“My love, I’m calling out to you

I’m holding back tears and calling out to you

Though it hurts, though my heart hurts

Though it tears, though my heart tears

With my aching heart

My love... My love...”

Kang Jong Wook – My Love

“Is Americano okay Mina?”

Jessica asked, once the two young ladies were seated in the café, which Jessica because the retro styled cafe was not crowded and gave them the perfect place to talk without being disturbed. The younger girl nodded, expectant eyes waiting for the assistant to start talking.

“Junmyeon won’t ever tell you these things...that idiot never wants to be pitied by any one Mina, that’s why I thought of meeting you myself.”

Mina stared at the assistant in confusion. “Unnie, is there anything I don’t know? I mean something I should know?”

“Not just something. Lots of things.” Watching the girl being extremely puzzled, Jessica sighed again. “You really don’t remember him do you? Meeting Junmyeon when you guys were six or seven?”

Mina shook her head. “Did he say so? That he has met me when we were little?” she asked with widened eyes. Jessica nodded. “I’ll tell you everything I know. But first tell me Mina, have you ever seen Junmyeon smile?”

Jessica asked after the steward left their two coffees on the table. “Ever?”

“I’m… not sure unnie.” Mina bit her lip, feeling guilty for a reason she didn’t know of. “He smirks often…ever since school days, but I don’t think I’ve seen him smile for real. Or maybe I weren’t that much interested in him to notice that… I’m sorry unnie.”

Jessica gave a shrug. “No wonder. Maybe it runs in their blood, because even his dad doesn’t smile quite often. But for Junmyeon, his smiles are so rare that I actually was surprised to see him smiling to himself one day when he visited our office after school.” She stared at Mina for a moment. “It was his first day at your high school. I saw a small smile on his face that actually reached his eyes, so I asked what made him so happy. And he said he saw a girl at school, someone he’d been looking for, since years.”

Mina’s eyebrows narrowed in confusion. “But… I don’t remember knowing him before that. Did you say it was when we were six or seven?”

Jessica sighed, and took a sip from her Americano. “You might already know, that Junmyeon and his dad got all these fortunes after his maternal grandpa passed away. Until then, their lives were in the worst possible condition.

He said he met you for the first time in a park. He probably might have been watching other kids having fun with their families while sitting in a corner. He still does that. When Siwon and I ask him to join us for a walk or picnic, he usually keeps a space and watched us in silence. That poor kid.”

“So what else did he say about me unnie?”

“Said that you gave him an ice cream. He still even remember the flavour. Peach or something he said.” Jessica gave Mina a heartbroken smile. “Then he said a few days later he met you in his neighbourhood. The day his pet puppy died…said you comforted him-”

“Oh my god…” Mina’s hand automatically raised up to in shock. “I do remember unnie! A boy with a dead puppy…he was crying near Amber’s place…oh my god…” Mina ran a hand through her hair. “That must be why he kept on asking me whether I remember him, back in school.”

“I think there’s more Mina, I mean, he seemed so bound with you…as if he cannot get your memories out if his head. Myeonie’s not the type to talk anything and everything about himself, you might know that as well. We barely got even that much outta him because he just kept on saying he knew you for years. It even took us months to realize that he was having a diehard crush for the girl he mentioned on his first day to school.”

Mina lowered her head in silence.

“It’s alright, it’s not your fault that you liked someone else.”

“He once said that he’ll tell me everything if I stay.” Mina bit her bottom lip, staring at Jessica. “Said that he doesn’t want me to stay with him out of sympathy. Are these things what her meant unnie?”

“Well that’s not all. There’s a lot you don’t know Mina, I think he wanted to finally reveal everything to you, yet that idiot’s pride and ego is too big for that.”

“What do I don’t know unnie?” Mina urged the assistant to answer. “I’m really confused these days. Chanyeol doesn’t seem to be the person I’ve known all these years, and Junmyeon keeps confusing me every single day! So I need to know everything.”

“Do you know why Junmyeon suddenly left the school a few months prior to the college entrance exam?”

Mina blinked in confusion. “We heard that he was being transferred to a school in US and will continue his higher studies there... well, to be honest no one was bothered to search for further information about him.”

“Remember how you saw him limping that night?”

“Yeah unnie. You told me that he had an accident…wait, was it-”

“I think you should know the real reason Mina.”

* * * * * * * * *

~Autumn – 2010~

Walking down the dark avenue which was scarce of light thanks to the dim street lights, the girl was sure that she was being followed by someone today.

It’s alright... Chanyeol must be somewhere near.

Although he never appeared in front of her, Mina knew that Chanyeol followed her every evening until she entered through the gates to her place. And the girl quickened her pace, holding the small pile of library books closer to her hammering chest and dialling her boyfriend’s number.

“Yeah, Mina.”

“Chanyeol where are you?”

It didn’t take longer for the boy to notice the panic in her voice. “Yah, is anything wrong?”

“Aren’t you anywhere near my neighbourhood Chanyeol? I thought you came today as well.”

“I – uh... Miss Jung loaded me with two cupboards worth files to organize Mina... I’m still in school.”

“I think someone’s following me.”

There was a panicked silence.

“Mina listen to me. Don’t look back okay? No matter what, just don’t look back. And run. Run as fast as you can, and don’t stop until you reach you house. Stay in line with me.”

Nodding as she was too scared to reply, the girl broke into a run. And very soon, she heard the follower break into a run as well, making the petrified girl drop the file in her hands and run faster.

A few meters to her place, the footsteps of the follower suddenly stopped. But the girl barely noticed that, and ran straight into the house. Afraid to let her parents know that she was being chased, and not wanting to worry them, she ran straight into her room, to get calmed down by her boyfriend who did his best to console the girl through a phone call.

* * *

“Where’s Mr. Kim, secretary Choi?”

The doctor asked Siwon entering the VIP hospital room. Siwon hurriedly walked up to the doctor, while his girlfriend continued to caress the boy’s head, who was asleep under the blankets of the hospital bed.

“Chairman Kim was out of the country on a business trip Doctor,” Siwon hastily explained. “He’s getting off at Incheon in two hours, and he’ll be heading straight to the hospital.

“What exactly was this boy thinking? Did he think he could take down three or four gangsters by himself?”

“The thing is doctor,” Siwon rubbed his temples. “He’s been following his classmate because she’s been returning home alone. You know that neighbourhood is dangerous these days…”

“I heard that. But why would he get into a fight with them if that girl just managed to go home without getting into any trouble?”

“He’s stopped the man who’d been following her doctor. And he hadn’t known that there were more of them.”

The doctor nodded in silence. “Make sure he meets me before he leaves the hospital.”

Siwon stopped the doctor who was about to leave the VIP room, “Doctor,”

He took a glance at the boy before asking his question.

“Is he okay? I mean... the doctors earlier said his leg will be alright in a few months... So there won’t be any other problems, right doctor?”

The young assistant’s voice was full of concern, just like the gaze on his girlfriend’s face.

The doctorlooked at the patient as well, before giving his answer.

“The boy is good at sports isn’t he?”

“Yes doctor.” It was Jessica who answered.

“He’ll have to give up on them from now on.”

Siwon’s lips parted in disbelief. “What do you mean...he has to give up?”

“He has to quit all sports. The bone fractures on his left leg are severe, yet they’ll heal with time. But there’s a risk that the nerves on his leg can be damaged with further impact. We cannot allow any more harm if we want to keep him on his feet.”

“Is... is there a big risk doctor?” Jessica asked, lowering her voice as much as possible, afraid the boy would hear. “Sports is like his everything. The kid won’t survive without them.”

“Only a limited amount of workout can be allowed.” The doctor explained. “He’ll be able to work out, just enough to keep his