The boy started to wail loudly at a young girl. In her hands was a spade that she had conveniently taken from the wailing boy. The girl chuckled and proceeded using it to build her sandcastle.

 

The door behind the two kids opened and out ran 2 older girls towards the younger kids.

 

"Kim Hyoyeon, what did you do?"

 

Her older sister demanded as she watched the other girl patting the back of the boy, calming him down.

 

"Taeyeon, don't shout at your sister, I'm sure she didn't mean it."

 

"Hyoyeon, apologize."

 

Hyoyeon stuck out at her tongue at her sister before turning to the still crying boy.

 

"Sorry."

 

Hyoyeon casted her eyes downwards as she peeked at Tiffany, the other girl who was calming the boy down.

 

"All right Hyun, don't cry anymore you are a big boy, and big boys don't cry."

 

Hyoyeon listened to the words of Tiffany and heard the wailing calm down into sniffles. Deciding that she should show that she is sorry, Hyoyeon held out her hand. Hyun looked up confusedly at the girl with his puffy red eyes. Giving a smile, Hyoyeon tried to prove that she was friendly.

 

At first, Hyun was skeptical but slowly and with the encouragement of his sister, he reached out his hand and put it onto Hyoyeon's outstretch one. That marked the start of their friendship.

 

That year, they were 5.

 

---

 

"Yah! You thief!"

 

The furious guy pointed a finger at the blonde girl who was bursting out in laughter.

 

The pair was lazing around playing quiet monopoly during a weekend until a furious brunette scolded his playmate for being a thief. Apparently he had checked his 'property' to find that at least half of his money and houses had made their way over and blended in the blonde's property without him knowing. When he finally accused the girl of stealing, the blonde just shrugged and laughed at his face. This caused the brunette rise even more in anger.

 

"Hyun..."

 

The door to a bedroom opened and out walked two girls who seemed worried and alarmed by the commotion.

 

"What happened?"

 

"Nothing noona. Its just that she stole my money."

 

"KIM HYOYEON!"

 

Another voice interrupted as stares were being directed towards the said girl. Hyoyeon put on her best smile and blinked innocently, hoping to ease whatever anger that might be directed at her.

 

"Taeyeon unnie, I was just playing."

 

Hyoyeon stuck her tongue out an shrugged her shoulders.

 

"Hyun. Hyoyeon is just playing with you."

 

"But she stole my property."

 

The girl whom the young boy complained to gave a sigh before turning her attention to the seemingly innocent girl.

 

"Hyoyeon, can you please return the properties back to my brother?"

 

"Okay, Fany unnie."

 

Hyoyeon chirped happily as she carefully took out the pile of properties and money in her hand and placed in on the other side of the board.

 

"All right, Hyun. Hyoyeon has returned you the properties, can you go back to play the game?"

 

With that, Hyun returned to his seat opposite the girl whereas the two girls returned to the room. Once the door of the room closed with a lock sound, Hyun immediately took up the horse piece, which belonged to Hyoyeon on the monopoly board and placed it at the jail square.

 

"There! Thieves have to be jailed!"

 

Hyun said with an arrogant smile whereas the blonde just shrugged and smiled innocently.

 

That year, they were just 10 years old.

 

---

 

"Yah! Thief!"

 

A furious boy chased a red-hair girl, who was giggling away while making her escape down the corridor. In her hand was a wallet belonging to the dark-haired boy. She had caught him sneaking glances at his wallet and had wondered the reason behind it. Hence, she snatched the wallet from his hand, taking a glimpse at the picture, which she found her to be one of the prettiest girls in school, Im Yoona.

 

She did not know why, but her heart hurt with knowing that he was keeping a picture of Im Yoona in his wallet. This meant that he likes her, didn't he? Who else would keep a picture of someone other than his loved ones in their wallets?

 

"Hyoyeon?"

 

Hyoyeon jolted out from her thoughts as she turned to face him. Finding him staring curiously at her, she felt that he was too cute to resist playing on him. Hence she ran out of the classroom in a flash, raising the wallet in the air as she ran down the hallway. This sparked the chase between the pair as they went about their ballistic mode on each other.

 

That year, they were 15.

 

---

 

"Yah! Thief!"

 

A familiar voice of the furious guy was heard as he ran down the road chasing after a certain blonde. The blonde was holding a bouquet of flowers in the air as she dodged the on-coming traffic of cars on a busy street. Behind her was a familiar silhouette of a particular brunette who was chasing the blonde frantically.

 

"Kim Hyoyeon! Come back!"

 

"Come and catch me Hyun. You are so slow. How are you going to catch Im Yoona?"

 

Hearing that, Hyun increased his speed and ran for all he could. He was going to propose for Im Yoona to be his girlfriend and hence the banquet. He was supposing on his way to Yoona's house when Hyoyeon suddenly came up to him and snatched the flowers from his hand. This sparked a chase for the flowers between the pair.

 

That year, they were 18.

 

---

 

"Yah! Thief!"

 

The sentence was blurted out when a familiar tanned hand reached out to snatch the bill from the cashier's hand.

 

Hyun was at a restaurant with his girlfriend, Yoona for a date, but unfortunately, the poor guy had to forget to bring his wallet hence resulting to him calling on his best friend, Hyoyeon for help.

 

The girl had arrived within 10 minutes after the SOS call and was already at the cashier, paying for the meal. Hyun was there too; taking the opportunity to thank his best friend while his girlfriend was in the washroom.

 

However, before he could check the bill for the meal, it was already snatched by Hyoyeon and given to the cashier along with her credit card. Turning her attention to the confused guy, she just smiled while patting on his back just like how a friend or a sister would.

 

"Thanks!"

 

The word left the tall guy's mouth only to realize that the girl who was supposed to receive it had long been gone. Searching the resturant and outside the streets, he gave up when he could not find her.

 

It was then that Yoona came out that he turned his attention towards her. Smiling brightly, he gracefully offered her a hand as he led her out of the restaurant. However, what he did not know was that a pair of eyes was following him out onto the crowded street.

 

That year, they were 20.

 

---

 

"Yah! Thief!"

 

The drunken man shouted loudly in the bar, earning stares from people who were partying the night away. That night, he was dumped by his girlfriend of 2 years for the reason, which he was not sure. The only thing he knew at the moment was drinking his heart out and getting drunk until the bottle was snatched away from his hand.

 

Looking up in his drunken stupor, he was able to make out the face of his best friend who had always been by his side.

 

"Come on Hyun. Let's go home!"

 

Hyun felt his body being lifted up slightly before slumping back down into the sofa. He could feel the body of Hyoyeon pressing against him when she fell on top of him due to his weight.

 

"Hyoyeon..."

 

He called out as he wrapped his arms around her.

 

"It hurts."

 

Hyoyeon shook her head as Hyun as she tried to get free from his grapse.

 

"Come on Hyun. Let's go! Tiffany unnie would be unhappy to see you drunk."

 

"No I want to drink!"

 

Hyun reached out to the bottles of beer on the table with one hand still grabbing the girl on the waist.

 

The moment his fingers felt the bottles, it was taken away in an instant causing the man to groan in frustration.

 

"Thief!" he cried.

 

"Come'on. You shouldn't drink anymore. Let's go home."

 

Without waiting for any response or struggles from the guy, Hyoyeon signalled to a bouncer to help her carrying the poor man out to her car.

 

That year, they were 22.

 

---

 

"Yah! Thief!"

 

Hyun clutched the photo close to his heart as he cried. It was a photo of two children, one of which was a blonde with a certain mischievous smile and the other was a brunette with an innocent smile. With this photo, he was reminded of the times and years in which they had spent together. They had created many memories, one of which was how Hyun had always called Hyoyeon a thief for snatching his things, to which the girl did not seem to mind at all.

 

Usually, the boy would shout "thief" in irritation or frustration, however this time, it was cried out in agony.

 

It had been hours since Hyoyeon had left for the States. It was found out that the girl was suffering from having a hole in her heart, an illness that she had since young, but Hyun had failed to know or noticed. Throughout his friendship with Hyoyeon, he had never known about the girl with illness. There were times in which Hyoyeon would be absent from school or disappeared, but he had always bought her story of skipping school or going overseas. It was till the day in which she collapsed before his very own eyes that Hyun realized how serious and critical Hyoyeon's condition was.

 

By the time he recovered from his initial shock of knowing the truth, the girl had already boarded the plane and was flying off to the States for a better chance of survival and recovery. Therefore, there he was cooped up in his room, holding their pictures bear his heart and crying his heart out. It was then that he realized she had stolen his heart.

 

That year, they were 24.

 

---

 

"Yah! Thief!"

 

Laughter filled the air as a familiar blonde skipped away and a certain brunette was chasing her. Within seconds, he had chase up to her managed to grab her by the waist and pulled her down on to the sand while his fingers continued their attacks in pressing the sides of the girl's waist. The sound of the girl's tinkling laughter filled the air as the couple continued their assaults, oblivious to the stares or grins of other beachers around.

 

It had been 3 years after the surgery and 2 years since the girl returned with a warm welcome to Korea and 1 year since she was married to the handsome bachelor. It had been a rough relationship for them since the start, but nevertheless it blossomed into something more.

 

"Are you still going to call me a thief?"

 

The couple was sitting by the sea, cradling each other as they relax themselves in the cool sea breeze.

 

"Why?"

 

"I don't like to be called a thief. It's not a nice word after all."

 

Hyun looked into the eyes of the girl he loved as he smiled gently.

 

"Well, you will always be a thief."