"Everyone, gather in the living room!" shouted the old lady beside me holding both of my shoulders tightly. "Don't worry, the kids here are kind." she told me as she looked at me with reassuring eyes. I nodded nervously then gulped as the sound of marching feet got louder and louder. "Kids, this is Sungmin. Please be easy on him." she said as the kids sat down on the floor.

The living room was filled with loud whispers.

"Another one?!"

"I wonder where he'll stay...? We're too many here already..."

They looked at me with judging eyes and I know that I do not belong here. Maybe I should just go back to the syndicate, atleast there, I have some friends.

"Shh. Quiet." the old lady said. Immediately, silence filled the room. "Gyuri? Where's Gyuri?" she called. Everyone looked at a girl seated somewhere around the middle. Her head was bowed down and longs bangs covered her eyes. A rubix cube busied her fast moving fingers and kept her focused.

The girl beside her tapped her shoulders. "Hey, Aunt Yunji called you..."

She immediately looked up, stunned. "H-huh? Y-yes, Aunt Yunji?" she said as she quickly move her bangs to the side.

"Hm. Fixed your hair, Gyuri." the old lady, Aunt Yunji as they say, said in which the girl obliged. "Gyuri. This is Sungmin, if you weren't listening. And he is going to be your roommate."

Her eyes widen and so did mine. "What?! Why?" she asked while I just looked at Aunt Yunji.

"Because" she said, "all the other rooms are already occupied. And I thought you want a roommate?"

"Yes. A girl roommate, auntie..."

"Don't be so picky Gyuri. All you need is a companion." Aunt Yunji said. "Anyway, his things are already inside your room. Give him a tour around the center after he unpacked then go to my office to get his schedule and your new schedule too. Now go, everyone. Go back to whatever you are doing."

"Yes, Aunt Yunji." They all stood up then left one by one.

"Gyuri, stay. Wait for Sungmin."

She stood up with a sigh then walked towards me. She flashed me a weak smile then faced Aunt Yunji.

"Do you understand what you're going to do?" Gyuri nodded. "Okay, good. You can go now. Help him unpacked, Gyuri."

"Yes, Aunt." she said then Aunt Yunji left. My heart started beating faster and my palms began to sweat. I tugged the loose end of my shirt nervously as I watch Aunt Yunji's retreating figure. "Hey, let's go. We still need to unpack."

 

Ring Ring Ring

I opened my eyes then sat up sleepily. I grabbed my alarm clock by my side then turned the alarm off. The warm rays of light shone and hit my skin. Looking at the window by my side, the view of the sea never fail to amaze me with its crystal blue waters and white powdery sand. I'll go for a walk there later, after I finished my morning chores. I stood up to fix my bed and the blue one beside it, though no one uses it anymore.

 

"So here's our room. You can use that cabinet. The one at the right." she said. She walked towards the beds then sat at the blue one, opposite the pink one. "The pink bed will be yours, will that be fine?" I nodded. "Good. I love the color blue. Although Auntie always told me to use the pink bed, I prefer using this one. That's why I want a girl roommate, so someone can use that."

"It's alright, I like the color pink." I said, while carefully putting my clothes inside the cabinet.

"Really? That's..." she said. I gulped, preparing myself to whatever she's going to say about me. "cute." I looked at her then smiled. She looked at me from head to toe then said, "Pink suits you well." I blushed a little, realizing that the shirt I was wearing is color pink.

"Well, thank you. Blue also looks good on you."

"Yeah, I know. By the way, my name is Gyuri. I'm really sorry if I seem...unfriendly. It's just that...I don't like being bothered when I'm doing something." she said then let out a chuckle. "How old are you?...Sungmin? Right?"

"Yes, Sungmin. I'm 13."

"Good. I'm 12 and I'm the youngest here and I want it to stay that way. So, how did the aunties found you?"

Silence. Why does she keep talking to me?

"Uhm, hey?"

Why does she keep talking to me?

"What?" I said in a low voice. Why does she keep talking to me?

"N-nothing...W-welcome to the center, by the way..."

 

I went to Aunt Yunji's office to do my first chore of the day- cleaning the office. After that, I went to the garden to water the plants.

 

Gyuri knocked on the door to Aunt Yunji's office.

"Come in."

She slowly twisted the knob then went inside silently. "Good Afternoon, Aunt Yunji! We're here to get Sungmin's schedule and my new schedule."

"Ah, right. Please sit down first." Aunt Yunji took a brown envelope from the cubbyhole behind her then gave it to us. "Here it is. I hope you're fine with the chores assigned to you know, Gyuri."

"Yes, Aunt Yunji. As long as I wouldn't be asked to wash the dishes, I'm fine with any other task you'll give me."

"That's good. So, Sungmin. How are you? Do you like the center? Is Gyuri kind to you?"

"Yes. She's very kind, Aunt Yunji. And the center is fine too." I replied. She seems kind, although I am not.

"That's very good to know. We'll do our best to make this center feel like your home and us, your family." Aunt Yunji smiled at me sweetly.

Family, huh? Family...

It must be nice to have one.

 

I quietly entered our shared room. It's already 11 and I don't want to disturb her if ever she's already asleep. I'm guessing she already is since the lights are turned off. As I tiptoe to my bed, I heard a voice.

"Hey."

I sighed as I lay on my bed, ignoring her.

"Hey."

I closed my eyes.

"Why are you like that? I tried to be friendly to you, to be kind but..." she sighed "I guess I should just give up. You're hopeless. Don't follow me." She said then left.

I sat up straight then turned to face the window. I noticed that the moon was big and bright, it looked very pretty.

Maybe I was too much...? I don't even know why I'm being like this- why I'm being too harsh on her. 

"Sungmin, do you want some bread?"

"No."

"Sungmin, do you need help?"

"NO."

"Sungmin do-"

"Stop bothering me! I don't need your help!"

I don't need friends, I don't need anybody...

...or do I?

But I guess I should atleast say sorry to her.

 

I walked around the center. Ah, it's been a while, isn't it? But the center hasn't changed a bit. I smiled at everyone I passed by. Yes, they were the same people who I first thought didn't like me here but now, they are who I consider as family.

"Hey! Sungmin!" Donghae and Eunhyuk called.

I turned around and smiled. "Hey! Good morning!"

"Good morning too! You're a bit too early today. School doesn't start until 10 o'clock today." Eunhyuk

"Ah, wait. Today is..." Donghae "Today is that day, right?"

"Yep!" I said, smiling brightly. "I'll just be by the seaside if you ever need me."

"Okay. We know."

 

Sweet melody filled the cold windy air of the night. The gentle strumming of the guitar became louder as I slowly walked on the sand, towards the person sitting behind the coconut tree.

"You will come again.

You can’t stand loneliness

To my side. you will come back again~" she sang sweetly. I walked a few more steps towards her. "But when that time comes-" she suddenly stopped singing and playing.

"What are you doing here?!"

"I wanted to say sorry, for all that I did."

"Didn't I told you NOT TO FOLLOW ME?" She placed her guitar to her side then looked up to me with glaring eyes.

I sat down beside her, took the guitar then started playing the same song. "Hey! What's are you doing! That's mine!"

"Shh."

"You ruined my night." I grabbed her wrist as she stood up.

"I said I'm here to say sorry. Would you atleast hear my apology?" I said with a sincere smile, that must be the first time I smiled since I came here in the center.

She sighed but sat down again and we spend the night talking, singing and getting to know each other.

 

"I grew up independent, I need no one and no one cares. Everything changed when I got here in the center. Life became easier since they've provided me with everything I need yet at the same time, it became harder. I'm not used to it-people actually caring for me. It's hard and I don't know if I like it or not. Love, I know nothing of it nor felt it. It's unusual because I've always thought that no one will love me, because even my family didn't so how can others do?"

"That's how I felt before too. But I learned that love, family and friends are important and they matter for they make you a better person. We're all orphans here, we have no one- no family, no relatives- except for each other."

"I know. I now know."

"This is my hiding place. Whenever I'm lonely or sad or happy, I go here and sing, play guitar, run around- sometimes, even swim, watch the sun set, count the stars, or simply, breathe. The place relaxes me." She smiled at me then looked at the sky. "I love stars. They remind me of my family. I was also angry at my them before. They just left me. I don't even know how I came here or where they are or...who they are. I used to believe that I don't a family but Aunt Yunji told me that I have one- that I used to have one but that they're gone already and that made me so angry. 'Why didn't they brought me with them? Am I not important?' I kept asking myself. But that anger faded away. I don't even know what happened to them so why was I angry. I only know a few things about my family, all are from Aunt Yunji. She told be that I have an older sister and brother and that the first syllable of my brother's name is 'Gyu,' just like mine. She told me that my brother was 2 years older that I am. She also told me that both of my siblings love music. The only thing that I'm really curious about is why are they gone and how?"

"I always pray that I would be able to get a chance to see them and be with them. That's my wish. You're very lucky, Sungmin. You had a chance to see your parents but I wasn't given that chance. You should be thankful still."

I froze. I realized that my life isn't the worst yet. I was a rebel all my life, I hated my parents because they weren't the best. Sure, they had a lot of vices but, Gyuri is right, I'm lucky that I was able to see them.

 

 

 

 

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Yes! Finally updated this!!

This is basically the prologue.

Two more chapters to go!

I decided to make this a three-shot instead.

Note: everything (except for the flashbacks, of course) happened in one day only.