“Dahyun!” someone called her in the midst of the busy crowd. It was soft, gentle, that she doesn’t need to see the face of the caller to know who it was.

She looked a bit into her right. The calling voice was growing. Two figures split-up, then a girl with a jet-black hair flowing beautifully unto her shoulders showed up smiling, gums showing. Dahyun smiled back looking at the girl. Her appearance changed. Her hair was brunette and it was shoulder-length before. The only thing that doesn’t changed was her gummy smile and the way she walk. Still a penguin. She giggled in her mind.

“Mina,” she waved but was hugged in response. She smiled and hugged the girl back. There came rushing, memories of the past.

Mina and Dahyun were best friends since kids. Maybe being neighbors was the main reason behind. It was when Mina’s family moved exactly beside Dahyun’s family’s house. At first it was only simple neighbor greetings of hi’s and hello’s that came out of their mouths. Mina was too shy and Dahyun was not usually shy but talking to Mina became difficult as the latter had a hard time speaking in Korean.

They got closer one time, when Dahyun heard sniffs while she was at her room practicing her recorder. She was scared at first because she thought it was a ghost. She looked into the source until she was on the small balcony of her room. Opposite of it was another balcony, it was their neighbor’s. It was totally weird, but their balcony was just a meter apart. And Dahyun being the curious girl climbed up and went on the other side. She cautiously took steps as she entered the dark room as the sound of sniffs was growing. If not for the light coming from the balcony, she’ll not be able to see that little girl silently crying in the corner of the room.

She carefully went closer to the other, “Hey,” she called little Mina. The latter looked up from her curled knees, she’s still sobbing. “W-Why… are you…cr-crying?” she struggled to ask as she sat down in front of her.

Mina just shook her head, refusing to utter a word.

Dahyun scratched the back of her head not knowing what to do. The Japanese kid was just crying still. When Dahyun went out of patience, she went back to her room.

Mina thought that Dahyun was just like the other kids—who would care at first but will leave as soon as they got tired or if they didn’t get what they wanted. But she changed her impression of her when Dahyun came back with a recorder in her little hand. The pale girl started to play her recorder just as she practiced. She was playing with full enthusiasm and passion but had a frown when the Japanese kid let out a chuckle.

Dahyun stopped playing and had her jaw hanging. She had a glimpse of the other’s curled up lips and wow—it’s a pretty smile.

Maybe Mina didn’t understand what was happening with Dahyun as she covered with her palm. Afraid that the other girl might be mad because she laughed at her. But Mina blinked her eyes continuously and had her head tilted on the side when Dahyun started blurting out Japanese words, even nonsense ones.

“Konnichiwa? Arigatou? Uhh…” Dahyun pouted when she had no response from Mina. She decided to just talk to her in Korean, “Sorry. I only know those Japanese words.”

“It’s okay. I understand basic Korean.” Mina smiled. That was the first time she saw someone smile with gums showing.

“Wow,” your smile is really pretty—is what she wanted to say but instead, “you actually talk in a long sentence, huh?” It came out as a mock. It’s not intended, but, oh well.

“You play poor.” Mina fought back then immediately regretted it as again, she covered with her palm.

“What?!” Dahyun almost burst out that Mina already closed her eyes, “do you know how to play?”

The Japanese kid opened her eyes, “Of course. Uhhh,” she fidgeted, unsure to offer something but does anyway, “do you want me to teach you?

“Will you?”

“Yes!”

Mina pulled back from the hug and held Dahyun’s hand, “Let’s go. Everyone’s waiting in that corner.”

“Okay,” Dahyun replied while she let Mina lead her the way.

In their batch area, she saw familiar faces from their high school. Friends, one time enemies, just-know-in-the-face, past lovers, flings, et cetera. Dahyun hesitated a bit when she received an invitation for this reunion. They have so much memories during high school—Mina’s first love, Dahyun’s first kiss. As they said, firsts are hard to forget.

Mina shared her first love with Dahyun one time. Not literally, but the story.

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