October the Ninth, 2006.

Six days after Kyuhyun left Joohyun in Changmin’s hand on a misunderstanding and unselfishness that only hurt all of them.

Six days after Joohyun felt like her world was stumbling apart.

And everybody knew there only a day left to fix things before the anniversary come.

*****

“I heard you’ll leave this afternoon.”

Changmin spin his head to the right, surprised that she was here to meet him.

“I thought you don’t talk to me anymore.”

She sighed. “I am sorry Oppa, it was a mistake. I should not jump too soon on conclusion. It just my nature. I guess, like Minho said, I really born as a mother hen.”

He chuckled. Qian-Noona would tell me that she was really a match for me. Which true, it would be an easy relationship if I fall for her instead.

“You are a great mother hen, Yoona.”

She smiled. “I have too. Those two are thick when it comes to feelings. Somebody needs to stir them up from time to time.”

He laughed. “You’re really something, Im Yoona.”

“Do you know that Joohyun was my only friend when I got here from States? Everybody hated me because of my accent and my doe eyes. Nobody wanted to sit with me during lunch for few days. Then she came to school after being absent for several days because of Yuri-Unnie’s condition. The day she’s there, she saw me eating alone and she just sat there and introduces herself without caring of what other girls’ thought of her befriended me. And since then I vowed to always protect her.”

She blinked her eyes which already wet because of the memories. “ But enough about me, Oppa. Why are you leaving?”

“I thought you want me to leave.” 

She wrinkled her nose.  Clearly exasperated with his antics. “I thought you were not like them.” She paused. “Talking in crypt message, I meant.”

“You hate that too?” “Very.” “Good, I finally find an ally on this matter.” “Good, but again, why, Oppa?”

Changmin gave the thing that he kept in his hand to her. A picture.

“Oh!”

He nodded. “Yeah, Kyuhyun is the closest friend I have. No, correction, he is the only brother that I have.” He shifted his gaze to the swans on the pond. “When I was first meeting him, I was a jerk. Literally. I bully everybody because I am rich and my dad basically paid a quarter of tuition budget at that school.” He took a deep breath. “But Kyuhyun was never be intrigued with me. Basically he avoided me. And I could not bully him much because Heechul-Hyung was the school president at that time.”

Yoona watched Changmin’s eyes blinked with some trace of teardrops. She linked her right hand to his left arm as to give him support. He looked at their joined hand and squeezed her softly before continued. “Then one day, when my driver was late in picking me from school, these group of guys, who I bullied from the year before,  suddenly  attacked me. Since I was lost by number, my head was so dizzy that I think I would be fainted somehow. Then he came from nowhere and fought alongside of me. And since he was supposed to go home with Heechul-Hyung, he looked for us and saw the uneven fight. The boys flew once they saw Hyung. But Kyuhyun was already bleeding on the side of his face. I was feeling so guilty and surprised, but he said to me he would jump anytime to help someone  who was attacked like that. And since then, just like you, I vowed to myself that I would prevent him from being hurt.”

Yoona looked again on the picture. Of two young boys who was clearly just been released from hospital, but laughed together with an expression that people would think they were twins.

“I know she is hurt because of his attitude. But I also know that he is hurting himself because of his stupid believe on fairness. He thinks he is not being fair to her for not letting her meet other guy.”

Yoona let out a frustration sighed. “Aren’t they made for each other? It likes meeting a two side of coins. They are so unselfish that sometimes they become unfair to themselves.”

Changmin ruffled her hair playfully.

“Have I told you that you are really something, Yoongie?” He pa