I could never forget the day I first met Son Seunghwan.

 

Winter of 2005, yet seeing her back in that lone, old music store in Daegu felt like my Spring came one season earlier. I was left in trance when she flashed her smile that shone brighter than any Summer sun, and even the prettiest Autumn colors failed to compare on her exquisite and enthralling beauty. The white winter bed of snow that surrounds us glistened like the heavens up in the sky; for at that very moment my eyes landed on her I knew I've met an angel.

 

 

December 2005

 

I rashly entered Dream Music Store after ditching half day of my class. The lethargic atmosphere caused by the winter season is to be blame for anyone's laziness; the cold and harsh wind can lure anyone to stay wrapped in bed. I, too, was on my way home to get cozy in my small room with some music, but then the snow suddenly started raining strongly and I know that walking my way home isn't the best decision to do, so I chose to dropped by my second current favorite place on earth after my bed-- Dream Music Store. I am close with the sons of the man who runs this store as we bond through music, and he's also teaching me basic technicalities on writing lyrics and composing melodies.

 

My lifetime goal and dream is to become an artist. To produce the best quality music and have my name not just on our country's biggest music charts but on the world's top lists as well, like Billboard. Music beats and notes make me feel alive the most, as if these audio wavelengths are the blood vessels and neurons that run in my system to give me life. Now that I'm only months away from finishing grade school, I am going to convince my parents to let me chase after my dream in Seoul and not go to middle school anymore. I've been diligently practicing in our old brown piano and I know they would support my potential. They would, right?

 

 

"Yah ahjussi jebal, uh? Don't sell this guitar until next year! I will definitely have enough money to buy it by then. Please promise me you won't sell it to anybody else. This guitar is mine!" An aegyo-filled sweet voice with crooked korean sentence construction and accent reach my ears as soon as I stepped inside the music store. My eyes automatically found a young girl with wavy black hair that stops on her shoulder, probably around my age, hugging tight what looks like a Fender acoustic guitar while bargaining with Yoo Kyunghyun hyung, the first son of the owner of this store. I snorted at how the guitar looks bigger than her small figure, but it's funny and cute how she's cling on to it like a baby panda or koala.

 

There's a small knot on her forehead coming from the frown on her eyebrows. A visible pout completes her cute pose. From my distance, I could tell base on her side profile that she is not a pure korean.

 

"Ahjussi?! Ha... ah jinja this kid. Yah I'm too young to be an ahjussi I'm just an oppa! Oppa!" Kyunghyun hyung retorted unbelievably.

"Hyung na wasseoyeo." I came nearer to them to inform my presence. They both turned their heads on me and I could not stop myself from staring back at the girl customer.

"Oh Yoongi-ah you're dismissed early today? Where's Kihyun?" I'm pretty sure he asked me about his younger brother who's my classmate but I faintly hear what Kyunghyun hyung said. The bright innocence reflected in the orbs of the double eyelid girl held me captive and left me in trance. Everything hushed down and moves in a slow motion as our eyes kept locked. I've never seen such beauty in any tangible form more than the feelings I get whenever I listen to music. Even the prettiest Autumn colors failed to compare her aesthetics!

 

She was the first one to cut away from my stares but her beauty never released me that I kept on following her movements. Small details didn't even escape my keen observation. The way her frown deepens and her eyes looked so defeat as her pout grew longer... then turning back to look at me with begging puppy eyes.

 

"Yoongi-ah. Yah Min Yoongi jongshin charyeoya!" Kyunghyun hyung's calling snapped me back to reality and I wanted to punch myself for acting stupid in front of the angel in front me. Now I'm too embarrassed to steal a glance again!

 

"Mianhe hyung. Ah, Kihyunnie..."

"Nevermind, just take this guitar back to its stand over there." Now that he mentions it, he's already holding the Fender acoustic that the girl was hugging like a koala awhile ago. Maybe that's why her mood shifted into defeat awhile ago.

 

I took the guitar and carry it back to where it was displayed, not realizing that the girl silently followed me.

 

"Yah..." The sound of her voice just centimeters away from me made me jump in surprise. I look back at her while holding my heart in place.

 

"Yah?" I asked, bewildered by her statement. How could she yah me? Do we know each other?

"Can you please hide this guitar where it won't be seen and be bought by other people? I promise I'll comeback for it next year! I can definitely afford it, I will buy it on my birthday!" I was still trying to comprehend her poor korean statement when she suddenly grab my arm and hold on to it tightly. "Please... oppa?"

"Huh? Uh... keu-keurae...yo." I think my heart just stopped beating at what she called me. Her foreign accent made it sounded so damn... heart fluttering.

 

As if those actions she just did are not enough to render me motionless, she offered me her bright and gleaming smile... a smile that only angels can make, exclusively made in heaven. She flashed me her smile that shone brighter than any Summer sun and right then and there, my dull and boring life was filled with light and colors.

"That's a promise, huh? Kamsahamnidda!" She took my hands and link our pinky fingers, sealing the promise my smart mouth impulsively utter before giving me her bright and happy smile again. Our skins are no longer touching before I can even take in what's happening. "Annyeong!" she cheerfully wave her hands in front of me and the next thing I knew, she already disappeared.

 

What the just happened?

 

"Huh? I thought that girl followed you here? She forgot her umbrella in my counter. Where is she Yoongi-ah?" I was still deep in the sorcery she casted upon me when Kyunghyun hyung appeared holding a baby blue umbrella.

"She just left, hyung." Then suddenly images of that girl struggling with the snowstorm outside popped up in my head. Even without being able to formulate a single solid idea in my head yet, I took the umbrella from Kyunghyun hyung's hand and made my way to the door. "I'll give it to her, hyung."

 

I was bolting with energy as I dash my way outside the music store, trying to figure which way could she have went and not minding the heavy-pouring snow. I haven't run that far away yet when a voice behind me made my shoulder jump in excitement.

 

"Yah." I immediately turned back to see that girl again. "Where are you taking my umbrella?"

 

I look at her blue umbrella that I'm holding, before opening out and raising it above her head to cover her from the snow rain. "You, little kid, needs to stop calling people you don't know by 'yah'. I see that you are not from here but you have to know that it is impolite to address someone yah, especially if you don't know them." I calmly scolded her.

"Yah, are you an ahjussi? You sounded like my appa with that statement." She heartily grin and took the umbrella from my hand, raising it higher to shield the two of us. "Thank you. I'm Son Seunghwan and I'm not from here. But I'll be back next year to make sure you keep your promise. Don't forget..." she paused for a moment and looked like she's trying to remember something. "Yoonie?"

 

The moment her eyes landed on mine, I knew I've met an angel. The white snow bed that surrounds us glistened like the heavens up in the sky; and that's how I met the one who brought the sun, beauty and color in my life. Son Seunghwan.  

 

I took back the umbrella and hold it for the two of us. "Yoongi. I am Min Yoongi."