The sunlight shone through the windows lighting up the quiet room. Toys were neatly arranged on the shelves. Pillows and blankets were stacked in a corner of the room. An old piano perched on one side of the wall. Paper cranes of different colors hung around the ceiling of the room. 

Moments later, the door to the room flung opened and a number of children came running in disrupting the quietness of the room with their loud voices and laughters. But their cheerfulness made the room seemed even brighter nonetheless.

"Alright. Alright," a deep voice chuckled as the owner of the voice was dragged in by two little girls. The straps of a gig bag were hung on his shoulders.

"Let's play! Let's play! Let's play, Chanyeol oppa!" The girls squealed jumping up and down while still holding onto his hands.

"No!" A little boy stomped his foot as  he grabbed on Chanyeol's arm trying to pry his hand away from the girl's. "Chanyeol hyung is going to play with me!"

"No!" The girl retorted, now holding onto his hand with both of her hands.

"He's going to play with us!" The other girl helped her friend and poked out her tongue.

"No! He's going to play with me!" The boy tried to pull him again.

"With us!" The girls hugged his arms.

"Me-"

"Hey! Hey!" Chanyeol cut them off. "Jinri! Luna! Kyungsoo! Don't fight, okay?" He crouched down to their levels looking at the pouting kids in front of him. "Why don't we play together?" He flashed them his rich teeth grin. The three kids smiled in return as they nodded excitedly. "In fact, why don't we all play together? Kids!" He called the attention of the others who were already playing by themselves. "Let's play tag!"

Everyone immediately erupted in cheer. Chanyeol put down his gig bag and rolled up the sleeves of his checkered shirt before clapping his hands once.

"Alrighty! Let's play!"

"Tag! You're it!" Luna tapped him and ran away the next second followed by the others.

Chanyeol let out a deep chuckle before he said, "Who wants to be caught by the giant?" The kids giggled, all huddling together in one corner. "Fee fi fo fum!" Chanyeol added deepening his voice as he approached the kids who immediately ran scattered around the small room.

The kids had always loved having Chanyeol visiting the orphanage. His presence made them feel like they had a family. He became a big brother they looked up to.

After running around for quite a while, all of the children were cornered again.

"Ho ho! There's no more running away now," Chanyeol laughed. "Fee fi fo fum!" 

Suddenly, a little boy with bronze-colored skin stepped out from among the bunch.

"Attack the giant!" The boy shouted with glee, pointing a finger at the said giant before running towards him followed by the others. 

"Attack! Attack! Attack!" They all shouted along with excitement like soldiers following their leader's command.

Chanyeol's eyes rounded in surprise as the group of kids surrounded him. 

"H-hey, Jongin! That's unfair-" before he even finished his sentence, some of the kids were already pulling his hands, some try to climb on his back while the boy who started it all started poking on his waist tickling him.

And in just a few seconds, he was down on the ground with the kids tickling him.

"Sto- Sto-" he couldn't even say it properly as he was laughing from the tickling attacks the giggling kids were giving him. "Sto- Stop! I surrender!" But the kids kept going on. 

"Children!" A motherly voice called and all the kids immediately looked up. "Spare your brother," and older lady entered the room with a smile. 

As the kids backed away and stood up one by one, Chanyeol caught Jongin in an embrace.

"Gotcha!" He ruffled the boy's hair who chuckled as he did so. "Hello, Mrs. Moon Soeun!" He greeted the lady bobbing his head.

"Hello, Chanyeol. And children," she turned again to the kids, "isn't it your nap time now?"

Everyone pouted and lowered their heads.

"But I don't want  a nap," Luna pouted.

"Me too," Jinri followed.

"What if I sing for you all?" Chanyeol offered making them all lifted their heads and they stared at him with twinkling eyes. "Can I?" He looked up at Mrs. Moon for permission.

"Of course!" She nodded with a smile. "Children, let's get your blankets and pillows."

"Yay!" Everyone cheered as they followed Mrs. Moon taking their stacked pillows and blankets from a corner of the room. Jongin shot up from sitting on Chanyeol's lap and joined the others.

After helping the kids arranging their blankets and pillows, Mrs. Moon walked to Chanyeol who was tuning his guitar. 

"I'll leave them to you," she whispered and he nodded with a smile.

Chanyeol sat on the floor closer to the kids who were already laying down ready for their afternoon nap. He strummed the strings to start singing them a lullaby song he usually sang.

"Oppa!" Luna stopped him.

"Hm?" He looked at the girl with raised eyebrows.

"Tell us a story first!" She requested and everyone else hummed in agreement.

"Story? Hmm." With furrowed eyebrows, he tapped his chin with a finger in thought.

"Tell us about the paper cranes!" Jongin piped up.

"Right!" Jinri chimed in. "You never told us about the paper cranes you made." She pointed at the paper cranes hung around the ceiling.

Chanyeol briefly looked up as a small smile that didn't reach his eyes curled on his lips.

"It's not a happy story though," he spoke above a whisper.

"It's okay! We want to hear it!" Luna grinned widely.

Chanyeol was flustered for a moment. The kids kept on staring at him with rounded twinkling eyes. He sighed before he finally gave in.

"Alright. I'll tell you the story." The kids cheered hearing that. "But promise me you'll sleep after, okay?" He asked and all of them nodded snuggling under their own blankets.

Chanyeol's heart suddenly felt heavy, but he cleared his throat and started, "Once upon a time there was a prince and a princess. They loved each other very much. The princess loved to see the mighty cranes flying across the sky. And she wondered what would it feel like to fly and touch the sky. But of course they couldn't."

"Why?" Jongin asked curious.

"Duh! Because they're humans," Kyungsoo stated as-matter-of-fact-ly and rolled his eyes at his friend's silly question.

Chanyeol chuckled before he continued, "Anyway, legend says that folding papers into a form of cranes can grant one a wish. So, the prince then vowed in his heart to fold 100 paper cranes for the princess. But he didn't tell the princess of it. He wanted to surprise her. So everyday he folded papers and wish with his whole heart to be able to fly with the princess."

"So did they finally fly? Did they? Did they? Did they?" Luna asked excitedly.

"Sssh!" Some other boy shushed her and she poked out her tongue at him.

"Well... We're not quite at the end yet, Luna." Chanyeol smiled at her. "So the prince diligently folded the paper. After he folded the seventieth paper crane, he went out to the field to meet the princess. But the princess was nowhere to be seen."

The kids gasped and their eyes were widened.

"Where did she go?" Jinri asked in a small voice.

"Did someone kidnap her?" Another girl asked.

Chanyeol lowered his head. His lips were smiling, but his eyes reflected sadness.

"She flew," Chanyeol answered.

"She flew?!" Kyungsoo's already round eyes rounded even more.

"I knew it!" Jongin snapped his fingers. "They can fly!

"The prince looked up and saw the princess riding on the great crane's back," Chanyeol continued.

"See!" Kyungsoo said to Jongin. "She couldn't fly by herself!"

Luna knitted her brows in the middle and pursed her lips.

"But why did she leave the prince, Oppa? You said they loved each other," she finally said.

For a moment, Chanyeol was taken aback by her question. He just blinked at her, unable to find the right answer to it.

"Well," he cleared his throat. "That was why he continued folding the paper cranes. He wished for her to be well. And his heart wished they could meet again."

"Did they meet again?" Jongin asked impatiently.

Chanyeol's eyes softened as he lowered his head once again. For a moment the room fell silent.

"We haven't reached the end yet, huh, Oppa?" Jinri chirped breaking the silence.

Those simple words somehow made his heart felt light. He didn't know why, but maybe because they were cloaked with hope.

"Mm," he nodded firmly.

"I love your paper cranes though," Jinri commented over a yawn.

"Awh! I wanna know the ending, Hyung!" Jongin persisted.

"That's for some other time," Chanyeol adjusted the guitar on his lap. "Right now, you have to take a nap." Sounds of protest from the kids were heard. "Hey! You guys have promised. I'll sing for you."

The kids sighed complying half-heartedly. Chanyeol strummed the strings a few times before he started singing.

"I stood upon the hill
Stared up at the blue sky
And drew a lovely person in my heart

"I want to fly up to the end of the heavens
Hug the breeze in the air
And whisper with the winged angels"

The kids had fallen asleep when he finished. He smiled looking at them and listening to their steady breathing. He looked up at the colorful paper cranes above and sighed.

"At least the kids love them," he mumbled to himself.

"Oppa," a small voice called.

He took his eyes off the paper cranes to find Luna still awake gesturing with her little hand for him to come closer. He did so leaning down to hear what she had to say. But instead of a whisper to the ear, he felt a peck on his cheek. He looked at the little girl with slightly rounded eyes as the girl caress his cheek with her small hand.

"Don't be sad, Oppa! I know your princess will come back. If your princess don't come back, I'll be your princess! I promise I'll grow up into an even prettier lady," she softly whispered making Chanyeol let out a breathy chuckle.

"Okay," he ruffled her hair. "Grow up into a pretty young lady, alright? Now sleep." He caress her cheek as she slowly closed her eyes.

_____

It's our first day! I wish this day will continue and we will stay together.