“little jiyongie come and drink your milk my little bunny.”

jiyong looked up from his white as snow and soft as a cotton bunny stuffed toy that his mother gave him for his fifth birthday, and sighed heavily. his lips forming into the most adorable pout. “but umma, i don’t like drinking milk.” jiyong whined.

mrs kwon shook her head. “you need your milk to grow big and strong just like appa.” she cooed, smiling sweetly at her 5 year old son.

“i’m still wittle, i don’t need to grow big and strong just like appa yet, i’m only fiwev.” jiyong tried to argue and raised his hand to show all his five fingers.

“yes, you are honey.” she took jiyong’s small hand and threaded her fingers with jiyong’s smaller ones. jiyong beamed at the gesture and tilted his head to the side while mimicking his mother’s sweet smile. “mr carrot muncher is looking at you, i’m sure he wants you to drink your milk.”

there is a glint of cunning in her eyes and hid her triumphant smile when jiyong gasped and scrambled to his feet. “gimme my milk pwease!!”

jiyong drank the entire glass of milk and bragged about it to mr carrot muncher, a bunny stuffed animal about jiyong’s size.

**

“jiyongie. are you done ishing your hands? come on now and we’ll bring some casserole to our new neighbours.” mrs kwon asked, she had just finished wrapping the casserole she prepared earlier that night after chatting with the nice lady who moved next door with her own family and agreeing to have dinner.

“yes umma.” jiyong hummed to the barney song while clapping his wet hands, making a trail of water droplets on his way to his mother. “can i bring mr carrot muncher with me?” he wiped his hands on his mother’s pink apron, mrs kwon always reminded him not to use his apron but jiyong seemed to always forget.

“only if you promise to eat vegetables for dinner and drink milk before bed.”

jiyong pursed his lips into a thin line as he tried to think things over but mr carrot muncher would be home alone while they have dinner over at their new neighbours’ house so he slowly nodded in agreement.

“okay.”

“pinky promise?”

“pinky pwomise.”

**

“woah.” was the first thing that came out of jiyong’s mouth upon seeing their neighbours’ son. he was taller than jiyong, hair tousled messily, cheeks puffy as if he had just woken up from a good nap and almond shaped eyes squinting down at him. jiyong felt a shiver down his spine so he took a step back, slightly shaking under the other boy’s piercing gaze.

“hyunnie be nice to little jiyongie.” jiyong looked at the owner of the unfamiliar voice and was met by a pair of soft eyes and sweet smile from a woman with short hair, a little taller than his own mother.

“i am being nice.” the boy, ‘hyunnie’, simply says. he eyes still glued on jiyong.

“i am sure you are, darling. come and join us at the table, we’re about to start eating.”

the taller boy nods and gives jiyong one last bone trembling look before making his way to the kitchen. jiyong was left shaking on his spot and clutched his bunny stuffed animal tighter against his chest. he wanted to cry and beg his mother and father to go home right now but he remembered how his mother prepared the chicken casserole with all her heart. even at such a young age, jiyong already knew that his mother would be sad, and he disliked being sad because being sad means the person will cry and not smile. so jiyong trudged his way to the kitchen, very much hesitant to look at hyunnie.

dinner went well, extremely well that jiyong ate his vegetables and managed to keep his eyes from hyunnie, and his mother and hyunnie’s mother became quite acquainted with each other. the choi’s were originally from jamsil and moved to itaewon because it had a better kindergarten for ‘hyunnie’, elementary school for hyeyoun, and mrs choi’s work was around the area so it was more convenient for the family to move here than travel more than one hour every day.

jiyong was about to reach for a small piece of carrot when his mother called him. he was startled and almost dropped his spoon like a deer caught in the headlights. mrs choi and hyeyoun giggled at jiyong’s reaction and mrs kwon just beamed.

“y-yes?”

“hyunnie is attending the same kindergarten as you are, but he is enrolled in the second level. you will be his friend okay? since they just moved.”

jiyong blinked and for the first time since their encounter before dinner, he glanced at seunghyun, he learnt that hyunnie was just a nickname, but he still preferred it since hyunnie is less threatening than seunghyun and he should probably start calling him “hyung” since he was a year older than jiyong. the other boy was looking at him with a blank expression. “o-okay.”

“that is very nice of you jiyongie! i’m happy you are my son’s first friend.” mrs choi said with a huge and happy smile on her face.

“m-me too.”

when they went home that night, jiyong didn’t tell his umma how seunghyun hyung made him feel not okay, and it was not the same feeling when his mother told him to finish his milk, more like the same when he woke up one night all scared, crying and about to pee his pants because of a bad dream.

**

“today’s your first day at kindergarten. are you excited to see all your friends from nursery?”

“yes!!” jiyong cheered. he ran back and forth trying to fit in his small dooly the little dinosaur bag all the stuff he wanted to bring to school to show his friends.

“good boy. and you will play with little hyunnie right my baby bunny?”

jiyong stopped and frowned down at his pororo doll, mrs kwon mistook the reaction as jiyong’s disappointment because the penguin doll couldn’t fit in jiyong’s bag anymore.

“do i have to share my cookies with hyunnie hyung?”

“of course my baby. what did umma teach you about sharing?”

“that is is always good to share with others.” jiyong pouted and stepped closer to hug his mother.

“you’re a very wonderful kid, jiyongie. an angel given to us.”

jiyong giggled and tightened his hug around his mother.

jiyong was in a much better mood now, he reminded himself that he should push away the bad feelings he had for hyunnie hyung, he was just a kid just like him after all. he could do him no harm. besides, he had mr carrot muncher with him, along with other stuffed animals and dolls his mother allowed him to bring with him.

he got in class and happily played with all his friends. they sang, danced, played flashcards where the teacher showed pictures and they would say what it was in english. jiyong liked english a lot, he knew a few words from the cartoons he watched at home. break time came and jiyong excitedly went to his snack bag, his mother prepared cookies for him and the idea of having the chewy, delicious moist treat melting in his mouth thrilled him to the core.

then he remembered he had to share his cookies to hyunnie hyung.. “oh.”

he walked over to his teacher, a young woman with bright smile and round eyes, and asked her if he could go to the other classroom where kindergarten 2 students were because he had to share his cookies to his hyung. the teacher easily agreed and accompanied jiyong to the other room.

 jiyong was somewhat on the edge as they stand at the threshold of the other classroom. it was bigger, much neater and more colourful than theirs but it didn’t have a lot of toys and jiyong felt a little sad because it meant the kindergarten 2 students don’t play much. the teacher ushered him inside and with short legs and small steps, he walked inside with his snack bag in his tiny hands.

“hey there sweetie. what can i do for you?” the teacher asked, she had a bright smile too but jiyong thought his teacher was prettier.

“h-hyunnie hyung..”

“ah, our seunghyunnie!” the teacher exclaimed and pointed at the table by the corner where seunghyun was sitting by himself.

jiyong gulped and walked over to where seunghyun is. “hyunnie hyung?” his voice small and careful.

seunghyun looked up from his notebook and quickly closed it after seeing the younger boy in front of him. “what?”

jiyong gaspsedat the coldness but he took a deep breath and bravely inched closer. “i have cookies.” jiyong gave his best gummy smile at seunghyun before he hopped on the vacant seat next to the older boy. “umma made them and told me to share some with you. they are vewy good! melt in your mouth, too. hmm.”

seunghyun eyed him a bit warily before he set the notebook and pencil aside then pulled out his own snack bag. “i have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. my mama said one is for you.”

jiyong stopped fiddling with the zipper of his bag after hearing the other’s words and slowly looked at him. “okay.” they both took out their snacks and tried to divide the cookies equally, but seunghyun put three of his cookies back in jiyong’s plate while the younger was too busy frowning at the carton of milk in his bag so he would have more.

“you can have my juice if you want.” seunghyun offered as he munched on his cookie. jiyong blinked through his teary eyes and quickly shifted into this beaming bunny that seunghyun didn’t understand much.

“weally?” he quickly took out his milk and settled it on top of the table. “i dislike milk. umma said i should dwink it if i want to grow as big and stwong as my appa. but!” he slightly trembles in so much displeasure “i am only fiwev!” jiyong pouted.

“i like milk. i want to be strong and tall when i’m older. i’m six now and i am taller than you are.”

“but you are six and i am five.”

“so?”

“you should be taller.”

seunghyun chuckled and ruffled jiyong’s hair. “alright.”

**

“umma! i am done ishing my hands and brushing my teeth. can we go now?”

jiyong bounced on the balls of his feet as he followed his mother everywhere she went inside the house. it had been a month since jiyong and seunghyun shared their snacks at school and since then they became very close and ate together every day. and because jiyong did a good job at school that day, and it was friday, his mother agreed that he could go to seunghyun’s house to play. that was if he ate his veggies, which he did, kept his toys away, which he also did (if literally shoving everything in the box is called cleaning), washed his hands, brushed his teeth, and put on fresh clothes. he did everything he was told and it made him frustrated, such a huge word for a 5 year old, that his mother was still roaming around the house instead of taking him to the house across theirs.

“just a minute hunny, i’m still looking for my slippers.”

“slippers!” jiyong exclaimed and rushed to the living room to retrieve a pair of purple jelly shoes. he ran off to the kitchen where his mother was smiling to herself while nursing a glass of water.

“you found them. thank you my baby bunny.”

jiyong grinned so wide his mother was worried his face would split into half. he helped his mother put on her shoes and one minute he began tugging on her skirt. “come on umma, hyunnie hyung is waiting for me!”

“someone is excited to see his hyung.” mrs kwon chuckled and put the glass in the sink. she scooped jiyong in her arms and kissed his cheeks. “cute. too cute for this world.”

**

seunghyun was indeed waiting for him. he was a little sulky but the frown quickly turned into a smile when he heard mrs kwon and jiyong talking to his mother.

“jiyongie!”

“hyunnie hyung!” jiyong quickly hopped down from his mother’s hold and flung himself in seunghyun’s arms.

jiyong liked hugs and kisses and holding hands, mrs kwon was very aware of this but mrs choi was left surprised by the sudden affection. mrs kwon placed a hand on her arm and smiled at her.

“they’ve grown accustomed to each other, i suppose.”

“i agree with you. listen,” mrs choi turned to mrs kwon with a cautious look in her eyes “i was worried seunghyun wouldn’t have friends once we move here, it’s easier for hyeyoun because she somehow understands but seunghyun..” she glanced at the two boys now playing with legos in the center of the living room “he is still so young to understand our.. situation.” her features softened as she reached for mrs kwon’s hands. “thank you for letting jiyong be friends with my son. it’s a great help for us, for seunghyun.”

“oh. i am more than happy to help, besides, seunghyun is a wonderful kid. jiyong is very fond of him.” the two ladies smiled at each other.

mrs kwon announced that he had to go soon and would come by later to pick up jiyong but mrs choi insisted she would take jiyong home later.

jiyong yelled an “love you umma” and waved at her mother, and seunghyun did the latter as well.

mrs choi let them be and returned to her work in her office down the hall after locking the door and reminding the boys to call her if they needed anything and to not climb the stairs without telling her.

the boys agreed in unison and returned to playing with legos.

after minutes of building towers and other things, jiyong resigned with the fact that lego building was not his thing so he just watched seunghyun build cars. seunghyun noticed the silence from the younger boy and paused.

“are you okay?”

jiyong nodded, “yes.”

“really? teacher minah said it is bad to lie.”

“oh. i- i have never played this before, sorry hyung.”

seunghyun smiled in understanding and stood up then held out his hand for jiyong. “come on, let’s find other toys then.”

“okay hyung.” jiyong slowly took seunghyun’s hand and squeezed it.

seunghyun’s toys were wonderful but most of them were toys jiyong never played yet. like trucks, robots, airplanes. all jiyong had were stuffed animals and educational toys like flashcards, clock that teaches kids to count, phonics magnetic set, etc. because those toys were not chowing hagards, whatever that means or toys that were safe to play with. so in the end, they asked mrs choi to turn the tv on and they climbed on the couch to snuggled with each other while watching reruns of pororo, jiyong’s entire body trembled in excitement and even sang along to the songs, while seunghyun watched him in amusement.

a quarter after 8, mrs choi came out of her office and announced that it was already late and both boys should be in bed at 8:30pm. much to both jiyong and seunghyun’s dismay, they pulled away from each other. jiyong suddenly shivered from the loss of seunghyun’s warmth but he thought he was just so sleepy that was why he was already feeling cold.

seunghyun was sulking yet again so mrs choi promised that she would talk to jiyong’s mother and ask if they could play again all day the next day since it would be saturday. seunghyun smiled at this and hopped off the couch. the boys held hands as they headed to kwon residence, mrs choi kept her promise and mrs kwon was more than glad to agree.

before jiyong stepped inside their house, he turned to mrs choi and politely bowed. “thank you mrs choi. good night.”

“good night hun.” mrs choi answered.

jiyong then turned to seunghyun and smiled up at him. “good night hyunnie hyung.”

seunghyun stayed quiet for a short while before looking up at their parents who seemed to be in the middle of discussing tomorrow’s play date. he turned to look at jiyong again before he leaned down and placed a peck on the younger’s cheek.

jiyong was left stunned and wide eyed because of what happened while seunghyun tugged on his mother’s dress before running towards their house. 

an:

hi my lovely bubs! i'm very thankful for all the comments, love and support my fics receive! i read all the comments and appreciate them a lot but i'm a shy potato when it comes to compliments. ;_; anyway, you are all wonderful and thank you for giving me a lot of motivation to write gtop. 

btw, i forgot to include dami. i remembered her while i was like 70% done with this chapter and i was like "wellllllllll sht too late to go back now" lol 

if you want to yell at me, i haz twitter