You Are My Star
You Are My Star
Dear JinHee,
Anneyong! It's been years, 5 years to be exact, from this very day. Do you miss me? Do you still think about me? I remember when we first met like it was yesterday. Time flies by fast. I miss you so much that my heart hurts. There were things that I wanted to tell you but you suddenly left without a goodbye. I still wonder why, even after all these years. My heart yearns for your return. You're like a star, so close yet so far away. You're the brightest one up there. You are my star. Let's meet each other soon, neh? I love you.
-Tao
A sigh escaped Tao's lips as he set down his pen and stared at another one of his letters. He neatly folded it in half before placing it inside an envelope and the adhesive to seal it shut. On the back, he wrote in fine calligraphy "Jung JinHee." He opened up the drawer beside him where about a hundred other letters were stored. He gently placed the newly written letter on top of the others and closed the drawer shut. A sad smile formed on his lips as he looked out the window and saw the stars in the sky that reminded him so much of her. He had written her hundreds of letters over the past 5 years but had never sent it to her. Instead, he kept them in a safe place in his drawer where no one else could find them.
He longed for the day he would see her again. Every night, he would look up at the stars and reminisce about their days together. Jung JinHee, his childhood best friend and first love. He remembered their first meeting like it was yesterday.
--Flashback--
An eight year old Tao was sitting quietly at his desk while waiting for the teacher to arrive. He always excluded himself from all the other students, not that he was a loner or anything, but simply because he was the type to be reserved. The clicking of heels could be heard and all the students rushed back to their seats just as the teacher walked in. Behind her was a little girl who seemed to be different from the others, appearance wise anyways.
"Class, I would like to introduce you to Jung JinHee, a transfer student from South Korea. Please welcome her." The teacher said. The students looked at the peculiar young girl as she stood there shyly. Tao stared at the foreign girl in amazement; he had never seen such beauty in his life.
"JinHee, please take a seat right there." The teacher pointed to the desk in the front. The little girl bowed her head and took her seat. Tao eyed the girl before the teacher started their lesson.
It was finally recess time for the youngsters who have been sitting in the hot classroom for nearly two hours. A mob of little kids excitedly ran outside to enjoy the nice weather. Tao was walking around alone minding his own business. He always declined the other kids when it came to playing. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the little Korean girl, JinHee, sitting all alone on a bench. It was only her first day and kids were already starting to exclude her because she was different. Feeling sorry for her, the little Chinese boy approached her with a small smile.
"H-hi." He stuttered. The girl looked up at him with big eyes. She stared at the boy in front of her before speaking.
"H-hello." Tao smiled and held his hand out to her.
"I'm Tao." She took his hand it shook it.
"I-I'm JinHee." She said nervously but gave him a small smile.
"Do you want to play with me?" He asked shyly. The girl nodded and got up from the bench.
"I'd love to. Come on!" She grabbed his hand and led him over to where the other kids were playing.
From that day on, the two became inseparable and it was the start of a long friendship.
--End of Flashback--
A tear unconsciously slid down Tao's cheek as memories of him and JinHee played in his mind. He missed her more and more each day. As much as he wanted to forget about her, he just couldn't bring himself to. Who could ever forget about their first love? She was the one who brought him out of his shell, the one that showed him how to live, and the one that taught him what true love was. Of course, he never realized how much he loved her until a little while after she left. Besides, what would a 13 year old know about love?
Tao got up from his seat and lay down in bed. His body still faced the window where the stars were still shining high in the sky. He opened another drawer beside him and pulled out a picture. It was the most recent picture of him and JinHee before she left. They were both 13 at the time. It was during the summer and he remembered it was a hot day, they decided to go down to the river not too far from where they lived. Luckily for them there weren't too many people, they practically had the whole place to themselves. They had stayed till the sun set and they watched the stars together.
--Flashback--
"JinHee, you see that star up there?" He pointed up at the night sky.
"Neh, what about it?" She asked.
"That one's you. And the one next to it is me. They're the two brightest ones up there." JinHee smiled and nodded.
"Ahh yes. They're both pretty. I wish I could own a star." She pouted. Tao pulled out something from his shorts pocket and handed it to her.
"It might not be a real star, but will this work?" He held up a shining silver necklace with a simple diamond encrusted star pendant. JinHee's eyes widened as she beamed at the fine piece of jewelry in front of her.
"Wah it's beautiful!" She squealed.
"JinHee-ah, we've been best friends for five years already, I want to give this to you as a gift. It's my way of saying thank you for being my first friend." He put his arm around her and clasped the necklace together. A smile grew on her face and she wrapped her arms around Tao's neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tighter.
"Gomwao oppa, for being my first friend since I moved here." She spoke in Korean. He chuckled and ruffled her hair. They spent a good two hours by the lake till it was time for them to go home.
--End of Flashback--
He had learned how to speak Korean since he met her. He figured that it would be better if they spoke to each other in a language that some people wouldn't understand. It was almost like their secret language and only the two of them knew. It was surprising that he still knew how to speak it, considering it's been years since he used it.
He clutched the picture tightly in his hands. More tears slid down his face and he eventually cried himself to sleep.
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It was another ordinary school day for Tao. He tiredly stepped onto the school campus and made his way to homeroom. He slumped down in his chair and waited for the teacher's arrival. The students rushed to their seats as soon as they heard the teacher step inside the room with what seemed to be a new student. It was a girl who looked nothing like the rest of the girls at school. She looked almost like a... foreigner. The girl looked familiar in Tao's eyes but he just couldn't figure out who she looked like. A feeling of déjà vu took over him.
"Good morning class." The teacher started off. "First, I would like you to meet your new classmate, Jung JinHee." Tao's eyes widened slightly when he heard that name, the name that he hadn't heard in years.
"She is a returning transfer student from South Korea. Treat her well please." The other students stared at the foreign girl who stood shyly in front of them. Some recognized her from the past while others stared in awe at her beauty. She still looked the same as the last time that Tao saw her, yet different at the same time. In fact, she looked more beautiful and mature than before.
"JinHee, take a seat right there." JinHee nodded and sat in the seat where the teacher told her to, the front of the classroom. Tao couldn't help but stare at her. He wondered if she remembered him. Most of all, he wondered why she all of a suddenly came back.
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The school day came to an end and everybody happily skipped out of the school ready for the weekend. Tao sighed and made his way home. There were a lot of things on his mind since this morning. His mind wouldn't take in the fact that JinHee, his first love, was back in his life. Just when he lost all hope, she came back. He tried approaching her during the day but he didn't have to courage to. He knew that he would be at a loss for words as soon as he looked into her eyes.
Tao stepped into his empty, cold house. No one was home which meant he would be alone tonight like always. He threw his bag on the floor of his room and sat down in front of his desk. He pulled out a sheet of paper and a black pen and began to write.
Dear JinHee,
Today, you came back. I don't know why but you did after 5 long years. Did you come back for me? No, that couldn't be it. Then what could it be? You've changed yet remained the same. You have blossomed into a beautiful young woman who I still can't take my eyes off of. I tried to approach you today but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. What would I say to you? After all these years, when I thought I would have a lot to say, I don't have anything to say at all. I love you, but I just can't seem to tell you. What if you don't accept my heart? I guess it's just not the right time. It's alright, I've waited for you to come back, I can wait to tell you how much I love you instead of pouring my heart into these silly letters that will never be read by you. It was nice seeing you again. I love you, my star.
-Tao
He folded and stuffed the letter into another blank envelope before putting it into his secret stash of unread love letters. He got up and grabbed his coat and went outside. It was the middle of spring which meant that the sun was out but it was still a little breezy outside. Tao took a step forward and started leading himself to the one special place that held the most memories.
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There was a light breeze that passed by the river. The place was completely deserted, not one person was there. Tao sat down on the cold, hard rocks and stared out into the clean and clear river. The area seemed to remain the same, despite the fact that it's been a while since he'd been there. He sighed deeply remembering the memories that were made in that place. How he wished he could relive those moments again.
"I knew I'd find you here." Someone behind him said. He knew that voice anywhere but he doubted it was who he was thinking about. He slowly turned his head and was greeted by her smiling face, the face he could never forget about and the smile that made his heart melt.
"J-JinHee-ah." His lips struggled to call her name. It felt weird for him saying her name again.
"Anneyong, it's been a while." He nodded, not able to say a single word.
"Can I sit by you?" She asked. The boy nodded and made room for her on his jacket that had been made into a blanket.
"JinHee-ah, I-I missed you." Tao finally spoke. JinHee turned and smiled at him.
"I missed you too oppa. I see you've improved on your Korean." She said. Tao sighed and turned to her.
"JinHee-ah, why? Why did you leave and not even say goodbye?" He said, hinting sadness in his voice. JinHee sighed as well.
"I wanted to say goodbye, oppa, I did but I couldn't. I know I should've told you but I figured it'd be best that you didn't know." She looked down and away from his piercing eyes.
"Do you know how much pain I was in when I found out that you moved? Do you know how hurt I was when you didn't even say goodbye? Jung JinHee, my life was hell when you left." He said with a voice full of tension. Tears welled up in JinHee's eyes and she couldn't stop them from flowing out. He gently cupped her cheeks and wiped her tears away with his thumbs.
"I-I'm sorry, oppa. You think I didn't feel hurt either when I left? I didn't want to leave; I wanted to stay here with you. Umma and appa wanted to move back to Korea. I begged them to let us stay here but they just wouldn't listen. I figured that if I didn't say anything to you and just left, you'd eventually forget about me."
"Yah, how could I ever forget you? You were my best friend, you meant everything to me." He looked down and noticed a silver star pendant hanging from her neck. He removed his hands from her face and gently took the pendant in his right hand.
"See oppa, I kept this necklace because it was the only thing that kept me from forgetting about you. I tried to but I couldn't. I even tried getting rid of it but I didn't have the heart to do it. It means more than anything to me, oppa, just like you." She held his hand that held the star pendant.
"Every night, I'd look up at the stars and find the two brightest ones. Remember oppa, remember when you said that the two brightest stars in the sky were us? That's when I knew that we can never be separated. Don't you do that too?" Tao nodded.
"Neh. I always hoped that one day we'd meet again but I doubted it when years passed. When I saw you this morning, it was so surreal. It felt like we were eight years old again." He said. JinHee let go of his hand and looked out to the river.
"There was something that I wanted to tell you before I left but I knew that if I told you it would hurt you even more after I was gone." She said. Tao looked at her curiously.
"What was it?" He asked. She turned back and looked deep into his brown orbs. Tao's heart beat increased when he felt her soft hand gently cup his cheek. He could feel her leaning in closer and closer till their faces were just centimeters apart. Not wanting to wait any longer, he leaned in and closed the gap between them. His heart beat faster than ever when he finally kissed her soft, plump lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He held onto her tightly afraid that if he were to let go, she'd be gone again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. She parted her lips when he asked for entrance and she granted him his wish. He explored every inch of , tasting how sweet she was for the first time. They let go of each other after a few minutes and panted from lack of oxygen. He rest his forehead against hers and looked into her shining brown eyes.
"I love you, Jung JinHee. For as long as I've known you, your place in my heart has grown, even after you've left. You showed me that being alone won't help you survive this world. Thank you for being with me through those years we've been together. Hopefully there will be more years to come. Will you accept my heart?" He asked her. She nodded and leaned in to give him a light peck on his lips.
"Do you know how long I've been wanting to hear those words from you?" She smiled. "I love you too, Huang Zi Tao. I, Jung JinHee, will gladly accept your heart only if you'll accept mine." He smiled back at her, his heart fluttered in joy.
"I accept." He leaned in and kissed her again. He leaned back and pulled her into his lap as they both watched the sunset together. He laced his fingers with hers as she rest her head on his shoulder. They watched as the stars began to appear, lighting up the night sky.
"JinHee." Tao called her name.
"Neh?"
"You are my star."
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AISH! This is so frustrating Dx
I posted this not too long ago and it was up and working perfectly, then AFF crashed and deleted the recent comments and the update for this story x( WAHHH I WANT THOSE COMMENTS BACK Dx
*sigh* well thanks for reading anyways if you're a new reader. To the ones who read this already, thanks for reading again I guess? Yea, idk I'm still sad that the comments got deleted Dx
-lilxninjaa
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