Yoo Rin took off her boots and waded on the stream. She’s been running for almost 5 hours. The water cooled her aching feet. Geun Suk let her go. She should feel relieved or better yet happy but why does she have this overwhelming feeling of loneliness?

“Yoo Rin!!! HAN Yoo Rin!!!” Shin Kai yelled, His voice coming closer.

Damn! Yoo Rin let go of her boots. She started wading fathering into the stream, cursing the fact that she never learned how to swim. Shin always promised to teach her how to swim. Pabo! Shin was gone, who know where. Why is she thinking of that now? Too late now. Yoo Rin thought as she started wading deeper down the stream until she was waist deep in it.

“Yoo Rin stop!” Shin Kai yelled frozen by the shoreline.

Yoo Rin ignored him, her instinct told her to flee, Geun Suk let her go. She didn’t want to him efforts to go to waste. Yoo Rin waded deeper.

“Yoo Rin! The current is to fast. You’ll get-” Geun Suk yelled but before He could finish Yoo Rin vanished under the water.

“YOO RIN!!!”Geun Suk yelled and he dived into the water.

***
“That’s not fair. Geun Suk caught her then chooses to let her go. He caught her, we all saw that.” Ji-Hoo argued.

“No! No! No! You were always looking for the technicality, You old coot! The operative word is HE LET HER GO. Yoo Rin hasn’t been caught yet.”Rin Hyun countered wagging his finger at the whizzing Ji-Hoo.

“Geun Suk caught her fair and square.”

“Did not. She’s still out there! See.”

“He let her go because he’s chivalrous!”

“Chivalrous my foot! He’s an idiot? Why would he let a beauty like my granddaughter get away?”

“OH NO!” Choi said sharply. Then he ran out of the room.

“What?”-Rin Hyung said in a fighting pose.

“What?” Ji-Hoo replied with the same

One of the Ajjumma’s in charge of the house stared at the screen. She was used to the two old friends fighting. They were just no playing attention to what’s really important. “The little girl got swallowed by the water.” She stated watching Ji-Hoo’s favorite grandson fight the current in search of the girl.

“What?” Rin Hyung broke away to sees what he assumed to be Yoo Rin being carried by the stream’s current. “Yoo Rin! Ji-Hoo, my granddaughter doesn’t know how to swim!”Rin Hyung said clutching his chest.

Ji-Hoo watched his grandson swim like his very life depended on it. “The children are in danger! Hye Hwang, get me security. We have to get the children out the water before they reach the falls.” Ji-Hoo said to the Ajjumma.

***

Bong-hyung drove the Range Rover as fast as he could, Lee Jun sat beside him their fight forgotten. Yoo Rin was in the water. He shouldn’t have agreed with his grandfather to devise this game.

“She’s going to be fine.” Lee Jun said firmly, He said this to comfort Bong-hyung and himself.

“This is my fault. I knew better.” Bong-hyung replied ignoring Lee Jun. “Yoo Rin could be impulsive, hard headed a royal pain in the but but, she’s my baby sister. I should have protected her. I should have-“

“Ya! Bong-hyung. Stop it! Stop ranting!” Lee Jun said. “Yoo Rin isn’t alone. Geun Suk is there. He’ll make sure Yoo Rin is safe. Hell, that guy obviously loves her. Even I can see that.” Lee Jun stated slightly peeved.

Bong-hyung stopped the jeep abruptly. Lee Jun was almost thrown out the jeep. They were at the edge of the stream before the fall to the waterfalls.

***

Choi yelled at the security people. He swore under his breath. Idiots! They were all idiots. Planning for the most unusual Treasure Hunt for Annual Hibiscus Syriacus L. Academy school festival. They should have anticipated the danger. Their Treasure didn’t know how to swim for pete’s sake! Choi was more worried about Geun Suk. The man had no sense of safety when Yoo Rin is concerned. He might be the one that bites the dust, a day shy of his 20th birthday.

“Idiot!”Choi prayed silently for Geun Suk and Yoo Rin to be ok, as he waited for the security people to lay the nets out to catch both Yoo Rin and Geun Suk before they reach the falls.

***

Geun Suk felt his arms grow tired but he never stopped. Yoo Rin was being dragged by the current towards the waterfalls. He had to get to her before then. Geun Suk focused. This was his fault. If he didn’t let her go…if only he demanded her to stay with him…

***

Water filled Yoo Rin’s lungs. The world at least the world she was in at the moment was devoid of sound. In her minds eye she went back to what she considers the most important phases I her life.

+++ Yoo Rin is 2 years old and considered her cry baby by her oppa. The balloon her father bought her flew up in the big blue sky. Oppa shouldn’t have struggled with her for it and now it’s gone. Yoo Rin brawled and sat down on the garden floor. This was very unbecoming in a Sunday gathering of business associate and rivals. Yoo Rin’s mother tried to sooth her but to no avail. Yoo Rin even at 2 had a loud piping voice. Her mother was almost at the end of her rope when a small, chubby little boy around the same age as Yoo Rin came towards them with a red balloon in hand.

“Don’t cry. Just a balloon.” The boy said sitting down beside Yoo Rin getting his white pants dirty in the process. With one hand he gave Yoo Rin the string with the balloon, with the other he helped her up.

Yoo Rin stared wide-eyed at the chubby little boy and then held the balloon string tightly with her fist. She gave him a grateful smile. “You’ll be my friend! Annyong, I’m Han Yoo Rin.” Yoo Rin sniffling.

“Park Shin Hoon.” The chubby little boy replied smiling and offering his hand.

+++ Four year old, Yoo Rin just got her ears pierced and she became terrified by the blood and the pain she felt. Her ears felt heavy. A friend of her mothers pressed a little pistol like instrument on one then the other ear and the pain was indescribable.

Yoo Rin’s mother offered her all kinds of bribes to make her stop crying but to no avail. 6 year old, Han Bong-Hyung left to go to a neighbor’s house to escape from the noise. When Yoo Rin’s father arrived he had with him the Mr. Park and Shin Hoon.

“I couldn’t make her stop.” Yoo Rin’s mother said resting her forehead on her husband’s shoulder. “Sorry to bother you.” She addressed Mr. Park embarrassed at the fuss her daughter was causing.

“That’s alright. Yoo Rin must have been scared.”Mr. Park replied

“Yoo Rin Na is very sensitive.” Mr. Han stated with a nod.

Shin gave Yoo Rin’s parents a polite bow then followed the sound of sobbing. Yoo Rin sat with her knees to her chest. Her blue jeans at the knees were wet with her tears. Shin sat beside her, he started to pat her head.

“It must have hurt. The way you keep crying like that.”

Yoo Rin looked up at Shin and nodded.

“Can I see?”

Yoo Rin shook her head and covered her ears with her hands. “No! It’s all puffy and bloody!”

“No it’s not.”Shin replied pulling on the hands Yoo Rin covered her ears.

“It is too!”

“My Omma and your Omma them in their ears too. They wear those nice dangling shiny things on there.”

“They’re called earrings. Not dangling shiny things. Pabo!” Yoo Rin replied acting like a know it all.

“Earring then, I wish I could have my ears pierced too.” Shin said as he gently pulled Yoo Rin’s hands away from her ears. Shin studied Yoo Rin’s ears intently.

“Boys don’t wear earrings. Silly!”Yoo Rin said with a slight laugh. Her mother told her only girls have their ears pierced. “Why would you want holes in your ears? It’s very painful to get them. Your ears get all ugly and uncomfortable!”

“Because you have them.“ Shin replied. “I don’t want you to feel ugly and uncomfortable alone.”

“You promise to have your ear pierced?”Yoo Rin asked

Shin nodded. Yoo Rin stared at Shin’s earnest face. Yoo Rin hugged Shin tight. Shin her best friend in the world. Yoo Rin leaned over and gave Shin a quick kiss on the lip.

Shin froze. Not even his mother kissed him on the mouth. Yoo Rin un affected gave Shin her happiest smile.

Yoo Rin her pinky finger at Shin. Shin entwined his pinky finger with hers. “I’m so glad you’re my friend Shin.”

***

“Ya! Yaaa! HAN YOO RIN! WAKE UP! Damn it!”

Yoo Rin drifted back to consciousness. The sound of the rushing water over lapped with an urgent voice calling her name over and over again. Shin? Yoo Rin opened her eyes slightly. A blurry figure came into view. Yoo Rin coughed. It seems she stopped moving. Why?

“Yaaa! Yoo Rin Na! Keep your eyes open. Help me! I swear, I’ll kill you if you drown!” Red cap screamed at Yoo Rin throwing the red baseball cap in her direction hitting Yoo Rin on the forehead.

Yoo Rin looked at Red cap in astonishment “Yunji un-“ then she fell unconscious again