Chapter 1

 

It’s a beautiful day - orange sky and cloud, as a beautiful sunset can be seen from the park. Near the park, there’s a small lake which made the scenery more beautiful. Couples sitting on the benches nearby or simply walking around enjoy each other presence, while families walked together, played with their children and some were having a picnic. Then, there’s this little girl sitting on a swing, not knowing that her parents were looking for her, enjoyed her time playing.

 

“Wow, the sunset is very beautiful,” said the girl cheerfully. “Where’s oppa? Where’s mom and dad?” she just realized that she was lost. She started to get worried and scared, she looked around but she saw no one that she knew. Tears started to swell up on her eyes, and without thinking she jumped off the swing while the swing was still moving. As the result, she fell down and scraped her knee. Slowly tears started to fall; she really hoped that her parents or her brother would find her soon. She tried to walk to one of the benches but she couldn’t because her knee hurt so much. So she decided to stay there but what she didn’t know was the swing was still moving and it moved towards her small figure.

 

***

 

“Aish, where’s Fany?” his father said. “Let’s separate. We will gather up here in ten minutes.”

 

“Okay.” His brother and his mother said.

 

Then he ran searching for his little sister. Though he’s just 7 years old, he always feels that he has the responsibility to take care of his sister. He ran and ran, afraid of what might happen to his sister. He never left her sister alone for a very long time. He was really afraid of losing her. He couldn’t imagine his life without his little sister. He looked around while running, until he saw a figure, kneeling down in front of a swing. With no doubt he knew, that figure was her little sister that made him worried so much. Then he saw that the swing was still moving and it moved towards her sister, so he ran with all of his might, trying to stop the swing and luckily, he arrived in time to stop it.

 

Then he slowly walked to his sister, and he heard her sobbing.

 

***

 

“Fany?” a soft yet gentle voice, one that she knew, spoke.

 

“oppa...” she said turning around and saw her brother standing beside the swing. She tried to walk to where her brother was standing now.

 

“Stay there.” Her brother said. When he reached in front of her, he knelt down. “Climb up.”

 

Tiffany still sobbing, but listened to her brother’s words, she wrapped her arms around her brother’s shoulder and climbed up. Then her brother carried her.

 

“Next time, when you saw something fun, don’t just run away okay. You don’t know how worried I am, mom and dad are also very worried of you.” This time Tiffany heard her brother cold and stern voice, but she still could sense care in it.

 

“I thought you’re following me. That’s why, I ...” Tiffany again choked in her voice.

 

“Just forget it, okay. The most important thing is oppa found you now.”

 

“oppa... I’m afraid...” but before she could finish her sentence, her brother said “that mom and dad will scold you?”

 

“How can you know?” this 6 year old girl asked curiously, but her tears has stopped now.

 

“As if I don’t know you. Just relax, oppa is here. But sometimes I should let mom and dad scold you, so you won’t wandering around and make everyone worried.” He chuckled.

 

“oppa~~” she started to whine.

 

“Just prepare yourself, okay. Cos mom and dad are just right in front of us” without Tiffany’s knowing, actually her brother was smiling. He had prepared himself to help Tiffany, in case she was scolded by their parents. He always helps Tiffany when their parents want to scold her, and he knows that he pampers her too much, but he can’t help it, since she’s the only sister that he has.

 

“Tiffany...” their dad voice was quite loud and cold. It scared Tiffany the moment she heard that. She knew her dad was angry, not only angry, but really angry.

 

“Daddy... I’m sorry...” Tiffany said with a trembling voice. She lowered her head, and hid her face on her brother’s back. He knew that she’s going to cry again, soon, judging from her voice.

 

Then, their mom saw Tiffany’s knee was bleeding. “Tiffany, you hurt yourself.” Her mom started to get worried.

 

“Let’s treat your wound” her dad said, she knew that her dad actually wanted to scold her, but decided to stop, seeing his daughter was injured. “Come here son, let daddy carry Tiffany.”

 

“Daddy, I want oppa to carry me~~” Tiffany said with her aegyo. All her brother did was just shook his head.

 

“Wow, now you have your brother then you don’t want your daddy anymore” their dad teased Tiffany, while their mom was smiling all the time looking at her family. “Okay then, daddy won’t care about you anymore. Next time when your brother is not around, don’t ask daddy to play with you”

 

“aahhh~~~ daddy~~ you know I love you right~~” Tiffany said with her aegyo and smiling with her signature eye-smile.

 

“I know you love me, Fany-ah, but you love your brother more.” Their father said sadly while the others just laughed at their father’s way to get Tiffany’s attention.

 

“Fany, why don’t you let daddy carry you? Your oppa is tired.” Their mother tried to persuade Tiffany.

 

“I don’t want to. I want oppa to carry me.” Tiffany stayed persistent. Their parents wanted to persuade Tiffany again, but before they said anything, a voice stopped them. “It’s okay, mom, dad. I’m not tired.”

 

“But are you sure?” their dad asked worriedly since he saw the change of colour of his son’s face. “We know this girl here could be quite heavy.” He said again trying to ease the mood.

 

“Yes.” He just got a short and cold reply from his son. “Let’s go to the car, mom, dad.” Tiffany said happily, forgetting about the wound on her knee.

 

Then, they walked to the car, with their parents walked in front and Tiffany and her brother followed from behind.

 

“You’re really getting heavier.” her brother said, but what he got was just a hit on the head from Tiffany. “Ouch, that hurts”

 

“That’s for not helping me just now and for saying me heavy.” Tiffany eyebrows creased, and she pouted.

 

“Wait, dad hasn’t even scolded you, why I should get hit because of not helping you. Now, after I think about it, I should let you be scolded by mom and dad next time. Because once in a while, you really need to be scolded, so you won’t bully me like just now.” He argued. He never turned around to see his sister because he knew if he saw her sister’s pout, he would lose on the spot.

 

“But, oppa... you know when dad is angry, he’s really scary”

 

“And you always ask me to help you, don’t you know that it’s scary for me too.”

 

“Because you love me very... very... much, that’s why you always help me to face angry dad. And that’s why I love you.” she said smiling brightly.

 

“Up to you, I can never win from you.” He tried to be cold, but he knew he’s slightly blushing now. My sister sometimes really embarrassed me. “Oh, about loving you, because I only have one sister that’s why I love you, but if I have another one... maybe...” he tried to sister, but again Tiffany hit him on his head before he finished his sentence.

 

“Don’t you dare to finish that sentence, oppa” he knew his sister must be frowning now, but the impact was quite hard, which caused him stumbling.

 

“And don’t keep on hitting my head, it’s going to make me stupid, and if you keep on doing that, we will fall down.” He said with quite cold voice while trying to keep the balance since he had a little body. He didn’t want her sister to fall down and get injured again.

 

“I hate you. hmph...” Tiffany said, annoyed.

 

“hmph...” he was grinning when he replied Tiffany, he just really loved to annoy her little sister.

 

Their parents just looked at them smiling, knowing that no matter how these two kids annoyed each other, they actually cared and loved each other so much. They also would protect and take care of each other. But little did they know that love and care would grow into something more in the future. Something that even both of them couldn’t stop, because when they realized about that, it’s already too late.