1996 | Y.Jw

| 21 |

Sunghoon had helped me gather the few things I had before showing me to his sister's room, once Saturday had come around. He had excused it with me being able to stay in there for a while.

"And you're sure your sister won't mind?" I questioned as I placed my small white pouch on the bed in the room - which was much bigger and wider than the one I had been used to.

"Oh yeah, she won't have a problem with it," Sunghoon waved it off, "she's... she's gone away for a while," he hesitantly excused before smiling widely at me, "mom still finds it a bit weird, so if she calls you Yeji, just play along with it, okay?"

"Uh, sure," I nodded hesitantly.

"And then... Soomin told me she would pick you up in about half an hour, so you can go to the mall. I think you'll have quite a lot of fun," Sunghoon pointed out and I smiled slightly, "you can trust the girls, they're nice."

"Jungwon said so too," I hummed quietly.

"And then tomorrow we're going to Jake's house and seeing what else we can do for you guys..." Sunghoon sighed before looking around, "let me get you some money you can use at the mall."

"I don't think that's necessary," I quickly spoke as Sunghoon rushed out of the room and disappeared for some time before returning with a small wallet in his hands.

"Nonsense... you're going out to have fun," Sunghoon let out a small chuckle, bulling a few green laps of paper up from his wallet, "besides I earn the money myself, I get to choose what I want to use it on. And I... want to use it on assuring you have a good experience," he offered and handed me three green laps of paper with the number '10' written on them, "thirty dollars should be enough for you to buy some food and something nice for youself, alright?"

I smiled quietly before folding the three green laps and putting them in the right front pocket of my jeans.

"Now... I hear a car, so why don't you go down and get your boots on. Go out and have some fun... with no worries," he quickly reminded and I nodded at him, "pinky promise on no worries."

"I promise to not worry about anything," I assured with a small laugh as I linked my pinky with his own, which he had extended towards me.

"Alright, now go," he urged and waved for me to go out.

I grinned widely as I ran down the stairs of the house and out into the front hall to lace up my boots. Outside Soomin sure enough had parked her car, Lin and Emiko waving from the backseat.

"Get in before my parents figure out I took the car!" Soomin yelled out and I quickly ran ahead, jumping into the backseat to squeeze Lin inbetween Emiko and I.

"Have you heard what they planned for us?" Emiko immediately gasped with excitement as I buckled the seatbelt.

"What?" I questioned as I glanced to the front seat.

"Alright. So we're meeting Xia and Kumiko at the mall," Millie started as she turned slightly in her seat, smiling happily as Soomin continued driving, "we'll be shopping a bit, having fun. Xia and Kumi have agreed to pay for food, at the food court, and then... Soomin and I will pay for your skates," Millie proudly stated.

"Skates?" I questioned and looked to Lin and Emiko.

"Don't you remember? They showed us this documentary of roller skating teens in the lab, when we were younger?" Lin gushed, "that's what we're going to do."

"And if you girls are up for it, my parents have agreed that we can go to my house afterwards and watch a movie," Soomin finished.

"I think we have to watch Girls Just Want to Have Fun, but Kumi disagrees and insists on The Breakfast Club, meanwhile Xia says Dirty Dancing is the best. So we're not sure just yet," Millie remarked as I let out a small laugh, "they're all incredible."

"All involve love, that's why you think they're incredible," Soomin commented, earning a small smack on the shoulder from Millie."

"So?" Millie defended, "it'll still be good for them to see! They haven't had parents to watch when it comes to relationships, and as far as I can see they each have a boy they lean against."

"Speaking off... Jungwon wants me to ask if you're doing alright, Jiyeon," Soomin commented and I hummed as I looked out the window, as the car pulled into a parking lot outside a big building I suppose was the mall.

"He worries too much," I excused with a small laugh, "I'm doing fine, he just doesn't trust I am telling him the truth whenever he asks. Sunghoon is very kind to me and helps me as good as he can... cheks the bracelet is turned on every morning."

"She's stealing your man," Millie let out a small laugh, making me immediately frown at her.

"I moreso think she's stealing Yeji's brother," Soomin murmured as she stopped the car, "everyone out, we're gonna have fun."

Inside we had met up with two other girls, who seemed joyful to meet Soomin and Millie, meanwhile they had been quite curious on the remaining three of us. But they were kind to us nonetheless.

We wandered around the mall for a while, looking in various shops and so. Both Emiko and Lin had been given money as well by either Jake and Heeseung, which they used on themselves. I, however, felt quite hesitant about spending the moeny Sunghoon had given me, but at one point I had noticed a checkered button-up shirt which had caught my attention in a man's shop. That had been the first thing I spent money on, only because it was with the intention of giving it to Jungwon - and that hadn't gone unnoticed by Soomin.

"You know... if you want to, I can try and hear him what he thinks of you," Soomin whispered as I walked beside her towards the food court, "Jungwon, I mean."

"Why?" I let out a small laugh and she simply raised her eyebrows at me.

"I can see you like him," she pointed out, "I can help you get him if you want."

"Oh... I think I've already got him, though... I think," I murmured with a small frown, slightly uncertain of what she meant, "he says he has a vision of kissing me."

"Yeah, he commented on something in my life as well the other day. I tend to forget you guys can do stuff like that," she sighed with a frown, "but if he sees you kissing, then it's a good thing. Right?"

"I don't know," I admitted with a shrug, "we... we don't know how to tell the difference between friendship and relationship. We were never taught so."

"Ah... we have to watch a movie tonight then," Soomin insisted, "all relationships start as friendships, but when you begin feeling different about them in a good way... when your stomach begins tingling in a funny way when they're around, or you just want to spend every second with them. That's the difference, I think."

"Is that how you feel about Sunghoon?" I whispered and she nodded quietly.

"But I'm also slightly jealous... I mean you get to live with him," she remarked with a small nudge, "but I guess now we're even, aren't we? Don't you think?"

"I suppose..." I murmured making her nudge my arm softly and I looked up at her, "what?"

"Oh come on..." she chuckled, "I'll help you with him, I promise. Starting from today, I'll help you, and before Christmas you'll have Jungwon wrapped around your finger."

I had let out a small laugh at Soomin, which she only replied in the exact same way. Both Kumiko and Xia had brought these weird striped paper cones filled with fried potato in sticks, they called them french fries - but I didn't really see the french thing about them. 

Now the skating rink was a whole other story. Lin, Emiko and I had all been falling over at every second, but we somehow laughed off the pain and never noticed how we got bruises up and down our legs.