staring at her. Yoona didn’t notice it. And when she looked up, Tiffany looked away.

“There, all done. It looks nice on you.”

Tiffany gave her a sheepish smile.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention. Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

“Let’s grab some snacks or something.”

“Sure.”

They walked side by side. Tiffany took out her shawl and wrapped it around Yoona’s neck since she wasn’t wearing her cardigan. Yoona smiled widely.

The two girls just walked in silence.  Soon, they reached to a crowded area and Yoona moved closer towards Tiffany. She even gently pulled Tiffany to the front and walked closely behind the older girl. Her hands were on her shoulders. Tiffany’s back was stiffened up.

Tiffany’s heart was going to explode if Yoona continues to be like this. She wondered if Yoona could hear her heart. Just then, Yoona leaned forward. Tiffany could feel her breath just behind her ears.

“Unnie, let’s eat bibimbap!”

But Tiffany couldn’t move. Yoona was too close to her; she could feel the younger girl was leaning against her back. She was paralysed to the ground. Yoona was like heaven to her.

*

Yuri and Soo Young were standing face to face like as though they were having a face off. Both were breathing hard and trying to catch their breaths.

Yuri was resting her hands on her knees while Soo Young stumbled onto a nearby bench. They wanted to die, seriously.

“Did you have to run like a mad woman?”

Soo Young was scoffing at Yuri.

“Who asked you to chase after me?”

“I had to. I need to know how you feel about me.”

Yuri rolled her eyes. She finally stood up and sat beside Soo Young. Soo Young was still half dead.

“You need to exercise, seriously.”

“Shut up. My legs are just not meant for running.”

“You never work out at all?”

“Do I look like I am?”

“But you’re slim and slender.”

Soo Young grinned.

“Have you been checking me out?”

Yuri rolled her eyes.

“I don’t have to. Your legs are like chopsticks.”

It didn’t offend Soo Young. She just leaned back and smiled to herself.

“But you like what you see, right?”

Yuri turned to look at her. Soo Young turned too. Their eyes met and Yuri suddenly felt different this time. It was no longer annoyance. Yes, Soo Young was annoying but that was made the relationship interesting.

Soo Young was blushing and Yuri took the opportunity to make fun of her.

“You’re blushing.”

“I have emotions.”

“Yes, of course you do.”

“At least you know how I feel for you. Don’t you think I deserve to know how you feel for me?”

Yuri just smiled.

“Honestly, I’m still confused.”

“Oh? Why are you so confused with?”

“This is just too sudden. I think we have a lot more to learn from each other.”

Soo Young grinned.

“So there’s a possibility that you might like me?”

“I didn’t say I hate you.”

Soo Young stood up and looked at Yuri.

“Wait, you like me too?!”

“Like I’ve said, I never say I hate you.”

Soo Young’s smile was getting wider than before. It was a good day after all.

*

Yoona bought her bibimbap. She then looked up to find Tiffany waiting for her at the nearby stall. Yoona took a minute to look longer when suddenly a little boy appeared in front of Tiffany. Tiffany was soft and gentle towards the child. Her eye smile was really wide and it was warm enough.

Suddenly Yoona saw something in that smile. And something shot right through her heart.

“Yoona?”

Yoona snapped out of her thoughts and saw Tiffany in front of her.

“Eh?”

She looked behind Tiffany. The boy was gone.

“Why?”

“I thought I saw you with a little boy?”

“Oh, his mother took him back. He mistook me for his mommy. He even called me Omma.”

“Oh.”

Tiffany smiled again. Her heart was shot again.

“What’s wrong?”

Yoona shook her head.

“Can we go now?”

“Yeah, we can.”

Tiffany then turned around and walked ahead first. Yoona was still looking at her from behind.

My heart skipped a beat at her smile. Am I ...falling for Tiffany now..?

Yoona was confused with her feelings.

*