He was tiptoeing his way to the living room where his uncle was laying down on the comforter. He pulled out a permanent marker from his pocket and an evil grin appeared on his small young face. He opened up the cap of the permanent marker and start with his scheme. An evil scheme that he made after his uncle made him wear that frilly dress despite he was a boy not a girl. He remembered his uncle said, “This dress looks good in you anyway and you only 7 Hongki, it doesn’t matter what people will think”

Tsk. Seriously, what was his uncle is thinking? I’m a boy and it does matter as my friends will think me weirdly. Wait. They already think me of that. Thanks to his uncle who really likes pink and cute stuff. Hongki silently thought as his hand wildly draws a moustache on his beautiful uncle’s face. Despite his uncle is a man, he really look as a woman especially with his slender body and that beautiful small face. And everyone here really likes her uncle, especially man though.

The 7 year old boy stare at his uncle face and then his imagination gone wild as his young mind start to imagine a clown. Heenim will be looked funny with a red nose. Hongki thought and his evil grin appeared again. The boy coloured thoroughly from his uncle’s check bone until on his nose bridge. Feeling itchy to the cold touch of the tip of marker makes Heechul stirred in his sleeps. He peek one eye opened and saw his nephew was on top of him with a sweet smile that he really adored. Heechul opened both eyes wide and stared at his nephew who suddenly stumbled on top him and something flew from his small hand.

“What are you doing Hongki?” Heechul asked his nephew while his hands pick up Hongki’s small body and put Hongki on his flat stomach. Heechul really adores this little nephew of his. Even though Heechul is Hongki’s uncle but Heechul never likes when Hongki called him uncle or some sort like that. He sounds like an old man when a kid called him uncle, so he asked Hongki to call him Heenim as Hongki was the only nephew that he has.

“Hongki! Lunch!” Hongki’s grandmother yelled from the dining hall. Chances! Hongki silently murmured and pushed his uncle’s hands and ran to his grandmother. Heechul get up from his laying position and went to have a lunch together with Hongki. Along the way to the dining hall, Heechul passed a mirror on the wall and his sleepy mind started to function again. Heechul walked back to the mirror and looked into the mirror intensely as like he was seeing a ghost despite it was only his face reflected back to him. Only his beautiful face now was scarred with a red colour marker and all over his face and a badly draw moustache above his lips.

“HONGKI!!” Heechul yelled as loud as he can and stomped his feet towards the kitchen. “When I got that boy, he will regret doing this to my beautiful face!” Heechul complained all the way through kitchen. Finally there, Hongki was nowhere to be seen and his mother was pouring a tea on a cup. “Biscuit?” His mother asked acting like nothing had happened. “Umma! You look what that brat just did to my beautiful face!” Heechul whined ignoring his mother’s invitation. “You look great dear son!” Heechul’s mother suppressed herself from laughter. Unable to hold, his mother break to heartily laughter and patted his son’s back. “This will wear off. I think so” Heechul’s mother comforting his younger son.

“I’ll get you for this, Hongki! I’ll make you wear all pink frilly dress that I bought from the city!”

*****************************************************

Hongki sat on a big rock near the river with a pink shirt and short length pants wrapped his skinny legs. His uncle was again on his revenge for yesterday as he forced Hongki to wear the pink shirt with ‘I’m a princess’ printed on the front of the shirt. Hongki was small and nowhere near to his uncle strength as his uncle put him in the clothes he’s wearing now. His uncle also put him some make-up along to made the boy regretted what he had done yesterday. Heechul have to scrub his face with warm water just to remove all that drawings from his face and having his school’s breaks, Heechul was feeling relieved as no one will see the red stained on his face.

As much as Hongki love his Heenim, his uncle always takes Hongki as a niece and not a nephew. Maybe that’s what you get when the family expect a baby girl to be born but got him, a boy instead. Hongki’s father was away with works in Korea, while his mother died a long time ago, when he was 2 because of plane crashed. And since then, Hongki was living with his grandmother and his uncle here in Japan. A place where little Hongki called home even it was far away from the city and far away from his father’s birthplace, Korea.

Little Hongki never went to Korea, despite he’s born there. All Hongki knew, after he was born, his mother brought him back to Japan, to his grandmother’s house here in deserted village in mountains. After a few days in Japan, Hongki’s mother has to get back home as works is calling for her. And the accident happens. His mother was found dead along with 80 passengers on board that day. Hongki’s father can’t accept the heart-breaking news put Hongki on his grandmother’s care as his father was scared to bring him along on the plane.

Since then, Hongki’s life has been much around here. The small village and the small old house that he lived together with his grandmother and his young uncle which Hongki proudly called home. And there also a river at the back of the house which Hongki found quite amazing and he decides that this place will be his playground as Hongki was always left alone without friends. For a boy around his age, Hongki was a bit small compared to others. And Hongki always got teased by his fellow friends that he could passed as girl if he want to. Hongki who have a short temper went mad and bite his friend in which ended with no one came near to Hongki then. Hongki was a Korean boy to start with and it’s not that the villagers there being racial or anything, it’s just the way Hongki expressed himself making people doesn’t like him that much. In contrast, his uncle, Heenim was actually popular here around the villagers.

Hongki can’t forget that day when he was being accused of biting one of his school’s mates. “He bit me!” A girl said while crying. “I..I don’t.” Hongki said stuttering, defending himself. “You are wild child”. One of the villagers said. “I’m not!” Hongki cried and ran to this same place again. Hongki’s favourite place in the village, the big rock across the river. Hongki wasn’t even a wild child, he just a kid with hyperactive behaviour, loud, obnoxious and short tempered.

Hongki was crying alone at the very same place. His mother wasn’t there to embrace him, she is dead, remember? His father wasn’t there to comfort him, he’s busy in Korea with work, remember? His uncle was away to the city with his friends and he can’t talk to his grandmother as he doesn’t want to upset her. Hongki comforted himself. He needs to be strong.

Hongki sat there hugging his knees and cry just like a baby. He doesn’t care of his surroundings as he knew, there wasn’t anyone there. This is his sacred playground. No one knew this place. It is hidden behind a big scary bushes and a long path from back of his house. No one will disturb him here. No ones. That’s what Hongki thought until a voice was heard behind him.

“Why are you crying?” A boy with short hair came to Hongki and looked him with his worried eyes. The boy speaks Korean. A language that Hongki haven’t heard in a very long time since his father came here. “Why are you crying?” The boy repeated the same question and offered his hands. “Come, I’ll show you something”. Unknowingly, Hongki take the boy’s hand and followed him towards the end of the river. Hongki quietly followed behind him with his hands still holding onto the boy’s hand.

“See this” the boy pull out a small crystal ball from his pocket and tied a rope around it and let it go to flow with the river’s stream. “Why you do that?” Hongki asked in Korean. It’s been a while since he speaks the language. He wasn’t sure himself if it was correct. “Look, see how the sunlight from above illuminates the crystal ball” The short hair boy said pointing at the direction. Hongki look carefully and his eyes widen to the fact it was really beautiful. “How you do that?” “Someone taught me” The boy turns to face Hongki and smiled. Hongki unknowingly, reflected that smile and smile cheerfully for the boy.  And for the first time, he felt he was happy having a friend.

“Hongki” A voice was heard behind a bush. He came. Hongki thought silently and went to hide behind a tree nearby. “Hongki” the voice kept calling for Hongki while Hongki remained stiff and silent at his position. The voice suddenly disappeared. Hongki was still waiting behind the tree and peeked at the bush the voice came. “Where is he?” Hongki mumbles.

BOOO!

Hongki startled and fall onto the owner of the voice. Hongki’s body was trembling with fear. Well, Hongki was known to be scared at ghost, monster and such. “Hongki, it’s me, Jonghun” The owner of the voice said while his face was blushing due to the sudden movement of Hongki. “Hongki-ya, don’t be scared, I’m here” Jonghun said and patted Hongki’s back. Hongki who realized it was Jonghun who surprised him just now regain his senses and hit Jonghun’s chest playfully.

“YAH! You scared me!” Hongki whined. Jonghun laugh while holding Hongki back to his feet again. Both standing and went to sit near the river. “You’re wearing make-up today?” Jonghun asked after the laugh’s gone. “It’s my stupid Heenim, he put me into this” Hongki complained with a pout. “A girl should wear a proper dress, you know” Jonghun said and went to pick up small rocks nearby.

************************************************

“Where did you go, Jonghun?” A woman asked her son after seeing him was home with dirty trousers again. He went to the river again. The woman thought alone as he pulled out her son’s shirt. “I went to meet a friend, Umma”. Her son answered. “EH? Is it the same girl that you said she was crying alone in the river?” The mother asked again. Knowing that the only friend her son can have here was the little girl which her son has told before.

The Choi family was here on a trip. They are always visited this village as the village owns a very special Japanese hot springs or Onsen as the locals call it. The Choi family are from Korea but they specially flew from Korea to Japan just to have a bonding family moment. They are indeed very loving and caring family.

“Yup! She hugged me just now because I scared her” His son said with a cheesy grin and a blush cheek. “Oh my! Our son have a Japanese lover” The mother said towards the father and pinched her son’s cheeks. The father laughed along with the mother and proud how his son resembles him a lot. “Maybe you have to bring home one day” The father teased his son while holding little Jonghun’s hands towards the bath room.

“I will” Little Jonghun smile and thinking how to asked Hongki to come here to meet with his parents.