-- Skye

“Ouch,” I mutter to myself in English as I feel something stub my toe.

Looking down, I see that I’ve stepped on something. I lift my foot and look at the underside of the sole – a large rock is embedded in it. My sneaker is red Converse, because I like red, and Converse is comfortable. I’m wearing bright socks with it, which stands out, but I honestly couldn’t find any other pair. Not that these match – I mean, the right sock is navy blue. I hate how socks go missing like that. One just stubbornly disappears and you never know when you’ll find it! Only to me, it happens all the time, so I almost never have matching socks to wear. Well, at least it’s not pink – I’m not a huge fan of the colour.

I smoothly flick off the annoying stone and sidestep it as I resume my fast pace towards my danjjaks’ house. Geum Min said she had something really big to tell me and Yoo Min. They’re the most epic pair of twins I know. Actually, scratch that, the most epic pair would have to be Young Min and Kwang Min. I mean, those two are twins and look almost exactly the same – but their personalities are anything but.

Young Min is an Eomma. Hence the nickname. He’s the King of Multiple Personalities as well. There’s Wet-Hair Young Min, Sensitive Young Min, Pressurised Young Min, Young Min Eomma, Tired Young Min, Blur Young Min, Arguing-with-Kwang-Min Young Min, and heaps others that I can’t even remember right now to list. Well, it’s easier to describe him as Young Min. Anyone who knows him knows the millions of personalities embedded in him.

And then Kwang Min is more normal. That doesn’t make him completely normal, but I guess a little more so than Young Min. They’re both awesome, though. Yoogeum claim that both have the brains of three-year olds, but I think Kwang Min is a bit more mature. He just has a four-dimensional personality. He’s hyper almost all the time, and he’s also really fun to be around. Although he may not have like a billion different angles to him, he’s epic as well.

It’s really similar with Yoo Min and Geum Min as well. If you didn’t know them well, you might not be able to tell them apart. But I’m lucky enough to be one of their best friends, so I know.

Yoo Min is more expressive of herself. Neither of the twins know how to express their feelings well, which is something I guess I have a problem with as well. But out of the two, Yoo Min’s able to do it better. And although she is random and crazy, she’s slightly less so than her younger twin. She’s really slow with homework, though, but quick with everything else. Her voice is really beautiful, and so is the way she dances. And she’s smart as well.

Geum Min is more of an introvert, I guess. She’s equally as talented as Yoo Min, in my opinion. But Yoo Min gets a little more credit (I guess somehow because she’s older). Geum Min gets picked on a lot, for whatever reason, but she silently takes it. It’s painful to watch her be that way… but then if anyone picks on people close to her, she really gets mad and fights back. I guess she doesn’t mind the bullying - or maybe she's just really strong. But she can get really crazy with people she’s close to.

Both of them are wonderful people, and I’m glad I got to know them. Other people find them intimidating, actually. I don’t understand exactly why, though. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that most people don’t know them that well.

I glance at the watch on my wrist. It’s light brown and is intricately decorated. Pretty modern, for a watch, but the design makes it seems antique-ish. I adore it. Anyway, I notice that it’s getting late. Mom wants me back home before dinner, so I’d better hurry to Geum Min’s and back. I decide to break into a jog – I like running, and it’s cool out. I still have a couple of streets to go past, then it’s only a few blocks to hers.

At the same time, I’m plugged into my music. I almost always am, since music is one of my passions. I love fast paced raps the best. Geum Min’s training to be a rapper too, and she’s pretty good already. It’s impressive. Right now, the song that’s playing is Outsider’s Loner. I just got introduced to him a couple of days ago (seeing as I’ve only recently joined the K-pop scene), and it’s really amazing how he raps so insanely fast. I don’t understand how anyone’s tongue can twist like that to rap so rapidly! And the songs have such deep meaning to them as well – I sometimes feel like crying, so I force myself not to listen to the lyrics too closely. Music is pretty amazing.

My phone beeps, and I see it’s a message from my friend, basically asking me where I am right now. Her house is right there in the distance though – I can see it from my position now. So I decide not to reply, sure that she’ll kill me for that later, but perfectly willing to take my fate when it comes by. The song finishes at that moment, but I just feel like replaying it, so I do. Then I’m off running, faster than before, because I just feel like it. I do a lot of things just when I feel like doing it. I guess you could say I’m impulsive.

Fine. I am impulsive – I’ll admit it.

Just like I was when I let myself fall for –

The phone beeps again, (is it me or is this one more insistent?) and I glance down at it, losing the train of my thoughts. As expected, she’s demanding for a reply. I stick my tongue out at my phone, before realizing what I’m doing. Talking or reacting to inanimate objects is pointless, as I keep reminding myself. But I can’t seem to break out of the habit. Sighing, I stow the phone in my pocket and jog up to her house, letting myself in as Eomma told me to. I sneak up to their room and get ready to surprise them.

Just as I’m about to open the door, however, a heavy hand lands on my shoulder, and I’m shocked.

“What are you doing?” a low voice asks me, and I’m shocked.

Stifling a gasp, I hurriedly turn to look at Young Min. "Geum Min called me over."

"No," he laughs. "You're going down the wrong driveway."

I look in the direction of the house, and I finally notice that the door and windows aren't decorated the same way as the Jo's house is. Forcing my eyes closed with frustration at myself, I turn around and open them, just to see Kwang Min grinning and looking away so I wouldn't see his laughter. I immediately turn red, then wonder why. 

"Thanks for telling me," I tell Young Min. "I don't know what would've happened if I went and barged into the wrong house."

"You would've turned around and come straight back out."

"But not after giving them a good laugh," Kwang Min adds. 

I cover my face and sprint ahead of them - they're laughing like mad at me now - and run up the driveway - of the right house, this time. The door bursts open as Jeong Min hurries out, flustered. He's dressed nicely, slightly smarter than usual, and I bet he's going out with his girlfriend. I wave to him and he nods before taking off at a brisk pace. Looks like he's late.

The door still open, I slip through and take the steps two at a time, suddenly getting an idea. I finger my phone and switch it to "Silent", just as it vibrates with another impatient message from my friend. A smile attaches itself to my face as I position myself outside their room, just next to the door. I can hear them talking inside.

"Where is she?" I can hear the sound of pacing, and Geum Min's voice accompanies her as she moves back and forth.

Yoo Min - I presume - yawns from a spot in the corner. "She'll get here when she gets here."

"What's taking her so long?"

"Stop chattering!"

"I want to tell you both something... where could she be?"

I hear a series of mumbling from Yoo Min. 

"What do you mean? She's outside now?" her sister's voice sounds from near the window, and I can picture her looking out and searching the grounds for me. "Oh, I see Jeong Min leaving."

More muttering from Yoo Min - I think she stuffed a pillow over a face or something. 

"When I see her I'm going to slap her."

My eyes widen as I hear Yoo Min's laughter. Geum Min will slap me? I frown and decide to stop hiding. My breath quickens as I force myself to appear flustered and breathless as I burst into the room - or try to, since something's blocking the door. All that results of my efforts is a sudden bang on the door. Why is everything I do such a fail? I hear faint chuckling behind me and catch sight of Kwang Min's shirt disappearing into his room. So he thinks this is funny...

Why am I so clumsy? I grimace as I push the door open and step in, only to be attacked by a torrent of whipping hair in my face and a sharp slap on my arm. Frowning, I glare at my friend in mock anger and briefly whack her back. 

"Where were you?" she asks, firmly glaring at me.

"I was walking here!"

"Didn't you get my messages?"

"You just -"

"Nevermind!" Yoo Min interrupts, dragging us both by the arms over to the bed. "What did you want to tell us?"

We both sit next to each other and gaze enquiringly at Geum Min. She sits down, her eyes alit with excitement. 

"Guess what, I was with Min Woo yesterday, and he gave me -"

"A couple ring," Yoo Min interrupts.

Geum Min turns to her, bewilderment in her eyes. "How did you know that?"

Yoo Min laughs. "You have a box full of those cheap little rings that he's been giving you since you were six!"

"Really?!" my eyes widen, and pull the older twin down as Geum Min lashes out, her cheeks flaming red. 

"Yes -"

"Why did you tell her that?!" she wails at her sister, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her a few times.

Then she comes after me, poking my side and making me jump violently while laughing. "You!" she yells, punctuating her sentence with vicious pokes. "It's. Not. Funny!"

Why am I so ticklish? I found myself helpless, unable to say a thing, only able to laugh and squeal as she tortured me.

"You have a whole box full of the things! Another one doesn't mean anything much!" Yoo Min teases in a singsong voice. 

"It does too," Geum Min protests, forgetting about me for a second in which I can breathe. 

I roll myself off the bed so that she can't reach me to poke me again, and I bump into a box under the bed. It's filled with little metal bits, or what look like little metal bits. And they're all colourful. Curious, and suspicious of what it may be, I tweak open the box and grin when my suspicions are proved. It's a box completely filled with little shiny plastic rings, all of different colours - blue, green, yellow, orange, purple... but there's only one pink ring at the top. Victorious, I lift the box high in the air, waving it above my friend's head.

"HOW DID YOU FIND THAT!"

For once, I thank my clumsiness. "I rolled into it!"

"Yah, Skye! Give it back here!"

"NEVER!" I chant, dancing around the room, tiptoeing and holding the box high above me as she tries (and fails) to get it back. 

I'm just a centimetre taller than her, so it really doesn't help when I'm trying to keep this away from her. When she jumps for it, I either have to jump with her, or duck my arm so that it goes just out of her reach. Thank goodness Yoo Min is there, though - she gestures towards me and I toss the box over to her, teasing Geum Min with the box much like we teased Yoo Min with her phone so long ago. She pounces up on the bed after neatly catching the box, and I grab hold of Geum Min's arm so she can't go get it. Resigned, she plops on the floor.

"It does too mean heaps," she says mournfully from her position on the floor. 

I raise my eyebrows. "When you already have so many?"

"No," Yoo Min addresses me, "This box is full of rings because Min Woo was trying to get the pink one. And whenever he failed he gave her these."

Geum Min starts talking over her as if she weren't saying anything. "They're all friendship rings!"

I start chuckling. "Geummie-yah, first you protest that they do mean something, then you insist they're only friendship rings."

"I could say the same about you! First you tell me they don't mean anything since I have so many, but then you're now saying that they're supposed to mean more?" she shoots back.

"We're trying to goad you into admitting that -"

"The rings mean much more than friendship -"

"Because if we just tell you that -"

"You wouldn't agree," Yoo Min and I take turns saying, before we realise what we're doing.

Geum Min takes a step back and pretends to look thoughtful. "Now, who are the real twins here?"

"So, anyway, when a boy gives you a ring, it doesn't just mean friendship, you pabo," Yoo Min insists.

"He doesn't have feelings for me in that way!"

"Are you sure?" I ask, eyeballing her, and she stumbles over her next reply.

"He doesn't!"

The door bursts open on us - Yoo Min and I struggling to hold back smiles while Geum Min is flustered. Young Min sticks his head inside. 

"That classmate of yours, Jin - Jin Ae, I think, she's here. The annoying one."

My eyebrows draw together as Yoogeum's expressions suddenly darken in unison. Who is this girl? I'm about to voice out my question when Yoo Min pushes me out of the room with Young Min, who drags me into their room and asks me to keep quiet.

"What's going on here?" I whisper.

A flash of colour appears in the corridor and an annoyingly high-pitched voice can be heard greeting my friends in the other room. I decide immediately that I don't really like this girl.

Kwang Min drops himself beside me. "She likes making our whole family's lives miserable."

My eyebrows raise for the second time today. "She doesn't sound very nice."

"She isn't."

"Why'd I get herded in here?" I ask him.

He glares at the door. "If she knows that you're close to us, she might get mean to you. And she can be very mean to people. Believe me, you don't want to get in her way."

My eyes widen. "So you guys are protecting me?"

Young Min nods from behind Kwang Min. "She doesn't know that we're in the house either, which is how we prefer it. She's a flirt."

I wrinkle my nose. I definitely do not like this girl.

"IT WAS YOUR FAULT!" 

All our heads turn to the door at the sudden high-pitched, grating scream. 

"That's her," the boys say in sync, but they don't sound happy at all. 

Looks like trouble's coming our way.