Yuri

“Hi Nari!” Sarang greeted her happily, and the glare Pinkie gave her seemed to not register. I didn’t like the way she looked at her, but I had mixed feelings whenever it came to Pinkie.

She and I had grown a lot closer after our talk a month ago. At first, she would only text me if something had happened between Sora and I at school that day, but even that topic grew stale after a while.

Two weeks after we exchanged numbers, Pinkie brought up something unexpected.

“What song’s playing in the background?”

I looked at my computer. A song my grandma once loved was playing through my speakers. “It’s called Mona Lisa. It’s by this really famous Hawaiian guy.”

I heard a sound of approval. “Send it to me. I like how it sounds.” I was surprised. I didn’t think someone like her would like this kind of music.

After that night, we started sharing music with each other. Sometimes I’d send her links to music, and on days like today, she wanted to talk about music in person.

That brings me back to the current dilemma.

“We’re just spreading the love, Sis!” Haru’s iconic smile had returned with a joke for his sister. “Wanna join in on the loving?”

Pinkie’s eyes drifted from her brother back to Sarang and I. “As much as I’d love to join in on… whatever this is, I wouldn’t want the man I love to see me in the arms of a different one.” I subtly looked around for the other guy she was talking about before the realization hit.

“You’re talking about me?” My incredulous reaction caused Haru to break the hug with another laugh. I looked to Sarang for help, but she avoided eye contact with a giggle of her own. “You’re joking, right?”

“Why would I be?” Pinkie looked down at her nails in an uninterested manner, glancing up to look at Sarang. “Then there’s the issue of her.”

The laughing slowly stopped. I asked, “What about her?”

She looked at me with a piercing gaze, her eyes aggressively screaming words I couldn’t hear. She gritted her teeth and said, “Are you going to pretend you haven’t seen how much he’s changed recently? No one is saying it, but it’s becoming obvious why.” She took deep breaths to calm herself down.

Pinkie’s eyes glistened with angry tears. “Now if you’ll excuse me. With my appetite ruined, I need to dispose of my lunch.” She stormed away, pausing once to say, “And don’t forget to send me that album later.” A few of her followers rushed out with her, giving mean glares to Sarang on their way out.

I turned back to Sarang. I’d been so lost in our lunch conversations that I hadn’t thought about what her life outside of them was like.

With a serious tone, I asked, “Has she done anything to you? Be honest with me.”

Sarang’s eyes darted down and to the left. Her left hand moved to lightly touch the back of her neck. The edges of her lips turned upwards into a smile. “You don’t need to worry about it. I’m fine!” Her deep brown eyes made eye contact with mine, but their usual light had become dimmer. “I’m used to it, so it doesn’t affect me anymore. As long as I don’t look sad on the outside, they eventually get bored. I’ll be fine!”

I nodded, not wanting to push the subject, and the three of us awkwardly but surely went back to our earlier conversation about comics. I didn’t bring it up, but I noticed that something was off about Sarang when Pinkie approached us. Her body flinched like she was getting ready to take a hit.

My walk home was mentally exhausting. I thought about the plastic smile she’d given us and the lie her heart forced her to tell us. If she didn’t want me to get involved, then I’d try and respect her wishes. Despite that, I tried to think of something I could do to help her without making her situation any worse than it already was.

Sarang stayed on my mind for the rest of my day, along when I tried to lift my mood with my favorite Orphan Ninja game.

It didn’t matter what I did.

I felt like I should’ve said more in her defense.

Even as I pulled the blankets over my head to try and sleep it off, the rotten feeling in my stomach refused to go away.

Haru

“And… sent.” I rubbed my temples after sending the text, sighing at the thought of dealing with this girl on Monday. I put my phone in my pocket and started walking through the nearly empty school.

I attempted to bring up what happened at lunch to Yuri after school, but he didn’t want to talk about it. I hated seeing my best friend in a bad mood. I also felt sorry for Sarang. I knew how bad my sister could get.

I’m her brother after all.

Once I saw that Yuri had left campus, I turned around and went back inside the school. I wanted to do something that would ease his guilt, and the fake smile Sarang had given us was bothering me too. I had an idea, but I didn’t want either of them to see me like this. I knew a way to start solving this problem at its root.

Well, more like one of its branches.

Going through the 2^nd year hallways, I found her. She’s one of the girls that follows my sister around like sheep. She would always run errands for her, buy lunch for the rest of the group, and agree with anything my sister said. In my eyes, she’s treated more like an animal than a human.

I didn’t feel bad for her though. It was just social Darwinism at work. If she weren’t one of the girls bullying Sarang behind our backs, maybe I’d have a reason to feel sorry for her.

I wasn’t as close to Sarang as Yuri was, but I noticed the little changes about her over the past few weeks. Yuri doesn’t notice because she smiles so much around him, but once he’s gone, the smile goes away too.

From what I’ve noticed, the girls harassing her know that both Sora and Yuri have feelings for her, and like most girls in this school, they didn’t wanna risk making one of the “Three Kings” hate them. I never asked to be one of them, but I know that now is a great time to take advantage of this weird title.

I plastered on a smile and started walking in her direction. She’d just been putting up the brooms, probably after cleaning the classroom with someone. Hearing my footsteps, she turned around to see who I was.

“H-Haru!” Good, she knew who I was. That would make this much easier. “I thought you’d left already.”

I shook my head and looked deep into her eyes. “I stayed back because I wanted to talk to you.” She immediately started blushing at my comment. “My sister’s always here, so it was really hard to find time to talk to you alone.” I chuckled and took a few more steps in her direction. “The wait was definitely worth it.”

“T-that’s very nice of you,” She said, “But I don’t think I’m the girl you’re looking for.”

I shook my head. “You’ve been on my mind a lot lately.” Well, that’s not a lie. “What’s your name?”

“B-Baek Hyejin.” She stumbled while saying her name. I could tell she wasn’t used to this kind of attention.

I needed to take this up another notch. “What a beautiful name, Hyejin.”

“I…” Hyejin couldn’t speak, and that was exactly where I wanted her to be. I took another step toward her, and she fell back against the wall of the hallway. From the way her chest rose and fell, I could practically hear how fast her heart was beating. I knew that I was at least a centimeter or so shorter than her, but I know one way to make myself seem bigger.

Getting closer to her, I slammed my hand against the wall she was leaning against, my hand landing only a few centimeters away from her face.

“If you want,” I continued, “We could go to a PC café or something and talk more there. Just the two of us.” It wasn’t the most romantic of places, but from the look on her face, I knew she was ready to follow me anywhere. Girls like her don’t get attention from guys like me, so I knew this tactic would be perfect.

Hyejin nodded at my suggestion, unable to form any more words. I winked at her as I took her hand to lead her away from the school. Her desire was so strong that I could feel it in the way she gripped my hand. It was like Eros himself had lit a firecracker in her heart.

Sadly, I would be disappointing her today.

I needed to know what other types of bullying Sarang had secretly endured since coming here. Talking to my sister while she’s in her current state of mind won’t do anything but make things worse.

I wasn’t just doing this for Sarang.

Sis had noticed Sora’s changes over the past few weeks. Even if it was small, she’d seen how his demeanor had become more open since meeting and talking to Sarang. It was obvious to her—and my observant self—that his changes were because of his crush on Sarang.

Thankfully, my sister’s Sora-focused tunnel vision ignored the fact that Yuri was under the same exact spell. Sis doesn’t know how loud she can be when she’s on the phone. She sounds so happy when she talks to Yuri at home. It’s been a while since she’s made a friend like this.

That friendship is the reason why her mind won’t allow her to see what’s in front of her. She could never imagine that her new friend is in love with the girl she hates, especially since she’s already compromised with the fact that he hates the man she loves.

I once asked him why he became friends with my sister. Yuri’s not a loner, but I couldn’t understand why he’d want to be friends with someone whose best friend was the spotlight.

“Why am I her friend?” He restated the question before going silent to think. “I know what it’s like to deal with stress without having anyone to help you out. Anyone who knows her knows that she’s always surrounded by people. Sadly, being extroverted doesn’t mean that you can’t still feel lonely.”

He continued. “To be honest with you, I always thought she was kind of fake. Watching her talk to others made me feel like I was in some drama being shot.” Yuri used his finger to mimic an invisible a tear falling down his cheek. “When she cried in front of me, I felt like I got a good look at who she really is. She’s a little broken, but I’d be a hypocrite if I judged her for that.” He smiled at me before saying,

“After all, I am too.”

That. That right there.

That side of Yuri was why I’m friends with him too.

He’s not boring, and he always says things that get my attention. We can talk about life one day, then spend hours laughing at the thought of chickens running around with human-sized feet. He’s the first person I’ve been able to call my best friend.

I treasure my friendships, but I’m not as kind as Yuri. That’s why I’m not afraid to hurt someone if it’s for the sake of my friends.

Of course, I’m not doing this for totally selfless reasons.

Hyejin wasn’t too bad looking. She’s just unlucky that the girls around her have already had one or two plastic surgeries, making her look plain in comparison.

Thankfully, I don’t fall in love too easily.

We reached the front of the school. As my driver opened the car door for us, my phone vibrated. I smirked at the confused and sad text I’d gotten before putting my phone away again. Watching the roads go by, I put my arm around Hyejin and sighed with relief.

It’s a good thing I broke up with my girlfriend before approaching her.

Yuri

It’s been hours, but I still can’t fall asleep.

I’ve replayed today over and over, thinking about all the things I could’ve said to defend Sarang.

I know we’re friends Pinkie, but I won’t let you talk to her like that.

Nari, let’s talk outside.

I could’ve done something. Anything! Instead, I just…let it all happen.

Giving up on sleep, I sat up in my bed. It was almost midnight, but I won’t be able to do anything if I don’t at least check up on her. I pulled out my phone and called Sarang.

She answered before the first ring.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Y-Yuri!?” I heard something fall in the background and immediately started laughing. “What’s uh—you’ve never called me before!” Sarang sounded both surprised and happy.

I couldn’t stop laughing. The stress I’d felt for the past few hours started to fade away from the sound of her voice alone. My laughter stopped the moment I realized that this girl was the one I failed to help today.

With my mood back to where it was, I said, “I just wanted to see if you were okay after what happened today.”

“Oh.” Her tone softened. “It’s not something you need to worry about.”

“I can’t help but worry about it.”

“I’m happy enough knowing that you care.”

I couldn’t tell if she was telling the truth or not. Even if she is, I want to hope that she’ll come to me if something bad like this happens again.

“Sarang?”

“Yes?”

I took a deep breath. “This time, I have something personal to tell you. Can you meet me outside?”

“Outside?” She sounded confused. “It’s pretty late to be meeting up, you know?”

“It’ll be fine! Open your window and look across the street.” I went to my window and looked at her house. The curtain on the second floor opened, and I could just barely make out her disheveled hair from here. “Can you see me in my house?”

I waved from my room, and her gasp was perfectly in sync with the jump I saw her do.

“You’ve been across the street the entire time? Why didn’t you tell me!”

I chuckled. “I’m surprised you didn’t notice first!”

I made my way downstairs, phone in hand. Sarang couldn’t stop telling me how surprised she was, and by the time I opened my door, I saw her standing in her own doorway looking at me.

I ran across the street to her home. Her hair was messy, and she was wearing a panda onesie.

Noticing my eyes drifting to the panda, she jumped and said “I was watching a movie with my sister when you called! We do stuff like this every Friday.”

I nodded, almost speechless. “You look really cute in that.”

The words slipped out of my mouth, and before I could take them back, a blushing Sarang took a few steps out of her house and in my direction. She put her hand on my head and messed up my hair.

“You probably hear it a lot, but you look cute too.” My face heated up in embarrassment as Sarang giggled. “So what were you gonna tell me?”

The words weren’t even formed before I saw a new figure appear in the doorway.

She looked just like Sarang, but her hair was parted and covering one of her eyes. She was wearing a onesie, but hers had the design of a yellow duckling.

“Oh, you were meeting a boy?” She ran over to her sister and gave her a hug. “My little sister’s growing up before my eyes!”

“It’s not like that!” I stood there in shared embarrassment with Sarang. “He’s a friend from school, but he lives across the street.”

“Does he?” Sarang’s sister let her go and turned towards me. “I’m Chunhwa. It’s totally obvious, but I’m her big sister.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Heo Yuri.” I looked at Sarang, and she nodded at me. “I was just going back home.”

Chunhwa smirked. “That’s okay.” I waved at the sisters and started walking back, hoping to avoid further embarrassment.

Before I closed my door, I heard Sarang’s sister yell, “It was nice seeing you again!”

I gave a slight bow and closed my door.

Wait.

Again?