(The Year 1993 – and Dara is 7)

Mrs. Kwon looked up when she heard the front door slam and the sound of two girls giggling and running in the house. “Dami and Dara, don’t run in the house,” she called. Immediately her daughter Dami and her best friend’s voices called back an apology. She heard their whisperings as they made their way toward Dami’s bedroom.

Dara Park lived two apartments down the hall and was Dami’s best friend ever since they started attending the same pre-school at the age of four. Now the girls were seven and attended the same elementary school. The two were inseparable and were more like sisters rather than just best friends. They went to school together, were in the same class, loved to dress the same, and loved to tease their younger brothers relentlessly. Dara’s younger brother was Sanghyun who was four years old while Dami’s younger brother was Jiyong who was five years old.  

Mrs. Kwon was preparing dinner when she heard the front door open and close again. After a few seconds she saw Jiyong trudge into the kitchen and head to the refrigerator where he grabbed a bottle of water. In his other hand he held his favorite toy car that he received recently for his birthday.

“Finished playing?” she asked.

“Yes omma,” Jiyong answered, as he went out of the kitchen and over to the living room.

A few minutes later Mrs. Kwon heard the girls voices again and it sounded like they were headed to the living room. Mrs. Kwon stuck her head out of the kitchen and looked around the corner to see Jiyong sitting on the rug watching television while the two girls were on the couch with their dolls. Mrs. Kwon smiled and went back to the kitchen.

Dara was brushing out the doll’s hair while Dami was opening a small purse where she kept the accessories for her doll. After a few minutes Dara noticed Jiyong’s toy car and she reached for it.

“Jiyong-ah, can I borrow your car?” she asked.

Jiyong, who had been engrossed in the tv show, didn’t hear her. But when he saw his car being moved from his side he suddenly turned and launched out. “Hey! That’s my car!”

“I want to borrow it,” Dara insisted. The two were soon wrestling over the car while Dami sat watching and laughing from the couch. Jiyong was five but Dara was tiny for her age and so they were almost the same size.

“Give it back!” Jiyong growled. He had tackled Dara backwards so that she was beneath him while she held his car out away from him. Dara was giggling to see the scowl on Jiyong’s face. In many ways he reminded her of her own little brother, Sanghyun.  A thought suddenly occurred to Dara. Sanghyun was younger than her but when they wrestled he almost always won because he was so strong and rough. But Dara had discovered that there was one thing Sanghyun couldn’t stand that would always result in him yielding whatever it was that Dara wanted from him. A mischief smirk formed on Dara’s face as she called Jiyong’s name and then leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

His reaction was epic … and just as Dara expected.

“Ewww!” he screamed, backing off immediately. He swiped at his cheek where Dara’s lips had kissed him and he looked as if he were going to cry.

Dara and Dami meanwhile burst into laughter.

“Omma!” Jiyong went running into the kitchen, his toy car forgotten.  “Omma! Dara kissed me!”

**

Dara tucked the gift she had bought under her arm and made her way toward Dami’s apartment. The gift was a toy Transformer truck, something she had bought using her allowance. It was a peace offering to Jiyong because ever since that incident where she had with a kiss on his cheek he had been angry at her. He would scowl at her when she came to play with Dami and he would go off to his room or just away from where she was. Dami told her to ignore him and that he would come around in time. But Dara felt bad. She was the same way with Sanghyun, when he would be angry at her Dara would go out of her way to make peace.

Dara knocked on the door and when Mrs. Kwon opened the door she smiled and told Dara that Dami was at her piano practice.

“I came to see Jiyongie,” Dara informed her, and held out the transformer truck. “I bought him a truck to say sorry for making him cry the other day.”

Mrs. Kwon looked at the toy Dara held and she chuckled. “He’s in the living room. Go on, Dara.”

“Thank you, auntie.”

She walked into the living room and saw Jiyong drawing. “Hi Jiyongie.”

Jiyong looked up and frowned at her. But then he saw the truck she held and his frown turned into a look of curiosity.

“This is for you,” Dara said, walking over and handing it to him. “I’m sorry for making you cry.”

His eyes were wide as he searched her face. And then a smile lit up his expression as he reached for the toy. The next several minutes the two sat opening the box it came in and they played for a little while. When Dara was satisfied that Jiyong was no longer mad at her she stood up and walked toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Jiyong asked.

“Home. Bye.” Dara called.

“Bye,” Jiyong answered, and he went back to playing with his new truck.