I turned my head only slightly to the strange sound I heard. When the sound stopped, I thought that my brain was just playing silly games with me.

 

However, that was until I heard the noise again. This time it was louder than before. I was getting a little annoyed because the sound was destroying my concentration on building my flower crowns.

 

These crowns had to be pretty because I want to give them to the friends I'll make. I didn't have any friends, but that was only because I am too shy to go near them or that they had something to do already so they couldn't play with me.

 

Eyebrows furrowed in concentration, I wove the sky blue flower into the crown as the sound disappeared into the background. I was weaving the next flower into the crown when a loud screech echoed in the playground.

 

Huffing in frustration, I gently placed the unfinished crown next to the finished ones and got up, marching towards the weird noises. As I got closer to the sound it didn't sound strange anymore, it sounded familiar. It was then that I realized that it was sobbing I heard. A kid was crying their eyes out while being pushed down onto the ground.

 

I took a glance at the group of girls laughing and then back at the bullied girl. I really wanted to make friends but these weren't the type of girls that would do the job. They're mean and truthfully ugly. I shifted my attention back to the kid being pushed yet again on the ground. I had to admit, she is really pretty and also reminds me of an angel.

 

With my mind made up, I breathed in deeply and exhaled a sigh.

 

I can do this, I thought.

 

Stomping my way up to the group of girls, I stood between them and the crying angel. "Stop it you meanies!" I yelled.

 

The group of girls looked surprised for only a second before one of them started laughing. Soon they were all laughing. I cringed because it sounded more like witches cackling than real laughter.

 

"What are you going to do pipsqueak? Cry for your mommy?" The girl in front asked while pretending to cry. Her little 'posse' cackled at the joke, but I stood my ground.

 

"Go away you ugly witches! And stop hurting this poor angel!" The cackling stopped immediately as soon as I said that. They all looked at me like I was their next prey. The group of girls started moving towards us and they were pretty scary looking now.

 

I did the only thing that crossed my mind. I began swinging my arms and yelling nonsense, trying my best to look crazy.

 

I believed it worked because the girls were slowly backing away. However, I needed them to never come close to us again.

 

So I may or may not have swung my arms a little too close to their faces and 'accidentally' hit a witch.

 

That certainly had them scurrying away and shouting how crazy I was. I turned back around to the crying angel that wasn't crying anymore. Instead she was gaping in my direction, yet when I got closer, she flinched away from me.

 

I didn't like that very much but I guess that was expected. I held up my hands to show that I wasn't going to harm her and walked slowly towards her to crouch down about a foot away.

 

"Hi I'm Jihye, nice to meet you," I said, showing my best smile and stretching my hand out for her to shake. She looked a little skeptical and kept glancing from me to my outstretched hand.

 

After a few moments she lifted her hand, that was wet from wiping her tears, and gently grabbed my own to give it a slight shake.

 

My smile widen as she did so. I was b with so much excitement that I wrapped my other hand around our already joint hands and began shaking her wildly.

 

I guess my overexcitement was funny because the girl stopped staring at me and instead her eyes turned to crescents as she started to giggle at me. Her giggle was so contagious, I was soon giggling alongside her.

 

When the giggles died down all that was left was me and her smiling at each other.

 

In a soft whisper, the angel replied, "My name is Jeonghan. Yoon Jeonghan."

 

Even though it was soft spoken, it was loud enough for me to hear it. My smile faltered a little on how masculine the name sounded.

 

"Jeonghan is kind of a masculine name for a girl, but I guess if that's what your parents wanted...," I said shrugging a bit.

 

I don't know what made Jeonghan laugh the way she did but she was full on laughing. I frowned and stuck out my bottom lip, pouting. "Yah, what are you laughing at?"

 

Her laughter died down to small giggles and she replied, "My parents made it masculine because I'm a boy," Jeonghan paused, giving me a look. "As in I'm not a girl."

 

I stood still for a moment, trying to process the new information.

 

Taking my silence as an answer, Jeonghan began taking small steps back. "I get it. You don't wanna be my friend. You aren't the only one," his voice straining to hold back a sob.

 

I opened my mouth, wanting to say that wasn't  true but Jeonghan cut me off. "Other boys won't be my friends because they said that I looked too girly. And girls won't be my friends because they say that I'm too ugly and rough."

 

After finishing that sentence, Jeonghan let out a choked sob. At that moment I wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him that he didn't need them. He had me. But I didn't feel right doing that, so I turned around and took off to where I originally came from.

 

As I was running away, I could hear Jeonghan's cries echoing after me.

 

I grabbed the things that I came back for, even the unfinished one.

 

Sprinting back to Jeonghan, I found him in the same exact spot. Except he was now collapsed on the ground, full on sobbing.

 

Throwing the crowns to the side, I quickly got on my knees and began to carefully wipe away the tears staining his angelic face.

 

I could feel my own eyes start to burn with unshed tears. "Come on Jeonghannie. Stop crying. You're going to make me cry t-too."

 

My voice faltered at the end and before I knew it my vision was blurred with tears. I felt warm hands on my cheeks hastily, but gently wiping my own tears away.

 

"W-why a-a-are you c-crying?" Jeonghan asked through hiccups in his attempt to stop.

 

"I s-should b-be asking y-you that," I responded.

 

We both let out small laughs, followed by sniffles and rubbing our eyes of any trances of tears.

 

I reached for one of my flower crowns and gently placed the pale white one on top of Jeonghan's head.

 

Slowly lifting his hand, Jeonghan caressed the object that was placed on his head. "Why..."

 

"Because," I answered, a smile adorning my face. "I want you to be my very first friend here."

 

Jeonghan gazed at me, confused as to why I did that. "I thought you weren't gonna be my friend anymore because you ran away from me."

 

"Pabo," I said, fixing the few strains of hair away from his face. "I was only grabbing my flower crowns that I only give to my friends."

 

Jeonghan's eyes widened as he understood the information. His mouth was opening and closing, no words coming out of his mouth.

 

"And since you're my only friend Jeonghan, these are a symbol of our friendship!" I exclaimed, placing a crown on myself as well.

 

Jeonghan nodded, with a serious face before getting up and running towards the playground, a smile adorning his face. Glancing back, I could see his smile widen as I tried to catch up to him.

 

We both just played with each other for what seemed like forever, occasionally fixing each other's crown if it got messed up in the process. When the sun was setting I offered to take Jeonghan home since I lived close by. He agreed and we talked on the way over to his house, getting to know each other more and more. When we arrived at his house I looked at his house then down the street and then back at his house.

 

"We live just down the street from each other!" I shouted happily while hugging him, pointing to the house at the end of the street. He glanced at the direction my house was in and gave me a soft smile.

 

"I guess we will see each other more often then?" He said it more as a question than a statement. I nodded my head enthusiastically. He giggled like he did the entire afternoon and turned to make his way inside.

 

Before he got inside his house I yelled, "See you tomorrow chingu!" While waving both of my arms wildly. The response I got was a timid wave and mouthed "thank you".

 

*10 years later*

 

"Ugh I don't want to do any more homework!" I complained as I belly flopped onto the made up bed.

 

Jeonghan was on the floor surrounded by textbooks and papers and there was an empty spot directly across from him. He leaned his back against his bed and let out an exhausted sigh.

 

"I guess we can take a break..." he said reluctantly after a few moments.

 

"YAY!" I cheered as I scrambled upwards into a sitting position on his bed. I went to take Jeonghan's hair out of his ponytail and smiled at the way his hair slipped through my fingers. Ever since I found out how soft Jeonghan's hair was about 10 years ago, I have always played with it.

 

Wow, I thought. We've known each other for 10 years now.

 

"Hey Jeonghan," he hummed telling me that he was listening. "It's going to be our 10 year anniversary of when we met tomorrow," I said.

 

Jeonghan opened his tired eyes and he let his gaze fall on the calendar hanging on his wall. "Yeah I guess it will be 10 years. Wow, time goes by quickly when you have a best friend."

 

"You took the words right out of my mouth," I replied as I stopped playing with his hair and my back. My head was hanging off the bed, but was leaning against Jeonghan's shoulder instead of his bed frame.

 

He eyed my weird position and chuckled softly. I felt the vibrations from it and I just closed my eyes to bask in the moment.

 

Jeonghan and I have been close the moment I stopped the group of girls bullying him 10 years ago.

 

And we have been inseparable since then.

 

Yeah of course we made other close friends as time went on and people were no longer bullying Jeonghan for his looks and I wasn't scaring people away anymore, but Jeonghan and I stayed the closest to each other.

 

Other people think we're dating and of course we aren't, but I just can't help but wonder:

 

What if we were dating?

 

I thought about that question for a good 2 years now ever since we left middle school and  entered high school. Will he feel the same way if I told him? Or will he just reject me and find a new best friend? What if I can't repair our friendship and I'll be alone again while Jeonghan is surrounded by people who adore him?

 

I take in a quiet, shuddering breath and I think Jeonghan caught onto my actions because he is turning his body towards me, careful not to bump my upside down head. He propped his head up with his arm leaning against the top of the bed. "A penny for your thoughts?" He asked.

 

I snapped out of my thoughts fast enough to let out a small snort and say, "My thoughts aren't worth that much."

 

"I think they do," he countered.

 

"Thanks," I replied sarcastically. But then my eyes came face to face with his lips. Jeonghan's lips look so soft and pink and I really wanted to kiss them.

 

I my lips unconsciously.

 

Before Jeonghan could reply to my sarcastic comment, I quickly pecked his lips and turned my head away so that he couldn't see the blush that crept up on my face.

 

With my head turned I didn't see the look of astonishment on his face, nor did I see the light color blossom on his face as he lifted his hand to touch his lips.

 

Still with my head turned I refused to look at him until he said something first. I'm either expecting him to say: "Hahaha nice one Jihye" or  "Get out, I don't want you ever to come back here".

 

I was too busy mentally preparing for both that I didn't see Jeonghan glancing at the clock and then smirking right afterwards.

 

He gently grabbed my head and turned it so that I didn't hurt my neck and stared straight into my eyes. Jeonghan's gaze was so intense that I couldn't look away.

 

"Happy 10 year anniversary chingu," he gave me his signature angelic smile. "And now this is the first day of us as a couple."

 

Before I could process the new information, I felt soft lips on mine and I just melted into the kiss. It was an innocent kiss. Just a chaste kiss on the lips.

 

Nothing more. Nothing less.

 

Yet...