A few years later....

 

“Fany!!! Open the door, NOW!!” Mr. Jung shouted. He knocked the door furiously. “How long are you going to lock yourself? Stop being such a kid, you’re 15 now and this is also the last year of your junior high school.”

 

Mrs. Jung tried to persuade her daughter in a calm way. She held her husband left shoulder, in order to calm him down. Mr. Jung was a person who was quite impatient, so this kind of things usually makes him angry. While Mrs. Jung was the opposite, she usually sees everything in a positive and calmer way. “Fany-ah, open your door, please. You can tell me what happen? And why you don’t want to come out? We can discuss this together, okay?”

 

“Just leave me alone, mom... dad... I don’t want to go to school today.” Tiffany said.

 

“Come on, Fany. Don’t make your dad angrier. Just open the door.” Mrs. Jung tried to persuade her again, Mr. Jung almost shouted again until the questions from Jesse stopped him, “What happened? Why mom and dad must be very noisy early in the morning? It’s just 7, and none of our school started before 8. So, can you explain it to me?” Jesse standing by the door of his room, looking at his parents coldly who were standing in front of Tiffany’s room which was right next to his.

 

“Jesse, it’s not about we’re afraid you guys are going to be late. But Fany never wants to open her door since early in the morning when your mom tried to wake her up. And this makes us worry, well, you know your sister right?” Mr. Jung explained and he was quite afraid of Jesse’s stare. Somehow Jesse’s cold stare had that kind of effect to everyone and this included to his parents.

 

“Still dad, you don’t need to raise your voice. Both of you should know the harder you guys act towards her, the more stubborn she will be.” All Jesse could do was shook his head. They are her parents but they don’t know how to persuade their own daughter. Plus, mom and dad really disturb my sleep, such a pity, I need to wake up 15 minutes earlier. “Mom and dad just do your own routine. Let me take care of Fany.” Jesse said in cold tone and then walked towards Tiffany’s door. He was not really happy with his father’s way to talk to Fany and the most important was his parents disturb his precious sleep.

 

Mr and Mrs. Jung gave Jesse a way and now, were standing behind Jesse. Mr. Jung mouthed to Mrs. Jung ‘our son is scary’. Mrs. Jung just smiled, knowing her son would be like that, if someone rude to his beloved sister, Tiffany. Mrs. Jung looked to Mr. Jung and asked him to go downstairs with her to give some private time for Jesse and Tiffany. Mrs. Jung felt really grateful that she could have a son like Jesse. Jesse really knows how to handle Tiffany when she is sad or angry; more than herself as their mother can. Most of the time, when Tiffany is angry or sad, she will look for Jesse and they could spent hours to talk about it or just simply to cheer her up. So, now Mrs. Jung also believes that her son could do well, in cheering her daughter up or is this case more to persuading.

 

“Fany-ah, open your door, please. This is oppa. I know why you don’t want to get out and go to school. So, now, please open the door and talk about this, okay? But if you don’t want to, don’t blame oppa to kick your door open.” Jesse said nuzzling his eyes, and hitting his stiff neck, while waiting for his sister to open the door. Not long after that, he heard footsteps getting to the door, and a click could be heard.

 

Jesse carefully opened the door. He entered the room and saw his sister’s back facing him. She walked towards her bed and sat. He closed the door slowly, and walked to his sister. “Hey.” He tapped his sister shoulder, and walked to face his sister. “I know you’re scared. But oppa promises that oppa will protect you, oppa won’t do the same mistake again. Oppa will be there when you need me. I promise.” He sat next to Fany and looked into her eyes to assure her.

 

“Oppa, you must keep your promise this time, okay?” she looked at Jesse worriedly.

 

“I will keep my promise. I won’t let that happened again.” She heard Jesse said and she saw sadness and guilt in his eyes. She decided to hug her brother to cheer him up and somehow she always likes the feel being hugged by her brother. She knew what happened in the past wasn’t his fault.

 

Flashback...

 

Little Fany was waiting for her brother to pick her up after school. This was the first day. Tiffany went to school without her brother beside her. This was the first day, Jesse went for junior high school, and Tiffany last year of elementary school. She kept on waiting but her brother still hadn’t come. There wasn’t anyone left in the school, which quite made little Fany afraid.

 

She knelt down and played with the sand until she heard someone said, “Hey, Fany. You are alone now, huh. Where’s your brother? He finally leaves you, huh.” A boy that she knew as Siwon said.

 

“Oppa doesn’t leave me. He will come and pick me up. So just leave me.” Although she was scared, she tried to be brave and defended herself.

 

“Leave you! Why should we leave you?” A boy named Kangin said and smirked.

 

She knew both of them as her brother’s enemies. She never thought she would meet them again, since both of them had graduated. In the past, they tried to bully her, and her brother found out. Her brother then reported them to the teacher and both of them were punished. Since then, they tried to hurt her or Jesse, but Jesse always successfully protect her and himself, though sometimes Jesse got hurt a bit in order to protect  her, but nothing serious.

 

She thought she was free from them, but how wrong she was. She prayed that her brother would come soon and helped her. She was really afraid now. She tried to run away, but Kangin successfully grabbed her hand. He held her hand really tight and it hurt her. “Let me go!!” she cried.

 

“Nah... Ah...” Kangin replied. “Not that easy. You think how long we’ve been waiting for this?”

 

“You know what, how pathetic you are now. Your brother can’t even help you, he is busy.” Siwon said. “I wonder how he will react when he saw her sister was hurt.”

 

“If oppa saw what you guys do, he wouldn’t forgive you. I believe before you can do anything to me, oppa will come and save me.” Fany said with her eyes full of tears.

 

Suddenly, there’s a ball hit Kangin. “Who’s there?” he shouted. Tiffany couldn’t feel more grateful than this. 

 

Then, a little boy with a baseball cap came out from his hiding. He smiled smugly, “Just a boy who doesn’t like to see someone bullying a girl.”

 

“Just go away, this is none of your business.” Siwon warned him.

 

“How about if you don’t let her go, I’ll tell the police? You know there’s one near the park. all I need to do is shout.” The boy said confidently.

 

Both Siwon and Kangin considered the thing that the boy said, and both of them decided to let Tiffany go, they didn’t want to risk it. They still had a lot of time to do the revenge, they thought. So, Kangin let go of his grip on Tiffany’s hand. There’s a red mark on Tiffany hand and Tiffany rub it.

 

“Just wait...” They said. Both of them left Tiffany and the boy.

 

When Tiffany wanted to thank the boy, the boy had disappeared. Tiffany picked the ball, and decided to keep it, until she met her saviour again. Suddenly, she heard someone panting, she was afraid. She turned around to see her brother trying hard to take a breath. 

 

Jesse gasped and said, “S...so...rry. My homeroom teacher asked me to help her, so that’s why I’m late.” He raised his head and saw the look on his sister’s face. He knew that look very well, and that’s the look that he hated the most, the look that she has just crying. “What happened to you?” he said with worried written in his face. He walked to his sister and saw her wrist was red. He knew that was the mark of someone’s grip. “Who did this to you?” he said angrily. “Did you get hurt on another place?” he said while checking if there’s another wound on Fany’s body.

 

Fany didn’t reply him and hugged him. She cried, Jesse hugged her back and soothe her. Jesse’s uniform was now wet of Tiffany’s tears. “Oppa, I’m okay. Someone saved me just now, before something bad happened. Oppa, promise me. Next time, no matter what, don’t be late and make me wait, okay? You don’t know how scared I was just now.” Fany whispered. 

 

“Okay...” Jesse said. He said to himself that he would keep this promise no matter what. He wouldn’t let this happen for the second time.

 

“Ready to go to school, now?” Jesse asked still hugging Fany. She nodded. “Now, go and get ready. I’ll go and get ready, too. You don’t want to be late, right. I also have asked someone to be your bodyguard when you’re at school, so you’ll be totally safe.” Jesse released his hug.

 

“Who is my bodyguard?” Fany asked curiously. Jesse had stood up and walked towards the door. “Your best friend and your first crush, Kwon Yul.” Jesse chuckled remembering Yul’s reaction when he asked him to be Fany’s bodyguard. At first, Yul refused, but all Jesse needed to do was, stared at him with his cold eyes, and Yul finally agreed with his body trembling.

 

“Oppa!!! You must have threatened him, don’t you?”

 

At that time, Jesse had gone outside, but he heard what his sister said. He shouted, “Not really. But, maybe a little bit.”

 

“That’s too much, oppa.” Tiffany shouted hoping her brother heard it. When she heard the sound of the door closing, she knew her brother didn’t hear what she said. She walked to the toilet until a sudden reply shocked her, luckily, she didn’t fall down. “That was not too much, Fany-ah. If that’s for your safety, I can do anything.” Jesse shouted from his room.

 

***

Jesse prepared for his school’s stuff and he didn’t forget to take the medicine from his study table which was just right in front of a window. He stopped for a while just to look at the view outside his window. What a beautiful day... He thought. He saw the children running in front of his house. They must be excited for the first day of school. I wish I could run like them. He clutched his chest. I must think positively. He put his medicine in his bag and carried it.

 

Jesse went downstairs. He reached the living room and put his backpack on the sofa before he walked to the kitchen. He saw his father reading a newspaper and having his coffee. His mother had prepared lunchboxes for both of them. He took a seat and ate his breakfast.

 

“Jesse, don’t forget to go to have your check-up. Your mom has made an appointment, so you can go there after school.” Mr. Jung said while looking at the newspaper.

 

“Don’t worry, dad. I’ll go after I walked Fany back home.” Jesse sipped his milk and continued eating his bread.

 

“You still haven’t told, Fany. You know she’s old enough to know this. Besides, she is your sister and she always right beside you, I think it’s time to tell her. With her knowing this, at least I and your father can lay back a bit.” Mrs. Jung said.

 

“Mom, you know her. If I told her, she will be worried every seconds and she will treat me like some fragile thing. I don’t want her to restrain herself when she is with me. And one more thing, I can’t stand if I must look into her eyes and all I can see is sadness. But, I’ll tell her when it’s the right time. Let’s not talk about this anymore, I don’t want to risk that suddenly she overheard our talk about my sickness.” Jesse turned away from his mom and fixed his gaze on the table.

 

He never really liked to talk about this to his parents. He always tries to find a way to get out of the topic, because he didn’t want them to be sad or worried. He knew all this time his dad worked hard to pay for his regular check-up bills and his medicines. So, he always tries his best to take care of his body and make his parents proud of him, because he knew that that’s the least he could do to repay their love.

 

Mr and Mrs. Jung never told Jesse about his condition because they knew that time would slowly tell their son. As Jesse grew up, he slowly knew about his own condition. At first, he couldn’t accept the fact that he has heart defect, and he was really furious at his parents for lying at him all this time. Because, little Jesse used to ask them about why he was the only one who always has a check up, while his friends or Tiffany never. Why was his chest hurt if he’s too tired or after he had just finished running. But he never got an answer for those questions from his parents.

 

“Jesse... Have you put your medicine into your bag?” Jesse turned his head back to his mother, he hated this look. The same look that Tiffany had when she was sad.

 

Suddenly, there’s noise came from the stairs. All of them looked towards the stairs and saw Tiffany coming down hurriedly and sort of a bit mess up. Her tie was hanging loosely, her coat wasn’t properly worn, and she pulled her bag with her left hand while her right hand struggling to tidy up her coat. Jesse had a small smile on his lips, when he saw his sister condition. He got up from his seat, and walked towards Fany. “Mom, I guess you need to pack the breakfast for Fany.”

 

“Sure.” Mrs. Jung chuckled. Mr. Jung also smiled looking at his daughter and he shook his head.

 

Jesse stood in front of Fany whom was standing beside the sofa and tried to tidy up her uniform. “Stand still.” Fany stopped moving and looked at Jesse. He tidied up her coat, and tie. Then, he put the strap of her bag on her shoulder. I am really lucky to have you, oppa. She smiled looking at her brother, she felt this tingling feeling inside her, but she didn’t know what that is.

 

“Why I’m the one who did this? You’re the one who supposed to tidy my uniform. That’s why, next time, when mom and dad woke you up, you must quickly wake up and get ready for school. You are really slow.” She kicked his leg which made him jumping on his place. He always chooses the right time in ruining a good moment. I just thought of how grateful I am for having him as my brother, but look, he has to start his nagging in this perfect moment. “Ouch! This is what you do after your brother tidies up you uniform. In the past you love to hit my head, now, you love to kick my leg.” He complained, and Tiffany just stuck her tongue out.

 

“Why do I keep on spoiling her...”Jesse mumbled and walked back to the kitchen to take the lunchboxes and Tiffany’s breakfast, he clearly knew that Fany must be pouting right now. “Oppa, you do know that girls always need more time than boys, right? So, why bother?”

 

“If we’re going out, I don’t mind how many hours you want to take. But we need to go to school, and being late in the first day of school is really a bad impression. Hmm... Still, I guess, you’re just slow.” He walked back to the living room. Tiffany glared at him.

 

“I’m not slow.” She mumbled and still glaring at Jesse which just earned a chuckle from him.

 

“You want to try to copy my glare, that’s not easy. Besides, I won’t be affected by that. I’m the one that invented it.” Jesse laughed and made the latter frowned.

 

He put the lunchbox inside his bag and Tiffany’s, after that, he gave her the breakfast. “Let’s go, before we’re late.” He took his bag and held Fany’s hand. Tiffany tried to get away from her brother’s grip which only made Jesse tightened his grip and dragged Tiffany out.

 

“Bye mom, dad...” both of them said, as they walked towards the door.

 

“Bye too... Have fun....” Mrs. Jung said excitedly. She then realized that Jesse hadn’t answered her question. “Do you think he bring his medicine?”

 

“Knowing Jesse as a meticulous kid, he must have brought the medicine. So, you don’t need to worry.” Mr. Jung smiled at his wife.

 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Mrs. Jung went to the dining table and ate her breakfast, before both of them went to work.