Sunny left the bathroom at 12.30pm, careful to avoid Yuri.  That morning had really shaken them both, and this was their first day together.  Things wouldn’t bode well at this rate.  She walked through the living room, covered only in a large beach towel and a second smaller towel wrapped around her hair.  She reached the door to her bedroom when a soft voice made her freeze.

“Sunny?”

She turned around and saw nobody, but knew Yuri was around the corner.

“Can we talk?  When you’re dressed.  I … I need to … to talk to you.”

“Sure,” Sunny half-smiled.  “Give me ten minutes, ok?”

“Ok,” Yuri replied, before turning away and returning to her seat.

Sunny opened her door and walked in to her bedroom.  She nervously and quickly dried herself, so as not to keep this tension in the air any longer.  She wanted to resolve this as quickly as possible.  Yoona would be furious if she knew how horrible she was treating her closest friend.  Quickly, she threw a white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans over her simple black underwear, put on her red Converse shoes and took her hair brush with her so she could brush her hair whilst listening to Yuri.  The quicker this conversation happened, the better.  As she left her bedroom and walked in to the living room, she saw Yuri sitting on the single chair.  Sunny politely took her place at the end of the sofa.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” Yuri started.

“No,” Sunny interrupted.  “I should apologise.  I shouldn’t have said that to you.”

“Sunny, you really don’t need to apologise.  It’s my fault for making such a big deal about that.  You didn’t know what happened, so you can’t blame yourself.”

Sunny looked at her housemate, wondering what would come next.  Yuri took a deep breath before continuing her story.

“My ex was a complete ,” she explained.  “We were together for about a year and a half, and we started off great.  But then, things went badly.  He would tell me how I would be so much better if I looked a certain way or dressed a certain way.  I was much bigger than I used to be now.”

Sunny furrowed her brow as Yuri pulled out an envelope, opened it and took out a photograph.  She handed it to Sunny.

“That’s us,” Yuri explained, “right when we started dating.”

Sunny studied the photograph.  Standing there was a beautiful, curvaceous woman.  As tall as Yuri was now, and whilst the woman in the photograph was still very slim, she definitely had curves.  She looked very y, and the guy standing with her looked rather handsome.  Taller than Yuri, but not by much, fairly muscular.  Rather like her own ex.  Sunny looked up to see the woman sitting in front of her now.  She still maintained her height, but her weight was markedly less than in the photo.  One would have to be blind not to notice the difference.  And one would have to be stupid to prefer this over the photo.

“He said I would be more attractive if I lost weight,” Yuri carried on, “so I lost about 15, maybe 20 kilos.  He said he would prefer if I wore more dresses.  So I wore more dresses.”

Sunny noticed her attire now.  Sure enough, she wore a pale yellow summer dress, with beige high heels.  Her hair was neatly tied up.  The woman in the photograph wore exactly what she was wearing: t-shirt, jeans and Converse shoes, or at least something similar.

“He said a woman should always wear heels, so I wore more heels.  He said a woman should look feminine and demure, so I tried to do it.  I even looked at getting enlargements so he wouldn’t leave me.”  Yuri let out a nervous laugh.  “Actually, tomorrow would have been the day I would have gone in for surgery.”  Sunny’s jaw dropped, but Yuri went on.  “I changed everything for him.  How I dressed, what I ate, who I spoke to, what I watched, what I listened to, what I read … I changed it all.”  Tears started falling from her eyes.  “But he still cheated on me.  He slept with some living across the road from my parent’s house.”  With those words, Yuri broke down.  Tears streamed down her cheeks, sobs left her body in machine gun bursts, all of the emotion she had kept bottled up for so long was now leaving her.  Sunny instinctively jumped from her seat on the sofa and threw her arms around her friend, clutching her head to her chest and her hair.  She didn’t say a word, she allowed Yuri to cry and vent.

“Do you want to know the strangest thing about it?”  Yuri asked, still sobbing.

“What?”

“He wasn’t just sleeping with her.  He was sleeping with her sister too.”

“What?!?!”

“Yep,” the sobbing was now easing as she carried on with her story.  “They both knew, too.  And they were both cool with it.”

Sunny sat up, letting Yuri go from her embrace.  Yuri nodded.

“They both knew, and they were ok that they slept with the same guy?”

Yuri nodded and wiped her eyes.  “I was so angry with him.  We were living together too, but the only place I could go to was my parents.  So I had to move across the road from these girls, back to my parents, hearing them tell me how I was to blame for the breakup.”

“They said what?!?!”

“Mom said I should have been more attentive to his needs, although my dad was pretty mad at him.”

“I should hope so,” Sunny replied, still in shock.

Yuri nodded.  “He didn’t do anything, just because I asked him not to.  It hurt so much, though.”  Instinctively, she rested her head against Sunny, who immediately tightened her arms around her.  “I got him back, though,” she confessed.

“How?”  Sunny asked, intrigued.

“I left my keys with him, but I forgot that I had a spare key at my parent’s house in case of an emergency.  So when I found it, I …” Yuri took another deep breath.  “I went inside the house, when they were all out, and I found where he kept his … you know.”

“His what?”  Sunny asked.

Yuri sighed.  “His condoms,” she mumbled.  “I … I pierced each of them.  I was so furious at him, I wanted to get back at him.”

“You didn’t,” Sunny laughed nervously.

“Yeah … and now her sister is pregnant,” Yuri concluded.

Sunny was stunned.  That was so devious of Yuri, but she reasoned that they deserved it for what they had done to her.

“She wouldn’t have an abortion, so he left her,” Yuri continued.  “Now, she’s about two months before her due date and her sister is ing her ex-boyfriend and he won’t even accept he’s the father to her child.  She’s 19 and pregnant, her baby will grow up without a father, and her 21 year old sister is shacked up with the guy responsible for it all.”

Sunny shook her head.

“I escaped a lot, didn’t I,” Yuri mused.

Sunny dropped to her knees and looked at the forlorn woman sitting in the chair.  “Yuri, I am so sorry you had to experience that.  My ex couldn’t keep it in his pants, but jeez … I’ve never known a guy to do that.”

Yuri nodded.  “That was about six months ago.  He even said I should stop speaking to Yoona, but I couldn’t leave her behind.  It was her suggestion that I stay with her for a while.  She knew I couldn’t bear to be near him, so I moved in with her.  I don’t regret it, but …”

“You wish you could have found somewhere else instead?”  Sunny asked.

Yuri nodded and smiled.  “I wish I knew you before, actually,” she confessed.  “I could have moved in here long ago.”

Sunny smiled and took Yuri’s hand.  “I wish I’d known you before you met him,” she comforted her.  “I would have killed him if I knew what he was doing.”

Yuri blushed.  “Thank you, Sunny.  I just felt I should explain what happened.”

“You didn’t need to,” Sunny responded.  “But I’m glad you did.  And I won’t say anything to anyone.  Not unless you want me to.”

Yuri shook her head.  “No, I haven’t even told Yoona everything.  She knows about what he wanted me to do, but she doesn’t know about the condoms.  Only you know that.”

“You haven’t even told your best friend?”  Sunny was shocked.  “Why?”

“Do you think she’d understand?”  Yuri answered.

Sunny thought for a moment, before shaking her head.  Yoona was too nice to understand something like that.  She thought, even when someone did something horrible, there was still some good in the world that had their name written all over it.

“You, on the other hand, know what it’s like to be hurt that way,” Yuri explained.  “I know you won’t judge me for it.”

“Oh, I’m judging you nine ways to Sunday,” Sunny laughed.  “But I understand.”

Yuri’s smile faded slightly, but at least Sunny understood.  She squeezed her flatmate’s hand and smiled.  “Thank you,” she whispered.  A flash of a smile and a twinkle in her eye made all of the arguments this morning seem like nothing.

The pair walked towards their usual coffee shop, on their way to meet the band.  It had been five days since that incident, and bridges had been more than mended.  Now, they were laughing as though they had been best friends for years.

“Ooooh, couples outfits,” Taeyeon commented as they reached the table.  “I’m guessing the is good then?”

Sunny and Yuri stopped dead and looked at each other, looking over each other’s outfits.  Yes, they wore baseball jackets, but for different teams: Yuri wore a number 45 Kia Tigers’ jacket, where Sunny wore a number 22 Samsung Lions’ jacket.  They both wore t-shirts, but Yuri’s was red and Sunny’s was blue.  They both wore deep blue jeans, but there was nothing special about jeans.  And they both wore Converse shoes, although Sunny’s were red and battered and Yuri’s were black and almost brand new.  They looked like two ordinary people.

“What are you talking about?”  Yuri asked.

Taeyeon smiled, cheekily, whilst Sunny rolled her eyes.  “Taengoo, come on, stop it now!” she sighed, half-laughing.

“What’s she doing now?”  Sooyoung sat at the table with them just at that time.

“She’s asking how the is between me and Yuri,” Sunny caught her up.

“Taeyeon,” Sooyoung looked to her leader, “I know you love teasing Sunny like this, but please don’t talk about her having with another woman in front of me.  You know how I feel about that.”

“You mean you get jealous that she isn’t dragging you to bed yet?”  Taeyeon smirked.

“Exactly,” Sooyoung nodded.  “I’ve known Sunny for months now and she still hasn’t fallen in love with me.”

Sunny and Taeyeon laughed, leaving Yuri confused.  “Don’t worry,” Taeyeon reassured their new member, “we’re just teasing.  The jackets look cute on you both.”

“Thanks,” Yuri replied, a little uneasy.  “I didn’t know Sunny was a baseball fan.”

“I’m not a huge fan, but I do enjoy watching games from time to time,” Sunny put her jacket and small backpack over the back of her chair.  “Ok, since you two were too cruel to get us coffee, I’ll have to get our own then,” she smirked.  “Yuri, what would you like?”

Sooyoung and Taeyeon feigned shock and horror, as Yuri fished into her pocket for her purse.  “I’ll just have a mineral water, please,” she requested, finally finding her prize and opening it for the money.

“No, forget about it,” Sunny waved her hand.  “I’ll get this one, you can get the next.”

Yuri’s eyes widened.  “Are you sure?  I mean you paid for lunch yesterday …”

Sunny nodded and walked into the shop before Yuri could protest any further.  Sheepishly, Yuri put her purse away and smiled.

“Seriously,” Sooyoung asked, “how are things with you and Sunny?”

“They’re great,” Yuri declared.  “We get on so well, we talk a lot, we’ve been watching movies, and just really enjoying each other’s company.  We went shopping yesterday to get some new shoes for me, and we had lunch.  Which she paid for.”

Taeyeon laughed.  “The thing you have to know about Sunny,” she confided, “when she says ‘you get the next one’, you either have to be able to get to the counter before she does, or she has to be broke.  She really doesn’t mind paying for lunch or coffee or things like that.  To her, they’re little things.  And she knows she has respect and trust from you and you won’t abuse her generosity.”

“But she will lose her money quicker this way,” Yuri worried.

“Yeah,” Sooyoung echoed, “but she knows her limits.  And we get each other coffees or meals sometimes.  Personally, I just accept it.  I know I can pay her back.”

“Yeah,” Taeyeon teased, “but you like people buying you everything because you think you’re a princess.”

“No, Jessica is a princess,” Sooyoung corrected her.  “I’m the Grand High Empress.  Focus, Tae.”

Taeyeon playfully hit her head on the table in exasperation.

“But honestly,” Sooyoung carried on, “I’ve known Sunny for a long time and she likes to spoil people.  So you just have to make sure you can spoil her sometimes.”

“How?”  Yuri asked.

Sooyoung shrugged.  “Why not get a pizza and a few drinks and have a night in?” she suggested.

Yuri mulled it over as Hyoyeon and Seohyun arrived.  “Sounds good,” she agreed.

“What does?”  Hyoyeon asked.

“Yuri’s learning about Sunny’s generosity,” Sooyoung explained.

“She’s here?”  Seohyun asked.  “I found this great interview she might like last night.  It’s with the developers of a few Nintendo games.  I emailed it to her, but I didn’t hear anything back.”

“That was what it was?”  Yuri asked.  “I’m surprised she didn’t say anything.  She just said it was from you and she’d read it later.”

“Oh,” Seohyun sat back, surprised.  “I thought she’d be happier about it.”

Sunny walked back seconds later and saw the new arrivals.  “Hey, why didn’t you text me you were on your way?” she asked.  “I would have got the drinks in!”

“No, it’s ok, I’ll get something in a minute,” Hyoyeon comforted.

“Sunny unnie,” Seohyun smiled, “did you get my email last night?”

“The interview with the ‘Fire Emblem’ devs?”  Sunny asked, handing Yuri her water.  Seohyun nodded.  “It was pretty cool,” she agreed.  “It was nice to know how things like that come about and how people work together.”

“They seem to have a lot of sites for their games,” Seohyun mentioned.  “There’s bound to be more interviews like that.”

Sunny nodded.  “I did read one that made it seem so stressful, but really rewarding,” Sooyoung admitted.  “I can send you the link, if you want.”

Sunny nodded in gratitude and at the straw for her iced coffee.

“So where’s Yoona?”  Yuri asked.

“She went to the mall to pick something up,” Taeyeon replied, drinking her fruit juice.  “She won’t be much longer.”

Yuri nodded, understanding Yoona’s shopping habits, as Tiffany joined the group.  Jessica followed shortly after with Yoona, having met her in the mall.  Both carried a bag from Accessorize, which meant only one thing: Jessica has been shopping for sunglasses again, and this time, she had taken Yoona with her.

“Ok, now everyone is here, I’d like to call this meeting to order,” Tiffany declared.

“And I’d like to drink wine openly in McDonalds, but they won’t let me do that either,” Taeyeon retorted, resulting in a few giggles from bandmates.

“Taeyeon, we need to become more professional,” Tiffany argued.  “We can’t just sit around, drinking coffee when we have to prepare for our debut.  We won’t get signed if we’re not going to put the effort in.”

“True,” Taeyeon conceded, “but when have we ever not put the effort in?”

“We need to put more in,” Tiffany argued.

Taeyeon reached out for her friend’s hand.  “Tiff,” she assured her, “I’ll make you a promise.  We will perform with all of our hearts and all of our souls when we need to.  Until then, we’re just a group of average girls doing what average girls do.”

“And if we don’t rise to the occasion?”  Tiffany asked.

“I’ll make sure they’re all whipped into shape,” Taeyeon assured her.  “It’s my job as the leader.  I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but … just don’t, ok?”

Tiffany sighed and sat back in her chair, removing her hand from her leader’s grasp.  She didn’t like to be overruled like this, but what could she do?  Taeyeon was the group’s leader, and everyone had to toe the line.  She prayed silently that everyone would.