“Nami-neh,” a voice yells behind the door. There’s a knock and I feel something tighten around me. The door creaks open. “Nami-neh….?” It shuts.

“It’s too early for him,” another voice mutters.

“Y-YongGuk-Shi?”

It wasn’t a dream?

“Morning beautiful,” he smiles pressing his forehead to mine and squishing our noses together. I watch him as he snuggles up close to me without lifting an eyelid.

“What is…” I begin but his fingers tap across my back. The sensation is incredibly sweet and handicaps my speech.

“Please just stay here for a moment,” he hushes letting his breath tickle my mouth.

I don’t say a word. Don’t even move an inch.

“I bet Zelo-yah is freaking out about now,” YongGuk chuckles. He sits up and leans over me. “I’m sorry if I’m making things too awkward for you.”

I open my eyes again and look up at him. Something about him looks…different. “If anything, it’s all my fault.”

He lays next to me and cups the side of my face. “You were just doing what you thought was right.”

That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell myself. The words I’ve used to justify all the stupid things that I’ve done. I might as well have hurt everyone, all because I jumped to conclusions.

I try to ease out of my guilt trip and slowly sit up. “I need to wash, then make breakfast, want anything?”

He looks at me with one eye and smiles cutely. “Whatever you make is fine with me.” That deep voice, how can he sound so…so…adorable? Especially now.

I bit my lip. “Mkay.” I turn so that my hair falls into my face, hiding the blush that has crept up my neck and into my cheeks. “Breakfast shouldn’t be too long.”

I step onto the wood flooring and exit through the door. Why is my heart beating so fast? I can’t just jump from guy to guy. What’s wrong with me?!

“Nami-shi?” a slightly raspy voice calls.

I turn too fast and nearly run into the wall. People really need to stop calling for me. I’m too jumpy right now. “D-Dae?”

“Nami-shi, Zelo-yah just told me…congrats.”

I look around for HimChan. “Bwoh…?” My feet slide across the floor as I stumble into the kitchen.

“Zelo-yah went out for a jog. I think he’s heartbroken,” HimChan says under a chuckle. “What are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to fix breakfast,” I say bluntly.

“Anni, not that.” He motions for me to sit down across from him. There are two cups of tea one for him, and one waiting for me. “I mean you and YongGuk-ah.”

I chew at the inside of my cheek. I really haven’t thought about it. In fact, YongGuk told me not to. “I dunno.”

He smiles to himself. “That’s good.”

My brows furrow. “Why is that?”

“Nami-shi, I don’t want you to make plans with him. They may fall through.” He takes a sip of tea. “I’ve already started the rice so don’t worry about breakfast.”

I nod understandingly.

“Would you mind if I was selfish for a little bit? I feel that I need to explain a few things to you.”

I drink a bit of tea. “Please,” I laugh. “Indulge yourself.”

He smiles at me but I can tell he’s not seeing me. “I think that sense of humor, and the ability to bounce back so easily is why I was attracted to you.”

I blush. “You were saying?”

“Nami-shi, do you know where I go to school?”

I shake my head. I never really thought about it.

“K-ARTS, Korea National University of Arts…there’s a sister school in Japan.”

I can’t help but smile. “Really? K-ARTS? That’s a great school!”

His face has a bittersweet look. “It’s kind of where I met my Nuna.” He looks into his cup and I feel all the sadness start to slide from his tongue. “I met her there.”



“Sunbae, you dropped your paintbrush!” I yelled down the hall chasing after her. It wasn’t nearly as frantic as it should have been. I knew she was late. She was always late.

“Ah! Kansamhanida, you are…?”

“Kim HimChan.”

“Oh! You’re the boy from my public speaking class. Well, arigato!” She smiled at me in such a way that I stopped breathing. Clumsy, forgetful and a bit over the top…I was amazed by her.

“Arigato,” I repeated to myself. It took me a second. “Ah, Japanese. She must be studying.” Little did I know she could teach the class.

For my first month and a half I saw her run down the hallways to class, nearly hitting me a few times. For the most part, no one really paid any mind to her. She was just a student chasing those last few minutes before the bell. We all do that, don’t we?

I spoke to her every now and then, but it wasn’t like we were close.

“HimChan-shi, can we partner up for this new project?”

It was the first time she actually used my name, and it had a certain ring to it that only she could produce. ‘HimChan-shi’ sounded so bland when other students said it, but she had a whimsical tone in her voice. It really coated everything with honey.

Over the course of the next week we became closer and soon I was calling her Nuna.

“Otouto-kun,” she said leaning over my shoulder. “You’re handwriting is not clear. Let me do this part.” Her hands were delicate, as a painter’s hands should be.

“How are you like that?” I asked forgetting to disconnect my mouth from my thoughts.

“How am I what?” She smiled to me.

I was unable to stop myself. There was some sort of magnetic bond between us I was unable to break. I leaned forward and kissed her.

“HimChan-shi!” she gasped covering .

“Sunbae, I’m sorry.” I looked away from her in shame. Why had I done that? It was completely out of character for me.

Her fingers traced over her lips and then she touched mine. Her hands traveled to my jaw bone and I held her close in my arms. She couldn’t stop looking at my mouth, like it was a new found treasure. “Otouto-kun…you just kissed me.”

I suppose she was still in shock, but she leaned forward and kissed me again.

Nothing ever tasted as sweet as her.

“Nuna,” I called out as she exited her final class. “Do you want to get some dinner?”

“Anni, I don’t really have time.”

“Street food?”

“HimChan-shi!”

I froze. We had been dating for almost a year and she hadn’t called me that since. Nothing really seemed to bother her. In the past year her parents split and she had a massive class load.

“Nuna?” I asked a week later. I had walked into her studio space like I usually did and found her packing much of it up.

“Otouto-kun…Anni, Himchan-shi…I’ve been thinking.”

Her voice was too serious. I really wasn’t used to it.

“I think it’s best if we end it here.”

That was the moment my life crashed.

“Nuna…?”

“HimChan-shi, we’ve got to continue living right? Life is pulling me in a different direction. Never forget to make memories. Each day is like a blossom, it can either bloom or wilt.”

I pleaded with her but not once did she look at me. I even told her she could use my embarrassing pet name, as long as she told me why.

“Anni. Goodbye, Kim HimChan.”

She left me without a trace and I had no way to contact her other than her cell phone. She ignored my calls and eventually I gave up. From then on I was in and out of relationships, constantly looking for someone as bright as she used to be. But no one compared to my Nuna. What’s worse is I’ve even called girls Nuna out of habit or longing. Which was stronger? I couldn’t answer that.

Then one day, not long after giving up on a replacement, I was followed and sought out by a girl. She was different, bold and honest, but her face was that of my Nuna. She reached out to me and of course I took the chance I was given. I’d found someone to fill the void.

The month we were together was bliss even if I only saw her for short periods. She was similar to Nuna in that she never would let me meet her family. She kept very much to herself but somehow was very free and open.

There was a moment I realized what I was doing. I was letting someone in based on the fact that we got along and she looked much like the woman I loved. It wasn’t right and I broke it off.



“HimChan-shi, I had no idea,” I say lowly. “You loved her so much.”

He coughs softly and rubs the side of his head. “I’m sorry, I just felt the need to tell someone. I’ve kept her to myself this whole time. But, Nami-shi…you’re different. Something about you is incredibly special. You touch the hearts of those around you, even if you don’t realize it. I’m sorry I couldn’t love you properly. YongGuk-ah is lucky.”

The thought of us being together is still too new for me to completely grasp.

“You leave for Tokyo tomorrow, right?”

I nod.

“Tell Yumi-shi I said hello, please?”

I reach across the table and grab his hand. “You tell her yourself when she comes to Seoul. Arasso?”

He blinks. “She’s coming to Seoul?”

“Dae. And this time you better not let her go. The happiest I’ve ever seen her was when she was dating you.” I grip my cup. “You better chase her!”

He smiles softly. “I think I will.”

*ding*

We both look over at the rice cooker. “It’s almost done. Go wash. I’ll finish breakfast.”

I get up from my seat and walk to him giving him a huge hug. “You were the best Otouto-kun to Unni. Don’t give up.”

He pats me on the back. “I’ve tried, and I can’t.”

A/N: asdfghjkl;;;;;;;; I have nothing to really say :x

thank you new and old sublies~ readers, commenters....lub you bunches ^^

Meng

@PaigeLaRynn : AHHhh! better make that house out of bricks! ><