A Place We Call Home (Chapter 27)
The announcement for everyone to gather at the auditorium came early in the morning. The students reluctantly got out of bed but when they noticed the tone in Professor BoA’s voice toward the end of the message, they grabbed their respective weapons and bolted out of their dorm rooms.
“Students, it’s time to prepare for war.”
The auditorium grew stuffier as more students started to enter. It had obviously been left unmaintained since the first Grimm invasion with dust clinging onto the walls and cobwebs extending from one part of the ceiling to another. The last time that the students remembered being here was during their orientation. Back then, Hyun Bin was the one giving a speech. And just like this room, they barely remembered him.
BoA stood before them on the elevated platform, slightly hunched. She was far from her usual regal self and the professional air that hung about her was replaced with silent fury. The students noticed this and all they could think of was whether they were ready to hear why they had to prepare for war. They thought it was all over. The Grimm were gone and even though the professors claimed to have left to conduct an investigation just to be sure it would stay that way, all signs already pointed to Remnant making a full recovery.
And yet here they were, listening to the reason why they had to go back to fighting again.
“We have concluded our investigation and we found the Grimm still walking among us.”
BoA heard chatter from the crowd after she began her announcement and it pained her to keep the whole truth from her students. She wanted to tell them about the real enemies and how they were using a stolen piece of technology to control the Grimm. But it seems Jongkook had a point when he said we should handle this ourselves. Not the fight per se but how to deal with the existence of the Possession Type Grimm. As one of the guardians in Remnant, it was her duty to keep its inhabitants safe and one way to do that was to make sure that no one else gains knowledge of the Schnee Dust Company’s horrendous creation. No one should ever want power badly enough that they would be willing to trade their humanity for it.
“We found them beyond the four kingdoms, where they originated. Although that sounds all well and good because that’s how things were before the void, things have drastically changed.”
She couldn’t say that it was because someone was already able to control them. That would cause too much of a debate. Why don’t we do the same? Where can we get the technology to control the Grimm? Why does such a machine exist in the first place? The answers to these questions would cause an uprising and loss of trust not only in the authorities but also in humanity itself. They already had the growing rift between humans and faunus to worry about. Another war for a different reason wasn’t going to help.
“The Grimm have gotten stronger. They are no longer mindless creatures who destroy everything in their path. They are dead set on ending us. Humans and faunus alike. They are more powerful and more organized. Smarter. Deadlier. It seems their absence from the four kingdoms could be part of their strategy so we must strike while we still can. The four kingdoms are still recovering and there is no way that we can allow the civilians to be put at risk once more. The better choice would be to take the fight to them instead of waiting for another invasion. I’m sure that by now you all understand the degree of risk that this mission comes with. The land beyond the four kingdoms remains unnamed for a reason. We know nothing about it. We have no maps. We have no communications systems set up. We have no established shelters. We’re going there blind. This is why I am requiring all of you to make a choice. It’s either you come with me and fight or you stay behind and hope that you never have to make this decision a second time. We leave in three days. Please consider all of the consequences. No one will take your choice against you, especially me. I only hope that once you decide, it’s because you chose that path for yourself. Everyone may leave. This meeting is adjourned.”
BoA left the platform and waited for an eruption of gasps and another round of chatter while the students filed out of the auditorium. Neither of these came and instead she was met by a fragile silence that was left unshattered until a hand shot up in the air. She nodded in acknowledgement and a question came her way: “Why don’t we leave for Grimmland today, professor? We’ve been training hard enough anyway.”
She smiled slightly upon hearing the term. Grimmland… It sounds more like a theme park than a battleground. Amidst her amusement, she saw the determination in each of her students’ faces and it made her heart swell in gratitude. She meant it when she said she wouldn’t take their choices against them but knowing that they were willing to risk their lives for her cause - for Remnant - gave her a sense of satisfaction that only a teacher would appreciate, as if this was confirmation that she had already made a difference in the world despite her ongoing mission to save it.
“Although I appreciate the enthusiasm, I still want to be on the cautious side. You are all still huntsmen and huntresses in training no matter how much you were all forced to mature in the past year, which means there are still preparations to be made. We need a strategy and a backup plan. It also wouldn’t hurt to train more even if it’s just to polish your skills. I believe three days will be enough for us to achieve all of these things and by then, we should be ready for anything. General Jongkook has already gone on ahead with his Atlesian Knights as well as a team of professional huntsmen and huntresses. We are to support them when needed but our priority remains to be extermination of the Grimm in our designated sectors. Like I said, we have no map of the area so the distribution of teams can’t be too spread out. I will update everyone once we finalize the plan. Thank you for your help, students. I am truly grateful. I say this not as your professor but your fellow soldier in this war that we face.”
Applause came in response as well as cheers and howling that sounded like an improvised battle cry.
“Okay, settle down, settle down!” BoA struggled to announce over everyone’s excitement. “Let’s all grab some breakfast for now. The preparations will begin afterwards.”
The students cheered one more time before they started to leave. BoA stood near the exit until she saw Yuri, Yoona and Jessica talking amongst themselves while walking. She waited to see whether they would notice her or continue arguing over what to eat for breakfast, which she heard Yoona bring up before they passed her by.
“Good to have you back, Professor!” Yuri greeted with a wide smile. Then she suddenly remembered to bow when Yoona and Jessica did it. She was about to apologize but BoA said she had other pressing matters to discuss with them.
“It sounds serious, professor,” Jessica said.
BoA could only nod. “Let’s talk about this in the faculty room. There’s something that you three need to know.”
+
Just like the auditorium, it had been a while since they were last within the four walls of the faculty room. Cables were strewn all over the floor. To which component they were attached, no one could tell. They watched as BoA stepped over them on her way toward her desk where three monitors sat. The screens blinked from time to time but they were otherwise blank.
“Sunny is involved,” BoA said without a second thought. She was done with lies and cover-ups for the day.
The sound of Yuri clucking her tongue brought her teammates out of the slight shock of hearing Sunny’s name come up. Then the three of them stared at each other, sighed and said nothing. There were a lot of things left to say but they just didn’t know how to begin.
“I apologize for not mentioning this earlier but this piece of information isn’t meant for everyone’s ears.”
When none of the three said anything in response, BoA went on. She told them about the Possession Type Grimm, how the plans were stolen and how it was recreated to control the Grimm. She told them about the message that they received regarding a proposed “peace” and that it was from Sunny. She told them that she didn’t know how Sunny became involved with the man who willingly became possessed by the essence of the Grimm but the fact remained that Sunny told her explicitly that they were working toward the same goal.
“Bob wants what I want and he’ll keep wanting it even after I’m gone.”
“We have no information on who this Bob is but those were her exact words after we fought. She’s stubborn… and driven. A very dangerous combination.” BoA sensed the uneasiness among the three. She couldn’t blame them. Even she was bothered by the turn of events and even more by how she didn’t discover Sunny’s intentions the moment she applied to Beacon. “I understand that this is a lot to take in especially since the three of you were probably starting to believe that the conflict had stopped when the Grimm disappeared from the four kingdoms. And Sunny… Well, she was your teammate after all.”
Yuri made a fist with each hand and closed her eyes for a moment, willing an image of Sunny’s face to appear behind her eyelids. She would’ve thrown a punch at it if it were possible but there wasn’t anything she could do from here. The hand that cupped her fist brought her back to reality and as she slowly relaxed her hands she saw Jessica smiling at her just as softly. She smiled back and nodded, knowing that her partner was telling her to keep her temper in check.
“Professor,” Yoona said, breaking the silence. “I know this already goes without saying but once you send us to Grimmland, please allow us to pursue her ourselves.”
“Yoona, I know what you’ve gone through after she left. Are you certain-”
“Yes, professor. I know that I broke down after she left but this time it’ll be different. This time it’s about the mission and whatever issues I have with her will have to come second. I just feel like I have a responsibility to face her somehow. Besides, no one else but the three of us know about her involvement, right? So I assume that you already intend to have us go after her.”
BoA took a second to reply. Part of what Yoona said was true. She did intend to send them after Sunny. Except Yoona. I want to keep her safe this time while I can. She thought back to when she caught Yoona sneaking off, claiming not to remember that she left their dorm room. She was ready to give a full sermon until she saw those lifeless eyes staring back at her and past her at the same time. She took Yoona back into the campus and gave her a cup of hot cocoa. Neither of them said anything and it took Yoona nearly the entire evening to finish the drink with momentary hesitation as if she was leaving her body from time to time only to come back to what she barely recognized as a dream.Or the longest nightmare she ever had. It broke BoA’s heart to see her student so disheartened.
“I just have to ask again, Yoona,” she said, doubly concerned about her student. “Are you sure that you want to go after your former partner?”
“Yes,” went the immediate answer.
BoA turned to Yuri and Jessica and saw them nod. Knowing the three of them, the silent confirmation was enough to keep her from asking Yoona about her decision yet again. “Okay. I won’t interfere with what you three decide to do. Just be careful. I fought her and she can be stubborn even when she’s at death’s door. Whatever you decide to do once you get her to that point will be up to you.”
While Yuri and Jessica were looking at each other, having a conversation with just their eyes, Yoona spoke up once more: “Professor, is it okay to tell our friends about this? They also knew Sunny unnie and I think they’ll worry about us too much when we go off on our own to pursue her. They at least deserve to know why.”
Yuri turned away and let out a small laugh. When she faced forward again, BoA raised an eyebrow at her. “Uh, I think Yoona meant that she has to tell her girlfriend about this deadly mission. Forgive me for insisting professor but I think you should allow it.”
“Unnie! Why would you say-”
“Of course,” BoA said, interrupting Yoona. She pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose and smiled.“I wouldn’t want Seohyun to worry during the mission, now would I? That would be distracting, right Yoona?”
“I… Uh…” Yoona could only nod. The blush on her cheeks became all the more visible when she turned to Yuri and frowned at her.
“And before the two of you ask,” BoA told Yuri and Jessica, “I know these things simply because I have eyes. The relationships in
your circle of friends are fairly… interesting. I’m glad that at least two of them have progressed.”
“Two of them?” Jessica asked with a slightly squeakier voice, unable to hide her surprise.
“Yes. I think you of all people should know which couple I’m talking about. Shouldn’t she, Yuri?”
Yuri let out a laugh then cleared her throat. “Yes professor. I think she should know by now.”
Jessica blinked, her cheeks burning red as much as Yoona’s was.
What started out as a serious discussion turned out to be a long overdue student-teacher conference. Ever since Sunny left and Yoona had her breakdown, BoA started to stand in as a mother figure, watching over them from afar whenever it concerned their issues with their former teammate. It just so happened that watching over them also involved seeing them grow into young adults who were prone to establishing romantic relationships. Goodness, I feel like their mother.
“Anyway, I think that’s all for now. I’m sorry for keeping the three of you from grabbing breakfast. We’ll talk again soon.”
The three of them bowed in response and they held their peace until they were far enough from the faculty room door not to be overheard.
“Yuri unnie, why did you say those things?!” Yoona said as she pounded hard on Yuri’s arm.
“First of all, ouch! And second, relax! She obviously already knew about you two and she’s supportive!”
“Yeah but…” Yoona sighed instead. She wasn’t really mad. She was just hiding how embarrassed she was. “I just feel like I was outed to my own mother. It’s a bit weird.”
“I thought we were your parents,” Yuri said, pointing to herself and Jessica. “Even though we still don’t know which one is the mom and which one is the dad…”
“Like I said, you guys will find out when I feel like telling you. Anyway, we should get some breakfast now. Hyunnie’s probably wondering where I went and I don’t like it when she worries.”
“D’awww…” Yuri teased. “Isn’t she just adorable, Sica~?”
When Jessica didn’t respond, Yuri got a bit worried herself. “Hey, you okay? Are you upset about what I said too? About the relationship stuff-”
“No, it’s not that,” Jessica replied. She slipped her fingers in between Yuri’s just in case Yuri didn’t believe her, which was usually the case whenever Yuri worries. “I’m just processing what Professor BoA said. It’s a bit overwhelming.”
Yuri and Yoona exchanged glances and only then did it occur to them that Jessica was right. Sunny’s involvement was one thing but finding out about the Possession Type Grimm and that Bob person, whoever he was, sounded like a plot for a sci-fi movie. It almost sounded like a bad joke and it was all the more reason for Yoona to let Seohyun know what was important enough to make her miss breakfast.
“I better go find Hyunnie now. I’ll see you guys later.”
“Later.” Yuri waved goodbye before turning to Jessica to make sure she was really okay. “Do you wanna talk about it?”
“I do but maybe after a bit more sleep. Stay with me?”
“You don’t even have to ask.”
“I know. It just makes me feel better whenever you say yes.”
“Then…” Yuri leaned in and nuzzled Jessica’s cheek. “Yes, yes, yes…”
They each let out a giggle then started walking hand in hand back to their dorm room.
+
The cafeteria was nearly empty once Yoona arrived and it didn’t exactly surprise her because the training room building was jam-packed when she passed by. She grabbed two bowls of ramen for herself and sat at the table closest to the windows. Seohyun was waiting for her as usual. There wasn’t a flood of messages in her scroll or ten thousand missed calls or anything clingy like that. Seohyun just had this habit of waiting and it made Yoona feel a bit guilty for not sending a message sooner.
“Morning,” she said as she set her food down. “Professor BoA called us to her office and-”
Soft lips kept the rest of her sentence at bay and instead of words, a slight moan escaped her next. She felt Seohyun’s hand on her cheek and it stayed there even after they pulled away.
“Well… What a way to start breakfast~” Yoona said with a snicker.
“I was worried,” Seohyun replied as she ran her thumb back and forth slowly against Yoona’s cheek.
“I know. I’m sorry. It was kinda sudden. I didn’t think it would take that long.”
“Did something happen? It sounds serious.”
“It is.”
Yoona didn’t bother beating around the bush. She told Seohyun outright about Sunny’s involvement in the Grimm invasion, how some guy managed to get the Grimm to obey him and how they were both working together to achieve what sounded like a distorted view of peace.
“Are you okay?” Seohyun asked, her worry returning for a different reason.
“I am. Surprisingly. I just know that I don’t wanna run away from her anymore. And that’s why I’m going after her this time.”
“Wait. Are you sure? I know that you can handle it but…”
“Hyunnie, I’m really okay. I feel bad that I’m making you worry a lot more but this is something I want to do. It’s also something that Yuri unnie, Jessica unnie and I have to do as a team. I’ll be careful, I promise. It probably doesn’t sound too reassuring to you though and I’m sorry for that. I’ll do what I can to ease your mind. Just tell me what to do.”
“Tsk. That’s not the point. Of course I’m worried about you. I love you. But that’s also the reason why I want to be as supportive as I can. I just want to know whether you’re absolutely sure about doing this because if you are, I want to be by your side after you accomplish your mission. And if you aren’t sure, we can always just go home.”
Home… Yoona couldn’t help but smile at the thought. She reached for Seohyun’s hand and let her lips graze over the knuckles.
“That sounds good too.”
“But it’s not what you want, is it?”
“It is… And it isn’t.”
“I understand.” Seohyun gave Yoona another kiss and the discussion ended at that. Nothing was going to make her get over her worry but she wanted to at least try. “Your ramen is getting cold.”
“I know,” Yoona said with a nod. “I don’t mind. ‘Cause you know what else is warm?”
“Nuh-uh-uh.” Seohyun broke apart the chopsticks and picked up a helping of noodles with it. “Eat your breakfast. It’ll be lunchtime
before you know it and you know how much I disapprove of brunch.”
“Yes, I do.” Yoona welcomed the food into her mouth and chewed with a smile.
“Good.” Seohyun fed Yoona another serving and then another until all that was left in the first bowl was the soup.
Yoona gulped it down in one go then ate the second bowl on her own. She wiggled her eyebrows at Seohyun after the last bite.
“Oh fine. Come here.” Seohyun pulled Yoona closer by the collar of her uniform until she could taste the salty-spicy aftertaste of the soup from Yoona’s lips. “Warm enough for you?”
Yoona tickled Seohyun’s nose with hers and giggled. “Always.”
+
The engine of the airship at the farthest end of the landing bay roared to life and it made saying goodbye all the more real and also that much harder. Tiffany clung to her parents and refused to loosen her grip. Her parents hugged her back and left kisses on her forehead, telling her everything was going to be okay like parents are supposed to do.
“Honey, we’ll be okay. We’ll meet up soon so be sure to train well, okay?” said Mr. Hwang as he gave his daughter another squeeze.
“Your father is right, dear,” Mrs. Hwang followed. “You don’t have to worry about us. We’ve gotten into a few fights like these before and we made it out just fine. Training with the students also got us up to speed so I think we’re set. We won’t be the only ones there either so we’ll have enough help until you guys come to save us.” She let out a giggle and tucked her daughter’s hair behind her ear.
“Besides, Taeyeon will be here to keep you company while we’re away. She’s also a good sparring partner. I made sure of it. You two make a good pair.”
“Mom…” Tiffany said with a groan, embarrassed that her mother was hinting at Taeyeon and her being ‘a pair’ which was probably just another way of saying that they should start dating. Oh god. I hope she just means we look cute together or something. It also didn’t help that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking of how she ‘accidentally’ kissed Taeyeon in their bathroom. Neither of them had tried bringing it up, which just meant that she had way too much time to overthink the situation. Taeyeon didn’t seem to be too bothered by it so it only made things worse on her part. If she’s not freaking out, I shouldn’t be freaking out. But I’m freaking out! Why the hell am I freaking out?!
“What? I think she’s a fine young lady… Even though she does have that unusual interest in butts.” Mrs. Hwang laughed out loud and so did her husband who had been listening all along.
“Dad! Don’t encourage mom!” Tiffany whined. She slowly looked over her shoulder to check if Taeyeon was listening. She saw
Taeyeon twirling a dagger with one hand, which Tiffany noticed was what she usually did whenever she tried to look preoccupied.
Ugh. She totally heard everything we’ve been saying until now.
Not that it mattered because Mr. Hwang called Taeyeon over after a few moments.
“Yes sir?” Taeyeon asked as she approached.
“As you can see, my wife and I are leaving. We’re going to try to catch up with the General’s forces. So for now, we’re entrusting our little Miyoung to you. Keep an eye out for her, you hear?”
“Dad, you’re embarrassing me…” Tiffany said with a stomp of her foot.
“Embarrassing you? I’m merely asking your teammate to take care of you. It’s what good parents do.”
“I can take care of myself, dad.”
“Oh I know that. You’ve proven it too. But it never hurts to have someone who has your back... Who can actually teleport!” Mr. Hwang hid the rest of his words behind another big laugh.
“What your father means,” Mrs. Hwang cut in, “is that we love you and we worry about you. We know you’re very capable but we don’t want you to feel that you have to be on your own again. You’ve found good friends and all of you should work together whenever possible. Taeyeon is one of those friends, isn’t she?”
Tiffany caught Taeyeon staring at her. She held that gaze for a few seconds until she couldn’t anymore because she felt a slight tug on her abdomen that told her she was going to choke on whatever she intended to say next. She nodded instead to spare herself from further embarrassment.
The Hwang spouses turned to Taeyeon and took turns shaking her hand. “Keep her safe,” Mrs. Hwang said as she added a hug.
“Yes ma’am. I will,” Taeyeon replied. She flashed Tiffany a quick smile then watched as the Hwang spouses gave their daughter one more hug before boarding the airship. Not long after, she and Tiffany were the only ones at the landing bay. “Uh… You wanna grab breakfast?”
“I guess?” Tiffany answered. “I think I need some coffee though. That announcement came way too early.”
“The coffee shop is probably open by now. Wanna go?”
“Okay.”
“Alright.”
Neither of them said another word and they started walking just to ease the awkwardness. It worked until they were seated across from each other while waiting for their respective orders. There was suddenly nothing to talk about. Not even BoA’s announcement. They looked at each other from time to time, trying to ascertain what the other was thinking while talking themselves out of making such a big deal about going out for coffee.
This isn’t a date, right? Tiffany thought to herself.
I didn’t ask her out on a date, did I? Taeyeon thought while she fiddled with the table cloth.
Both questions never saw the light of day and all they could do was wait for their coffees in silence.
+
Later that afternoon, Yuri and Jessica finally got their turn to use a training room. They dragged Krystal along and their dongsaeng was more than willing to help Yuri practice her aim. She also found this to be a good opportunity to tease the hell out of her older sister. When she loosed two arrows less than a meter apart in width and Yuri tried to meet them with a wave of force, she got caught in its path and was knocked over while one of her arrows managed to squeeze past and cut along Yuri’s arm.
Jessica didn’t know who to go to first and ended up lecturing them both. “Krystal! She’s still getting used to aiming. One arrow at a time please. And Yuri! You’re supposed to be conserving aura. One more wave like that and you’ll be down to half of it.”
Once Krystal got up, Yuri was by her side and they let Jessica ramble on.
“See what you have to live with for the rest of your life?” Krystal mumbled so only Yuri could hear.
“I think it’s cute,” Yuri replied with a slight laugh. She watched Jessica rattle off the rest of her instructions and reminders. Anyone else would’ve mistaken it for nagging, including her if this happened a year ago. But she knew better now. Because she opened up to me eventually. And I’m glad she did. Otherwise, I never would’ve known how caring she really is.
“You think it’s cute?” Krystal didn’t know whether to laugh or groan. “Seriously? You two might as well get married already. You’re already playing house anyway.”
“What? We’re not playing house!”
“Don’t even try to deny it, Yuri unnie! Your child told me!”
“My what?!”
“What are you two talking about all of a sudden?” Jessica was forced to pause from her monologue when she saw Yuri and Krystal already muttering to each other back and forth.
“Oh just how you two have a child and Yuri unnie is denying it,” Krystal answered with a shrug of her shoulders.
“What the-I didn’t say anything!” Yuri protested.
“So you do have a child with my sister?”
“I… Uhm… Well…”
“You said you didn’t want to become an aunt yet,” Jessica interjected, saving Yuri from the rest of her stuttering. “But it sounds like you’re just fine with us having a kid.”
“It’s just Yoona unnie for goodness’ sake!” Krystal couldn’t help but laugh at the fact.
“And what else has Yoona been telling you, hm?”
“That’s a secret~ Why, is there something I need to know?”
Jessica and Yuri didn’t dare supply a reply.
“Anyway, you two can deal with your family life after the war. You have my blessing. For now, we have to train. So…”
Krystal leapt back and shot at Yuri without warning. With a flick of Yuri’s wrist, the frozen arrow tipped over backwards and shattered when it landed on the floor. “Pretty good, unnie! Now do better and I’ll get Sica unnie to give you a kiss. Chu~ Or maybe something even better?” Krystal threw in a wink, meriting a deep scowl from her sister.
“Soojung… I’m warning you.” Jessica said through gritted teeth.
Krystal shrugged off the threat. She knew her sister would never really do anything to harm her but a sermon of sorts wasn’t out of the question. Nevertheless, she could handle that just fine. “God, unnie. You always lose your shit when Yuri unnie is involved. Chill, okay? It’s not something perverted if that’s what you’re thinking. And that’s probably it judging from your reaction.” She waited for Jessica to reply and when she didn’t, she walked over to Yuri and whispered something into her ear. “Okay, unnie? So do your best~!”
Yuri nodded with a wide grin plastered on her face. “This better be for real, Krystal.”
“What is it? What did she tell you?!”
“Yuri unnie, heads up!!”
Purposely ignoring Jessica, Krystal got back into a fighting stance and started attacking. Yuri followed suit and dodged the first few arrows before focusing on repelling the oncoming ones. She managed to hit a few of them perfectly, causing icy shards to litter the floor. She could still hear Jessica asking what the earlier discussion was all about, probably too worried that her little sister was blackmailing her. It only stopped when she got hit by another arrow again.
“Yuri-yah! Are you okay?”
Before Yuri could answer, Jessica was already by her side, examining her shoulder. “I’m fine, Sica. It’s just a scratch.” The arrow tore through her blazer and her uniform top. All that was left on the skin underneath was a bruise from the impact and a few shards of the now-shattered arrow.
“You can dodge when you have to, you know?”
“I know. But the point of training like this is for me to focus my attacks. I gotta master it somehow. And I only have a few days to do it.”
Jessica nodded. She knew that they didn’t have much time left and all they could do was to make the most out of the three-day grace period. She shook the worry away as she ran her fingertips over Yuri’s bruise through the tear in her uniform then placed a quick kiss on it before standing up to return to the side of the room. She saw her sister smirking at her as she passed by and she just rolled her eyes, trying to hide the smile that adorned her lips after they left Yuri’s warm skin.
The practice match continued until Krystal and Yuri were too exhausted to go on. Or rather until Jessica could no longer stand seeing the two get hurt in the process.
“Guys, I think that’s enough for today. We have to hand this room over to the next team anyway.”
Krystal and Yuri let themselves fall to the floor, breathing hard to compensate for their exhaustion. Jessica walked over and handed them a water bottle each then called Krystal over after she was done cooling down.
“Krystal, come here for a sec.”
“Uh-oh. I knew she was upset that I kept hitting you,” Krystal told Yuri, pretending to whisper.
“That’s what you get for being too good a fighter, baby Jung,” Yuri whispered back with a tiny nudge.
Krystal stood up and followed Jessica to a corner, a bit scared that she went too far with the teasing and with attacking Yuri. Oh man. Unnie’s probably pissed. “So… What’s up?” she asked nonetheless, hoping her paranoia was for nothing.
“What was with all that teasing back there, hm?”
Krystal shrugged. “I’m usually like that, aren’t I? Come on. You know me. We grew up together remember?
“Yeah but that was a bit excessive, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t. And I’m gonna keep being like this until you decide to tell me what happened after you two talked. I’m your only sister, you know? I care about these things. You know I love you but I know you love me more so stop making me wait for the details! Did
something happen? Are you two not dating anymore?”
“Shush! It’s not that. We’re still dating. It’s just that now that it’s for real, the teasing is… well, it just isn’t the same anymore.” Jessica diverted her gaze to the wall, unable to put her feelings into words. It was a mix of first day of school butterflies and that feeling she gets whenever she knocks an opponent out at the last minute during a practice match. It was a rush of hormones and a state of relief at the same time. Dating Yuri is like a secret that was never meant to be a secret. It was mine and hers until it wasn’t anymore.
Now it’s ours but I don’t feel like keeping it anymore.
One look at her older sister and Krystal understood just fine. “Oooh~ You’re saying things are getting serious, huh?”
Jessica nodded. “I was planning to tell you but this war came up and got in the way. I haven’t even properly thanked you yet.” She reached for her sister’s hands and squeezed them, her features softening into a sincere smile. “You were a great help and you still are. Especially right now with Yuri’s training. Thanks for being supportive as usual, sis. You’re the best.”
Other than her sister not giving her a sermon, Krystal was relieved that things between Jessica and Yuri were going smoothly. At least now we can actually say that they’re in a relationship. “No problem, unnie. You know I’m always here for you. And for Yuri unnie too now that you two are probably gonna get married after you graduate or something.”
“Woah! Slow down. Still dating, remember?”
“So? Don’t tell me you’re not gonna make this official soon!”
There was no reply.
“Unnie! We’re heading to war in less than three days! What the heck are you waiting for? Tell her you love her and make her your girlfriend already!”
“Keep your voice down! Geez!” Jessica almost trapped her sister in a headlock but settled for pinching her cheek hard instead. “You have a point, okay? But I think Yuri and I can afford to take this slow-”
“Oh sure. Wait for the damn apocalypse to happen before you tell her you love her. Awesome plan! Go do that!”
Jessica heard the sarcasm. She would’ve heard it even if she was all the way at the other side of the room… Where Yuri was. She saw her partner lying flat on the floor with an arm over her eyes. She’s probably taking a nap. She worked hard today.
“See? The way you look at her like that… You love her don’t you?” Krystal asked, although it sounded more like a declaration than a question. “You should tell her. I’m nor pressuring you or anything but I really think you’ll regret it if you don’t do it soon. None of us know what’s gonna happen out there so take this opportunity to do something that you can be certain of. You’ll miss out if you don’t and believe me, another Yuri unnie isn’t just gonna pop up in your life after this one… especially if we don’t live through this war.”
“Like I said, you have a point. I’ll talk to her about it. After all, this is her decision as much as it is mine.”
“Oh fine. That’s good enough for now. So where did you end up taking her on your date? ‘Cause it sounds like you guys have gotten used to talking instead of making babies-I mean, making out.”
Jessica let that one slide. She didn’t even roll her eyes. Instead, she told Krystal about what happened at the lake and how she ended up singing for Yuri while they slow danced. She mentioned Yuri dancing for her too but she didn’t bother with the details. Those things I felt during that damn sexy dance are way too personal for anyone else to know.
“Unnie!!” Krystal squealed, barely keeping herself together. “That. Is. The. Sweetest. Thing. Ever.”
Jessica couldn’t deny that.
“Oh but you’ll need a new scroll. I have an extra one so you can have it. But that’s not the important thing here! You should totally tell her you love her! Tonight!”
“Easy tiger. We’ll talk about it, I promise. Now let’s get outta here. I can already hear the others banging on the door.”
“Right. You go on ahead and stare them down. I’ll grab Yuri unnie.”
Jessica laughed in agreement then headed for the door, leaving Krystal with a newly-woken Yuri.
“Is it time to go? Did Sica get mad at you?”
“Yes and no. I’m her beloved sister. She never really gets mad at me,” Krystal answered. She pulled Yuri up and didn’t let go of her hand until she said what she had to say: “And as her beloved sister, I want her to be happy. Not just happy as in sunshine and rainbows in paradise all day. I mean truly happy. Being with you makes her that happy but that also means that she’ll be beyond hurt once you leave her… if that’s even possible. Still, I just want to remind you that I can beat you up if I wanted to and if you end up hurting my sister, I’ll definitely want to.”
Yuri grinned and nodded. She expected this. “I won’t hurt her, Krystal. You know that.”
“Do you love her?”
Yuri expected that question too and she had an answer for it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant for Krystal’s ears. “I think you know the answer to that too.”
Krystal heaved a sigh. “So many cryptic answers! You and my sister really are meant for each other. Fine. I’ll settle for that. Just be sure to tell her. Please? Sometime soon. Like… tonight?”
“Nice try, baby Jung~” Yuri playfully pinched Krystal’s nose and laughed. “We’ll get there. Just be patient, okay?”
“Ugh… Fine, fine. Let’s go before she starts a new war with everyone else outside.”
“Students, it’s time to prepare for war.”
The auditorium grew stuffier as more students started to enter. It had obviously been left unmaintained since the first Grimm invasion with dust clinging onto the walls and cobwebs extending from one part of the ceiling to another. The last time that the students remembered being here was during their orientation. Back then, Hyun Bin was the one giving a speech. And just like this room, they barely remembered him.
BoA stood before them on the elevated platform, slightly hunched. She was far from her usual regal self and the professional air that hung about her was replaced with silent fury. The students noticed this and all they could think of was whether they were ready to hear why they had to prepare for war. They thought it was all over. The Grimm were gone and even though the professors claimed to have left to conduct an investigation just to be sure it would stay that way, all signs already pointed to Remnant making a full recovery.
And yet here they were, listening to the reason why they had to go back to fighting again.
“We have concluded our investigation and we found the Grimm still walking among us.”
BoA heard chatter from the crowd after she began her announcement and it pained her to keep the whole truth from her students. She wanted to tell them about the real enemies and how they were using a stolen piece of technology to control the Grimm. But it seems Jongkook had a point when he said we should handle this ourselves. Not the fight per se but how to deal with the existence of the Possession Type Grimm. As one of the guardians in Remnant, it was her duty to keep its inhabitants safe and one way to do that was to make sure that no one else gains knowledge of the Schnee Dust Company’s horrendous creation. No one should ever want power badly enough that they would be willing to trade their humanity for it.
“We found them beyond the four kingdoms, where they originated. Although that sounds all well and good because that’s how things were before the void, things have drastically changed.”
She couldn’t say that it was because someone was already able to control them. That would cause too much of a debate. Why don’t we do the same? Where can we get the technology to control the Grimm? Why does such a machine exist in the first place? The answers to these questions would cause an uprising and loss of trust not only in the authorities but also in humanity itself. They already had the growing rift between humans and faunus to worry about. Another war for a different reason wasn’t going to help.
“The Grimm have gotten stronger. They are no longer mindless creatures who destroy everything in their path. They are dead set on ending us. Humans and faunus alike. They are more powerful and more organized. Smarter. Deadlier. It seems their absence from the four kingdoms could be part of their strategy so we must strike while we still can. The four kingdoms are still recovering and there is no way that we can allow the civilians to be put at risk once more. The better choice would be to take the fight to them instead of waiting for another invasion. I’m sure that by now you all understand the degree of risk that this mission comes with. The land beyond the four kingdoms remains unnamed for a reason. We know nothing about it. We have no maps. We have no communications systems set up. We have no established shelters. We’re going there blind. This is why I am requiring all of you to make a choice. It’s either you come with me and fight or you stay behind and hope that you never have to make this decision a second time. We leave in three days. Please consider all of the consequences. No one will take your choice against you, especially me. I only hope that once you decide, it’s because you chose that path for yourself. Everyone may leave. This meeting is adjourned.”
BoA left the platform and waited for an eruption of gasps and another round of chatter while the students filed out of the auditorium. Neither of these came and instead she was met by a fragile silence that was left unshattered until a hand shot up in the air. She nodded in acknowledgement and a question came her way: “Why don’t we leave for Grimmland today, professor? We’ve been training hard enough anyway.”
She smiled slightly upon hearing the term. Grimmland… It sounds more like a theme park than a battleground. Amidst her amusement, she saw the determination in each of her students’ faces and it made her heart swell in gratitude. She meant it when she said she wouldn’t take their choices against them but knowing that they were willing to risk their lives for her cause - for Remnant - gave her a sense of satisfaction that only a teacher would appreciate, as if this was confirmation that she had already made a difference in the world despite her ongoing mission to save it.
“Although I appreciate the enthusiasm, I still want to be on the cautious side. You are all still huntsmen and huntresses in training no matter how much you were all forced to mature in the past year, which means there are still preparations to be made. We need a strategy and a backup plan. It also wouldn’t hurt to train more even if it’s just to polish your skills. I believe three days will be enough for us to achieve all of these things and by then, we should be ready for anything. General Jongkook has already gone on ahead with his Atlesian Knights as well as a team of professional huntsmen and huntresses. We are to support them when needed but our priority remains to be extermination of the Grimm in our designated sectors. Like I said, we have no map of the area so the distribution of teams can’t be too spread out. I will update everyone once we finalize the plan. Thank you for your help, students. I am truly grateful. I say this not as your professor but your fellow soldier in this war that we face.”
Applause came in response as well as cheers and howling that sounded like an improvised battle cry.
“Okay, settle down, settle down!” BoA struggled to announce over everyone’s excitement. “Let’s all grab some breakfast for now. The preparations will begin afterwards.”
The students cheered one more time before they started to leave. BoA stood near the exit until she saw Yuri, Yoona and Jessica talking amongst themselves while walking. She waited to see whether they would notice her or continue arguing over what to eat for breakfast, which she heard Yoona bring up before they passed her by.
“Good to have you back, Professor!” Yuri greeted with a wide smile. Then she suddenly remembered to bow when Yoona and Jessica did it. She was about to apologize but BoA said she had other pressing matters to discuss with them.
“It sounds serious, professor,” Jessica said.
BoA could only nod. “Let’s talk about this in the faculty room. There’s something that you three need to know.”
+
Just like the auditorium, it had been a while since they were last within the four walls of the faculty room. Cables were strewn all over the floor. To which component they were attached, no one could tell. They watched as BoA stepped over them on her way toward her desk where three monitors sat. The screens blinked from time to time but they were otherwise blank.
“Sunny is involved,” BoA said without a second thought. She was done with lies and cover-ups for the day.
The sound of Yuri clucking her tongue brought her teammates out of the slight shock of hearing Sunny’s name come up. Then the three of them stared at each other, sighed and said nothing. There were a lot of things left to say but they just didn’t know how to begin.
“I apologize for not mentioning this earlier but this piece of information isn’t meant for everyone’s ears.”
When none of the three said anything in response, BoA went on. She told them about the Possession Type Grimm, how the plans were stolen and how it was recreated to control the Grimm. She told them about the message that they received regarding a proposed “peace” and that it was from Sunny. She told them that she didn’t know how Sunny became involved with the man who willingly became possessed by the essence of the Grimm but the fact remained that Sunny told her explicitly that they were working toward the same goal.
“Bob wants what I want and he’ll keep wanting it even after I’m gone.”
“We have no information on who this Bob is but those were her exact words after we fought. She’s stubborn… and driven. A very dangerous combination.” BoA sensed the uneasiness among the three. She couldn’t blame them. Even she was bothered by the turn of events and even more by how she didn’t discover Sunny’s intentions the moment she applied to Beacon. “I understand that this is a lot to take in especially since the three of you were probably starting to believe that the conflict had stopped when the Grimm disappeared from the four kingdoms. And Sunny… Well, she was your teammate after all.”
Yuri made a fist with each hand and closed her eyes for a moment, willing an image of Sunny’s face to appear behind her eyelids. She would’ve thrown a punch at it if it were possible but there wasn’t anything she could do from here. The hand that cupped her fist brought her back to reality and as she slowly relaxed her hands she saw Jessica smiling at her just as softly. She smiled back and nodded, knowing that her partner was telling her to keep her temper in check.
“Professor,” Yoona said, breaking the silence. “I know this already goes without saying but once you send us to Grimmland, please allow us to pursue her ourselves.”
“Yoona, I know what you’ve gone through after she left. Are you certain-”
“Yes, professor. I know that I broke down after she left but this time it’ll be different. This time it’s about the mission and whatever issues I have with her will have to come second. I just feel like I have a responsibility to face her somehow. Besides, no one else but the three of us know about her involvement, right? So I assume that you already intend to have us go after her.”
BoA took a second to reply. Part of what Yoona said was true. She did intend to send them after Sunny. Except Yoona. I want to keep her safe this time while I can. She thought back to when she caught Yoona sneaking off, claiming not to remember that she left their dorm room. She was ready to give a full sermon until she saw those lifeless eyes staring back at her and past her at the same time. She took Yoona back into the campus and gave her a cup of hot cocoa. Neither of them said anything and it took Yoona nearly the entire evening to finish the drink with momentary hesitation as if she was leaving her body from time to time only to come back to what she barely recognized as a dream.Or the longest nightmare she ever had. It broke BoA’s heart to see her student so disheartened.
“I just have to ask again, Yoona,” she said, doubly concerned about her student. “Are you sure that you want to go after your former partner?”
“Yes,” went the immediate answer.
BoA turned to Yuri and Jessica and saw them nod. Knowing the three of them, the silent confirmation was enough to keep her from asking Yoona about her decision yet again. “Okay. I won’t interfere with what you three decide to do. Just be careful. I fought her and she can be stubborn even when she’s at death’s door. Whatever you decide to do once you get her to that point will be up to you.”
While Yuri and Jessica were looking at each other, having a conversation with just their eyes, Yoona spoke up once more: “Professor, is it okay to tell our friends about this? They also knew Sunny unnie and I think they’ll worry about us too much when we go off on our own to pursue her. They at least deserve to know why.”
Yuri turned away and let out a small laugh. When she faced forward again, BoA raised an eyebrow at her. “Uh, I think Yoona meant that she has to tell her girlfriend about this deadly mission. Forgive me for insisting professor but I think you should allow it.”
“Unnie! Why would you say-”
“Of course,” BoA said, interrupting Yoona. She pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose and smiled.“I wouldn’t want Seohyun to worry during the mission, now would I? That would be distracting, right Yoona?”
“I… Uh…” Yoona could only nod. The blush on her cheeks became all the more visible when she turned to Yuri and frowned at her.
“And before the two of you ask,” BoA told Yuri and Jessica, “I know these things simply because I have eyes. The relationships in
your circle of friends are fairly… interesting. I’m glad that at least two of them have progressed.”
“Two of them?” Jessica asked with a slightly squeakier voice, unable to hide her surprise.
“Yes. I think you of all people should know which couple I’m talking about. Shouldn’t she, Yuri?”
Yuri let out a laugh then cleared her throat. “Yes professor. I think she should know by now.”
Jessica blinked, her cheeks burning red as much as Yoona’s was.
What started out as a serious discussion turned out to be a long overdue student-teacher conference. Ever since Sunny left and Yoona had her breakdown, BoA started to stand in as a mother figure, watching over them from afar whenever it concerned their issues with their former teammate. It just so happened that watching over them also involved seeing them grow into young adults who were prone to establishing romantic relationships. Goodness, I feel like their mother.
“Anyway, I think that’s all for now. I’m sorry for keeping the three of you from grabbing breakfast. We’ll talk again soon.”
The three of them bowed in response and they held their peace until they were far enough from the faculty room door not to be overheard.
“Yuri unnie, why did you say those things?!” Yoona said as she pounded hard on Yuri’s arm.
“First of all, ouch! And second, relax! She obviously already knew about you two and she’s supportive!”
“Yeah but…” Yoona sighed instead. She wasn’t really mad. She was just hiding how embarrassed she was. “I just feel like I was outed to my own mother. It’s a bit weird.”
“I thought we were your parents,” Yuri said, pointing to herself and Jessica. “Even though we still don’t know which one is the mom and which one is the dad…”
“Like I said, you guys will find out when I feel like telling you. Anyway, we should get some breakfast now. Hyunnie’s probably wondering where I went and I don’t like it when she worries.”
“D’awww…” Yuri teased. “Isn’t she just adorable, Sica~?”
When Jessica didn’t respond, Yuri got a bit worried herself. “Hey, you okay? Are you upset about what I said too? About the relationship stuff-”
“No, it’s not that,” Jessica replied. She slipped her fingers in between Yuri’s just in case Yuri didn’t believe her, which was usually the case whenever Yuri worries. “I’m just processing what Professor BoA said. It’s a bit overwhelming.”
Yuri and Yoona exchanged glances and only then did it occur to them that Jessica was right. Sunny’s involvement was one thing but finding out about the Possession Type Grimm and that Bob person, whoever he was, sounded like a plot for a sci-fi movie. It almost sounded like a bad joke and it was all the more reason for Yoona to let Seohyun know what was important enough to make her miss breakfast.
“I better go find Hyunnie now. I’ll see you guys later.”
“Later.” Yuri waved goodbye before turning to Jessica to make sure she was really okay. “Do you wanna talk about it?”
“I do but maybe after a bit more sleep. Stay with me?”
“You don’t even have to ask.”
“I know. It just makes me feel better whenever you say yes.”
“Then…” Yuri leaned in and nuzzled Jessica’s cheek. “Yes, yes, yes…”
They each let out a giggle then started walking hand in hand back to their dorm room.
+
The cafeteria was nearly empty once Yoona arrived and it didn’t exactly surprise her because the training room building was jam-packed when she passed by. She grabbed two bowls of ramen for herself and sat at the table closest to the windows. Seohyun was waiting for her as usual. There wasn’t a flood of messages in her scroll or ten thousand missed calls or anything clingy like that. Seohyun just had this habit of waiting and it made Yoona feel a bit guilty for not sending a message sooner.
“Morning,” she said as she set her food down. “Professor BoA called us to her office and-”
Soft lips kept the rest of her sentence at bay and instead of words, a slight moan escaped her next. She felt Seohyun’s hand on her cheek and it stayed there even after they pulled away.
“Well… What a way to start breakfast~” Yoona said with a snicker.
“I was worried,” Seohyun replied as she ran her thumb back and forth slowly against Yoona’s cheek.
“I know. I’m sorry. It was kinda sudden. I didn’t think it would take that long.”
“Did something happen? It sounds serious.”
“It is.”
Yoona didn’t bother beating around the bush. She told Seohyun outright about Sunny’s involvement in the Grimm invasion, how some guy managed to get the Grimm to obey him and how they were both working together to achieve what sounded like a distorted view of peace.
“Are you okay?” Seohyun asked, her worry returning for a different reason.
“I am. Surprisingly. I just know that I don’t wanna run away from her anymore. And that’s why I’m going after her this time.”
“Wait. Are you sure? I know that you can handle it but…”
“Hyunnie, I’m really okay. I feel bad that I’m making you worry a lot more but this is something I want to do. It’s also something that Yuri unnie, Jessica unnie and I have to do as a team. I’ll be careful, I promise. It probably doesn’t sound too reassuring to you though and I’m sorry for that. I’ll do what I can to ease your mind. Just tell me what to do.”
“Tsk. That’s not the point. Of course I’m worried about you. I love you. But that’s also the reason why I want to be as supportive as I can. I just want to know whether you’re absolutely sure about doing this because if you are, I want to be by your side after you accomplish your mission. And if you aren’t sure, we can always just go home.”
Home… Yoona couldn’t help but smile at the thought. She reached for Seohyun’s hand and let her lips graze over the knuckles.
“That sounds good too.”
“But it’s not what you want, is it?”
“It is… And it isn’t.”
“I understand.” Seohyun gave Yoona another kiss and the discussion ended at that. Nothing was going to make her get over her worry but she wanted to at least try. “Your ramen is getting cold.”
“I know,” Yoona said with a nod. “I don’t mind. ‘Cause you know what else is warm?”
“Nuh-uh-uh.” Seohyun broke apart the chopsticks and picked up a helping of noodles with it. “Eat your breakfast. It’ll be lunchtime
before you know it and you know how much I disapprove of brunch.”
“Yes, I do.” Yoona welcomed the food into her mouth and chewed with a smile.
“Good.” Seohyun fed Yoona another serving and then another until all that was left in the first bowl was the soup.
Yoona gulped it down in one go then ate the second bowl on her own. She wiggled her eyebrows at Seohyun after the last bite.
“Oh fine. Come here.” Seohyun pulled Yoona closer by the collar of her uniform until she could taste the salty-spicy aftertaste of the soup from Yoona’s lips. “Warm enough for you?”
Yoona tickled Seohyun’s nose with hers and giggled. “Always.”
+
The engine of the airship at the farthest end of the landing bay roared to life and it made saying goodbye all the more real and also that much harder. Tiffany clung to her parents and refused to loosen her grip. Her parents hugged her back and left kisses on her forehead, telling her everything was going to be okay like parents are supposed to do.
“Honey, we’ll be okay. We’ll meet up soon so be sure to train well, okay?” said Mr. Hwang as he gave his daughter another squeeze.
“Your father is right, dear,” Mrs. Hwang followed. “You don’t have to worry about us. We’ve gotten into a few fights like these before and we made it out just fine. Training with the students also got us up to speed so I think we’re set. We won’t be the only ones there either so we’ll have enough help until you guys come to save us.” She let out a giggle and tucked her daughter’s hair behind her ear.
“Besides, Taeyeon will be here to keep you company while we’re away. She’s also a good sparring partner. I made sure of it. You two make a good pair.”
“Mom…” Tiffany said with a groan, embarrassed that her mother was hinting at Taeyeon and her being ‘a pair’ which was probably just another way of saying that they should start dating. Oh god. I hope she just means we look cute together or something. It also didn’t help that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking of how she ‘accidentally’ kissed Taeyeon in their bathroom. Neither of them had tried bringing it up, which just meant that she had way too much time to overthink the situation. Taeyeon didn’t seem to be too bothered by it so it only made things worse on her part. If she’s not freaking out, I shouldn’t be freaking out. But I’m freaking out! Why the hell am I freaking out?!
“What? I think she’s a fine young lady… Even though she does have that unusual interest in butts.” Mrs. Hwang laughed out loud and so did her husband who had been listening all along.
“Dad! Don’t encourage mom!” Tiffany whined. She slowly looked over her shoulder to check if Taeyeon was listening. She saw
Taeyeon twirling a dagger with one hand, which Tiffany noticed was what she usually did whenever she tried to look preoccupied.
Ugh. She totally heard everything we’ve been saying until now.
Not that it mattered because Mr. Hwang called Taeyeon over after a few moments.
“Yes sir?” Taeyeon asked as she approached.
“As you can see, my wife and I are leaving. We’re going to try to catch up with the General’s forces. So for now, we’re entrusting our little Miyoung to you. Keep an eye out for her, you hear?”
“Dad, you’re embarrassing me…” Tiffany said with a stomp of her foot.
“Embarrassing you? I’m merely asking your teammate to take care of you. It’s what good parents do.”
“I can take care of myself, dad.”
“Oh I know that. You’ve proven it too. But it never hurts to have someone who has your back... Who can actually teleport!” Mr. Hwang hid the rest of his words behind another big laugh.
“What your father means,” Mrs. Hwang cut in, “is that we love you and we worry about you. We know you’re very capable but we don’t want you to feel that you have to be on your own again. You’ve found good friends and all of you should work together whenever possible. Taeyeon is one of those friends, isn’t she?”
Tiffany caught Taeyeon staring at her. She held that gaze for a few seconds until she couldn’t anymore because she felt a slight tug on her abdomen that told her she was going to choke on whatever she intended to say next. She nodded instead to spare herself from further embarrassment.
The Hwang spouses turned to Taeyeon and took turns shaking her hand. “Keep her safe,” Mrs. Hwang said as she added a hug.
“Yes ma’am. I will,” Taeyeon replied. She flashed Tiffany a quick smile then watched as the Hwang spouses gave their daughter one more hug before boarding the airship. Not long after, she and Tiffany were the only ones at the landing bay. “Uh… You wanna grab breakfast?”
“I guess?” Tiffany answered. “I think I need some coffee though. That announcement came way too early.”
“The coffee shop is probably open by now. Wanna go?”
“Okay.”
“Alright.”
Neither of them said another word and they started walking just to ease the awkwardness. It worked until they were seated across from each other while waiting for their respective orders. There was suddenly nothing to talk about. Not even BoA’s announcement. They looked at each other from time to time, trying to ascertain what the other was thinking while talking themselves out of making such a big deal about going out for coffee.
This isn’t a date, right? Tiffany thought to herself.
I didn’t ask her out on a date, did I? Taeyeon thought while she fiddled with the table cloth.
Both questions never saw the light of day and all they could do was wait for their coffees in silence.
+
Later that afternoon, Yuri and Jessica finally got their turn to use a training room. They dragged Krystal along and their dongsaeng was more than willing to help Yuri practice her aim. She also found this to be a good opportunity to tease the hell out of her older sister. When she loosed two arrows less than a meter apart in width and Yuri tried to meet them with a wave of force, she got caught in its path and was knocked over while one of her arrows managed to squeeze past and cut along Yuri’s arm.
Jessica didn’t know who to go to first and ended up lecturing them both. “Krystal! She’s still getting used to aiming. One arrow at a time please. And Yuri! You’re supposed to be conserving aura. One more wave like that and you’ll be down to half of it.”
Once Krystal got up, Yuri was by her side and they let Jessica ramble on.
“See what you have to live with for the rest of your life?” Krystal mumbled so only Yuri could hear.
“I think it’s cute,” Yuri replied with a slight laugh. She watched Jessica rattle off the rest of her instructions and reminders. Anyone else would’ve mistaken it for nagging, including her if this happened a year ago. But she knew better now. Because she opened up to me eventually. And I’m glad she did. Otherwise, I never would’ve known how caring she really is.
“You think it’s cute?” Krystal didn’t know whether to laugh or groan. “Seriously? You two might as well get married already. You’re already playing house anyway.”
“What? We’re not playing house!”
“Don’t even try to deny it, Yuri unnie! Your child told me!”
“My what?!”
“What are you two talking about all of a sudden?” Jessica was forced to pause from her monologue when she saw Yuri and Krystal already muttering to each other back and forth.
“Oh just how you two have a child and Yuri unnie is denying it,” Krystal answered with a shrug of her shoulders.
“What the-I didn’t say anything!” Yuri protested.
“So you do have a child with my sister?”
“I… Uhm… Well…”
“You said you didn’t want to become an aunt yet,” Jessica interjected, saving Yuri from the rest of her stuttering. “But it sounds like you’re just fine with us having a kid.”
“It’s just Yoona unnie for goodness’ sake!” Krystal couldn’t help but laugh at the fact.
“And what else has Yoona been telling you, hm?”
“That’s a secret~ Why, is there something I need to know?”
Jessica and Yuri didn’t dare supply a reply.
“Anyway, you two can deal with your family life after the war. You have my blessing. For now, we have to train. So…”
Krystal leapt back and shot at Yuri without warning. With a flick of Yuri’s wrist, the frozen arrow tipped over backwards and shattered when it landed on the floor. “Pretty good, unnie! Now do better and I’ll get Sica unnie to give you a kiss. Chu~ Or maybe something even better?” Krystal threw in a wink, meriting a deep scowl from her sister.
“Soojung… I’m warning you.” Jessica said through gritted teeth.
Krystal shrugged off the threat. She knew her sister would never really do anything to harm her but a sermon of sorts wasn’t out of the question. Nevertheless, she could handle that just fine. “God, unnie. You always lose your shit when Yuri unnie is involved. Chill, okay? It’s not something perverted if that’s what you’re thinking. And that’s probably it judging from your reaction.” She waited for Jessica to reply and when she didn’t, she walked over to Yuri and whispered something into her ear. “Okay, unnie? So do your best~!”
Yuri nodded with a wide grin plastered on her face. “This better be for real, Krystal.”
“What is it? What did she tell you?!”
“Yuri unnie, heads up!!”
Purposely ignoring Jessica, Krystal got back into a fighting stance and started attacking. Yuri followed suit and dodged the first few arrows before focusing on repelling the oncoming ones. She managed to hit a few of them perfectly, causing icy shards to litter the floor. She could still hear Jessica asking what the earlier discussion was all about, probably too worried that her little sister was blackmailing her. It only stopped when she got hit by another arrow again.
“Yuri-yah! Are you okay?”
Before Yuri could answer, Jessica was already by her side, examining her shoulder. “I’m fine, Sica. It’s just a scratch.” The arrow tore through her blazer and her uniform top. All that was left on the skin underneath was a bruise from the impact and a few shards of the now-shattered arrow.
“You can dodge when you have to, you know?”
“I know. But the point of training like this is for me to focus my attacks. I gotta master it somehow. And I only have a few days to do it.”
Jessica nodded. She knew that they didn’t have much time left and all they could do was to make the most out of the three-day grace period. She shook the worry away as she ran her fingertips over Yuri’s bruise through the tear in her uniform then placed a quick kiss on it before standing up to return to the side of the room. She saw her sister smirking at her as she passed by and she just rolled her eyes, trying to hide the smile that adorned her lips after they left Yuri’s warm skin.
The practice match continued until Krystal and Yuri were too exhausted to go on. Or rather until Jessica could no longer stand seeing the two get hurt in the process.
“Guys, I think that’s enough for today. We have to hand this room over to the next team anyway.”
Krystal and Yuri let themselves fall to the floor, breathing hard to compensate for their exhaustion. Jessica walked over and handed them a water bottle each then called Krystal over after she was done cooling down.
“Krystal, come here for a sec.”
“Uh-oh. I knew she was upset that I kept hitting you,” Krystal told Yuri, pretending to whisper.
“That’s what you get for being too good a fighter, baby Jung,” Yuri whispered back with a tiny nudge.
Krystal stood up and followed Jessica to a corner, a bit scared that she went too far with the teasing and with attacking Yuri. Oh man. Unnie’s probably pissed. “So… What’s up?” she asked nonetheless, hoping her paranoia was for nothing.
“What was with all that teasing back there, hm?”
Krystal shrugged. “I’m usually like that, aren’t I? Come on. You know me. We grew up together remember?
“Yeah but that was a bit excessive, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t. And I’m gonna keep being like this until you decide to tell me what happened after you two talked. I’m your only sister, you know? I care about these things. You know I love you but I know you love me more so stop making me wait for the details! Did
something happen? Are you two not dating anymore?”
“Shush! It’s not that. We’re still dating. It’s just that now that it’s for real, the teasing is… well, it just isn’t the same anymore.” Jessica diverted her gaze to the wall, unable to put her feelings into words. It was a mix of first day of school butterflies and that feeling she gets whenever she knocks an opponent out at the last minute during a practice match. It was a rush of hormones and a state of relief at the same time. Dating Yuri is like a secret that was never meant to be a secret. It was mine and hers until it wasn’t anymore.
Now it’s ours but I don’t feel like keeping it anymore.
One look at her older sister and Krystal understood just fine. “Oooh~ You’re saying things are getting serious, huh?”
Jessica nodded. “I was planning to tell you but this war came up and got in the way. I haven’t even properly thanked you yet.” She reached for her sister’s hands and squeezed them, her features softening into a sincere smile. “You were a great help and you still are. Especially right now with Yuri’s training. Thanks for being supportive as usual, sis. You’re the best.”
Other than her sister not giving her a sermon, Krystal was relieved that things between Jessica and Yuri were going smoothly. At least now we can actually say that they’re in a relationship. “No problem, unnie. You know I’m always here for you. And for Yuri unnie too now that you two are probably gonna get married after you graduate or something.”
“Woah! Slow down. Still dating, remember?”
“So? Don’t tell me you’re not gonna make this official soon!”
There was no reply.
“Unnie! We’re heading to war in less than three days! What the heck are you waiting for? Tell her you love her and make her your girlfriend already!”
“Keep your voice down! Geez!” Jessica almost trapped her sister in a headlock but settled for pinching her cheek hard instead. “You have a point, okay? But I think Yuri and I can afford to take this slow-”
“Oh sure. Wait for the damn apocalypse to happen before you tell her you love her. Awesome plan! Go do that!”
Jessica heard the sarcasm. She would’ve heard it even if she was all the way at the other side of the room… Where Yuri was. She saw her partner lying flat on the floor with an arm over her eyes. She’s probably taking a nap. She worked hard today.
“See? The way you look at her like that… You love her don’t you?” Krystal asked, although it sounded more like a declaration than a question. “You should tell her. I’m nor pressuring you or anything but I really think you’ll regret it if you don’t do it soon. None of us know what’s gonna happen out there so take this opportunity to do something that you can be certain of. You’ll miss out if you don’t and believe me, another Yuri unnie isn’t just gonna pop up in your life after this one… especially if we don’t live through this war.”
“Like I said, you have a point. I’ll talk to her about it. After all, this is her decision as much as it is mine.”
“Oh fine. That’s good enough for now. So where did you end up taking her on your date? ‘Cause it sounds like you guys have gotten used to talking instead of making babies-I mean, making out.”
Jessica let that one slide. She didn’t even roll her eyes. Instead, she told Krystal about what happened at the lake and how she ended up singing for Yuri while they slow danced. She mentioned Yuri dancing for her too but she didn’t bother with the details. Those things I felt during that damn sexy dance are way too personal for anyone else to know.
“Unnie!!” Krystal squealed, barely keeping herself together. “That. Is. The. Sweetest. Thing. Ever.”
Jessica couldn’t deny that.
“Oh but you’ll need a new scroll. I have an extra one so you can have it. But that’s not the important thing here! You should totally tell her you love her! Tonight!”
“Easy tiger. We’ll talk about it, I promise. Now let’s get outta here. I can already hear the others banging on the door.”
“Right. You go on ahead and stare them down. I’ll grab Yuri unnie.”
Jessica laughed in agreement then headed for the door, leaving Krystal with a newly-woken Yuri.
“Is it time to go? Did Sica get mad at you?”
“Yes and no. I’m her beloved sister. She never really gets mad at me,” Krystal answered. She pulled Yuri up and didn’t let go of her hand until she said what she had to say: “And as her beloved sister, I want her to be happy. Not just happy as in sunshine and rainbows in paradise all day. I mean truly happy. Being with you makes her that happy but that also means that she’ll be beyond hurt once you leave her… if that’s even possible. Still, I just want to remind you that I can beat you up if I wanted to and if you end up hurting my sister, I’ll definitely want to.”
Yuri grinned and nodded. She expected this. “I won’t hurt her, Krystal. You know that.”
“Do you love her?”
Yuri expected that question too and she had an answer for it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant for Krystal’s ears. “I think you know the answer to that too.”
Krystal heaved a sigh. “So many cryptic answers! You and my sister really are meant for each other. Fine. I’ll settle for that. Just be sure to tell her. Please? Sometime soon. Like… tonight?”
“Nice try, baby Jung~” Yuri playfully pinched Krystal’s nose and laughed. “We’ll get there. Just be patient, okay?”
“Ugh… Fine, fine. Let’s go before she starts a new war with everyone else outside.”