How exactly does a relationship start?

For most friendships, or even love, they began with a first glance, first smile, and a simple hello. But for a certain Lee Minhyuk and Park Chorong, their relationship began with a misunderstanding. A backfired prank, more like.

It was Chorong’s fifth birthday, and her parents decided to throw her a party. But at a tender of five, of course she didn’t have that many friends. Therefore, her own birthday party was flooded with faces she didn’t recognize ― her dad’s office mates, her mom’s friends, neighbours, and distant relatives. Bored out of her wits, she sneaked out when she thought nobody was looking.

She later found herself by the river not far from her house, a doll which she had just received from a woman who introduced herself as her mom’s good friend (but she could have sworn she never met the woman before) dangling in her left hand. It was after noon, somewhere between two or three. The sun was shining brightly in the sky but she was shivering. She scorned herself for forgetting to grab a jacket before leaving the party. After all, it was still winter.

Staring at the river, Chorong sat down hugging her knees, placing the doll at one side. Not that she liked the doll, in fact she never liked playing with dolls, but she thought she could use a friend, even if it could not speak.

“Hey, you!” she heard a voice from behind. Quickly, she glanced at its source and saw a boy walking towards her. His expression was a mixture of fear and determination, so she couldn’t figure the boy out. Studying his outer appearance, she assumed that he was no younger than she was. Perhaps older.

“What?” she replied, raising her eyebrows.

“Y-you can’t s-sit here,” he stuttered, but his voice sounded firm.

“Why not?”

“Because … b-because I say so,”

She gawked at him confusedly. Even though she wasn’t all that friendly, she recognized every kid in the neighbourhood, but she was certain she never met this boy before.

All of a sudden, he took the doll and jogged to the river. He glanced at her first; eyes filled with guilt, and glanced at another place. She could see him nodding lightly at something and taking a deep breath, before dunking the doll’s head into the streaming water. Then he darted his eyes at her again, as though expecting her to respond.

But she didn’t.

Instead, much to his surprise, she only blinked at him blankly and looked away.

“Aren’t you upset?” he asked.

“No,” she shrugged. “I don’t even like that thing,”

His face fell. “Oh,”

A group of boys hiding behind an old cherry blossom tree caught her eyes then. From afar, she could see their amused expressions as they observed what was happening. She was five, just turned five that very day, but right away she knew what was going on. “I can pretend if it helps,” she told him.

“Huh?”

“I know those kids,” she answered, pointing at their direction with her gaze. “They’re bullies,”

The boy stared at Chorong, before shifting his eyes at the now drenched doll. He gulped. Awkwardly, he handed the doll back at her. “Sorry. You can have it back,”

She shook her head. “It’s okay. Like I said, I don’t like that thing,”

“Why not?”

“I … prefer robots. And Power Rangers,”

Out of the blue, the boy laughed. “Power Rangers?”

Chorong blushed, embarrassed that she was being laughed at. “What’s wrong with Power Rangers? They’re cool!”

“No, it’s just, I expected you to like something like, Sailormoon maybe?”

“Sailormoon’s cool too,” she shrugged.

A gentle wind swooshed past them, bringing along the cruel chilly breeze of winter, causing Chorong to shiver. She rubbed her hands against her skin, hoping that it would help warm her body up a little. Seeing that, the boy turned away. “Wait a sec,” he mumbled before running off.

Several minutes later, he returned, a hand clutching what appears to be a clumped up jacket. He offered it to her. “Wear this,” he said.

Chorong considered turning him down for a second but decided against it since the weather was too cold to maintain her pride. She took the marigold coloured jacket from him and put it on. “Thanks,” she muttered, pulling the jacket tightly around her body. The marigold colour made her porcelain milky white skin glimmer. It caused his heart to skip a beat.

“I’m sorry about your doll,” the boy said shyly, eyes on the ground, one foot scratching the dirt.

“It’s okay,” she replied. “Are you new?”

He nodded. “We just moved here two days ago. Mom said I should go out today and make some friends,”

“Just don’t be friends with those boys,” she returned. The boys were already gone when she averted her gaze at their previous spot.

Again, the boy nodded. “What’s your name?”

“Park Chorong,” she answered. “And today’s my birthday,” she felt like adding.

“Really?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Yup,”

“Happy birthday then,” he revealed a boyish smile that made his eyes appear smaller.

“What’s yours?”

“November,”

She chuckled. “I mean your name,”

“Oh,” he blushed. “I’m Lee Minhyuk,”

“Nice to meet you, Lee Minhyuk,”

“Nice to meet you too, Park Chorong,”

How exactly does a relationship start? Lee Minhyuk and Park Chorong don’t really have the right answer for it, but as the two kids smiled at each other that frosty winter afternoon just by the riverside, they knew in their heart that theirs had already begun.