"Kyeongeun? I'm coming in," Jungkook called softly from outside the door.

"Alright," I said, sitting up from my nap.

His face looked quite tired. The rings hanging under his eyes were discolored in comparison to his otherwise fair complexion. Jungkook flopped ono the foot of the bed, but immediately pulled back when he saw my hesitation.

"Sorry,: he mumbled, laughing awkwardly, "things used to be different,"

I wached Jungkook drop the easiness in his actions. Slowly, he was rebuilding a wall: the kind that one would show strangers. It held a mysterious charisma that drew out the strings of curiosity in a person. I could see how badly he wanted to abandon the facade and simply return to the old times. But he didn't.

"We used to be really close, didn't we Jungkook ssi?" I asked. Jungkook created a more comfortable distance between us by opting for a nearby chair.

"Well, more than close. We'd tell each other everything," he said sadly, eyes reflecting all that he'd lost.

"Can you...tell me how we met?" I asked. Jungkook turned to face me. With a soft smile, he told me of a different time. It was the winter of 2011.

*                                      *                                        *

We hadn't known each. At least, not directly. There was a young boy by the name of Cheon Kyungok, and he had a best friend named Jeon Jungkook. Always inseparable, the two had spent every waking second together. I was the third wheel to their happy relationship.

My brother, Cheon Kyungok, wasn't too thrilled with me always tagging along on their adventures. But he'd let it pass from time to time (mostly because of ohmma). But Jungkook didn't let it slide so easily. He didn't mind me following them, but rather, he saw me as a liability that they were forced to pay attention to.

"Kyungok oppa! Wait for me!" I said, struggling to catch up. 

"Tell your sister to stop following us Kyungok," Jungkook said in annoyance, and to me,"Hey! Tell your leg to start working, 'cuz we're bored of waiting for you!"

"A-any day now, it will Kookie. Please wait for me!" I lied, knowing it was a lost cause. My bad leg protested like a dead weight, not allowing me to move faster than a walking pace. Long story short, it never worked in the first place. People were always telling me that with just a little bit of treatment, I could be up and around like any other kid my age. And I always brushed away their concerns, leaving out the part that my family couldn't afford the hospital fees.

"Don't call me that, cripple!" Jungkook called back, sticking out his tongue.

The crutches Mom had got me were becoming as useless as they were old; that is to say, very. I willed them to carry me faster anyways. toc. toc. toc.

Jungkook ran to me, throwing my walking sticks to the ground. "Kyeongeun, you're slower than my grandma. And she's 97," he said, lowering into a crouch.

"No, you don't have to-" I started protesting.

"Get on before we really leave you behind," he said. Not wanting to anger him anymore, I got onto his back, holding back a grateful smile.

"Okay! Off to the show!" Kyungok sang happily, leading the way. The crowds got denser and denser as we approached the space surrounding the main show stage. The atmosphere was b with the excitement, and there were so many other attractions to engage people in. No one noticed three ticketless thirteen year olds seating themselves in the audience before the performances began.

Mom had always made sure Kyungok and I were good children. The neighbors looked down upon us for the patched up clothes on our backs, and the thin slices of bread we carried to school for lunch. We didn't need any more reasons for them to taunt us behind our backs, especially because Mom and Dad worked for many of them.

So if Mom had discovered what we were doing now, Kyungok and I would both get an earful the next time she saw us. But in the moment when those performances began, I didn't care one bit. Anticipation suffocated us, forcing us to cap the excitement. When 2ne1 came out in their bold, colorful outfits, the crowd roared. The Kpop stars exuded confidence: the strong vocals, energetic rappers, skilled dancers, all riled us up in a storm. There were no such things as boundaries that day. 

Kyungok, Jungkook, and I cheered so loudly our voices went hoarse, but there was no room for regret. No, only content. Knowing that we might never share a memory as beautiful as this one ever again, my soul soared into the sky, lost in the uproar of thousands of cries.