------ Hee Jung's POV ------

“Morning, noona! Let’s go to school!” Junhong had come to my house at 7 p.m. 7 P.M.! School started at 8 p.m and it only took 30 minutes to get to our school!

“Arrasseo! Chamkanman gidaryeo!” (I know! Wait a minute!)

Aish, that little kid again! It was out of my mind that he kept following my everywhere, every time. To school, to church, even when I hanged out with my friends. He was too clingy on me!

All of his irritating habits started when his family moved from Gwangju to Seoul and occupied a house beside ours one year ago. His family met my family and then got closed. We were in the same school. He was in the 7^th grade and I was in the 10^th grade. My mother told me that I had to go to school with him since I was older than him and he was new yet didn’t know anything about Seoul, so I had to take care of him. At first, I thought it was okay and normal to take care of him, but then it was getting worse and irritating!

I had said to him once that I also needed my own privacy and not to follow me everywhere every time, but he just smiled dumbly and said that he didn’t know anything about living in Seoul and still needed my directions. And I all could do was just poker-faced.

I had played some pranks on him. I had left him in the school and went home by myself. He kept waiting and waiting for me, but it was ended by I was scolded by my eomma. My eomma spoiled him too much! I didn’t know exactly why she spoiled him SO much, but I guessed since my parents didn’t have any son, they, especially my eomma, considered him as their son. It was burdened me so much! I felt like I had a little brother to take care of!

We walked along the street to get to the nearest but stop and waited for the bus.

“Yah, have studied for the test?”

Junhong smiled and opened his mouth, ready to say something obvious but then I cut his words. “No quickie course for today and so on before the school bell.”

He pouted his lips. “Noona…” He started to beg. Our bus arrived and we stepped into it.

“No.” I put my bag on my lap.

“Noona, I’ll -…”

“Cry? Just cry! I’ll report you to your eomma.”

Junhong was frozened. I just smirked and leaned my back on the bus seats peacefully. At least he wouldn’t disturb me for 30 minutes in the school.

***

“Hee Jung-ah!” Baekhyun tapped my arm.

“Mwoya?” (What?)

“Your little baby is searching for his noona~ Hahaha…”

I looked up lazily. “Yah! Just go eat by yourself! I want to eat with my friends!”

“Noona… Kim ahjumma had told you -…”

“Aish!! Arrasseo arrasseo!!!” (I know I know!!!) I just could sigh then stood up. I didn't want my eomma gave me her preach again.

“Go take care of your little baby. How could you leave him alone? What a bad noona…” Amber made a hurtful expression.

All of my friends laughed, he really embarrassed me! Geez, I just wanted to be with my friends for a while. A WHILE! This little evil kid was really annoying. He was an 8^th grade boy, I really didn’t understand why he didn’t eat with his friends or just eat by himself?!

I left my friends that were still laughing at me and followed him to the park. We sat under the leafless maple tree that I was used to sit. I opened my lunch box and ate it quietly.

“Noona, why are you so quiet today?” He even asked it? Gosh, I really couldn’t stand with this kid anymore!

“Yah! Just eat your lunch!”

“How if I don’t want to?”

OMG, I really wanted to scratch his face! “Then why did you bring me here?!”

“I just want to meet you and have some chats with you. Is it wrong?”

“Yah, just go get a girlfriend and stop disturb my life! How can I get a boyfriend if you always cling on me?! I’m a normal girl, I need to hang out with my friends and someday I need to open a relationship with a boy too. Please understand me, Junhong-ie­, please…”

He was frozened. Did I say something wrong? He never acted like this before. Ah, no no no, I had to be strict this time towards him. I couldn’t be like this anymore.

“It’s okay if you come to my house to ask me about your school subjects but… your habits are out of control. You couldn’t be this clingy on me. You always want to eat with me, go home with me, and hang out with me. I need my own time too, Junhong-ie…”

Junhong just glanced the grasses he stepped on. “Noona, mianhae…” (Noona, I'm sorry...) He murmured.

What did he say? He said sorry? Was I misheard or something? But I thought my ears were still good enough to hear what he had murmured.

“Okay, just don’t do it again, Junhong-ie…”

***

I waited at the school gates. Where he was? He didn’t come? Was it because of what I had said? Was I too much?

30 minutes passed. Junhong still didn’t come. So I decided to go home. I walked to the bus stop and took the bus. Along the road, my mind filled with the thoughts of him. I felt a bit guilty as I remembered his expression when I scolded him and I had prepared myself to get scolded by my eomma for not came home with him. I just leaned my back on the seat and looked outside.

30 minutes hereafter, the bus stopped down. I went outside and walked home. My heart pounded faster as I reached into my house. What would eomma said?

I convinced myself that everything will be okay, I was just too paranoid. I took a deep breath and released it, then I knocked the door.

I heard footsteps that came closer, then the door opened. I held my breath.

“Oh, you’re already home? Why didn’t you tell me that you would have a group study? I would prepare more meal for you!”

I was just stood up like a statue. Group study? What group study?

“Why are you still standing there? Go in!”

“Eomma, how did you know -…”

“Junhong-ie told me that you would have a group study, so he went home by himself. Now, go in!”

I stepped into my house. He lied to my eomma? As far as I knew, he disliked to tell liar things. But why did he lie? Was it caused by my words? He lied to my eomma so I could go home by myself without got scolded by my eomma?

Now my mind was filled by him. His shocked and frozened expressions, his ‘sorry’ word, and the reason why he left me at school. I must be hurt him so much!

***

The following days kept going with the same situations. This was the 2^nd weeks. He seemed like avoided me and this thing made a big gap between us. It started to feel weird as he never went to school and went home with me again. I even didn’t find him played his skateboard at the school park in the break time as usual. Whenever we met, he was just pretended that I wasn’t existed! But strangely, I felt like I missed all of his clingy habits. It was like there was something incomplete.

I just sighed. I was so bored. So I decided to get to the school’s rooftop to get some fresh air.

I was just got to the rooftop when I saw a really familiar figure of a person. A person that had disturbed my mind this 2 weeks.

“Junhong-ie?”

His shoulders raised in shock. He straightly hid something behind his back.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I walked towards him and sat beside him. That cold winter wind blew again. I tightened my coat.

“N-nothing…”

“Why did you keep avoiding me? Was it because of my words? I’m really sorry for hurt you… I didn’t mean -…”

“I deserved that. I-I’m the one who should apologize to you…”

“Just forget it, Junhong, it’s okay.”

Junhong was just kept in silent. Me too. I didn’t know why but seemed like I hate silent between us now. It felt really weird for didn’t him say any words when we were together. I couldn’t stand anymore so I started to open a conversation first.

“Hey, seems like you’re hiding something from me. What’s it? picts?” I .

“N-no!” He hugged that sketch book tighter.

I grabbed that sketch book from his grip and took it. What? A sketch of a girl? What on earth?! Finally this little kid tasted what is love!

“Igeoseun nuguinga?  Neoeui yeoja?” (Who’s this? Your girl?)

He shook and bowed his head. “Then, who’s this?”

“You.”

This little kid humor sense had never changed. He always made a great out of the box humor. Hahaha, aigoo… It was me? Even the face shape hadn’t drawn properly!

“Yah, just tell me honestly. I’m a great secret keeper! You know me -…”

Junhong closed his eyes tightly. “Noona, I love you! Really really love you!”

I smiled. “Hahaha, yah, you’re still a little kid, you really don’t know what love is…” I patted his head. “I’ll treat you a cup of hot chocolate after school, okay? Wait for me at the gates. Bye.” I stood up and then I walked down the stairs. Maybe his brain frozen or something so he couldn’t think properly. He didn’t know what he had said.

***

I walked down the street with Junhong with a cup of hot chocolate in each other hand. We talked much today. I never knew that he was a good listener. It was fun to have time with him. I never knew that he would be a fun person to spend time with. Maybe it was just because I considered him as an annoying boy. Today’s experience was totally changed my view point of him.

“So, that’s why you are so clingy on me? You have a little trauma of living in a new neighborhood, because you had bullied before?”

Junhong nodded. “When I saw you, I saw you as my savior. I saw you as a person that could take care of me.”

I nodded again. I didn’t know that he had a horrible experience.

Finally, we reached our home. “Hey, my eomma told me that you should come to my house because she wants to give something to your eomma. So, let’s go in!” Junhong nodded. I walked to the front door and turn the knob.

“Eomma! I’m home -…”

“Hi.” My heart skipped a beat.

“Chunji?”