HOLD ME TIGHT AND

N E V E R  LET GO.

JUST THINK OF ME

AND YOU’LL BE  H O M E.

“Promise me you’ll come back,” fourteen year-old Im Yoona said to her best friend Lee Donghae. “Please. You’re the only friend I have.”

“You know that’s not true,” Donghae replied, wiping Yoona’s tears with his handkerchief. “You have Jessica and Yuri and the other girls at our school.”

Yoona laughed. Donghae gave her a skeptical look. “Sorry. It’s just that honest friends are hard to find nowadays. And they’re even harder to hold on to.”

Donghae raised his eyebrows.

“Not that-- not that Sica and Yuri aren’t honest or anything,” Yoona added hastily, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Well, if they are, then what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that you’re leaving.”

“Yes, it is.”

“You’re leaving me.”

“Yoona,” Donghae sighed. “We talked about this. I’mnot leaving you. I’m not leaving anyone.”

“I know,” Yoona replied looking down and she walked over to a bench and she sat on it. Donghae followed her. He stood in front of her as the cold wind touched their faces. She looked up at him. “But you’ll be gone for a long time.”

“Don’t think about that,” Donghae said as he went down on his feet to level his face with hers. “Just think that I’ll come back. I promise.”

Yoona nodded and her eyes met with his. She knew he was telling the truth.

“Anyway,” Donghae said putting on a small smile on his face. “I have something for you.”

“Really?” Yoona said wiping the tears out of her eyes.

“Yes. Close your eyes, Yoon.”

Yoona did as she was told. Donghae reached into his black leather jacket’s pocket and pulled something tiny and shiny out: a necklace.“No peeking okay. Give me your hand.”

Yoona opened her right hand and faced it upward towards the sky. Donghae placed the tiny trinket on it. “Open.”

Yoona opened her eyes and looked at the necklace. Her eyes filled with tears again but at the same time she smiled. She hugged Donghae tight. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Donghae said with closed eyes, beyond Yoona’s shoulder. He let go, and so did she.

“And I have something for you too my best friend,” she said, her eyes twinkling. This time, Yoona reached into her pocket and pulled something out. It was also shiny, yet it was smaller than what he gave her: a steel bracelet.

“I know it seems too cliché but it was the only thing I could think of,” she said, giving it to Donghae. “There’s an inscription on it. Read it.”

“Hold me tight and never let go. Just think of me, and you’ll be home,” Donghae recited. “It’s our old rhyme for when we were kids! Thanks Yoon!”

“No problem. I’m glad you like it,” Yoona started to open the necklace’s lock and put it around her neck when Donghae said, “Oh, let me do it.”

Yoona stood with her back facing Donghae. “Thanks.”

She gathered her hair and held it to one side and waited for her best friend to finish. When he was done, she faced him and offered to help him put on the steel bracelet.

They smiled at each other for a long time until they heard a female voice coming out from one of the airport’s speakers outside, calling the passengers for the same flight Donghae was on.

Yoona bit her lip. “So this is it, huh? You’re going away… to another country… to study?”

“Yeah, I uh—I guess it is,” Donghae replied looking at her sadly.

He hugged her tight. “Hold me tight and never let go,”

She hugged him even tighter, her eyes closed.“Just think of me, and you’ll be home.”

*    *    *

Four years had passed since Donghae left Korea to go to the Philippines to study. For the first few months after he left, they kept up with each other through long distance calls and the internet. But it wasn’t like they weren’t busy. Soon after, they seldom called each other and went on with their lives. But still, Yoona couldn’t help but think of her best friend.

“Aww, cheer up Yoon,” Jessica said, patting her friend’s back. “He’ll be back.”

“I know. He promised.”

“Then why are you so morose today?” Yuri asked, patting Yoona’s shoulder.

“Well, it’s not because I fear he wouldn’t come back,” Yoona stressed. “It’s because I miss him.”

“Yeah,” Yuri said. “We don’t blame you of course.”

“Yeah,” Jessica added. “I mean it has been four years.”

“Why don’t you call him?” someone added. It was Sooyoung. She had walked into the room.

“Wha-?” Yoona said. “Were you listening all this time?”

“Nah,” Sooyoung shrugged. “I just walked in and I could already tell what you guys were talking about.” Sooyoung laughed and ruffled Yoona’s long hair.

“Stop it,” Yoona said smiling. “But even if I do call him, I’m not even sure if his number’s still the same.”

“Just try,” someone else said. It was Taeyeon. She had walked in the room with Tiffany, Sunny, Hyoyeon and Seohyun.

Yoona opened to talk but Sunny held her hand up to silence her.

“Yeah, wewere listening by the door. But really Yoon, try it.”

Tiffany reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She handed it to Yoona. Yoona took it hesitantly and stared at Fany’s phone.

“Well?” Hyoyeon said. “What are you waiting for?”

“Are guys really going to be here when I make the call?” Yoona asked

They all nodded. Yoona sighed and she dialed Donghae’s number. It was ringing! As she waited for someone to answer the phone, she said to Tiffany, “Am I gonna have to pay you for this long-distance call?”

Tiffany nodded and flashed Yoona a big smile and winked.

“But--” Yoona started, but someone had picked up the phone.

“Hello?” A male voice said.

“Uh, hi.” Yoona said. “Is Donghae there?”

“No.”

“Oh,” Yoona’s heart sank. She might’ve dialed the wrong number. “Where is he?”

“He’s at the hospital.”

“Why?”

“They had an accident.”

This wasn’t good. Yoona asked him a question which she feared what the answer might be. “Is he okay?”

“Uh, I don’t know. The damage was pretty serious. I could go to the hospital now and check ‘em up. Why don’t you call some other time? I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

But Yoona was no longer listening. She held the phone away from her ear and then she heard the caller hung up.

“What? What is it?” Jessica urged.

“They’re at the-- the hospital,” Yoona said hesitantly.

“Why?” they chorused.

Yoona explained why.

“Well, try calling again after a few days!” Seohyun said. “They might be okay. He might be okay.”

Yoona shook her head. “No, no. I don’t want to know what happened.”

“What? Why?” Sunny asked, flabbergasted.

“I might not like the answer,” Yoona said. She gulped at the thought of thinking about what happened.

“Yoon--” Jessica started but Taeyeon cut her across.

“Leave it,” Taeyeon said. “If Yoona wants it that way, then let it be.”

Everyone nodded. Yoona admired Taeyeon’s support. She blinked back her tears and let the thought about Donghae run out of her mind.

“Okay, this is what I’m gonna do.” She declared. “I’m gonna forget about him because I might not like the answer I get if I call again.”

Everyone else nodded. They all looked like they wanted to intervene but Taeyeon’s words were still fresh on their minds.

*  *  *

“I can’t believe it,” Yoona exclaimed. “I’m actually going to college!”

Jessica nodded, smiling at her. “I’m so proud of you. We’ll see you soon, ‘kay?”

“Yes, you will. I promise.” Yoona suddenly remembered something. These were the same words her best friend, Dong-- said. No, she didn’t want to remember. She didn’t want to remember his name, his face… Everything they both went through.

“What’s wrong?” Jessica asked looking worried.

“Nothing! Nothing…” Yoona replied with a smile. “Well, here I go.”

Yoona went on the bus that’ll take her to her dream university and she waved goodbye to her friends.

*  *  *

Yoona had been in college for just a week now but she was enjoying it. She was heading to her next class when someone bumped into her, causing her to let go of the books she was holding. She bent over to pick them up but the boy who collided with her retrieved them first.

“Thanks, I--” the boy straightened up and Yoona thought he looked strangely familiar. The boy held out the books to her.

“Are you okay?” he asked with a cute smile on his face. “Maybe I bumped into you so hard.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Yoona took the books. “Thank you so much. No, uh. It’s just that uh-- you look familiar!” Yoona laughed, hoping he didn’t think she was crazy.

“I get that a lot,” he replied.

“Oh, really?”

“No, not really,” he laughed, and so did she. Yoona couldn’t help but feel comfortable around him. Like, she had known him for a long time.

“I’m Yoona,” she said, holding her hand out for him to shake.

“I’m Lee,” he said shaking her hand.

“Lee? Isn’t that a family name?”

“Yeah, well, that’s what my parents call me. They never really told me my first name.”

“Why so?”

Lee shrugged.

            Yoona decided to let it go. She had made a new friend. That was the only important thing here. After that day, Yoona and Lee started getting to know each other. With every word Lee told her about himself, whether he was sure or unsure of what he told her, Yoona was reminded of Donghae.

            She had refrained from saying, thinking, writing and even seeing his name. Until one day…

“So tell me about your friends,” Lee said, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“There’s nothing more to tell,” Yoona said smiling.

“From what I know, every person has one sure best friend. One that she could really rely on; one that she’d go to any lengths to be with just to tell a story or any of her problems…”

Yoona thought for a moment. “Well, there is one guy.”

“Guy? Tell me who’s the lucky one to have a friend like you.”

“No,” Yoona shook her head. “I really shouldn’t talk about him anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Well because he left to study in a different country and he never came back.”

“Oh, Yoona I am so sorry.”

“The problem is that, he promised he’d come back. His name was--”

Yoona couldn’t hold her tears back anymore. “Donghae. His name was Donghae. One day I called and someone said he met an accident with his parents and--”

Something Yoona saw made her blood run cold. A steel bracelet, very much like the one she had given Donghae some four or five years ago was on Lee’s wrist.

“Wh-where did you get that?” She said pointing at it.

“Me? My foster parents told me--”

“Foster parents? You never told me that story before.”

“I don’t like to talk about it. But for you, I guess I should. My foster parents took me in about a month ago. They told me my parents had died in a car accident that I was in too. They told me I was wearing this bracelet.”

“Can I see it?” Yoona asked.

“Sure.” Lee unlocked it from his wrist and gave it to Yoona.

Yoona turned the bracelet over and fifteen words were engraved on it:

“Hold me tight and never let go. Just think of me, and you’ll be home”

“What is it?” Lee asked watching her. “Oh yeah, that’s been there for forever. I don’t know what it means exactly but it rings a bell. I remember a young girl giving it to me, but that’s just a vague memory.”

Yoona gasped, her eyes welling up with tears. “Neorago.”

“What do you mean?” Lee asked confused.

“You—you’re Donghae.” She said it. She had said his name for the second time.

“Wha--?” Lee said, but he was cut off when Yoona hugged him.

“I thought you were gone,” she said, crying, her eyes closed.

Lee closed his eyes. Images of a girl who looked like Yoona, only younger, flashed into his mind.

“Yes, I remember.” He said, releasing Yoona and looking at her eyes. “I remember those eyes. I’ve been dreaming about them ever since my foster parents took me in. I thought they were my real mother’s or my sister’s, if I had one but…”

Yoona put her hand on her forehead. “It’s you. It’s really you. You’re Lee Donghae. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you the first time I saw you.” 

Yoona was about to curse herself when Donghae hugged her. “It’s you! You’re the girl I’ve been dreaming about for a month now. I wasn’t sure at first but now I kind of remember!”

“Hold me tight and never let go,” Yoona recited what Donghae said before he left.

“Just think of me, and you’ll be home,” Donghae replied.

They released each other and they looked into each other’s faces as if for the first time. Yoona’s eyes met Donghae’s and suddenly their years apart suddenly grew closer together. Unspoken words went on between them. But the best of all were the words that Donghae next spoke.

“I miss my best friend. I miss you Yoona… I miss you and I love you,” he said looking straight into her eyes.

Yoona’s eyes filled with tears of joy and although she never really thought about it, she knew she loved him too.

“I love you too Donghae.”

And they hugged each other again and finally, sealed their love and friendship for each other with a kiss. ;)

Then they lived happily ever after. ~

(c) Kwon Taehee

03.05.2011