“La la la-la la la, sing a happy song. La la la-la la la, smurf your whole day long,” JaeJoong sang happily, skipping towards the house of Granny Mae to spend some time with the other boy called YunHo. It had been so hard for him to get to know the name of the other one the day before and even more pouting and nagging to get to know his age. YunHo was five and as the clever little boy JaeJoong was he knew that YunHo was older. Or was it younger? Oh well, maybe he would just ask his Granny Mae or Auntie Sun, YunHo's mother.

JaeJoong reached as far as he could for the bell once he stood in front of the wooden door of Granny Mae's house, his right arm stretched out. He puffed his cheeks in frustration, pouting slightly before he tiptoed to try it once again. His eyebrows were furrowed, tongue slipped past his lips as his chubby little index finger touched the white button of the bell. JaeJoong's eyes were sparkling with glee, a squeal leaving his lips when the ringing sound was the evidence of his success. He clapped his hands in excitement, jumping up and down when he heard a voice from within before the door opened.

“Oh! Hello, JaeJoong dear,” SunHee greeted the young smiling boy in front of her, smiling herself brightly.

“Hello, Auntie Sun,” JaeJoong greeted back, looking up at the older woman before she let him in.

“Come on in, dear. Your Granny Mae is in the kitchen when you search for her. Oh, and you can find YunHo in the living room,” SunHee told her young counterpart who always seemed so very full of life. The large brown eyes staring at her were sparkling immediately after the little boy had stepped out of his light-green shoes with frog-prints on them.

A soft smile lay on SunHee's lips when she watched JaeJoong skipping happily towards the living room her son was sitting in before she made her way back into the kitchen to help HyunAe with preparing the lunch.

Soft voices were getting louder with every little step JaeJoong took towards the living room, the curious little boy looking slightly through the door frame and wondering what YunHo was watching.

“Hello, Yunnie,” he greeted, smiling brightly when he climbed onto the big sofa YunHo was sitting on whose eyes were trained on the television only.

“What you watching?” he asked, shifting a bit closer to YunHo as he looked at the screen of the television where an animation was playing. He saw a yellow mouse-like animal jumping against something that looked like a light-blue turtle.

“Pokémon,” came the short reply of YunHo who looked at nothing else but the match between Pikachu, the yellow mouse how JaeJoong had figured out, and Squirtle, the light-blue turtle.

The energetic little boy soon got bored, his eyes wandering around the room, towards YunHo, towards the screen and back towards YunHo all the while dangling with his little feet over the edge of the sofa. JaeJoong pouted lightly, not used to the fact that he got this ignored by someone he wanted to play with.

“That's boring,” he exclaimed before he jumped off the big furniture and made his way towards the kitchen, not noticing the dumbfounded look that lay on YunHo's face.

A nice smell led JaeJoong towards the big kitchen, clattering of pots and plates audible when they were moved around. His little snub nose was twitching in delight when the scent of Granny Mae's spaghetti bolognese was filling his little nostrils, his mouth watering as he always loved to eat the spaghetti with bolognese sauce of Granny Mae.

“Granny Mae!” JaeJoong exclaimed when he saw the elder woman in front of the stove, SunHee getting some plates out of the cupboard when JaeJoong waddled towards HyunAe.

“Oh, JaeJoongie dear. You're already here,” HyunAe remarked with a bright smile when she saw the little whirlwind coming towards her.

“HyunAe, why don't you sit down for a minute? I can handle the rest,” SunHee offered with a soft smile, earning herself a nod from the elder lady who slowly went over to the chairs surrounding the wooden table in the middle of the big kitchen and sat down all the while having a certain little boy named Kim JaeJoong guiding her.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” HyunAe remarked, palming JaeJoong's rosy cheek once she sat on the wooden chair. “Come here,” she said while patting her thighs, signalizing for JaeJoong to sit in her lap. The small boy happily complied and climbed into his Granny Mae's lap, wounding his little arms around her neck to hug her. He always loved the lavender scent that surrounded her and snuggled his face into her shoulder.

“Granny Mae, what is Pokmon?” JaeJoong asked curiously as he thought back to the weird encounter he had with YunHo and the television earlier.

“Oh dear, I don't know myself. Maybe you should ask SunHee, hm?” HyunAe suggested when she was at her knowledge's end, patting the soft brown locks of JaeJoong whose large brown eyes were staring curiously at her, seeking for knowledge. His small body shifted slightly before he climbed off of her to make his way over to the stove.

“Auntie Sun,” he addressed SunHee, gaining her attention after she had turned off the stove. Their lunch was ready.

“Yes, JaeJoong-ah?” SunHee replied, crouching down to be at eye level with JaeJoong who was just as tall to reach the top of the table.

“What is Pokmon?”

“Oh, you mean Pokémon. Well, I don't know exactly either but it is some kind of animation YunHo loves to watch,” SunHee tried to explain, noticing the confusion written inside of JaeJoong's eyes.

“But smurfs more fun,” JaeJoong exclaimed, looking down at Baby Smurf that was printed onto his dark-blue shirt. He earned an amused chuckle from SunHee and HyunAe who had just finished dispersing the plates on the table.

“They really are. I enjoyed them very much as a child, too,” SunHee remarked with a smile on her lips while ruffling the smiling boy's hair.

*

“Oh my, look at you two. Your mouths are covered with bolognese sauce,” SunHee exclaimed, the entire table laughing when HyunAe, SunHee and her husband TaeBum were staring into the smeared faces of YunHo and JaeJoong, the two boys looking innocently at the older people while stuffing more spaghetti into their mouths.

After everyone had finished their lunch, JaeJoong and YunHo were brought towards the bathroom by TaeBum who observed if the two boys would really clean their faces spic and span. He knew his lazy son just all too well. Once they left the bathroom, JaeJoong grabbed YunHo's hand and dragged him out of the house into the fresh air and shining sun, the other not really fighting nor complying. He was too dumbfounded to react.

“Come, we look for cornflowers,” JaeJoong stated excitedly when YunHo walked with him, following his every little step.

“You like cornflowers, right? I like cornflowers. Granny Mae likes, too,” JaeJoong rambled on, dragging the other boy to a meadow that lay close to the forest behind the village. An entirely blue carpet of cornflowers was greeting their eyes when they reached JaeJoong's favourite meadow. Here he always found beautiful cornflowers, ladybugs, little earthworms and enough sand to play with. It was so much more fun than to sit inside and watch TV.

“What are cornflowers?” YunHo asked with a tiny voice, causing JaeJoong to stop in his tracks and look at him in such an adorable dumbfounded way that made the other boy dumbstruck. Well, unlike JaeJoong YunHo came from the city and there weren't many meadows around that held cornflowers.

“You not know?” JaeJoong asked, gasping in surprise when YunHo shook his head. JaeJoong soon afterwards sprinted into the bluish field, vanishing completely inside of it which caused YunHo to become nervous and insecure. Just the split of a second later JaeJoong returned, holding a blue flower into YunHo's face.

“Cornflower,” JaeJoong stated with a bright smile, his cheeks shining pinkish and eyes sparkling. He put the flower into the little pocket of YunHo's yellow SpongeBob T-shirt.

“Let's see, if you find me,” he exclaimed excitedly before he his heels and sprinted back into the field.

“H-hey!” YunHo shouted after him as he ran further inside, his melodious laughter resounding in the air. The shafts and heads of the cornflowers and wild wheat were whipping against his soft skin when he ran further into the large field, a wide smile on his lips when he heard YunHo's voice calling for him; following him.

His feet slowed down when he noticed a slight movement in front of him, his brown eyes soon falling onto a little field mouse. He sank to his knees in front of the little mouse that didn't seem to budge even the slightest millimetre, not scared at all of the taller boy. JaeJoong giggled cutely when he played with the light-brown field mouse, taking it into his hands before he placed it onto his shoulder. With a wide smile he watched how the little creature was running over his arms and shoulders. The hide and seek game he had initiated earlier was already totally forgotten.

“Found you!” was exclaimed loudly behind him, his eyes falling onto YunHo when he turned his head around who was walking towards him through the field. He soon turned his attention back to the mouse in his hands which for now fascinated him more than playing together with YunHo.

“JaeJoong?” the other boy asked, approaching JaeJoong and crouched down next to him as he was curious of what JaeJoong was doing.

“Look,” JaeJoong said excitedly, ing his hands slightly into YunHo's face that were gently clasping the little field mouse, only its twitching nose and small head visible.

“Woah,” YunHo exclaimed, scooting closer to JaeJoong when he poked the twitching nose with his finger. A comfortable silence surrounded the two boys for what seemed like hours but were only minutes before JaeJoong placed the little field mouse back onto the ground. The small creature looked at the two boys in front of her, the tiny nose twitching and whiskers whipping up and down before the little mouse ran back into the wide field.

JaeJoong and YunHo were looking after the field mouse before JaeJoong jumped up and grabbed YunHo's hand once again, pulling him further to a small hollow filled with sand that lay next to a small ditch.

Minutes turned into hours when the two little boys were playing together with the sand, the sun about to set without their notice. They were lost in their play, chasing after one another every now and then in between throwing sand at the other's little body all the while giggling and laughing happily. A loud growl cut through the air when the two boys were building a sand castle - or rather a supposed-to-be one. JaeJoong looked wide-eyed up, confusion written on his face when he looked at the origin of the weird noise. It was YunHo whose cheeks were glowing in a deep pink, his hands holding onto his tummy where the growling noises were coming from.

“Hungry?” JaeJoong asked, chuckling when the other nodded. “Let's go then,” he exclaimed before he dragged YunHo once again through the cornflower field. He stopped shortly when he searched for some nice cornflowers he could pick, taking them into his hand when he found a pretty exemplar.

“What you doing?” YunHo asked him curiously as he watched the smaller one by picking very blue and beautiful cornflowers.

“Picking cornflowers,” JaeJoong remarked, looking bewildered at YunHo for asking such a stupid question.

“Why?” YunHo asked back, cocking his head to the side when JaeJoong turned back towards his earlier task.

“For Granny Mae, she likes,” JaeJoong mumbled, followed by yet another cornflower and another mumbled name, “And Auntie Sun. One for mommy and one for Youngie.”

“And one for Joongie,” YunHo exclaimed, startling the smaller boy who had finished with picking four wonderful cornflowers. His eyes widened when they fell onto the beautiful cornflower YunHo was holding into his face, the violet inner petals lovingly embraced by deep-blue ones, JaeJoong's favourite colour.

“Thank you. It's beau .... beau- pwetty,” JaeJoong exclaimed with a wide smile, his large brown eyes sparkling when he took the cornflower into his empty hand, eyeing it carefully.

“P-pretty like Joongie,” YunHo mumbled under his breath, retrieving his gaze when he looked down at his feet that were shuffling over the ground and kicked non-existent pebbles away. His cheeks were just as on fire as were JaeJoong's, both boys shy due to the given and heard compliment. They were stealing glances every now and then when they made their way back towards Granny Mae's house, smiling goofily like two little fools with blushes gracing their chubby cheeks.

It was when they reached the gate of Granny Mae's yard that JaeJoong's eyes widened when they fell onto the tall figure standing at the terrace where Granny Mae, SunHee and TaeBum were sitting and waiting for the two boys' return. A wide smile tucked on his pouty lips when he stormed towards the older man, leaving YunHo dumbfounded behind.

“Daddy!” he exclaimed loudly, causing the tall man to turn around. He flew immediately into the open arms of his father when he reached him, giggling happily when he swung his small arms around his neck, the cornflowers still securely tucked in his hands.

“Uff! Not so fast, my little angel,” the young man with short brown hair remarked with a wide smile on his lips when he heaved his energetic son onto his arms, embracing the little figure likewise as he had missed his little son very much. He worked in a bigger city and lived there, only coming back home to his family at the weekend or when he had some days off which was the case for now.

“Youngie back, too?” JaeJoong asked his father once he registered that when his father was back home that his older sister AhYoung was probably back, too. She had spent a few weeks of her summer vacation at their father's which JaeJoong didn't since he loved his cornflower fields and Granny Mae just too much to leave them.

“Of course she is. She's with your mother at home,” his father replied, ruffling JaeJoong's brown locks when he turned around and noticed YunHo standing next to Granny Mae who had slowly shuffled over to his parents all the while JaeJoong was pouncing on his father.

“Oh, you must be JaeJoongie's friend, right? My wife told me about you. I'm HanKyung,” JaeJoong's father introduced himself while JaeJoong was clasping him tightly. YunHo frowned a bit, hesitating to take the hand of the stranger who apparently was JaeJoong's father but in the end he still shook hands with him.

“Umma, can Joongie stay over?” YunHo asked his mother when he sat next to her while JaeJoong was being placed back onto the ground as he wanted to give two of his cornflowers to his Granny Mae and Auntie Sun.

“I don't mind, if HyunAe and JaeJoong's parents are okay with it,” SunHee replied, earning agreeing responses from said people. It was decided that JaeJoong would stay for the next few days at HyunAe's house together with YunHo.

“Here, Granny Mae. For you,” JaeJoong said when he handed HyunAe one of the four cornflowers or rather let her pick one out of his hand. “And one for Auntie Sun,” he further said when he did the same with SunHee, receiving a peck and ruffling of his hair as a reward.

“I suppose the other two are for your umma and sister,” HanKyung remarked when he walked with his son back home after they had bid goodbye to their neighbours, earning a small nod from JaeJoong who walked next to him. “And the other one?” he asked when he noticed the single dark-blue cornflower in JaeJoong's right hand.

“Mine,” JaeJoong remarked, adding with a soft mumbled whisper and reddened cheeks, “It's from Yunnie.”

The warm laughter of his father resounded in his ears when he was heaved onto the taller man's shoulders for the last metres of their way back home.