"Well done again today, missy," Yoojun says as soon as she was about to leave. "Here, the boss asked me this morning to pass your salary to you."
There was an envelope in his hands, raised to give to (Y/N).
She looked at him strangely for a bit. "I have two questions."
"What's question one?"
"You didn't take anything from my money, right?"
He laughed. "'Course not."
"Alright." The girl shrugged. Since even if he did and denies it, it's not like she'd know. "Second question..."
"Uh-huh?"
"Why don't you call me by name?"
"Oh, that...why, do you want me to call you by your name?"
"I mean, sure."
"Alright." Yoojun paused as if to add to the dramatic flare to his next words. "(Y/N)."
Snickering, the (h/c) haired girl said, "Why do you need permission to say my name? And like that too?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"Just say it."
"Because....consent is hot."
"...What?" She stared at him as if he'd gone crazy.
Who needs consent to say a name, of all things?
"I'm joking!" he raises both arms at the sight of the deadpanned expression she shot him. "You'll find out eventually. For now, it's getting late!"
Coward, she thinks to herself.
But she walked out of the store anyways because there was nothing left for her to say.
Not even a step away, she heard the door open behind her.
"Say," Yoojun peeks out and smiles easily. "What gift would you like for Thanksgiving?"
"Me?"
"Yep."
Hmm...thinking about it...
Honestly? She doesn't know.
A few months back, she was in desperate need for a new pair of earbuds since one side no longer works. But since she already got one...
Shoes? Hm...
"I don't know," (Y/N) speaks. "Just something nice. Or, I don't know, the newest phone in the shop, or something."
Before he can nod and let the matter go, she called him back.
"I won't be here on Thanksgiving, though."
"Really? You're going back to your family?"
"Yeah."
"Too bad, then."
It really is too bad. However, (Y/N), herself, has nothing to give him. So it's fine if she doesn't get anything from him.
On her way home, she was busy trying to come up with what she should give her mom when they get back.
She heard Daniel mumbling something about buying clothes for her one night previously. There's no way she'd let him one-up her.
Snacks? Should I buy her some sweets or pastries?
Well, if she's already getting clothes, then something filling would do as well, right?
It felt as if time had passed by a little too quickly.
The bus ride back home was more peaceful compared to the chaotic ride they had to go through when visiting their grandmother.
This time, she and Daniel ended up with separate seats. She pretends to not see anything as the girl he was supposed to sit next to flinched and tried to hide her reaction upon seeing him.
This much, at least, both of them were used to. People always make the same face when he's in that body.
She closed her eyes only for a brief moment.
When she opened them again, the bus has already started to slow down and came to a complete stop.
"You go first," she absent-mindedly spoke to her brother, her eyes glued on the screen of her phone as her fingers keep tapping.
She didn't wait for his answer. Instead, she turns around and heads for a direction she used to go to for a while back then.
It seems nothing much has changed about the area.
She stopped by the convenience store to restock her lollipops, and also for old times' sake. The lady behind the counter almost dropped the pack of cigarettes she was sorting out in the shelf.
"(Y/N)? Are you (Y/N)?"
"Yes, ma'am."
The cashier lady sniffs as she hurriedly puts the pack back to the shelf and walked to the counter. "It's been a while! How are you? Good?"
The (h/c) haired girl nods as she locates her lollipops. "I've been doing well. The store was still closed so I wasn't able to tell you, but me and my brother went to Seoul for the rest of high school."
"I see! I'm so happy for you, (Y/N)."
She pauses while the cashier hands her change to her. "Um...thank you. You seem as young as ever, ma'am."
"Oh, how could I forget how much you like to flatter me..."
She leaves the store again, this time to head to the location of her former job.
As she approaches the gym, (Y/N) feels something bittersweet. Just staring at the place felt odd after a months of not being there.
She pushed open the door.
As expected, no one in the first area spared her a glance. She came a little too early to encounter the regulars.
She paid no mind to anyone in that room and headed straight for the other door on the left-most wall.
(Y/N) would've said she misses the smell of the boxing gym, but she won't. Because she doesn't like inhaling the smell of sweat, okay?
The first person that caught sight of her froze as soon as she enters.
"Who the heck are you?" a familiar face looked at her strangely. "(Y/N)'s evil twin?"
At first, the question almost made her heart stop.
It was the latter half that made her want to slap this slightly older man for trying to mess with her.
"That is not funny," she grumbled, glaring at him half-heartedly.
Then he dropped his weird expression and grinned widely. "Oh, there you are! Welcome back, (Y/N)!"
As if waiting for that conversation, almost everyone in that room stopped whatever training they're doing and went over to welcome her back.
The boxing trainer patted her shoulders as soon as he reaches her. "You've visited later than I thought."
"Yeah! I thought you said you'd visit plenty of times?"
"Were you having fun slacking off in Seoul?"
"Haha, that's fine. At least, if she rusty, we can beat her easily!"
The girl only shot them a dry look.
Despite her actions, she actually was pretty glad to be back in this energetic and welcoming area. She's always been closer with those in the boxing gym than with those that does taekwondo.
"Oh, but Yongsoo Kim isn't here today."
"Who?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.
"You know, the guy you last fought before moving?"
Ah, him? The one who was so determined the last she saw him?
Remembering how he was almost nonstop with his training when she left, she was slightly surprised he wasn't waiting to ambush her everyday in this place.
"Alright, since you're here, how about—"
"No," (Y/N) hurriedly says, glancing down on her jeans. "I have to get home with preferrably unripped pants, thank you."
"Tsk tsk...breaking your promises now, I see."
"I never promised anything anyway."
From the corner of her eye, she can see the coach's piercing gaze seemingly looking for something in her demeanor.
"You..." he lowly spoke to her. "Have you found something good?"
"Me?" she turned her head and pointed to herself.
"Or something nice happened lately?"
"Well, kind of."
"I see." The man exhaled and smiles slightly at her. "That's good. It's already affected you quite well."
"What?"
"You'll find out eventually."
Of course he won't explain.
-
(Y/N) endure quite a while of complaints about her not bringing even souvenirs after so long.
In the end, no one paid any more attention to the equipment in the gym, in favor of being able to talk to her. She has never really realized how family-like this place has become to her, until that moment.
The (h/c) haired girl was only allowed to go under the condition that she'd visit again before going back to the city.
She was more than ready to agree.
When she got home, the skies has long since gone dark.
It was oddly reminiscent of the time she came home to the sound of raised voices and ungrateful words that should've never been said. But unlike before, thinking about that memory no longer send her in a murderous rage.
Her feet stopped just in front of the familiar wooden door.
When she looked to where she just came from, two familiar faces looked back.
"You..." Her eyes first trailed to the taller, handsome version of Daniel. Then to Jay standing next to him.
...Wait. Why was Jay here?
HOLD ON, ISN'T THIS A PROBLEM?
Jay knew her as Daniel's sister, right? Not the short Daniel, but the other Daniel. She has no reason to be here, unless she says she was also friends with the shorter version of her brother.
But even if they manage to convince Jay that she was also just visiting a 'friend', he'd figure something is wrong if her mom sees her and calls her as her daughter in front of the unexpected visitors.
And there's no way she's sleeping outside tonight. It's been months since she's here.
She shot a look at her sweating brother, hoping that he can hear her cursing him to hell and back for bringing this crisis upon them.
Why? Just...why?
This was the original top student in their classroom. The one that doesn't need two bodies to cheat during exams. There's no way he won't find the situation suspicious.
Jay Hong, will you please turn around and go to...maybe Busan instead? Isn't that place good for solo travelers?
This Thanksgiving is going horribly wrong. And it's just the first day, too.
So of course, at that moment, their mom just had to open the door as if she sensed them.
Mother, I do love you. But please don't do this to me.
--
Unedited.
When I wrote chapter 2 I thought it was such a hassle coming up names with everyone in the gym while not shoving all the ocs up to everyone at once.
Now in chapter eighteen, I'm wondering why I never gave any of them actual names...