Ping, ping, ping, ping

         The rain was falling outside trapping a little, cute and energetic child inside of his home.

The day was dark and gloomy. The wind was blowing so hard and cold it felt as if it could cut skin. The weather was so nasty that even the happiest kid ever was sitting in front of the window, drawing in the misty window.

His heavy sigh was heard by his mother who had just come home from the grocery store.

         “My little Hoya what are you doing by the window? It’s freezing honey.”

         “But Eomma, I’m bored. I feel like I could die from boredom…” The little Hoya hit the window, hurting his hand immediately. “Ah, Eomma!” The little and cute Ho Won ran to his mother, crying over his injury. Mrs. Lee just laughed and gave him a little kiss on the fist.

         “Ho Won, how can you be such a baby, my son? You are five already. Moreover, will have visits in a few minutes. You can’t behave like this.” She patted his head softly. Hoya’s attention perk up once she told him that.

         “Do they have children?” His mother’s smile was unquestionably delighted.

         “They do. They have one daughter.”

         “Daughter?”

*~*~*

         “HYUNG!!!” Sungjong was screaming at the top of his lungs in a crowded café so, in result, everyone was staring at their table.

         “Ya! Keep it quiet will you?!” Sunggyu scolded but Sungjong just pretend he didn’t hear. “And you Hoya? What were thinking about that you couldn’t realize Sungjong was speaking to you?”

         “What do you think it was? Can’t you guess?” Dongwoo asked while he stuffed his face with a strawberry waffle.

         “Yeah, Hoya, you’ve been more distract lately because of that… issue.” Sungyeol pointed out. “What happened?”

         “My mom told me that her parents split up but she decided to stay with her father in Gwangju.” The silence between them was awkwardly familiar. It felt the same as 10 years ago…

**

         “I’m Hoya!” The little boy said, blushing slightly at the pig-tail haired girl. She had big and too round brown eyes and she was naturally blushed all the time. Ho Won couldn’t help but to feel mesmerized by such girl – she looked like a fairy that came out of nowhere to bring back the joy once taken by the rain.

         “I’m Nam In Seo.” She blurted looking at him and smiling widely. “Why it’s your name Hoya?”

         “I-It isn’t actually. My real name is Lee Ho Won. My parents call me Hoya because my dad gave one bouquet of hoyas to my mother when he discovered she was pregnant with me.”

         “Oh… Yeppeuda!” Hoya and In Seo became very close friend in a matter of minutes – they spent all their time playing and laughing, blissful like any kid.

         When In Seo was about to leave Hoya went back into his room and brought something with him.

         “In Seo-ah, this is a gift for being my friend.” The girl’s eyes widened in surprise when she noticed what was in Hoya’s hands – a white rabbit almost her size with a pig’s nose. She couldn’t feel happier.

         “Oh, Hoya-ya komawo!” The little In Seo gave a sweet peck on Hoya’s cheek causing him to run into his room, embarrassed. Even though it was sudden the boy felt good about receiving a peck from his new friend.

 For six years they were everything to each other, completely inseparable.

Even when the Infinite boys appeared and Hoya started to hang out with them In Seo was never discarded – Hoya didn’t seem able to let her be just for a bit. The same went to her.

They were at the age of 12 when In Seo had to move because her parent’s business was going bankrupt.

That was a sad day for both of them…

         “Why? Why do you have to go and leave me? That’s not fair!” Hoya’s tears stream down his face flooding it. “You can’t leave. I even gave you Pig-Rabbit so that you would take care of him and me! He is important to me… And so are you!” In Seo wasn’t crying; she had a small smile on her face and was rubbing Hoya’s back in a soothing way. Mrs. Lee was watching the scene without knowing what to do to keep her son from crying so she stepped out of the room, leaving the two alone. “Can’t you stay with us, In Seo-ah?” Hearing this In Seo pulled Hoya into a hug and kept on trying to sooth him.

         “I’ll stay. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be always here with you, I promise.” Hoya hugged her back, relaxing a bit.

         “Ya, In Seo-ah… Naega johahae.” A lonely tear slipped out of In Seo’s eye but she cleaned it out quickly.

         “Nado.”

Hoya fell asleep while In Seo only pretended to; she wanted to leave without him notice so she waited until he had dosed off to the land of dreams. She placed the Pig-Rabbit besides Hoya and took her hairpin out and placed it on the Pig-Rabbit’s ear. In Seo also left a letter with just one sentence ‘I’ll be always here with you, I promise’.

**

         “Oh Eomma… I’m at the Coffee Prince, wae? I’ll get it and go home, then. Oh…” Hoya ended the call and got up at once, ready to leave. All Infinite were looking at him as if they all wanted to say something but none would.

“Hoya, when are you going to start dating?” Woohyun finally asked the question everyone wanted to ask for years but never got the courage to. “I mean you are twenty and never had a girlfriend. The only thing you had that looked like a romantic relation was with In – “L shut Woohyun’s mouth by slapping him hard on the mouth.

“YAA!!” Woohyun whined covering his mouth with both hands.

“Just go, Hoya, you still have errands to do.” He gestured to Hoya to go and he did not speaking a single word. He knew what Woohyun was going to say and he also knew he was right.

Hoya went to the grocery store and bought some Mochi balls for him and a lot of other stuff – by the looks of what he was buying they were going to have visits that night.

When he was heading to pay he saw a dark haired girl passing in the corridor and he stopped – it looked like her. Hoya shrugged it off and went to pay. Once out of the store he put his earphones and the music but didn’t pay attention to it. Someone knock into him almost causing him to fall on his knees. When he straightened up he spotted a girl wearing pink shorts, a white shirt and a small pink jacket; she was running fast and even looked over her shoulder to see if he was following her. Her shiny dark and loose hair made him think of In Seo again.

         “Hoya, what the hell are you doing?” He started to run after the girl who had knocked him down. “I must be losing my mind, for sure!” he followed her and tried to catch up with her but she was just too fast and his lack of exercising wasn’t helping. I should start dancing regularly again…

After of a few minutes of this game he just stopped and let her continue to run from him. The girl yelled a joyful yell and kept running, victoriously. Hoya just smiled widely and kept walking to his house.

         “Can’t you came back to me?”

*~*~*

         “Eomma, I’m home –“He stopped talking once he saw who was sitting in front of his mother.  “Mrs. Bang…” He bowed completely surprise and she bowed back smiling at him.

         “How have you been?”

         “Hum… Have you been living well?” The woman just smiled and Hoya excused himself to the kitchen. He placed the groceries on top of the table and then ran up to his room and sat on the bed, looking out, to the street – it was raining and the window was misty. Something seemed to be written there so Hoya approached to read. It said ‘I’ll be always here with you, I promise’. “So it was really you, huh?” Hoya murmured and turned and saw In Seo there, wearing those pink shorts.

         “Who else would it be?” She picked the Pig-Rabbit and hugged it. “I missed it so much! Have you been taking good care of my hairpin, Pig-Rabbit?” Hoya smiled widely at his oldest friend and approached her. He hit her on the head slightly, enough to make her jump a bit. “YOU! Stupid flower why did you hit me?” She rubbed her head, groaning from the pain.

         “That’s for leaving me after saying you wouldn’t stupid girl!” She puffed her slightly and usual red cheeks and looked down. Hoya lifted her chin and gave her a sweet peck on the lips.

         “Wha-a-at was that for?” Her cheeks were becoming even redder now.

         “Because I never got the chance to do it before you leave.”

~The End~