“Yah!  I’m going to beat you!” you yelled happily and kicked the soccer ball to the goal.  MinHo sprinted and slid to the ground, preventing the ball to go in the goal.  You growled and sat on the ground.  “Jerk.”  MinHo laughed and stood up.  He stood in front of you with his arms extended towards you.

                “Here,” he said.  You smiled and held his hands.  He effortlessly pulled you and ruffled your hair.  “You’re getting better at this.”

                “Really?” you asked excitedly.  MinHo was a soccer player and you were more on the basketball player.  You asked MinHo to teach you because you found soccer to be pretty fun.  MinHo nodded with a smile.

                “Yup!”  He looked up at the sky then back to you.  “I’ll walk you home.  It looks like it’s going to rain.”  You nodded as you picked your backpack up.  You looked up at the gray sky.  Your head snapped to MinHo’s direction when you heard him call.  “Ready?”

                “Neh!”

You ran to MinHo’s side and started to head home.  You guys met when you were ten years old.  Girls bullied you for your boyish style and looks since your hair was cut a bit above your shoulders.  MinHo was transferred to your class and when he saw you in the corner, crying alone, he couldn’t help but go up to you to make you smile.

F l a s h b a c k

                “Hey, TaeMin, who’s the girl crying?” ten year old MinHo asked.  TaeMin looked to where you were crying.

                “That’s Kim _______,” TaeMin answered.  “Poor her.  I think she got bullied again.”

                “She gets bullied?” MinHo asked.  It was his first day in the class.  TaeMin nodded.

                “She’s the only girl dressed like a boy and she does look like one because of her short hair,” TaeMin answered. 

MinHo turned to you again.  He told TaeMin that he’s going to make you feel better. TaeMin nodded and watched him walked to you.

                “_-_______?”

Your head shot up.  You quickly wipe your tears away and looked up to see an unfamiliar face.  MinHo smiled and kneeled down in front of you.

                “Who are you?” you asked him curiously.

                “My name is Choi MinHo.  I just transferred in your class,” he answered.  You only nodded and stared at the ground as you hugged your knees.  “C’mon, let’s play basketball.”  You looked at him with a smile.

                “Okay!” you said excitedly.  “I love basketball!”

                “Me too!  But not as much as soccer,” MinHo said.

                “I at soccer.”

                “Well, then, I’m going to teach you.  From this day on, you are going to be my best friend!”

End of Flashback

He protected you from anyone who bullied you.  With those eight years that passed, you fell for him hard.

                “_______~ah, what’s on your mind?” MinHo asked you.  You two were in his bedroom.  You lied on his bed while he was lying on the floor, continuing on playing video games.

                “What makes you think there’s something in my mind?” you asked curiously.

                “You’re staring blankly at my plain, white ceiling,” he answered with a chuckle.  You can only lightly laugh back.

                “Well, I know this might be a little personal, but…” you stayed silent for a bit.  MinHo paused his game and knelt on the side of his bed so he can face you.  He rested his chin on his crossed arms that were resting on the mattress.  “Do you like…anyone?”  MinHo smiled and nodded.

                “Yeah, I like someone,” he answered.  “You know that girl Hana in our class?”  Your heart stopped in pain.  ‘So, he’ll only like me as a friend.  His sister,’ you thought.  You nodded.  “I like her.  She’s really pretty.”

                “So, you like girly girls?” you asked.  “Girls that dress in skirts and dresses?  Girls wearing heels and flats?  Girls that let their hair flow down and they wear cute accessories?”  MinHo pondered for a moment and smiled.

                “Yeah, those kinds of girls,” he asked.  You nodded and sat up, facing him with a smile to hide your hurt feelings.

                “Good luck with her,” you said softly and ruffled his hair.  “I think I’m going to head home now.”

                “I’ll walk you home.”

                “No, it’s okay,” you answered.  “My appa wants me to get something from the grocery store.  I’ll see you in school.”

You two said your byes and you started to run when you reached outside.  You stopped by a vacant bus stop and sat on the bench.  You put your knees up and hugged them.  You hid your face in your arms and let your tears silently flow.  You were the opposite from his ideal.  You weren’t girly.  You liked to wear sweats, basketball shorts, and you do wear the usual shorts that girls wear, but you tend to have a skater-like style.  You grew up with only guys and mainly with your appa. Your umma died when you were born, so you didn’t have a mother figure.

                “_______?”

Your head snapped up and you quickly wiped your tears away.  You turned to where the voice came from and smiled.

                “TaeMin oppa,” you responded.  TaeMin nodded and sat next to you.

                “He told you that he likes Hana?” he asked.  TaeMin was like your brother, next to MinHo.  You tell TaeMin much more than MinHo though; mostly because they were about your feelings.  You nodded and hugged him, crying on his shoulder.  TaeMin hugged you back, whispering to you that it was okay.

You returned to school and finding MinHo as you tend to do every morning.  You figured he was outside by the curb that surrounds the tree where you two usually eat lunch.  You stopped when you saw him, but with Hana.  You were kind of close to them, so you were able to hear him perfectly.

                “Will you go out with me and be my girlfriend?” he asked shyly.  You can feel a pang in your heart.  You hid behind a bush and waited for Hana to answer. You saw her smile and nod.

                “I’d love to!” she said cheerfully and hugged him.

You quietly left, leaving the two alone.  You entered back inside the school with your head hung low and walked to the girl’s bathroom.  You stared at yourself and thought of Hana.  You saw her wearing a pretty white and simple dress with white flats.  You were wearing a pair of shorts, a guy long sleeve shirt and skater shoes. Your hair was tied in a side ponytail.  You sighed.  ‘You’re not pretty, _______. You’re out of his league,’ you sadly thought.  ‘No.  No crying!’  Too late.  Tears already left your eyes.  You started to wash your face and you took deep breaths before leaving the bathroom.  You entered inside your classroom and the bell suddenly rang so you ran to your seat.  You looked around to find MinHo looking at you.  He gave two thumbs up with a huge smile on his face.  You gave a soft smile back with a nod before paying attention to the teacher.

                “_______~ah,” you heard TaeMin call.

You were about to walk home and you saw TaeMin quickly walking up to you.  He suddenly hugged you.

                “Hey, oppa,” you quietly said.

The whole day you didn’t feel like yourself.  MinHo told you that he couldn’t eat with you and you understood why so you ate by yourself.  TaeMin doesn’t have a lunch since he took an extra class.

                “How much do you love him, _______?” TaeMin asked.

                “So much, TaeMin oppa.  So much,” you whispered.  “My heart hurts.  I loved him for eight years.  I still do.”

                “C’mon, TaeMin oppa will treat you for ice cream.”

You smiled at him and nodded.  TaeMin put his arm around your shoulders and headed to an ice cream shop.  He ordered your favorite ice cream and his favorite ice cream.  He led you to a bench and you two quietly ate.

                “Oppa, do you think I can be good enough for MinHo oppa?” you asked curiously.  He looked at you and smile.  He gently turned your face so you would face him.

                “_______~ah, hyung is so blind to see you,” he said.  “Too make you feel better, I’ll honestly tell things that I love about you.”  You nodded and waited for him to respond.  “You have shiny, silky, long hair.  Instead of leaving it down, you tie it because you think it’s kind of weird when you don’t tie it up most of the time. You have really pretty eyes.  You have a really cute smile and laugh.  Like hyung, you tend to be competitive and you’re athletic.  You’re too nice for your own good that you put everyone else first before you.  You’re too smart, also.  If I were hyung, I’d totally date you, but you’re like my sister.  I like our brother and sister relationship better.”  You smiled and hugged him tightly.

                “Thank you, TaeMin oppa.  You’re the best,” you said happily.  TaeMin smiled and hugged you back.

                “No problem.”