‘A good actor,’ you thought. ‘How can he even flash a smile when he’s terribly missing his family?’

You lingered in that question for a moment when you got distracted by a mild poke on your left shoulder. You turned to see a young child wearing a headband accentuated by a pair of pink bunny ears. His nose is the first thing you noticed. It’s so perfectly pointed, like moulded in a machine. It makes you want to ask if it’s real or just a product of plastic surgery.

Then you saw his lips, so pinkish and so soft that it makes you wonder if your eyes are just tricking you again. ‘What day is it today that I’m seeing a lot of beautiful creatures around me?’ you jokingly asked yourself.

The child poked you again – this time, in the face - in an attempt to get you back from awe. He must have known already what kind of spell he’s casting on people so he knew what to do.  That’s when you realized that he’s wearing a pink shirt and a pink pair of Chuck Taylor for shoes.

You never fancied the feminine color. But seeing the very cute child made you appreciate it big time. Instantly, you got convinced that indeed, tough guys wear pink. But in one condition, that man has to be this child.

You looked at him as he looked at you. And once again, you were dazzled by his charming and drowning gaze. It’s really difficult to think straight with this livingaegyo right in front of your very eyes. But thank God, words managed to escape your mouth.

“Why?” You asked.

“Hyung…”

The child grabbed the outskirt of your shirt and pulled you to a corner where another child is sobbing. Dictated by your hyung­-instinct, you immediately knelt down and put your arms around the shoulder of the crying kid. You took your white handkerchief from the pocket of your blue jacket and offered it to him.

“Why is he crying?” You directed the question to the cute kid because you knew that this helpless one wouldn’t be able to reply.

“Someone bullied us.”

“Us?”

“Yes. I and my best friend,” pointing at the sobbing kid in your arms “were playing hide and seek when all of a sudden, this bully came to us and insisted that we let him join our game.”

Trying not to smile at the shallowness of the story, you asked, “why won’t you let him join?”

The cute kid went to your other side. He bent over and whispered softly to your ear:“Because he keeps on calling my best friend a monkey.”

“What!?”

You were seriously trying so hard not to laugh this time but your acting skills weren’t that good enough; because the sobbing kid released himself from your embrace and threw you an embittered look. Surprised and quite frightened at the same time, you stood up and helped him stand up too – despite his reluctance.

Then, you realized that you made a mistake. This is serious business for the kids. So you apologized and sat again on the floor and leaned your back against the cold, white wall of the room. The two kids, apprehending the sincerity of your intentions to help them – also decided to sit with you, side by side.

“So another kid is bullying you?” You thawed away the tension with a swift drift back to the topic.

“Yes.” This time, it’s the sobbing kid from a while ago who answered. “We don’t want to let him join our game because he’s calling us names. He said I’m a monkey and that my best friend is a fox.”

Curious, you asked, “why would he call you those names?”

The cute one in pink replied, “we don’t know. Maybe it’s his way of making friends.”

Hmmm… That may be it. Based on experiences, there are really some people who would resort to bullying as a way of befriending others. They have reasons, a variety of reasons – like for instance, it’s the only way they’ve known; or maybe, they were just afraid that they’ll get left alone if they didn’t show their superiority.

Knowing that fact, you explained to them how some people can be like that. Fortunately, the kids were intelligent enough to understand your point in a short time. You got them convinced that the ‘bully one’ can be their friend, an idea to which they wholeheartedly agreed.

So as a hyung, you offered to bridge the gap between them and volunteered to talk to the kid they’re referring to, sitting just across you.