Let’s go back to the day, Do you remember?

-Remember, Big Bang

It was just another day at school, another day wasted for Choi Seunghyun as he sat at his desk, the same desk he sat at every day, performing the same exact tasks given out by his teacher, the usual. With his chin propped upon the palm of his hand, the child’s eyes glanced over towards the window of his classroom. Seunghyun noticed it was raining again today, the sound of the pitter patter of rain almost lulling him to sleep. He could feel his eyelids become heavy suddenly and at the moment he didn’t care if his teacher would catch him dozing off again. He had finished his work for the day, so why couldn’t he enjoy a simple nap for his hard work? It would make sense to be rewarded but that is not how the school system works here. Seunghyun had let out a small sigh then, trying to force himself to stay awake for his own good. He tore his eyes away from the window, gazing over the concentrated faces of his peers as they continued to work. With nothing to stimulate his young developing mind, Seunghyun had to deal with the fact that he was bored, very bored.

Yet a spark of interest went off when he noticed something. He noticed a boy around his age, maybe younger, doodling on paper across from him but it clearly had nothing to do with the assignment given by Ms.Lee. Maybe the other boy didn’t know what he was doing or misunderstood, the boy had actually joined the class only a few days ago. Seunghyun figured he should correct his peer, racking through his brain to match a name to the boy’s face so he could address him properly. What was his name though? He pondered over this as he watched the boy continue to fill his sheet. He recognized the musical notes decorating in lines like a pattern, along with words that Seunghyun could not depict from where he sat.

As if sensing his new audience, the other boy paused in his work, looking up slowly with dark brown eyes as he acknowledged Seunghyun presence for the first time. Taken aback by the sudden eye contact, Seunghyun looked away but then looked back many times, seeming as though he had just been caught doing something wrong. He would even open his mouth as if he were about to speak yet only to have it snap close.

“Wae?*” The boy asked Seunghyun.

“A-ani! Ani, geugeon danji . . . Dangsin-i keullaeseu e majneun gwaje leul an hae, alji?” Seunghyun pointed out lightly for the other boy.

“Eum . . . dangsin i maj-a,” he agreed as he made to remove the sheet from his desk and begin anew. However, he caught Seunghyun staring curiously at his work and so he asked, “Dangsin-eun bosigessseubnikka?”

This was something Seunghyun did not expect but the boy was already offering his sheet to him with little hesitation. “A-ah, ye,” Seunghyun said accepting the boy’s paper gratefully with a gracious smile. This was a first for him, accepting another student’s work to look at because it had caught his eye but hey, at least he wasn’t so bored anymore. Before looking at the piece, just in the nick of time, he asked, “Ileum-i mwoyeossjyo?”

“Kwon Ji Yong,” Ji Yong introduced himself, a smile forming on his minuscule lips.

“Dangsin bangawoyo, Kwon Ji Yong.”

Sometimes it’s the little things in life, the little gestures, and the people each and every individual meet or even a simple hello that can have a great impact on one’s self without even noticing.  For Seunghyun, it was just Ji Yong’s simple offering of that paper, full of musical notes and lyrics, and that wasn’t just the start of their newfound relationship but also the start of a new beginning. At the time, Seunghyun wouldn’t have ever guessed how Ji Yong would impact his life greatly, how Ji Yong was the key in discovering the talents within himself, a whole different person that would have never gotten the chance to show himself to the world had it not been for that simple offering, had it not been for Kwon Ji Yong. Likewise, he would have never guessed how he impacted Ji Yong in return. Yet being that he was a only child, he couldn’t forsee the future their relationship would hold in time. So while he sat there at his desk, gazing over the sheet of music, he could only describe the musical piece in one word with an astounded face. “Wow!”

A light yet high chuckle was elicited from Ji Yong in response to Seunghyun’s interjection. “Soljighi geunyang eum-ag, teugbyeolhaji ibnida,” said Ji Yong in a modest tone, one corner of his small lips curved upward to form a half smile as he reached over to take his work back.

“Ibwa yo!” Seunghyun interjected to catch the young song writer’s attention. “Dangsin-eun museun mal-eulhaneungeoya? Dangsin-i han il , jeongmal meosjida!”

“Jeongmal?” Ji Yong mused with a finger to his chin yet before Seunghyun could answer the latter leaned  his head in a bit and asked, “Dangsin-i geuleon jasehan naeyong-eul bogo sip-eundeyo?”

To this, it would be nothing but obvious that Seunhyun nodded his head.  “Ye!”

And so their journey began.

**Translations:

Wae? =What?

A-ani! Ani, geugeon danji . . . = Nothing! Nothing, it’s just that . . .

Dangsin-i keullaeseu e majneun gwaje leul an hae, alji? = You’re not doing the right assignment for class, you know?

Eum . . . dangsin i maj-a = Hmm . . . I guess you’re right.

Dangsin-eun bosigessseubnikka? = Would you like to see?

Ye = Yes                                                                                                

leum-i mwoyeossjyo? = What was your name again?

Dangsin bangawoyo. = It’s nice to meet you

Soljighi geunyang eum-ag, teugbyeolhaji ibnida = Honestly it’s just music, nothing special.

Ibwa yo! Dangsin-eun museun mal-eulhaneungeoya? Dangsin-i han il , jeongmal meosjida! = Hey! What are you saying? What you just did, it’s really cool!

Jeongmal? = Really?

Dangsin-i geuleon jasehan naeyong-eul bogo sip-eundeyo? = Then would you like to see more?