“Seollie are you taking drugs?” Dasom asked with worry in her voice. “That’s too much crystal meth.”
     “That’s impossible, drugs are so hard to find in Korea. Maybe that’s alcohol. You know, Seollie loves Johnie Walker. Soon, she’ll be Seol Walker,” Bora joked.
     They immediately brought Seol to Jihyun’s room, seated and served her food.
     “My goodness gracious you look like a cross of a malnourished child and a battered wife. What the hell did Donghyun-sshi did to you?! Tell us what happened!” the birthday girl Jihyun said as she poured tequila into Seol’s shot glass.
     Seol chomped his heart out on japchae before she answered Jihyun. “Oppa broke up with me out of the blue. I guess he has a new girlfriend.”
     “Does he know your job?” Bora inquired as she scooped a serving of japchae on her plate.
     Seol shook her head meekly.
    “What if he discovered your sideline?” Hyojung suggested after she took a shot. “I mean… he might be shocked knowing your other job and…”
     “He could’ve told me… but then  –gulps a shot of tequila–  I guess he got scared of me… I’m a monster.”
     Dasom hugged her while cooing her. “No, you’re not a monster. Seol is not a monster. Everything will be alright. We are always here for you, okay?”
     Bora added, “Your boyfriend left you, but we never will.”
     “We’ll stay as one, okay?” Hyojung cheered her.
     “No matter what happens, even if the sky is falling down now, we promise you that we will never let you go,” Jihyun told her as she tried to hold back her tears.
     The five girls cried as they all hugged each other.
     Seol wiped her eyes as she said, “This is supposed to be for our birthday girl Jihyun. I’m so sorry… Anyway,  –digs in her backpack–  I have a gift for you. Ta-dah!  –gives a bottle of Johnnie Walker–  Kang Ji Hyun, meet my husband. He’s forever loyal, you know.”
     Jihyun accepted the gift with glee. “I’ve been waiting to meet this guy for a long time, Seollie. Thank you very much for the wonderful present. I love it very much! You know, sometimes my Korean tongue gets tired of the same soju and makgeolli.”
     “Open that bottle and let’s drink!” Bora excitedly told them as her eyes laid on the glass bottle.
     While pouring rinks, Seol began inquiring about her friends’ life.
     “In am matter of months I’ll be representing motherland for the Incheon Olympics in archery. As of now, I’m preparing my body and soul for that special occasion. They actually gave me the nickname Cupid Archer, ha ha,” bora narrated.
     “I’m gonna debut soon Seollie. With my first single Magic Drag with a popular actor. My god I’m so excited, I just can’t hide it! I hope you’ll be there to watch me, Seollie,” Hyosung rejoiced, holding her hand.
     “Seollie, your wish came true. I’m gonna be on a billboard in Gangnam. I’m going to endorse COEX Mall. My photoshoot will be on next week. I was hoping all of you can come to my photoshoot. It’s my first time so…  –giggles–” Dasom told her with glee.
     “Tomorrow is the opening of my own gym in Ilsan. Can you go tomorrow?” Jihyun told her.
     Wow, my friends are having the best of their lives while me… Me is just so pitiful. How sad it is to be me.
     “Seollie, are you alright? You’re spacing out,” Jihyun burst her thought bubble.
     Seollie faked a smile and replied, “No, I’m fine. Myabe it’s just the effect of alcohol. He he…”
     “Lee Seol,” Jihyun took her hand and said, “When you have a problem, talk to us. If it’s financial, we can lend you so you don’t have to do your sideline. If it’s emotional, we’ll come and listen to you. Just tell us, okay?”
     Why are they so nice to me… I’m so lucky to have friends like them. I guess maybe soon I’ll get over this heartache. Maybe soon…
     Hyojung opened the bottle of Johnnie Walker and poured it in five glass shots. She gave it to everyone, then belted, “Let’s drink!”
     The five girls clanked their glasses and screamed, “To success!”
     “To Bora, the Cupid Archer of South Korea!”
     “To Hyojung, the Beyoncé of South Korea!”
     “To Dasom, the Snow White of South Korea!”
     “To Jihyun, the Madam of South Korea!”
    “And to Seol, the heartbroken girl!”
     Then they all burst into laughter. They gulped shot after shot until the bottle is empty. All fell into a deep slumber later.

Seol woke up with a mighty migraine next to Jihyun who’s snoring on the floor. She opened her eyes and saw Dasom on Jihyun’s bed lying on her stomach, Hyojung on the table while hugging the bottle of Johnie Walker and Bora sleeping under the bed frame.
     “What the hell happened last night? I mean… this early morning? Aish... I need to get some Tylenol…”
     She crawled her way to get her bag under Hyojung’s foot. She opened her bag and dug for her first aid kit. When she found it, she opened it and took one. There was no beverage in sight, so she gathered some saliva in then popped the medicine in . She took out the phone from her bag and checked the time.
     “Oh man. It’s five already. I better get going. I’ll just leave a letter on the table.”

Dear Jihyun,

     Thank you for inviting me to your birthday slumber party. I had so much fun with you and Bora, Hyojung and Dasom.

     Let’s have some fun some time again. I have to go to work for now.

Love,

Lee Seol