"Yah, who are you? sitting on my terrace, smoking like that?"
 

That highschool boy turned his back, the sun was so bright, I couldn't see his face clearly.

 

My mom ran to me to see whom I was talking to. She then told me to go inside. I could hear my mom and that high school boy quarrelled. What a punk, I thought.

 

I was about 10 years old. I visited my mom in Japan that day, she was working on a TVC like usual, the Japanese client provide us with one good rented house to stay. I just stayed for three days though, my mom was really anxious about something that time....

 

---

 

I opened my eyes. What a random dream.

To think about it, my mom rarely took me to Japan every time she went there since then. I just thought that she was really busy, Japan always identical with word "business" in my mind. Her advertising company have a lot of Japanese clients. One that the most faithful to them is strawberry-banana beverage called Banachigo. My mom pitched the project when she was still an art director, one TVC that they made really took Banachigo's CEO heart and actually worked their products to younger audience. Since then they collaborate to make even more successful TVCs and some print ads.

 

I remember being so happy that I could drink Banachigo everyday, until I'm sick of it. I stare to another box of Banachigo that a delivery guy just delivered us. We always get a box of free Banachigo every week.

 

"You should just sell them out", said Hyunseong-hyung picking the box and put them in the kitchen. I usually gave them to our customers though.

"You can bring them if you want", I said.

"I would, later", said Hyunseong-hyung, sitting on our shop table, tapping his pen to see this month's selling progress. Not that I want to know though. I'm peeping to Donghyun-hyung's house. It's already become my habit every morning. Has his sister come yet already? will we hang out again somewhere today?.

 

"Donghyun-ssi is walking his dog downhill. I saw him before", said Hyunseong-hyung while adding some numbers on his calculator.

"Ah, really... I miss Sushiiii", I said as I stretch my arms on the terrace.

"You miss Sushi or...?", Hyunseong-hyung smirked at me.

"Alright, I miss Sushi's owner... and Sushi too, really... I miss his fluffy face... I want to squeezed it", I said.

"Yah, hyung, let's have a pet. A shiba inu!", I continued.

"Hh, I believe I will end up taking care of it while you're only busy squeezing it and play with it", said Hyunseong-hyung. Sounds correct though, I laughed at his answer.

 

I watch the street, waiting for Donghyun-hyung's return when a confused girl walking back and forth with a piece of paper on her hand. She looks familiar.

 

"Hey miss... looking for something?", I yelled from my terrace.

She turned her head on me, look so happy that she found someone who could help her. She walked toward me, as she's getting closer I could see her face clearly.

"Sorry, I'm looking for this address", I looked into her paper. It's exactly what I'm expected.

"Humm... Kim Soohyun-ssi?", I asked her.

"Yeah! that's me. How did you know?", she said, tossing her brunette long wavy hair aside.

"I know Donghyun-hyung! I saw your picture in his house yesterday. Yaah... you both really look alike", I said, admiring her even smaller face, big eyes, and porcelain skin. Even Hyunseong-hyung interested in her, paused all his finance activities just to look her from head to toe.

"And Donghyun's house is....?", she asked.

"Ah, there, right beside this house", I pointed at the empty white house.

"Oh I see", she said.

"He's away though, walking his dog downhill", Hyunseong-hyung said, won't lose his chance to talk to her.

"Is that so?", she said.

"Yeah, you can wait here if you want, I'm No Minwoo, he's Hyunseong-hyung. We run this flower shop"

She bowed lightly at Hyunseong-hyung. And he's acting cool, just smiling at her and back dealing with numbers again.

 

"Come in", I said, as I stood up to took one Banachigo from the box and offer her one.

"Here is fine", she sit on the terrace, comfortably taking Banachigo can from my hand and drink it up. She wear this lime sweatshirt, ripped jeans and black chelsea boots. The way she talks is very straightforward, she has slight weird accent that peeked between her words.

 

"Donghyun-hyung said you went to study abroad?", I asked.

"Yeah, I'm studying fashion business back in Paris by now. I decided to see how Donghyun has been this summer... how is he?", she asked me.

"He's fine. You're... his... noona?", I noticed how she doesn't call Donghyun with -oppa. But she looks very young.

"No, I'm younger, we're a year apart...", she said.

"Ah, only a year? that's why you don't call him oppa?", I asked.

"Hahaha... no, It's not that, I born in December in fact, I just never called him that. Donghyun is his name, after all, why can't we just called people with their names? I find it weird", she said, drink another shot of Banachigo. Whoa, isn't she has a lot of personality, I thought. No wonder Donghyun-hyung said she's a wild kid yesterday.

"I can call you Soohyun then", I said.

"Yeah, sure, why not... hm, Minwoo... Hyunseong. Let's just be comfortable. I hate seniority culture in this country, to be honest", she said, as she smile at me. Gosh, the way she smile even resembled Donghyun-hyung.

 

"What took someone so long to walk their dog, ah... he's really useless", Soohyun's eyes wonder to the street, trying to find his brother.

"It's funny how your brother is a poor musician and you're this awesome Paris fashion student", I chuckled.

"Yeah? my parents wanted to put Donghyun in a university once he graduated from high school, but he was fall in love with this one woman, and a strange realization came to him. He wanted to pursue his childish dream to become a musician", she said.

"A woman?!", I squealed.

She chuckled at me, amazed with my shock reaction. Oh God, I never thought about this possibilty before. Of course there's a woman. Donghyun-hyung is an ordinary man after all...

"You know, back in high school Donghyun was a bad bad student, I used to help him making up some excuses to our parents and teachers. Even tough I've been into a lot of trouble too when I was young, some times he was too much, but then... one day, he met this one woman, he never let me to meet her in person, but from his stories I know that this woman touched Donghyun in a way that he never felt before. He's rarely in love, I mean, he's close to many, MANY girls, but he always said they're just friends. When he realized that he fell in love with this woman, his world turned upside down...", she excitedly told her brother's love story to me. I don't know whether I want to hear it, though. I took a glance on Hyunseong-hyung. He smirked at me. Damn.

 

"Are they still in relationship by now?", I asked.

"I don't know. He's so mysterious about it. I think that woman is already married or something, they have difficult situation. They both met intensely in one summer when he was still in second year of high school. Donghyun said he found a life with this woman. When we're young we used to think that we're lost in this world and , you know... with this woman Donghyun felt that his life has purpose again, this woman must be really inspire him to do his own thing", Soohyun said, rested her head on the door panel.

 

I just gaze to my hydrangeas. Ah, this empty feeling... knowing that Donghyun-hyung has that life-changing love with someone. Could I be his new purpose of life... Hh, what a silly thought, I'm just a 16 years old lazy boy who like flowers, who am I to inspire him.

 

A familiar bark came from the street. That's Sushi and Donghyun-hyung.

"Yah! Donghyun, yogi!", Soohyun yelled from the terrace with her nonchalant manner.

Donghyun-hyung surprised at the voice that called him. He looked so happy that his sister has arrived, he ran to us while Sushi struggled behind.

 

"I thought you'll arrived this evening", Donghyun-hyung sit between me and Soohyun. I took Sushi on my lap and play with his fluffy face.

"Moron. I told you I took another flight before, you don't remember?", she said as she hit his shoulder lightly. Seriously, she's more of a noona than a dongsaeng.

"No... I don't remember", said Donghyun, just laughed at his sister.

"So, you both already know each other?", Donghyun-hyung look at both of us.

"Yeah... Minwoo... and Hyunseong", she pointed us one by one, recite our names, sounded like she's afraid that she will forget them.

"You want to tell me about your Parisian life?", said Donghyun-hyung.

 

"Not really... we should talk about our parents, shouldn't we?", Soohyun put her arm on Donghyun-hyung's shoulder and smile mischievously.

"What's going on to those old people... found their exciting lives in Canada already? found a guy to introduce to you?", said Donghyun-hyung.

"Oh, man... I hate to talk about it", Soohyun suddenly burst her disgust in English.

"Mwo?!... don't say something we don't understand here", Donghyun-hyung took a glance on me and I just smile to the ground, play with Sushi again. I still haven't got used every time Donghyun-hyung look straightly into my eyes.

 

Soohyun suddenly chuckled looking at me.

"Let's go to our house then? or you want to hang out in our lovely neighbor's house?", said Donghyun-hyung to Soohyun.

"To be honest, I prefer to stay at this house instead of that boring white house", said Soohyun.

"I wish the same too, actually", said Donghyun-hyung wiped his sweat out.

"You want to wash first? I'll catch up", said Soohyun.

"Alright... Minwoo-ya, Hyungseongie, see you guys later", said Donghyun-hyung as he took Sushi from me and walked to his house.

 

Soohyun's still giggling at me. She approached me and put her face in front of mine.

"Minwoo.. you like Donghyun, don't you?", she said.

"Ah... how.. how could you say that?!", I said, try my best to deny it.

"Don't be silly... you're blushing... hey, I have a lot of friends like you. I can tell if I saw one. You're too cute, Minwoo~", she messed my hair.

"Is that so...", I said.

"It's alright... I won't tell him. Hey... I will help you... hahaha, it will be really interesting!", she said high-spiritedly.

"What~?"

"See you around, then", she whispered to my ears as she walked away.

 

Hyunseong-hyung cleared his throat; "She's surely one interesting girl"

I giggled. It's weird to have an ally like this. But I like her. She feels like a noona that I never have.