He was only a child when he first laid eyes on her and it was then that he fell in love.

"If you add a little bit of water, it'll hold up much better."

He smiled at her as he held out his pail of water to offer. His soft small curls covered up the amber rays of sunlight that strained her eyes.

"Kahamsamnida..." She politely answered as she reached out for the pail.

Their hands collided just briefly, but he fell head over heels right away.

For the majority of their childhood, they would spend the lazy Saturday mornings as so, memorizing the crisp whisper of the waves hitting the shorelines of the beach.

In the back of his mind, the sound of her voice remained locked. It was his source of strength when soon; she departed off to a far away land, taking his heart with her. Countless years then quickly passed on by, each day with him missing her presence more and more. Not a day went by without him wondering how she fared across the world in the country of Australia.

He wondered if she grew accustomed to the English language.

He wondered if she remembered their time spent together.

He wondered if she too kept a picture of him, like he did of her.

He wondered if she thought of him every once in a while, like he did.

He wondered if she loved him despite it all, like he would always do so.

Even though it was forbidden, he couldn't take it.

Therefore it came to him by utter surprise that one rainy day. Shielding herself under the protection of an umbrella, she radiated upon the gloomy weather. It was his blessing amongst the whirlwind of confusion and lost direction in the life he was living.

He found her….finally.

--

“I love her. I’ve loved her for a long time.”

It was true for he did and still does. Minho calmly stared into the piercing gaze that flowed from Changmin’s staggering eyes, obviously lost in translation from what was going on nor did it seem like Minho was willing to explain himself right then and there. Besides, who was Changmin to deserve reasoning for what Minho felt or more so still feels?

Minho smiles warmly at the picture placed graciously in his wallet while the taller of the two crumbles his fists tightly into a complete ball.

"How do you know Sooyoungie? How??" Changmin pulls the rival firmly by the collar of his shirt, dragging the guy a few centimeters off from the ground.

But that doesn't intimidate Minho one bit as it is obvious of the other's trembling hands.

"Sooyoung noona? I guess that's a secret you or anyone else is ready to know just yet."

He flashes him a smile that emits a small bit of cunningness.

"Mr. Choi Minho, you're not heading into class?"

A stern voice in the near distance interrupts the brief confrontation between the two enraged male adolescents. With the sound of being caught, Changmin releases his grip until the curly haired boy falls safely back onto the ground. Changmin's eyes remain transfixed upon the opened wallet showcasing his smiling girlfriend's portrait which was knocked onto the ground.

"Neh, seong saengnim...I'll follow behind you."

It was amazing to Changmin at how well Minho was able to fix his voice in an instant, turning it into one of innocence with purity. But maybe he just didn't know the guy too well, for somehow despite how he couldn't trust him, Sooyoung saw something in the poodle head.

Minho fixes the collar of his shirt and brushes the creases of his trousers before heading into school, leaving behind his beloved and precious wallet forgotten upon the ground.

"Yah Choi Minho, she's with me now so you need to back down."

"You can't just easily walk into her life and claim her as yours. You won't break us apart like that. I've waited too long for such a thing to happen..."

Changmin stares at the figure's back that slowly transcends off into the school's sanctuary, a place he is forbidden to step foot into.

He decides then to clear his remaining schedule for the day along with his mind that is clouded with unfortunate and unthinkable thoughts of Sooyoung and Minho. Taking wandering footsteps left and right, he finds himself back at square one in the front gates of his high school. Changmin walks back into school as the final bell rings and students start shuffling towards the exit. He heads straight to the third level and the fifth room on the right of the hall knowing from constant routine that she will still be there.

His body hangs sluggishly in the classroom’s doorway as he fondly stares at Sooyoung’s profile illuminated from the sparkle of the setting afternoon sun.

“Sooyoungie…” He whispers out to her.

She springs up off her seat in an instant and looks straight in his direction, frozen.

“Changmin-ah…”

Without saying one word, he rushes towards her with his feet having a mind of its own. He grabs her in an instant and brings her close as he embraces her tightly within his arms. That’s all he needs; just her in his arms and everything else is irrelevant.

“Wae…Changmin-ah what’s wrong?”

She tries to pull him off for a brief second, but his strength over powers hers as he brings her close once more.

“Let’s just stay like this for a little while longer neh? Just a little bit longer…”

He feels belittled, as if he’s losing her. Or worst, as if he never once did know her—truly know her.

Sooyoung feels his body trembling just slightly against hers so she lifts her arms, brushing the arch of his spine gently hoping that it will ease whatever is bothering him.

“Arasso. We can stay like this however long you’d like Changmin-ah. Arasso.”

They sit in the empty classroom, just the two of them. The minutes are occupied with silence, but one that needs no words to distinguish how much just being with the other means.

Changmin watches her with his head snugly down upon one of his long arms from the side desk that he had pushed beside hers. Sooyoung intently stares at her textbook and ruthlessly writes in her notebook.

He smiles at the small furrowing of her eyebrows whenever she gets stomped on a question.

3 taps of the pencil. That was the amount of times it would take for her to figure the answer.

3 soft blows accompanied by one strong; that was how she would erase her mistakes…which she often had.

She has four different colored highlighters that she uses: yellow, pink, blue, and green each needed to be displayed across her desk in that particular order.

She takes a one minute break every 20 minutes and that break time was just about coming around the corner. Changmin counted the seconds: 5,4,3,2,1.

Sooyoung swirled her head to the side and looked directly at Changmin’s gaze that never once left her. His timing was perfect.

“Wae you looking at me like that?” She asks dumbfounded as she playfully slaps the side of his shoulder. She goes for a second strike when he gives no response, but her hand falls into his own. Grabbing it, he unfolds her fist and entwines his fingers with hers.   

“Sooyoungie…”

“Mmm?”

“If we both can escape right now, just the two of us, where would you want to go? It could be anywhere in this world. Where would you want us to go?”

“The beach.”

He felt his heart crumble into tiny pieces left to disintegrate in the bottom depths of his stomach. He tightened his grip on his hold of Sooyoung’s hands as if reassuring himself that she’s with him.

“Wae the beach Sooyoungie?”

“There’s something calming about it. The sounds of the ocean waves hitting the shorelines, the way the sun glistens atop the clear water, the way the sand brushes one’s feet…I like it.”

“Fond memories at the ocean?”

“Mmm…”

“With who?”

“U-U-Uh…neh?”

“With who?”

With his other free hand, Changmin slaps down Minho’s picture of her onto the wooden desk. He shifts his stare away from hers and turns to the window, trying to hide the disappointment in his gaze.

Sooyoung stares blankly at the portrait of herself before her. Her fingers tremble as she slowly reaches it, releasing her hand from his. Shaking feverishly, she holds it carefully and a stream of tears falls graciously by the sides of her cheeks and reads the inscription she once wrote when she was munch younger that simply says,

‘Lets meet again at the beach~’

“H-H-How…where did you get this?”

“What’s your relationship with him Sooyoungie? Huh?”

“I’ve looked for him everywhere, but in the end we lost contact…Changmin, if you know where he is then PLEASE tell me. I want to see him. No, I need to see him.”

“Wae, because you love him?”

“Neh. I do.”

Changmin turns his head back to hers only to be met with another face that is soaked with saddened tears. He reaches over and wipes one strand away from the apple of her cheek.

“Changmin, I love him because….”

“…”

“because he’s my dongsaeng…”

Changmin’s eyes widenes and his mouth drops.

“That guy, Choi Minho, is your brother?”

“Bwoh?”

“That picture.....it’s Choi Minho’s…..”

"...."

The classroom fills once more with silence lingering on all four walls hugging the two during the late afternoon.

School is out, and apparently at that same moment, so are the two's minds.