The exhausting and stressing days of the last exams are finally over. It was a month away from the graduation day, but the students of the Seoul High had already shown their excitement in regards to the upcoming event with various preparation far away from the date. As Holidays has always been the tradition for everyone to reward themselves for the hard work they went through, many spend with families and friends that they’ve known for the past three years in the high school. But for Nicole Jung, she had none.

She had no families or relatives to spend the holiday with. Her own best friend had been very busy than ever—even busier than before the exam—unknowingly, for her. It didn’t mean she has no other friends in school, though. The cheerful and bubbly girl like her is the type that everyone wants to make a friend with, and so that make her had so many friends around her. But friend and best friend was always a different story. No matter how many friends you have, it’s always the closest one that you could always rely and put your trust on. And in Nicole Jung case, the closest one that she always trusts felt like fading away from her by days passed, thus made her felt like being ditched.

“Hey, are you in the parallel world or something?”

Pulled back to reality Nicole took off the seatbelt, realized the car has already stopped. She followed the guy entering the main entrance of the hospital as the woman behind the reception desk threw a polite smile to him.

As they walked through the lobby, she stared at him quietly and stealthily grinning at the thought this morning when he made a long list for their destination today, but they end up choose to visit his mom as the girl demanded. At least, she didn’t need to lock herself up in the home or gained weight by stuffing with foods all day long.

When they reached the room, they were greeted by the hysterical scream. Jaejoong walked over calmly without even a command and held the older woman hand while he listened to every word the older shouts and replied her with short, yet calmly words as he tried to make eye contact. Nicole could only stand far and watched the moment with the mix of feeling inside her heart.  Her heart race in feared every time the older explodes, screaming and hollering.

More or less than fifteen minutes needed to make the room back quiet and peaceful. Jaejoong’s mom has already calmed while the boy gave a sign to the nurses to leave the room and it was okay for him to handle her alone afterwards. As they left the room, he pulled the chair beside him for her and smiled weakly.

For another fifteen minutes, it just went like that. He drowned in his own thoughts with his eyes filled with sadness.

“It’s okay, I’m here.” she reached his hand and smiled softly.

He wanted to believe words by words she said were magic, like how he felt now, all the fear and anxiety he’d been holding up has completely disappeared. All he could feel was warm and the confidence that faded for a long time ago.

“This is for you, your birthday present.” Nicole gave a small mint green box to the older and opened it for her. “This is a portable cd player, and this is the album, you can play it here.”

The older woman watched her explanation carefully, enthusiasm on her face when the girl played the music radiated warm and touched the boy’s heart into a great excitement and happiness. It has been a while he saw her mom smiled like that. Her smile was pure of happiness and she was so excited, curious and more importantly, she was showing various reactions, and he hope the moment would last forever.

“Love.. love... love...”

Both of them startled as the older woman sang the first line of the song. While the boy still remained silent watching her mom, the girl followed the older to continue singing the song even when the older struggle to remembered the lyric.

“All you need is love, all you need is love...”

This moment felt like slow motion for the boy. It amazed him when he saw the girl could control her mom and traveled her to her past life through the song that has always been their anthem. Back then, it was always him who sang excitedly along with her mom whoever they listen to this song. When they separated, he never listens to it again, and never he thought his mom would ever singing again, but now he was wrong. He was wrong all this time because her mom still remembered the song even the little gesture she made when their favorite parts came up.

He could feel the electricity run through his body and soon it became warm as he looked at the sight of two women singing happily to each other. Silently he captured the rare moment within him and he gradually took himself away from their little happiness and made his way to the washroom.

He washed his face tried to control various mixed feeling running deep inside his heart. It has always been like this. Ever since he tried to be close to her, this weird feeling always comes, and it became worst lately until today, it turned to the kind of feeling that people call it love. It was weird to admit it, and it was too soon to jump to a conclusion but at least he knew, even from a little bit of his heart reacted whenever she was around it must have been love that growing inside before he realized it.

When he saw her with his mom he realized she is the one. When he saw the moment before, he knew he wanted to protect not only his mom, but she is as well. And that was how she became the precious one for him.

“Oppa, I think we need to buy a bunch of the beatles album, don’t we?” Nicole said, her smile ran to her eyes, forming the ever beautiful eye smiles she has when they were on their way to the nearest beach back from the hospital. “She must be really like them.”

“My Dad likes that song.” He commented as their car entered the quiet beach. “It was like the last song that was on playing when we were together. I think it has a special meaning for her, I don’t really know.”

She was quiet for some minutes and then said, “And you sure about your decision?”

He threw a small smile before he stepped outside the car, jokingly ignored the girl question.

“Hey you didn’t answer me!” she protested as she tried to keep the pace with him. She was curious because he said he will bring her mom home next week and he had already talked about it with the doctor.

“Of course. Back then I was just a teenager who didn’t have ability financially nor I had a physical power to went against my aunt.” he stopped and turned, constantly towering over her, “But now I’m an adult. I have my own power, and I can’t let myself under someone’s control anymore, and that applied for my mom too. I can take care of her, and she definitely will be safer beside me.”

“You’re a good son.” she said impressed and they both laughed a second later.

“Why is the beach so quiet?” she murmured to herself scanning around the white sand beach. They both sat on the sand while looking at some kids that probably lives around there playing in the water.

“This place probably haven’t got the exposure so not many know this place.”

“And you knew,”

“Like what I didn’t know? You underestimate me, girl,” he said rather proudly making the girl cringed and narrowed her eyes. “So how about the preparation for your graduation day?” he changed the topic while took off the jacket he wore and put it on the girl’s knees to covered them from the strong beach wind.

“Perfect. I can’t wait for the day I free from school.” she put her hands in air expressing her happiness. “And I finally can find a full time job.”

“You’re not going to college?” he asked surprised.

“Like I can afford it, no, I need a job first and make much money so I can enter the college life later.”

“We can get into college together when you are ready,” he said, grinned happily.

She looked at him and squinted her eyes, “You’re not taking it this year?”

“Because of you.”

“Oh, please.” she made a face as the boy launches his laughter. “At this rate Junsu and Changmin will get their bachelor first before you.”

“I don’t mind that. I have more important stuff to do rather than going to college.”

“What?” she said, sounded rather doubtful.

“I’m going to spend more my times with mom,”

“That sounds great.” she nodded, agreeing.

“I’ll probably very busy because of work.”

“That one’s acceptable too. Good,”

“And I will have more times to spend with you,” he said again this time with his mischievously trademark smile.

She couldn’t quickly react to the last reason, and in exchange, she hit his shoulder playfully and pretended to put on an annoyed face, “That can’t be.”

“Why can’t?” he asked in the midst of his laughter. “You don’t like it?”

“I don’t have times to play around. Moreover, I need to find a job first.”

“We can find your job together, or in the best case, you can work in my company. You get the job and we’re still can spend time together. It’s a good deal, right?”

“NO!” she bluntly said but then added, “I mean... I can do it by myself. I don’t want to be bothersome.”

“Wow...You’ve changed, didn’t you?” he nudged her shoulder playfully. “Back then you’d always say yes and agreeing to whatever I say.”

“What?—No!”

“Really?” he leaned closer and yet with his mischievous smile again he said, “Do you still like me?”

She believed her face had turned red as she could feel both of her cheeks turning warm and she hopes she could die in place because that was the most embarrassing moment in her life. And what made her wanted to bury herself alive was the boy kept staring at her waiting for her answer, like what he expected her to answer?

“Oppa! You likes to tease me a lot, don’t you?” she pushed him away lightly and looked away to covered her face that definitely turned red already. Second later she abruptly stood up and walked away after threw an annoyed look at him.

She walked through the sand and bit her lips, didn’t bother to respond Kim Jaejoong who was still teasing her in the back.

***

“So will you ever tell me what happened with you lately?” Nicole stood in front of the door, while anger has taken over her as she stared at the girl inside that barely laid her body on her bed for seconds.

“Hi Cole, today is my birthday and is that the first words you say to me?” she smiled weakly, from her voice it was clear that she tried to be funny and tried to cut down the tension that lingered around the other girl. “That’s so disappointing.”

“Cut the crap off, Hara. My patience has reached the limit, and you gotta tell me now!” she said, half yelled and kicked the suitcase on the floor. “And what is this?”

“Do you want to go out?”

“HARA!”

“I think we need alcohol to make up our minds right now.”

“STOP IT!”

“We’re an adult already...”

“WHAT THE IN HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?” she darted toward her, pulled her up harshly. She didn’t mean it but the situation made her hands reacted reflected.

“Nicole, I’m sorry...” she said softly, droplet tears began to showing in her eyes. “I—I need to go after the graduation. My brother called me months ago, and he wanted me to replace him to take care of my grandmom.”

“Why suddenly?” Nicole replied weakly, she hated to think her life without her one and only best friend. And now she was forced to do it, and she wasn’t prepared for it.

“My school life has ended, and I probably have more times after the graduation. I want to help my brother. I can get a job there while taking care of my grandmom. It’s been a while and I’m sure they missed me as much as I do.”

How about me?

Seriously she wanted to yell ‘how about me’? But she couldn’t be selfish as much she hated the idea of being left alone later. Hara had her own life too, and she had family unlike her, she had home where she could go back whenever she wants.

“Hara... I will be miss you.”

In the end, those the only wor