The little girl was watching from outside the window and jumped up when she heard car tires screech into the newly emptied driveway next door. “Umma? Can I go over to check please? I want to see if there’s a new girl for me to play with.”

            Your mother laughed and knelt down. “How about you go peek and when mom’s done with the welcome cake, we can all go together?” You nodded and ran out the door, excited beyond imagination.

            But when you got to the end of your yard, you saw a little boy hop out of the back of the van. Instantly your cootie resistance built up and you cringed away in horror. “No,” you moaned. You tried to see if another girl would come out but remembered the family only had two kids, and you saw both boys. With a breaking heart, you ran back.

            Your mother was leaving the house with her cake and she smiled. “Hey sweetheart. Ready to go greet the neighbors?”

            “I don’t wanna.”

            “Oh? Why not?”

            “No girls.”

            Your mother laughed and held your hand. “Four year old little girls can be friends with anyone. Let’s go.” She dragged you, kicking and screaming all the way.

            They were the Jung family, and they had two sons, one of whom was your age, and another older. The older one smiled a bit but the younger one scowled and kicked the dirt. When your mothers introduced the two of you, he didn’t meet your stare, only kicking the dirt some more. You frowned and did the same.

            “Well, I guess they can know each other better after school  starts.”

            It was torture. The next day, your mother sent you to pick up Daehyun to walk to school together. The school was only one block away so you didn’t have an opportunity, nor the desire, to talk. He was quiet and you noticed that he had a habit of tying some sort of mask around his mouth.

            The months went by until suddenly, he looked at you and offered to share his juice. “My mom says I need to start being a gentleman. And I guess I’ll start with giving you my juice. Do you have germs?”

            You were indignant. You, having germs? Why this was something you should be asking him! “No. And my mom says a true gentleman never insults the lady.”

            He scoffed and plopped the juice on your desk. “You’re not much of a lady. I saw you rolling in the mud the other day. Your skirt got really dirty.”

            But after that, the two of you warmed up to one another. You started playing together and his mother invited you over. Under her watchful look, he offered you cookies and was pretty nice to you, letting you borrow his toys.

            The two of you entered fourth grade and he started to make other friends. Your friends were different but after school, he still waited for you by the parking lot entrance and you walked home together.

            One day, you walked out crying. One of your friends had spilled all your secrets to your crush and now he thinks you’re a freak. You saw Daehyun standing there, mask ever present, and holding the straps of his bookbag. With his nine year old mindset, the first thing he wanted to do was cringe. He could not handle a crying girl.

            You walked home silently and he was troubled, not knowing how to ask what’s wrong and not knowing how to make you stop. After you got home and your mother cheered you up, you heard a rap on your window. You nearly died of shock. Daehyun had climbed a tree and was waiting outside your room.

            You opened the window and he whispered, “Can I come in?”

            Being nine, the inappropriateness of this didn’t hit you and you let him in. “Why are you here?”

            He shuffled awkwardly. “Well, you know how you were crying? Well, my mom says the best way to stop a girl crying was to give her a hug and I thought okay, guess I have to do that. But you stopped, so I think I came for nothing.”

            For some unknown reason, this made you burst into tears again. Your normally detached companion was offering you, a girl, a hug? Daehyun sighed. “Great. Guess I have to do it.”

            He moved towards you and hurriedly wrapped his arms around you, not really touching you and let go. “Feeling better?” You were still sniffling and he frowned. “I think mom’s wrong. Hey, want to go downstairs and see if your mom has cookies? I smell something.” When the two of you walked down together, your mother nearly keeled over on the spot when she wondered how he got in.

            It was the first day of middle school and you were going to a music school where nobody would know you, except Daehyun. The two of you had applied and gotten in. It was nervous to leave your friends behind and Daehyun wasn’t exactly the most reassuring guy out there.

            “Are you ready?” he shrugged and offered you an earbud, not answering your question. You took it from him and the two of you sat on the bus quietly. When a bunch of bullies got on, they saw you and immediately came over.

            “Hey, why are you sitting on our seat?”

            You trembled, not knowing how to deal with mean people. “Your seats? I didn’t know.”

            The leader cracked his knuckle meanly. “If you don’t get out, I’m going to kick you out.” You made to move but Daehyun peeled away his mask and spoke.

            “These seats don’t have your names on them. Unless of course you mark your territory with peeling pieces of duct tape.”

            The leader turned an angry shade of red. “What’s wrong with your mouth that you have to cover it? Guess you’ll have to cover it more after I’m done with you.” He swung his fist and you cowered, letting out a scream.

            But Daehyun just deflected his arm. “Back off.”

            When he did, you looked at him with admiration. “How did you learn to do that?”

            He shrugged, once more quiet. “Fight with my brother all the time.”

            Daehyun became more popular as you grew older. One day, you walked to lunch and sat with your friends when they nudged you. “He’s coming. Oh my gosh, he’s so hot.”

            You looked up from your food. “Who?”

            “Daehyun of course! You’re so lucky he’s your neighbor. How was he like as a kid? I want to try to make him ask me out.”

            You shrugged. Daehyun was Daehyun. But there was something about the way he affected other females that made you examine him closer. He had grown tall and now you were easily at his chin. He still had the mysterious aura but he got an ear piercing and was starting to look a bit edgy. He wasn’t bad looking, you mused. But he was still Jung Daehyun with the mask.

            High school went by and the two of you talked a little less. He was busy with his friends, girlfriend and studies and you had the same priorities. But whenever you walked out of the house and were alone, he took the opportunity to make conversation. Life was pleasant until you were dumped by your cheating boyfriend one week before prom.

            You sat on your porch and cried. Daehyun was walking home from work and saw you. “Hey, what happened?”

            You shook your head and in a blubbering mess, you told him about what had happened. He sighed. “Funny cause the girl he cheated with was my girlfriend.” You cried harder. He was quiet for a few minutes before saying, “Hey, remember what my mom said about girls and crying?”

            The words sparked a memory of eight years past and you sniffled, smiling a bit now. “Yeah, and you concluded that it didn’t work.”

            He snorted. “Oh yeah, guess I won’t try it. But how about we forget them and give them a big middle finger? Why don’t we go to prom together? We can be just friends but they wouldn’t know.”

            You stared at him. He grinned back at you. “What do you think?” Your eyes ran over his features and you realized just how good looking he was. Your friends were right. Jung Daehyun is the best looking boy you have ever met and all this time, you were blind. You blushed, knowing that he would never look at you the same if you told him.

            “I guess. As friends.”

            But, breaking out from character, Daehyun treated you differently. He was gallant and always asked you to dance the slow songs with him. When your ex tried to talk to you, he intervened quite firmly, asking him to kindly “leave his precious alone.” The attention he bestowed on you was embarrassing and you could not control your emotions.

            The light has been cast and you realized that ever since he had waited for you outside your window, you’ve been slowly falling a bit in love with him. He had his flaws, yes, but he was still Daehyun and the bond you shared was impossible to break. He helped you in his quiet manner against bullies, heartache and school headaches. And you never thought it possible. But it was.

            When he took you home, he bowed. “I hope you had fun. I surely did. High school’s almost over. College is another story.”

            You locked yourself in your room and cried. College. After fourteen years of friendship and acquaintance, the two of you were finally separating. You were going into architecture and he, into music and performing arts. This meant different fields and eventually different lives. Just when you realized how you felt, the two of you would be moving away from one another.

            There was another rap on your window and you looked up, not bothering to wipe away the smearing mascara. It was Daehyun, still in his suit. You let him in, just like you did eight years ago.

            “Hey, I had a feeling you would be upset. Was it him?”

            You bit the inside of your cheek. “No,” you cried.

            He was quiet. “Oh. Then what is it?”

            You shook your head. “Just pain. Make me feel better?”

            Daehyun didn’t move and you felt yourself withdraw. Maybe college was good. You should move on. He obviously doesn’t like you. He crept on you like a ninja. You felt his arms around you, and this time, he hugged you against him. You cried still and he tipped your chin up and kissed you.

            Your sobs stifled and you almost fainted with surprise. He was not-Jung Daehyun was not kissing you. But he was and you kissed him back. He pulled away and smiled at you. “I think mom was half right. Hugs do make a girl feel better but kisses probably work better. I love you.” He said simply. “Wait for me in college and I’ll be back?”

            You nodded, still in his embrace. “I’ve waited fourteen years.” 

plot requested by: waffyeols