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Dear Diary,

School was horrible today. The kids at my school are very, very bad people. I wanted to play with them, but they said I couldn’t because I look weird. They asked me why was I wearing a skirt if my hair is so short like a boy. They asked me why are my glasses so big. They asked me why don’t I look pretty like the other girls.

I didn’t know what to say, so I cried. They even pushed me away when I tried to get closer to them. I cried. I cried really hard.

And then, Minhyuk came. He asked me why was I crying. I told them that the bad boys bullied me. He marched over towards them. I thought he was going to beat them up for me, but he didn’t. Instead, he spoke very quietly.

He came back to me a few minutes later. I asked him what did he say to them. He just shook his head and smiled.

When I refused to get up before he told me what he said, he just replied,

“Don’t waste your time with them Rong-Rong. You’re too special for them.”

I don’t know what he meant by that. But I felt better.

“Chorong-ah! Minhyuk is here!”

I closed my velvet diary hurriedly and shoved it under my bed, just in time as Minhyuk appeared at my doorway. He had a playful grin on his face.

Placing his arms on his hips, he asked,  “What were you doing before I came Rong-ah? Did you sneak in sweets into your room again? I’m going to tell your eomma.”

I quickly stood up and stomp my foot in protest.

“I did not. And why are you here anyway?”

He frowned.

“Why? Are you unhappy that I’m here?”

“N-no,” I stammered. “B-but we just saw each other at school earlier – “

“And that has never stopped me before,” he said slowly. “What actually are you hiding from me Park Chorong?”

“Nothing!”

“Chorong-ah...”

“Lee Minhyuk!”

“Yah!” he narrowed his eyes at me. “I’m still a year older than you. Just because I don’t like you calling me oppa, doesn’t mean you can shout at me that way.”

I shifted my eyes away from his stern gaze and mumbled an insincere ‘sorry.’

“Come on,” his tone was back to cheery. “I’m actually here to give you your first riding lessons.”

I smiled. That was one of the many things I love about my best friend. He cares, like an older brother. But he will never stay mad at me for a long period of time.

My eyes lit up. “Really? Riding a bicycle? Really?”

He then turned his back to me. “Race you to the door. If you lose, I won’t teach you.”

“Yah!” I shouted when he ran off first without waiting for me. “That’s not fair!”

I grabbed my sweater from the bed and hurried after him. “You cheater!”

Lee Minhyuk was my best friend, my confidante, my companion and the one whom I’ve regard as my own brother. We practically share almost everything together (with the exception of few others) and well...he’s the only person I have aside from my parents.

Our parents were close friends, thus we grew up together too. I’d always thought we would be together forever.

But of course, life doesn’t always go the way we want it to.

“I’m hungry,” I whimpered when we were both lying down on the grass patch, exhausted from all the cycling.

It was only my fourth ‘lesson’ and Minhyuk said I was a fast learner. I’ve even cycled on my own, without his help. I felt proud, because I made Minhyuk proud of me.

“I’m hungry too,” he said breathlessly and placed his right arm underneath his head. “We should’ve brought a picnic basket along, don’t you think so?”

“But I can’t cook.”

He shot me a surprise look. “Seriously? Rong-ah, why are you even a girl if you can’t cook? Boo, shame on you.”

I smacked him on the arm lightly. “I’m still a little girl. I’ll have lots of time to learn later.”

“No, you’re not little.”

“Yah! What is that supposed to mean?”

Minhyuk chuckled and puffed out his cheeks. “Chubby girl.”

“YAH!”

“Oh!” He sat up quickly to avoid being hit by me for the second time. “I didn’t say you are fat, Rong-ah. I said you’re chubby; which means you’re cute.”

I thought about it for a moment.

“Cute is a good thing,” he assured me and pinched my cheek. “See, I love your round cheeks.”

“I want to be pretty like the other girls,” I muttered quietly.

I thought he didn’t hear me, but apparently he did.

“Park Chorong...yah, are you listening to me?”

I just closed my eyes.

I heard him sighing as he laid down beside me again.

A few seconds later, I thought I heard him saying, “You are pretty. The prettiest to me.”