180 - Upki Girl

< Aliya, the Perfect Listener > After numbers 1 to 4 left for practice, only Riyaa and I stayed behind at the dorm. Since my discharge, I had been doing rehab exercises at the hospital, but from today, a physical therapist was scheduled to come directly to the dorm. We had about three hours until the therapist was due. Having seen the others off, Riyaa and I lay about on separate beds in the basement, much as we did when we shared a hospital room, each glued to our smartphones, killing time. "Being here at this hour feels weird. It's like playing hooky from school." "Did M-MYU (Emperor Myu) ever play hooky?" "No, never." "Then how do you know how it feels?" "It's just a sort of vibe. Like when I take a day off work and laze around at home." "Hehe, well, Aliya neither went to school nor worked, so you wouldn't know that feeling." "Ah, right. Aren't you curious about school life, Riyaa?" "I do sometimes wish I could try it. Especially now that I’ve gotten over my aversion to male teachers." I asked out of idle curiosity since we were on the subject of school, and to my surprise, she gave a rather honest reply. "So was that why you didn’t go to school all this time? Because you didn’t like male teachers?" "I wouldn't say it was solely because of that, but it was one of several reasons. I could’ve gone to a girl’s school, but you can’t choose your teachers. Plus, beyond gender phobia, the school system just seemed too stifling. I didn’t like the idea of being crowded into a small classroom." "But now you’re fine, aren’t you? You go to places with even more people." "Yeah, and that's thanks to M-MYU and the others. I thought I’d never get over it, but you helped me a lot, you know?" "Oh, well…" After the wrist incident, she’s been noticeably more open with her feelings towards me. I shifted the mood by turning the focus back to her. "If you ever do go to school, what would you want to do most?" "Hmm… I'd like to try school lunches, sneak to the store with my best friend during classes, go on a field trip and have a pillow fight…" "Sounds like the quintessential Aliya's commoner experience." "There’s not much else to it, is there?" True, if I hadn’t gone to school, I might’ve been curious about those ordinary experiences too. Like how I longed for club retreats, group outings with college girls, and volunteer work during my three years of trying for college. "If it's because they’re too ordinary, how about this—" "What is it?" "Confronting a school bully and saying, 'Life is real, you jerk,' and getting payback." "You would, personally?" "Nah. Aliya can’t fight. I’d send in my Chinese friends." "The ones who hacked my phone?" "Yep." "What exactly do they do?" "They solve little problems for some cash. They’re nice." "Nice? That seems criminal…" "And then I’d have them kidnap the terrible teachers and start slicing them up one millimeter at a time... Hehehe…” "Stop, stop! Does that sound like something a girl group’s youngest member should say? This isn’t a crime noir; it’s supposed to be a light school drama." "M-MYU lives in a fairytale world. The reality we live in is gorier than any novel." "Leave that stuff to the police. You focus on field trips and pillow fights." "Aliya doesn’t trust the cops. Aliya believes in money and power." "Sure, sure, you’ve got guts." "No, Aliya’s guts aren’t strong! Want to see?" “No, that’s not what I meant. I meant you’re fine... Never mind." "Talking to M-MYU like this makes school seem worth it. There might be more fun than I thought." She’d never been to school and always had private lessons. Up until the Upky Girl album launch, tutors came about two to three times a week to teach her high school curricula and foreign languages, but she found it tedious and stopped using album activities as an excuse. "You’re eighteen by Korean age, right? A sophomore." "Yeah." "How about trying an international school? Or would I need to take a GED first?" "If I wanted to go, getting in wouldn’t be a problem…" "Are you worried it’ll interfere with Upky Girl activities?" "That’s right." "How do other celebrity kids manage to attend school? Or why not an arts high school where you have more flexible attendance?" "Would M-MYU drive me to school every morning?" "Sure, whenever I’m free." “Oh, then I might seriously consider it." "Yeah, try it out for experience. If it doesn’t suit you, you can always quit. Let’s go together for an enrollment consultation." When she didn’t reply immediately, I looked up from my phone and noticed she was sitting cross-legged on the bed, gazing at me with an expression of admiration. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "M-MYU seemed just like Yonna’s dad just now." "…Excuse me?" "Like Yonna’s dad, Yonnad." “Ah… Yonna’s father, Yonnabuhjee…” Oh God, her 'ㅓ' to 'ㅗ' pronunciation switch… Maybe it was because I was lying in Yonna’s spot that it sounded even weirder. The pillows and blankets carried traces of Yonna’s shampoo and cosmetics — it was quite an odd feeling. Come to think of it, didn’t Riyaa always stretch here in her undies… Ahh, snap out of it, Kim Yunho, you disgusting perv! Do you want another wet dream tonight?! I shook off the alluring thoughts overwhelming me in that moment. “Ahhh, M-MYU!” Suddenly, Riyaa, visibly terrified, crawled across the bed towards me, ignoring her injured foot. "Hey, hey, watch your leg!" "Ahhhh, ahhh!" Judging by her intense reaction, this was no simple prank. Had she experienced a sudden panic attack triggered by something? I embraced Riyaa, who clung to me in fear, and gently patted her back, trying to calm her down. "What is it, what happened?" "It's there! It's there!" "What's there?" "The centipede! The centipede! Why is something like that in our house? I hate it, I hate it!" Centipede? Oh, a house centipede? "A house centipede?" "Yes! Yes! It’s the one with a million legs! It's stuck to the ceiling over Aliya's bed! Ahhh!" I’d heard that bugs sometimes came inside since we had a backyard, and now that the weather was warming up, it seemed they were starting to appear. "Ugh, that thing has so many legs it creeps me out, too." "Don't catch it; call 911!" "Why would we call 911...?" I laid Riyaa, who was burying her face into me, down on a pillow and cautiously approached her bed to check the ceiling over the first-floor bunk. Even though it was a bit gross, I thought I could handle it... "Ew!" Seeing that creature again after so long immediately gave me the chills. This one was twice the size I’d expected — far more repugnant than anticipated. From under her blanket, with just her head sticking out, Aliya asked, "Can you catch it?" "If I don’t catch it right, its legs will fall off, and they'll move separately. I need to grab it quickly..." "Eww! That’s disgusting!" "Hong or Eunbit would handle this well..." "Then let's wait for them to come home, and we can hide downstairs for now. Hurry!" "No, I’ll try with some tissue." "What if it bites you! It looks poisonous!" "It’s probably not poisonous. Wait a moment, I'll grab tissue and a plastic bag." "Eek! Let me come with you!" "Hey, I said to watch your foot!" "Okay, okay! I’ll be good; just don't leave me alone, please!" Equipped with rubber gloves for basic protection, I flattened out some tissue and returned to the scene. Riyaa followed closely, holding a black plastic bag for the bug remains. "Eek! It's moved to the pillar!" "That's actually better for catching it." "Are you really going to do it? Can you?" "I can." It had been a while since I’d caught a bug myself, and though I was a bit nervous, equipped with gloves, I figured I’d manage. With Riyaa looking so scared, I had to put on a brave face. gulp. "Wait, I’ll film this for you." "Why are you filming?" "To show the others — they’ll be impressed." "Ready?" "Yes, now just catch it." "Here I go." "Yes!" As I moved the tissue closer, the creature seemed to sense the menacing aura I was emitting and moved about 5cm up, waving its repulsive legs. "Ugh!" Startled, I instinctively backed away. "Eek!" —Thud! Riyaa, who was right behind me, got knocked off balance and fell to the floor. "Oh no, sorry! Are you okay?" "My butt hurts!" "I'm sorry, really sorry..." "See, even you were tense, pretending to be all calm." "Busted." As she took my hand to stand up, she said, "Let's just leave it be until the others come. It’s a two-person job." "No, no. A man doesn't pick up a tissue without using it." "Why, is your nose stuffy?" "No, that’s not what I meant... Anyway, I’m catching it! Film well!" "Okay!" Aiming the tissue at the legged beast once more, I offered a silent farewell. I'm sorry, I don’t have a personal grudge against you, but... rest in peace. And then, the countdown. "One, two..." I held my breath... "Three!" —Thunk! With the tissue spread wide and thick, I covered the creature's entire body, pressing down firmly with the palm of my hand. Thanks to the rubber gloves, I wasn't subjected to the unpleasant sensation. Riyaa cheered in excitement. "Eeee! Emperor God Myu! It was a good shot, a good shot!" "Whew, now the important part. The bag." "Yessir!" After securing the black plastic bag Riyaa handed me against the bottom of the tissue, I swiftly slid the creature into the bag like dust into a dustpan. —Tchakk! Success! The creature’s body was neatly wrapped in tissue and dropped into the plastic bag without a trace! Only after tightly knotting the bag's handles did I release the breath I’d been holding. "Okay! Clean hit!" "Eeeek! Eeeek!" "See, none of its many legs fell off, right? That’s a high-level skill. Not just anyone can do it." "Yep! Emperor God Myu is the best! Even more reliable than Yonnabuhji!" With a gaze of admiration and even a touch of reverence, Riyaa beamed at me. Then, she hugged me tightly from the side, pressing her chest against my ribcage intensely. No need! "Okay, back off now." "Yessir!" I handed her the bag containing the creature's remains. "Take care of this for me." "Huuh…? Aliya?" "What, don’t want to? If you don’t, I'll do it..." "Ah, no, Aliya will do it. Just take off the gloves for me." So cute... Aliya, who listens well and occasionally slips into formal speech, is simply the best. Absolutely the best. < Aliya, the Perfect Listener > If I were to return to the past, the first thing I’d do upon meeting Riyaa again would be to somehow provoke her into revealing her mistakes, starting by breaking my wrist. Considering the turmoil this little troublemaker put me through, sacrificing one wrist, which would heal eventually, wouldn’t be too big a deal. After the exhausting struggle with the bug, I lay back down on the bed, worn out. Claiming she was afraid of the haunted bed where the centipede had been, Riyaa moved over to my side. With the same ease as Eunbit would, she boldly extended my arm aside to make a pillow for herself. Then, with unexpected earnestness, she began an endearing self-confession. “Aliya learned a lot from this experience.” “Huh?” “I realized how all the effort we’ve put into building something could be wiped out by just one small mistake of mine. Reading the comments under Aliya’s article was terrifying and made me feel so sorry.” “I told you not to read the comments.” “You know, the more I’m told not to, the more I want to.” “Well, that’s life… It’s hard to climb up, but it only takes an instant to fall.” “I never knew that before.” “Considering your age, that’s a pretty quick realization. There are many adults who still don’t get it.” "I started thinking about how much M-MYU and Jangwoo must have endured... Actually, not just the two of you, but everyone around us." Jeez, this kid. As nice as it is to see her mature, it's a bit unsettling when she changes as profoundly as Buddha under the Bodhi tree. Still, Riyaa should have some of her signature quirks, shouldn’t she? When she’s not being herself, that’s also a kind of self, isn’t it? Like how Seowon being so non-Seowon-like becomes its own kind of Seowon. She must have been quite affected by the comments. Seeing her so deflated made me feel bad, prompting me to lighten the mood with some teasing. “Who are you? Where’s my real Riyaa? Bring her back!” “Heehee.” Giggling lightly, she snuggled her forehead into my armpit, continuing, “Anyway, spending time with my sisters and M-MYU is the best thing in the world. The thought of losing this made me freak out.” “Exactly. Just keep doing what you’re doing now." "It seems like everything goes well if I just listen to M-MYU. Even this time, if I’d just said I got hurt during practice instead of being honest, I wouldn’t have gotten in trouble.” “Exactly.” “Aliya's a bit sleepy. I’ll nap for 30 minutes. You should sleep too, M-MYU.” The timing’s a bit off. She’s changed so much that an odd thought crossed my mind. What if I fall asleep and never wake up again? Her words started feeling like a last confession before death — a foreboding thought… “Hey.” "...." “Riyaa.” "...." “Already asleep...?” —Just as I thought she was nodding off— “Hey…!” Such terrible habits! Riyaa’s hand snuck under my t-shirt, fumbling along my stomach, venturing dangerously towards my abdomen. I quickly twisted my body to evade and used my bandaged hand to intercept her wrist. “Hey, are you sleeping or not?” She groggily opened her eyes and asked, “Huh? Why…?” “What are you touching?” “Oh… Did Aliya do that?” “Yeah. I'll go over there so you can sleep.” “Once I’m asleep, I don’t even remember, so just enjoy it. It’s just meaningless hand movement, you know.” At that moment, Jehee’s words came to mind. ‘If Yonna is a fox, the youngest one is a raccoon. A raccoon that’s experienced it all, died after a hard life, and came back to live a second life in a young body…’ “How many lives have you lived?” “Hmm? What do you mean by ‘many lives’?” “Never mind. Just move.” “Tch. If it was Yonna, you’d let her stay…” “No way. This is why I’m considering moving to another place.” “Oh, right. You said you were moving rooms. When?” “Well, since we’re on the subject, let’s check out the room now.” “Aliya will go too.” “But you’re sleepy.” Riyaa, lifting her head off my arm-pillow, muttered in a low voice, almost inaudible, as she stood first. “Tch, nap’s ruined now.” Such a sly kid… *** “Oooh, M-MYU, Aliya found a treasure!” While I was surveying the room I’d be moving into, Riyaa waved a Polaroid photo at me. The unused stuff the kids brought when they moved into the dorm was piled in this room, and it seemed something had caught Riyaa’s interest. “Who is this, huh? It's Yonna, right? Must be from her trainee days at KU.” “And who’s the guy beside her?” “Oh? Isn’t it that guy?” < Aliya, the Perfect Listener > The End