“I don’t need to ask what your birthday wish is to know it” Soo Young unnie said, as she sat on Soo Ae’s bedside that evening.

Soo Ae smiled at that, already in her pajamas. Gently, she leant her forehead on her sister’s shoulder.

“Unnie knows it already. A friend. I only want a friend. I don’t need many. Just one friend will make me the happiest girl in the world”

“You’ll go to school next month. You’ll find this friend you’ve always wanted”

“Ne. I hope it’s as fun as I always watch in those dramas”

“Admit it, you want to find your Yoon Yoon Jae, don’t you?” Soo Young taunted, mentioning a character from Soo Ae’s favourite drama.

“Aw, Unnie. I’m not that silly to want a Yoon Yoon Jae. I just want one friend. A good friend. A girl who I can talk and share my days with”

Soo Young’s heart twisted painfully.

Such a simple wish. Something a girl like her would hardly want for. Friends would be something normal for girls her age. But not for her little sister.

“I also wish it will come true. And there better be no school jerks who’d bully you, because Unnie would kick his to Mars, literally”

“Unnie! Don’t use those Taekwondo skills at school later!”

“Ahra, ahra. Still, if you face any problems, Unnie will be there”

“I know, Unnie. And I love you for that”

“Mm hm. Now get some sleep, will you”

“Ne. I do feel tired. See you tomorrow, Unnie”

Soo Young nodded, as Soo Ae kissed her cheek as usual.

All of these simple things.......

See you tomorrow, friends, school.......

Those are all different for Choi Soo Ae.

For next month, it will be Soo Ae’s first time going to school.

Friends? Soo Ae had never have one in her life.

She only knew her family or meet the same age girls and boys her age when her parents hold birthday parties at their mansion.

Still, it was not enough to know someone closely, to make her a friend.

See you tomorrow?

There were times when Soo Young was terrified that there would be no more tomorrows for her sister..........

As she walked through the beautiful hallway of her house, filled with expensive antiques and covered with elegant wallpapers from one end to the other, Soo Young blinked as her eyes got wet.

She blinked and shook her head.

Soo Ae is better now, she told herself firmly. Let’s not be dramatic.

Baby girl would be alright.

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

Soo Ae had severe asthma. She’d never been healthy enough for school. She’s allergic to a lot of things, too. She’s been studying at home all her life.

True, she had doting parents, sister and brother who showered her with love.

But she always felt there’s something missing.

She wanted to complain because of too much homework.

She wanted to cheer together for a school’s basketball team.

She wanted to experience eating in a school’s cafeteria.

Her dreams were simple, yet hard to achieve.

She used to be very weak. The asthma attack happened too often for her to do anything useful. The family kept tubes of oxygen for her at home. They were too well known in the hospital’s ER. Her mother went to the church everyday, praying on her knees, begging for her youngest to be healthy and live long, for her to not be taken away too soon.

Her prayers must be answered, for in the past three years, Soo Ae gradually grew stronger, to the point that her doctor finally decided that she was fit enough to attend school.

Soo Ae was overjoyed, while her family was entirely sceptical.

Because Soo Ae insisted, they finally arranged for her school registration.

God reduced some, and added some. Always.

Soo Ae had always been sickly, but she had never been unintelligent.

Soo Ae did the state exam for primary and middle school at the age when she was supposed to take those, and had always passed with good scores.

The school they chose was the closest one to the hospital they frequent to. A teacher from the school came to their house one day and she had to sit to do the exams of the main subjects, and she finished very well.

However, it was Soo Young, her unnie, who opposed for her to attend school. Soo Young was so adamant that they both cried in front of her doctor one afternoon.

“How about sending a nurse with her? Maybe just for the first few months. If Soo Ae goes unwell, she could have the oxygen mask and her inhaler” Doctor Junmyeon suggested.

“I’ll go to school with her”

Everyone in the doctor’s consultation room turned to Soo Young. Their parents and Sehun, the brother between the two sisters, shook his head in exasperation. 

“You can’t be serious. Are you going to leave your position at the company to take care of Soo Ae?” their father asked, shocked at the idea.

“Why not? Sehun already got his bachelor degree. He could handle the TV Channel”

“It’s too early” their mother protested.

“I’m not going to let Soo Ae be alone in that school. She’s never been to a school before. What if something bad happens and no one is there for her?”

“Unnie. There will be my schoolmates and teachers. I will not be alone”

“They won’t know what to do in emergencies! I don’t want anything bad to happen!”

“You’re overreacting. I told you she’s fit enough for school” the doctor interrupted. “Of course there will be some restrictions. She better have her own food rather than the cafeteria. She can’t consume MSG and most fried food. She can’t be included in P.E. Class. She can’t get the duty of cleaning the class. But rather than that, she could attend school. It’s not healthy to shun herself from children her age forever”

“Fine. Fine, Soo Ae can go to school. As long as I go there too to take care of her”

“But Unnie, whatever would you do during the school hours?”

“I don’t know. I’ll read or watch things online. It’s no big deal. I’ll manage. You’re not going without me”

“..........alright”

Sehun sighed.

He had to step up to his position in the business now, because their noona is so possessive of their maknae. Don’t get it wrong, Sehun loved Soo Ae too and wanted the best for her, but Noona really can get very possessive sometimes.

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

The morning of her first day of school, Soo Ae went to school with her sister. She’s very excited, it’s the first day of her whole life!!!

“If you’re really better, if you’re really stronger, Unnie will let you go to school alone”

Soo Ae turned, “So you’re not planning to stick with me forever, Unnie?”

“Of course not. I know you need to have your own life too. But for now, let Unnie watch for you, ok?”

Soo Ae nodded, smiling and reaching for her Unnie’s hand.

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

Soo Young promised she would be around and watching from afar, but would not hover too close.

Therefore, Soo Ae was able to find her class and put her bag, before going to the gym hall for the welcoming ceremony.

She was so excited her breath went a lot faster than it normally was. She coughed too, but she knew it was just mild coughing. She took a giddy breath, joining the long line of students that were all going to the same direction.

She was going down the stairs and it was crowded, and suddenly she was pushed from the back and fell.

Panicking, she tried to reach for the handrail, in the flash of a second thinking her unnie might be hysterical and insisted for her to quit the school right that second.

But somebody caught her from behind, and she was able to balance herself back on her two feet.

She heard something clattering to the floor, as she prepared herself to thank the person behind her, she was surprised that she had to look up so far.

The boy behind her was so tall that he looked like a giant for her.

“Th – thank you” Soo Ae stuttered.

“Are you alright?” he asked. “Sorry, I also got pushed from the back”

“I’m ok, thank you” Soo Ae answered politely, before looking forward to the end of the crowd, impatient to see the gym hall.

“Really?”

She could see it from there! That basketball field she’d seen so often in highschool dramas! Omona! She’s finally a student in a school!

“Hey, I’m talking to you”

Soo Ae felt her shoulder being patted.

She looked back to the very tall boy behind her.

“Huh? What is it?”

“Are you really alright?”

“........I am”

“You keep coughing”

“I’m really fine” Soo Ae smiled, before looking to the front again.

They all arrived at the ground floor then.

Someone who she was sure was her homeroom teacher (Omonaaaaa I have a homeroom teacher!!!) guided the students around her to stand in lines.

“Yah, yah, you! Tall boy! Don’t go out from your line!” the teacher said sternly, not knowing the name of his students yet, since it’s still the first day.

“Sorry, Sir. Was just picking up something”

The boy stared at what he was holding, before looking around him.

Whose this—

Right.

“Hey”

Soo Ae felt her shoulders being patted again.

She turned again, finding the same tall boy talking to her.

“Is this yours?”

Soo Ae looked down.

Her inhaler was in his hand.

She grabbed the plastic container so fast it shocked him.

“Th – thank you again”

The boy frowned.

“Don’t join the welcoming ceremony if you’re unwell. It’s gonna be very long”

As she put the inhaler inside her uniform’s jacket, the boy added, “You’re pale. I think you’re unwell”

What the girl said next was ingrained in his memory for a long time after that day.

Soo Ae looked at him in shock, before beaming, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

With that, she turned around and rejoined the line.

The boy blinked, before their homeroom teacher hit him with a roll of paper to make him stand in line properly like the others.

Who on earth would be so happy attending a school ceremony?

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

Author’s Note:

Hello!

I’m very nervous, but finally really publish this.

I love writing, and craving to try my hand on this high school fic.

I’ll come back to edit later. Hope it’s not too bad.