Minho pov:

“Minho bali!! The workers are waiting for us inside!” I looked up and nodded at key hyung.

I gazed at the photo of Hiro and I in my wallet once last time and placed it back into my pocket.

Time to work.

We filed into the recording studio where we are going to be on a Japanese radio station talking about our new Japanese single, “Kiss kiss kiss”

I actually wrote a Korean lyrics for this song first and then I gave it to our translator and he gave it to the Japanese writer. This is techiniquely my writing debut.

My first song for Hiro.

“So Minho kun, you participated in the lyrics of Kiss Kiss Kiss this time, am I correct?” The DJ asked me.

I nodded and smiled shyly.

“What was your inspiration for the lyrics? Is it from your first kiss experience?”

I instantly lit up after hearing the question. I laughed embarrassingly and responded. “I wrote this song for someone that is very precious to me and I really love this person a lot.”

The DJ seemed to be surprised with what I was saying. Normally idols would always say something along the lines of, “Oh no, is not from my experience but from what I hear from my friends”

I asked manager hyung before whether or not I can say it, and he said he was fine with it. I guess he probably feels guilty if he says no, now that Hiro is no longer here.

“This time is my first time  contributing to the lyrics, and I really want to dedicate it to this precious girl…for one line of the lyric, she was the one who taught me how to say it in Japanese, it goes, kimiga irukara bokumo waraerunda, which means because you are with me, I can smile”

“So who is this girl that you are talking about?” The DJ turned the music lower, so that the focus if on me speaking.

“Ah..she is a girl that left the world 5 years ago and I was with her for her last moment and I really treasure it”  My voice muffled towards the end and the DJ understood.

“That was excellent, thank you Minho kun, now let’s listen to the song by SHINee, kiss kiss kiss”

As soon as recording finished, someone ran to me with a phone. “Minho shii, a Japanese girl wants to talk to you, she insists that I have to pass the message before I can hang up, she says it is about hiro”

“Quick, hear what she has to say” I immediately answered and shouted at the worker.

I couldn’t understand a word he said and he simply nodded every now and then.

“So what did she say?” I asked once he hung up.

“She said that there is something that you might want to see in the Meji shrine at where the ema is”

I nodded and thanked him and ran out.

Meji shrine? What could it be that has to do with hiro?

Not knowing exactly what I am going to find there, I still went.

I don’t want to miss anything about Hiro.

~~~

The shrine wasn’t bustling with people since it was just a normal weekday.

Everyone there was doing their own little thing at the shrine

I looked around, searching for where the ema are.

I couldn’t ask anyone since I can’t speak Japanese.

“aish..emaga odieyo..” I uttered as I walked around.

“jigjin, waenjjok” I jumped as I heard someone telling me to go straight and on the left in Korean.

I turned around and saw an old man. “Annyeonghasaeyo” I quickly greeted the man.

“You looking for the ema right?” He asked in Korean.

I nodded and sighed in relief. “Just go straight and turn left, I’ll bring you there” He walked ahead and I followed.

“Are you here for a holiday?” He asked.

I shook my head, “Anieyo, for work”

“Harebang has been working here for a long, don’t see Korean kids coming here much”

He had a very heavy accent and the words that he uses is…odd. What is harebang?

“eh??” I gave him a confused look.

He laughed and looked at me. “Haraboji ….I am from jeju and I always think in jeju dialect, harebang is haraboji. Where are you from? Seoul?”

“I live in Seoul right now, but I am from Incheon” I scratched my head and smiled awkwardly.

“Incheon?” He seemed a bit surprised hearing my response.

I nodded.

He kept on walking and thought for a bit.

“I knew a little girl from Incheon as well, she is probably same age as you, it has been 6 or 7 years since I have seen her, but she left a few years back, she was a beautiful child”

I wanted to hear more and he seemed to have more to say but he stopped and I looked up.

Thousands of wooden plaques was hung on long racks.

“Come here, I’ll get you your own ema, so you can write as well” He went and got me a wooden plaque as well.

“Kamsahamnida” I took the plaque from him and walked towards the area where markers are provided.

I had no idea what I should write.

The old man was about to leave but I called out to him. “Harebang, can you tell me more about the girl?”

He smiled and nodded.

The two of us sat down on the steps and I was still holding on to the blank ema

“That girl came to Japan when she was very young, her school is a 10 minutes walk from here, she would walk pass here everyday when she went to school…Her parents were always busy at work and she had no one to talk to at first because she didn’t know how to speak Japanese, so she was glad to talk to me…I watched her growing up, she would tell me her troubles and I would give her advices. She would always talk about this boy that she really like from Incheon, sometimes she would tell me that she misses him a lot and sometimes, she is upset about him”

I couldn’t help but think that he is talking about someone that I know.

Hiro.

“What is her name?”  I interrupted and asked.

“Hiromi”

At that moment, I realise why I am here.

I took out my a notebook with photos of Hiro and I together.

“Hiromi Choi?” I pointed at the photo.

We exchanged glances and he simply looked at me and nodded.  

He stood up and went somewhere, when he came back, he was carrying a box.

“Every 5 years, the ema are taken down so there can be space for new ones, we would put It away, but I kept Hiromi’s…”

He handed me the box and signalled me to open it.

“I’ll give it to you now”  He patted my shoulder and started to walk away.

“Kamsahaminida” I stood up and bowed.

After the haraboji left, I sat back down and opened the box.

There was many emain there.

I took them out and read them one by one.

The colour is dull on most of them and some was smudged.

It was only then I realised that I don’t really know Hiro that well…There were many things of her that I didn’t know.

Then I saw a bright one, it looks like that it was written only a few years ago.

I finally met Minho oppa again, all those years of waiting. I hope that we can be together again…I miss the days when we were together, back in Incheon. I hope everything will go well for Minho oppa, and I will not let him shed a tear. I won’t let him frown. I will protect him until the end.

I held the ema tightly in my hand.

Thank you Hiro.

Thank you for loving me all along.

I took the blank ema out and grabbed a pen.

Please let me not disappoint the girl that I love. I’ll do my best for her, I’ll love her forever. I’ll make her proud of me. Hiro, I am always by your side, I want to keep looking at you, your innocent smile, you voice, it always shines on me. Because you are with me I can smile, only to you Kiss Kiss Kiss always.

I hung the ema up and took the box with me.

16.08.11

You all would have noticed that I have been updating a fair bit

I guess I like updating like this more, now that I don't feel any pressure in updating, and I am not that comitted to the story

I did think about having a sequel for Back to Day Zero, but I really can't commit to it so I will continue to update here instead

I hope you all have been liking my updates :)

also I want to give credit to SAKURADROPS347!! I was inspired by her to write this chapter ! :) THANK YOU!!

Thank you so much~

Comments are greatly appreciated ^^