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For the umpteenths times this night, I tossed and my bed. No matter how I tried to sleep, I just couldn’t. I groaned and buried my face on my pillow in frustration. This was ridiculous. I needed to work tomorrow. I d my hand phone beside my pillow to check the time. 2.11 AM. Dammit.

I gave up.

I flicked the bed side lamp on and sat up. Looked around my room, wondering what the most boring thing I could do to fall asleep. Playing games surely was not in the options. Rather than bored, I might play until morning. My room was pretty neat and clean, so cleaning up was also not an option. And I hate watching TV!

Maybe I should read something. So I stood up and walked toward my book shelf. When I was passing through my fingers on book spines to select the title, my sight caught a worn out drawer beside my book shelf. I had that drawer from my school years and now I forgot all the things I put in there. Soon, my books are abandoned and I squatted in front of that drawer.

I opened the top one and found a huge pile of my old photos. Memories of my past rushed on my mind like a flood. Photos of me and my friends on school festival, on local soccer competition, on our class picnic to the zoo, and our graduation. Our faces were so young and full of laughter. It was so long ago since I met them.

I took a peek once again inside the drawer, made sure no photos I haven’t seen. But I found a small box instead. Simple blue box with my scribbled on top. ‘JH. Don’t forget’. It was been years since the last time I saw this box.

I chuckled, amused by naïve younger me. Something warm and funny flushed on my stomach, because I know exactly what would I find inside. I opened it anyway.

The white-and-red wristwatch. The color was already faded now, but I still remember vividly what it was look like seventeen years ago. In fact, I remember everything about that day he gave this to me. I lifted that wristwatch to observe closer. It was a common kid’s wristwatch with BioMan posing as the background. I chuckled at his cute taste. The time was stopped, but in the stopped time, the precious memories flicker. The small boy who gave me this white-and-red watch.

***

“Pilkyo!” he shouted and hurriedly ran after me when I turned around. “For you.” He handed me the wristwatch. “I know you like mine, so I bought you the similar one.” He said as he scratched his head.

I looked down at my hand with disbelief. How he knew that I like his wristwatch? He doesn’t even know me! Before I could say anything, he ran outside the school gate and went home.

***

As I held that wristwatch at my hand, I couldn’t help but thinking ‘Where is he? Where is he living?’

Did he grow taller? Would he remember my name? We were never at the same class, but it seemed like I met him often. He was a boy with little words, just like me. Even though we would met at the hallway or canteen, no words ever exchanged. I didn’t even know he knew my name until that day he gave me the wristwatch. Would he have a girlfriend? Just the thought of it made me smile. I sighed as I felt a feeling so familiar. “I really miss you, my friend.”

Another memory plopped out right after. It was rainy day and I was walking in the rain. I forgot to bring my umbrella and my mom couldn’t pick me up. She must be really busy at her restaurant. Even though I wanted to cry, I held back my tears. I hated being drenched in the rain. I never imagined that he would be waiting for me on school gate, so I just stopped walking. When he saw me, he shyly gave me a white vinyl umbrella. At first, I rejected it. But he stubbornly put the umbrella on my hand then ran off.

“Hey, what about you?” I shouted because now it was his turn to be drenched in the rain.

“I’m okaaayy..!!” he answered with a big smile on his face.

Where is that boy now? Maybe, without knowing I passed him by, I thought. But no, it couldn’t be. That could never happen. Because I remember the face of my friend whom I missed.

I never had the chance to say thank you to him. The day after, I was waiting for him on the gate to return the umbrella, but I didn’t see him. I waited every day for him with no success. Later that week, someone told me that he and his family moved out of town. That was pretty much the end of my first love. And I regretted it.

After I found out that he moved, I went home and literally crushed his white umbrella, just because I felt so helpless. His friends didn’t know where he moved to. Some even said about he went to other country. As I threw the ripped white umbrella, I cried. “Where is he?”

I should’ve thrown the white-and-red wristwatch too. But I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Maybe because that day he called my name. The first and only time he ever did. My sentimental side wouldn’t part with the wristwatch because I felt it held the memories. So I kept it inside a box as I always wanted to keep the memories.

Even after many years I couldn’t find any information about his whereabouts. It just like he was disappeared. No one seemed to remember him anymore. I once asked about him at our reunion. But everyone couldn’t recall him. Some would only say “Oh, that dark skin boy right? Ah, I forgot about him if you’re not mentioning it.”

I stood up and brought the wristwatch with me to bed. I sat and leaned on my pillow, still holding the wristwatch. Where is he? Should I call out his name? If I call out in a big voice, will he hear me? Because I was missing him, no matter how much time passed. Does he think of me? Just the thought of it made me smile.

“JH. Don’t forget.” I read the scribbled on the box.

Of course I wouldn’t forget. “I remember you. JH. Jung Hyuk. Mun Jung Hyuk. I really miss you, my friend.”

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A/N

This was based of After School's song titled "Wristwatch"

And I need to tell you, because I'm working on other fic right now, I can't update as often as before.. sorry...