“Good Morning.”

“Ahhh!” I shrieked as soon as I close our apartment’s door the next morning.

“Is that how you respond when someone politely greet you?” Hongki commented with a blank expression painted on his face though I can sense that he was quite displeased.

“Eh? Are you mad? I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” I bowed almost ninety degrees.

“Why do keep on asking for forgiveness?” he sound irritated.

“I’m sorr—“gasps “I’m—“

“Sshh! Let’s get going before the bus leaves us behind,” he said as he begun to walk to the direction of the elevator.

I pouted as I followed him without any protest.

~~

“You know what? You’ve changed a lot,” I started as we waited for the bus.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Hongki looked at me sideways his eyes speculative.

“You seem a lot quite and serious now as compare when we we’re just kids because from what I recall Hongki was such a naughty kid. Another thing is that you don’t even tease me anymore because you even tried to make me stop crying last night,” I explained attentively.

“Yeah all of us change you know but about teasing you? Who said that I even changed that—fatty?” he smirked enjoying it now.

“YA! I’m not fat, you see!” I put my hands on my hips making my line visible; straighten up my back and had my chest out. I looked at him proudly with ‘see-how-y-I-am’ written all over my face but he immediately looked away. Then I realized that we weren’t kids anymore. He’s a guy and I’m a girl, of course it is awkward showing off my body like this. Babo. In a hurry, I recomposed myself and let out an awkward laugh.

Breaking the silence, he said, “But you, you didn’t change at all.”

“Eh?” I looked up since I had my head bowed after what I just did.

“The way you cry. It didn’t change. You were the only person I knew who has that way of crying that’s why I had an idea who you were.”

I didn’t know how to respond. He hasn’t forgotten about me after all. Why? What does that mean? Is his childhood memory that precious too that he couldn’t forget about it? Though I’m just a part of it, even though I’m not the whole reason he couldn’t forget his childhood, it made me happy at least.

“Ya? Aren’t you coming? You’ll wait for another 15 minutes before another bus stop here,” a voice interrupted my thoughts.

Hongki was already on the bus when I saw him. I hopped in and sat beside him.

“Hongki ah?”

“Waeyo?”

“Uhmm just want to ask. Why did you call me fatty when I wasn’t even fat before? And why do you always make me cry and then laugh after?”

He looked at me for a second, I expected for an answer but he ignored me and turned his attention outside the window.

“YA! WAE?! WAE?!”

“Ya! Don’t scream! It’s not like I’m at the other mountain,” he paused and hesitated for a second but continued. “I called you fatty because you’re cheeks were chubby and I made you cry often because I thought you were cute when you’re chubby cheeks got red and lips quiver. So don’t ask me anymore okay?” as soon as he finished he put on his white ears phones and closed his eyes.

Eh? Eh? Eh??!!

~~

Eh? Eh?! Did I hear him just right? Or something just got stuck in my ears that sound waves couldn’t get through?  Was I hearing things.

“Yafatty, is that your new hobby now, eating pencils while thinking hard? Don’t over do it you’re brain might explode,” a mocking voice disrupted my thoughts.

“Eh?” I put the pencil which I have been biting the whole time, away from my mouth as soon as I heard the familiar voice.

Hongki sat on the chair in front of me. He had his hands on the back of the seat while his head rested on his palms. His eyes danced as he continued to watch me. The site disturbed me and so I jumped up in order to avoid his alluring stare.

“Wae? Why jumpy all of a sudden?” he frowned as if it wasn’t his fault that I was unresponsive after what he said this morning.

“A-aniyo,” I sounded defensive.

He stood up and sighed, “Let’s go and eat lunch then.” He started walking with his hands inside his pockets.

~~

“I thought we were going to eat lunch?” I asked in confusion as I trail behind and keep up with Hongki. He was too fast.

“Yeah were eating lunch,” he answered without facing my direction.

“But the cafeteria’s at the opposite end?”

“Is that the only place we could have our lunch?”

“Eh?” question marks were written all over my face.

He turned his head to me and then…..smiled.

He is dazzling.

~~

My mouth gapped as soon as we entered a green house behind our school. The outside makes it looks dull, as if it’s nothing impressive at all but as soon as you enter, it would blow up your mind. Inside it was a small and simple yet breathtaking and sensationally gorgeous garden. It was showered with different kinds of flower which gives the mesmerizing fragrant scent of the place. The ceiling wasn’t that high and so there were few hanging plants while few vines grow on the walls. At the center of green house was a fountain which wasn’t working but looks well taken cared of while a pathway leads to the end of the sea of flowers where a wooden swing stood.

Hongki directed me to the end of the pathway. We we’re almost there when I noticed there were foods prepared for the both of us which were placed on a table at the side near the swing.

‘Wow!’ was the first thing that escaped my mouth.

“See? Cafeteria’s not the only place where we could eat. In here, we could eat in peace,” he said almost as if bragging.

“You even prepared lunch for us!” my voice sounded so impressed. I didn’t know if I would be embarrassed because of the fact that he went through all of this just for me or would be touched because he actually did this just for me? I didn’t even know what I really meant.

He smiled almost proud of himself. “Students don’t go here often so I always come here to pass some time even though I’m not really a nature lover. It’s just that it reminds me of a place where we used to go, remember?”

“Eh?” I tried to recall but I couldn’t retain any information at all.

 He rolled his eyes as he opened the food container, picked up two kimbaps and shoved both to his mouth. He was munching like a cute little child with his cheeks looking as if it were swollen. “We always have gone to that place in our minds right?”

I tried to recall again and all of a sudden the memories came rushing to me.

It was the first time I met Hongki. I was crying that day when he first approached me; he asked me what’s wrong. I pointed at the pot where the sun flower I was growing withered. I couldn’t remember well but the next thing I knew was that he ran out of the classroom and went back with a blue flower in his hand. It was a Scarlet Pimpernel, though I didn’t know what it was called back then. He held it to me so as to stop my crying parade, it worked. He sat beside me, commanded me to shut my eyes close, and then he started describing a garden with full of colorful flowers, he let me imagine I was there and was sitting on a swing in which he was pushing. I was delighted back then and whenever we had time, we would try to imagine that place and as we visit it, the more the flowers grow and the more it makes it look like a reality.

“Remember it now?” again; the same voice interrupted my thoughts. “You were out of it for moment.”

“YES I REMEMBER IT WELL!” I exclaimed.

“You don’t have to shout, it’s not like I’m deaf or something. Oh well shall we eat now? I’m quite hungry just watching you recall the past,” he got the food container and sat on the swing. He patted the empty space beside him motioning me to take a sit.

 “What’s this for anyway?” I asked as soon as I sat down.

“Eh?” he seemed alarm now, like he too wasn’t sure why he was doing this. For a while, I thought he lost his cool. “W-well you could take this as mmm—a pay back? Yes a pay back for the dinner last night or— a welcoming party maybe.”

“Chincha?” I half smiled.

“Ne.”

“Eh?? I didn’t know you were this sweet,” though it sounded like a joke, I do mean it. I smiled widely this time.

He stared back, his gentle eyes fixed on me for moment and then he smiled brightly I could use a pair sunglasses.

My mouth stopped munching, automatically swallowing the bolus. My whole body seemed to malfunction; my breathing stopped, blood rushed to my face while my heart rate suddenly increased. I wasn’t really sure what was going on but one thing for sure was that this guy in front of me caused it all.