His first memory of her was one involving lots of bawling children, hesitations, and first day blues.

First day of school. He was the new kid in town.

His parents had dropped him off in his new school and the moment he stepped out of the car, he was welcomed by the sight of other kids like him sobbing their lungs out, holding on to their parents for dear life. Other kids hurriedly reunited with friends they hadn’t seen during the break while others, wanting to start the year right, rushed off to their classrooms. Shim Changmin had always prided himself for being mature for his age so he didn’t cry or hold on or cowered off to the side when he reached the school. Besides, he was already in fifth grade now. No longer a baby. Instead he stood tall, watching everything take place with a look of mild interest and curiosity on his face and looking far from being a new student.

He’d debated inwardly with himself. Should he go to the principal’s office now? But he’d been dropped off early so it might not even be open yet. Should he try and make friends already? Too early for that, too. Should he roam around the school and give himself a tour? Being late on the first day wasn’t appealing. So he settled with taking a seat on one of the benches to continue to watch the amusing scene his new schoolmates made.

He chose the vacant bench off to the side of the spacious front courtyard of the school, passing by a sniffling little girl, probably a first grader, holding the hand of who seemed to be her older brother tightly. Changmin was an only child and so scenes between siblings often intrigued him. He often wondered what kind of brother he’d be if he had a sibling. He’d like to think that he’d make a sweet but protective one to a younger sister and a cool, source of pranks to a younger brother. He didn’t like the idea of having an older sister or brother. He didn’t like to be bossed around.

The bench was good for three people, he mused, so he sat down on one edge and placed his school bag on the middle. There was still nearly half an hour left before the school bell would ring. Still more than enough time. He should probably go and ask about the whereabouts of the principal’s office soon, and then head there fifteen minutes before the time. Yep, that should do it. Maybe he should drop by–

“I… Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

Changmin blinked… and then blinked again before he realized he was being spoken to. He turned his head and found a girl, younger but nearly his size, standing off by the side of the bench that was unoccupied. He looked different, given her lanky frame and tanned complexion – he didn’t mean that as an insult – and dark hair held up in a ponytail. She had a tiny smile on her face but everything about her looked shy and introverted to an extent. She had the uniform on, which obviously meant she was a student, be he noticed the faint yellowish quality of the blouse and the loose threads hanging from the hem of her skirt. She was probably in third or fourth grade but he could tell just by the seven words she spoke to him that she wasn’t like one of the younger kids who reverted back to baby talk the older they became.

“No, it isn’t.”

“Do you…” She hesitated. “Do you mind if I sit here?”

He shook his head. “Go ahead.”

The small smile turned grateful as she slowly sat down and placed her worn out pink backpack by her feet. He tried not to watch discreetly and hoped he didn’t fail in his attempt as the young girl bent down and ped her bag, taking what looked like a black pouch from it. Placing it on the bench just by his bag, she reached back inside and, to his surprise, took out strips of pre-cut colored paper whose length and width matched that of a ruler when split in half vertically.

To his amazement, the little girl took one of those strips – a red one – and formed a knot with one end, pressing it down so it was a flat, five-sided shape with a long tail. She went on to wrap the rest of the strip around the pentagon until the tip was too short to be folded but enough to be tucked in one of the seams. He watched as her long but thin fingers griped two opposite corners and pinched, doing the same for the rest of the corners until she formed what he realized was a star.

“What are you doing?”