Chapter 1 – Homecoming

Ever since he could remember, that girl who was one year younger than him was in his thoughts. That pale, fragile, sickly girl… the girl that would make his day hell if she ever was absent in his life. Even if world poverty, world hunger, and cancer were all fixed in a single day, if she wasn’t there, it wasn’t worth living. The amount of times he felt stupid for thinking that was enormous. Why would anyone ever think such thoughts? Who in their right mind would choose seeing that girl, even for just a second, over fixing every problem known to man?

The answer to that question couldn’t actually be answered since he wasn’t in his right mind. He was crazy for that woman, not quite obsessed, but definitely crazy.

“Yonghwa!” she would brightly exclaim in the mornings when she saw him. “How are you doing today?” she would ask regardless of how sick she woke up that morning. Even though her coughing would sometimes prevent her from forming complete sentences, that upbeat and cheerful tone would always come out. It was that tone, that happiness, that brightness she brought to his life which made her perfect. She had to be his, just his and his only. How could she be his though? That girl was from another world, a world completely different from his.

They lived only meters from each other. The pair lived within a twenty second walk from each other. If he wanted to see her he would just have to look out the window and hope that she looked from hers too. He longed to cross that twenty second stretch of grass and be a part of her world in the way he wanted to be. They played together, went to school together, and did everything friends do together. That boundary, however… the boundary that he vowed to break down when he had the power and strength to do so… it always kept him apart from her.

That invisible line that was drawn between them, the line that separated servant from master, was always present. They were the best of friends. She would always state that. Her father had no inconvenience keeping Yonghwa around. The boy was a trustworthy, hard-working, intelligent, and loyal young man from the moment he was born. After all, Yonghwa’s father had been an outstanding servant of his for years. If they had been born into the same class, they could have even become possible candidates for marriage in the future. Regardless of their friend status, he knew he would never have her in the way he desired.

Then, that boy appeared. The boy who began to tear down that wall for him came into his life. Lee Joon, the son of the neighbors across the street, showed his face for the first time when Yonghwa was in first grade. Joon was a talkative boy that seemed to be of the same status as that girl. In a matter of days of knowing each other, the two young males swore to be brothers for eternity. It just goes to show how easy making friends was when you were young. Joon became Yonghwa’s brother, his best friend, and someone he could count on to be there.

“Mom, why can’t Yonghwa have nice things like me?” Joon asked his mother once.

“Honey, he didn’t have the luck to be born into a family like ours. Why are you asking this?”

“I hate that,” the six year old boy growled. “He’s like my brother! How can brothers have such unfair situations?”

“Brother?” his mother asked sadly. She gave Joon a gloomy look and remembered how many times Joon had wanted a brother. It took all the treatments and luck in the world for her to have Joon. Her sterility prevented her from having the sibling Joon needed, the sibling that Joon yearned for. It was at that moment that Yonghwa became more than just the boy living in the servant’s quarters. It was from that moment that the line separating servant from master began to be erased.

Yonghwa began attending the school Joon attended or else Joon threatened to throw a huge tantrum. Joon’s parents had no inconvenience taking in Yonghwa as an “adopted son,” since Joon was so attached to the boy. Although from a poor and humble home, he began to attend a private school for the rich. Its extravagance and splendor never blinded him for even a second. Greed and ambition were absent from the young boy’s eyes. He was much too focused on his own goal: to make it so he had a chance with that girl. Even from the young age of six he realized he would have to become someone great in order to be able to make that girl his.

“Yonghwa, you’re jjang!” she would exclaim when he figured out a tough problem in class and helped her with it. Even though the reward of excellent grades was great, that’s not what he was aiming for. The feeling that he could help someone like her was all he needed. Her thankfulness and gratitude were something he strived for. Her smiles and praises were all he needed to stay alive. Years went by with his secret and pure admiration kept hidden. His status was no hindrance for him to succeed. Friends were made, honors were earned, and most importantly, he was on his way to make sure that nobody could ever look down on him ever again.

“Yonghwa, what’s up buddy?” Joon would happily greet whenever they saw each other. Their friendship grew exponentially every day they saw each other. Eventually their close group of friends all came together as a single entity – playboy Lee Jang Woo, tomboy Ham Eun Jung, whacko Park Hyomin, nerdy Jung Yonghwa, the nation’s good guy Lee Joon, and that girl. Yonghwa felt like he had everything he could ever wish for. All that was left was for him to get her to notice him and he would be in the clear.

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“Yonghwa, you’re my one of my bestest friends right?” the girl asked one day with a certain sparkle in her eyes. After Joon had become his ‘brother’ and he started attending the same school as the rich kids, Yonghwa enjoyed the company of his loved one almost every single day. It would kill him inside to see her suffer in bed and not be able to go to school every so often. Although, he wouldn’t deny that he secretly liked when she didn’t go to school sometimes since it would give him the excuse to go to her room and teach her the things they learned in class for hours on end.

“Yeah, we’re best friends!” Yonghwa chirped back happily.

“Then you can keep my secret really well?” she asked hesitatingly. Yonghwa noticed the way her pale cheeks became dusted with a light pink color, indicating her embarrassment. A smile couldn’t help itself from forming on his face as he saw the cute way she uncomfortably shifted in her bed and fiddled with her long, black hair.

“Yeah, I can, you can count on it,” the fifteen year old boy assured her.

“Joon…”

“What about Joon?” Yonghwa asked as he tilted his head in curiosity.

“He says you’re like his brother right? Um… you see…” the teenage girl hesitated. “Do you think he hates me?”

“No, not really. We’re all really good friends aren’t we? Even though we’re all good friends with Eun Jung and Jang Woo, everyone knows you, Joon, and me are closer. We see each other every day and we’ve been playing together since we were six years old. I’m sure if Joon hated you, he would have said something by now,” Yonghwa reasoned. His words calmed the sense of hesitation in her, but he could tell by her fidgeting that she was still feeling a little embarrassed. “Why? Did that idiot say something to you?”

“No!” she exclaimed when she felt anger well up in Yonghwa’s voice. “It’s just that… Joon…”

“What?! What’s wrong with Joon?” Yonghwa asked in an exasperated voice. He knew girls could be annoying, but she was really setting him up for something big.

“I like him,” she blurted out. Those three words went right past his head and left him frozen in place for a few seconds, his eyelids not even blinking. “Aish! I shouldn’t have told you! Now things are going to get weird between us.”

“You like Joon..?” Yonghwa asked in the most playful voice he could muster. She was much too occupied with forcing down the uncomfortable heat in her cheeks to hear his heart shattering into pieces. “Hahaha, really?”

“Yes, I do. Stop laughing!” she cutely pouted at his teasing. He couldn’t even admire the way her lips cutely stuck out of her face as she puffed up her face angrily. “But, do you think he likes me? I think he’s really cool and handsome and just about the most awesome boy in class.” The broken shards of his love for her kept on piercing his heart as each syllable escaped . He felt himself choking on some invisible liquid, preventing him from breathing. Every time she complimented Joon it felt like she cut out his out his heart with a rusty knife and stomped on it with a pair of spiked cleats.

“Don’t worry, I think he likes you. Maybe not as much as you like him, but…” Yonghwa managed to cough out. “…but if you like him enough, he will like you back.” Those last words were the same words he told himself every night. If he liked that girl enough, maybe, just maybe, his heart would get through to her.

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“Congratulations guys!” everyone screamed. “High school graduation is no joke.”

“Also, everyone let’s give a big congratulations to the couple over here for celebrating three years of dating!”

Joon and that girl stood up to give a bow. Her health had greatly improved over the past years and she was no longer as fragile as she once was. Of course, her skin was still a little paler than normal, but some considered that one of her charms.

“Yonghwa, it really that you’re going to be moving away for college bro,” Joon whined. Even after Joon and that girl had started dating, Yonghwa continued to be like a brother to him. It pained him to see Joon bask in her beauty, but it was something he learned to deal with. He drowned himself in schoolwork in order to take his mind off of his heartbreak and managed to get scholarships all over the world. Eventually he decided on taking an offer from the University of California in Los Angeles, causing his friends much sadness at the same time.

Not being the party kind of guy, Yonghwa let everyone else enjoy the festivities while he stepped outside into the yard he grew up in. He turned to look back at the splendor of mansion and let out a large sigh while sitting on the edge of the fountain. The fountain in the backyard had always been the spot him and that girl would sit whenever they could. It was “their special spot.”  He would miss hanging out with his best friends in Korea every day, but this was something he had to do.

“Leaving us already?” a feminine voice asked from behind him.

“Oh, hey there,” he greeted gently. The girl he had loved for more than he could remember sat next to him and slightly swirled her hand in the cool fountain water before splashing some on Yonghwa. He looked up to her and was mesmerized by the sight in front of her. The flowing pink dress she wore accentuated the few curves she had developed over the years. It was cut a little too low for what she liked, but it wasn’t too much in his opinion. Her long hair was down, just how he liked it, with a few waves here and there. The makeup adorning her face made a perfect combination with her porcelain skin. Beautiful was just not enough to describe how he saw her that night.

“Are you really okay with leaving?” she asked in a worried tone. “Yonghwa, I know you so well. We’ve known each other since we were kids. I’ve even known you longer than I’ve known Joon.” The eighteen year old male turned away from admiring her and looked up at the night sky in order to avoid her gaze. The piercing, brown orbs were strong enough to look straight into his soul and he wasn’t in the mood for her to play the role of psychologist.

“Yeah, I really am,” he lied. “I have nothing more I want to do here in Korea,” he continued to lie. “If I want to get my parents out of being servants, I’ll have to go abroad and become someone that can stand up to you in status.”

“Is that really how you feel Yonghwa? You’ve never been one to care about social status. Even though you’re the son of a butler, you’ve never once complained about it,” she reasoned.

“I need to do this. My goals are clear to me. I’m going to stop thinking about useless things and just focus on what I need to do to get ahead in life,” he lied. The girl was confused as to what the useless things he was thinking about were. She felt as if he was keeping secrets as they grew older, but she didn’t dare intrude on things that he didn’t want to talk about, even if they were best friends.

“Well, I hope you still remember me wherever you are Yonghwa,” she commented in a voice that almost made her sound like she was begging. “Promise me that?”

“I don’t think I could forget you even if I tried,” he chuckled. “Go on ahead inside, I bet Joon is waiting for you.”

“I think I’ll stay out here with my bestie for a while,” she stated while giving him her brilliant smile. That smile… the one thing that hadn’t changed about her over the years. The smile she would have plastered on her face even if she was almost dying from how sick she was… How he wished that smile could be his.

“Suit yourself,” he nonchalantly said. His aloof attitude was dropped completely once he felt her body crashing onto his. His eyes stung with tears when he realized she had brought him into a hug. The sadness she felt was completely conveyed during the display of affection. He could feel that she was practically begging him to stay there with them and live just how they had been for their entire lives. Yonghwa wanted to tear her off of him and plant a kiss on her lips. The smell of her perfume, the warmth of her skin on him, her breath on his neck… it was too much. It drove him insane that he couldn’t tell her all he wanted to before leaving her.

“Yonghwa, I’m going to miss you,” she choked out. “You better come back to Korea safe and sound alright? If you ever think about forgetting us, I’ll fly over to Los Angeles and drag you back here.”

“I’ll… I’ll miss you guys too.”

“I hope you find someone over there like Joon is to me,” she stated out of the blue. “I know you’re not really lonely, but I feel as if Joon and I keep you alienated somewhat when we’re together. Find that perfect girl that’s waiting out there for you and never let her go.” With those words she dusted off her dress a bit and walked back inside without saying anything else. The warmth of her contact still surged through his body, keeping out the slightly chilly breeze of the night.

“Just look and the mirror and you will see the girl you’re referring to,” Yonghwa mumbled to himself quietly, wishing he could once and for all confess to her.

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“Nice guys finish last... somehow I think that saying isn’t true,” a young man chuckled to himself sadly as he woke up. One would think that he meant that the saying was completely untrue, that nice guys would eventually get the women of their desires. However, that wasn’t the case. For him, the saying was untrue because he believed nice guys wouldn’t finish at all. What killed him even more was the fact that he was the person that was proving that observation of his.He wished his brain hadn't decided to recount all the events of his entire life on a morning that was supposed to be a happy one. His episode of self-pity would have continued on longer had it not been for the obnoxious noise coming from his left ear.

“Dude, get up already! That is driving me insane!” yelled a groggy male voice from across the room. “Aw, Yonghwa! Comon bro, I’m trying to sleep here. Today is the last round of final exams and I’m trying to get some sleep after studying all night!”

The English words didn’t register in the Asian male’s mind. It wasn’t because the language was foreign to him but because he was too busy pondering how things would be when he moved back to Korea. The angry roommate shook off all sleepiness and charged over to the bed a few feet away from his in order to kill the thing preventing him from sleeping. Without hesitation, he flipped Yonghwa off his bed and furiously pressed buttons on the contraption known as a smartphone until the noise stopped.

“Dude, you’re going home after four years,” Yonghwa’s roommate began. “You should be getting ready to go. It’s not every day when you get to experience something like this.” The words coming out of the boy’s mouth still weren’t getting through to the Korean man. All he could think about at that moment was if he was actually accomplished anything in the past four years.

“Alex…” Yonghwa finally whispered. “Tell me the truth; am I too nice of a guy? Is my time here worth it?”

“No you’re an because you keep me up with your goddamn alarms all the time. How many of your alarm clocks have I smashed because you always space out in the mornings?” the roommate joked. Alex knew where this was going already. He had heard the same story for over four years now. Although he should be tired of hearing it by now, he decided to humor his depressed roommate. “Yonghwa, are we seriously going to go through this again?”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll get ready to go,” Yonghwa dejectedly stated while standing up.

“It’s because of her right? You’re worried that what you did here for four years won’t get you what you want when you go home?” Yonghwa looked up at his longtime friend and gave him a weak smile. He felt bad for Alex at times like these. Alex always had to deal with his mood swings and it wasn’t fair. Even though it seemed like Alex got the short end of the stick, he didn’t mind. After all, that’s what friends were for right?

“Look, I’m sorry to keep you up. I know you have final exams today and I’m just going to you over by whining like I always do,” Yonghwa apologized. Alex gave out a small laugh at his words. Yonghwa walked over to his closet and picked out a few of his better clothes to wear for the ‘big day’ he had ahead.

“Yonghwa,” Alex began in a gentle tone. “You’ve become one of my best friends here and I really care for you. You know that, right?” Yonghwa also gave out a chuckle of his own and restrained himself from making a joke about how gay Alex sounded at the moment.

“I feel the same way,” Yonghwa responded.

“Bro, you’re the perfect catch. You’re the REAL deal,” Alex praised. “You graduated with the highest distinction from this amazing school, you’re smart, you’re attractive, you work your hardest and most importantly, you have a good heart.”

“My mom has been telling me that since I was born. What’s your point?” Yonghwa interjected. As much as liked to hear someone brag about him, he wasn’t in the mood for some sugar-coated praises. He hadn’t even gotten the answer to the question he asked five minutes ago. Alex went through this speech thousands of times in the years they’ve been roommates, he wasn’t about to hear it for another.

“My point is... well…” Alex paused.

“Yeah, there is none. Why don’t you just go back to sleep?” Yonghwa angrily ordered. Alex walked over to the changing boy, completely ignoring his requests. Without any hesitation, he aimed a punch at Yonghwa’s exposed stomach. Immediately, Yonghwa flinched from the impact and gave his roommate a glare.

“Calm the down will ya?” Alex suggested. “You’re an idiot. You may have graduated with perfect grades and come out of here with so many distinctions, but you’re still the dumbest guy here.” Yonghwa decided to finally pay attention to his roommate after he dropped the praises and offered him his friendship-filled truth.

“Keep talking. I’m listening.”

“Do you wanna know why I’m here, at school, during the summer? Because I screwed up last year and I have to take summer classes. Why are you here again? Oh, that’s right, because you’re finishing up an internship with the director of the medical school. Who has the crappier life here?”

After hearing his buddy’s words, Yonghwa realized how stupid he had just sounded. Yonghwa was never a depressing person. In fact, everyone loved the guy. If there was an award for being the nicest guy on the planet, Yonghwa would surely win it. He was a cool, honest, loyal, down to earth guy. It was only when he thought of going home that he became a different person. All because of that woman…

“Don’t throw any of that away for a girl Yonghwa,” Alex warned in a serious voice. “When I first met you I thought you were a weirdo because you were always freakishly smiling all the time. Don’t make me think differently of you.”

“I’m sorry,” Yonghwa apologized for the billionth time. “It’s good to know that there’s at least one thing I’ll miss when I go back home.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet,” Alex sarcastically praised. “Now will it kill ya to let me sleep some more? Not all of us are born nerds you know.”

“Arasso,” Yonghwa agreed.

“Dude, you know I don’t speak Korean,” Alex snapped back before throwing the covers over him. “My parents are from Mexico and I was born here, so sadly I only speak Spanish and English. Come back to me when you can speak either.”

“Tch, idiot…” Yonghwa muttered before continuing on with his business.
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Yonghwa took one last look at the buildings he had gone to class in for four consecutive years before never looking back. His stay at the University of California in Los Angeles was definitely something he would never forget. It was there that he took the first step in becoming what he wanted to be. His goal was now at least halfway to being realized and the thought of it excited him more. With that stage in his life over, he would have to begin anew back in his native land.

Yonghwa paid no attention to the wonders that the city of Los Angeles had to offer. He was more than accustomed to living in the large American metropolis with its heavy traffic, smog, and bustling shopping centers. It wasn’t until he saw the three large letters, “LAX,” in front of the busy airport that he began to pay attention to his surroundings. The modern Los Angeles International Airport stood before him as the last obstacle before he left the English speaking nation.

“You’re so messed up,” a female voice called out from behind him.

“Tori,” Yonghwa muttered. “What are you doing here?”

“You were going to leave without saying goodbye to us? You’re a horrible person,” another girl spoke up. In front of Yonghwa stood a group of twenty-two year olds with fake frowns plastered on their faces. Their charade didn’t last long as they all burst out in laughter and brought Yonghwa into a group hug.

“I couldn’t have you leave us without one last reunion buddy,” Alex explained.

“Thanks for coming guys,” Yonghwa exclaimed happily. He hadn’t wanted to bother everyone because they were all busy with either getting ready for the fall semester or working nonstop over the summer. “And, sorry I didn’t invite you guys out to say goodbye. I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Bother us? Yonghwa, comon, we’re your friends,” the blonde American girl, Tori, argued. Yonghwa didn’t even want to continue arguing with her for his sake. Tori was always a temperamental girl that would snap at any given moment.  She reminded him of his friend Eun Jung back in Korea. Both girls knew how to throw a jaw-crushing, devastating right hook and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of that.

“Don’t forget about us alright?” Reinaldo, a foreign exchange student from Brazil, warned. Yonghwa would definitely miss his jokester attitude and sly advances towards the girl he claimed was his goddess, Tori.

“Um be sure to have fun when you get home. Remember, all work and no play makes Yonghwa a sad boy!” a darker skinned girl from India spoke up cutely. Maya, the crazy member of their group, was someone he had grown a wonderful fondness to. Maya was always happy, bright, and most importantly, completely insane. Her being beautifully exotic in his eyes only added another reason to like her.  Yonghwa hadn’t even expected her bold goodbye kiss that had almost been on the lips even though it was no secret that Maya had always had a crush on the Korean boy since day one. Sadly, even she knew that his heart was taken by another.

“I’ll be sure to have fun in the sun Maya,” Yonghwa chuckled. Maya was also known for her eccentric rhyming in her speech. Her smile grew wide as she realized he was using a rhyme she often recited.

“YES!! Fun in the sun!” she squealed, leaving everyone else to look at her with an embarrassed look. “Yonghwa…” she muttered after calming down, leaving everyone surprised. “That girl you hold in your heart. If she doesn’t love you at first, she will eventually. You’re so special that any girl would be lucky to have you.”

“Maya…” It broke Yonghwa’s heart to hear her speak in such a dejected voice. He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty that he could never like her back as she liked him. A girl like her deserved someone just as special for her but he couldn’t be that person, not with someone else in his heart.

“You know how much I love you right?” she boldly asked. Never had Maya used the word love to describe her feelings for him, which emphasized them much, much more. “I hope that the girl you’re chasing can love you just as much and more.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” Alex interrupted rudely. “Love, love, love, blah, blah, blah!” Alex couldn’t help but feel jealous at the words Yonghwa was hearing. Maya had, after all, been the girl that Alex wanted to date since they first met during the beginning of their college years. Luckily, he didn’t hate Yonghwa for being the guy she liked. Everyone but Maya herself knew this fact, only adding more to the comical nature of his interjection. Alex never had luck with the ladies, something that Yonghwa always with.

“Don’t you have a plane to catch loser?”

“Says the guy that can’t get Maya to notice him,” Yonghwa muttered.

“Hey! Comon, dude that’s not cool,” Alex whined. Mayawas far too oblivious to understand what he was saying so Yonghwa knew Alex’s secret was safe. “Seriously though, your plane is set to leave in a few minutes. You better get going.”

“Alex, thanks for everything man. I know you didn’t have to put up with me all these years and I’m really grateful for it.” Alex’s cool guy front began to break down when tears formed in his eyes.

“Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not crying.  I’m just… allergic to something in the air here.” Alex smiled weakly and rubbed the back of his hand against his eyes to clear the pooling tears. “Aw it,” he finally exclaimed and brought Yonghwa into a hug. “You gotta promise me to become the best damn doctor there is. You’ll give me a discount if I need some surgery done or something right?”

“Screw that,” Yonghwa chuckled softly while returning his friend’s hug. “If anything I’m going to charge you double for my amazing services. Let’s just hope we never have to get to that point.”

After an agonizing minute of hugging his best friend of four years, Yonghwa finally found the courage to turn his back to his friends. He would miss them dearly and he wished that he could stay here with them for his entire life. However, Yonghwa was too homesick to stay in that foreign country any longer. The United States was a land of opportunity; he had experienced that first hand. It was a bright and colorful nation that could offer a multitude of pleasures. He had met people from every corner of the world, even from countries he hadn’t even heard of. There was definitely nothing that could compare to the awe-inspiring land that he was leaving, but his homeland of South Korea was just too good to pass up.

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“Ugh, what was that?” Yonghwa awoke from his nap on the plane. He didn’t usually remember the dreams that decided to haunt his mind while he cashed in on his much needed rest. However, the things that went through his head as he slept were still vivid in his mind. The brain residing in his skull decided it was a good idea to show him images of his two best friends happily together while he was forced to watch on the sidelines. How he wished it were that, just a dream. If only it could be a dream, things would be so much easier for him.

Not only had he dreamt of unpleasant things that already kept his mind distracted, he also now had a massive headache. He hadn’t expected to have to deal with such a thing but he was determined to not have it ruin his return home.

“Incheon is now in sight, we shall be landing in two minutes. Please keep your seat belts on while landing for your safety. Thank you all for choosing our airline for your flight today,” the polite pilot spoke over the speaker. Yonghwa was thankful that they would finally be arriving in his native homeland. Planes were always a bore to him, but at least he had slept through a good chunk of the flight.

After clearing through customs and grabbing his bags he wandered around the magnificent airport he was now in. Incheon International Airport had always been like an artistic piece of metal molded into many modern shapes and sizes. He was sure it couldn’t get any more grand and modern than it had been last time he had been there, but apparently he was dead wrong.

It felt refreshing to see all the Hangul signs scattered throughout the airport. Being able to read everything in sight effortlessly was something he had missed. His English was pretty good, just not as good as his Korean was. The airport was not really a fun place for him since there was really nothing to do but wait for your flight, but he could sit in Incheon’s airport without having a care in the world. Feeling stupid for walking around with his mouth open like a child that’s never been in an airport before, he decided to finally find what he was looking for.

His brat of a sister promised to be there to pick him up from the airport gates as soon as his plane landed. As the thought of his sister driving crossed his mind he began to laugh silently to himself. The little girl that he left behind as he went to America probably didn’t exist anymore. She was probably a grown woman that put on make-up and wore miniskirts. Oh how the times had changed.

Walking through the busy crowds turned out to be hard work, especially when you have a headache. The pounding in his head became even stronger as he grew angry with that brat Jung Soo Jung. Why had he ever put his faith in that spoiled girl that had the misfortune of being his sister? He should have realized that little girl would still be the same whiney, rotten, and vain woman from when he left. Yonghwa’s eyes lazily scanned the crowds for the girl he called a sibling. Even though he was glad to be home, it would have been easier to find the dark haired girl in America. Back in Korea, everyone seemed to have the same hair color.

“Damn you Korea and your homogenous society,” Yonghwa grumbled to himself. “ing Soo Jung when I get ahold of you I’ll…”

Yonghwa stopped his string of threats and curses the millisecond his eyes laid eyes on someone unexpected. The pounding in his head ceased, making him forget he even had a headache to begin with. By one of the waiting room windows stood a familiar figure that made the entire world stop. He didn’t care if people shoved him as they walked past; all that mattered was staring at her.

The difference between the person in front of him and that girl from so long ago was breathtaking. The girl he knew was frail and delicate. She was someone that needed to be protected, someone that needed gentle nurturing. The person in front of him stood up straight with confidence. No longer was that person a pale, sickly white.  Her porcelain skin had been slightly bronzed over with a healthy shade of color, but not too much. Having admired her for so long, he could even tell her health had improved by leaps and bounds. Not only was he speechless from seeing that girl, her transformation was also breathtaking.

“Oppa!” a familiar voice yelled from behind him, forcing Yonghwa to finally take a look at his surroundings and plant his feet firmly on planet Earth.

“Soo Jung…” he muttered, still groggy from his staring at the figure ahead of him.

“Oppa what are you…? Omo, why is she here?!” Yonghwa’s kid sister spat out angrily. Yonghwa chose to ignore the bratty question and continued to focus on the woman Soo Jung referred to.

Upon hearing the commotion behind her, the figure Yonghwa had admired from behind finally turned around and gave him a glimpse of her angelic face. “Yonghwa? Jung Yonghwa!? Oh my god is that you?!”

If Yonghwa hadn’t been stunned by her before, he sure was now. The gears in his mind ceased to function properly. All he could think about was… well he couldn’t think because his brain was completely shut down by the sight in front of him.

“Yeah, it’s me…” he muttered.

Author’s Note: I’m finally back with a new story guys. I’m so sorry that I ditched my other stories for so long. Sorry to all of you that were looking forward to “Arranged Happiness,” but I just can’t continue it. It’s so weird to write it and I just can’t get into the hang of things. I decided to write this story because I really like it and I felt more close to it. One of my previous stories “I’m a Loner,” was really exciting for me to write out since I felt really close to Yonghwa’s character. I chose to write this story because I can also relate to the way Yonghwa feels. Falling in love with one of your friends and hopefully I can capture his emotions better through experience.

I feel as if the story is really weirdly set up, especially during the parts that outline their past interactions. I really slacked during the time I wasn’t writing so it’s weird for me to try to get back into the swing of things. I promise though that it will get better. The plot is meh for now, but it’s just an introduction right?

The story is going to be moving kind of slow and I mean it since I already wrote out 10 chapters of it before posting this one. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!