Chapter 2

I was riding my small bike at the small park nearby our house. Baby EunHye had just thrown up so my mother went home to clean her up and left me alone to play with the other kids. I was happily riding my three wheeled bike, giggling to myself without a care in the world; oblivious to the fact that a boy was going to put a stop to my moment of bliss.

Another bike—a bigger one—crashed into mine and I yelped in horror as I went tumbling down from my little bike. I scraped my knees in the process and it stings like hell. I began crying when I saw the blood from the laceration cut on my knees.

“Oh my God! EunJung, are you okay??” the boy’s panicked voice reached my eardrums and I looked up to glare at him.

He was the son of my father’s best friend whom I had seen on multiple occasions before this. He was older than me but had never spoken a word to me; up to a point that I thought that he might be mute. I think this was probably due to the fact that my mother and his mother had always laughingly showed us the pictures of us swimming in the public pool. The picture was taken when I was two and he was five. Since then, even though we were still kids, it was way too awkward to talk to each other.

Seeing someone , no matter how young you are, will absolutely change your perspective on the other party, whether you like it or not.

“Can't you see that I'm not fine?!!” I roared, “I’m going to tell Umma!”

He blinked; his little eyes emitting signs of fear. “No, don’t do that! I’ll buy you ice cream!” He was trying to bribe me to shut my mouth.

I pretended not to hear him as I abruptly got up to stand and winced at the pain that my knees was causing. I limped as quickly as I could, heading towards my house to tell my mother about the insolent little boy whom she had always adored.

“Wait! You’re limping like a snail!” he shouted from behind me.

SNAIL?!

I balled up my fists and showed it to him with a death glare. He seemed to have gotten the message that I was going to punch him in the face if he did not shut his mouth. I turned back and continued making my way towards my house.

“Wait!” he shouted again and I could hear the sound of his little footsteps running to catch up with me but I did not bother to wait. However, I was stopped in my tracks when he grabbed my arm. “I’ll go with you,” he said.

I blinked.

Well, if he volunteered to be killed by my mother for hurting me then, I saw no point in arguing with that so I nodded, giving him my permission.

He gave me his sunshine smile and glanced down at my scraped knees. “Does it hurt?” he asked.

I nodded, unable to hold it any longer. My lips started to tremble and tears started to well up in my eyes.

He looked apologetic for what he had done and when he muttered “I’m sorry” it really sounded like he meant it. It was hard to stay angry at him, especially when he suddenly bent down with his back towards me. “Come on,” he urged, “Let me give you a piggyback ride to your house.”

I blinked.

When he looked back and noticed that I was not making any move to climb up his back, he forcefully grabbed my arms and brought me closer towards his back. When he lifted my thighs off the air, I immediately grabbed his shoulder to prevent myself from falling down.

Then he started to sprint all the way to my house, with me on his back. People were whispering about us, watching us—little kids—with interest.

My mother nearly had a heart attack once she saw my bleeding scraped knees. “Oh my God, EunJung, what happened to you?!!” she shrieked and immediately went to get the first aid box and to call my father to see my condition. When my mother applied the antiseptic lotion on my knees, I cried due to the immense pain.

The boy winced when he saw this.

“This is all my fault,” he said, looking miserable, “I’ll take responsibility.”

“No, son. It was not your fault,” my father consoled him, “EunJung should have been more careful. It was an accident.”

I glared at my father for taking his side. To me, he should be blamed for the would-be scars on my knees.

“Her knees are ruined because of me,” he said, as though reading my thoughts.

“No, it’s going to be just fine. Don’t worry,” my mother decided to join the bandwagon to make him feel better. I thought I was their child, not him! The thought angered me and I was jealous and angry at him at the same time.

However, he surprised me and both my parents next.

“I’ll marry her in the future,” he declared, “I’ll marry her even though her knees are ugly.”

“I don’t want to marry him!” I yelled, “I want to marry WonBin oppa!”

“No, I’ll marry you!” he insisted.

My parents laughed at this while I glowered at him. Did he think that it would make the pain go away when he say things like that?

“Aww.. isn’t he the cutest thing, EunJung-ah?” my mother smiled at me, “You’ve already gotten yourself a marriage proposal at the age of five. You should be proud!” she continued to giggle, “Ooh, I have to call his mother and tell her about this.” When she left to make the phone call to gossip, her laughter could still be heard from outside the house.

“YoungBae-ah,” my father began to say, “You should know that what you’re saying might come true in the future.”

I woke up with a jolt, my body wet with perspiration. I was still at the hotel suite, on the comfy bed that I had fallen asleep on last night. I scanned through the dimly lit room and saw YoungBae’s silhouette on the couch.

It was just a weird dream. I sighed of relief.

But why does it feel so real?

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

“Hyungsunim,” SeungRi said with a scornful look in his eyes, “You owe me big time!” He glanced at the mess in his room caused by DaeSung’s things and shook his head. “When I say big, I mean BIG, like huge! You have to cook my dinner.”

“Yah, why does she have to cook for you?” YoungBae shouted for me instead, “She’s my wife, not yours!”

“Hyung!” a look of hurt pride spread across the Big Bang’s maknae’s face, “How can you even say hurtful things like that? I’m sacrificing my freedom for your newlywed bliss. How can you turn your back on me? Life is so unfair~” SeungRi decided to continue his dramatic moments by banging his head on the wall.

I rolled my eyes.

“Yah maknae! Your cellphone is ringing! It must be a girl!” JiYong shouted from across the room. His eyes were glued to the television screen.

SeungRi’s drama ended abruptly and he rushed inside JiYong’s room to get his cellphone.

JiYong looked at me and grinned. “He’s being stupid. His cellphone is in his room, not mine,” he said cheekily, “Wait for it. He’ll come out whining again.”

As if on cue, SeungRi came out and pouted. “My phone isn’t in here. You’re lying, hyungnim. Why are you doing this to me? WHY??!!”

JiYong reached out to knock the back of his head with his knuckle. “That’s what you get for trying to get in between the newlyweds,” he said, “HyunSuk hyung had warned me about you. Now go and help DaeSung clear his things from YoungBae’s room!”

“Okay,” SeungRi pouted. He gave me a pitiful, puppy eyed look and resumed to make his way into YoungBae’s room to help DaeSung.

They all helped DaeSung to move his things out of YoungBae’s room before helping me carry my things into the room. I looked around at the simple black and white interior decor of the room and noticed how tidy it was; a stark contrast from my messy room back in LA. I sighed. I opened my luggage and the first thing I saw was the red lacy nightgown, a wedding gift from my mother. I took it out and