Heading out of the changing room, I line up on Lane 3 for our weekly friendly competition. The fastest swimmer amongst us gets to leave 20 minutes earlier in the next training.
Jumping into the water, I start kicking and pulling as fast as I can all the while thinking about So-young.
I CAN just leave it like this and wait it out, but I don't want to.
I've already experienced losing my close friends because of this stupid personality of mine; I won't let this happen again, not when I have a second chance.
I reach the end of the pool and before I know it, I started the race back to the start. I have won this competition every single time from the day it was held.
While having my head underwater, I see So-young swimming along side me, trying her hardest as well.
With her goggles, I can't see her eyes. Damn it, she cried, huh? I made her cry.
'Uughhh...I made So-young cry, didnt I? What a damn fool I am'
Momentarily, I forget to kick, wasting precious time. Why can't I swim properly?
Reaching the end, we all wait for the announcement from Coach Kwan to see who earned the 20 minutes break.
"Alrighty! So let's see.....Min-chul and Mi-sun! Congratulations, you both got the fastest times. Min-chul got 1:30.54 and Mi-sun got 1:31.43. A very short gap!"
Realizing how won, I can't help but smile bitterly. Yes, I did win, but my time is much, much slower than I'm used to. In fact, almost 5 seconds slower than my record the week before last.
I guess it's the So-young problem gnawing at me, huh? I'd better have her over at my house.
After that, we start our daily practice of stretching, freestyle, froggy kick and backstroke; butterfly kick is for the more advanced swimmers like So-young, Mi-sun and I.
Following today's trend, So-young still treats me as if I'm a plastic bag, drifting through the wind...
"Uhhh, hey So-young! Wanna come over today?"
"Huh?...ummm, why?"
'Oh my God Feelie! She is hesitant! This is very, very bad!'
[uhuh.....good luck I guess]
'Why don't you care?!?'
[ehhhh...]
'Hmph!'
Without Feelie caring, I start my apology plan. Nicknamed, "Operation Autumn"!
"Look, So-young. I'm sorry for today...I should have payed more attention to you..."
"Hmph!...what will we do today?"
Hearing her open ended question, I immediately brighten up. This is the chance!
"We can play games! Or whatever...I mean, I guess you can choose"
"Mwuahahaha! Alrighty then..."
'Uhoh...whats up with that evil laugh? That's my evil laugh!!! S-she is plotting something, isn't she?'
(So-young POV)
Oh boy, I'm plotting something good.
Today, Min-chul, my childhood friend, has been ignoring me for some girl. I can't really explain why I felt the way I felt.
Yes, we are best friends, but why did I have to cry? I know that the girl he was talking to was a bad person just from the languages' description of a "bad person".
They said that...ahem ahem, "a bad person is anyone trying to steal away Min-chul, physically or mentally".
So, in these terms, that little bit- thief is a bad person.
I know Min-chul is sorry but it still isn't enough. I still have feeling too, ya'know?
So, when he said that we can do anything I want, I knew that this is the chance to pay him back for ignoring me.
Min-chul is a very modern masculine man.
What that means is that he is masculine with his manliness and hot with his feminine side...I think some people know where I'm going with this.
Mom just bought some new makeup and I intent to use it after "practicing" shall we say.
Mwuahahahahahaha!
(MC POV)
Unaware of this, So-young and I finish the practice sessions and go on our way back to my house after she changes clothes, of course.
I arrive home and wear my comfy shirt, comfy pants and little fish slippers. Ahhh, she is in for a ride when I absolutely perfect game set that girl.
She can use Meta Knight and Kirby all she wants. I'll be chilling with Pichu and my perfect game.
I may apologize for what I did, but in smash? You can't beg for your life even if you tried.
Mercy?
What's that?
Can you eat it?
It sounds really delicious, give me some next time...but not now! I'm too busy wrecking you!
*Bing Bong!*
"Oh! She's here already!"
While I was stretching my fingers to prepare for today's wrecking session, I hear the familiar sound of the doorbell ringing and at the same time, I somehow smell something.
...it smells like...a person about to be wrecked. Ohohohoho.
I run up to the door and open it up and...ohhhhhhh, oh naw. No no no no no no no no no no no.
"What is SHE doing here?"
"Hi Min-chul!"
A very extreme contrast; the cheery Ji-woo and the fuming So-young. Ahahaha, what a coincidence, eh?
"Ohhh...So-young and...Ji-woo, you're here. Come on in"
Making a little hand motion, I let both of them in. Ji-woo thanks me with her usual happy face, but So-young sends me a subtle signal she isn't happy.
"Come in com- guh!"
Collapsing onto the ground, I look up and realize that So-young just elbowed my stomach, hard.
"Arrggghh, I guess I deserve this...'
"Oh no! Min-chul! Are you okay?"
So-young stares at Ji-woo first before resting her stabby knife eyes on me.
"Keee! Uhhh, ehehe, no no. I just...fell"
"You...fell? While standing still?"
While asking her question, she tilts her head like a chicken. It's very cute, but right now, I can't be caught lacking in front of So-young!
"Yes! I fell because the wind pushed me quite hard. Stupid wind. Ehehehe..."
A stupid excuse but an excuse nonetheless. I'm sure Ji-woo is a little suspicious with her little glance at So-young, but she drops it anyways.
As Ji-woo walks in, So-young is just standing there with tears eyes and a pouting expression. Damn it! This is on purpose!
"What? I didn't invite her"
"Then tell her to leave!"
"Well, that's a bit rude"
"Ohh, I guess it is...grrr, fine!"
As upstanding citizens of Korea, we can't just kick out an intruder. We need to politely let them in and let them leave when they want to.
Burglars? Offer them some tea.
Serial killer? Hand them the knife and tell them to be gentle!
It's impossible for a Korean to refuse when you enter their house. It's against the law. True fact, look it up.
"Waaaa~ I remember running around here for a while, but I never really explored this place"
She wanders in and out of the rooms like some chase scene from Scooby-do. So-young gives the "running around the house?!?! What does that mean?!?!".
I give her a helpless smile before letting both of them into my room. In the room is my bed, closet, some clothes scattered about and some light workout equipment.
I had to ask mom for the workout equipment. Thankfully, she compromised after hearing my mature and well thought out arguments.
[didn't you just whine and cr-]
'Lalalalala~~~ I'm not listening~'
While the girls set up the table for the snacks, I start cooking the GOAT of snacks. It's simple and easy. Crunchy fries with cheese sauce.
It's just...it makes you want to kiss your fingers like the French.
I wear the apron that mom bought me that says "baby bear" and get to work.
However!
This isn't a cooking novel so I'll say the summary.
Cut potato, cook potato, fry potato, make cheese sauce, top with garlic powder, onion powder and bacon on the side, add some pepper to cheese sauce you're good to go.
After only 6 minutes of cooking, I enter my room with the fries in hand and see the two girls having a staring contest...I think?
I mean, they are just staring and looking at each other, never blinking or glancing away. I awkwardly place down the fries in the middle of the table and start looking at both of them.
"Uhhhh, So-young? Ji-woo? Yoohooo?!?!"
"".....""
While waving my hands in front of their faces, I try making noise with my mouth. Nothing. They don't even flinch. What the hell is this?!?!
(Exactly 6 minutes ago...)
After sitting down on the right side of the table, So-young stares at Ji-woo. Ji-woo, being the happy and bubbly girl she is, thinks it's a little game.
"So...you're So-young right? Min-chul's friend?"
"Ha! JUST a friend? No no no, I'm much more than that. You are the little thief talking to Min-chul right?"
"Hey! Min-chul is my friend!"
After So-young brings up the thief thing, Ji-woo took offense. After all, Min-chul said he'd stay if they had babies together. Thus, they started arguing.
"He said he'll stay if you had a baby?"
"Yeah! What about you, huh~~???"
"He said 'if'. I bet the only way you have a baby together is you somehow find his sperm at a sperm bank. There is no way he'll touch a thief without boundaries"
"Oh yeahhh?!?! At least I'm better than you, you make up wearing, chubby cheeks having teeny weeny baby! Go home to suckle your mommy's teat, you cow!"
Back and forth, back and forth between these two girls.
So-young was targeting Ji-woo thief-like nature and darker skin, saying that Min-chul won't have a baby with her because he won't even see her in the bedroom; a low blow for sure.
Ji-woo wasn't much better. Ji-woo was targeting So-young's shorter stature and chubbier cheeks than normal.
Well, there was another thing that Ji-woo was targeting...you can call them..."assets" if you will. Maybe even "bust" if you would like to go to jail for a set amount of time.
An adult would be normally pleased with these words. However, not kids.
So-young is more mature in her body, making her an easy target for Ji-woo. Ji-woo, being tanned in a country where whiter skin is more beautiful, also made her an easy target.
Various insults from references to gyarus in Japan to a 2nd rate k-pop idol. Back and forth, back and forth with these girls...
They eventually ran out of insults and just resorted to a staring game.
While all this was happening, Min-chul entered the room...
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(A.N) yo! Another chapter and I really hope you enjoyed this one! Please do consider supporting this book! You can support me by adding this book to your library, commenting on chapters, voting with powerstones for this book and reviewing the book with your thoughts!
Thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed! Peace ✌️!
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