Their school had a new object of affection. Everybody was talking about it, from teachers to students, from janitors to school security guards. It was none other than Kang Min Hyuk, a new transfer student from Seoul, the city of dreams.

            He was tall, a little bit taller than Yong Hwa. He had a cute eye smile and was nice to everyone, especially to girls. Those loud creatures kept talking about him like he was a son of God. Min Hyuk this. Min Hyuk that. Min Hyuk smiled at them. Min Hyuk opened the door for them. Min Hyuk asked them the direction to the cafeteria. Everything related to Min Hyuk was such a headline between girls, whether teachers or students.

            And to Yong Hwa’s displeasure, that new boy was Seohyun’s class mate.

            One day, Seohyun came to him while he was enjoying his free period. He was playing basketball alone in the school’s gym when she saw Seohyun ran towards him.

            “Yong! Come here!” Seohyun called him as she sat on the bench.

            “No! I’m playing.” Yong Hwa kept dribbling his basket ball. One step, two step, then he shot the ball from the three-point line. Swoosh! It got in perfectly. Three points for Jung Yong Hwa.

He sighed and let out a sad smile. He missed playing basket ball. If he didn’t injure his ankle two years ago, he would be playing shooting guard in his school’s basket ball team, just like Hisashi Mitsui from Slam Dunk, his favorite manga.

            “Come here! I brought you banana milk!”

            When he heard ‘banana milk’ was mentioned, he immediately halted his game and ran to Seohyun with a child-like expression on his face. Banana milk was his kryptonite.

            “How come you’re so nice, buying me banana milk?” Yong Hwa snatched a carton from Seohyun’s hand.

            “I didn’t buy it. Someone gave it to me.”

            Yong Hwa’s eyebrows met. It was unusual for Seohyun to receive gifts from people in this school. Everybody knew about her temper and even though she was originally nice, everyone would just let her be. This was interesting.

            “I bet it was a guy.”

            “Of course. A handsome one, to be added.” Seohyun’s smile was full of pride.

            “Who? Was it that Seoul boy?”

“Ya, how do you know?”

Yong Hwa choked on his banana milk. It was a mere guess and apparently he was right. This milk that he had been drinking was given by that Seoul boy?! Ugh! He had enough of him already. That boy got in here only two weeks ago and he had stolen the spotlight all to himself.

“He gave this to you?” He asked her after he was able to catch his breath again.

Seohyun nodded. That smile was still on her face.

“Why?”

“Molla… I was paying for my lunch at the cafeteria and suddenly he gave it to me. He was such a gentleman, just like a knight in shining armor.” Seohyun’s eyes got rounded as her smile grew wider. It was obvious that she enjoyed the attention from that Seoul boy.

“Giving people banana milk doesn’t make you a knight in shining armor.” Yong Hwa smirked.

“Well, stole a glance to a half- girl was not gentleman-like either!” Then Seohyun snatched Yong Hwa’s half-full milk and walked towards the door.

“YA! I was not finished!” Yong Hwa got up and ran to Seohyun.

“I know. That’s why I finished it. If you can’t appreciate the kindness of my new friend, you don’t deserve his gift.” Seohyun drank the milk all the way until the very last drop before she threw it away into a trash bin.

Aish! As if it was not enough to be the center of attention of the whole school, now that Seoul boy also stole his Seo Joo Hyun.

His Seo Joo Hyun? Since when that she was his?

Yong Hwa grabbed his basket ball and threw it against the wall. Some weird thought was playing with his mind lately. And the appearance of Min Hyuk did not make everything any better.

*

            It was sunny Sunday. The sun shined so bright with little clouds hanging around it. Yong Hwa could feel a little breeze come into his room from his opened window. It was such a perfect weather to take a stroll and sink your feet into Haeundae’s soft sand.

            He looked out to the window across to his. It was still shut. The lights were off too. Maybe Seohyun was still asleep. That silly girl was a deep sleeper after all. But Yong Hwa was bored. He needed someone to kill time with. He tried playing his guitar before, but even music could not get rid of his boredom.

            He looked to Seohyun’s bed room window again, then decided to say hello.

            He climbed out of his window and grabbed the nearest branch of the mango tree between their houses. He tiptoed his way across until he could reach Seohyun’s window. With only a flick of his hand, the window was opened and he sneaked inside like a pro.

He and Seohyun had been climbing and sneaking into each other’s room since they were kids. Whenever they got scolded by their parents, they always found away to seek comfort. And that comfort was inside the window across the mango tree.

It was always like that, every time.

Night after night, she would climb the tree and knocked on his window. When she came over, he would prepare a cup of hot chocolate for her, so that she would stop crying, and a blanket for him, because he would let her sleep on his bed while he sleeps on the carpet. Even since he was still a little boy, he already knew how to treat a girl nicely.

That activity turned into a habit. Nowadays, they would go to each other’s room just to annoy the other. Seohyun would come over every time she heard Yong Hwa played his guitar. They would end up singing their favorite songs together. And every time Yong Hwa was bored, he would directly knock on Seohyun’s window and occupied her bed when she read on the couch.

It was his favorite activity.

When he came inside, Seohyun was still sleeping soundly. He did not want to disturb her, so he decided to sit on the couch by the window. He just sat there for a few minutes, watching her sleep, and think, how could he stay friends with her for so long.

They had been friends for 11 years. 11 years as next-door neighbors. 11 years as partner in crime. 11 years as a boy and a girl being together for a really long time. A thought came into his mind. What if, they weren’t friends anymore?

What if, they were more than friends?

He had to admit that after the ‘shirtless incident’, he kept thinking about Seohyun in a different way. He started to look at her as a girl, not a friend. He was always flustered every time she made close physical contact with him. He got butterflies in his stomach every time he looked at her.

And yesterday, when he knew that Min Hyuk gave Seohyun banana milk, he felt a sudden urge to punch the guy in the face. It was plain jealousy.

This is weird. It was the first time he felt this way towards Seohyun.

Then he stood up from the couch. He came closer to Seohyun as he decided to sit on his knees beside her bed, admiring her. Those curl eye lashes that protect her round eyes. That small pointy nose that would always flared up every time she was upset. Both cheeks that would always turned pink when she was feeling shy. And that cute lips that she used to yell at him occasionally. But he knew that she did it out of care. They were too close to be separated by some random cause.

Yong Hwa could not imagine his life without her. With her, he never had to finish a sentence. She would always know what he wanted to say. With her, he never had to explain about what he was doing, because she would always understand. With her, he never had to ask, because she already knew what he needed.

She would be there for him every time he needed her. Just like he would be there for her, unconditionally.

Yong Hwa could feel his hand trembling as he reached it out to touch her face. He would do anything to protect this girl. He was willing to be his shield for every pain that she felt.

She was not just a best friend for him. She was his other half.

Is this love?

            As his hand touched her cheek, he saw that her eyes started moving. He immediately retreated and went back to his seat. He sat silently as she opened her eyes and was surprised to see Yong Hwa in her room.

            “Yong, did you climb the window again?” She asked in a slightly husky voice.

            Yong Hwa nodded, “Like usual.”

            “You could fall. I don’t think the tree can hold our weight anymore.”

            “Hey, I’m skinny.”

            “No way. You weight at least 90 kg.” Seohyun chuckled, teasing Yong Hwa.

            “I’m not!”

            She laughed at his child-like expression, “Choding..” Seohyun got up from her bed and opened the curtains. She liked it when sunshine got through her room. She felt bright and fresh in the sun. “What are you doing here? So early in the morning.”

            “It’s almost 10:30 AM, babo. You slept like a dead wood.” Yong Hwa then jumped into her bed, leaving her with no choice but to sit on the couch.

            “Jinjja? Wow, I really did sleep like a dead wood. No wonder I feel so hungry.”

            “Ya, do you want to eat out?”

            “Eat out? Like, now?”

            “No, next Chuseok. Of course right now. We can have lunch outside. After that, we can go to Haeundae. It’s been a while since we go to the beach together.”

            “Hm, I think it’s a good idea. I miss going to the beach.” Seohyun smiled.

            In his mind, Yong Hwa was doing a victory dance. He felt like he just won a big prize lottery.

            “I should ask Min Hyuk to come with us. He must be lonely since he’s new in town." Seohyun got up and reached for her phone, immediately calling her new friend. As for Yong Hwa, he was so shocked that he dropped his jaw opened. He did not see it coming. His plan to have a ‘date’ with Seohyun had gone down the drain.