I used to stay in the rooftop of our school building. It’s the only place I can be myself. It’s the only place where I can sing where nobody can hear and notice me. For me, this is my secret singing hideout place. Well, until the start of my sophomore year.

It’s lunch break. Doing my daily routine, I went directly to the rooftop while checking my surroundings to check that no one will know where I’m going. When I’m already there, I get my guitar from the room there and started to sing and play one of my favorite Kpop song.

“…….Baby I'm sorry neowa isseodo nan lonely”

Saranghagin naega bujokhanga bwa

Ireon motnan nal yongseohae

“I'm sorry ige neowa naui story”

Sarangiran naegen gwabunhanga bwa

Ne gyeote isseodo

“Baby I'm so lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely”

Baby I'm so lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely

“Baby I'm so lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely”

Baby I'm so lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely…..

After singing, I look down to see the school backyard when I hear footsteps coming close to me. And when I turned around, it’s the transferee guy, I think it’s Kwon Jiyong, who easily became one of the popular boys in the school.

“Your voice is great, why don’t you sing where all the people can hear it? And why is it that the song your singing is a sad one”, he said.

I really don’t know but it strucked my heart, making me lose my balance forcing me to sit on the ground and I started to cry. I don’t know what comes to his mind but he also seats next to me, patting my back, making me feel comfortable. After letting my cry to ease, I told him what had really happened during my middle school years trying to sing in front of many people.

“What are you doing here anyway? And you’re comforting someone who is a stranger…” I asked him. He then replied, “ I’m Kwon Jiyong, and you are...?”
“Sandara Park”…. “Nice to meet you Sandara. Now, we’re not strangers” I don’t know why but what he said made me smile.

After that day, every lunch break, he’s always there, accompanying me, making me feel comfortable around him. It feels like I’ve known him for a long time.

Starting from that time, we easily became friends, or should I say closest best friends. During recess, lunch and even dismissal time, we always stay at the rooftop. Doing my usual, I started to sing while playing my guitar and Jiyong doing nothing. I’m really curious on why is he still staying here, doing nothing. Every time I ask him, the only thing that he answers is that “I like listening to the sound created by your guitar”. I really can’t get any serious answers from him, except when he told me that my voice was great, the day we first met. But, even if he is doing that to me, I really don’t mind, I guess it’s just that I’m comfortable when I’m with him. Everyday I sing different songs, but with the same meaning, it always has a connection to friendship or happy memories. As time goes by, my usual sad and ballad songs were changed into fastbeat songs.

There was a time when we were talking and he suddenly brought up a topic about my dream, my dream to sing in front of many people without being shy or having the stage fright. And he said that he would do something about it. The next day, in our music subject and our topic is about singing, all of us have the chance to sing but can still refuse.

I was scanning my notes, when I heard someone said, ”I would like to hear and watch Sandara Park sing… in front!!!” Yes, it was my very, and ONE AND ONLY best friend, KWON JIYONG, acting like a jerk again… Oh well, I shouldn’t be surprised.

I suddenly felt nervous. All eyes stared at me with curiosity. And when I’m about to refuse, my classmates agreed, which added up to my nervousness, then teacher said that if I’ll sing, she may give me a high score. Of course, I have no choice, I can’t refuse it. As I stood in front of my classmates, I look down with my hair covering my now nervous face. And when I start to look up, the first thing, rather, the first one that I saw is HIM saying silently, “fighting!” With those words, I started to sing one of the songs that I always used to sing in front of him, with me only focusing on him. After singing the song, I felt shy and went back to my seat and cupped my now tomato faced.

The next morning, as I went to my classroom, almost everyone is looking at me and others were saying, “nice voice”, “you’re awesome” or “don’t waste your talent” and “Why didn’t you tell us you got beautiful voice?” I really don’t have an idea of what is going on. But the next thing I knew, our teacher asked me to represent our class for the “Sophomore Acquaintance Day” by singing. Even I want to say no, being the jerk that my best friend is, he said that I would love to. And after that moment, I always have been asked to sing for an event. And as always I can’t do anything because my “BEST FRIEND” Jiyong is always the one answering it. And that’s how I started to reach my dreams.