Dae Eun could still remember the small crack on the platform she had tripped over when she as three. She could still remember the smell of the air whenever summer came. And she could still remember the exact place where he'd cuddled her until the train had come.

As she watched the platform move out of the window, her fingers started fiddling with the piece of paper she was holding. Of course, she was unaware of that, and instead kept her eyes on the window, searching, hoping for someone to be there. It was wishful thinking, because of his whereabouts right now. He travelled everywhere, anywhere, whenever he wanted to. Dae Eun didn't even know where he was right now. It was hard to tell.

'Dae Eun eonni ...' Dae Eun felt a hand on top of hers and startled herself. She looked down and relaxed. It was just little Saeyeon. She had the same innocent/curious look she always had on. 'I'm hungry. Can I get food?'

'Sure, Saeyoon.' Dae Eun smiled at her. 'Wait while eonni takes it out, okay?'

'Okay! I'll wait!'

'Can I have some too?' Mi Eun cried. She jumped up from the chair opposite Dae Eun. 'I'm starving!'

'Can you guys share? Because we might not have much for later ...' Dae Eun asked, but immediately regretted when she saw the looks on their faces. 'Actually, I think we might have enough ...'

'No, it's okay, Dae Eun eonni,' Mi Eun said nicely. 'We'll share, right Saeyoon?'

'Are you girls sure--'

'We'll share!' Saeyoon said happily. 'Sisters share, right, eonni?'

'Of course, Saeyoon.' Dae Eun couldn't stop smiling she took out a packet of biscuits from her carry-on bag. They were such sweet girls ... they shared everything with each other, and didn't fight very often. Dae Eun praised herself for choosing right when the orphanage burned down just a few weeks ago. They had been in a corner together, the twelve and six year old, cuddling each other tightly, and Dae Eun had felt sorry for them. She, too, had been in that orphange for a long time until she finally got adopted.

She was still so grateful to her stepparents for bringing her up so well that she didn't even object when they told her she was going to have to bring up Saeyoon and Mi Eun herself. She had good grades because of her stepparents' help, and could move back here ... into her old town, where she had been waiting to go for a long, long time.

Like it would matter anymore.

The train whistled just after Mi Eun and Saeyoon finished their biscuit. Dae Eun stood up immediately, then paused, thinking of the possibilities ... might he come? ...

'Eonni?' both Mi Eun and Saeyoon chorused.

Again, Dae Eun got startled, but relaxed a second later. 'Oh. I-I'm sorry. I was just thinking about something ... Mi Eun, do you mind taking the smaller suitcase for me ...? Thanks ...'

Both girls looked at their eonni, but said nothing. Mi Eun took the smaller case while Dae Eun held Saeyoon in one hand and the larger suitcase in the other. Her carry-on was slung over her shoulder. They quietly went off to see the world outside them.

It hadn't change much. The place looked almost exactly like what she had seen ... how many years ago? It seemed so long ago. She did a count in her head. 8. She hadn't seen him for 8 years. She looked around herself and the girls. The same trees. The crack on the ground. The bench she had sat on and fell over. All her memories were already coming back, just at the train station. Dae Eun closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

'I wanna lollipop!' Suddenly, Saeyoon was dragging Dae Eun over to a lollipop shop right near the train station. Mi Eun was already at the entrance, gaping at the sign excitedly. It was rare they had lollipops. Dae Eun felt a little guilty, but it all went away when she looked at the man at the entrance.

Dae Eun recognised him immediately, even if it had been 8 years since she last saw him. The same white-grey (although almost pure white now) hair, the same action and smile when giving a lollipop to a customer. She stood, gaping, at the man, who had once given her a lollipop for free, who had helped her when she fell and called a doctor and insisted on paying instead.

'M-Mr Lee?'

Mr Lee looked towards her at the sound of her voice, and his eyes widened in surprise. His smile grew wider, showing his wrinkles on his face.

'Kim Dae Eun ... how nice to meet you again,' Mr Lee said. 'You look so ... different!'

Dae Eun laughed. 'Thank you, Mr Lee. You're still selling lollipops for little children? After all these years?'

The old man laughed. 'Well, yes,' he said. 'It's my job, no?'

'You know each other?' Mi Eun looked back from her eonni to the lollipop man over and over again. 'Eonni, you didn't tell me you lived here! Why didn't you tell me? Huh?'

'Yeah, eonni!' Saeyoon chimed in. 'Why?'

Dae Eun's gaze turned distant. She wondered ... will anyone remember her? It's very unlikely not. She looked so much more different than before. Of course taller and mature, but she had the same personality. Clumsy, a geek ...

Mr Lee's voice startled her for the third time. 'Looking for someone, I presume?' he said. 'I'm sorry ... he's--'

'I know.' Her voice cracked a little. 'But I'm fine. Oh, and the kids want a lollipop. Can you--'

'One free, just because you came back.' The old man smiled. 'Enjoy your stay here, Dae Eun,' he said while giving two lollipops to Mi Eun and Saeyoon. Dae Eun handed him her spare change. 'Good luck.'

'To you too, Mr Lee,' she replied. 'Come on, let's go.' She held Saeyoon's hand and beckoned to Mi Eun. They both followed her obediently, their lollipops nonstop.

They passed the shop and went on. Dae Eun couldn't help but remember this place. It was ... the same place ... where she had her first kiss. Suddenly, she had tears in her eyes. They had their first kiss there. Right there, right beside the girls and her. She tried not to remember, but the feeling of warmth passed through her again, but it changed into coldness as realization dawned on her. He wasn't there.

He wasn't there.

He'd promised. He had pinky swore.

 No, she thought. Don't think about it. It will hurt. It will hurt. She bit back her tears. It will hurt. It will hurt.

'Eonni?' Saeyoon looked at Dae Eun with curiousity. 'Why are you crying?'

It will hurt. It will hurt.

'It's n-nothing, dongsaeng-ah. How's your lollipop, fine right? C-Come on, let's bring you back to my old home ...'

Dae Eun looked away from the spot and started walking to the other direction. Her head ached suddenly, and her vision suddenly went blurry. The tears were messing with her eyes. She shook them away and carried on walking, holding Saeyoon's hand tighter than before. It will hurt. Don't think about it. It will hurt.

He wouldn't have come anyway. He has forgotten me. A teardrop fell. Then two. He's forgotten me ... why am I surprised?

He's different. In another faraway land. He's in SHINee, the famous korean band. He's Lee Jinki, Onew, the cute clumsy leader of SHINee. How could he ever remember her?

'Come on, Saeyoon, Mi Eun, let's go,' Dae Eun said softly. 'I'm not a big fan of this place ...'

How could he ever remember her?

'Okay,' said Mi Eun, as she her lollipop. 'Can we go visit some of the shops after we move in? Please?'

'S-Sure.' But he pinky promised. He pinky swore to you.

Mi Eun smiled. 'Yes!' she cried. 'I want to see what they have here, you know, before you have to go to that school for the musically gifted and blah blah blah.' She rolled her eyes and gave her lollipop another .

He pinky swore to you. He never broke his promises, especially his pinky swears.

'Well, we better hurry, because I'm leaving in a few days.' Dae Eun faked a laugh so Mi Eun wouldn't see her uncomfortableness. 'Let's go.'

Mi Eun shook her head. 'You don't look okay, eonni. Just ... smile, okay? Smile and be happy. You're back here. Didn't you always wanted to come here in the first place? And now you're back! Just be happy.'

Don't think about it ... the tears were coming back again. Just be happy. Just smile.

And yet Dae Eun smiled for her. 'I am,' she said gently. 'Come on, we have to go.'

Saeyoon shivered. 'I don't like this place now because eonni doesn't like it,' she said. 'Don't let go of me, eonni. I don't like this place. Please don't let go.'

I'll never let you go. I'll never let you go. Umma ...

Don't think about it. It will hurt. Don't think about it.

The sun was going down now. The sky had now turned a sunset orange and the people at the train station were either hurrying onto the next train or hurrying home. And yet the three of them just walked slowly and peacefully towards the countryside, where Dae Eun had once lived with her mother. She remembered the large plain grassy area at the back of the house she had come to love. She would used to sit there and sing.

Her thoughts turned to Onew. Onew, her childhood friend. Onew, the leader of the famous band SHINee. Could they really be the same person? Maybe ... she took a deep breath and smiled again. He was nice, kind, gentle, sweet. He had rarely broke his promises, and never broke his pinky swears.

Dae Eun's eyes turned blurry again. I'll never see him again ... and yet he promised ...

It was one pinky promise he had forgotten to keep.

~~~

Somewhere on a coach …

Onew drummed his fingers on the table repeatedly. He had been doing that for an hour or so, but he didn’t know this. He was too busy staring at the computer screen in front of him. He had no idea what to put in.

He straightened his back and typed “Orphanages in Korea” on Google search engine. Wait, he thought. Which part of Korea? There were so many orphanages in Korea. She could be in any one of them.

Another thought hit him. She’d be two years younger, which meant she’d be eighteen, almost nineteen. She wouldn’t be staying there anyway. She could’ve gone to another family …

The frustrating thoughts running through his head made Onew want to throw the computer and let it smash on the wall. But he couldn’t, since it was Jonghyun’s computer he would kill him. Instead, Onew just threw the mouse.

Smash!

It hit the wall and broke into a hundred pieces. But he didn’t care. He had been trying to find her for the last eight years without success. How could he not be frustrated?

“H-Hyung?” a voice said at the door.

Onew turned and found little maknae Taemin looking back at him. He looked worried and even a little frightened.

“Taemin,” Onew said. “What’s wrong?”

“I heard a noise and I came and saw you with …” Taemin fixed his eyes on the smashed mouse. “That.”

“Yes. I’m sorry I caused anything. I’m just … tired.” He was tired.

“Then you better go and rest, hyung. I’ll take care of the mess—”

“No, it’s okay, Taemin,” Onew interrupted. “It’s my mess, I’ll clean it. Um ... do you need anything from here?”

Taemin shook his head. “No,” he said. “Bye, hyung.”

“Bye.” Onew started picking up the bigger broken pieces of the mouse. He made no eye contact with Taemin.

He didn’t want the maknae to know he was on the verge of crying.

Taemin was about to walk out of the door when he turned around. “Oh, and we’re arriving soon, hyung. Key umma wants you to get ready and everything, so you can tour us around before we get to that academy.”

Onew nodded as he picked up another broken piece.

Taemin gave one more worried look at his hyung before leaving the room.

Once Taemin left Onew’s tears started falling to the ground. He was grateful the floor wasn’t carpet but wood. He would wipe it off later. Not right now. He couldn’t stop crying.

8 years without her, and he could get this far. 8 years with her would’ve been better, he thought. I’d trade anything to be with her anytime.

He looked at the computer again with disgust. I’m not using that thing to find her anymore.

It doesn’t know how desperate I am.

But right now he couldn’t do anything. He was too busy, with the singing, the dancing, and the group, and now he had to teach students who are about his age in an academy in his hometown. Really, he had so much to think about. How could he possibly find her when he was that busy?

Yet he wasn’t going to give up. He’d promised her. He’d pinky swore. He never broke his pinky swears and he still doesn't. He had never forgotten the little girl who he had met and loved at first sight. How they’d both shared so many memories in the past, and how he watched her mother die in the hospital bed, and kissed her at the train station. No. He wasn’t going to give up.

Key’s voice startled Onew out of his thoughts. “PEOPLE, WE’RE GOING TO BE THERE IN 10 MINUTES! AND ONEW, YOU’RE TELLING ME THE BEST MALL HERE!”

Onew had to smile at the umma’s “divaness”.

He glanced at the computer one more time. The tears had stopped, and now he was smiling. He had hope. He knew that they’re paths would cross somehow. He’ll find her. No matter what, he won’t give up.

Don’t worry. I’ve not forgotten the past. I’ve kept my pinky swear.

I’ll find you.

~~~

Hello hello~~~

I finished my first fanfic in less than a week! I'm SO happy!!!! ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ Sorry, but I've done some editting on this chapter ... 'cause I don't want you to be mistaken ... Onew's not the bad guy ...

Comment and say what you think of this. :P

Sorry for the sad ending X( but I was thinking of writing a sequel for this. Well, it's not going to be in the competition, but I just thought of that.

If you want me to write a sequel, comment and say!!! If not, I won't ... :(

MVP4Life over and out XD *salutes*