I was so into it, I hadn’t realized that I’ve fallen asleep, my head nodding over to the side as I leaned against the tree, my hands placed on my lap.

I hadn’t realized that a certain dark haired male had already arrived and saw me in the moment.

Minho’s POV

I arrived at the park where Mi-ja was waiting for me, panting as I had to run here after taking a bus. I felt guilty for making her wait but I had to find my Polaroid camera, my personal camera (A/N: You know, the one he had on SHINee’s Fine Day?) and my bag. I thought it’d be nice to take photos together in this nice weather…

But as soon I came close, I saw a familiar reddish brown haired person sitting underneath the tree. Curious, I walked closer until I smiled, recognizing that sleeping person.

Aish, Mi-ja-ah… and she fell asleep waiting for me? I chuckled as I watched her sit there immobile, that gentle, peaceful look on her face as she slept.

I smiled at the scene, now taking out my Polaroid camera and peered into the glass, taking every details of the scene, capturing the female in front of me as well as the atmosphere before I pressed the button, hearing the soft click from the camera.

I waited for the film to come out first before I put back the camera into my bag, with the photo in my other, which I’m waving around for the air to blow onto it to make the picture appear faster.

I took a look at it and smiled when it came out perfectly. It really did capture the atmosphere—I caught myself staring at Mi-ja in the photo. Subconsciously, I reached into my back pocket of my jeans, pulling out something. It was another photo, and it looked exactly the same, but the difference is: it was taken a long time ago, the corners now folded up, and the girl in the photo is Mi-ja, except she was five-years-old at that time, and her appearance was different compared to the present Mi-ja, short hair and all. I sighed in bliss, remembering the time we met for the first time. I remembered how encouraging she was when she pushed me to get what I wanted. It was cute…

No-one’s POV

An eight-years-old Minho was running on the sidewalk, a frown on his face. He was running away from his home to get a bit of fresh air from the pressure.

I don’t want to… He thought, running with a camera around his neck. He had arrived at a park, panting from all that running. He clutched onto his camera and sighed.

“I don’t want to give up on sports…I don’t want to give up on my talents…” He mumbled. Why was life so hard for him?

“Mwo…? What do you mean I can’t be a football player?” He asked his father, his doe-like eyes wide in shock.

His father, who was a football coach, sighed and said, “You just can’t. You’ll have to be something else, Minho-ah.” He told him and he stood up from his seat, walking elsewhere. Minho followed him, of course.

“But… but I like sports! I also like rapping and taking photos too! If I can’t be a football player, then I can grow up to be an idol!” He exclaimed but pouted when his father shook his head.

“No, too much stress for you Minho-ah. You won’t be able to handle the important things in life. It’s best if you stick something easier, like running a business.” Minho grimaced at this.

Since when has business become the new trend? He hated that. Business means money and no happiness. He didn’t want that. His father thinks that everything he does is too hard for him when he grows up and it’s frustrating.

Minho wants to prove it to him.

He wants to prove it to him that even as a small boy, he can still do big things. No matter how hard it is, if he falls, he’ll get back up and start all over again.

“I don’t want to! I wish you didn’t see me as a baby who can’t take care of himself!” He yelled.

His father breathed out, “Minho—”

“No! I can take care of myself, like Minseok-hyung! I do not want to run some flimsy, boring company business!” And with that, he ran out the door, ignoring his father calling out for him.

He’ll never get him to believe in him at this rate.

He sighed once again, and looked around. The weather seems to be in a very good condition. He could hear birds chirping from the distance, and the sun shining down on him. He looked around and could see children playing, bright smiles on their faces. This brought a smile to his face as well, and began taking photos of the park, birds, anything that caught his attention.

But what caught his attention the most was the young girl sitting underneath the tree. He lowered the camera as he stared at the reddish brown, short haired girl who seems to be sleeping. She looked like a doll – her head was tilted to the side; her cheeks were flushed rosy pink, shining underneath the sunbeam that filtered through the small gaps of the leaves; her lips were pink, small but plump, and he could see the softness without even feeling them. Her position was doll-like too, the way her legs were straightened out with her toes pointing at each other; the way her hands were placed onto her lap. There were butterflies fluttering gently around her as well. He reminded her of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ for some reason – the scene itself feels like she just came out from a fairytale. It was just magical and surreal. Enchanted, he couldn’t help but take a photo of her as well.

Once he took out the film, he blew on it to make the picture appear faster. He grinned when he saw that girl in the photo; she looked so peaceful sleeping like that, cute too.

“I see you’ve taken a liking to my daughter.” A female voice was heard from behind. He quickly turned to see a tall woman with long dark hair smiling at him. His cheeks flushed red in embarrassment and he then started to apologize.

“U-Um, mianhaeyo… I didn’t mean to creep on your daughter, it’s just that—”

“She gave you that feeling that you decided to take a photo of her?” The woman smiled and patted his head. “Don’t worry, child. I do not blame you. Even I had that kind of feeling as well.” Minho bit his lips and looked back at the girl, who was now awake, her eyes blinking and cross-eyed when she had a butterfly on her nose. This brought out a laugh to both of them.

“Go ahead, talk to her if you wish.” The woman gestured him and Minho thanked her shyly before he hesitated on walking over to her.

The girl looked up at him when he came close, her big brown eyes staring up at him as she smiled, her cheeks growing pink. Minho was once again, enchanted, seeing the bright sparkles in her eyes.

“Ah, annyeonghaseyo~ it’s very nice to meet you!” She chimed her voice strong and bright.

“A-Annyeonghaseyo… nice to meet you too…” He said shyly, hesitating to sit on the spot the girl was patting next to him. Eventually he sat down next to her, smiling shyly at her who smiled back at him.

“What’s your name?” He asked.

“Mi-ja, my name is Baek Mi-ja.”

Mi-ja…what’s a nice name.

He nodded then looked away, fiddling with my camera. He had the photo still in his hand because she pointed it out, “Is that me?”

Minho’s cheeks went faint red and nodded. Mi-ja looked up at him and grinned.

“It’s a pretty picture! Yah, you could be a very good photographer! One of those model camera people! That would be daebak!” She chimed, her melodious voice ringing in his ears—in a good way, of course. It brought a smile to his face, happy to see that somebody appreciates his talents.

“I actually wanted to be a football player, but Appa thinks that it’s too hard for me and wants me to do something easier…I really like sports…” He mumbled.

“Ah~ jinjja…? I see~” He was shocked to see that Mi-ja quite understood on this—isn’t she younger than him? He nodded and spoke again,

“Ne, I also wanted to become an idol or a photographer, but he thinks that I cannot handle it. I’m eight years old and yet he still sees me as a baby.” He pouted and he felt a hand on his arm. He looked to see the girl grinning at her.

“Then, try hard and prove it to him! Show that you’re really good at football or good at being an idol! Show him your photos too! Show him that you can handle them yourself!” She said in a bright voice, and from the corner of his eye, he could see her mother smiling at her, proud with her words.

He chuckled and petted Mi-ja’s head, in which she looked up at him from the touch. She looks like a bunny… “Ai-goo, aren’t you at least five? How come you are speaking such wise words?” He told her, and she giggled at this, sticking her tongue out at him. “I’m… thinking of becoming an idol when I get older. I don’t care if Appa’s not happy with it or doesn’t agree with it fully, but I still want to pursue my dreams.”

“Then, do just that!” Mi-ja said determinately with a nod. He chuckled and stuck out his pinky finger.

“No matter how long, will you wait for me to show you that I’ve made it?”

Mi-ja looked at his pinky finger and said, “I can’t promise…” before looking at him with a smile, “But I’ll try!” She nodded and connected her pinky finger with his. “Ne, I’ll wait for you!”

Minho grinned and they both stamped their thumbs together.

They talked to each other for a long time—bickering most of the time when Mi-ja decided to nicknames him, “Frog-oppa” because he had big eyes just like a frog, in which Minho declined saying, “I do not look like a frog, babo! Say Minho! It’s Minho!” and tried to pinch her cheeks, Mi-ja squealing and flailing around to avoid getting her cheeks pinched.

He was saddened to see that the sky was growing dark, and she had to go home. He wanted to give her the photo of her as a present, but she refused and made him keep it, as instead of it being her present, it is Minho’s present for meeting Mi-ja. “Annyeong, Frog-oppa, I’ll see you someday!”

Minho’s POV

I smiled to myself as I stared at the sky behind Mi-ja, not paying attention to what she is doing as I held my personal camera in my lap. I hadn’t noticed her hand waving in front of me until her voice brought me back to earth,

  “Hello, Minho!”   She called out in English. My eyes snapped onto her, who was pouting at me, her round eyes squinting at me behind the lens of her big black-framed glasses. “Aish, Minho-oppa, jinjja, you are spacing out so much!”

I chuckled and shook my head, saying that it’s nothing of importance until realization hit me. I pointed at her with wide eyes, a grin on my face as I yelled out, “Yah, you called me oppa!”

Mi-ja shrugged, “So? Like in Hello Baby, you’re always in second.” She teased and I scowled a little at this, but I can’t help but laugh. I guess it’s true that I was somewhat always the second one Yoogeun-ah chose. I watched as she took a sip of her smoothie and looked elsewhere, a hand on her cheek, supported by her elbow on the table as her head turned to the right, showing her profile. The sun above shone her, her hair looking redder than usual, and I could see those faint freckles on her flushed cheeks. I like how her thick black glasses didn’t make her look like a nerd but rather, a model. (Which reminds me, I don’t get why everybody thinks she’s unattractive. She’s attractive to me…)

I held my camera up and decided to take a picture of her.

“Mi-ja~” I called out and not turning her head, she looked at me, in which I snapped the photo at that moment. She was surprised and putting down her smoothie, she made an attempt to grab my camera away, which I had pulled away from her reach.

“Aish, give me the camera! I probably look bad in that picture!” She whined.

“Mwo~ what are you saying? You look beautiful! Areumdawo~” I sang to her, pulling it out of her reach. She stopped trying to get my camera with a pout before a smile came upon her lips. I caught myself staring at those soft, rosy pink lips. They are almost heart-shaped like Key’s… is she a female version of him? I made a joke with myself to distract myself from thinking of even kissing her. I mustn’t really think like that—not now, at the least…

We spend the entire afternoon going around town, entering cafés and malls, enjoying ourselves. I also took pictures of her laughing and smiling, recorded some videos of her playing around and me speaking in the background, as well as her taking hold of my camera to record me in the video. And fortunately for me, no fans or paparazzi had seen me with her—I didn’t want Mi-ja to be caught into a scandal with me, she’ll worry about it too much.

We were both saddened to see that it’s already evening—it’s my cue to go and get ready for my schedule for the “Why So Serious” live comeback. I waved goodbye to her as I slowly walked backwards on the sidewalk, watching her wave at me.

“…Annyeong, Minho-oppa!” She called out with a bright smile on her face and I found that moment beautiful: the way the sun shone behind her and her hair looked golden at that moment rather than red. Her eyes brought sparkles and created a warm atmosphere. I quickly snapped one last photo of her and I could hear her laugh at this.

“Aish, oppa~ jeongmal…! Ai-goo, I’m going!” She called out for the last time. I continued to wave at her until her back was turned to me. I smiled, watching her go into the sunset. I took out the two Polaroid photos and stared at them. I can really see the differences: there’s a past Mi-ja and a present Mi-ja.

“I wonder if you had waited for me, Mi-ja, after fourteen years…” I mumbled to myself with a small smile on my face before I turned away, going on my own way.