Wu Yifan was an only child. He was not special in any magical way but he was everything human parents could ever ask for. He was filial, loyal, sensible, hard-working and intelligent in the way only few could ever be.

He was smart, always were. He played his cards close to his chest, picked his moves with such a stylised grace and ease that others found bewitching. Nobody ever knew just how deeply his own sharp wit cut him.

He did what he had to do, go through with things that were meant to be taken care of and formulate an impeccable routine that would get him exactly what his father wanted.

What his father wanted was for him to become a doctor. In South Korea, the average population who worked to become doctors were over 20%—only 2% ever made it all the way. What his mother wanted was for him to not disappoint his father—his happiness was second priority.

Even so, Kris was who he was, and who he was was a boy who chose to murder his dreams and strive upon reality with the grace that made no one doubt he was and would be somebody.

Somebody great. Somebody important.

Somebody.

There were days, long stretches of never ending drones, drums and drownings within the world, that lulled him into the state, proposing the ultimate question—What was the purpose to all this?

Those days were rare, and Kris had long found sanctuary somewhere unexpected. He had somebody in his heart that made the mere thought of worries disintegrate into dust and sand. He’d discovered her when he was in middle school and ever since then, Kris had always found himself drawn for the comfort he should have had as a child but never did.

Of course, he had his parents, but he would’ve given anything to alter that reality. The lady, Lee Jisun, was a hardworking woman. She owned an accessory shop downtown, in COEX. Although she was busy trying raising a child on her own, she was kind to him in the way that made Kris wish she was his mother.

He’d always visit her, at least once a week, help in any way he could, for Jisun’s comforting presence in return.

His surrogate mother.

That was what he called her, and today, the very same day he’d met Junhee at the library, borrowed a book she recommended, successfully got her to partner up with him, Kris was going to visit Jisun.

“Auntie,” Kris greeted as he popped his head into the store.

A lady sat behind the cashier, reading a book with her red reading glasses on, looked up. Her sombre eyes brightened.

“Oh, hey, young man.” She smiled her wistful smile, getting up from behind the counter, bookmarking whatever she’d been reading.

Kris smiled politely, shoulders relaxed as he made his way inside. “How have you been? Haven’t seen you in ages.”

“You came by only a week ago, dear.”

He dumped his schoolbag and textbooks onto the counter unceremoniously. He had always been ‘unceremonious’ around Jisun, just like any teenage boy should be anywhere else.

“Make yourself at home,” Jisun rolled her eyes, a playful smile tugged on her lips. Then she yawned.

Kris noticed her hair was out of place, her eyes were droopy and tired.

“Have you been staying up late?” he asked, resting both elbows onto the edge of the counter.

Jisun looked at him, one hand on her hip, the other rubbing the back of her neck, “Yes. Actually. I’ve been reading this—” She lifted the thin novel for the boy to see “—quite interesting… and weird. I found it in my daughter’s room, and I thought why not? She says it’s her favourite–”

“Whoa, wait.” Kris snatched the book from Jisun’s grasp, cutting her off mid-sentence. She shook her head resignedly at his manners, mumbling something about boys never knowing how to be polite. Although she never minded Kris. “Auntie, hey. I borrowed a book today, and it’s from the same author.”

Kris extracted his own book from the zipper section of his schoolbag. Jisun squinted at it. “Meg Rosoff?”

“What a coincidence,” the school president said, turning the two books in his hands, comparing them. “What is this one about?”

“Not sure actually. Just this war thing, and then there’s this snarky girl getting sent off to live with her cousins in England.” Jisun shrugged and then added, “I’m having a feeling she’s in love with her cousin.”

Kris stared. “What?”

“Just a feeling. Anyway, how was your day?" Jisun asked as Kris strolled around the store in the usual manner that was sure to attract shoppers. He’d always do it despite Jisun’s protest.

“It was great,” he said, speculating a pair of earrings. “I met a girl… I mean, talked to her, again.”

“A girl,” Jisun said from across the counter. ”Or the girl?"

Kris twisted his head around, an unguarded smile lighting up his handsome features. He couldn’t help it, with the knowing way Jisun was looking at him, if he wasn’t Wu Yifan, he might’ve flushed red.

“The girl, auntie,” said Kris. “No emphasis on ‘the’, thank you.”

Jisun chuckled, shaking her head.

Absently, he picked up a baby blue headband, stared at himself in the mirror while trying it on. Kris kept his face serious as he turned to Jisun and asked as sincerely as he could, “What do you think?”

Jisun stared at him and then started laughing.

“What? I think it suits me,” he joked, sounding very solemn. “Just look at this bow, I mean it’s… I’m totally a bow person.”

The lady laughed harder, palm over , and Kris watched with a fond smile on his face and a baby blue headband on his head. He slowly took it off, putting it back neatly in its place. His heart felt light and he was happy in that rare way when you see someone you love laughing, smiling all because of you.

He strode back to the counter, as Jisun had recovered from her fits, now wiping tears from her eyes.

“I got her to partner up with me for a school project,” Kris said quietly, sitting down on a spare chair beside her. “She still can’t remember my name.”

Jisun gave him a motherly pat on the shoulder. “My daughter’s just the same. Doesn’t seem to see anything around her, not until you point it out.”

Kris drifted off, a bit, mind reeling back to the comments he’d heard thrown around the corridor during morning break. He frowned.

“I don’t like the way they’re treating her– mistreating her,” he said. ”Did I tell you of her brother? Freshman. Been receiving the same treatment for sticking with her."

“You’ve liked her for such a long time,” commented Jisun.

Kris turned to stare at her with a frown. “It’s only been a year. She doesn’t– I mean, she’s different– wait, gods, that sounds sappy,” he groaned. Jisun chuckled.

“You said she doesn’t usually talk to anyone?”

“Doesn’t bother talking,” corrected Kris absently. He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

“Reminds me of my own daughter…