Unpaid Debt

Chapter 1

Unnie =  younger girls calls older girls unnie in korea.

mianhe = sorry

arrasseo = I understand 

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“Dara-unnie! Hey! Wait up!”

               I whirled around, unsticking my nose from my Science notes. Aisht, this Bom! Although she’s only one month younger than me, she drives me crazy by calling me unnie! I feel so old! And what is it this time?

               “Unnie!” she panted. “I’ve got their latest song! You have to listen!”

                I sighed. Bom was the perfect example of a crazy, head-over-heels-with-admiration kind of fan. She was cute, and everyone loved her, but she was insane when it came to her favourite Korean band. What was I to do with this sweet wild thing who was my best friend? I had no choice but to agree.

                “Arrasseo, arrasseo. I shall listen to your newest song.” I agreed with another sigh.

               “Wah, unnie you are the best! Saranghae, saranghae!” She exclaimed. She fished out her earphones from her vast, endless bag.

                When she finally found them, she unraveled them and passed one to me. I rolled my eyes discreetly and stuffed it into my ear. Bom and her fan craze!

                The song started playing. I barely heard it. I was too focused on my Science notes. Anyway, who even cares about this stupid music? I really need that A+ for Science! I need to prove to my parents that I can study well on my own! Ahh! Err…um… Refraction of light is the bending of light at the boundary of two… Two… What was it? Err… um… Oh yea! At the boundary of two different optical media!

                At least I managed to get one formula into my exhausted brain. I felt so relieved. Now, just six more to go!

                “Yah! Unnie are you even listening?” Bom asked, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed.

                “No, mianhe. What were you saying?”

                “Unnie, you are really too much. If you do that again, I will take away your beloved Science notes!”

                I knew she was serious.

                “Okay, I’ll listen now.” She had taken off the earplugs. I hadn’t even noticed that the song was over!

                “I just heard the greatest news! You will never believe it! Take a guess!” Bom’s was never daunted by an inattentive friend, one of her many (good?) qualities.

                “I know! Big Bang is coming to Busan?”

                “No! Although I dearly wish they were…” she sighed. “Tomorrow, there are three new guys coming to our school. They’ll be in our class. And guess what?”

                I scrunched up my eyes, thinking. Why is Bom so excited about this?

                I shook my head.

                “Rumours are going around, but I think we can trust them… One of the boys is rich, handsome, and every girl will be chasing after him. Keke, maybe you should try him out Dara!” she suggested with a mischievous smile on her face.

                “Yah! No way! Stop it!” I yelled as she continued chuckling.

                “Unnie, you’re turning red!”

                “Yah! Leave me alone!”

                Silly girl! Pabo! I need to focus on getting good grades. I can’t flunk anything ever again!

                I turned and stalked off. Bom followed me.

                “Unnie, all three are coming tomorrow, and Sajangnim wants us to greet them as a school family. You’ll come with me right? I want to be there early so I can stand near the front. Maybe he’ll notice me! Please accompany me! I’m way too nervous to do it on my own! I’ve no confidence whatsoever!”

                “Then get some! But yes, I’ll come along.” I said resignedly.

                “Unnie, you are so mean!”

                “How many times have I told you to stop calling me unnie?”

                “As many times as I’ve said it.”

                 Kyaa! Why is she so suddenly rude to me? Has she forgotten that I'm older than her?

                ... maybe it's better that she calls me unnie.

                “Yah! Have you no respect for your poor dear unnie?”

                “You told me to stop calling you that.”

                “Well, I’ve changed my mind.” Bom was very persuasive. And she also knew that what annoyed me more than anything else was when people disrespect people they ought to respect. Aisht, this Bom was so annoying!

                “Unnie, I do seriously think you need to lighten up.”

                “When have you ever been serious?” I asked, once again disrupted from my studies.

                “Yah! You’re so serious nowadays, what happened to my old optimistic and cheery best friend who always made me laugh? You don’t even tolerate me now… Before you would join in…”

                “People change. And parents get angry when you don’t get good grades.” I replied angrily.

                “See? You’re stressed out again! Wah, you definitely need to lighten up! You’re grades are perfect! That day when you took that exam, you were sick! It wasn’t your fault you didn’t pass! Stop blaming yourself for it!”

                I hung my head.

                “You don’t know what it was like.” I said softly. “My parents let me come back here and study on my own despite knowing that I couldn’t study unless someone forced me to. They didn’t believe me when I told them I was sick. And I can’t blame them for that. It was my fault in the first place. I was like the boy who called wolf. And my parents were so disappointed. It was worse than if they were angry. Ah, I’m such a silly girl! I have to study Bom.” I turned away.

                “Dara-unnie, you stay right there! You have to go back to my crazy best friend!”

                I smiled at her. “After tomorrow’s exam?” I asked hopefully, widening my eyes.

                She laughed. “Fine then, but promise first!”

                We crossed our pinkies together and I promised her.