Me, Myself & I (Catnipz)

Mommy's friend.

 "¿How have you been, sweetheart?" I noticed it was time to let her go when I saw her nervous expression.

"Very well, and you?" she replied courteously but without losing her usual rough demeanor.

"Also very well," the woman's voice carried joy, tenderness, and other mixed emotions.

She approached Minji and hugged her. Then she came to me and greeted me with the typical cheek kiss.

"Marie Hudson," she introduced herself.

"Kang Haerin," I did the same.

"What a lovely girlfriend you have, Minji," the now friendly woman said, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you," I said with a huge smile, trying not to laugh at the crimson tone that had taken over Minji's cheeks.

"No..." she stammered. "She's not..." She couldn't finish her sentence when Sihyun's little shout interrupted her.

"Haerin!" she exclaimed happily, running towards me.

"Hello!" I replied in the same cheerful tone. "How was your time?" I asked smiling as I lifted her up.

"Great!"

"Is this Sihyun?" Marie asked, and Minji nodded. "But you've grown so much!" she said, approaching us. "You probably don't remember me," she caressed Sihyun's cheek, "but I've known you since you were a little baby." Sihyun just smiled at her. "I was..."

"...Mommy's friend," the little one interrupted as if nothing, only I noticed Minji's serious look. "Come on, Haerin, will you join me for my slice of cake?" How could I deny such sweetness? I put her down, and she immediately took my hand and ran towards where the cake was.

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"Give me some cake, Sihyun," Jongin was saying to his sister, who was happily eating the giant slice of cake they gave her.

"Sihyun, that's too much for you," Minji spoke. "Share some with Jongin," she ordered, and the little one immediately obeyed.

The red light made Minji stop, so I leaned back in my seat and turned to the left to see her. She was staring at me, waiting for me to turn. Finally, she did, and I smiled at her, again holding back my laughter.

What a grumpy woman you are, Kim.

I kept staring at her and she turned around again. This time, I winked at her and blew her a kiss without the kids noticing. Finally, she let out a small smile, shook her head, and looked straight ahead.

I turned my gaze forward upon seeing a white light that wasn't coming from the traffic light, which was still red. This white light started to grow brighter and faster as it approached us directly.

"M-Minji?" I stammered, scared, turning to look at her.

She furrowed her brow, trying to shift the gear lever, but it wouldn't budge. It wasn't just a light; it was a car speeding towards us.

I recognized that damn car.

Eunchae.

I closed my eyes tightly, bracing for impact, but Minji floored the gas pedal, tires screeching as she swerved to avoid the red sports car, which returned to its lane. It seemed entirely intentional.

Minji slammed on the brakes, aligning us on the curb, and thanks to the seatbelt, we didn't crash into the windshield. She didn't waste a second, unbuckling her seatbelt and rushing to the back door to make sure the kids were okay. I just turned in my seat to see. Jongin's eyes were wide open, and Sihyun, who seemed calm, suddenly burst into tears.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Minji asked desperately at Sihyun's relentless crying.

"My dress," she said between sobs, looking down at her cake-stained dress. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Sweetie, don't cry," I said tenderly. "It can be cleaned," I reassured her.

"But..." she started, overwhelmed.

"Look," I got out of the car. "Can I switch places with Jongin?" I asked, and he immediately agreed. "I'll help you." I climbed in and took a couple of napkins, helping her remove the cake from her clothes.

"Is everyone okay?" Minji asked, and both kids nodded.

"Not everyone," I thought inwardly. Eunchae would die over this.

"Thanks," I said getting out of the car.

"Haerin..." Sihyun called me.

"What's up?" I asked smiling.

"Will you come with us tomorrow?"

"That's not up to me," I replied, looking at Minji.

"No," she answered seriously. "Tomorrow I'll have a break from her, plus I have work," she explained to Sihyun, who looked at her like a puppy abandoned in the rain.

"Please," she insisted. "Haerin is fun," Jongin added.

"No," she refused again. "You have school and homework to do."

"Tomorrow is Friday."

"Kids," I interrupted. "Listen to your sister. I promise I'll come visit you later. Kim, open the trunk," I said, then walked to the back of the car.

"Why?" she asked, getting out of the car.

"I left a few bags there." I opened the trunk, and sure enough, there were about ten bags inside.

"Your obsession with shopping is not normal," she said as I changed my boots for the heels I had on before.

"Yeah, well, neither are you." I said, taking off the other boot, turning around, and throwing them into a trash can on the sidewalk.

"Why are you throwing those away?" she asked, puzzled.

"You hated them, so they're useless to me," I said, laughing. I grabbed all my bags. "See you later," I kissed her cheek and walked towards my house.

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"Where were you?" I heard my mom's voice as I climbed the stairs.

"I was at..."

"It's okay, I'll send someone to pick up the order," she was on her phone. How strange. "Sorry, dear, what were you saying?" She covered the phone's speaker so the person on the other end couldn't hear us.

"Nothing, I wasn't saying anything."

"I'll pick you up tomorrow, okay?" I read Danielle's message on my phone. "Don't even ask, it's a given," I replied.

I continued changing; I was tired. Or rather, annoyed. We had spent the whole day answering that tedious guide, and all I wanted was to sleep.

"Alright, so how did it go?" I dropped onto the bed with my phone in hand and started typing.

 "Excellent, so much so that I can assure you that you've lost the bet. Don't be surprised when Minji admits she's madly in love with me," I sent.

I left my phone on the nightstand and turned off the lights. In less than five minutes, I had fallen into a deep sleep.