Chapter 22

            Boram, Minyoung, Minjin, and Hyekyeong shuffled around in their dorm, styling themselves in ugly, fluffy, and adorable Christmas sweaters.  Boram and Hyekyeong wore pairs of light-up antlers on their heads, while Minyoung and Minjin didn’t attempt to be unconventional in any way.

            Over the past few months, the four of them had become very close.  Boram was especially drawn to Hyekyeong’s cuteness, and Hyekyeong did everything she could to further melt and posses Boram’s heart.  While Minyoung and Minjin could easily resist Hyekyeong’s babyish personality, Boram had basically adopted Hyekyeong as her first child.

            “Minjin-ah, it was really kind of Ms. Ko to invite us to her Christmas party,” Boram smiled, helping Hyekyeong adjust her antlers.

            Minjin hadn’t heard the name “Ms. Ko” since the beginning of her time at the Comet Academy.  She grimaced for a moment before forcing a smile.  “Yeah, I’m really excited for you to meet her.”

            Hyekyeong smiled impishly at Minyoung, but Minyoung only looked away and attempted to hide her own grin.

            “Do you think your sister will really come?” Hyekyeong asked.

            “I…I’m not sure about Minseon,” Minjin sighed.  “Soomin invited her, and I think she’s doing everything she can to get her there.”

            “She had better be there!” Hyekyeong exclaimed suddenly.

            “Yeah, we all got her presents,” Boram said with a concerned expression.

            “What?  You all got her presents?”  Minjin looked around at her friends in confusion.

            “Of course!” Minyoung beamed, wrapping her arm around Minjin’s.  “I suppose if she isn’t there, we can become Santa Claus and deliver the presents to her.”

            “With our new parkour training, that isn’t a very odd suggestion,” Boram mentioned, massaging her thighs with her hands.  “It’s really killing my muscles.”

            “You just have to keep working them, unnie,” Hyekyeong encouraged merrily, bending her knees and suddenly jumping up.  She continued to jump until Boram grabbed her and wrapped her into a hug.

            “Ya, Hyekyeong-ah,” Boram chuckled.  “Did Jina say when she was going to get here?”

            “I’m here, unnie,” Jina said, quickly entering the room with a bright smile on her face.  Everyone gasped at her hideous Christmas sweater that was adorned with Christmas lights and plush Christmas tree ornaments.

            “Jina-yah, what is this mess?” Hyekyeong cried, touching the many items hanging on Jina’s sweater.

            “Unnie, this is a real Christmas sweater,” Jina smirked.  “Let’s get going! The party is starting soon!”

*          *          *

            When the Comet Project was closed down by the government, Soomin faced both praise and criticism.  Many found her silence during the entire project incredibly cruel toward the twins.  Others admired her courage to finally formulate a plan to save the twins after enduring her father’s oppressive captivity.  The story of General Ko was never released to the public, so Soomin faced disapproval from only other government employees.  Nevertheless, many people pitied her, and she was offered employment by General Park.  Her position simply required her to keep watch on the twins and report their status to the government.  She was paid far more than the job really garnered, and she was able to afford a rather luxurious apartment in the middle of Seoul.

            When the four Hurricane Pop members and Jina arrived at the apartment building, they had to take an elevator to the 23^rd floor.  They admired the décor of the building’s halls even before reaching Soomin’s actual apartment.  When they reached Soomin’s door, Hyekyeong knocked excitedly.

            “Ah, Hyekyeong-ah,” Soomin greeted happily after opening the door.  “It’s nice to see you again.”

            Minyoung’s eyes opened wide in worry, anticipating for Soomin to reveal their previous meeting to Minjin.  But Hyekyeong was quick to fix the situation.

            “It’s nice to see you again, too, Soomin-ssi,” Hyekyeong grinned.  “I don’t think you’ve met everyone yet.  This is Minyoung.”

            Soomin smirked as she bowed to Minyoung.  “It’s very nice to meet you, Minyoung.”

            “And this is Boram and Jina,” Hyekyeong continued.

            “It’s nice to meet everyone,” Soomin announced cheerily.  She pulled Minjin into a tight hug before ushering them all in.  “There’s food in the kitchen and some drinks as well.  It’s just punch and apple cider, I hope you’ll understand.”

            “Is…Is Minseon here?” Minjin asked quietly.

            “She’s on the balcony,” Soomin whispered.  “Minjin-ah…she’s a little agitated.  Try to spend some time with her, okay?”

            “Of course,” Minjin assured, an eager smiled on her face.

            “Can I put the presents here?” Jina asked suddenly, struggling to carry a large plastic bag of presents.

            “Jina-yah, let me have that,” Boram requested urgently, taking the bag from Jina.  “I’ll put these under the tree, if that’s okay, Soomin-ssi.”

            “That’s perfect.”

            Minyoung followed Minjin toward the back of the living room, looking around at a few other guests at the party.  “Minjin-ah…who are some of these handsome guys?”

            Minjin laughed softly as she watched Hyekyeong strategically approach one of the “handsome guys” across the room.  “I know some of them are Soomin’s relatives.  The one Hyekyeong is flirting with now is actually Soomin’s nephew.  I think he’s only sixteen.”

            “Sixteen?” Minyoung exclaimed in horror.  “Shouldn’t we warn him that such an old woman is flirting with him?”

            “I think he likes the attention,” Minjin chuckled.

            They watched in amusement as Hyekyeong continued to flirt, playfully taking off her antlers and putting them on the boy’s head.  He blushed profusely, giggling at her every word.  After a little while, Minjin and Minyoung couldn’t take anymore of the awkward situation, and they strolled over to the two of them.

            “Hwanpil-ah,” Minjin called, tapping him on the shoulder.  She carefully took the antlers off of him and handed them to Hyekyeong.

            “Oh, hi, Minjin noona,” Hwanpil greeted shyly.  “Merry Christmas.”

            “Merry Christmas, Hwanpil-ah,” Minjin replied as Hyekyeong stared at her in confusion.  “How is high school going?  Are you going to graduate in the summer?”

            “Actually, I’m graduating next summer,” Hwanpil corrected.

            Minyoung watched with delight as Hyekyeong’s mouth fell open.  She looked at Hwanpil with bewilderment and irritation. 

            “Um…study well,” Hyekyeong said quickly, rushing away from the three of them. 

            Hwanpil’s eyes seemed to flicker as he gazed after Hyekyeong.  “Noona, is she a friend of yours?  I can’t leave tonight without her number.”

            “Hwanpil-ah…it’ll never work out.”

            “I can’t lose her,” he insisted with wide eyes.

            Minyoung and Minjin shuffled away and snickered quietly.  Jina walked over to them with some Christmas cookies and a few glasses of apple cider.

            “Unnies, you have to try these cookies,” Jina claimed enthusiastically, handing them the cookies.  “They’re amazing!”

            “Thanks, Jina,” Minjin smiled as she and Minyoung took a few cookies.  “Hey, I think I’m going to go give some of these to my sister.  I’ll talk to you guys later.”

            “Okay, Minjin-ah.” 

            Minjin received a heartening smile from Minyoung before she walked away.  She hadn’t seen her sister since trying to convince her to join the group after her N.Dolphin show, and they hadn’t parted on very good terms.  When she stepped out onto the balcony, a puff of suffocating smoke blew into her face.

            “Minseon-ah!” Minjin cried, finally able to see Minseon through the smoke.  Her sister held a cigarette loosely in her fingers and stared at her passively.

            “Merry Christmas, unnie,” Minseon chuckled darkly, taking in another breath of smoke.

            “Minseon-ah, you don’t smoke!” Minjin shouted, dropping the Christmas cookies and smacking the cigarette from Minseon’s hand.

            “Ya!”  Minseon watched angrily as Minjin stomped the cigarette out on the ground.  “What was that for?”

            “Why are you smoking?” Minjin asked in disgust.

            “Relax, unnie,” Minseon smirked as the last of the smoke cleared from the air.  “I’m not addicted.  I just take one or two from my band members every week.  It clears my head.  Aren’t you surprised there’s no eggnog at this party?”

            “There’s no alcohol, so you need to smoke?” Minjin sighed in frustration.

            “I’m just making a comment.”

            Minjin stared at her sister for a moment as so many harsh words ran through her brain.  Finally, she flushed all of them from her mind and pulled Minseon into her arms.

            “I missed you, Minseon-ah,” Minjin told softly.  “Have you been well?”

            “I…”  Minseon stood still in Minjin’s embrace as if she had no knowledge of how to respond.  “Unnie…Ya, cut it out.”

            Minjin stepped back and chuckled at her sister’s discomfort.  “Have you been playing a lot of shows lately?”

            Helplessness filled Minseon’s eyes as her desire to be spiteful was overwhelmed by her sister’s caring words.  “Well…yeah.  We’ve been pretty successful, I’d say.  Actually, Soomin unnie is lucky I didn’t have a gig tonight.”

            “Is that so?” Minjin grinned teasingly.  “Well, I’m glad you’re having so much fun.  How is your job working out?”

            “At the department store?”  Minseon looked down at the ground and scratched her head.  “I mean, it’s okay.  I’m doing alright.”

            “Why don’t you come inside, Minseon-ah?” Minjin suggested.  “It’s awfully cold out here.  And I brought some of the members from my group.  They’re inside waiting to meet you.”

            Minseon peered through the sliding glass door into the living room.  Her eyes opened wide when they fell upon Boram and Minyoung.  “Those…Those are your group members?”

            “Yep.”  Inside, Hyekyeong had convinced Soomin to bring out the karaoke machine, and a lively trot song could be heard through the balcony door.  “That’s Hyekyeong with the microphone.  Boram unnie and Minyoung unnie are standing over there with our friend Jina.  They’re singing karaoke, Minseon-ah!  We should join them!”

            Minseon continued to stare at Boram and Minyoung as blurry memories of a drunken night a few months ago floated in her mind.  As she remembered their presence in her apartment and their care for her injured hand, she became even tenser.  When she finally looked at Hyekyeong, even her face began to look familiar.

            “Are Boram and Minyoung…nurses?” Minseon asked curiously.

            “Nurses?  No,” Minjin informed.  “But they have some medical training.  They bought you some presents, Minseon-ah.”

            “Presents?” Minseon said in shock.  “For me?”

            “Just come inside.”

            Minjin dragged Minseon inside just as Hyekyeong was attempting to force Minyoung up to the karaoke microphone.  Minyoung quickly tore herself away from Hyekyeong and gave an overly excited reaction to the twin’s entrance.

            “Ah, they are exactly the same!” Minyoung cried.

            “Seriously, I can’t remember which one is Minjin-ah,” Boram admitted in dismay.

            “It’s so nice to meet you, Minseon,” Minyoung smiled, rushing up to Minseon and giving a bow.

            Minseon eyed Minyoung suspiciously, giving a reluctant bow of her own.  “It’s nice to meet you, too.”  She looked over at Boram as well, but Boram simply smiled awkwardly before looking away.

            “I’m Hyekyeong,” Hyekyeong said with a smile, leaping away from them suddenly.  She dodged through the crowd of guests, making a special effort to avoid Hwanpil, and retrieved the bag of gifts from under the tree.  When she returned, she handed it to Minseon and grinned.  “It’s nice to meet you.  We got you some gifts!  Merry Christmas!”

            Minseon’s suspicion began to subside as she peered into the bag of gifts.  By this time, the rest of the guests had continued on with their conversations and games, but the four Hurricane Pop members and Jina stared at Minseon gleefully.  She looked out at them with uncertainty, contemplating their sincerity and considering their strange generosity.

            “Should I…open them?” she asked reluctantly.

            “Yes!” Hyekyeong exclaimed impatiently.  “Hurry!”

            A small grin appeared on Minseon’s face, and she finally reached inside the bag and took out a small, bright red box.  Boram immediately rushed up to her and took the box from her hand.

            “Minseon-ah, this is from me,” Boram explained.  “It’s a collection of teas that are very good for your health.  You ought to drink one every day.  They help with stomach aches and headaches as well.”  She reached into the bag and pulled out another box.  “And this is just a collection of skincare items I really like.  They’re all natural.  Your skin will feel so smooth!” 

            As Boram’s hand dipped into the bag yet again, Hyekyeong quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her away.  “Boram unnie made you an entire care package, it seems.  You can look at them later.  Get the wrapped presents.  They’re from the rest of us.”

            Minseon laughed bashfully and reached into the bag yet again.  This time she pulled out a box wrapped in reindeer paper.  She carefully unwrapped it to reveal a box of delicious chocolate snacks.

            “Ah, unnie,” Hyekyeong sighed in frustration.  “Did you get her those?”

            “Yeah,” Minyoung told timidly.

            “Dang it…I got her those too…”

            “There’s also a jacket in there,” Boram told enthusiastically.  “It should fit.  It’s Minjin’s size.  The weather has been very cold lately, so be sure to wear it often.”

            Minseon observed the members in awe.  Minjin noticed her shocked state and wrapped her arm around her.  “Do you like your gifts, Minseon-ah?”

            “I…I do,” Minseon grinned shyly.  “Thank you all…I really appreciate it.”

            “We’re glad!” Hyekyeong smiled.  “Stop by the company every once in a while and share those snacks with us.”

            “Ya!  Is that the only reason you gave them to her?” Minyoung asked angrily.  “At least I gave them out of the goodness of my heart.”

            “Hey, calm down, you two,” Boram requested sternly, grabbing both of their arms.  “Let’s go get some more apple cider, okay?  Jina-yah, come on.  Unnie will get some more cookies for you.”

            As the members dispersed, Minjin held Minseon tightly.  She smirked at her sister’s continued bewilderment.  “Minseon-ah…they’re really nice, aren’t they?”

            “They’re…very kind,” Minseon admitted, remembering the night she first met Boram and Minyoung in her apartment.

            As the twins stood in the corner of the room away from everyone else, Minseon’s eyes fell upon a picture frame on the wall nearby.  The picture was of Soomin and Youngbin many years ago when the Comet Academy still existed.  They were a beautiful young couple with such a bright future ahead of them.  But General Ko changed everything for them.  And he changed everything for the twins as well.

            “Unnie, do you really know if this group your in is safe?” Minseon whispered anxiously.  “Are you sure it’s not just a ploy?”

            “I’m absolutely sure, Minseon-ah,” Minjin assured happily.  “You met the Captain, and now you’ve met my members.  I’ve lived with them for a few months now.  They’re genuine people.”

            “I don’t want you to get hurt, unnie.”

            Minjin patted Minseon on the head and chuckled.  “I’m safe, Minseon-ah.  But are you?”

            Minseon’s callous behavior had regressed into her young, helpless appearance during the Comet Academy.  She wrapped her arm around Minjin’s and rested her head on Minjin’s shoulder.  “Don’t try to convince me to join you, unnie.  I’m just trying to keep an eye on you.”

            “Okay…Minseon-ah, will you come to Mom and Dad’s house for Christmas Day?”

            “I wasn’t going to…But I think I will.”

            “Good.  I’ll give you your gift then.”