I woke up and my eyes immediately made its way to my calendar. February 29th. Leap day. I hate leap day, also known as Shin Yeseul’s birthday. I should be 16, but no, I’m 4. Couldn’t my mom wait one more day to have me? I sighed and rolled off bed. I literally mean rolled. I have a pile of old clothes that make a nice ramp to the floor. I’m still a child. I’m only 4 after all. I staggered to my feet and made my way to the restroom. I hope today goes by quickly.

                “Yeseul,” a voice called. I had to stop a smile from popping up on my face. I could recognize that voice anywhere. Sandeul. My best friend… Who I love. I turned to him and greeted him. I was waiting for him to say, “Happy Birthday!” But, it never came. Because I never told him my birthday. He always would ask me, but being my stubborn self, I never told him. It was… embarrassing to have a birthday once every four years. So I just chose to ignore it. We walked together to math. It was painfully silent. He scratched his head and suddenly turned to me.

                “Today is a leap day,” Sandeul noted. I nodded silently, looking away from him. “Yeseul, let’s do something fun after school. Leap days only come once every four years after all.” I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat and simply nodded. He smiled and his eyes turned into little crescents. Heat rose up to my cheeks as he started talking about his plans after school. Today is going to be a long day.

                “Let’s go~!” Sandeul exclaimed happily. I, on the other hand, was not as exuberant. This is going to be the worst ‘date’ ever. It was like a birthday date— with Sandeul oblivious that it’s my birthday. He linked arms with me, catching me off guard. My heart beat erratically from contact with him. “Let’s go over there, arraso?” I meekly nodded and he dragged me away. We entered this cutesy pink store. A bunch of couples were inside, making me feel a bit insecure. He pointed to a large stuffed bear.

                “Do you want that?” he asked. I puffed my cheeks up and just blinked. He waved a hand in front of my face. “Are you ok? You seem really out of it today.”

                “H-Huh?” I stammered. I mentally hit myself. “Oh, I’m ok!” He smiled and tousled my hair. Tch. I hate it when he does that. I smoothed my hair out.

                “Ahjussi!” he called. The store manager walked over to Sandeul.

                “Yes?” the man asked.

                “How much is this?” Sandeul asked. I furrowed my eyebrows.

                “10,500 won,” the man replied.

                “Ya-“ I started, but Sandeul cut me off.

                “I’ll buy it!”

                I sighed and shook my head. Once he makes up his mind, he won’t change it.

“Ah, Yeseul, isn’t that cute?” Sandeul asked, pointing to a matching set of phone charms. I nodded and then he dragged me to that area. “Which one do you like?” My eyes widened in surprise.

                “We’re not even dating,” I pointed out. I glanced at one of the mirrors in the store. My cheeks were an abnormal pink shade. I quickly placed my hands on my face to cover it. He laughed.

                “We’re best friends though,” he smiled crookedly. I nodded as my heart sank. Best friends. And only best friends.

Once we bought a pair of matching phone charms (a cute boy and girl!), we stepped back out into the busy streets of Seoul.

                “Here.” He smiled cheekily, shoving the big bear towards me. I pouted and took it from his hands, even though I didn’t want to. I probably looked ridiculous, holding a ginormous bear my size. I could barely see in front of me. Suddenly, Sandeul grabbed me by the waist and pulled me back. My eyes widened and my face turned all hot and red. What the heck was that?

                “You almost bumped into a guy on a bike…” he explained. I hid my face behind the bear in embarrassment. Sandeul pulled the bear out of my hands and then placed it on his back, holding its paws so it won’t fall down. It almost looked like he was giving a piggy back ride. To a bear. A fake bear. What a dork. The bear’s large, beady eyes stared right at me, as if to mock me. Ha! Like I’m jealous of a bear…

                “Gwenchana?” he asked softly, searching my eyes for signs of pain. My heart seriously felt like it would jump out of my chest any moment know.

                “Y-Yah,” I mumbled weakly. I punched his chest playfully. “Why are you so nice today?”

                “It’s a special day t