Pretty Unpretty | DISCONTINUE 🙏

Trick It

She hopes everything will be alright, so she doesn't need to involve these airheads into trouble. She just won't risk them. She wants everything to be okay, to be normal.

She hopes so.

///

Chaeyoung realizes her hope only needed hours to be vanished like a dust when she comes home and finds Mrs. Myoui is there, inside her house, talking with her mother.

And at that time, she knows, she's in trouble.

18 Trick It

"Chaeyoung, come and greet Mrs. Myoui here," is what her mom says to her when she came in. She's petrified, could only stare at them when her mom beckoning her to come closer. Mina's mom is smiling, kindly and warmly, just like Mina's smile. But, remembering that Mina mentioned about her mom 'playing' differently, Mrs. Myoui's smile makes her shivers.

Something that Chaeyoung never expected is Mrs. Myoui calling her name with such a sweet and warm tone of voice. Her gaze is so gentle. "Chaeyoung," she calls, making Chaeyoung mildly jolts. "Nice to meet you."

"Ah," Chaeyoung gulps, trying to rid her nervousness. She then bows to Mrs. Myoui, deeply. "Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Myoui."

Her mom smiles at this, once again beckoning Chaeyoung to sit with them. "Come here, sweetie. Mrs. Myoui brought us another strawberry pie. I think you're going to love this one as well," she says, pointing at the pie on the table, which is smell so good. Chaeyoung could only stare in silent, still not sure what to do. But then she slowly walks towards the moms.

She sits beside her mom, before Mina's mother. She's avoiding Mina's mother's gaze, her chest is thumping loudly and fastly. Actually, she doesn't know why she feels terrified with this moment. Mrs. Myoui never did something awful to Chaeyoung. And Chaeyoung, being a nice person like usual, just won't think badly about this woman.

While the moms talk amongst themselves, Chaeyoung could only duck down. She doesn't understand why her mom told her to sit down with them if they would only talk about something Chaeyoung doesn't understand. And she's about to excuse herself when her mother gets to her feet, saying, "excuse me. I'm gonna grab something from my room." And then she leaves, left two of them now, still with an awkward air around them.

Chaeyoung gulps, feeling oddly nervous and awkward. She doesn't know why she feels this way, but for sure, Mrs. Myoui's appearance at her house has a meaning. And probably, Chaeyoung fears that purpose.

She mildly jolts when Mrs. Myoui calls her again. "Chaeyoung," and then she halts. The way she just called Chaeyoung's name and somehow pausing, is making Chaeyoung nervous more and more. She looks up, just to find her smiling warmly at her. Strangely, that smile doesn't look sincere at all. Instead, it makes Chaeyoung baffled.

"Mina is a very kind girl, isn't she?" she asks, a very strange and weird question. Chaeyoung didn't expect her to ask this question. It was so out of nowhere, so random, but Chaeyoung still feels fear. Being with Mina's mom like this is so uncomfortable for her.

Chaeyoung, after halting for a beat, nods minimally. "Yes, she is."

Mrs. Myoui's smile remains. "She's a very decent girl. She loves her sister, she loves her parents, despite our not so happy family. She always tries hard in everything. Although she doesn't do very well at school, and she needs so much help from her friends, still, I really love her so much."

Chaeyoung nods, agreeing, but still awkward. She doesn't want to let her guard down. This woman, even though she never did something bad to Chaeyoung, still, Mina's stories about her were ugly. And Chaeyoung wants to be aware of it.