In my young days, I didn’t know about being young

When we loved, I didn’t see love

He met her when he was eleven and she was nine. Their parents were neighbor and they were practically spent their week days in the same park behind the apartment complex.

The first time they’ve met, he hated her because she’s the daughter that his mother wanted to have. Since he was the number four and last of his siblings, and all of them were boys.

“Little Joohyun is a nice and polite girl, isn’t she Kyuhyunnie?”

He only nodded obediently to his mother because all he wanted to do was to make her happy, and that annoying little girl made her happy. No matter how much he wanted her to be vanished of the world of the Cho’s.

Then that day happened, a year after they met, when Joohyun played too far from home and lost in the small forest behind their apartment.

Having prayed that she would be gone because she took his entire mother’s attention, strangely that day he felt some strange feeling in his stomach of the idea of her missing forever. So he took his jacket and hat, then he flung his backpack of his shoulder and went for a mission to find the lost girl.

Few hours looking for her and exhausted, he decided to go to the bench near the small river where he used to sit and playing his flute, so he could take some rest before went on the search mission.

What he found was a relief but a heartbroken too.

A silently crying Joohyun while sang a song as if she was trying to comfort herself.

He plopped himself near her and smiled. Half wanted to cheer her up, half wanted to smile for no reason, he slowly sang together with her.

The young girl startled but just like her nature self; she smiled back and wiped her tears.

“I think it’s time to get home.” He said it but not looking at her.

“I think you right,“ She stopped a beat.”...Oppa.”

His young heart skipped a beat. He did not know why and what, but having heard she said that he felt like he was flying.

“Uh... if that’s ok?” She suddenly blurted. He shook his head when he remembered that he was  impolite when he kept silent.

“Of course, Joohyun-ah.” He smiled to her, right into her eyes. “Since now I will be your older brother, so you can’t run like this again without letting me know.”

She blinked and he thought that must be what making others so enchanted with her. “You will?” Then she beamed. She only had one sister and she was five years older than her and studying out of town. Life was hard for Little Joohyunnie ever since, that’s why having him as a brother was kind of blessing from heaven.

He laughed and pulled the girl off the bench. “I would. I am now.” Then when she  was half-running to catch his long legs, he glanced at her and smirked. “You must be regretted now.”

She suddenly pulled his arms to stop him. When he stopped and turned around to meet her, she smiled firmly, “I won’t.”

That was the moment he promised himself that he won’t let anyone or anything hurt her.

But now as I turn back

We were young and loved each other