Sunny walked to the door, wondering who would be calling so early on a Sunday morning.  She had dressed quickly in her grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt, foregoing brushing her hair, to make sure she could reach the door in time.  She reached the door and turned the handle, pulling it open.  The sight before her was not a welcome sight.

“What are you doing here?” she sighed, incredibly unimpressed with the interruption.

“Can we talk?” Leo asked quietly.  Something wasn’t quite right.  He didn’t seem so cocky, so arrogant.  He seemed hurt.  Vulnerable even.

Sunny took a deep breath and relented, opening the door to allow him back into the apartment.  “Make it quick,” she declared.

Leo walked through the door looked around.  “You decorated,” he noticed, a little less energetic than usual.

“Yeah,” Sunny seethed, mockingly imitating an interior designer.  “I wanted a change from the ‘Everywhere I look, I see my ex-boyfriend ing some ” motif.”

Leo looked at his shoes, ashamed.  “I guess I deserve that,” he admitted.

“No,” Sunny corrected him.  “You deserve to be thrown out of here.  You deserve the door slammed shut in your face.  You deserve to be avoided by every single woman on the planet because you and I both know that you can’t keep your little inchworm in your pants.”  She headed into the kitchen, shaking her head in frustration.  “What do you want, Leo?  You don’t go to your ex’s house at 10 o’clock on a Sunday morning just to admire their decorating.”

“I …” he ran his fingers nervously through his hair.  “I saw you.  Last night.”

“I know, we were there,” Sunny retorted.

“Look, please Sunny,” Leo took a step towards her.  “I’m sorry I cheated on you.  I …”  He stopped, shaking his head, searching for the words to continue.

“You what?  Were thinking of me the whole time?  Didn’t mean it?  Slipped and fell into her , first?”

“I didn’t come here to argue,” Leo waved his hand, deflecting the comments that Sunny had held back for so long.

“Then what did you come here for?” Sunny asked, exasperated.

The shuffling footsteps of slipper-clad feet alerted them to another person.  Yuri walked around to the work surfaces, her eyes looking at Leo with suspicion and anger.

Leo took a deep breath.  “I’m leaving,” he announced.  Sunny lowered her eyelids.  “I’m leaving Seoul,” he clarified.

“And you had to come here and tell me that?” Sunny enquired.

Leo sighed, exhausted.  “I thought you should know,” he replied.  “I’ve broken up with Seo Yeon, she doesn’t want to come with me, so I’m gone.  I’ll be out of your life and you two can …” he waved his hand between the lovers, “do whatever you want.”

Sunny bit back another smart assed comment about needing permission.  Clearly, he was broken.  Something had happened.  “Why did you break up?” Sunny asked, whilst Yuri remained quiet and made coffee.

He took a deep breath and sighed again.  “Guess,” he answered, looking at her, fed up with the situation.  The abrupt answer meant one thing; she knew what the answer was.  And there was only one answer that would result in a simple but harsh “Guess” as a response.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” Sunny asked sympathetically, surprised that it was he that was feeling the effects of someone else’s infidelity.  She was certain that Seo Yeon would be the one crying because she had been cheated on by him.

He nodded.  “Although I only found out when I told her that I was …”

Sunny folded her arms and glared at him.

“Anyway, we broke up and I went out last night, drown my sorrows.  And I saw you, I saw you both dancing, and I was disgusted at you both,” he told.  “Why would you two cavort around the city as though what you’re doing isn’t wrong?”  He shook his head.

“Wrong?” Sunny spat, getting angrier.  Even though Yuri remained silent, she too wasn’t liking the conversational journey.

“I watched you for a little longer,” he carried on, “then I realised what I was most disgusted at.  It wasn’t at you two both being women, it was …”  He closed his eyes.  “It was …”

“How Mr ‘God’s Gift To Women’ was replaced by a woman?  How Mr ‘Lover Supreme’ was thrown away and has to watch his ex-girlfriend be happy with another woman?”

“Yes,” he sighed.  “I had to watch my masculinity be ripped to shreds because I couldn’t do the one thing that a man is supposed to do, and I had to watch a woman do it for me.  I had to watch my ex-girlfriend, the only woman I can say I have loved be treated by a woman the way … the way that I should have treated her.  I had to watch a woman teach me how to be a real man.  Happy now?”

Sunny smiled sympathetically, stunned by his demeanour.  She really had pulled a number on him to break him like this.  “Not really, no,” she admitted.  “I mean, I’m glad you learned, but I’m not happy you feel like this.”  There were a few more uncomfortable seconds of silence as Leo looked around.  “I’m really sorry,” she added.

Leo nodded.  “Thanks,” he mumbled.  A few more seconds of uncomfortable silence passed.  “Anyway, I thought I’d let you know,” he finished.  Sunny nodded respectfully.  “I guess I should go,” Leo fidgeted, turning to walk out.  “Look after her, Yuri,” he advised.  “Sunny’s … she’s special.  I should have taken care of her.  I don’t deserve her.  I never did.”  Yuri nodded, and remained as silent as she had all throughout their conversation.  He bowed his departure and headed for the door, opening it to see Yoona, Seohyun and Hyoyeon waiting there, about to knock.

 

“What did Captain Jackass want?” Hyoyeon asked.

“To tell me he’s leaving,” Sunny explained, following Yuri to the dining table and putting her arms around her from behind as she sat down.  “What’s up?”

“Has Taeyeon been in touch with you?” Seohyun asked, sitting opposite Yuri.

The couple shook their heads.  “Is everything ok?” Sunny asked.

“Yuri?” Yoona looked at her friend, concerned.  “Are you ok?”  Yuri nodded.  “You sure?” Yoona asked, which was answered by another nod and a smile.  “Yuri, you’re never quiet for anything,” Yoona coaxed.  “What’s wrong?”

“She … might have lost her voice,” Sunny blushed.  Yuri blushed as well, confirming that she had.

“What?” Seohyun asked.  “What were you doing to lose your voice?”  The pair immediately avoided the eyes of the newly arrived trio, a sign that said “You know what we’ve done, but we’ll pretend to be innocent until you realise what it is.”  Seohyun picked up on the signal and shook her head.  “Forget I asked,” she dismissed.

“You are too innocent, maknae,” Hyoyeon teased.

“So, have you heard from her?” Yoona hurried the conversation back to the original topic.

“She did,” Hyoyeon teased, “all night I’m guessing.”

“I meant Taeyeon!” Yoona scowled.

“No, I think she just heard from Yuri,” Hyoyeon continued teasing her friend.

“What happened?” Sunny giggled, albeit worried for her friend.  “What’s going on with Taeyeon?”

“Well, you two went off for your fest,” Hyoyeon pulled out a chair and recounted the tales of the previous night, “and we stayed and danced.  Taeyeon and Jessica were dancing a little together and Jessica got a little uncomfortable with Queen Byun Taeyeon hips.  She left, Tae followed her, and we didn’t see them at all for the rest of the night.”

“I’ve tried calling them,” Yoona added, “but neither of them are answering their phones.”

“We didn’t know if you knew what was happening?” Seohyun asked.

“Why would we know?” Sunny asked.  “We left first.”

“Well, because nobody else does,” Seohyun pursed her lips, concerned that the pair might have had a bust-up.  “If you don’t, then the only thing we have left is to go and see them, and if they’re fighting …”

Sunny nodded, understanding their position, and stood up.  She couldn’t let them know something was going on between them.  “I haven’t heard from them at all, but we can keep calling.  Wait there.  When did you last call?”

“About twenty minutes ago,” Hyoyeon answered.  “You think something’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Sunny mused, walking to the living area for her phone.  ‘Perhaps it was nothing,’ she thought, ‘perhaps the reason she wasn’t answering was because it was them calling.’  She picked up her phone and called Jessica first, to no answer.  Then she called Taeyeon.  Again, no answer.  ‘They could be sleeping,’ she reasoned, putting her phone down on the table and shaking her head to the group.  Seohyun furrowed her eyebrows.  “They might be sleeping,” Sunny reasoned aloud.  “I mean, you know Jess is dead to the world once she’s asleep and you only know that Taeyeon left the club.  You don’t know what she did afterwards.”

“Like what?” Yoona asked, a little more concerned than before.

“Maybe she went to another club?” Hyoyeon proffered.  “You know she was the only one to vote for ‘The Blue Oyster Bar’.  Maybe she went there?”  Two younger, concerned faces nodded, unconvinced.  “You’ve got nothing to worry about, I told you.  Right, Sunny?” Hyoyeon asked, hoping that Sunny would back her up.

“If anything has happened, we’d know by now,” Sunny comforted them.  “But I think she would feel honoured to have friends that are looking out for her the way you both are.”

It was at that moment that Sunny’s phone vibrated, alerting them to a text message.  Sunny picked up her phone and read the message silently.  It was from Taeyeon.  “We’re fine.  Tell the girls not to worry.” was all it read.

“Is that her?” Yoona asked hopefully.

Sunny nodded as she replied.  “What happened?” she tapped on the keyboard and locked the phone.  “She said she’s fine and not to worry,” she reported.  “I just asked her what happened.”

Yoona sighed.  “Told you, Yoona,” Hyoyeon boasted.  Another alert, and another message.

“You two did, you ;)”  Sunny blinked a few times as another message followed.  “Did you have fun when you left?”

“Yuri lost her voice,” Sunny replied.  “The girls are really worried.  What happened?”  She tapped Send and locked the screen again.

“Well?” Yoona asked.

“I’m getting information,” Sunny assured her.  “Listen, she’s fine.  How about you three go and don’t worry.  If she says anything that makes me worry, you will be the first to know.  Ok?”

Seohyun and Yoona looked at each other.  “Promise?” Seohyun asked.

Sunny nodded.  “I promise.  If I’m not worried, then there’s usually nothing to worry about.  If something sounds suspicious, we’re all going there for an intervention.”

Seohyun nodded, satisfied with her response.  “Come on,” Hyoyeon stood up.  “Let’s stop for milkshakes on the way back.”  The pair followed their blonde comrade out of the door turning to bow in gratitude to Sunny and Yuri.  “Yuri, make sure you rest you throat, ok?” Yoona smiled.

“Yeah,” Hyoyeon called back.  “And no more ‘fun’ nights, ok?”

Sunny rolled her eyes.  “You can’t tell us what to do,” she smirked as the three left the apartment.  No sooner had the shut the door behind them than her phone vibrated again.  Yuri rested her chin on her hand as Sunny picked up the handset and swiped at the screen.  Taeyeon’s reply of “I woke up to the most beautiful sight this morning.” was so vague and romantic, but it didn’t need expanding on; it merely confirmed that both Taeyeon and Jessica were fine.  A second message came though.  “Tell Yuri to rest her voice.  We still need her when you’ve finished with her :P”

Sunny tapped away at the screen.  “You should tell the girls you’re ok.  They really are worried.  Should I let you get back to drooling over your ‘friend with benefits’?”  She chuckled as she hit Send.  “Taeyeon says to rest your voice too,” she announced.  “Apparently, we need you when I’ve finished ravishing you.”

Yuri smiled cheekily, sticking her tongue onto her teeth, in that goading style that practically begged to push the boundaries of Sunny’s comment.  Sunny would have responded had her phone not vibrated at that moment.  She opened the message from Taeyeon and dropped her jaw in surprise.  She looked up at Yuri and turned the phone around to show her the message.  Three words that defined so much, brought closure and completed something that they knew meant so much.

“No.  My girlfriend :)”