There was a shadow in the corner of the playground. It persisted to stand in that very spot, always there when the children were let out to play. This particular shadow belonged to a four year old Jung Yunho, who wore a very solemn expression as he watched the other children play. It wasn't that he didn't like to socialise, in fact it was the total opposite. He wanted to talk to other children, but he never could because of his shy and withdrawn nature. His parents had assured him it was nothing, and had continued to attend social functions to expose him to other children his age. But nothing worked when it came to Yunho; he was simply a shy child. There was also another thing that bothered him. There was always this fluttering feeling in his stomach. 

 He's seen it before in his elder siblings; his sister Jessica would sigh over pictures of Won Bin, while his elder brother Yonghwa would scowl at it. But Yunho had seen him going through a girl's Cyworld, blushing furiously at the her pictures. He had concluded that the flutters caused people to lie, and therefore he must do the same. He must deny the feelings that his stomach gave him. It wasn't satisfied by neither food nor a good night's sleep. The most important question was, what was the cause of it? He shrank back a little as he caught sight of her.

 A little girl of the same age danced around the school yard, long black hair pulled into pigtails. She laughed out loud in the most outrageous way, her tiny legs bending and straightening as she jumped around. She caught sight of the shadow in the corner, throwing a hand up in the air and waving frantically. "YUUUUUN-HOOOOO-AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!"

 He practically jumped a foot in the air at her loud yell, stepping back as she raced towards him at high speed. She giggled as she spun around to face him. Yunho kept his gaze to the floor. "Come and play with us, Yunho-ah!"

 He fumbled for his words, his fingers stressing the material of his shirt. Just as he raised his head to speak, the children of his class found her and swarmed around, laughing as they squealed in delight. "Come on Yuri-ah! Let's leave Yunho alone; he doesn't want to play." On the contrary, he would love to play. He'd love to be included in their little circle of friends, to play tag and even hopscotch if the girls would let him. But he didn't say anything as they took her away, their tiny voices high in pitch as they discussed the next playground game they'll play. Yunho watched them leave, then his eyes focused on the girl with the pigtails again. His stomach made a sudden flip.

 Yes, it had everything to do with her.

 "Chug! Chug! Chug! Come on Yunho, do it!" his friend laughed as Yunho stared at the liquid. He guessed that he had to do it, with so many people watching him, and chucked the contents of the glass to the back of his throat, slamming the glass down as the alcohol burned his throat. Wild cheering ensued and he grinned widely. It was their first week as freshmen of the local high school, and this was the rite of passage many boys took to fit in. he staggered away from the circle of youths, all encouraging the next boy to become a man. He stopped as he saw her. 

 Yuri had grown from a young girl, to a girl bordering on womanhood. He had since grown accustomed to the flip his stomach does, and was about to turn away, when she caught sight of him. He had noticed her hand rise to wave at him again, and because he saw her, he had no choice but to talk to her. She jogged up to him, her short hair still in the pigtails he had known for her to have. Her dark skin was always a sharp contrast to the pale girls, but he found that he liked that. Because his own skin was dark, and it made him feel that small connection they had. "So you got through Jaejoong's 'Five Shots of Death' huh? I wanted to do it, but he said there are no girls allowed."

 "Maybe he's just scared you'll beat him," he was shocked at his own words, calmly said while his feelings were in turmoil. 

 She blinked at him once, then threw her head back and cackled. "Aahahah! Yeah you're probably right! I could take down that punk any day, beat him to a pulp!" she emphasised her last word with a light punch to the side of his cheek. Yunho felt the flutters in his stomach erupt, causing the rest of him to tingle at the contact. She turned as her friends called to her, and she smiled apologetically. "Gotta go. Duty calls." She gave him a wide smile and left, jogging towards her friends with her tiny ponytails wagging. 

 He wonders whether he'd ever have a chance with her.

 He heard something. He cautiously opened the door to his homeroom, then looked around to see if there was anyone in here. He went in and treaded lightly, jumping as he noticed a figure hunched in the corner. With a jolt, he realised it was a girl. He approached carefully, crouching to her level as he tried to coax her out. "Hey... are you okay?"

 The girl snapped suddenly to him and her eyes widened. "Oh! Yunho! It's you..." Yuri had been crying, he noted. She was wiping furiously at her tears, her eyes red and puffy as she looked at him. "I'm sorry! I know it's home time, I should've gone home ages ago but..." her lower lip wobbled and she burst into tears again. Yunho hated how sad she was, and offered a piece of tissue for her. She took it with a water smile, then continued to cry over it. He was about to leave, as he thought she might want privacy, when she violently punched the wooden table beside her. "It's that jerk! I can't believe he dumped me! Me! I should've done it ages ago, you know, because it was sooooo obvious he's cheating on me with that Tiffany girl..." she let out a choked sob, and Yunho's heart clenched. He's never seen her so upset, and he didn't know what to do. All social etiquette eluded him, and he certainly didn't know at times when a girl needed comfort. 

 "Why do I do this to myself...?" she asked miserably, looking down at her hands. Yunho inched closer, gripping her fingertips and trying his best to soothe the broken hearted girl. 

"It's not your fault Yuri-ssi..." he trailed off, wondering what he should say next. He's known all along that the guy she dated was trouble, and when Siwon dumped her for another, he was not at all surprised. "You're... young and... you'll learn better."

 "Really?" she asked weakly. He nodded and smiled, releasing her fingertips and sat awkwardly in front of her. "Have you got someone you're be dumb for?"

 The question sent an instant group of jitters through his spine, and he swallowed nervously as he planned his next words. He can't tell her. He simply couldn't. Every time he tried to say what was in his heart, words failed him and he couldn't bring himself to confess. His palms became sweaty as she observed him quietly, and he smiled tightly at her. "I'm embarrassed but-"

 "Oh it's okay!" she waved a hand, laughing. "I won't press you for anything. It's just..." she smiled sadly at him, leaning closer as if parting a secret. "She's very lucky."

 Yunho stared at her, then nodded with a strained smile. If you only knew.

 Yunho walked to the train station, carrying a heavy backpack and looking up at the huge glass building. He took a deep breath and continued on, looking for his terminal as he looked around the busy area. He spotted a large three and headed for it, avoiding hitting the passing strangers. He stood directly under the three, and allowed himself to think of her. Kwon Yuri had dominated his entire life, from the meek little boy to the shy man that he was now. And with his train ticket in one hand, his belongings in his backpack, he was going to leave it all behind. The place he grew up. From his friends and his family. From her. Losing Yuri, he reminded himself, was not a loss if she was never mine. He swallowed heart ache as he waited for his train, silently praying that it will come swiftly. He heard the train tracks rumble, an engine roar and the train came around the corner.

 Wait.

 He frowned and glanced to his left, then continued to watch as his train pulled up in front of him. The wind blew papers and discarded material around him, and he waited impatiently for the train to come to a halt. As soon as it opened its doors, he let the passengers get off first, before clambering on.

 "Waaaaiiit!!!"

 He did a double take, squinting to his left as he saw a figure running steadily towards him. His mouth dropped in disbelief, and his heart hammered away inside him. Kwon Yuri was sprinting towards him, a beige trench coat and wrapping her slim body, while her legs worked towards him. She skidded to a halt in front of his open door, then looked up at him. "Hey! I never got to say goodbye." Yunho couldn't form words; shock numbed his speech and he stood, transfixed as she tried to regain her breath. She collected herself, and squared her shoulders as fire ignited in her eyes. "Jung Yunho! I love you. If you say yes, I can make it work. We can make it work. Don't leave me just yet; we can be good together Yunho, and I promise you won't regret anything if you just sta-" her eyes widened in horror, the glass doors of the train sliding in front of her, and blocking the exit for Yunho. 

 She heard the train's engines work, and she pounded on the glass doors. "Yunho! YUNHO! Don't leave me! Yunho, please!" But he was already walking away, towards the train's compartments. She gave one final thump before she was forced to give up, but she didn't keep still. She started to run alongside the moving train, screaming after it. "Yunho, I'm sorry! I'm sorry I never acted first." she panted and her chest was getting tighter, but she didn't give in. "Yunho!" she stumbled and fell, her hands colliding with the ground first before the rest of her followed. She sobbed harder, her tears falling to the sides of her face and into her hair. The last cart of the train passed her, and she cried even more. 

 She felt stupid for all the times that he had comforted her, telling her that it was okay to be foolishly in love. He had comforted her through her many boyfriends, her many mistakes when she only ever needed one right move. She didn't realise how much she loved him, until she heard of his sudden move to Japan. She didn't think twice when she rushed for the train station, contacting his sister for details on where he could be. But she was too late. She had always been too late. 

 She sniffled and picked herself up, letting her hair fall into a curtain around her face. She accepted defeat and called it a day, the dull pain in her heart growing as she wiped at her tears. Something brushed against her skin, and she realised that it was a hand. She looked up and her eyes widened for the second time that day, finding Yunho crouching over her and wiping her tears away. He always did that. He always made sure she would stop crying. But she couldn't help it when he smiled gently at her, taking her face between both his hands. "Y-You went away..." she trailed, her sob making it difficult to speak. 

 "I only ran to the back of the train," he explained. He was still swiping at her tears. "I used the emergency window to get out."

 "Y-You could've been h-hurt..." crying was impossible to stop now.

 "My bag cushioned my fall. And please stop crying," he raised her face so that her eyes met his. His beautiful, beautiful eyes that had always seen the best of her. "You know I hate it when you cry."

 "Jung Yunho," she sniffled as she gripped his hands. "How dare you make a girl run? I tripped and fell you know! And I had no bag to cushion my fall."

 He smiled in amusement. "I've been running all my life Yuri," he said, helping her up. Just when she couldn't love him anymore, he pulled her against him and pressed their foreheads together. "But I'll stay for you. Anything for you."