For as long as Chaewon can remember, she wanted to be a princess surrounded by pretty things. Things like cute fluffy Kirby plushies, silver tiaras, puffy shoulder dresses and tea parties.

She still remembers the very first time she laid eyes on one of those pretty things, she was in elementary school. It was a beautiful and sunny day, she could feel the warmth of the sun radiating against her skin. Chaewon never had interest in sports day, until her eyes landed on the soft, velvety ribbons of red, white and blue.

She wanted, no needed, to get one. She has never been so sure of anything in her life.

The bad news, she learned, they were prizes only given to those who finish in the top three of any event. Three events in and Chaewon learned she was ill-suited to any kind of physical activity. She was terrible at sports and it was a miracle to not trip or finish dead last in whatever she participated in.

She watched in awe as one of her friends waved it back and forth right in front of her, close enough to see the texture and the glitter of the ribbon. She imagined what it was like to own one. It lasted for all of one second as the so call friend pretended to let her hold it before snatching it back.

"Such a tease!" She couldn't help but bite her teeth and give a fake smile, ever so slightly crooked to one side.

Chaewon knew she could never obtain one using proper means, but what she lacked physically, she made up for in ingenuity. There must be other means to acquire one. And that opportunity came to her at lunch time.

A sudden burst of laughter was what attracted Chaewon's attention; it came from the picnic table next to her. At the table six girls were seated with five sandwiches. The ones with food took turns throwing off bits of their bread on the table, toying with the one who forgot lunch.

That girl reminded her of Puss in Boots. Why? It may have something to do with the way her large round eyes darted around, watching intently at every move. Or how quickly her hands moved to snatch any bits that fell. The speed and manner in which she moved made it comical, almost like a cat trying to catch a mouse.

Chaewon was fixated on that silly game of cat and mouse for a while until she spotted the parade of ribbons on the girl's shirt. Her eyes grew wide. That girl must have swept the competition, with half a day left to go.

By the way they denied sharing the food Chaewon figured they were probably rivals. After a while, the girl walked away to a tree nearby with a look of defeat, resigned to fill her empty stomach with water.

This was her chance. She never finished her lunch anyhow, which may or may not have contributed to her tininess. Chaewon unpacked her brown bag to reveal a rye bread sandwich and some crunchy gold fish snacks.

She walked over to the tree where the cat like girl sat, to make an offer "Hey, cheer up, it's summer and the leaves are green. Interested in a trade?"

She waved the rye sandwich in front of the taller girl, who gulped, imaging how it would taste "And what could I possibly offer you?"

Chaewon pointed at the myriad of ribbons on the girl's shirt, five first place and one third.

"I want one of your ribbons." she got straight to the point. There was no need to be coy.

The other had a curious yet fascinated look on her face at the mention of ribbons. That girl must have wondered why anyone would want someone else's ribbons. Realization hits her and she lets out an "ah" when she saw Chaewon's shirt was a blank slate.

Chaewon patiently waited as the other went through a brief struggle. As if her head was saying no, she earned those, but the growling of the stomach begged to differ. At some point desperation seemed to overpower her. After all, there were more events for the rest of the afternoon. With the energy from the bread, she could definitely win more than one.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I never finish my food anyways. It’s just bread.”

"The backside has my initials though."

"That's fine."

"Deal!" The taller girl couldn't resist anymore. She started removing the pin from her third place ribbon.

Chaewon shook her finger "Uh-uh. First place or the deal is off."

The other looked at her in surprise, probably not expecting someone as tiny as Chaewon to reel and deal like a pro "Fine." she said before handing over one of her first place ribbons in exchange for the sandwich.

“Whoa, it’s so pretty!” Chaewon exclaimed as she inspected the ribbon, amazed at how softly it flowed on her hands. It was everything she imagined and more; the most amazing thing Chaewon had ever got her hands