January 2004

It was the beginning of the year, and the 11 year old, cheerful Taemin was on his way to school. Once he finished with his kindergarten back then, he joined the same primary school as Chanseul, so until today, they still walk together to school for 6 years.

The moment he reached the junction near his house, he can already see Chanseul waving at him in front of the orphanage. It was his usual favourite view for the past 6 years, except today Chanseul was wearing  a different school uniform.

“Noona!” Taemin called her as he ran towards the girl. Even after six years, Chanseul was still taller than him.

“Taemin-ah, how do I look?” Chanseul asked as she changed into different poses, imitating the models on TV, showing off her new school uniform.

“As pretty as always,” Taemin chuckles, nodding his head at the same time.

Chanseul was going to a new school today. She was 13, and was going to start with her middle school that year. Hence, the new school uniform. Taemin thought she looked so pretty with her long, wavy hair tied up in a ponytail, and he wasn’t the only one who thinks so. Some of his friends keep on asking him to introduce Chanseul to them, to which Taemin had always said “no” to.

He had no intention of sharing Chanseul with anyone. They were already together for 6 years. Of course more years will follow, right? That was what Taemin had in mind at that time.

“Taem,” Chanseul’s voice woke Taemin up from his unconscious dream.

“Neh, noona?” the pretty boy looked at the slightly taller girl right next to him as they walked together.

“Do you think my school time this year will end late? I mean, since I’m no longer in the primary school,”

“Ah.. the hyung next to my house who is also attending your school always got back home around 3PM,” Taemin responded. His heart sank upon thinking that they can’t walk back home together anymore since his school time ended earlier by an hour and a half.

“I will be alone then..” Chanseul spoke, more to himself but loud enough for Taemin to heard her.

“I can always wait for you, noona!” Taemin said as he took Chanseul’s hand in his, swinging their holding hands as they walk.

“But Taeminnie, I don’t want you to waste your time-“ Chanseul didn’t get to finish her sentence as Taemin quickly cut in.

“Hours, minutes and seconds spend for you, noona, will never gone wasted,” he said, putting on the “I-am-not-blushing” look, causing Chanseul to laugh a bit.

“Thanks..” she muttered as she tightened the grip on Taemin’s hand.

Both of them keep on talking and joking around when finally they reached the gate of their school. Good thing is the primary and middle school are sharing the same gate, but they still need to parted their ways.

“This is.. new,” Chanseul chuckles as she took two steps backwards from Taemin, moving closer to the middle school section.

“Because we have to separate in front of the school gate for the first time?” Taemin asked,  as he too, took two steps backwards away from Chanseul. Not knowing why, but emptiness started to fill in both of their hearts as the gap in between them got bigger.

“I guess so,” Chanseul said as she looked at the surrounding all of a sudden.

“What are you looking for, noona?” Taemin asked, following her eyes.

“Nothing. I’m just making sure no one is around,” she said as she walked very quickly towards Taemin, bent down a bit as the boy is a little bit shorter than her, and gave him a quick peck on his left cheek.

“N-noona,” Taemin was more than surprised, his eyes got bigger, and his heart beats way too fast for his own good.  Up until now, he always thought he was the one who liked Chanseul more than the other liked him. But, what’s with the peck on his cheek?

“Don’t miss me too much!” Chanseul said as she ran into the middle school section, and Taemin swore he can see Chanseul blushes before she disappeared.

“N-neh, noona!” Taemin shouted excitedly, still trying hard to calm down after the kiss on his cheek just now.

 

*     *     *

Chanseul’s first day as a middle school student was going just fine. She already made some new friends, got herself likeable and voted as the class representative, and right now she was looking at the long soft board along the corridor, reading posters, trying to find which club she could join.

“Volleyball? Nah..” she whispered to herself as she keeps on going, still reading the posters one by one when she suddenly stepped on someone’s foot.

“Omo, mianhaeyo!” she quickly bowed without looking as she apologized, only for her forehead to hit the other person’s a bit hard that both of them to whimper in pain.

“Yah!” that person, who happened to a teenage boy, shouted at Chanseul, as he rubbed on his forehead.

“M-mianhaeyo..” Chanseul apologized again for the second time, though it came more like a whisper this time. The fact that she got into trouble with a senior on her first day of schooling made her really nervous. She can tell that the boy is a sunbae because of the colour of his uniform.

“I can’t believe this school actually accepted blind students. What an eyesore!” the boy snapped as he left, hitting Chanseul’s shoulder a little too hard with his own as he walked passed her, causing the girl to twirl around involuntarily.

Not letting him got his way, Chanseul took out her bunny-shaped sling bag from around her body, her fingers gripped on the strap tightly, and she used all the strength she had to swing her bag as hard as she can towards the boy.

Thanks to her bunny-shaped bag, the boy is now on the floor, his face landed first.

He quickly got up, glaring at Chanseul as if he is going to swallow her as a whole as he rubbed off some dust off his school uniform.

“Are you, tired of living?” he asked, gritted his teeth at the same time, as he stepped closer to her.

“I apologized, did I? Do you really have to call me blind, and an eyesore?” Chanseul asked as she hugs her bunny. No. Her bag.

The boy was about to grab her bag from her but Chanseul quickly sneak her way out around him and run as fast as she can, waving her hand at him, chuckling at the same time.

“Make sure I don’t see you for the second time!” the boy shouted in anger.

*     *     *

It was recess time, and Taemin is waiting at the school’s tennis court. Spending 5 years at the school taught him that the tennis court is the only venue that connect the primary and the middle school together in the middle. Which means he doesn’t need to use the main gate to visit Chanseul.

Taemin took out a bottle of milk from his pocket. He had been drinking lots of milk since the past few years, hoping to be taller than Chanseul one fine day. It was then when he saw Chanseul running towards him with her baby blue, bento box.

“Taeminnie!” she greeted him as she took a seat beside him on the bench.

“Noona! How’s your first day?” the forever cute Taemin quickly asked as he used a pair of chopstick to feed Chanseul a slice of gimbap his mom made earlier in the morning. Once in a while he will blush for no reason, remembering the peck he got on his cheek earlier.

Chanseul made an “OK” signal with her fingers as she chew on the gimbap, Taemin thought she looked so cute even when she is munching.

“I’m planning to join a writing club!” Chanseul said as soon as she swallow the food in just now.

“Ahhh.. because you want to be a novelist, right?” Taemin responded as he remembered Chanseul always said she wanted to be a writer when she grow up.

“Neh! What about your first day, Taem?”

“Umm.. nothing much. Knowing that you’re so far,” Taemin said, puffing his adorable cheeks at the same time.

“Eiii, I’m just here!” Chanseul chuckles as she pinches Taemin’s cheeks. Both of them spent their 20 minutes recess time together, talking about random things. Even though they met each other everyday, at least three times a day; during the morning walk, recess and walking back home later, seems like they were never out of topic to talk about. It was then when the bell rang, marking the end of their recess time.

Chanseul quickly jumped off the bench as she fixed her uniform, still munching her sandwich at the same time.

“I have to attend the first club meeting for new members in 10 minutes. Visual check!” she said as she twirls around once right after she swallowed the last piece of her sandwich.

Taemin checked her from her head to toe before nodding his head, approving.

“5 stars,” he chuckles.

“Komawo, Taem!” Chanseul said, flashing her smile endlessly.

“So, see you after school?” Taemin asked.

“Neh! But Taem, is it really okay for you to wait for me..?” Chanseul asked again for the second time since their conversation this morning. She looked a little bit guilty since the boy will have to wait for an hour and a half, though he can reached his house in 10 minutes if he didn’t wait for her.

“Neh, noona. I already got the permission from the music club to use the studio every day after class, starting today. So while waiting, I can practice dancing,” Taemin responded, smiling cheerfully, causing Chanseul to feel at ease.

“I see! But make sure you don’t practice too hard!” Chanseul said, puffing her cheeks at the same.

“Uh.. why?” Taemin asked, tilting his head at the same time.

“I don’t want you to be too good at dancing, SM Entertainment might steal you from me later,” she chuckles, and Taemin joined in too.

“SM Entertainment? Me? Nahhh.. look at the members of DBSK, noona. I have to look like them in order to join SM,” Taemin responded.

Both of them talked a little bit about the popular boy group that debuted last year for a couple of minutes before they parted their ways.

Taemin went back to his class and Chanseul was walking through a corridor, her eyes reading every single label on each door, looking for the venue for the club’s first meeting of the year. She hopped into the class as soon as she saw “4-1” labelled on top of the entrance, only to be greeted by not only the new members, but also the president of the club.

“So, you’re joining my club,” the president smiles at her, and Chanseul dropped her jaw.

It was the boy that she hit with her bunny, no, her bag earlier.

RAMBLES___♡♥♡
So, we managed to skip 6 years. Taemin is 11, and Chanseul is 13, now.
We got a new character as well. More on him in the next chapter.
Don't just leave, please leave a few words as well, I'ld like to know
what do you guys think of this chapter.
Till the next chap, thank you everyone!

PYNKFAERY