Zephyrs blew through the park, sweeping along the dry fallen leaves, flower petals and other particles.  Children laughed happily as they played in the playground, completely free of worries. Adults watched over the children like an overprotective hen over her chicks, exchanging a few chats and gossips every now and then. Dogs barked and sniffed at animate and unanimate objects alike. Cats meowed in irritation as they were agitated by the children. Birds chirped cheerily in their own anthem. It was a lovely evening. All was well.

 

A little girl, not more than five or six years old was seen walking alone at the edge of the vast park, without the company of an adult or whatsoever. The girl slipped out of her mother's sight as her mother was occupied with the conversation with the other women, a while ago. An ice cream cone in her hand, she beamed proudly, just like any other child would. She was reluctant to consume the ice cream but was subjected to the fact that the ice cream would melt sooner or later, so it's best to consume it anyway. Before she could barely have a taste of the ice cream,

 

"Watch out!"

 

BAM.

 

Everything seemed to have happened in a flash. And the next thing she knew, the ice cream that was once in her hand, was splattered on the ground due to the impact of an incoming football. The ice cream, her pride and joy was gone. Not literally gone, gone; the fact that it is no longer edible. Not knowing what to do and still shaken from the impact, the little girl started to cry.

 

"I'm sorry!", a boy came rushing towards her, "I told you to watch out-"

 

Words meant nothing to her now. All she cared for was her ice cream. "Uwaaaahh- I want my mummy-", the girl sobbed for her mother, seeking for refuge.

 

"Please don't cry-", the boy tried his best to console her as he stood infront of her with only the fallen ice cream separating them apart. He dorned an uncomfortable expression on his handsome face. The boy was clad in a simple tee and shorts, with a scruffy hair in tow. He was taller than the girl by a head, obviously a few years older than her.

 

The poor boy's apologies were drowned by the girl's constant sobs which got louder by the second. Not knowing what to do, he ruffled his hair in frustration. It was his first time that he'd actually made a girl cried. It was unintentional and was definitely an accident that the football had crashed onto her. His sharp ears caught hold of a familiar ringing sound. "Wait here-", he told her before rushing off.

 

He appeared at the same spot with an ice cream cone in his hands. "Take it-", he held the ice cream infront of her face. The girl seized crying, casting a stare at the ice cream and him. 

 

"Take it.. I bought it for you", he gestured at the ice cream.

 

She took a few short puffs of breath before exclaiming, "I d-don't like chocolate-", her eyes lingered at the chocolate ice cream in his hand and at the fallen pink strawberry ice cream on the ground. He looked at her in disbelief, he had actually gone all the way to buy an ice cream as a replacement and she actually rejected it, because she did not like chocolate.

 

"Aish-", his hair ruffled for the second time that evening, this time in frustration. Upon seeing her eyes welled up in tears again, "Alright, alright. Just wait here, okay?" He sped off grumbling something about ice cream and girls. 

 

The boy came back with a new ice cream and a lighter pocket. He grunted at her to take the ice cream, "Ooh- Strawberry!", the girl's eyes brightened up by the sight of it. And by this, the ordeal was soon forgotten, and the two children sat on the bench together. The girl with the strawberry ice cream and the boy with the chocolate ice cream she had refused earlier.

 

"What's your name?", the boy asked.

 

"Jessica", was the nonchalant reply from the girl.

 

"Don't you have a korean name?

 

The girl pondered for a moment, "Don't like it-", her nose twitched. It reminded him of a rabbit.

 

"I'm Jae Bum. Park Jae Bum. You can call me Jay"

 

"I don't like you and your name", the reply came as fast as ever. His facial expression crumpled in disbelief again. Never in his life he had actually met a girl like this before.  Girls are weird, he concluded in his mind. Although he was taught to respect girls, this time it would be an exception.

 

"But I bought you the ice cream! Two ice creams!", Jae Bum raised his fingers, displaying two fingers infront of her face, trying his best to emphasized, "Two!"

 

"You made my ice cream dropped!", the girl named Jessica got off the bench before standing infront of him with a hand on her hips.

 

The two children continued to bicker on the evening, with the result of little Jessica reduced to tears, yet again. "You're such a baby!", an esparated Jae Bum said.

 

"I'm not a baby!"

 

And that was the start of their friendship, the start of their story together.

 

 

 

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Oh, hi there. /hides behind the wall