December 2004

Gangnam Avenue

"God bless you child"said the elderly nun after Minho dropped ten korean coins in the donation box.

He responded by showing his friendliest most beautiful smile the nun had ever seen.A cold morning breeze slapped his left cheek as he turned his head to the bookstore right across the street.The temperature was sub-zero that day,the entire region were all covered with snow,people strolling outdoors wore thick winter outfits.

Freezing in the cold weather,Minho inhaled the frozen air deep into his lungs and let it out slowly.A warm puff of breath hung in front of his face and felt the chilly breeze lifted the ends of his knitted blue scarf.

"So cold"Minho mumbled,trembling in coldness.He took his gloves from his pockets and walked with great slowness toward the bookstore.He was planning to buy the children in the orphanage christmas presents from the money he had saved from working as newspaper delivery boy at SDI.His family were very supportive of his advocacy especially his cool hippie grandfather Heechul.His parents and older sister Sooyoung donated a portion of their monthly income to the orphanage while his little sister Lami gave her old toys and clothes.Neighbors and friends described them as "kind-hearted decent people" because they were all active in church,charity works and community service.

He stood in front of the boostore and smile widely when he saw his favorite book "The Little Prince" on the store display.There was one particular person he wanted to give the said book as a christmas gift but he was hesitant to do it.

"She will just throw my gift in the garbage"he thought sadly.After the science lab incident,the daily punishment had stopped.The  hellish antics of pelting foods,burning of uniforms,tripping in the hallway,destroying of projects,putting reptiles in the locker surprisingly and miraculously ended.The brat from hell had toned down although she remained aloof and out of reach.She kept her distance to everyone and nobody had tried to approach her for fear of becoming her victim.

"Except Choi Minho"he thought smiling from ear to ear as he recalled that "one unforgettable afternoon" in the science lab where the devil had let him wiped her tears.He treasured that moment and had it buried on his mind. 

Another cold breeze lifted the tails of Minho's scarf and it danced on the air for a couple of minutes,making him shivered.With hunched shoulders and folded arms,he decided to go inside the bookstore but stopped cold when he saw Choi Sulli from a distance.She was walking in snow wearing pink pajamas and nothing on her feet.A handful of curious eyes were looking at her but she didnt give a single care and continued to walk.

Lines appeared on his forehead as he looked at her current state.

"What happened to her?"he wondered worriedly.

He grabbed her arm when she passed the bookstore and dragged her to a vacant bench across Gangnam Park.

"Get your hands off me!"Sulli struggled and tried to remove her arm out of his grasp but his fingers tightened.He ignored her protest and forcefully pushed her to sit down on the bench.

She shot him a threatening look as his hands stayed like steel over her shoulders."Do you wanna die huh?"she asked through gritted teeth.

He replied by smiling at her"You can kill me anytime you want but let me warm you first.Don't worry,I'am not going to ask you anything"he unwound his blue scarf and rolled it around her neck.He was expecting a violent reaction from her but to his surprise she didnt show any sign of retaliation.Her pretty face were unreadable and devoid of any emotion while looking at him

A happy smile touched the corners of his mouth as he withdrew the gloves from his hands and shoved them to her chilled hands.He continued warming her up by removing his winter jacket,socks and leather ankle boots and wore them on hers.He felt his feet starting to freeze but he managed to smile at her as if it didnt matter at all if he'd get frost bite and pneumonia later.

Sulli felt heat rise to her from his smile and pushed the scarf upward to hide her rosy cheeks. "Why are you doing this to me?why are you so nice to me?"she asked in confusion.

Minho made a few retreating step while hugging himself"Because I care for you"he confessed shyly then dash off  like a wind before she could make a reaction.

For the first time,Sulli felt as though her world became normal. "He cares fo