It was Saturday morning when Eunwoo’s phone rang, she mistook it as her alarm, and as she turned it off, she realizes, Classes starts on Monday.. what is this alarm for... but ignored it as she proceeds to her slumber once again. After a minute, her phone rang again but this time, Eunwoo knew it was not the alarm. With her right eye struggling to open, she read the name “kyungwonnie” and answered it.

“NUNU!!!!”

“AGH” Eunwoo cries as she backs away from her phone, “WhyyyyYyYYyyyYyyy…why are you calling, it’s just [looks at her phone] 6:47... What do you want???!” She whines.

“Can I borrow your car?” Kyungwon asked.

“NO. wait, what?... do you even know how to drive?”

“I don’t hehe, so of course with you in it.. can you drive me?”

“I’m still tired, okay? I just got back from MT last night. Find someone else, bye.”

*MT = Membership Training, a getting-to-know ceremony for South Korean university students to establish the important senior-junior relationship. It may last for days, typically out of town, and done with lots of drinking since it is considered by Koreans to be one of the best ways to bond with others.

As she backs away from her phone to end the call she hears “NUNU!!” once again. And God, why is it so hard to resist this person nowadays. Eunwoo stays silent waiting for the other person to say something, and when Kyungwon realizes it, she inhales deeply.

“I really need your car, with you in it. And I know you’re tired, because I am too. I WAS THERE and I don’t actually want to bother you now ‘cause you’re probably in a hangover, but I’m asking you this favor.. can you please drive me? Please"

Eunwoo sighs “to where?” she asked

“YES! To airport. I’m going to fetch my friend. She’s coming back from abroad.”

“Why are you the one fetching her? Doesn’t she have a family?”

“Well.. her dad’s out of the country, her mom’s out of town for family matters, so yeah.”

“Isn’t she a ‘family matter’? doesn’t she have siblings? relatives?”

“She’s an only child, and her parents are the only child of their families too. And about the family matter, it’s probably more important than her coming back, so please don’t judge.”

Eunwoo sighs “Why can’t you just use your motorb-“ she stopped, with a scrunch on her face, realizing what kind of stupid question that is.

“Oh yeah, hehe right. Of course a girl who spent years abroad wouldn’t have luggage with her.”

“Oh yeah? Who’s the one asking a favor again?”

“Hehehe just kidding.. it’s just that why would you even—“

“WHO’S THE ONE ASKING A FAVOR AGAIN??”

“I am..” Kyungwon chuckled.

Eunwoo scoffs “The car’s aircon still hasn’t fixed, you don’t mind, right?”

“I don’t”

“When is her arrival?”

“Her arrival’s at 3pm, the ride would take at least an hour and a half minus the traffic, and since you’re doing this for me, I’m going to treat you to lunch, I’m coming at twelve, yes?” kyungwon said enthusiastically.

“Alright..”

“Yayyy!”

----------

Eunwoo was still lying in bed when Kyungwon arrived at her dorm.

“It’s 1pm already” says Eunwoo

“I know” says Kyungwon, “and you haven’t showered yet"

“I know” says Eunwoo as she lies on her back, staring at the ceiling.

“I realized, we can just eat somewhere kinda fancy when we fetched her.”

“… you’re doing this so she’ll be the one treating us, aren’t you..” Eunwoo said suspiciously

“NO?! her mom gave me money so we can eat somewhere fancy, and also for the gasoline. She said, it’s the only thing she can do for her daughter now.”

“What if I got hungry, huh? I still haven’t had my breakfast yet.”

“That’s why I bought sandwiches and juices” kyungwon says proudly.

“Woah, I’m impressed”

----------

As Eunwoo and Kyungwon waits patiently, a beautiful woman who’s taller than kyungwon for about a cm, with long black hair, appears, making Kyungwon stand in her seat.

“Was that her?” Eunwoo asked

“Yeah” says Kyungwon with a bright smile on her face.

Eunwoo look again at the woman. She looks familiar.. have I seen her before? She thought

The woman came up to Kyungwon almost running, giving her a warm tight hug.

“Hi..” The woman said to Kyungwon, pulling away her body, rubbing both of kyungwon’s arms, staring into her friend’s eyes, and not realizing that they are not the only one there.

“Hi.” Kyungwon responds with the same look in her eyes, flashing her gummy smile.

“Hello” Eunwoo joined in, remaining in her seat.

“Oh! Hi..” The woman said surprised, bowing.

“So… Minkyung, this is Eunwoo. Eunwoo, this is Minkyung”

“Hi~” Eunwoo waved. “I think I know you.”

“Yeah… I do too.” Says Minkyung, smiling.

Eunwoo and Minkyung stared at each other puzzled, trying to remember when and where exactly they met.

“OH!” Minkyung said as if she suddenly got a lightbulb on her head, startling both Eunwoo and Kyungwon.

“You’re Julia, aren’t you??” Minkyung said, a grin starting to form on her face.

“Julia??” Kyungwon asked, clearly confused.

Eunwoo stays still, suppressing a laugh, pressing her lips tightly making her left cheek formed a dimple.

“Julia??” Kyungwon asked again, confused. “What??”

----------

The three goes to the nearest restaurant and continue the supposedly second meeting of everyone.

“Ya, I was so used to calling you Julia that I forgot Eunwoo is your real name.” Minkyung says.

“Can someone explain to me when and where you two have met, and why are you calling Eunwoo ‘Julia’ because I’m the only one who’s clueless here, and I don’t like it” says kyungwon, munching.

The two women looked at each other, chuckling.

“Well..” Eunwoo starts “when I was on my third grade, I transferred to a new school. And some fifth grader there constantly bullied me for having small eyes, even though my eyes weren’t that small. And this unnie right here” Eunwoo points at Minkyung, “Was the one who taught lessons to that kid. She was always tall, brave, and dreamy.” Eunwoo tells smiling, showing her admiration for the older woman.

“Thank you.” Minkyung says, a flattered smile in her face “That jerk deserved what happened to him.” She chuckles “I still think he has a crush on you that’s why he was bullying you. What a coward.”

“Why, what happened? What did you do to him?” Kyungwon asked.

“He hates lizards, and I put a big one in his bag with a note saying “’If you don’t stop bullying that girl, I’ll fill your bag with every lizard in this school.’ He actually cried trying to put out the lizard.” Minkyung said, laughing “His friends were laughing at him too, they were enjoying the view.”

“Yeah, and she got a detention, but I’m very thankful to her, that’s why I joined her cleaning the classrooms for a day” Says Eunwoo, the three of them laughing.

“And then we became friends, and after that school year, I transferred once again and we didn’t get to keep in touch ‘cause I don’t have her phone number.” Eunwoo continues.

“And what’s with the Julia?” Kyungwon asked.

“She introduced herself as Julia to everyone in school.” Minkyung said

“It was my dream name, I liked it..” Eunwoo said chuckling

“Ohh, what the heck..” Kyungwon cackles.

----------

The three of them arrived at Minkyung’s house. Kyungwon and Eunwoo helped Minkyung settling her stuff in a house with no one in it but them.

After putting in all the luggage, Eunwoo decided to wait in her car while Kyungwon stayed for a while.

“Are you sure you’re going to be fine alone? I can pack my stuff and stay here for a night or two.” Kyungwon suggested.

“I’m going to be fine, I’m not a kid anymore.” Minkyung chuckled. “Classes starts on Monday, right? Are you going to be busy by then?”

“I don’t think so, why?”

“Can you help me with my papers? It will be my first time going there I don’t want to get lost.”

“Yeah, sure. Just call me when you get there, I’ll text you my schedule later”

“Alrighty..”

Eunwoo was waiting inside the car when she saw Minkyung and Kyungwon at the front door, walking towards where she is. When Kyungwon settled in the passenger seat, Minkyung then says “Thank you” sincerely to both of them, and waved them goodbye.