"Are you crying?" SeungHyun caressed his girlfriend's cheek upon seeing her moist eyes.

"This place... looks different but feels the same... There are more trees on the way now and the surrounding area's now filled with a lot of establishments." Bom replied, leaning her head towards her boyfriend's shoulder. "Our school can still be seen up here."

"I remember running here whenever I didn't want to attend class... especially during those times I hated my father for asking me to do this and that." Jiyong stated, squeezing Dara's hand that he's holding.

"Youngbae was the first to find this place, right?" SeungHyun said.

Wiping her tears, Bom spoke. "He was very eager to show us this place that time." She chuckled.

"I was chasing a rare colored butterfly and wanted to show it to you guys... I reached this place and thought it would be the best place for hideout." Youngbae smiled with his eyes.

"He's so fascinated with insects when we were younger." Jiyong told Dara.

SeungHyun left them and went near the shabby improvised hut where vines crawl for support.

"You made that?" Dara asked.

Bom nodded. "Out of whatever we can bring up here."

"With the help of Ajhussi Jisuk and SeungHyun's driver, Ajhussi Seong-min." Jiyong added.

"They're the only once we can trust our secrets with." SeungHyun commented.

"That's right." Bom agreed.

"Why not pull these vines off so we can see if it's still okay inside?" Dara suggested while she started taking the vines off from hugging the hut.

They helped each other in pulling the vines off and got inside the house after.

"Wow! This looks decent." Dara commented after getting in.

It's already a little crowded for five people but it can accommodate at least 2 more visitors.

There were stools neatly arranged in one side and a little table beside it. The floor was covered with tiles to make the ground even.

All items inside the humble hut were covered with thick pile of dust and weed and moss started to grow on the woods that strongly held the hut, keeping it from breaking down.

A frame hanging on the wall caught Dara's attention. She blew the dust off causing her to cough.

"You don't want to do that again, lady... You'll cause us runny nose before we can even get out of here." Jiyong chuckled.

Dara grinned. "Sorry."

She then grabbed some tissue from her sling bag and wiped the remaining dust off.

"You kept this?" Youngbae asked after seeing what Dara was holding.

Bom looked at Dara's direction and checked on what she was holding. It made her smile after seeing it.

It was a picture of younger version of the four of them happy smiling in front of the camera.

"You're still part of this friendship, Youngbae... even when you left. There's no reason for us to take it off the wall." Bom touched his shoulder.

"Remember, you loved to dance when music played... But we had to be discreet with the volume to avoid being caught." SeungHyun laughed.

"And you... you would only bounce your head to the vibe. Didn't want to move your body too much." Jiyong told him.

"Yah! That's my own style... I'm not into Youngbae's type of dance."

"Admit it, man... It's because you don't dance at all." Youngbae chuckled.

Dara and Bom were trying to stop themselves from laughing because of what Youngbae said.

"Hey, that's not fair... Why are you laughing at me?" He acted like he's hurt by their reactions but a smile on his lips was visible.

"Don't worry SeungHyun... You're not alone. I'm also not a dance person." Dara patted his arm while holding the bridge of her nose like she's about to stop her tears.

Everyone burst out laughing.

"I didn't think this place will still be standing here... to think that so many years have already passed and we haven't been here to take care of it." Jiyong spoke after a few minutes of silence.

"Same as this hut, your friendship remained the same." Dara walked towards him and clung her arm around his. "Strong and unyielded by difficulties... Same as you guys who came back as four after so many years of not being okay."

"We should take a photo here before leaving." Bom suggested.

"Let's have one here and one outside... You have kept an album of old photos, right, babe?" SeungHyun asked.

"Yes... It's at home." She replied.

"I'll take the photo for you." Dara offered.

"You should be in the photo, too." Jiyong told her.

"Maybe after taking a picture of the four of you." She answered.

They all had fun taking different pictures inside and outside of their hideout. They left after staying for an hour and decided to eat in their favorite ice cream shop nearby.

************

An old man greeted them upon entering the ice cream parlor.

"Uncle Ben?" The four of them blurted out upon seeing the old man still sitting on his usual seat near the counter.

A young lady approached them and bowed. "Annyeonghaseyo (Hello)." She greeted with a smile.

"That's his favorite seat right there." Bom said, amused upon seeing the shop owner still greeting his customers the same way as when they were younger.

"He still prefers working here instead of just staying at home." The young lady told them.

"And are you that little kid who cries a lot when your mom comes to bring you home?" SeungHyun asked.

"Uh." The young lady reacted, as if she thought of something. "I think I remember you... The four of you were those who come in school uniform after class, requesting for Uncle to combine different flavors of ice cream, right?"

Bom smiled.

The girl tried to think of their names and the four of them waited in anticipation. They didn't notice Uncle Ben coming to their direction.

"Bom, SeungHyun, Youngbae... And who would forget Jiyong?" The old man spoke.

"Ah, right?... The noisy customers." The young lady remembered.

"This shop normally gets filled with laughter and bickering whenever they're here." Uncle Ben reminisced.

Bom rushed to hug the old man. "Didn't know you still own this ice cream parlor, Uncle Ben... It's been a long time."

The old man patted her head like a little kid.

"You aged a lot." Jiyong joked.

"And my beard, too... They're all white now." He roamed his eyes to look at the new comers. "Good to see you four again... Still good friends as ever... Although you had your rough times, I know." He smiled. "And this lady over here?"

"My girlfriend." Jiyong held her hand.

"I see... And these two lovey-dovey are still together?" He looked at SeungHyun and Bom.

"I have no choice, Uncle." SeungHyun shrugged.

Bom smacked his arm and chuckled, knowing he wasn't serious with what he said.

"Still as sweet as ever." Uncle Ben commented sarcastically. "And you." He pointed at Youngbae with a serious look then smiled. "You aren't into fighting and those kind of stuff anymore, right?"

Youngbae smiled back, eyes missing while scratching his head. "I've long refrained myself from being influenced by those kids."

He patted his cheek and with a look of contentment, he said, "That's good then... Go to your usual seat and I'll prepare your favorite ice cream flavors."

He was about to go back to the freezer area but realized there's one new customer he needed to ask. "I'm sorry pretty lady, I haven't asked for your name." He said, looking Dara.

She smiled and replied, "It's Dara."

"Now Dara, what flavor of ice cream do you want?"

She gave Jiyong a questioning look.

"Whatever flavor you want... You can go crazy with it if you would like... Combine different flavors." He told her.

"Choco, Strawberry, Mango and Pistachio flavor?..." She said hesitantly.

"Indeed, you're a part of this group... I'll have it served in a few minutes." Uncle Ben replied.

"Thank you Uncle Ben." Dara said before Jiyong guided her to their usual seats.

They took more pictures before leaving the ice cream parlor.

***********

"Did you enjoy the trip?" Jiyong asked while they were on their way home.

They went separate ways after strolling around and having a short peak of their old school.

"So much." She smiled and looked outside. "No wonder why you are that close with Bom and SeungHyun... and I can feel that you have been so close with Youngbae, too."

Jiyong held her hand that's on her lap. "Our next plan is to go back to your childhood days, okay?"

"There's nothing much to know." Dara looked at him.

He smiled brightly. "If it's about you, it's not nothing much... They're important memories."

Dara smiled back and nodded.

"I have good news for you." Jiyong said while returning his focus on the road.

"What is it?"

"I contacted an agency for nannies and they were able to confirm two nannies to work for us."

"Jiyong..." Dara looked worried.

"Hey." He looked at her and touched her cheek. "We won't have them so they can completely take over... I just don't want you to get very tired of juggling everything... I know you're also busy with your paintings, right?"

"But I can still handle it."

"I know... They're just there in case you need more hands to take care of the twins."

"Thank you." She told him.

He chuckled. "Everything just for you." He looked at her and stared at her lips.

"Jiyong Kwon, put your focus back to driving... I still love my life." She held his chin and moved it to face front.

"Sorry, I got distracted for a second... It's all your fault." He smiled in a naughty manner.

"How come it's my fault?" She chuckled. "I know what you're thinking."

"It's those lips... They always seduce me."

She smacked his arm. "Yah, Jiyong! Stop being crazy. Drive properly."

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and gave Dara a salute. "Yes, Ma'am." Which made both of them laugh.