The little girl timidly stepped out of the car with a teddy bear in her arm. In front of them is the SUPER GENERATION orphanage. Another boy followed. Sorrow is visible on the slightly younger Mi Young and Donghae’s face. After all, they just lost their parents.

“Go on, kids. You can enter now. New friends await you” the two children looked at him with those sad eyes. He sighed. But he knows this is the best decision for them and pushed them in not so roughly but with enough force.

He’s right. There are many kids around their age playing there. One particular boy approached the two, pulling along a familiar girl.

“Hi. My name’s Hyukkie. And this is Jessica” his expression is the complete opposite of Jessica’s coldness. “I know it must be hard for you but we’ll help you move on. Everyone here experienced that too” then he turned to Jessica “Except this girl. She is the daughter of one of the staffs here. But don’t worry, she won’t bite” he gave a playful wink that made the two smile, but Jessica angrier.

“Thanks Hyukkie. I’m Donghae. Nice to meet you, and you too Jessica”

“Yeah, yeah” she muttered.

“My name’s Mi Young” she said and tried her best to smile. They bowed formally to each other.

“Hey, want to play in the garden?” Hyukkie asked.

“Sure! I would love that!” Donghae exclaimed. Because he knows Jessica won’t come with them, Hyukkie pulled her along.

----------

The four youngsters are now in the garden. It isn’t a big one. But it’s not that small too. And since it belongs to an orphanage, planting is being practiced, making it full of trees and plants. But for leisure, there is a slide, swing and seesaw, with a bench for resting.

“So what do you want to play?” Hyukkie continued his role of being the host.

“Hide and seek!” Donghae instantly suggested. He and Hyukkie faced each other and grinned.

“Who’s it?” Mi Young asked.

“Hmm… eenie meanie miney mo. Okay, Jessica!” Hyukkie proclaimed and pointed at her.

“Wh-what?!”

“Count to 10 Jessica” Donghae confidently ordered and pushed her to a nearby tree to cover her eyes. Although she’s against it, she did start counting. Donghae and Hyukkie, being boys, are fast runners and hid immediately, leaving Mi Young alone. She also moved and finds a hiding spot.

Donghae and Hyukkie hid behind a bush, with Donghae holding Hyukkie’s back to support him in crouching. Jessica finished counting, and the two had to refrain themselves from laughing seeing how frustrated the snob queen is. But that laugh stopped when they noticed how Jessica is nearing them. Donghae pushed Hyukkie down and is now on top of him. But they don’t seem to notice because they are busy being wary of the approaching girl. Seconds passed, and they’re still like that, but there’s no sign of Jessica. Donghae took a peek from the bush and saw that she’s gone.

“She’s gone…” he turned to the boy below him. “A-ah…hah…”

“Uhmm… Hae hyung, do you mind?”

“Sorry!” he quickly sat up, legs crossed, and scratched his head while looking at the ground from embarrassment.

“That’s fine”

----------

“Where could they be?” Jessica muttered as she kept on looking for her ‘friends’. She gave up on looking for them in the garden. Honestly, why would they hide there if it’s the closest place to the ‘it’. Obviously, they’ll be found first. She went inside, hoping that she’ll find them there. But as she seeks, she heard mad voices from a certain room. She took a peek, and saw the new girl being crowded by the girls there.

“Oh look. A new toy” one of them said, referring to Mi Young’s teddy bear, while she hugged it closer to her. “You wouldn’t mind sharing it, right?” at first you’ll think she’s merely offering to play with Mi Young. But if you look closer, like how Jessica is doing, you’ll see that glint in her eyes saying different. Mi Young can only whimper.

“Hey! Leave her be!” she commanded, as she march her way through.

“Tch” groaning in irritation, they can only leave the two alone.

“You okay, Mi Young?” Jessica asked, visible on her face is an obvious care.

“Y-yes. Thank you, Jessica”

“No problem. Come on, let’s go outside and look for the two boys” Mi Young just nodded and Jessica pulled her along.

----------

They rece again to the garden, where small speckles of frost flew past them. It was snowing. Once again, a smile of bewilderment covered Mi Young’s angelic face that Jessica can’t help but snicker at her childishness, although they are really just children, around 5 years old.

“Jessica! Aren’t they beautiful?” she asked while trying to catch falling snow.

“It is. If you didn’t block the view” she teased, and stuck out a tongue at the younger girl with her hands on her pocket trying to warm herself.

“Yah! You’re mean!” Mi Young slapped her arm playfully and they both laughed. But they stopped when they heard some ruffling at the bush nearby.

“Okay, okay, we give up. We’re here” Donghae proclaimed as he and Hyukkie rose.

“So you’re just there all along” Jessica said.

“Yes, we were. I don’t know why you had to go far away when we’re right beside you” Hyukkie mocked.

“But if Jessica didn’t come, I probably would have-“

“Shh! Don’t tell Hyukkie! He’s stupid!”

“What? You’re way stupider than me, Sica! What is it, Mi Young? Tell us, tell us” he said as he jumped up and down in excitement.

“Fufu. Nothing. Just, you can’t really judge a book by its cover”

Silence filled them. They really didn’t get what Mi Young just said. But to break the ice,

“Snowball fight!” Donghae suggested then threw a snowball at his dongsaeng. Then ran away laughing. Hyukkie gasped, but still went after Donghae and tackled him to the ground, tickling him.

Jessica, for the first time this day, laughed whole-heartedly with one hand on her tummy and one hand covering . Mi Young looked at her, surprise on her face, but that quickly changed to her signature smile and turned back to the two boys now piggyback riding at each other possibly playing air planes. That she is oblivious to what she had just done, she held Jessica’s hand with her own.