We boarded the plane and I wondered why it didn’t crash down, considering that my heart felt so heavy. Something tugged me back from the inside, as if I anchored my heart back in Seoul. The only way to get over it was to cry…and I did. I cried, and I cried. The one thing my Mom could do at that time was to sush me. The stewardesses were trying their best to cheer me up but I was sure that their strategies wouldn’t work.

The last resort was to give me something to listen to. They placed the headphones over my ears and I was about to toss it away but I stopped short when I heard the familiar melody take over my thoughts. It was the song Yonghwa used to sing—it was his favorite song. My eyes widened, and my sobs began to lessen. I snuggled close to my Mom. I could’ve sworn the stewardesses said something but I couldn’t really understand it, and I didn’t mind or even cared.

I let the lyrics float around my thoughts, like the way the paper boats back home would. I pretended that it was Yonghwa’s soft and tranquil voice I was hearing, and that made me get through the heinous flight.

I reckon it was sixteen hours later when I stood in front of a stranger  I only got to see through pictures. Funny how I should call him ‘Dad’ when he never gave me piggyback rides and lulled me to sleep—like the way Yonghwa did. He was smiling at me, and from the looks of it, he was uncomfortable and awkward.

Well, that makes two of us, I thought.

There was a long pause and then he said, “Shin Hye-yah, you’ve really grown.”

He sat down and he outstretched his arms. Mom urged me to hug him, and feeling obligated, I did.

“I missed you,” he said. “I never imagined this day would come.”

I never imagined it, too.

All I could do was to stare at my Dad in silence. That was what I did with the pictures he sent us, anyway—stare. He took our bags and we waited for our luggage to show up from the spinning circle. When it did, Dad took it, too, and we made our way outside of Heathrow. We boarded his car, and as if in a trance, I looked at the blurry, identical houses outside the window. I glanced at my parents hold hands, and I let out a sigh.

At least one of us is happy.

I began to wonder what Yonghwa might be doing. I checked my watch. It was two in the morning over there in Korea. He must be sound asleep after having a tiresome day kicking the ball all afternoon. I didn’t know why but thinking that Mina might be there, cheering for Yonghwa and giving him a cup of water made my stomach churn. I was Yonghwa’s best friend, after all.

“Mom,” I  said.

“What is it?” she replied.

“When we get home, can you call Yonghwa?”

She looked back at me, and smiled. “Sure thing, Shin Hye-yah.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, before sleeping once again.

<:>

Our house was pretty spacious, with two bathrooms and three bedrooms. The living room was wide and the interior design was pretty modern. All in all, it was the total opposite of our house back in Korea, and I detested every inch of it. I searched for my room myself, and my eyes widened when I saw that everything was in pink—the wallpaper, the sheets, the carpet—everything.

“I hate pink,” I said in sheer disdain, as I dropped my blue knapsack on the floor. I stomped my way towards my bed and I let myself sink on the soft cushion. I sighed, and closed my eyes. Just then, Mom knocked on my door. I raised my head, and she smiled as she approached me, a wireless phone in her hand.

“You said you wanted to talk with Yonghwa, right?” she crooned, as she sat on my bed.

I sat up straight and nodded with enthsusiasm.

“But you have to consider the time there, too, Shin Hye-yah. If they don’t answer now, we can try again later, hm?”

“I understand,” I replied, grinning.

“Okay, then,” she said, as she began to dial a series of numbers on the keypad. I bit my lower lip in anticipation and as if that wasn’t enough, I leaned in closer towards Mom in order to hear the rings. Someone picked up, and it was the unmistakable voice of Yonghwa’s Mom.

My Mom stood up and she began to talk to her in a cheerful tone. I observed her face, and I blinked once when I noticed how Mom’s smile vanished.

“Oh…is that so?” she muttered, as she covered with her free hand. She glanced at me, and I cocked my head to a side.

“Mom, is Yonghwa still mad at me?” I asked.

She didn’t reply. She listened intently, and she began to calm Yonghwa’s Mom down with soothing words. In the end, Mom dropped the call without even handing the phone down to me.

There was a long pause, and I said, "What's wrong?"

“Well,” she wiped her eyes with her hands, and sniffed. “Yonghwa’s resting at the moment, so he can’t talk to you.”

“Oh, it’s okay,” I said. “He must be tired from the tournament. We can try again tomorrow, can’t we, Mom?”

She smiled at me, but it was a different kind of smile. It was a sad one—the kind that didn’t even reach her eyes. Mom smoothed down my hair, and she hugged me. All I could do was hug her back.

“Let’s just give Yonghwa more time to rest, sweetie,” she replied. “And you should rest, too.”

<:>

After a week of staying at home doing nothing but reading books and stacking my collection of pebbles, my Dad announced that we would have visitors. That sent Mom to prepare food and I was required to wear something presentable. I didn’t have to attend school until next month, so that pretty much left me an extended vacation.

I settled for a blue dress Yonghwa gave me on my 9^th birthday. I twirled around in front of my mirror and after checking that I was decent enough, I made my way downstairs to help my Mom prepare the table. We were about done when the doorbell buzzed. My Dad was the one who answered it and I hid behind my Mom as I waited for the strangers to enter the house. I let out a tiny sigh of relief when they, too, were speaking in Korean.

“So I heard your daughter and wife are finally here,” a male voice said. He had a pleasant voice.

“Yes, they’re in the kitchen right now,” came Dad's cheery reply. “Ah, Donghyun-ah, my daughter, Shin Hye, is just about the same age as you.”

I looked at my Mom nervously, and she smiled at me, mouthing out some encouraging words. “Come on, Shin Hye. It’s not nice to keep the visitors waiting.”

She led me out of the kitchen and into the living room. I hid behind my Mom again and the family chuckled.

“I see Shin Hye here is pretty shy,” the woman said.

I looked at her, and slowly took the space beside my Mom. I gave a careful bow, and just like that, the boy named Donghyun approached me with a perfect smile on his face. Unlike Yonghwa’s crooked ones, his was trim and proper.

“I’m Kim Donghyun, by the way,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Park Shin Hye,” I murmured.

“There are many Korean kids here,” he said again. “So pretty much, you won’t feel alone.”

I nodded, not really getting what he meant. If it was Yonghwa, then he’d probably make a goofy face or a witty remark to break the awkward atmosphere. However, it was Donghyun, and he did things in a cool and perfect manner.

“Say, how’s your English?” he asked, with a tinge of nonchalance in his voice.

I looked at him, and  blinked. “Not that good,” I answered.

He flashed me a warm smile. “You won’t go to school after a while, right? Do you want me to teach you?”

“That’s a good idea,” his Mom said.

I nodded for argument’s sake. Donghyun flashed me that perfect smile of his once again, and after dinner, I noticed that I became more comfortable around him. Since our parents were still talking, we decided to hang around my room.

“Everything’s pink,” he remarked.

“I know,” I murmured.

He looked at me. “Don’t you like pink?”

I shook my head no.

“Well, that’s something I don’t see every day,” he muttered. He stared at my bookshelf, and my pebbles caught his attention. “What are those?”

“Pebbles,” I said.

He glanced at me, and asked, “You collect pebbles?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “My best friend helped me collect them.”

“What’s her name?”

“His name is Yonghwa,” I answered.

“Oh, so your best friend is a boy?” he asked again.

I cringed, and nodded.

“That’s cute,” he said. “Do you miss him?”

I nodded again. Donghyun didn’t ask anything anymore, and we spent the rest of the time reading. Yonghwa could never concentrate when it comes to reading, to be honest. He always said that he’d rather experience what the author was talking about firsthand than to read it. I, on the other hand, loved books. I was surprised that Donghyun was patient enough to read, too. We were silent and the only sound that could be heard in my room was the rustling of the papers every now and again.

It was eleven in the evening when Donghyun’s family made their way home.

<:>

I kept on pestering my Mom to call Yonghwa, and she would. But I would always receive the same answer—that he was tired. And so after a month, I stopped asking, and my Mom stopped calling. I started school, and I began to gain new friends through Donghyun. My English continually improved, as well, but despite all that, it was Yonghwa whom I missed the most. Being able to see Big Ben and ride the London Eye, being able to cross the London Bridge and ride the tube…for me, those were useless because I wasn’t with my best friend to savor those moments.

<:>

It was a snowy January afternoon when my parents were outside, shoveling snow. I began to get more comfortable around Dad, and I would let him give me piggyback rides, too. I would hug him without feeling awkward, and I was grateful for that. I was all alone in our house and the wireless phone was right in front of me.

It had been months since we stopped calling Yonghwa’s place. After pondering for a while, I took the phone, and dialed their house number which I came to know by heart. My eyes widened when it rang and after the third one came off, someone answered the phone.

“Hello?”

I let out a tiny gasp, and an uncontrollable grin graced my lips. It was Yonghwa’s voice!

“Yonghwa?” I said.

“Yes, this is Yonghwa,” he replied. “Who is this?”

My face slightly fell, but I covered it with a short laugh. “Hey, stop fooling around! This is Shin Hye, your best friend.”

There was a long, awkward pause, and he asked in a serious voice, “Shin Hye who?”

Something seemed to get stuck in my throat and it cut my breath short. “Park…Shin Hye,” I said, feeling pathetic all of a sudden. “Your best friend…”

“I’m sorry,” he replied. “But I don’t know any Park Shin Hye.”

The line went dead. I stared at the phone, the feeling of hopelessness surging through my veins. I felt warm beads of tears emerge from my eyes. I sniffed, and wiped my face with my sleeve. I was gone for a matter of months. Why was he acting like that? Why did Yonghwa talk to me as if he never knew me?

I began to choke out incoherent sobs, and at that moment, someone entered the house.

“Shin Hye-yah,” my Mom said. “Donghyun’s here to play—” she trailed off when she saw me breaking down on the sofa. She approached me, and Donghyun followed, soothing me by rubbing my back. After a short while, he dashed for the kitchen to get me a glass of water.

“Shin Hye, what’s wrong?” Mom asked.

I looked at her, and then I choked back my tears. “Mom, what’s wrong with Yonghwa?”

Donghyun set the glass on the table, and as if sensing that we were about to get personal, he went outside to assist my Dad with the shoveling.

“Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?” she asked, her eyes beginning to get watery.

“I…” I began. “I tried calling their h-house, and I t-talked to him b-but...he doesn’t remember me…”

My Mom swallowed, and she hugged me. “I’m sorry, Shin Hye…”

“Why are you sorry?”

“Because I didn’t tell you this before,” my Mom held me by the shoulders, and she looked at me straight in the eye. She wiped the stray tears from my face with her thumbs and she smoothed down my hair. “Yonghwa got into an accident, Shin Hye-yah.”

“Accident?” I blankly echoed. “Mom, this doesn’t make any sense. Why…”

Tears began to emerge from my mom’s eyes, and she nodded. “On the day of his soccer tournament, Shin Hye, the vehicle they were riding in toppled over. Yonghwa got hurt, and he lost his memories.”

“He forgot about me?” I asked, feeling my knees weaken by the moment.

“He forgot about many things,” Mom soothed. “That’s why we have to give him some space to remember, and to gather his thoughts. You do understand, don’t you?”

I closed my eyes, and everything around me began to sound groggy. I felt so weak and unsteady that I ended up collapsing on the sofa.

<:>

When I woke up, I saw a figure sitting down in front of me. I realized that it was Donghyun. He was looking at me with a warm stare.

I focused for a moment, and asked, “What happened?”

“You passed out,” he answered. “Your Mom freaked out. Fortunately, my Mom was around to explain everything. She said you panicked and got stressed.”

I nodded.

“I eavesdropped earlier, I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I heard about your friend.”

I smiled a little. “It’s okay. There’s nothing you can do about it, anyway.”

Donghyun looked down and I could've sworn I saw melancholy in his eyes. He sighed. He turned to look at me again. “While he’s recovering, I can be your best friend if you want.”

I smiled a little at his remark. “Donghyun, nobody can ever replace Yonghwa. You know that, don’t you?”

Ever since that day, I heeded my mom’s advice. I stopped asking about Yonghwa, and I fought the urges to talk to him. I decided that he should remember things on his own, and while he was at it, I should lead my own life, too. That cycle lasted for years and when I turned nineteen, I saw Yonghwa once again, holding a guitar and singing in front of the camera together with his other three band members.

Yonghwa, my best friend and my Busan boy, finally debuted as a singer…and I wasn’t there to cheer for him.

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
- Ecclesiastes 4:12

devilmaycry aw, that's really heartwarming ^^ God bless~

JustBee now your description just reminded me of those cosy rainy mornings ^^ but you're okay now, right? RIGHT? ;A; yes, I do plan on making a huge time jump, since I'm trying to make this story short as wherever possible ^^;; other than that, I have a plot outline to follow, as well, and it isn't mine ^^ that's why I'm challenged with this contest :D

naynaz T-This story made you cry? ;A; aw, thanks for the encouragement ^^ here's the update~

deanne now you made me hungryyy ;3;
it's rare for me to receive comments such as this so it'll be cherished ^^
God bless you, too ♥

frojojack don't cry ;~; and glory to God ♥

laz_15 aw, thank God for the wisdom ^^ you guys motivate me to write more, too ^^ To be honest the updates are quicker because of the comments. Hee~ and here's the update!

jobarza57 glory to God ^^ I'm glad I was able to grab your interest :)

loveternallyou hee~ thanks ^^ God bless ♥

God bless, stay blessed ^^