I’ve been in Seoul several times before with my family, but I guess this is the first I’ve ever been off my leash before. That’s not to say I’m a delinquent of a son, but before today, I was only 12 years old.

‘Yes, finally some freedom!!’

I inhaled the Seoul’s air, I love this fresh air. Well, to be honest, Busan’s air was so much tastier. Haha, tastier, well, the air here is more polluted, so I guess my taste bud can sense such difference. So like I said before, I’m free from my family until tonight, and freedom tastes good. Seeing how this is my 13th birthday, my family decided this is a sort of rite of passage for me. They even told me not to come back to the hotel until later tonight. But they still treated me like a kid, because I still have this band on my wrist with my father’s phone number as well as the hotel incase I get lost in the city. 

But again, I’ve been here several times in the past, so I’m certain I know my way around well enough. Currently, I’m kinda being attacked at the moment.

“GAHHHHH!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME YOU CRAZY GIRL!?!”

So, so let me backtrack for a few, for my sanity’s sake. Things leading up to this were pretty normal: I ate breakfast, got some money from my parent, they hugged me and told me to take care. And I’ve been out for I don’t know how many hours now. Well, honestly, I’ve only sat in the theater for the majority of it. God, the silence of anticipation before the movie begins to show as well as the action scenes themselves, such good time wasted. But REALLY man, I’m being attacked by a random girl who just came up randomly to my face and then grabbed my hand. She finished the ice cream I bought with my money, and bit my finger as she it.

“Yah twerp, what did you say to me?”

“I SAID WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

Thwack! Her hand flies across the air as she hit me in the head.

“OWWWW!!!! What the booger, you crazy girl?!!!” 

She stood straight up. God she is tall. Like, a full head taller than me. 

“Don’t be so disrespectful! Ya shrimp! Call me noona!”

“Why do I have to call you Noona?! I don’t know you!”

“Hmm, that’s right…Well, I’m Im Yoona, now you know me.”

“Well, I don’t want to know you.”

I said that to her face. I even glared straight into her eyes. God I’m so cool, so mature, so unyielding. Walking away now is the best for me.

I turned around and I am now making my hasty retreat. She is still taller than me, so I guess we won’t have a normal conversation anyway. I’ve known several older girls because of my own sisters. They all treated me like a baby: commanding me around like a dog, telling me what i can and can't do, teasing me. My sister and her friends even practiced putting make up on me. God I hated how they treated me. Well, I’m 13 years old now. I’m happy today, I don’t want an older girl to mess up my happy occasion.

Then, before I can even coolly walk away, I saw a bunch of guys rushing towards me. My legs began to shake, they kept on shouting at me, angry words that I can’t make out of; why the heck man. What did I do to you guys? Then from behind, somebody grabbed my hand and dragged me. I turned around and looked at the person. This girl? Why is she running? WAAAIT A SECOND!! They’re chasing her! She must have eaten something of theirs!! I shakes my arm to loosen her grip, and it worked. I stopped myself, she turned around once and looked at me, but she continued to run. The guys too, as they passed me, they glared at me but they turned to the girl and kept on chasing her. 

‘God I hate this.’ I scoffed at myself. ‘Father, why did you raise me to be such a righteous person?’

I chased after them. Whew. Good thing I’m fit. Finally, before my sight, her back was against the window of a restaurant, while the four boys surrounded her.

I can hear them well; they kept on yelling at her, telling her to pay up. I guess I was right; she did eat their food so they got mad. God, what a dumb girl. Why do I even care?

“Cheh” I scoffed again. I think I’ll lose my life after this. “Well father, at least…I have 13 years under my belt.”

I sighed, because that is so sad!!!! 13 years!!!! GOD. I then picked up a rock from the ground, and I tossed the thing into the group of five people. But I kinda realized that I at throwing stuff right after I tossed it, because it flew way off base and hit the window far from where they were standing. Welp, I missed. What the heck? Wait. They’re turning their heads towards me. Well, I kinda succeeded. I got their attention. Now I’m making my way towards them. She's looking at me too. Whew, why do I have to be such a nice person? 

“Noona, what did you do to them?”

Haha, the look she’s giving me, I guess this is the first time I’ve seen someone who’s older than me look like I’ve surprised them. Haha, score one for the righteous me.

“Noona?” One of the boy asked me a question as he looked right at me.

“Yea, I’ve been trying to find her all day. Wait, why are you guys surrounding my noona?”

“She ate the food that was on our table!!!” Another one of the four answered me. Damn more like spitting on me. I’m standing one foot away from you, the hell, have some manner. Wait, I take the word hell back.

“Wait wait wait. How much food were there?”

“Like 20000Won worth!” 

My mouth gaped. WTHeck WOMAN! That’s so much food. At my school, a large sandwich that I couldn’t even finish was 2000Won, that would mean she ate 10 of those freaking sandwiches!

“I’m sorry guys.” I’m acting calm right now. “She doesn’t know her own limit sometimes. That’s why our mother gives me money whenever I’m out with her.”

I pulled out the money that was in my pocket. Damn…so much money wasted on a girl that I didn’t even know.

“Here you go guys. Sorry that I let her out of my sight. She’s just a pig like that.”

The boys are surrounding me now. I guess this is what popular people feel. Like, god, it’s suffocating. I don’t like this. I’m lucky I don’t talk to people much, so I don’t have that many people surrounding me.

One of them quickly grabbed the money from my hand. The fat one just gives the whole thing to the tallest one there. The tall one looked at me, and pat me on the shoulder.

“Good thing you’re here for her. I hope you take care of her.” He smirked at me. Damn, he looks cool.

I bowed to them. And they walked away. I turned to her now. She is still motionless. Damn, I guess, I’m a cool guy after all.

“Yah, Noona, let’s go home.” I shouted to ensure those guys can hear me, to clear suspicions. Lucky I just saw a thriller in the theater with a scene just like this, haha it helped me. I’m holding onto her hands and we started on walking. Wait, I’m dragging her, this feels like…I’m taking the lead. Damn I feel so cool right now. 

“HEY! Stop moving!”

I halted, she did too. ‘Are they coming back?’ I though to myself, hoping it wasn’t true when I turned around.

“Did you break my window?” I looked up to the old man asking the question. Grandpa, why haven’t you gone to heaven yet? Your beautiful bald head and the full white beard you’re donning, why haven’t step into the world called heaven yet?

“Yes, I did it.” I answered instantly. ‘Damn you father, why must you raise me to be so honest!’ 

The owner called us in his shop to compensate for the window. Why do I have to pay more money for the girl? Wait. I broke the window. Yeahh…Oops. 

“I’m sorry sir. I only have enough money for noona and I to ride the bus home. Can we somehow make up for it?” The owner looked at me, then back at the girl.

“Aren’t you the older one? Why is he talking for you?”

Immediately after that, she let out an amazingly loud belch. LIKE, the world record for the loudest belch, if there is one, that is. I had to cover my ears, and the owner too! Like, both of our eyes were literally about to fly out of their sockets because of her.

“I’m sorry. I had this building up in me for a while.”

“What do you mean for a while?” I fan my nose to wind the stench out.

“I ate too much. I couldn’t talk at all.”

“Wait, did that mean when I saved you earlier, you weren’t stun because I was cool?” I said. Wait, why did I even say that? God that sounds embarrassing.

The owner and ‘noona’ burst out laughing.

“Did you hear yourself?!? Did you hear him, harabeoji?”

“HAHA This youngster!! *cough*He wanted to look cool in front of you! *cough*” He was coughing while laughing at me.

Ugh, I guess if you gotta die, dying while laughing is the best way to go. Wait wait wait, I take it back, don’t die if you are having the last laugh because of me. Damn it old man, quit laughing, can’t you hear yourself coughing?

After the two finished laughing at my expense, we talked for a bit. Mainly, they laughed at me again because I told them I missed the toss and hit his shop’s window instead.

‘Damn it father, why did you raise me to be so truthful? This is embarrassing.’

After that, she took charge. She catered to the old man using her girlish charm, and the old man fell for it. Now that I mentioned it, she is cute. She had a thin body, even though she ate like a pig, and her smile is wide. My father told me that people who can smile like that are open-hearted by nature, they share all they have without holding an ounce back. I guess that makes sense, because she burped and probably let out of every flavor of food she ate. She doesn’t hold back her laughter either; they’re loud, like, she’s truly happy whenever she laughs.

Anyway, her tactic didn’t work. Damn. I was praising her this whole while, but she . So grandpa told us that he’d look over it if we clean up the broken glass and work at the restaurant for the day.

Seriously, really? Why I have to work on my birthday? Hmmm, I guess since I’m a year older, I’ll just take it in a mature fashion. Plus, my father taught me to live up to my actions, so I have to pay off the glass I broke. The grandpa handed each of us an apron, so we can wait the tables. But first, we had to clean up the glass shards.

My ‘noona’ cut her hand picking upone of the pieces. She screamed, like to the point of tearing up too. ‘Haven’t you ever been cut before?’ I asked myself that question instead of speaking to her.

“Give me.” I told her to hand her hand over to me. Of course she looked at me, I was being so nonchalant about it. I’m so cool, right? Anyway, I grabbed her bleeding finger and on it. I used my tongue to the wound, and she twitched a bit, even trying to pull her hand back.

“Stop it. I’ve done this a lot so I know what I’m doing.” I told her mumbly with her finger still in my mouth. Basically telling her to calm down.

Then I pulled the saliva covered finger of hers out of my mouth, and reached into my pocket to pull out a bandage.

“Why do you have that?” She asked me. Is it me or is her face redder than before?

“Is it weird for me to carry bandages around?” I answered with a question coolly.

She shook her head as I wrapped the thing around her finger. I chanted a spell to ward away pain, and I put my lips against it and blew on it.

“Yah! What are you doing?!” she screamed. I looked up after I part my lips from her finger.

“What?” I asked her. Wow, her face is really red now.

“Why did you k..k..kii…kiss it!?” The heck, why can’t you say that properly?

“K..k..kii…kiss, what does that mean?” I answered her with another question.

“KISS YAH PABO!!” she yelled at me.

“WHAT’S A KISS?!” I yelled back. I guess we’re back into an arguing mood.

“YOU…don’t know what that mean…?” She slurred her words.

“Why do you think I’m asking you, ‘noona?’” I smirked. Woah, I think I just made fun of her.

“H……HMPH. Never mind, twerp. Let’s finish cleaning.” She turned back to the glass.

I immediately grabbed her hand before she reached for another piece. She slowly turned towards me, was shaking.

“Don’t. Go do something else. I don’t want you to cut yourself again.” I told her. Honestly, I think those movies are rubbing off on me. Before today, I can never speak anything like these cool lines. Wait, is it because I’m 13 years old? Man, the satisfaction of growing older, this feels so good.

I let go of her hand, she stood up and walked over to the grandpa.

I continued picking up one piece after another, including all the smaller shards too. I couldn’t go any smaller, so I went to the grandpa and asked if he had a broom or something so I can finish. 'Noona' was going around the tables taking orders, and when i passed by her with a broom in hand, she didn’t even look at me. ‘Ignoring me now are you? Can’t you be a bit least grateful that I bandaged your finger? Wait, you didn’t even say thank you for earlier!!’ I internally cursed her. But since I’m a nice guy, I don’t bother with it except during that moment.

So I finished cleaning up the glass shards, and joined my ‘noona’ in taking orders.

This shop is really a nice shop. It’s small, but because there aren’t that many tables here, it’s really spacious. I can move around freely in here. The people who come here are nice too. Unlike most shops where they allowed smokers to smoke, there’s no such stench here. It maybe because I’m a kid, but I don’t know why people smokes, they smell like a burnt forest afterward. My father said it’s bad for your health too, so I don’t know why adults smoke. Oh, but that’s not the reason why I said the people who came to the shop are nice. Like, they’re old folks that are grandpa's acquaintances, and I guess we resemble their grandchildren or something, so they’d talk to us like family. Some pat me on the head, some pinches my cheeks, and some even tickled me. Luckily my weak spot aren’t in my waist. But ‘noona,’ they got to her good. Like, she was laughing so loud that everyone turned to her. Funny thing is, none of the people thought this was weird of her. They even laughed along with her. I did too actually, I thought it was weird that I would do something like that. Is she contagious? Can laughter be contagious?

I think because of her, working didn’t seem so bad. Sure I hated the thought of working on my birthday before, but I get to laugh a lot. And even during lunch time, the grandpa gave us food to eat. He can really cook. Grandpa, don’t go to heaven yet, ok? Please teach me the way of the food. Oh, and what’s more, the customers order food for us too. It was so weird, but I also think it was because of ‘noona.’ She eats so much that I’m beginning to wonder if she’s really is a pig. Sure I ate just as much, but honestly, who wouldn’t? Considering the food here is damn delicious. The old folks kept watching us as we eat too, it was weird seeing their smiling faces every time we let out a satisfied reaction to the food. Oh, some even talked to the grandpa, saying they never knew he had such good looking grandchildren. He let out a big hearty laugh, but he didn’t deny it. In fact, he said we were. I didn’t care as I listened in on their conversation, because I’ve already gotten an adoptive ‘noona’ right here, might as well get an ‘harabeoji’ too. Heck, if someone offered a family right now, I’d take them too, but give me more food, damn it, because ‘noona’ just stole some of mine!

We continued working there until it sunset came. At this time, there aren’t that many customers. Me and ‘noona’ got along now. It wasn’t as hectic as before so we got a lot of talking done. We mainly talked random stuff though, like shows we watch and what type of music we like. This is the first time I come up with one topic after the next to talk to a person. I’m not the type to speak my mind. It’s not that I harbor ill wills toward everybody that I had to keep my mouth shut, it’s just I’d rather waste energy on something productive, something I care for, rather than wasting my energy talking. But she, this ‘noona,’ she is making me spill everything like I’m a typhoon blowing.

“Guys, come here.” ‘harabeoji’ called us. And of course we heed his call. I mean, we’re his sweet grandchildren, after all. “Do this last errand for me and then you guys can go home. Here’s the money, and here’s a list of shopping materials you guys need to buy at the market. I need these for tomorrow. Here’s the map to the market too.”

“Alright, harabeoji!” My ‘noona’ answered with glee.

We took off the aprons we were wearing and we left the shop. On the way there, we talked so much more. She was kind, I could tell from her actions. She had long legs so she had bigger strides comparing to me, but she slowed down to match my pace so we could talk. Well, it’s mostly her who talked, because I was just listening to her. Well, I listened to parts of it, but I was also lost in deep thought.

This has to be one of the greatest days of my life. I know it sounds sad but because of my timid nature, I rarely do anything outside the range of my safe zone. And I guess it was all thanks to this ‘noona’ here. If she didn’t eat my ice cream, I wouldn’t have as much fun as I did today.

“Eh noona, thanks for today.” I mustered the courage to tell her.

“Yah, I was in the middle of my sentence!” she slapped me.

“WTH noona! I just thanked you and you slapped me!” OWWWW This girl.

“That’ll teach you to not interrupt a person while she’s talking!”

“You were still talking?”

“Yes,” She immediately replied, “Wait a SEC! YOU HAVEN’T BEEN LISTENING??!!”

Hehe. “Nope!” and I ran off.

She chased me till we got to the market. When we finally made it there, we jumped with joy. Holy crap this was far away, is ‘harabeoji’ serious, sending two kids this far to get groceries? I kinda forgot why I ran and why she chased me, but I was happy that we got to here. We were sweating like crazy though. After we bought all the materials, we left the market. We walked for a bit, but the bags along with the fact that we ran made us tired, her more so than me. I looked at her, she was glistening with sweats. The gleams on her face dyed orange due to the sunset, and…wait, why am I being so poetic? The heck is wrong with me? I shook my head side to side.

“Wait noona.”

“Hm?” She remarked without opening , hinting that she was truly tired.

“Wait here for me, ok?”

“Mmm.” She gave me a slight nod.

I ran again back to the market. I used the last bit of my money that I saved to take the bus to buy some popsicles.

I made it back to her. And gave her one of the two I bought.

The look on her face. Like, she was about to dropped down to her knees and bow to me. Haha, if that happens, I’d jump off the bridge right here and now.

She dropped to her knees. WAIT WAIT WAIT. Don’t bow! I don’t want to jump!

She immediately grabbed the thing from my hand and hugged me. I guess she was happy. Hehe, I did good. Good job, good me.

She smiled at me happily as she on the delicious thing. Me too, I smiled too as the coolness from the ice pop spreads and lifts the exhaustion from my body. After we finished, we continued out way back to the shop.

We passed the place where we first met, right outside of the theater. When she stole my ice cream. I called her a pig for biting my finger after finishing my ice cream. I got smacked again for not treating her like a ‘noona,’ but this time, she did it with a smile and her smack felt lighter. So I guess we got close to each other, because to me, she’s easier to talk to now.

We continued happily chatting when we came upon the four guys from earlier. They just got out of the movies. I guess they did what I did, smart kids. We think alike, buying one ticket while watching several movies. They spotted us, and came near us.

“What are you guys doing here at this time?” The tallest one came and talked to me. To me. He musta like me.

“Hyung, we’re working to pay off the window I broke.” I replied sheepishly.

“Oh, that musta .” He said with a smile.

“Yea. You guys musta been tired after all those movies, right?”

“Hehe” the fat hyung let out a smile, “We watched 4 movies.”

“Haha,” I laughed, “I only got 3 movies down before I got kicked out. Did you guys see Rattatouille? I got kicked out before I got the chance to see it.”

“OH! It was good! It made me so hungry though.” The fat hyung replied again.

“When have you ever not hungry?” the tall hyung replied in jest.

We all laughed, besides my ‘noona’ that is.

“I still think Transformer is the best movie out of the ones I saw though.” I spoke adamantly.

“We agreed.” All four replied all at once. We talked about the movies for a bit, and then I said we had to return to work when ‘noona’ nudged my arm.

“Well, I’ll cya later. We need to go get some dinner too.” The tallest hyung pat me on the shoulder once again and left.

I waved goodbyes to the other three as they passed me too. They didn’t say anything except bowing back when I bowed at them, so I guess they must have been tired.

I continued walking again. But I only heard the sound of my own footsteps, not hers.

I turned and see her stopped in that spot for a while.

“Noona, what are you doing?”

“Huh…umm…yea.” She was stuttering. Why?

“Why did you stop like that?” I asked her. Woah, I thought to myself, I asked her what was on my mind, didn’t even beat around the bushes or just not speak like before.

“I was just thinking you’re amazing, is all.” She said with a smile on her face.

“Hm?” Her sentence confused me. “What do you mean?” Another question flew directly out of me instantly. Why is it so easy talking to her?

“I mean, you met those guys just today, and they were mad at me, that mean they were mad at you too. But somehow, they’re friendly with you in just one day. Same thing with me, you made me feel at ease even though we’re strangers.”

Hmm. I stood and thought about it for a while.

“I think it’s you that got me to be like this.” I replied to her with a grin.

“Why is that?” she asked me as we continued walking.

“I don’t know. If I have to say, they probably think I’m a pig farmer with a delicious looking pig at my side.” I said with a grin.

“Quit calling me a pig! YAH!!” she raised her hand ready to hit me. I continued grinning as i closed my eyes ready to take the hit.

“YAH!!!” Woah, that sounds so manly. 'Noona,' you’re a beast to be able to change your voice like that.

I looked up to her, but she had her head turning in the other direction. Facing the four hyungs that were walking away earlier. I looked in that way too, seems like they did something to the three older guys.

“Kid, watch where you’re going!! My coffee’s spilt on my shirt!”

The four hyungs bowed their heads frantically, but the old older guys won’t take their apologies. They kept demanding payments for the shirt, coffee, and the ‘skin burn’ too. I could tell, those guys didn’t want compensation, they were just picking on the four hyungs. The four hyungs got riled up because the one of the three guys kept poking at them. The tall hyung got mad because one of the older guys was making fun of fat hyung, so he threw a punch at the guy. Then it turned into an all out brawl. People near them were getting out of the way. 'Noona' was shaking. I saw her shook. I tapped on her shoulder and she immediately turned towards me.

“Noona, take this and go back to the shop.” I held up my bags.

“Wh…what are you planning to do?” She stuttered at me, not even reaching for the bags in my hand.

“Cheh, My father raised me to be a dumb righteous person, so I have to live up to that. Come back after you called for harabeoji, alright?” I said with a smirk. I think tall hyung rubbed off on me, because damn, I’m being cool right now.

‘Noona’ nodded at me as she grabbed the bags from my hand and ran toward the shop.

‘I guess I was right earlier today, father…but having 13 years under my belt isn’t such a bad thing though.’

I ran up and joined the scramble of a fight that was going on. The three older guys looked shocked, and the four hyungs too. But I didn’t do much though, my punches weren’t much comparing to theirs because my muscles haven’t fully developed yet. But I’m a Judo practitioner, so I can see when the punches and grabs are coming, so it was easy for me to avoid them. Plus, I can smell the sojus on these guys, so their punches were sloppy because they were drunk. The thing is that their punches still hurt when they hit me. Frick, if my body hasn’t doing the daily grind, I don’t think I would have been able to take those punches. So as long as I can avoid a punch to the head, I think I can take these blows from these guys. That along with the fact we are five versus three right now, we had the number advantage. But these three guys weren't weak either, so they haven’t backed down.

“Break up *COUGH* that fight!!!!!” everybody turned to see ‘harabeoji’ running up to us. Oh ‘harabeoji,’ I’m so glad you’re alive, I take back my earlier thought of sending you to heaven. ‘Harabeoji’ suddenly dropped to his knees, he grasped his chest, straining himself. Damn it, 13 years old me, why are you always contradicting me today?!!!!!

“HARABEOJI! What’s happening to you?!” ‘Noona’ screamed out as she held onto ‘harabeoji.’

Everything stopped at that moment. Every one of us stopped throwing punches. The eight of us as well as everybody else that watched the fight turned to the grandpa and the girl kneeling on the ground. The girl kept screaming out ‘harabeoji’ over and over again as she cried. The grandpa gasped, he kept holding onto his heart, and continued to sharply inhale as his head now dropped to ground level.

“Harabeoji….?” I said as I walked towards ‘harabeoji,’ completely ignoring the three guys in front of me. “Noona….harabeoji……” My eyes glistened.

“Call the police!” the tall hyung yelled out. The three other hyungs ran into the supermarket near by after hearing the command. The three other guys though, strong as they were, ran away without turning around once.

I came close to 'noona' and 'harabeoji', and I helplessly dropped to my knees.

“Are they gone?” ‘Noona whispered to me.

“HUH?” The biggest huh….that….ever…….came from me.

She looked up and hugged me, resting her chin on my shoulder. Tears were still evidently in her eyes. She then immediately let me go.

“They’re gone, harabeoji.” She looked over to ‘harabeoji’ as she said that. Her earlier demeanor completely vanished. That short sentence was so calm, it was unbelievable that she had cried just moments ago.

‘Harabeoji’ straightened his body from the earlier bend, and also looked at the sight beyond me. He let go of the hand that was holding onto his chest earlier and just shot straight up like it was nothing. ‘Noona’ did that too, she stood straight up and wiped the tears that once came from her eyes with a wide smile on her face.

“Harabeoji!!! I didn’t know you could act like that!!!”

“You too youngster, wow your tears were amazing!”

“No no, the way you lead up to the heart attack scene, my god you are amazing.”

“Comparing to you who screamed so loudly at the sight of my death, look at my arms, I got goose bumps!”

“Look harabeoji, you even made him cry, that was how good you were.”

“NO NO, I think it was your convincing acting that got to him.”

ARE YOU SERIOUSLY KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!?!!!!!

I shot up too.

I backed up and stood right next to tall hyung as the both of us stand in amazement. Wait, not amazement, more like stupefied. He and I exchanged a few glances to each other, still loss for words while these two pranksters kept praising themselves.

 

After a long while.

“Im Yoona!!” a voice shouted. Me and ‘noona’ turned to the owner of that voice. The lady came up to ‘noona’ and stared at her in distraught. The lady then bended over and wiped the dirt off of ‘noona’s’ clothing, she then pulled out a tissue to wipe 'noona’s' face. The lady then turned to me and taller hyung.

“YAH You dirty rats! Why did you make her cry? Don’t you know who she is? Wait a second, you probably don’t. You rats probably don’t have dreams. Kids like you who just wander in the streets aimlessly, acting like you’re some big shot. But you know what you are in my eyes: you’re scums to society. The two of you brats don’t have dreams or aspiration…”

“Be quiet!! Manager!” Im Yoona shouted. Stunning the older lady. She turned to ‘noona’ but ‘noona’ just glared at her, and the lady cowered. Wow ‘noona.’ I didn’t know you could do something like that. So she explained everything, and the lady, even though she looked at me and hyung all angry like, she apologized. ‘Noona’ dragged me over to ‘harabeoji’ and told him that she and I have to leave now. ‘Harabeoji’ pat our heads and told you to take care. His smile is really nice. Live a long life okay ‘harabeoji,’ live a happy life. ‘Noona’ dragged me into the van the lady was driving, and asked me if I have a way to contact my parents. I held up my wristband, I was still gloomy at the moment, but I showed the lady the phone number of the hotel I was staying at and she understood. Then me and ‘noona’ climb onto the passenger seats in the back, and we drove off, leaving hyung and ‘harabeoji.’

“Noona.” I turned to her to ask. She turned to me the instant I spoke. “What do you do?”

“Me?” She questioned me. Then she gave me the open-hearted smile that I got well acquainted to. “I’m going to achieve my dream of becoming an…! Hm. I’m going to achieve my dream.”

“Wow. You’ve already planned your future?”

“I haven’t planned anything. If anything, I’m working my way towards it.”

“But you have something you’re certain of, that you want to achieve.”

“Yes. I do.” She said adamantly. That moment in time, when I was still staring at her, she looked so cool as she replied, even cooler than tall hyung. I guess, that’s how people with dreams are like.

“You’re cool, noona.” I told her.

“Nope.”

“No?”

“Nope. I thought it was easy, but the practices were so hard for the past year that I ran away today.”

“I’m sorry noona.”

“Why do you say that?” She looked at me all perplexed.

“I could have messed up your dream.”

“No, you didn’t do anything.”

Silence covered the backseats as the car continued to move toward the hotel. I looked at the lady who was driving the car, she was on her phone apologizing so much, I didn’t know of any adult that looked so pitiful. ‘Noona’ is cooler than the lady, for sure. I looked at my hands that I had resting on my thighs, I tightened them.

“You know…you and me…I guess, we’re like that window I broke. I……” I hesitated before continuing. “You are like the glass, and I’m that rock that broke you noona. Before I hit you, you were clean, without a single mark on you………I guess, what I’m trying to say is that you were perfect noona.” I hesitated again, but I didn’t want to hold this in. To be frank, it’s more like I can’t hold this in because ‘noona’ always make me speaks my mine. I guess, that’s her power. “But when we meet…when this dirty rock meet you, you shattered into pieces of shards. You were dangerous to the touch, I inflicted wounds on you.” I looked at the bandaged finger of hers. “I broke you into pieces noona. I messed you up, giving you cracks, and I even made a hole in you that no one can ever fix. Even if I can somehow try to fix it, I can’t ever make you as perfect as you once were noona. I’m sorry…noona…for being a dirty rock.”

I didn’t look at her face once. I turned my sight from her finger back to my own hands. These dirty hands of mine, the hands that ruined her, that could have ruined her dreams. The car stopped. I looked up from my hand to the window, and saw the familiar sight of the hotel I was staying at. I opened my mouth to say a word of thanks, but nothing escaped. I guess I was too thirsty. I slammed close the door of the van, and I just turned my back on it. I’ve spoke how cool this would look, walking away. But, I don’t think anyone can look cool doing this at this time, because it hurts too badly. 

I heard the car driving off. I turned around to see the black van leaving. I guess I’m right; I’m a dirty rock that deserved to be left on the streets, no dream, no nothing. I turned my back again once more, walking toward the hotel. I guess, I’m going home.

“YaH! YOU!”

I hear the screams, but I kept on walking. I’m no one important to be called, that’s the thought that’s running in my head.
Then someone grabbed hold of my shoulder and flung me around. As I was going through the motion, I felt something soft touching my cheeks. It feels like a long time in my mind, but it was just a mere second. I looked to the owner of that bold move.

“Noona!”

“YAH, why the heck did you make me run like that? Didn’t you hear me?”

“I thought you left.” I said while rubbing the cheek her lips touched.

“Look." Both of her hands were on my shoulders, and she stared right at me. "Let’s say you are that rock. That means you’re strong. You’re stronger than me that you broke the supposed perfect me, the fragile me. And you know, I was just by myself in a window’s frame...it was my prison...I was trapped, and you freed me. The day I have with you, today, is the best day I’ve had since I began training. And before I met you, I thought of quitting, letting go of my dreams; but you changed my mind. You did. I’m lucky that it was you who broke me, okay? I’m happy! So cheer up.”

Un, I shyly nodded. She got back into the van. I waved goodbyes to her.

She rolled down the window. “Yah! you just got kissed by one of the girls of the soon to be greatest girls group in the world, Im Yoona. What’s more, you got her first kiss! Cheer up! Root for me, ok?”

I nodded again happily “Hwaiting!” I shouted to her. She waved as the car drove off.

“So this is what a kiss is…” I continued to rub my cheeks as I walked through the automatic door of the hotel, smiling. Kiss feels nice.

---

The next day, pain and aches ran through my body. As I thought, my 13 year old body still bruised as easily as my 12 year old body. I guess I haven’t grown much. My family cleaned up the room, we packed away the things we brought and we were leaving the hotel, returning to Busan. We got off the elevator when it reached the lobby of the hotel, and made our ways toward the exit of the hotel.

“You, you. boy.” A voice rang out…as if chasing me.

My whole family halted because my father had stopped. Of course, my father is the leader of the pack after all. We waited as my father talked to the young man in a suit, then he turned to me and gestured me to come. I obvious make my way towards the two; even if I don’t know of the reason, if my father calls for me, I don’t ever neglect it.

“This lad wants to talk to you, son.”

“Me?” I asked. I then looked at the guy in the suit. “Oh! tall hyung!”

“That’s what you call me?” He let out a jesting laugh.

I laughed too, but my body stung as I did so. He noticed my facial expression and tapped my shoulders.

“Thanks for yesterday.”

“Haha.” I smiled. “I didn’t do much hyung. How did you know I was here?”

“Oh, I didn’t until this morning.”

“Hm?”

“Your noona came looking for you this morning, but she didn’t know what your name was.” He let out a smirk. “So she wasn’t your real sister huh?”

“Yeah, sorry for lying to you hyung.”

“It’s nothing. You were pretty cool, saving a girl like that.” Woah, hyung called me cool. ‘Thank you father, for raising me to be such a righteous person!’

“So how did you find me hyung?”

“I wasn’t looking for you. My father owns this hotel, I’m only here for the weekend because of the break from school. I met her incidentally when I was about to go out for breakfast.” Hyung then pulled out a box shaped item. “She told me to give this to you, so I waited for you.”

I grabbed hold of it, hesitantly. I looked at it and back to hyung. “Thanks, hyung.”

“No problem little guy. Cya.”

Hyung then bowed to my father, extended his hands to have a shake with father. He did the same thing to my mother as well, and bowed to my noonas as he left the hotel.

The rest of my family then came up to me.

“So, what did you do yesterday?” My mother asked.

“Woah! How did you meet that hottie?!”

“Dude, is that a gift?!”

Wow, I was right for once. Being popular sure is tiring. My father then told them to leave me be. I stood still for a while, but I then looked at the box that was in my hand. It wasn’t neat, and it was heavy. I took the lid off the box, the first sight that hit me was a picture. The picture had a window frame laying on the ground, and shards of glasses were neatly placed next to each other. But no matter how neat they were, the glass wasn’t whole, cracks and spaces were evidently there. But on those shards, the larger pieces, there were words written on them. One said having a little brother, another said being a waiter, more notes like getting my cut , tickled to death, eating contest, acting a scene, boy buys me ice cream, boy showed me true courage, boy called me pig, gave boy my first kiss, gained a harabeoji, and several other notes on each of the shards. In the one spot where there are several bits of small shards clustered, the focal point, there was a rock. I immediately understood that this was the window that I broke. And those shards were experiences she had with me. I then picked up the picture, and below it, there was a note.

 

Without this rock, this glass is incomplete. I’m incomplete. So keep me safe, okay?

 

I lift up the note, and below it, there was the rock. I. ME. There was me. The rock sparkled and I held it up toward a light source. I wasn’t dirty, because ‘noona’ cleaned me. And she told me I was strong. ‘Noona’ also told me to keep this safe. It was as if she gave me a reason for my being, an objective to follow, and a dream to acheive. So I will do it. I grasped the rock tightly in my hand as we started to walk toward the taxi that was going to take us to the train leaving for Busan.

---
 

Again, I hate wasting energy on stupid things. Again, I got dumped by another girl who said I didn’t show effort, I showed no jealousy, that she didn’t know whether I cared for her or not. Again, these stupid things come running across my mind. I mean, why do you have to show you care if you like a person? I guess, relationship is something not for me. A relationship with the guitar is the best, because whether it's happy or sad, it's all up to me to decide.  I grabbed the acoustic lady right next to my table and strummed a melody.

“Lee Jonghyun, get down here this instance!”

“Ugh, what is it noona? I want to practice some more.” No, I’m actually hurting at the moment. But of course, I don’t like wasting energy telling others, so I kept it to myself. so i made my way down the stairs.

“I want to show you this new girls group, they just debut and they’re good.”

“Ugh, you know I don’t follow the trends.” I replied as i stopped behind them.

“JUST Watch kid!” Ugh, older girls, so commanding.

I watched, stares, incredulous.

“Noona, who’s that girl?”

“Who are you talking about? There are nine of them.”

“Uhh.” Nevermind. I waved my hand gesturing that.

I watched the whole song they sang, and at the end where they announced the group’s name as well as the track titled “Into the New World,” I stood up and left for my room.

I went online. I searched up the group’s name. 'Girls’ Generation.' That’s her group. I saw the links for the members’ pages.

“Im……Yoona.” She was there. Her name, ‘noona’s’ name was there. That face, it was her face. That smile, it was her smile. I clicked on the link to go to per profile.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I burst out laughing.

“NOONA?! You’re younger than me!”

I screamed at the monitor screen as if the picture could hear me. My side aches so badly from laughing that I had to lie on my bed afterward. I reached for my guitar, lay it resting on my stomach and strummed a light melody as memories of the day I had with her flow back into me. After I finished, I turned to the box that was on the on table, and then turned back to the guitar now lying right next to me. I grabbed its neck, and I smile as my other hand ran down the cheek that had an encounter in the past.

“I guess, instead of expending all my energy working to achieve my dreams, I can reserve a bit of energy loving you, Im Yoona.”

 

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A/N: between the two sidestories, i like this better because it sounds so childish. haha. The Rock part is rather done because he has decided, but i can still continue if there's something that comes to mind, but the Glass still has some ways to go before she falls. I don't have a clue as of yet because i still want to give her back story a proper timeline. But i've already started on book 2, so i'll update that when i finish outlining.

 

P.S. To answer the people who said they were confused regarding this part, Yoona was recruited on 2002, this story takes place on may 30, 2003, Jonghyun's BD. And the line to indicate a time skip, SNSD debut on 2007. The reason i left it obscured with the hints is because i want readers to search up CNSD groups/members. (trying to turn people into sones/boices, cough.)