Three years had passed. I graduated from high school and would enroll into university. It would be better if one or two of my friends attended the same university as me, but none of them did. I decided to go out of town and went to Seoul to reach my dream as a daehaksaeng of Seoul University majoring of Economics.

 

I lived in a little apartment near the university where the other students from outside the town lived in. I met two new friends who would live with me, Heewon and Soyu. They’d been very good friends of mine. I’d tell them a lot of things about me, and they did the same. They’re just like my own sisters.

 

The first day of college, I never expected to meet this guy again. After three years of our separation as neighbors, I had to meet him at this school. He looked different. He was taller and being more handsome. I saw him laughing and talking with his bunch of friends. He didn’t see me though. I kept looking at him until he left. I was still amazed that finally I would reunite again with my childhood best friend. However, he didn’t seem like going to be friendly to me as before.

 

One day, when I was walking along the hallway, I saw him talking with his two friends at the locker. He did see me, indeed, but that’s all. He didn’t greet nor smile to me. I didn’t have courage to call him. I was afraid if he forgot about me and would just humiliate myself by calling him.

 

The next days were just the same. I thought our friendship would never return to the old times. Even thought I missed him badly before, now as the time passed I used to just looked at him. Now we were at our sophomore year and we still didn’t talk to each other. It’s just sometime our eyes met, yet he acted like he didn’t know me.

 

That day, I saw something unexpected. A group of girls, about 7 girls, were surrounding him. I never knew he was so popular. Yes, he had some fans back then in the Junior High, but none of the girls approached him directly like this. The scene made my mouth hang widely. Wow, his popularity was not a joke! I was nothing compared to those pretty girls.

 

“Woah, here we come, some crazy fan girls!” Heewon exclaimed beside me. I looked at her. It seemed like she used to this kind of view.

 

“Is he really popular?” I asked her.

 

“He’s jjang!” Soyu said. “He could pick any girl he wants in the school, or maybe in this town.”

 

“Hah, you’re kidding! He’s just a common student, not a celebrity,” I said.

 

“Don’t deny it! You’re also attracted to him, aren't you?” Heewon shot.

 

“Me attracted to him? There are many guys way more handsome than him, why would I?”

 

Heewon smiled mischievously. “I noticed you often look at him whenever we passed him. Don’t lie!”

 

I didn’t know how she noticed those things, but it made me blush. Did I really always look at him? I turned my attention to him. He was trying to shun himself from those girls. I held my laughter as I saw him winced because I thought a girl had stepped on his foot unintentionally.

 

“See? Don’t refute it anymore. I can see clearly you’re lying.” Heewon laughed, so did Soyu. I blushed even more.

 

“Minkyung-sshi!” I heard Changmin shout. All of attentions turned to the girl Changmin called. The quite pretty girl smiled at him. She has a long straight hair and a dimple in her cheek, making her more attractive. Her fair skin made her glowed. Changmin ran to her, while the girls who surrounded him before gaped at their place. “Where will you go?”

 

“Ah, I’m just going to the library,” she answered softly.

 

“Can I come too?” he asked pleadingly. What a rare thing! I never saw Changmin begged to someone in my whole life. It was the first time. Was this girl special for him? I felt my heart ached.

 

“Sure.” And they left the place together. The fan girls were mumbling something. But for sure, they were upset by it. Heewon and Soyu patted my back.

 

“Yah, I’m not one of those fan girls. I’m not interested in him. Let’s go!”

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Day by day, I managed myself to not remember what had happened between Changmin and the Minkyung girl. I acted like I didn’t care even though I did care. I was afraid if I would get hurt because of my feeling. I wasn’t sure what kind of feeling it was. If it is love, then did I really love him because I always thought that he was still the same Changmin I’d ever known or because he’s the popular Changmin that almost all the girls in the school loved?

 

I sighed. I’d been thinking about it too much lately. I packed my stuffs and went out of class. I had a tryst with Soyu in the ice cream shop, so I quickened my pace. As I passed the quiet wall magazine, my steps stopped. There was an announcement of dance party for the senior years. It reminded me of something, my and Changmin’s time capsule. I wrote that I want to go to the dance with him. I smiled remembering those times with him when we were children.

 

“Spring Ball for Senior Years,” someone read it loudly behind me. The person stepped one step to stand beside me. I turned to him. To my surprised, it was Changmin. He looked at me, startled. It seemed like he didn’t know that it was me who stood in front of him before. We got caught in very awkward situation. I didn’t know what to do, so I looked again to the flyer. I thought Changmin did the same. He put his hands in his trouser side pocket awkwardly.

I didn’t want to start the conversation even thought I wanted to, so I kept quiet. Changmin, in the other hand, seemed so uncomfortable with the atmosphere.

 

“It’s been a while,” he said suddenly. I felt a tinge of joy as I heard him.

 

“Uh-huh,” I said, “it’s been a while.”

 

“How have you been?”

 

“I’m fine,” I tried to look up to him. Yes, he’s so tall. “How are you?”

 

“Good. You…don’t change much.” Now, he looked at me, smiling. What was this feeling? I was never nervous when I talked to him before. Maybe, because it was the first time I talked to him after almost 5 years.

 

“Really?” I didn’t hear Changmin answer me. Aigo, just say something, Lee Yoora! “You don’t change much too.” Liar. Liar. Liar. You’re such a liar, Lee Yoora. What do you mean by he don’t change? He changed a lot.

 

There’s awkward silence in the air. I was not good at melting the situation.

 

“So, where do you live now?”

 

“I live with some friends in rented apartment. And you?” I couldn’t stop cursing at myself. What ‘and you’?? It’s such a plain question. You just showed what a foolish you are, Yoora-ya!

 

“My parents and I live at an apartment in Gangnam. Come visit if you have time! But, they’re not at home in the meant time. They’ve been busy lately. I think they’ll be so happy to have you visiting them.”

 

I was so happy to hear that. A smile crept to my face. Then suddenly my phone rang. It was Soyu. Crap, I forgot I had to meet her! She would be mad at me. I quickly answered the phone. “Yes, I’ll be there. I’m on my way!”

 

I turned to Changmin again. He gave me an understanding look. “I’ll talk to you again next time. Mianhae, Changmin-ah,” I apologized.

 

“Gwenchana. Your friend must be waiting.”

 

I smiled to him then ran to meet Soyu. Smile couldn’t leave my face as I walked in to the shop. Soyu looked annoyed. She crossed her arms. I apologized to her for several times. Today was the best. I never expected Changmin would talk to me again.

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I was fiddling my pencil as I sat at my study desk. The day after tomorrow was the day when Changmin and I should open our time capsule. I didn’t know if he still remembered about it. It was normal if maybe he thought that it was what little kids would do, but for me, I still want to open it. I didn’t know how to tell Changmin about it. I was positive he definitely had forgotten about it.

 

That morning, I was standing by the gate, waiting Changmin’s appearance. I didn’t know why I did it, but after yesterday, I was sure, Changmin would recognize me like before. I looked at my cell phone clock since I didn’t like wearing watch. It showed 8:23. Did he not have morning class today? What a waste! I didn’t think about it before.

 

Just as I was going to leave my place, someone put his/her hand on my shoulder. “Gathi gaja!” he said.

 

Oh, it was Changmin. I felt my face flushing. “You scared me,” I said.

 

He laughed. “What were you doing standing there alone?”

 

I didn’t know how to answer him. I couldn’t tell him the truth, could I? What if he thought I was strange? “Just waiting for someone,” I said. I wasn’t lying, right?

 

“Who? Your boyfriend?”

 

“NO!” I said. “…just friend.”

 

He nodded but didn’t ask again. I was hesitant whether I should ask him about our time capsule or not. And Changmin seemed to notice my awkward tone. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Uh? Nothing.” I really didn’t want to talk to him about it. I wished he remembered, so that I didn’t need to ask him about it. But as I knew, Changmin wasn’t the type who understands what’s really going on. If I didn’t ask him, I was sure he wouldn’t show up tomorrow.

 

“Do you…do you have free time tomorrow?” I asked him.

 

“I’m not sure. Why?”

 

“Just…I’m wondering if you…,” I thought about it. How to put it in sentence? Just then, Heewon called me from behind. She had that strange look on her face, like questioning me on what I was doing with the popular Shim Changmin. I had to go to my class, so I told him that I’d talk to him after class.

 

I’d decided it that I had to ask him about it. Honestly, I really wanted to be close again with him like in the past. I didn’t know if he wanted the same thing or not. So after class, I ran to cafeteria, where he told me he would meet me at. I saw him eating a big size of hotdog. I thought he didn’t change after all.

 

“Changmin-ah!” I called him. He looked up and let me sit. I took a seat in front of him. I waited for him to swallow his hotdog.

 

“Mian,” he smiled.

 

“It’s okay. Seems like you really enjoy it,” I smiled back. “Uhm…thing I want to talk about is…I hope you remember so I don’t need to tell you.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Our childhood. Do you remember it?” Changmin was puzzled. He waited for me to explain to him. I sighed. It would be very embarrassing if he remembered but he actually wanted to forget it. “We made something when we were in 3rd grade. It was in summer. Do you…remember?”

 

Changmin was quiet. He took his cola and sipped it. “I thought you want to talk about another thing.” I was surprised by his words. Did it mean he actually doesn’t want to talk about it? “Do you think it’s still there?”

 

“I’m not sure either. But, even if in fact it isn’t there anymore, I want, at least, go there together again,” I whispered the last part.

 

“But I have full class tomorrow,” he said. I was disappointed. I did have classes too tomorrow. But, only for this long-awaited day, I wanted so badly to go even though I had to ditch classes. I knew that I shouldn’t force him to come. If he didn’t want to come, then he shouldn’t come. For others people, it’s just a childhood moment that you would eventually forget. And maybe, Changmin thought the same too. But, I wouldn’t ever get rid of our memories together. Even mom once said that I was thinking too much about Changmin after he left. She said that he was my very first love, my puppy love. I didn’t know what was she meant back then, but as I grew up and found out my feeling hadn’t change, maybe she was right.

 

“Okay, I understand,” I said and forced a smile. I was going to leave my seat as Changmin said something.

 

“I really wished it isn’t there anymore. You will regret it if you open it,” he said and continued his lunch.

 

What he didn’t know was what he just said made me so curious. Why did he say that he wanted the time capsule to disappear? I remembered clearly he once said that he wanted our time capsule to be stolen. Did he really want to get rid of it? I didn’t understand.

 

I was so disappointed that I wanted to cry.

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A/N: "I made it in a rush. So sorry, for the mistakes."