She sat alone under the mango tree. She was not physically alone though; the other kids were not that far from her, running around, playing catch and hide-and-seek and laughing at a fallen friend, while she, sitting under the mango three, watched them with a smile on her face.

Pitiful, you think? Nope, she was not pitiful at all. Nor she was a loner. She was sitting alone because she was waiting for her bestest friend, the best in the whole world and sky combined, Jang Dongwoo.

- - - - -

His hands both were holding their sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his right hand; for her, and nutella sandwich in his left hand, for himself. He was waiting for her patiently as she opened two bottles of orange juice. She insisted that she is strong enough to twist the caps open without his help.

It was lunch time, and they were sitting under the mango tree together with other kids happily munching their lunches around them. He passed her the homemade sandwich, they ate while happily chatting about their pets and what they did last weekend. He was with his bestest friend, the best in the whole world and sky combined, Han Sara.

- - - - -

As kindergarteners, Dongwoo and Sara did everything two best friends would do. They would walk hand in hand to their classroom, they would whisper their secrets to each other, they would share their pencil colours and help each other with their drawings, they slept next to each other during naptime and they talked about what the clouds looked like while sitting under the mango tree, waiting for their parents to pick them up. They would be separated only when their parents took them home, but they would resume the same routine when they meet again the next day. That was until Sara had to move halfway around the world leaving Dongwoo and their favorite mango tree behind.

Sara, on the verge of tears, firmly gripped the shirt of the already puffy-eyed and red-nosed Dongwoo. They were at the airport, and were about to be separated in less than 2 hours. Their parents, unable to watch the two adorable tots saying their goodbyes, kept their distance from them.

Knowing how much one meant for the other, the separation was harder for the kids compared to the adults. Their families, after all, were a bunch of best friends that got married to each other. As for Sara and Dongwoo, they incredulously linked hands and clicked right away at the moment they were introduced to each other, Sara was at a fresh 10 hours old and lil’ Dongwoo was 4 months old. As much as the Jangs and the Hans were astonished on how their great relationships with each other were genetically passed to their offspring, they were more than delighted to see such beautiful and organic friendship blossomed through the years. But now, they were about to separate them apart.

“You are going to forget me, right? You’ll surely do, right Dongwoo?”

“How can I forget you, you’re my bestest friend. It’s you who are going to forget me. You’re the one who’s leaving me, Sara!” Bawled Dongwoo, who was trying his best to wipe the streams of tears on Sara’s chubby cheeks, ignoring his own wet ones.

“Well, I promise that I will never ever ever forget you. You can trust me. You’re always my best friend. Even if I’m far--,” she chocked at ‘far’, making Dongwoo howling even louder. If this happened on their regular days, she would have used all her might to shut Dongwoo’s mouth up, but not today.

“We’ll never lose contact, right? We’ll send emails and chat with each other, right? You still remember how to write through emails, right? Ajusshi just teach us yesterday. Don’t forget, Dongwoo…”

He could only nod, countless and haste.

“You and I, we’ll never stop being best friend. I promise I will write to you everyday. I promised we will chat everyday. I won’t find anybody else as my best friend. Only you, this I promise you, Dongwoo.”

“So, bestest friend?”

“Yes!”

“… the best in the whole world and sky combined?”

“Yes!”

“Promise that you won’t forget me?”

“Yes!”

“Pinky promise?”

“Yes, Dongwoo, I promise!”

And with that, they interlaced their two tiny pinkies, making a hook, sealing their promises. With a final reluctant wave, Dongwoo watched Sara disappeared in the mist of people in the crowded airport.

You better keep your promise Sara, or I’ll never forgive you for leaving me, ever.