Chapter 3

            Serri paced back and forth in the dorm living room, waiting for Gaeun to get back from her jog.  Only Ahyoung and Woohee were home with her at the moment, snacking on veggie chips as Ahyoung reviewed her Night Watchman script and Woohee surfed the web on her phone.  Every once in a while, the two would look up at Serri with curious eyes.

            “Unnie, is something bothering you?” Ahyoung asked with suspicion.

            “Ah, it’s nothing,” Serri assured, flashing a carefree grin.  She sat down with them and rested her head on Woohee’s shoulder.  “I’m just waiting for Gaeun to get back.”

            Underneath Serri’s cheery expression, her mind was preoccupied with the plan Hakyeon had told her yesterday.  He was very specific about how he wanted to set Gaeun and Taekwoon up on a date.  But Serri was skeptical, wondering how she could bring her little Gaeun to a blind date with a random guy to who she had never spoken.  Hakyeon had earned her trust, however, and she decided to help with the plan.

            When the door opened, Serri leapt up from the couch and rushed over to Gaeun.  “Gaeunnie!  Thank goodness you’re home!”

            Gaeun took the ear buds out of her ears and looked at Serri curiously.  “What’s going on, unnie?”

            “I’ve been put in a difficult situation,” Serri began, twiddling her fingers together.  “You see, Hakyeon-ssi from VIXX asked me out to lunch with him tomorrow.”

            “What?”  Woohee and Ahyoung suddenly swarmed around them, their excited faces closing in on Serri.  “Hakyeon asked you out?” Woohee questioned.  “Did you say yes?” Ahyoung inquired.

            Serri sighed and gently grabbed Woohee’s arm.  “Woohee-ah, wipe that eager grin off your face.  This is serious.”

            “Well, what did you say to him?” Gaeun asked enthusiastically.

            “I gave him one condition,” Serri explained.  “I told him I’d meet with him only if it was a double date.”

            “Aw, why did you do that, unnie?”  Woohee shook her head and gave a disappointed frown.  “That’s not romantic at all.”

            “Hey, I wasn’t comfortable with a one on one thing!” Serri exclaimed, hoping her acting was on par.  "Just let me speak for a second, okay?  Hakyeon-ssi said he would bring a friend to lunch, and I told him I would bring a friend as well.  Gaeun-ah, will you come with me tomorrow?”

            Gaeun gave a concerned frown and slowly walked past them.  She took off her sweatshirt and looked up at them again, her eyes wide with fear.  “I…I don’t think I can do that.”

            “What?” Serri replied, quickly following her.  “Why not?”

            “I…I’ve never been on a blind date before.”

            “It’s not really a blind date!” Serri chuckled.  “It’s more like…you’re a babysitter!  You and Hakyeon’s friend are just moral support, you know?”

            “What if he’s a creep, though?”

            “Unnie.”  Woohee suddenly rushed up to Serri and took her hand.  “Unnie, if Gaeun doesn’t want to go on the double date, I can take her place.”

            “You’ll be filming your commercial, Woohee-ah,” Serri reminded, glaring at Woohee in frustration.  “You won’t be available.”

            “I can make myself available!” Woohee promised eagerly.

            “Unnie, Subin will be free tomorrow during lunch time,” Gaeun informed, an optimistic smile on her face.  “And I think Jiyul doesn’t film her drama tomorrow.  One of them could go with you.”

            “Subin needs her rest.”  Serri felt desperate as her pleading voice gradually evolved into heart-melting aegyo.  “And Jiyul-ah could use a day off to sleep.  She does so much for us.  Gaeunnie…”  In a moment of despair, Serri conjured up an adorable frown and took Gaeun’s hands.  “I’m too scared to go alone.  Will you please help unnie?”

            Massive anxiety still remained on Gaeun’s face even as she took a deep breath and sighed.  “Well…okay, unnie.”

            “Really?”  Serri began to dance around the living room with Gaeun, laughing merrily.  “Ah, my Gaeunnie will save me!”

            “Aish, cut it out, unnie,” Gaeun told, giving a bashful grin.  “If Hakyeon-ssi or his random friend starts acting creepy, I’m taking you home.”

            “That sounds fine.  We can leave whenever you want to.”

            “Ah, stupid commercial!” Woohee cried, jumping onto the couch and hugging one of its gigantic pillows.  “I really wanted to go!”

            “Unnie, do you think he’ll bring a member of VIXX?” Ahyoung asked excitedly.

            “No one said anything about another member of VIXX.  He probably…He probably won’t!”

*          *          *

            The next day, Serri herded Gaeun into a taxi, and they headed to the popular pho restaurant Hakyeon had suggested.  Not even two minutes away from her dorm, Serri found herself even more nervous than Gaeun. 

            “Unnie, let’s take a selca,” Gaeun requested gleefully, holding her phone in front of them.

            Serri leaned over and complied with Gaeun, but she was confused and slightly disturbed by Gaeun’s lack of anxiety.  Yesterday she seemed to be a bundle of nerves.  And now she was casually uploading their selca onto Twitter as if they were on their way to a performance.

            This morning, Gaeun’s routine didn’t change one bit.  She made herself a fruit salad for breakfast, went for a short jog, and barely took ten minutes to get ready for their double date.  Gaeun always had a chic, vintage look about her, but Serri expected her to nervously scurry about her closet for hours in order to find the perfect outfit. 

            Serri, on the other hand, found herself rethinking this whole double date idea.  Who was Jung Taekwoon, this mysterious Leo from VIXX?  Serri had only met him a few times, and he barely spoke enough to tell her his name.  And now she was bringing her own little Gaeunnie to potentially fall in love with him. 

            Giving a shaky sigh, Serri turned to face Gaeun.  “Gaeun-ah, this is your first blind date.  You don’t seem nervous at all.”

            “This isn’t a blind date,” Gaeun chuckled, casually typing out a short message to go along with her selca.  “Like you said, Hakyeon’s friend and I are only babysitters.”  She suddenly gave an excited smile.  “And I realized we get free food.”

            She trusts me too much, Serri thought to herself as worry filled her mind.  But she patted Gaeun’s leg and gave a confident smile.  “You’re thinking about the important things, Gaeunnie.  I’ve raised you well.”

            As Gaeun continued to type on her phone, Serri observed her carefully.  Gaeun was a smart, classy, thoughtful woman who constantly cared for those around her, mostly in subtle ways.  Several healthy, vitamin-rich snacks had mysteriously appeared in Serri’s gym bag over the past year.  And whenever Ahyoung insisted on skipping meals to lose weight, Gaeun would casually invite her to go shopping, enticing her with a tasty meal afterwards so she wouldn’t starve herself.  A girl this perfect couldn’t be introduced to any random, careless man.

            “So…unnie…”  Gaeun put her phone on her lap and smirked.  “Do you like Hakyeon-ssi?”

            “What?  Why would I like him?”  Serri suddenly remembered that she was supposed to have been asked out on a date by Hakyeon for this plan to work, and she quickly gave a bashful grin.  “Ah…I don’t know.”

            “How could you not know?” Gaeun questioned, slapping Serri’s arm.  “He asked you out…and you said yes!  Unnie, you’re not the type to agree to something you don’t want to do.”

            “He brought me home from Tatsu last week, what was I supposed to do?” Serri insisted, attempting to ignore her abrupt panic.

            “Unnie, you always tell us that we never, ever owe a boy anything,” Gaeun reminded, her squinting eyes full of enthusiasm.  “You ought to remember that, unnie.  I’m going to keep an eye on you…”

            The taxi slowly pulled to a stop, and Serri rapidly unbuckled her seatbelt.  “We’re here!  How wonderful!”

*          *          *

            “Hyung, I don’t know how you were able to drag me to this.”

            Hakyeon rolled his eyes at Taekwoon’s words.  He leaned back in his chair and forced a reassuring smile.  “Taekwoon-ah, we’re already at the restaurant.  You can stop complaining already.”

            “I’m only here because of your unending, evil lies.”

            “No, you’re here because of free food.”

            Hakyeon chose a table near the back of Pho Eva, a tiny, yet extremely popular pho restaurant in South Seoul, right along the Han River.  The lighting was dark and the atmosphere was quiet.  Hakyeon thought the shadowy walls and calming candles would put Taekwoon at ease, but the boy was increasingly irritable.

            “Serri is such a…bubbly person,” Taekwoon suggested bleakly.  “What if she brings someone just like her?  You know how bubbly people stress me out.”

            “Don’t worry, Taekwoon-ah.  I told her to bring the most pessimistic and depressed person she could find.  The two of you can walk hand in hand into the Han River after we’re done.”

            “Ha…Ha.”  Taekwoon gave a sour glare and continued to play with the chopsticks on the table. 

            “Serri and I will take turns attacking you with aegyo.  You won’t even realize the other girl is there.”  Hakyeon smiled brightly at the sound of his lie.  When he spotted Serri and Gaeun walking into the restaurant, he eagerly anticipated the impending chaos.  “Oh, look, they’re here.”

            As soon as Taekwoon looked up from the table, his eyes opened wide with shock.  His hands balled up into fists, and his whole body became tense.  Even as Hakyeon smirked at him, Taekwoon couldn’t tear his eyes from Gaeun.

            “Sorry we’re a bit late,” Serri apologized swiftly as they reached the table.  “I brought-”

            Before Serri could continue, Taekwoon suddenly shot up out of his seat, startling everyone in sight.  He bowed at nearly ninety degrees and nervously attempted to make eye-contact with Gaeun.  “Hello, Gaeun-ssi.  We’ve met before, but not formally…my name is Taekwoon.”

            Even as Gaeun forced a friendly grin, her eyes were obviously filled with shock and confusion.  “Ah, Taekwoon-ssi.  It’s nice to meet you…formally.”

            “Thank you for coming, Gaeun-ssi,” Hakyeon greeted, rising halfway from his chair and giving a slight bow.  “Please, take a seat.”

            “Oh, let me help you.”  Taekwoon swiftly rushed forward to pull out Gaeun’s chair.  She had to move strategically to dodge his clumsy movements, but she finally sat down in her seat.  Taekwoon also pulled out Serri’s chair, and Serri smirked amusedly before saying “thank you” and sitting down.

            “You’re quite the gentleman, Taekwoon-ssi,” Serri noted, sharing subtle and comical glances with Hakyeon. 

            “Our Hakyeon can be very rude,” Taekwoon insisted, his gaze seldom rising up from the table.  “I’m sorry he didn’t assist you, Serri-ssi.”

            Serri gave a sad pout and picked up a menu from the table.  “Ah, I know.  I’m so disappointed by him already.”

            In any other situation, Gaeun would have scolded her for such a rude comment towards another person.  But Gaeun only looked down at the table with flustered, confused eyes.  It was difficult to notice in the dark lighting, but Serri could see a faint glow of red on her cheeks. 

            “Well, maybe we should just cancel this whole thing then,” Hakyeon suggested with a low, irritated growl.

            “No,” Taekwoon interrupted sternly.  He quickly picked up his menu and hid his reddening face.  “We’re here already.  Let’s at least have a meal.  Gaeun-ssi.”

            Gaeun looked up for a moment before also taking her menu and covering her face.  “Yes, Taekwoon-ssi?”

            “Please order anything you’d like,” he said, a faint smile appearing on his hidden face.  “I’ll be treating today.”

            As the two shy ones hid behind their menus, Hakyeon inconspicuously waved at Serri to get her attention.  She smiled widely, trying to contain her laughter.  Hakyeon covered his mouth with one hand, but accidentally let out a quiet chuckle.  Neither Gaeun nor Taekwoon reacted, and that caused even more amusement.

            Serri and Hakyeon calmed themselves for a few minutes to order their food.  Gaeun and Taekwoon ordered fried rice, while Serri and Hakyeon decided to try some vermicelli that a friend had suggested to Hakyeon a few weeks ago.  When the waitress took the menus from the table, Gaeun and Taekwoon appeared petrified and vulnerable yet again.

            “Hmm…Hakyeon-ssi,” Serri said after a few moments of silence.

            Eager to break the silence, Hakyeon leaned forwards and nodded his head enthusiastically.  “Yeah, Serri-ssi?”

            “I…um…well…”  Serri was desperate to stop the awkwardness, but a topic of conversation seemed difficult to find.  “You’ve been…touring and stuff…right?”

            “Yes, we have!”  Hakyeon sounded as if he was on the very brink of insanity.  He nudged Taekwoon and smiled.  “We’ve been meeting with a lot of fans recently.  We were just in Japan last month.  And we were able to do a few shows in Europe as well.”

            “Wow, that’s really amazing!” Serri exclaimed.  Her interest was genuine, but Hakyeon chuckled at her overwhelming enthusiasm.  “Taekwoon-ssi, did you enjoy your tour in Europe?”

            “It was very beautiful,” Taekwoon replied distractedly, his soft voice only just reaching Serri’s ears.  His timid eyes looked up at Gaeun yet again.  “Gaeun-ssi…the six of you have been performing at festivals lately, right?  Are you enjoying them?”

            The festivals Dal Shabet had attended for the past few weeks could hardly be compared to a European tour, and Gaeun’s surprised reaction expressed that very thought. 

            “They’re…they’re good,” Gaeun told, an apprehensive frown on her face.  “It’s easier to meet with fans at the festivals.”

            “I think that’s all that matters,” Taekwoon proposed, the corner of his mouth rising slightly.  “It’s so hard to feel close to fans in the middle of such a large crowd.  I appreciate when I can meet fans one-on-one.”

            “I agree.”  Gaeun finally gave a slight grin, and Serri almost sighed in relief.

            When the food arrived, all four of them were able to breath easier.  It seemed that the rest of the date would go well, until Serri looked over at Gaeun’s plate and gasped.  She looked up at Gaeun’s disappointed face and frowned.

            “Aw, Gaeun-ah, we forgot to ask them to leave out the carrots.”

            “You don’t like carrots?” Taekwoon asked, intense concern on his face.

            “I…I don’t really like them,” Gaeun sighed, picking up her chopsticks.  “But that’s okay.  I can deal with them.”

            “Oh, no, that’s okay.”  Taekwoon suddenly pulled Gaeun’s plate over to his.  With careful precision, he began using his chopsticks to transfer Gaeun’s carrots onto his plate.

            “Oh, Taekwoon-ssi, you don’t have to do that,” Gaeun insisted earnestly. 

            “It’s okay.”  He gave a brighter, more relaxed smile as he looked up at her.  “You shouldn’t have to eat what you don’t like.”

            Gaeun looked over at Serri helplessly, but Serri could only stare at Taekwoon and admire his adorable gesture.  When she finally realized Gaeun’s powerless state, Serri looked over at Hakyeon to develop a plan.  But Hakyeon only disapprovingly leered at Taekwoon, watching as each little piece of carrot was placed onto his plate.  Serri finally caught his attention with a small cough.

            “Oh…um, Serri-ssi?” Hakyeon called gently.

            “Yes, Hakyeon-ssi?”

            “Do you like bean sprouts?”

            “Well…yes, I do.”

            “Good, you can have mine.”

            Pulling Serri’s bowl towards himself, Hakyeon began to rapidly transfer the bean sprouts from his vermicelli to Serri’s.  She watched him in discomfort, finally closing her eyes and leaning her head on Gaeun’s shoulder.  The two of them waited in silence for a few minutes as the boys worked tirelessly with their meals.

            At last, Taekwoon returned Gaeun’s carrot-less fried rice, still observing it with careful eyes.  “There you go.  Let me know if you find any more pieces.”

            “T-Thank you, Taekwoon-ssi.”

            Hakyeon, who had given up on transporting every single bean sprout into Serri’s bowl, casually pushed the bowl back and put his face in his hands.

            “Serri?”

            Before anyone could begin eating, a tall, well-dressed man walked up to their table.  Serri only had to hear his voice in order for anger and sadness to fill her eyes.  She glared up at the man as everyone else just noticed his presence.

            “Yoohwan…what are you doing here?”

            Gaeun, who sat between Serri and Yoohwan, became very anxious, gently taking hold of Serri’s arm.  Taekwoon curiously looked up at Yoohwan, wondering how his company could cause such distress.  Hakyeon peered at Yoohwan with resentment and confusion in his eyes.

            “I was going to have lunch with a friend,” he told as another man walked up next to him.  “What are you doing here?”

            “The same.”  Serri used all her energy to sound cold and calm, but her voice trembled with each word. 

            “So you’ll have lunch with these random guys, but you won’t meet me to let me explain how much you mean to me?”

            Serri’s anger disappeared as soon as Yoohwan spoke, and she looked up at him with anxious eyes.  “What?”

            Yoohwan, a tall, muscular man with a chiseled face and charming eyes, laughed darkly and ran his hand over the top of his head in frustration.  “You’re going to act like you forgot?  Is that how you’re going to play?”

            “Oppa, what are you saying-”

            “You agreed to meet with me and at least let me explain!” he shouted, his hands balling up into fists.  “But you didn’t even show.”

            “I did show, oppa!” Serri cried, rising from her seat.  “I did!  I waited an hour for you!  You were the one who didn’t show!”

            “I told you to meet me at eight ‘o’ clock in the Amazon lounge.”

            “Amazon lounge?”  Serri looked down at the table as she attempted to recall every word she had spoken with him last week on the phone.  “You didn’t say Amazon lounge.  You said the Tatsu lounge.  The Tatsu lounge!”

            “Don’t play dumb with me, Serri-yah!” 

            Just as Yoohwan stepped closer to the table, Taekwoon rose from his seat and stepped in front of him.  “Ya.  Calm down.  Stop yelling.”

            “Do you know what game this girl is playing?” Yoohwan questioned angrily.  “You’d be yelling too.”

            Hakyeon slipped out of his seat, forcefully tapped Yoohwan on the shoulder, and pointed to the door of the restaurant.  “Let’s go outside.  Come on.”

            “We’re having a conversation-”

            Taekwoon took hold of Yoohwan’s arm and followed Hakyeon as he led them out of the restaurant.  “We’re going outside.”

            As soon as Yoohwan’s friend followed the rest of the boys out, Gaeun pulled Serri back down onto her seat.  “Unnie, calm down.  You can’t listen to anything he says.”

            “But what if I actually misheard him?” Serri wondered aloud, her eyes overwhelmed with worry.  “What if he actually did want to talk to me that night?”

            “Whether he wanted to talk or not, do you really think he has anything good to say?”  Gaeun’s face was red with fury.  “He cheated on you, unnie.  Don’t let him play with your mind anymore.”

            “But Gaeun-ah-”

            “No, unnie.  You have to let him go.”

*          *          *

            Outside the restaurant, Taekwoon and Hakyeon vehemently led Yoohwan and his friend into the alley next door.  Though Taekwoon pushed Yoohwan in, Hakyeon was quick to take his place and crossly confront him.

            “What are you doing here, man?” Hakyeon asked, his fierce glare failing to intimidate Yoohwan.

            Putting his hand on his stomach, Yoohwan burst into uncontrollable laughter.  With a vibrant smile, he put his hand on Hakyeon’s shoulder.  “Did you see her face?  She was so worried.  She actually believed me!”

            Hakyeon smacked Yoohwan’s hand away, causing his friend to step closer and give a threatening leer.  Ignoring both Yoohwan’s irritated expression and his friend’s glower, Hakyeon stepped back and took a deep breath.  “What game are you playing, Yoohwan?  Are you saying that you lied to her?”

            “Of course I did,” Yoohwan snickered.  “Serri is just a pretty toy.  I can tell her anything and she’ll believe me.”

            “So you purposely told her to meet you at Tatsu so you could never show up?”

            “Oh, I showed up,” Yoohwan smirked.  “I came by around 8:15 to see if she actually showed.  I was surprised that she waited even fifteen minutes.  I can’t believe she actually waited a whole hour.  What an idiot.”

            Without warning, Hakyeon rushed up to Yoohwan, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and rammed him up against the alley wall.  Taekwoon held back Yoohwan’s friend before he could help him.

            “Do you know how you made her feel?” Hakyeon growled as Yoohwan tried desperately to pull Hakyeon’s hands off of him.  “Do you even care?”

            “Stop it!”

            All four men looked over at the opening of the alley to see both Serri and Gaeun watching them.  Serri took quick, shallow breaths as her worried eyes began to glimmer with tears.  Her chin began to quiver, and Gaeun came up behind her and wrapped her arms gently around her stomach.

            Hakyeon slowly let go of Yoohwan as he looked into Serri’s heartbroken eyes.  “Serri-yah…”

            “Just…Just let him go.”  Serri took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  “Leave, Yoohwan!”

            “Aish…”  Yoohwan fixed his messy hair and straightened his shirt.  He nodded his head towards his friend, and they both began to leave the alley.  As they passed Serri, Yoohwan gave a cruel sneer.

            “Ya!” Gaeun yelled furiously.  Yoohwan jumped in shock, and proceeded to leave the alley at a faster pace.  Putting her head on Serri’s shoulder, Gaeun pulled her arms tighter around her friend.

            “Serri…”  Hakyeon cautiously stepped toward her.  “Serri, are you okay?”

            “I need to go…home.”  Serri’s voice jumped an octave as she said her last word, and she quickly covered her eyes with her forearm.  “Can you please take us home?” she asked in a high, whispery tone.

            “Of course.”  Hakyeon’s speech had become very light and gentle at just the sight of Serri’s weeping face.  He took his keys out of his pocket and began to walk out of the alley.

            “I’ll take care of the bill,” Taekwoon assured, running back into the restaurant.

            Gaeun walked alongside Serri and held her hand as they headed to Hakyeon’s car.  Hakyeon’s mind raced wildly as he recalled the past few minutes, wondering what Serri had heard, wondering how Yoohwan could be so cruel.

            After Gaeun helped Serri into the car, Hakyeon pulled her aside for a moment.  “Gaeun-ssi…what did Serri hear Yoohwan say?”

            “I don’t know if she heard everything,” Gaeun began, her eyes so filled with anger and sorrow.  “But…she heard enough.”

            Taekwoon returned with a large plastic bag, and they all got into the car and drove off.  Serri sat with Gaeun in the back, covering her face with her hands.  She remained very silent except for a few heartrending whimpers and sniffles.  Gaeun sat in the middle seat in order to be closer to her.

            “Unnie…I’m sorry we ran into him today.”

            “He…He’s right,” Serri whispered, finally revealing her tired, watery eyes.  She forced a grin and sighed.  “I was stupid to believe him.”

            “You’re not stupid, unnie.”

            “I am…”

            “Serri,” Hakyeon interrupted suddenly.  “He’s the stupid one, not you.”

            For the rest of the car ride, nobody spoke a word.  Serri stopped crying, but she only looked out the window in silence, letting out long, shaky breaths every once in a while.  Hakyeon wished he could think of something, anything to say to make her know that she wasn’t as stupid as she felt.  But he couldn’t think past his frustration with Yoohwan.

            When they arrived at the Happy Face dorms, Taekwoon jumped out of the car and opened the car door for Serri and Gaeun.  Serri reluctantly walked up to Hakyeon and looked up at him with her red eyes.

            “Oppa, I’m so sorry I messed everything up today,” she told remorsefully.  “You didn’t even get to eat.”

            “That’s okay, Serri-ssi,” Taekwoon reassured suddenly, holding up his plastic bag.  “I packed up our food when I paid for it.  You’ll still have plenty to eat.”  He carefully handed the bag to Gaeun, and she observed it curiously.

            “Taekwoon-ssi, whose food is this?” she asked, taking a peek inside the bag.  “This has your rice and Hakyeon-ssi’s vermicelli too.  You should take your food.”

            “It’s okay,” he grinned.  “You can share the rest with your members.  Hyung and I can get some food on the way back.”

            “Ah, we can’t take your food,” Gaeun suggested shyly.

            “No, please take it, Gaeun-ssi,” Hakyeon insisted, smiling for the first time since the incident with Yoohwan.  “You need to eat.”

            “Yes, don’t forget to eat.”  Taekwoon looked down at the ground as he spoke.  “It’s bad to skip a meal.”

            “Well…thank you.  I’ll keep that in mind.”  Gaeun took Serri’s arm and pulled her towards the dorm gate.  “Come on, unnie.  Let’s go.”

            “Serri-yah,” Hakyeon called, rushing after them.  He could tell that Serri wanted to hurry in to the dorm and cry alone, but he had to make sure she was okay.

            Serri stopped and turned to him.  “Yes, oppa?”

            “I…um…”  He forced a bright smile and nodded his head.  “I hope you feel better.”

            “Thank you, oppa.”  She grinned weakly and patted his arm.  “I’ll try to make this up to you.  Goodbye.”

            As Serri and Gaeun walked through the gate, Hakyeon felt his heart drop into his stomach.  How many times did he need to see this tiny woman cry?  That moment when she made her presence known in the alley played over and over in his mind, and it enraged him more and more.

            “Hyung, we’d better go,” Taekwoon said quietly.  “She needs some time to figure all this out.”

            “She kept saying…she was stupid,” Hakyeon sighed.  “Last week she said it.  Today she said it.  No one should think that way.”

*          *          *

            When Serri and Gaeun walked into the dorm, Jiyul and Subin were just beginning to eat their lunch.  They looked up at Serri’s tearstained face in shock just before she rushed past them and into her room.

            “Unnie!” Subin called urgently, leaping up from the couch.  “Unnie, are you okay?”

            “Subin-ah,” Gaeun called softly.  “Just let her be by herself.”

            “What happened?” Jiyul questioned anxiously, rising from the couch and walking up to Gaeun.  “Did the date go that badly?”

            “We…We ran into Yoohwan at the restaurant.”

            “Yoohwan?”  Jiyul said the name with such disgust, even Gaeun felt a bit threatened.  “What in the world was he doing there?”

            “I don’t know why he was there, but he was really cruel!” Gaeun informed heatedly.  “First he tried to tell her that she went to the wrong restaurant last week to meet him.  Then he finally admitted he only wanted to trick her.  And…he called her a ‘pretty toy’.”

            “A pretty toy?”

            “Wait, unnie met with Yoohwan last week?” Subin asked apprehensively. 

            “Look, Subin-ah, unnie is working things out,” Jiyul admitted, gritting her teeth.  “But while she’s doing that, I need to work some things out of Yoohwan.”

            “Unnie, don’t get involved,” Gaeun pleaded.

            “Nobody needs to know I was ever involved.  I’d rather it be that way if I’m going to commit a murder.”

            “Unnie…”

            “We have to take care of unnie.”  Subin’s tone was nervous and helpless.  “We need to take care of her.”

            “We’ll do that, Subinnie,” Jiyul promised, wrapping her arms around Subin.  “We’ll take care of her.  Don’t worry.”