In 1982, Jinju City, South Korea, which is located in the south of Gyeongsang province, there was a small town called Little Sunrise. It was a kind of place where the roads were covered by thick snow in winter. Fallen leaves in various colors of brown and orange cover the asphalt as it detaches themselves from the branches of the oaks, dogwoods, or black tupelo during autumn. The smell of the freshly blossomed flowers from each neighborhood lawn that mixes with the fresh air can only be smelled during spring. When the summer season hits, the humidity rises so high that people spend their time freshening up and having a little picnic in the Chestershaw River. It was also the kind of place where you couldn't witness the beauty of the sunrise at six o'clock in the morning, unlike the other towns. The clouds always cover it whenever it decides to make its appearance. Hence, the name of the city came from it.

People would wave or bow at 45 degrees angle to each other as a sign of greeting whenever they see someone in the street, whether they knew one another or not. The town consists of 10, 000 population and this was a big constituent of why everyone is friendly, even to strangers. Having a small number of people around the neighborhood wasn't hard to be close with your neighbors for fact they are the only people who can help in times of trouble. But despite this, some people will never come to terms for whatever reason, which applies to my father and the town's school owner.

My father, Lee Haejin, is the former town Mayor. He was a good leader. The townfolks respected him a lot, and they had high expectations from him because he's the only child of my late grandfather Lee Inhwan, who also happens to have ruled the town for three decades. For centuries my family, the Lee family, has been leading the town, passing the leadership in each generation, and my older brother Park Jungsoo was the latest to take it. My older brother was adopted when my mother and father failed to conceive during the early days of their marriage. And a few years later, I was born, who is next in line in the leadership, which I also hope not.

Outsiders might think that we own the Little Sunrise. That we are greedy for power and money for leading for so long. Without giving opportunities to those who are more deserving of taking up the position. But it's a grave accusation. Since I was born, I couldn't fathom why my family led the town for centuries or even a millennium until my mother told me the story behind it.

"Your great-great-great-grandfather saved the town from the hands of a dictator leader." My mom says while I was listening to her story. I am covered in a thick comforter and waiting for sleep to attain me. I was six years old back then. She was telling me a slumber-time story, but the narrative is not your typical story from a children's book, it was a story that only kids that hit adolescence might understand. But I, being a clever student at a young age, knows what my mother was trying to tell me.

"Since then our family became a hero in the eyes of the townspeople. Never wanting anyone to lead the town except our family for the reason, whenever a Lee lead, peace is always on our side." She fixed the bangs that were covering my eyes, then gave me a look that I would never forget until I reached my teenage years. "After your brother Jungsoo, you will take up the position and be everyone's hero."

She wanted me to lead, and I, being naive at a young age, was ecstatic about the idea of being a leader and being everyone's hero. I always imagine myself being a superhero with great powers like how Superman possessed superhuman strength and defeat all the bad guys—yeah, a common childhood dream. I always watch my grandfather and how he interacted with the folks whenever he carries his house-to-house visit once a month even if my Dad already replaced him during that time. He would always bring my father, my brother, and me, with him since he wanted to teach us what should we do when we assume the position. And for the townspeople to have an insight into who will be the next Mayor in the future.





 

At a young age, I was popular among the children in my class. Being the former Mayor's grandson and the Mayor's second son gives me the privilege to attract attention without effort. But the downside was, I am a very timid and shy boy when I was growing up. And this gives me the obstacle to making friends. On top of that, my classmates were afraid to approach me, maybe because they are overwhelmed by the fact that I am not ordinary. Tagging along with the rounds of my grandfather around the neighborhood, I'm able to meet some children of my age. I made my first friend at the age of 7 that became my best friend over the years when we visited the Choi household.

It was a sunny afternoon, I was standing behind my father while he was talking to the Choi patriarch. My grandfather was busy talking to the Choi elder, reminiscing the gold old days of the Little Sunrise. While my older brother was busy laughing along with the elders, listening to their amusing stories. In the corner of my eye, a tall young boy caught my attention. He was squatting down in front of a tiny basin with water. I noticed that he was laughing and watching something on the water. I got curious, wanting to approach him and to know what he was laughing about. But I held back, afraid that I will be just a bother. I lost track of how long I was watching the boy until he raises his head and looked in my direction. I slightly panicked and tries to hide my small body from my father. The young boy smiled at me, and he waved his hand in a beckoning manner. I dubiously came out from my little hiding place. My feet were like having their own mind as I took a step forward towards the boy until I realize I'm already in front of him and the basin.

"Hi!" The young boy greeted me with a bright smile. "Do you want to look at my fishes?" He asked. And I looked down on the basin, I saw five fantail goldfishes taking a swim on it.

"Come here sit beside me." The boy pulled me down beside him, and I flinched in surprise. But I still obliged his request. I sat there in silence while watching the fishes takes it swim. I laughed at how they cutely wriggled their body, and how they bumped into each other, as the basin was a bit small for their school.

"I think we need to transfer them into a larger basin," I said, and the boy looked at me with wide eyes. Like he found out something exceptional. "You are right! By the way, Choi Minho." He stretched his hand in front of me. I looked at it. I smiled back, took the hand, and bravely introduced myself.

"I'm Lee Jinki."

That day, I've become friends with Minho. He became my first best friend. He was nice, and he was not like those kids who are afraid to approach me or see me as the Mayor's son. Instead, he saw me as a normal kid who was the same as he, who has a normal childhood. He introduced me to his other friends, which made me glad because they are also a bunch of good people. It was Choi Minho, Kim Kibum, Lee Taemin, and Park Sanghyun who made my childhood full of adventures and helped me to cope with my shyness and timidness. They removed my fears and jitters about meeting new people. This caused me to have many friends at the age of 17. But of course, the four of them are still the best people out there. Since primary school, we have always attended the same class and academy. Not because we can't last a day without each other, but for the reason, the town only has one school for each level, and it was owned by the Kim family.



 

Mr. Kim Raewon was the son of Kim Sangjoong, the 6th generation owner of Pleasant Hill Academy, which houses students from Primary School to Senior Highschool. Like our family, the Kim family had been living in Little Sunrise since my great-great-great-grandfather assumed the position of the town's mayor. While our family is leading the town, they are in charge of its education. Passing the ownership of the school to each generation, like how we rule the town.

Back in that time, education was limited for the reason the former dictator doesn't value education for children. He was more concerned with building a military base and recruiting militant youths in preparation for a possible war against the world. If I must say, he's a sort of paranoid or rather a lunatic power-hungry individual. He wanted the town to be the greatest of all in terms of violence and power, which my great-great-great-grandad didn't appreciate as well as Kim's greatest elder.

After my great-great-great-grandad victoriously assumed the position, with the help of the townfolks to terminate the dictator, he asked Kim's greatest elder for a favor. To build a school and give the children the proper learning they deserve. The latter obliged without a question asked, even if they don't have a large sum of money to start. They started from scratch. Beginning from a small humble abode, taking a few children for free. Until Kim greatest elder found a way to build a school that would be perfect for all of the children in the town. And that is how Pleasant Hill Academy was founded. Along with the building of the school, a friendship between the two families also bloomed.

The friendship between our families lasted for a millennium. We are helping each other in whatever obstacles might befall us. The townfolks viewed us as the perfect epitome of having a strong bond between man and woman like we are role models in terms of leadership and humanitarian activities. But the good old days are not permanent, and harmonies might be sometimes out of tune.





 

Three years, after my father assumed the position of the town's Mayor, this is where the downfall begins. I was 11 years old when my grandad and mother passed away, without me knowing the exact reason why. All along, what I knew is they had a car accident one night on the way back home. The passing of my grandad and mother came as a big shock to the whole town itself, it was the first time in history, as the people say.

The town's people would look at me with pity in their eyes like I was a kind of orphan. Although I only lost my mother, my father's absence during that difficult times made me feel that I lost three people in one night. There was something in their eyes that was telling me that the accident was just a lie. And I hated it. I tried countless times to ask my brother and dad about it, but they always decline to give the exact answer for my hundreds of what and why. They would just shrug it off and tell me that it was just an accident, nothing more, nothing less. That I shouldn't worry about it. That I am just a kid who will not understand the ordeal that the family has. And because of that, I was a lost kid back then.

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