The next morning Yoona was woke up to found Tiffany cooking in the kitchen. She left early in the morning from Taec’s house and only got a couple hours of good sleep before Tiffany put a morning call with music blaring out of the stereo in the living room.

“Morning, sunshine...” Tiffany greeted her, while turn off the music with the remote.

“I have a bad headache.” Yoona groans, hand slapping against her head that pulsed.

Tiffany chuckled, “Yeah, sure.”

“A really bad headache.” Yoona whined again, she pulled the chair and taking her seat.

“I cook you some breakfast.” Tiffany said, still busy cooking. “You’re drunk so bad last night.”

“Honestly I don’t remember anything. I didn't vomit on you, did l?” Yoona asked, she could only remember until Yuri’s perform last night and tried to remember what she was doing after that.

“A little on my shoe, but luckily I was wearing your shoes.” Tiffany chuckled while sat down beside her and put the plate and glass of water down on the table.

“Oh, good.” Yoona gulped down her water before hesitantly asking. “So, did anything happen with Yuri last night?”

“A very good kiss,”

Yoona was nervous despite there being no real reason to be, “Did you kiss her, or did she kiss you?”

“I kissed her.”

Yoona steeled all the nerves in her face to remain expressionless. “And then what?”

“Nothing.” Tiffany shrugged, but Yoona's worry eyes were evident, and Tiffany could tell from her cousin’s upturned eyebrows, asking questions and begging for answers all at once. “She rejected me, okay?”

There was a strange sort of relief inside Yoona’s heart. Either way, it made her curious. “Why she rejected you?”

“Duh, she doesn’t like me, okay?” Tiffany rolled her eyes to but nodded anyway, “Well, she likes me, but not in romantic way.”

“Ohh,” Yoona wasn’t sure if she should feel relieved because the fact Yuri doesn’t like her cousin in romantic way or she should feel sorry for Tiffany.

“She obviously doesn't like your guy, I'll say that.” Tiffany said while putting down her mug of coffee on the table.

Yoona lifted an eyebrow at Tiffany's sudden declaration, “Really? What did she say?”

“That Taec's a jerk-off.”

Yoona suddenly jerked up, looking at Tiffany curiously. “Why would she say that?”

“Who knows? Maybe she was jealous.” Tiffany shrugged again, but before Yoona could get out another word, she continues. “Don't worry. I told her why you were marrying him.”

“Why did you tell her I was marrying him?”

“Because you love him... and because with Taec, you'll have security.”

“No, Fany.” Yoona shook her head vehemently, appalled by what Tiffany had said, “That's not why I'm marrying him,”

“Then why are you?” Tiffany questioned skeptically, adding extra emphasis on the word why.

It took Yoona a few moments to realize the question was created constricting feeling in her gut.

It was a question Yoona had asked herself many times already.

What if she made a mistake to choose Taec?

*

*

Knock…knock…

Yoona was standing on Mrs. Han’s porch and smile widely as soon as the granny opens the door.

“Hi, Mrs. Han, how are you?”

“Fine, dear.”

“Is Yuri here? I came by to give her something.”

Mrs. Han looking down at Yoona’s hands, she noticed a stack of paper getting bundled in red ribbon, much looked like a blank music sheets. Then she looked up at Yoona.

“No, Yoona. I’m afraid she's not here.”

“But it's Thursday. You have singing lessons today with her.”

“Not anymore. Now that she's gone to the city to get a real job.” Mrs. Han smiled sympathetically. “She doesn't have time to give me lessons.”

Yoona’s face twisted into a puzzled frown.

The gears slowly click together in Yoona's head and the previous conversation with Tiffany began filtering into her head.

“I think I’m gonna try and go look for her.” Yoona said, excuse herself from the granny. She was walking down the steps when she heard Mrs. Han’s yells.

“Tell her, I’ll give her a raise.” Mrs. Han yelled out at her door, causing Yoona to turns around, facing her again. “Three meatballs a lesson!”

*

*

Meanwhile,

“Why do you think you'd be a good hire for this bank?” The interviewer asked while looking at Yuri’s curriculum vitae.

“I'm ready to work hard. And when I put my mind to something, I go all the way, sir.”

“Do you have any experience?”

“I have no experience sir, but I'm a big fan of money. I like it. I use it. I have a little. I keep it in a jar on top of my refrigerator. And I'd like to put more in it”

It’s honest and naïve, but the interviewer’s face already scrunches, like it was the most absurd thing he had ever heard in his lifetime as an interviewer.

*

*

Yoona was sitting outside on Yuri’s front porch waiting for her to come home, her gift for Yuri the composition paper is still in her hand. She sighed heavily when she remembered Mrs. Han had said.

* Flashback *

“She wants to make money. You know, live in a nice house with wide windows and good furniture. You can't expect her to live forever with her sister.”

* End of Flashback *

*

*

“Well, Ms. Kwon, honestly, we can’t hire someone with zero experience for this position. I’m really sorry, but it’s not a job for everyone,”

Yuri’s eyes shook with frustration, “Actually, sir, I need this job to impress a girl,”

“Oh, really? Well then, I thank you for your time.” The interviewer ended up the interview, but looking at Yuri who still not budged from the seat, he speaks again, “Will you leave now, please?”

“You need to give me the job, sir!” Yuri pleaded, “Do you like meatballs? I have a friend who could make delicious meatballs. Or do you want to have singing lessons? I’ll give you three hours free lessons.”

The interviewer wasn't so convinced and he pointed to the door of his office, “Leave. Now!”

*

*

Yoona had been waiting all day, her face lit up as Yuri’s car pulled into the driveway. Soon after Yuri gets out of the car, not seeing Yoona at first, but then she looked up and bit surprised when Yoona already standing on her porch, waiting for her.

“Yoona? What are you doing here?”

“I went by Mrs. Han's to find you.”

Yuri smiled bitterly and shook her head, “I'm not doing that anymore.”

Yoona’s eyebrows were creased, “Why? I thought that teaching was a big part of your life.”

“It was, but now I'm doing some stuff... to better my situation.” Yuri tried to reason out.

“Sounds kind of selfish,” Yoona said like it was the most obvious thing that Yuri hadn’t realized it yet.

“It's not selfish.” Yuri defends herself and Yoona had no right to judge her decision, “There's a lot of money out there.”

“But you don't want to be just another yuppie idiot.”

“Why? What's wrong with that?” Yuri inquired, raised her voice unconsciously. “I don't want to live in my sister's basement anymore. I want to get a big house, have some security.”

Yoona shook her head in disbelief, feels disappointed and frustrated, but not at all surprised. She remembered Tiffany and Mrs. Han said about Yuri, it kinda makes sense now.

“You are one of the kindest most generous people I know. That's what everybody loves about you.”

“But I'm tired of living like a rat in a hole, singing at weddings or kid birthday party and doing favors for everybody. Favors don't exactly pay the rent, you know? And getting paid with meatballs?” Yuri snorted with amusement.

“It's just that I thought you were different, that's all. I thought you were above all that material bull.” Yoona shot Yuri a look of disappointment.

“I don't know…” Yuri shrugged indifferently, “We're living in a material world and I am a material girl.”

Yoona laughed at that, she knows Yuri too well. “No, you're not,”

“What about you? You were into material .” Yuri said to her.     

Yuri was being sarcastic and Yoona sensed it immediately. “What do you mean?”

“What exactly are you marrying Taec there for... money, security, luxury, right?”

Yoona’s eyes widen as she heard it, Yuri's accusations were enough to cut through Yoona's already confused emotions. A bunch of paper in her hands started crumbled at how hard she squeezed it with anger and frustration.

“You’re a jerk!” Yoona yelled out, her voice breaking because it wasn't used to ever being so loud. She pushed Yuri away and headed to her car.

“Yoona!” Yuri followed her and grabbed Yoona’s wrist to stop her, “Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I shouldn’t have said those things, I had no right to,”

Feeling angry and humiliated, Yoona turned around to facing Yuri again.

“Here, I got this music paper for you to write your ing songs on.” Yoona said angrily and throws the sheet music in the air. With that, she walked away.

Yoona pulls away in her car, and Yuri helplessly watches her go, helplessly dealing with the mess in her head. She had done something wrong and she didn’t know how to fix it.

“Yoona…” Yuri sighed.

She tries to collect the floating papers that began scattered on her lawn. She looks at one of the sheets. Inscribed at the top is, ‘Words and Music by Kwon Yuri.’

She picks up another and another. They all say the same thing.

“Damn it! I am an !!”

*

*

Verbal fighting with Yoona had done a complete mess in Yuri’s head so she allowed herself a small glass of beer to numb the evening’s event. Even though she hated being drunk, but tonight was an exception.

The bar is almost empty, it wasn’t a surprised, not only because the bar not even close into flashy clubs category, but it’s on the side of town, it looked more like a warehouse with its red brick walls and only have a jukebox to entertain the guest and an old dusty piano nearly broken down in the corner of the bar.

But there was something about that place that calmed her down, the place where her father has performed every night.

She downed the rest of her drink and calling out for the bartender.

“Give me the same, please,”

The bartender gave her glass of beer and she drank it until that uneasy feeling was gone, but it doesn’t help at all.

An old skinny man over seventy who sits next to Yuri leans over to her.

“Having a little woman trouble, kid?”

Yuri smiled at the old man, he is a regular in the bar, but Yuri never knows his name. “Yeah, if you say so,”

“I don't mean to pry, but what'd this person do to you? Walk out on you?”

The old man already lost all his teeth, every time he talks always sounds like he was chewing a bubble gum, though, strangely, she can understand him.

“Worse. She never walked in on me. And she's marrying some handsome, rich bastard in like a few days.”

“That is rough. Never even got a shot at her, you say?”

“Not even close. Well, there was this kiss... you know the kind.” Yuri said with a small smile, reminisce the memory.

An old man nodded, “Those kisses aren't usually one sided, you know. Electricity both ways. I mean, the lady's