Visiting a Friend

Rewinding the time to the afternoon.

"—Alright, I got it," Yeo Ri said to Gun through the phone. "—I know, I'm not a child anymore. I'll take the bus home later—it's fine. I'll be careful, Oppa. I promise—I'll call you when I get home, okay?"

"Wow, your brother is as uptight as always," Ra Hee commented. She was looking at Yeo Ri with curiosity. She rested her arms on the table between them, her head supported by her palm. "Hm, gorgeous as always," she remarked, still breathless as she admired Yeo Ri's beauty for god-knows-how-many times already.

"What kind of nonsense are you saying?" Yeo Ri sent her a strange look. "Did you think praising me might make me give you my tonkatsu?" 

"Hey! Do you think I'm that greedy? Who wants your food anyways!" Ra Hee relented, feeling slightly offended that Yeo Ri still thought that she was a glutton. Just because she had pigged out just that one time, Yeo Ri still thought she might steal everyone's food.

Yeo Ri ignored her protest and said, with a serious face, "You can't; Unnie said you shouldn't eat anything too greasy and heavy for a while."

"Yeo Ri, you—!" Ra Hee sighed. "Forget it; arguing with you is like punching a pillow. It's so unsatisfying."

"Why would you be satisfied from arguing?" Yeo Ri laughed at her friend's exasperated look. She liked to tease Ra Hee; the girl would react in such funny ways that Yeo Ri could not resist from teasing her. Perhaps this was how Min Chae felt whenever she purposely riled up Jang Mi.

Ra Hee rolled her eyes, "Anyways, what are you going to do now? I have a dialysis appointment later and I'll be too tired to hang with you."

"I have somewhere to go, so." Yeo Ri shrugged, smiling secretively.

"Home?" Ra Hee wondered aloud.

Yeo Ri kept on smiling, shaking her head. "Not yet. I want to go see someone first."

"Who? A secret boyfriend?" Ra Hee jumped up. Yeo Ri rarely talked about herself so she was curious. She wondered who her friend was going to see as her gossipy spirit was roused. After being stuck in a hospital all day and all night with only the nurses' gossiping for company, she had somehow gotten better at the art of gossiping. At some point, she found herself thirsting for gossip, going as far as sniffing them out herself.

"What secret boyfriend?" Yeo Ri scoffed. Her heart skipped a beat but she masked it perfectly. "I'm going to see my Oppa."

"Gun-oppa? Isn't he at university? Are you going to surprise him?"

"Not Gun-oppa. Hyuk-oppa." Yeo Ri corrected.

"Oh... the one in jail?" Ra Hee nodded. "Wait—the one in jail?"

"Mm."

"But why didn't you just tell Gun-oppa about it? Wouldn't it be better for you both to go visit him together?"

Yeo Ri shifted in her seat, her expression warping. "I want to keep it a secret. Gun-oppa and Hyuk-oppa don't get along with each other, and Gun-oppa seems to dislike talking about it. He doesn't even know that Hyuk-oppa's visitation privileges have been returned."

Actually, Yeo Ri had been counting the days for Hyuk's bimonthly prison visits. She had expected that she might have to talk to Gun into letting her go on another day, but this opportunity came. It was the perfect time for her to go sneak out and visit Hyuk. Though, Gun would probably have approved her, albeit reluctantly. But where was the fun in that? Yeo Ri was also feeling a little rebellious since Gun had been hovering over her so much this past year. Having a little bit of freedom made her feel a bit reckless.

In the end, old habits were tough to break.

"...Will you be fine by yourself?" 

"Don't worry; I will be," Yeo Ri assured.

"If you say so," Ra Hee said with difficulty. "Make sure not to appear in the evening news as dead or missing, okay? You're my only friend."

"Oh? Am I now?" Yeo Ri widened her eyes in faux-surprise. Smiling roguishly, she said, in a knowing tone, "Then what about that boy with the cast? You two seem to be getting along quite well~"

Ra Hee jumped up in surprise, her eyes wide. Her face flushed deeply, "Hey! Lee Yeo Ri, what are you implying! H-he's just an acquaintance, okay? We just talk sometimes, okay?"

"Sure~" Yeo Ri laughed at her friend's expense. As if she was running away from the girl who was in denial about experiencing her first love, Yeo Ri quickly cleaned up her tray and got up. "I'm going~"

"Hey, Lee Yeo Ri! Come back here! We're not done talking yet!" Ra Hee shouted in a flustered voice. Her face was still red from Yeo Ri's teasing. 'How did she even know about him anyways,' she thought in her mind. Did she see them together?

Unable to think of an answer, Ra Hee watched as her friend left the hospital's cafeteria, a bounce in her steps.