12th☀

Three days before school holiday. I'm excited. From what Mijoo had said, we'd be going to her aunt's pension on the first day of our school holiday. I already had all my bags packed and couldn't feel anymore excited than I already was. 

I was early to school today that even Mijoo wasn't here yet. Usually, she'd come before me or at the same time as I did but today, she still hasn't arrived. 

I must be really excited these days. I can't even sleep well due to all the excitement. I know that it's still three days away, but three days! Days can go by really quickly. Especially when excitement is traveling around in my veins. I'm just really restless. 

When Mijoo entered the class, I couldn't hold back my excitement. I raised my hand up and waved at her with my feet stomping on the ground. "Kwon Mijoo!"

Mijoo was surprised at the sound of my high pitched squealing voice and finally took a seat next to me, staring at me with amazement. "What happened to your voice?"

"My voice?" It cracked again, making it sound as if I had a sore throat. Clearing my throat, I told her with a grin, "Sorry! I'm just really excited."

"For the trip?" Mijoo asked with a laugh as she placed her school bag on the floor with it leaning against the legs of her table.

I nodded excitedly. "I have my bags packed and everything!" 

Mijoo poked the side of my head and giggled. "Is this your first time, Sarang? You seem really excited to go on this trip."

"I'm just excited," I simply answered, throwing a shrug. "Oh, Wonwoo's here. Hi, Wonwoo!"

Wonwoo walked down the aisle of the classroom to get to his seat which was on the last row of the line of tables next to us. When he passed by us, he gave both of us a smile as well as a wave. 

"You're very energetic today," Mijoo noted. 

"Not energetic, just really excited," I corrected her before I went back to grinning widely. "Why can't time tick faster? I want school to end already."

"Three more days," Mijoo reminded before she took out her pencil case from her school bag. The INFINITE black pencil case she bought from her trip to Taiwan still hasn't changed, I see. 

"What time are we supposed to meet in the airport again?" I asked Mijoo. I suddenly had the need to make sure everything was confirmed properly. 

"Nine a.m.," she answered, writing something in her notebook that Wonwoo gave her as a gift on her birthday. "We agreed to meet at the entrance of Incheon Airport, right?"

"Yup," I answered, nodding before I peered over her shoulder, curious to what she was writing in her notebook. 

Things to do when in Jeju: 

↬ Try local delicacies 

↬ Have fun in the beach with friends

↬ Sit around the campfire at night on the veranda of aunt's pension (if aunt allows us to have a campfire. If not, exclude the campfire)

↬ Explore Jeju with cousin and friends

"Oh my gosh, yes!" I said out loud all of a sudden, startling Mijoo as she was writing. 

"Don't scare me like that!" Mijoo said, putting a hand over her chest, where her heart was. "I swear, I'll get a heart attack eventually."

"Sorry," I said with an excited smile, "I got excited again."

"I can see that," she replied, smiling back at me. Adjusting her high ponytail, she told me, "So these are the plans for now."

I nodded happily. "I'm still so excited."

"If I had a dollar for every time you said that, I'd be treating you guys to an expensive lunch," she joked, tucking all her hair into the ponytail. 

"You know you can just untie your hair like me." I flipped my shoulder-length black hair and laughed afterwards, realizing how ridiculous I looked.

Mijoo smiled back. "I'm used to tying my hair in school."

"Like a good girl?" I teased, playing around with her super long and thick hair. "How do you survive with this type of hair? It's long and thick! Doesn't it get hot?"

"I'm not a good girl—not entirely, at least. And it does get hot. Why do you think I tie it in school?" Mijoo pulled her ponytail and let it rest on the side. She gave me a smile and said, "Well, Sarang, we've got three more days until school holidays start, as well as our trip. You ready?"

"Must you ask me that?" I laughed. "I've been repeating the same words ever since you came in the classroom. The answer's really obvious, Mijoo."

She clacked her lips and nodded. "You're right. I can't stop thinking about the trip either. But at least I'm not as crazy as you are right."

"Oops." I kept my smile in place as I let out a fleeting shrug. "I totally won't miss school days for sure."

"Same." Mijoo laughed before the third to the last day of school finally started with the bell ringing. 

☀

"Okay, Wonwoo's gone to play basketball again," I said as Mijoo and I ascended the empty bleachers of the running track field. We often came here when we wanted to eat and have some time alone. Mostly because Mijoo didn't like to be in crowded areas like the canteen. 

"That boy's practicing way too much," Mijoo noted as she sat down, fixing her school skirt. It was a little above her knees, which annoyed her greatly. 

"Oh, let him do what he wants," I said, giggling before I opened the lunchbox I prepared. I packed fruits and a few pieces of kimbap in it. "What did you bring?"

Mijoo also opened her lunchbox. 

"That looks tasty!" I said with a gasp, holding my chopsticks in my mouth. My mouth was drooling, currently. 

"Let's trade," said Mijoo. Then she grinned and snatched a few pieces—more like majority—of my grapes that I packed up this morning. She pushed her lunchbox closer to me and said, "Here, take all the tteokbokki."

"You sure?" I asked, staring at her for confirmation. 

Mijoo gave me a firm nod before she continued to eat the grapes that she took from me happily. "I hope you won't mind hanging out with my cousins. They're going to be with us as tour guides."

"Cousins?" The only cousin I knew of Mijoo was Kwon Soonyoung, but I'm positive she wasn't talking about him. 

"Yup," she answered, chewing her kimbap. 

"I don't mind," I answered, chewing as well. "If they're your cousins, they must be really fun, I'm guessing?"

Mijoo looked like she was trying hard to finish chewing and swallowing her food before she'd laugh. Though, it looked more like she was struggling to do so at the very moment. Once she finally succeeded, she answered, "What? Well, I don't really know..."

"Ey, don't say that. Your entire family tree is fun," I told her before setting down my lunchbox on the bleachers and stretched my arms out into the sky. "I can't wait to ride that airplane. I haven't been on one in months."

"Right. Like you didn't use one to get back here in Korea after staying in Japan," she teasingly said. 

"Oh, I totally forgot about that one." I scratched the back of my head, laughing. "Seriously, though. I really can't wait."

"I honestly still haven't packed my things," Mijoo suddenly confessed. 

"What?" I screamed, looking over to her. "Wait— Don't tell me everything got canceled. Please don't tell me that. Mijoo, you know I can't handle things like that."

Mijoo laughed and ruffled my hair playfully—which came easy for her since I didn't tie my hair up. "I didn't say anything like that. I just said I haven't packed up my things. I always do things two days before—or even last minute."

I finally eased my nervous heart as I let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, firstly, don't ever say anything like that. It will seriously scare me! Second, you take that little time to pack everything? Seriously?"

Mijoo shrugged back in response. "It's not like I'm packing my entire closet, right? Plus, I have extra clothes there in my aunt's pension. I go there from time to time with my family and did some shopping there. My aunt has about three to four buildings in that land, each consisting with about eleven rooms. You guys are coming with me to the middle building—where my family and I frequent a lot. Basically, one of the rooms there is the room I use and has been absorbed as, well, my room."

"Your aunt must be really rich," I said in awe. 

Mijoo scratched her nose. "Not really. We're not exactly oozing in wealth, Sarang. But, yeah, I have clothes stacked up in that room. My cousins take care of my room well. Like if it needed cleaning because the dust will accumulate."

"I can't wait to meet your cousins," I blurted out excitedly all of a sudden. 

"They can be a pain in the neck for me, but I think you'll like them." 

I smiled and let my mind daydream around the trip and what could happen. 

☀

"Hello, people!" I greeted once I entered Love + Flour, that was slightly deserted at the moment. 

"You're happy for a person who—" Myeong was saying, but got cut off when Seojoon shouldered him in the gut, giving him a glare. 

"That would be rude of you, wouldn't it be, Kim Myeong?" Seojoon forced a smile and stared at Myeong. 

Myeong rubbed his guts and tried to smile whilst lifting a thumbs up. "Oh, I'm fire. I'm definitely not hurt from that, hyung. Thanks for asking."

Instead of asking if he was fine, Seojoon only muttered, "Whimp." 

Ignoring the two who were about to bicker like an old married couple, I dragged Wonwoo and Mijoo to our usual seats. Then, I asked them, "Is there anything you would like, guys?"

Mijoo examined me from top to bottom before she let out a laugh. "I heard you got training for work that one time. Will you be talking to us like that from now on?"

Realizing I had my 'business attitude' on, I quickly tried to forget all the training Seojoon had taught me in less than twenty four hours. "Ha, ha. Right. Okay, so I had training and I'm acting like a staff. But, seriously though? Anything I can get for you two?"

"Anything," the two answered at the exact same time. They looked at each other other, slightly surprised before they laughed together. 

Cute. 

I looked around the bakery, examining different types of bread before picking two of the same type. I picked it up with the small tongs they provided in one area and placed it on top of a tray. Feeling satisfied enough, I took it back to the table and gave it to them. 

Mijoo didn't have any hesitation when it came to food. She instantly grabbed the piece of chocolate bread—with chocolate filling on the inside of it—with her hands and started eating it. 

Wonwoo, on the other hand, looked hesitant. He reached inside his school bag and pulled something out, which I later discovered was a small packet of wet tissues. He pulled a sheet out and wiped his hands with it before he picked up the piece of bread from the tray. 

"Chocolate!" Mijoo dreamily said, enjoying the bread in her hands very much. "While we're in Jeju, I will seriously miss all of these type of breads you give me, Sarang."

"Yeah, what a shame. It's not like my dad has a franchise over there," I said, sitting down with my arms folded on the table. "Hey, that isn't such a bad idea..."

"What isn't?" Wonwoo asked, licking his lips as he ate his bread. 

"My dad opening a franchise over there," I said, analyzing the entire thing. It wasn't that bad of an idea, really. The hard part was making it come true. 

"What do you know? You're only sixteen," said Myeong, approaching where we three were seated. 

"And what are you doing here, oppa?" I asked. 

"I'm on my break." Myeong shrugged, pulling a chair from the next table and taking a seat at our table. "I heard you three are going on a trip to Jeju?"

I nodded. "Yup. I'll gladly be away from you, especially."

Myeong swatted my hand that was poking his chest and gave me an arrogant smile. "Don't say that, Sarang. I know you'll dream of me when you're there. Enjoy the trip, though. Too bad. I wanted to come along."

I let out a loud, short laugh. "We definitely won't invite you."

"You guys are like siblings," Mijoo suddenly commented, staring at the two of us before she went back to eating. 

"Us?" Myeong and I echoed back. 

Mijoo shrugged in response before she pointed at the door. "Hansol's here."

My head turned to the direction of the door, which recently just opened. Hansol was at the door, looking around until his eyes spotted me. He gave me a smile and waved at me. I waved back.

"I've decided," I said as I rose from my seat. 

The three of me looked at me with a questionable look. 

I continued my incomplete sentence from a moment ago, "I don't want to hang out with an oppa who's got nothing better to do on his break."

"Hey!" Myeong snapped back, frowning. 

Grinning back playfully, I quickly went over to where Hansol was. "Hi, Hansol! What'cha looking for?"

Hansol was startled at first, but smiled it off seconds later. "Just anything I can eat. Whatever looks eye-catching, I guess?"

"Good choice," I replied. 

"Right? I do have some sense in me." Hansol gave himself a pat on the back before he picked up a tray and small tongs that hung above the trays. "The school holidays are in three days. Do you have any plans?"

"Yup!" I answered excitedly. "I'm going to Jeju with Mijoo and Wonwoo. I'm so excited I could dance right now!"

"Will you?" Hansol asked in a teasing voice. 

"Sure! There's something I've never told you before..."

Hansol paused. "I knew it. You're secretly a superhero, aren't you? Just like that show my little sister watches, Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir."

"What?" I ended up laughing. "No, no. Gosh, that would've cool, though. But, no. I actually have a passion for dancing."

"Bummer. It would have been cool if you were secretly a superhero," Hansol said, smiling. 

"Yup. Way to crush your dreams, right?" I couldn't help but laugh again. 

"You like dancing?" Hansol asked moments later. Also right after he finally decided what to get. 

"Yeah. It's like my freedom. I don't exactly tell anyone this—with the exception of Mijoo and Wonwoo. I learn K-pop dances in my free time," I proudly told him. 

"That's cool," Hansol commented, looking like he wanted to applaud but he currently was holding a tray. "So back to the question: would you dance in front of me?"

"Why not, am I right?" I readied myself and thought of what dance I should show him. Since the space wasn't that wide—there were only four steps until the next shelves of arranged breads in their casing—I decided to show him the pre-chorus of TT by Twice. 

"I really want to applaud," Hansol said after watching me dance. "But too bad, I've got things to hold."

"I appreciate the thought, at least," I said, shrugging. 

"That was really cool," Hansol praised, showing me his pearly smile. 

"Thanks," I said in response, smiling back at him. "I won't be here for probably two weeks. I'll miss ya."

Hansol chuckled back as he leaned closer in and patted the top of my head. "I'll miss ya too. Come back safely and in one piece, 'kay? I have to pay for these now. I just remembered my sister's waiting for me. We're going to watch a movie today. See you."

I shakily brought a hand up and gave him a small wave. With a stuttering voice, I said, "See you."

Hansol made his way to the cashier, where Seojoon was taking over since Myeong was having  his break and I froze in that very spot, slowly bringing a hand up to my head to touch it. Something about the touch awakened a lost self inside of. Something about it made me feel... warm. And it was a nice feeling all at once. Because it was making me smile. 

Then, it felt like the world was suddenly raining with rainbows as everything around me seemed to look more brighter and colourful. 

~Author's Notes~ 

When you realize you only have less than three weeks left for school holidays. Sigh. 

Once school starts (and when I become a Y10 wth one more year before I become a senior!!), I'll really miss updating T.T