I was walking happily with my usual big spectacle and my messy hair almost covering my eyes (luckily it's not) at my campus. Then, I stopped. There she was, walking beautifully. I was too captivated by her. She's my Chunhyang, Han Junghyun noona. I walked quietly towards her and...

“Noona!!!” I shouted.

“Omma…” she startled.

“Yah!!! You almost kill me!!!” she yelled.

“Why noona?? Is there something wrong?”

“I could die from a heart attack!! Ouhh~” she hit her chest.

“Noona, are you alright?” I asked soon after I saw her action.

“I told you not to appear in front of me, right?”

“Sorry, I saw noona, so I was thinking about saying hi to noona.”

“Go away while I’m still being nice.”

“But noona…”

“Go!!!”

I quickly walked away from noona and sighed.

 

“What’s wrong?” Sehoon asked me. I was sitting at the band room in front of the keyboard, doing nothing.

“Nothing. It’s just…” I looked down.

“Just what?”

“Hungry…” I looked at Sehoon while rubbing my stomach.

“Yah! Don’t you have anything better to say instead of hungry, starving or whatever word that have the same meaning??”

“I’ll think when I’m at home…” I kept looking at Sehoon while doing my puppy eyes.

“What???” Sehoon looked at me.

“Sehoon-ah~~” I called his name in a (very) cute way.

“Luckily I’m rich enough to buy you a meal. Let’s go…”

“Assa!! Sehoon-ah, you’re jjang!!! Saranghaeyo!!!”

 

 

While walking to my class, I saw noona and was about to call her when I saw her with someone.

“Baekhyun-ah, are you free this evening?” noona asked Baekhyun hyung.

“I have practice this evening. Sorry…” hyung said to noona whithout even looking at her and left. Noona looked sad. Byun Baekhyun hyung is a Music Department student, same as me. He played piano so well that everyone in this college knows him. Although he’s cute, cool and handsome, but his attitude makes me a little bit uncomfortable with him. He’s arrogant (rich people usually like that but Sehoon is an exception) and has some really bad habits that he really needs to avoid doing it if he didn’t want people to hate him.

 

 

I hid behind a building of boxes in the dance practice room just to see my Chunhyang.

“Wah!! So pretty~~” I said slowly as I saw her dancing flawlessly. Suddenly, I accidentally kicked those boxes, making it fell and making me lose a place to hide.

“Oh shoot!! What should I do??” I said to myself as soon as I saw noona was looking at me.

“I said don’t ever appear in front of me, right?” she said.

“That’s why I’m hiding at the back since you said don’t appear in front of you.” I grinned. Then, noona rubbed her stomach, making me running to her.

“Noona, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?” I asked.

“Yah, don’t you have anything to eat?”

“Eat? Ah, noona, you can have my meal that I brought from home.” I said and ran back to the place where I hid earlier to take my lunch box.

“I cooked it myself, noona. Here, taste it…” I fed noona with the omelet that I made myself.

“How is it?” I asked. Noona just nodded her head and kept eating. I just smiled, looking at noona.

 

 

“Noona, don you have time after class??” I asked noona.

“I’m quite busy this evening and one more thing, please don’t appear in front of me again…” Noona replied and left.

I just looked at noona.

“Baekhyun-ah…” I heard noona’s voice as soon as she left me.

“Stop disturbing me, will you?? I don’t have time to deal with people like you!!” Baekhyun hyung said arrogantly and left noona.

“Noona…” I called noona. I saw tears came out from her eyes.

“Noona, don’t cry.” I wiped noona’s tears.

“I told you many times to not appear in front of me. But why do you keep appearing? Ahh…this is so embarrassing!!”

Noona, I’ll protect you no matter what happen!

 

 

I made a small cake for noona, to cheek her up. I was on my way to go to the dance practice room when I saw noona with Baekhyun hyung.

"Get lost!!!" I heard hyung yelled at noona and left.

"Noona..." I called noona while holding the cake. Noona turned to face me.

"What?"

"Why do you always see Baekhyun hyung although I'm the one that always besides you, waiting for you?"

"Do I have to answer that?"

"Yes..."

"Because liking you is just a waste of time. Satisfied?" noona replied and left.

I went to the band practice room and saw Sehoon.

"Take it!" I gave the cake to him and sat in front of the keyboard.

"What's the matter? This is not like you. You always begging me to buy you a meal but now, you want to give me this cake? How unusual..."

"Sehoon-ah..."

"Mmm??? Why?? You want to tell me something??"

"It hurts...really hurt." I said and without me relizing it, tears came out.

"Yah, Jeongmin-ah, what happened? Seriously, this is the first time I saw you crying. Tell me, where does it hurt?"

"Here..." I pointed at my heart.

"Jeongmin-ah..." Sehoon hugged me, trying to calm me down.

"Didn't I tell you to just leave her and find another girl that suits you more?"

"But I can't resist from being happy whenever I'm with her. She brings happiness to me. Isn't that love?" I said. Isn't this love? The love that everyone said that it is wonderful and sweet? But why I only feel the pain? In this love too?

 

 

It has been a week since the last time I came to class. I have to take care of my sick mother in hospital. My mom suddenly got into critical condition so I made a decision to take care of my mom.

"Yah, where have you been? It's already been a week since I last saw you." I got a call from Sehoon.

 

“Don’t worry. I’m still alive.” I replied.

“Is there something going on? Tell me.”

“Nothing. I just don’t feel like going to class.”

“Am I calling the right person here? Are you Lee Jeongmin? If yes, there’s something not right here. I thought you’re a diligent student.”

“Well, maybe your thought is wrong somewhere.”

“Jeongmin-ah…”

“I’ll call you back later. Bye…” I pushed the end call button. I entered mom’s ward and sat next to her.

“Who’s calling you?” mom asked.

“Mmm??? Aahh…The principal. He said that I can take temporary leave. So, I won’t be going to class at this particular time until you’re fully recovered.”

“Jeongmin-ah, I’m sorry…” mom said. I shook my head and held mom’s hand.

“Don’t worry omma. You just have to recover fast so that I can go to class with ease.”

Mom nodded her head and cried. Omma, you have to recover fast so that I can make you smile a lot once again.

 

 

I went to the campus to see Sehoon.

“Sehoon-ah, I’m thinking about quitting my studies.”

“What?! What’s wrong with you? What’s the reason?”

“Nothing. It’s just… I don’t have the heart to continue my studies anymore.”

“Yah, you should think about it again. I thought you enjoy learning music.”

“Sorry, Sehoon-ah, but I already made my decision.”

“You already told the principal?”

“Not yet. I’ll tell him tomorrow.”

“Jeongmin-ah…”

“Study hard for me, okay? I’m going first…” I said and left Sehoon.

 

 

 

“Yah…” I heard noona’s voice but tend to ignore it and kept walking away.

“Yah, Lee Jeongmin!!” noona grabbed my hand to stop me from walking away.

“Are you really quitting?” noona asked but I didn’t reply to it.

“Yah, Lee Jeongmin… Tell me. Are you really gonna quit?”

“Yes. But how do you know?”

“Why are you quitting?” noona asked again, instead of answering my question.

“Tell me first, noona. How do you know? Did Sehoon tell you?”

“Is that so important to you rather than answering my question?!!”

“No reason.” I pulled my hands and walked away. Noona kept following me and kept asking the same question over and over again.

“Why do you care about it??!!! Noona, do you like me???!!!” I yelled. Noona just kept quiet.

“Stop following me or I’ll hate you…” I told and walked away, once again.

 

 

“Jeongmin-ah, what’s the matter?” mom asked me. I looked up at her and smiled.

“Nothing, omma…”

“Have you eaten your meal?”

I nodded my head.

“Do you invite your friend to visit me?”

“Mmm?? No. Why??”

“I think there’s someone at the door.”

I looked at the door. There was someone standing outside but I couldn’t see clearly who exactly that person is. I opened the door.

“Noona…” I said as soon as I opened the door and saw noona. So, it was her who standing outside mom’s ward.

“Why are you here? How do you know that I’m here?” I asked her but she didn’t answer.

“We have to talk.” She told.

“Omma, I’ll be back later.” I said to mom and she just nodded her head and smiled.

 

“Have you eaten your meal lately?” Noona asked. I shook my head.

“How many days have you not eaten? You look skinny day by day.”

“I just don’t have the appetite.” I replied.

“That’s your mom?”

“Mmm…” I looked down and nodded my head.

“Since when she’s like that?”

“She’s sick since last year but gone through critical condition since the last 2 weeks.”

“You’re quitting because of her?”

I kept quiet.

“Tell me, Jeongmin.”

I slowly nodded my head, as a sign of a ‘yes’.

“Will that make her happy?”

“My dad’s busy working, didn’t have time to actually visit my mom and he never, even once, visit my mom at the hospital. The doctor said that she’s going to die soon but I didn’t tell my mom because I didn’t want to scare her. I want to take care of her and see her smile as much as I could before she dies. I don’t want her to die when I’m not around. Although she’s still here, but I’m missing her already.” I cried, wiping my tears. But tears just won’t stop coming out. Noona hugged me and patted me to calm me down. I cried, burying my face in her hair.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you have to go through a hard time. But please consider about you quitting your studies,”

“Why?”

“If not, I’ll be sad.”

I let go of noona and looked at her.

“Why?”

“Because---“

Suddenly I heard mom’s voice, calling out for me.

“Omma!!!” I entered the ward and saw mom was in pain. I called the doctor quickly and made a call to dad but he didn’t answer. I had to wait outside since the doctor ordered me to do so. I was so panicked and didn’t think anything except for my mom.

“She’ll be alright.” Noona said while holding my hands.

After a few minutes, the doctor went out.

“Doctor, how’s my mom?” I asked.

“I’m sorry but there’s nothing that we can do.” The doctor told me and patted my shoulder. Mom is gone!! Mom is dead!!! Tears started to flow again. I entered the ward, followed by noona, to see mom.

“Omma…” I looked at mom’s pale face and held her hand.

“Saranghae…” I kissed mom’s hand and forehead for the last time.

 

 

I sat alone at the school hill, thinking about my late mom.

“Alone??” someone asked. I looked up and saw noona.

“Noona…”

“What are you doing here?”

“Nothing. Urmm…I’m going to class now…” I was about to walk away.

“Jeongmin-ah, why are you avoiding me?”

“Noona told me to not appear in front of you. Sorry…” I walked away, leaving noona alone.

Although it hurts, trying to avoid noona, but I don’t want her to hate me again. I practiced dancing and playing the piano until night, just to avoid meeting with noona and came to the campus early morning.

 

 

“Jeongmin-ah…”

I turned around and saw Taeyeon, my friends of the same department.

“Ohh…Taeyeon-ah, why?”

“Can I meet you at the school hill this evening? I have something to tell you.”

“This evening? Mmm…okay. I’ll see you there. Bye…” I smiled and waved at her. Then, I saw Sehoon.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Nothing big. Taeyeon just wanted to meet me this evening at the school hill. She said she wanted to tell me something. Maybe about the assignments.” I told him.

 

 

 

I almost forgot about meeting with Taeyeon since I’m too focused with my dance practice. Luckily, Taeyeon called me.

“Taeyeon-ah, I’m sorry. I forgot about it. I have a dance practice before.” I told her.

“Ahh…never mind. At least you’re here now.”

“So, what is it that you want to tell me?”

“Jeongmin-ah, I know that I don’t have a chance and I have nothing to compare with Junghyun unnie, but I still want to ask you.”

“Mmm?? Ask what??”

“Will you be my boyfriend?”

I froze, didn’t know what I suppose to say.

“Taeyeon-ah…”

“I’m not rich like Junghyun unnie, I’m not that pretty compared to Junghyun unnie and I’m not as talented as Junghyun unnie. I know all that. But I still have a heart to like you.”

“Taeyeon-ah…”

“Lee Jeongmin!!” someone called me. I looked to the other side and saw noona.

“Noona, what are you doing here?”

Noona didn’t answer; instead, she dragged me to other place.

“Noona, why are you being like this?”

“Nothing. I…I just want to ask you. Have you eaten your meal?”

“Yes, I already have. Can I go now?”

“Wait! I didn’t eat yet. Go and buy something for me.”

“Noona, I’m not the old Lee Jeongmin anymore, following you around and annoy you. I’m moving on now, from liking you. There’s no use of me liking you, if you keep chasing Baekhyun hyung and saying that liking me is a wasted of time. I’m trying not to make you hate me again.”

“I never hate you.”

“Then what? Do you like me, noona?”

Noona just kept quiet. I was about to go back to the school hill when suddenly noona pulled me and kissed me on the lips. I was shocked. For a sec, my mind gone blank.

“Does that answer your question?” she asked.

I looked at noona deeply.

“Baekhyun had asked me to be his girlfriend. I should be happy, logically, but I didn’t feel that. When you were missing from the campus, I realized something. Day by day, I’m missing your presence, when you follow me around, stalking me when I’m practicing my dance…and also annoy me. I ignored those feelings at first, but now, I’m sure about my feelings.”

I kept looking at her.

“Why? Is it weird?” she asked.

I shook my head and pulled her into my hug.

“Gomawo, noona…”

“Then, you have to follow me back. Arasseo?”

“Err…noona, about that, I think I can’t do it anymore.”

“Why?”

“I took dance class. So, I have to practice my dance skill every time after class is over and also, I have piano practice.”

“Arasseo. I’ll let you go about it.”

“Are you afraid that maybe I’ll run away and go to someone else?”

“Yah…”

“Don’t worry, noona. I, Lee Jeongmin, will always protect and be by Han Junghyun’s side.” I said while holding her hand.

“Why didn’t you call me a noona?”

“Because I will not call my girl as noona although she’s older.” I smiled. She chuckled and pinched my cheeks.

“But Junghyun-ah, how do you know that I’m at the school hill?” I asked her.

“Sehoon told me. He said that maybe Taeyeon wanted to ask you about being her boyfriend. He knew that Taeyeon likes you and also, he was the one who make me sure about my true feelings. I got caught by him about liking you as I always ask him about you.” She smiled shyly.

“Do you like me that much?”

“Yah~” she punched me on the chest.

“Ouuhhh~ Junghyun-ah, it hurts.” I said while holding my chest.

“Yah, stop playing. I’m not punching that hard. Did it hurt so much? Do you need anything?”

I nodded my head and pointed at my cheeks.

“What?” she asked, still unaware of the situation.

“Kiss…”

“Yah…do it yourself…”

“Alright…” I got up and kissed her on the cheeks. Then, I ran way.

“Yah!!! If I catch you, don’t ever think about living anymore!! Lee Jeongmin!!!” she screamed.

That’s my noona, my Chunhyang, my girl, and I love her so much!!