Eyes scanning the building, I felt my heartbeat race. Back in Colorado, I volunteered at a local orphanage every Monday, Tuesday, and Sunday night. I always felt complete after caring for and playing with the kids. Knowing that I could help put a smile on the face of a child, especially one having to grow up with no mother or father, it made me feel so happy.

                “You dragged me along, why?” Kris suddenly questioned from beside me and I looked up at him. He looked completely bored and I glowered at the male.

                “It’s fun, I can’t carry all of these on my own, and you promised.” Glaring playfully at the malle, I grabbed two bags of toys and nudged him. “Come on, Duizhang!”

                “I swear I’m going to kill Chunji for this.” I heard him mutter behind me as he picked up the last of the bags. “Jihyun! Wait up.” I paused in my step and smiled brightly back.

                -- I sat on the couch in the dorm, absolutely bored without having the guys here to have fun with or do my job for. It had been another week since we came back to China, and they had to go Back to Korea again to do a schedule, and I didn’t have to go. I took the opportunity to relax in the dorm alone, but I just became beyond bored.

Heaving a great sigh, I my laptop to re-watch episodes of ‘Boys Over Flowers’… again.

                ‘Love, naege wa. Neon, like this. So love, gidarin neoran girl. True love, da gawa neon like this. One love, neon naege neon naegero.’

                Hearing my ringtone, I grumbled, paused the episode, and reached over to the other side of the couch to retrieve my phone.

                “Hello?” I answered, hoping to everything in the world that it wasn’t Chunji.

                “Jihyun!” Kris’ voice welcomed me and I sighed in relief. “We’ll be home in two-ish hours. Can you make dinner or should we pick something up?” Getting up from my place on the couch, I hurried into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

                “I’ll have to run to the store quick, but sure! It’ll be near done by the time you get home. How does Chicken Lo Mein, fresh baozi, and my kimchi fried rice sound to you?” I offered and was met with the sound of happy cheers. “I will take that as a ‘yes’ and get to work. Come home safe!” Kris hummed a reply as I hung up and grabbed my sweatshirt and purse.

                “JIhyun!” A softer voice called out to me and I set the handle of the spatula against the side of the wok, wiped my hands and glanced out from the kitchen to see Luhan standing in the hallway.

                “Luhan, are you okay?” I walked towards him, but his eyes remained fixed in some far off space. He seemed as if he’d seen a ghost. “What’s wrong?”

                “Can you explain?” He quietly asked and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. I was about to ask a question, but he stepped to the side and pointed to the door. I walked down and peered out into the hallway. I took in a sharp breath as I looked upon what got Luhan out of sorts. Bears. Numerous little stuffed bear animals carrying hearts.

                “What the hell did you do?” I looked up to meet Kris’ gaze and gulped.

                “They weren’t here when I came back from the market just an hour ago. I didn’t hear anything either.” We both looked back, awestruck, at the sheer volume of toys.

                “Duizhang, there are fifty-seven of them. Roughly.” Kris’ and my jaws both dropped as Lay calmly informed us. “Oh, and there’s also a letter for Jihyun.” He stepped through the sea of toys, extending his hand with the note in it. I bowed to him as I took it and nervously opened the envelope. With a sigh at the familiar handwriting, I began to read.

                “My dearest Jihyun. I’m such an idiot and I know you want nothing to do with me right now. I just want you to know that I will do anything to prove to you that I love you. This is just the first of many gifts to come. I will show you how much I love you if it takes the rest of our lives. I love you Jihyun. Yours forever, Chanhee.” As I finished the note, I scoffed and my heels. “I’ll get a couple bags, I’ll be right back.” I scurried into the kitchen, tucking the note in my pocket, and stirred the fried rice and lo mein again before getting a couple of garbage sized bags and running out to the hallway beyond the front door, piling the fluffy bears into the bags. I noticed that Lay and Kris both picked up bags and started piling the bears in as well. Sooner that I thought we would, we gathered all of the bears in the bags and had shoved the bags in my room.

                “Are you okay?” Kris pulled me back into my room as Chen and Lay out front started setting up for dinner. I nodded to him, but he only raised an eyebrow. Sighing, I sat myself on the bed and rested my chin on my fists.

                “Not really, but I’m going to have to get better and strong really quick here.” As the leader raised his eyebrow, I sighed. “The note stated that this is just the first of a long line to come. If I don’t buck up fast, I’m going to crack.” Kris sighed at my words and put his arm around my shoulder.

                “What are you going to do with all of this then?” Pursing my lips, I looked at the bags full of about fifty-seven bears. As I sat thinking, an idea popped into my head.

                “I know exactly where to take them! Kris, will you go with me tomorrow since you don’t have anything going on?” He nodded and I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder. --

                I knocked on the main door loudly and was quickly greeted by an older woman.

                “Hello! I was wondering if you would accept toys for the kids here.” The woman’s face lit up as I smiled gently at her. Opening the door wide, she let Kris and I in and showed us down to where all the kids were having lunch.

                “Children!” The woman called and every single child turned their attention to us. I quickly did a head count and nodded at the fact that we had about ten more bears than there were children. I placed a hand on the elder woman’s shoulder and she bowed to me. I looked at the kids and grinned.

                “Hello!” I called and they all replied back the same. “My friend and I were doing some work the other day and thought of you guys, so we brought some gifts.”

                “But you don’t even know us.” A little boy called me out and I shook my head.

                “Not now, but we will. I promise you that.” I smiled at them and opened my two bags. Kris set down his own bags and I motioned for the kids to come. “Now, we have enough for each of you to have one. I hope you guys will enjoy them as much as we have.” The kids came out of their places at the tables and warily grouped together. I noticed a little girl, meekly grasping the hem of her skirt, nervously looking at the kids around her. Crawling over, I held my hand out to her. Her eyes scanned me with slight fear and I just beckoned for her. With great uneasiness, she placed her small hand in mine. “How old are you?”

                “I’m four, ma’am.” Her other hand still grasped her skirt.

                “What’s your name?” I gently asked and she blushed.

                “Eunji.” I smiled brightly at her and squeezed her hand.

                “My name is Jihyun. You know what?  You share a name with my best friend. I think that’s a sign, Eunji.” She looked up, eyes filled with curiosity.

                “Really? A sign of what?”

                “It’s a sign that we’ll become best friends, just like my other Eunji.” I turned and pulled out one of the bears from the bag. Seeing her eyes light up at the sight of the toy, I felt my heartbeat race. “Honestly, I had no more room for him at home, and I couldn’t just leave him without a family. Do you think you could take care of him for me?” The girl nodded fervently at me and I bit back a brighter smile. “Do you think we could become friends?” As I asked the question, I held out the bear for her and she smiled brightly, wrapping her arms around my neck in a happy hug.

                “Thank you.” She cried happily and I hugged her back. “You’re the best Jihyun!” The other kids shuffled towards us slightly and I pulled back from Eunji. “I’ll take care of him for you.” She promised, placing her hand over her heart.

                “I have to give out more toys, should we play afterwards though?” Eunji nodded happily and skipped off with the bear. Smiling after her, I sighed. Turning my attention back to the others,  Kris opened the bags of bears and the children looked to the toys with hope. “Go ahead.” With my simple command, the children rushed for the bears, giving Kris and I hugs after selecting theirs. I laughed as Wu Fan was tackled by several kids in their joyous tirade. As I was embraced by another little girl after she got her bear, I realized the expression on Wu Fan’s face. He looked so happy and loving towards the kids.

                “Unnie, is he your jagiya?” I looked over with wide eyes and Eunji tugged on my shirt sleeve. “He is isn’t he?!” She cried with happiness and I tried to deny it.

                “N-no, he’s just my friend.” I stood up as he took my hand and guided me to a table near a window. I sat down and she immediately crawled up onto my lap, holding her new bear.

                “Unnie, I’m four years old and I see the way you look at him.” She cutely crossed her arms and shot me a glare. “Don’t tell me he’s not your Oppa.” I laughed at how cute this girl was being and ruffled her hair.

                “Okay, he used to be my Oppa. We’re both from North America. I’m from Colorado and he’s from Canada.” She nodded at my words, intent on the story. “One summer, I went with my best friend up to Canada for vacation, to get away from the heat and go out into the country. I met him at an event, and even though he was really cold, there was just something about him.”

                “Like the love at first sight in the Disney books!” She happily cheered and I nodded.

                “It was something like that. We dated for the two months I was up there, but we ended our relationship rather abruptly and not so nice after I went back down home.”

                “Why?”

                “He found out that I was four years younger than him when he thought we were the same age.”

                “But, Unnie, why would that matter?” She furrowed her brows in confusion and I hugged her to me, laying her head on my chest.

                “It seems like a really big difference when you’re younger, and he didn’t react well to it. It was my fault for not telling him right off the bat though.”

                “Does he not mind now then? Why don’t you go back to him?”

                “You know, you’re very curious and intelligent for your age.” She grinned cheekily at me and snuggled against me again. “Well, I’ve been living with him and his friends as a job for almost two weeks now. I didn’t think he remembered me when we met in April, but on a plane back here from Korea, he thought I was asleep and whispered to me, using my old nickname. I guess he’s just not ready to admit anything yet. I don’t blame him though. Everyone needs a little time.”

                “You had someone else then, huh?” Eunji thought out loud and I sighed, my lips pulling down in a frown.

                “I did, but he did a very bad thing. He dated another girl while he was still with me.” Eunji gasped and I shook my head. “We had been dating since October, just a few weeks after our birthdays, and he did that only a few days after I left to work with this Oppa.”

                “Do you love them?”

                “Them?”

                “The bad one in Korea and the bad one here, do you love them?” I chuckled as she referred to both Wu Fan and Chanhee as bad.

                “I know I love Chanhee in Korea, but I don’t know if I can trust him now. I’ve loved him since about a month after we got together. Kris though, I’m not totally sure.”

                “How do you feel around them?”

                “Well, when I saw Chanhee before, I felt butterflies in my stomach and my heart fluttered. When we hugged or held hands, it felt like he was my whole world.” Sighing, I looked over at Kris. My heartbeat fluttered as I watched him play with some of the boys, give them piggybacks, and look like an actual father. “Wu Fan, he makes me feel safe and secure. When he used to hug me, I felt like I actually belonged. I got over the butterflies fast, but I felt indescribably happy whenever I was with him.” Eunji readjusted herself on my lap and placed both of her small palms on my legs.

                “I got it!” She smiled triumphantly and I cocked my head to the side. “You love both of them!”

                “Some help you are.” I sarcastically commented and picked her up, twirling with her in my arms as she giggled uncontrollably.

                “Jihyun-ah. Manager wants us back quickly; we have to go to practice.” Kris called to me as he placed the remaining bears in a bag and handed it to the older woman running the orphanage. I set down Eunji, despite both of us not wanting me to leave. I borrowed a pen and a pad of paper from a nearby desk and wrote down my number, giving the sheet to the girl. I told her to call me if she ever needed anything or just wanted to talk. She hugged me and brought me down to whisper in my ear.

                “You know, I think he loves you too.” She giggled and kissed my cheek as I blushed, turning my attention to Kris. “Bye bye Unnie! Come back soon!” I stood up and crossed to Kris. His arm went around my shoulder and guided me out of the building. I waved back at the kids as they called out farewells to us.

                “You looked like a real mother in there.” Kris whispered against my ear and I shrugged. “Maybe we should have a kid.”

                “You have got to be kidding me!” I called out as I threw his arm off and stepped to the side a few steps.

                “What? You have to admit trying would be fun.” He winked at me and started walking again. Catching up to him, I punched his shoulder and he stuck his tongue out playfully. Looking away as he opened the car door for me, I smiled to myself.

---

Hey guys. I'm sorry for not updating... I was at a major writer's block and couldn't think of anything.

Well, I read the comments, and I have to say, I coudn't stop smiling when Chunji and Jihyun were given a couple name, ChunHyun. Thank you 2minandjongkeylove for coming up with that. I also have a friend who helps me edit the chapters that came up with JiFan for Jihyun and Kris

Anyways, Thank you guys for still reading! <3

Love always,

Lynnie!