“No, omma. I was thinking about the boy, who always scores high in the exam and how much I want to be like him. I want to score good in my exam too and that is my birthday wish.” She finally came out with some excuse, hoped her mom will accept the excuse. There was no such boy in her class or school because she was the one that always got full marks on the exams.

“Oh, you better be, I told you. I don’t want to hear that you have boyfriend in this age.” Her mother seem liked accept her excuse this time.

Joo Hyun let out a small sigh, small enough to avoid her mother’s ear. In other hand, she was proud of herself, for thought out an excellent excuse in this short time. She did not want her mother to know about the letter thing because her mother, who was too protective over her, would get angry on her action and might also, stopped her from continuing to write to her-so-call friend, first friend ever.

“Omma, I promise I won’t. By the way, where is my present?” She tried to change the topic as soon as possible because she did not want to lie to her mother anymore. It felt badly for her because she had been taught that should not lie to anyone especially parents.

“Your present is on the living room, go to find it yourself. And call appa come to eat breakfast.”

“De.”

 Joo Hyun went to the living room and saw her father just came out from bedroom.

“Good morning appa. The breakfast was ready. Omma is looking for you.” Joo Hyun eyes were looking around while greeting to her father.

“Good morning, Joo Hyun. What are you looking for? And you should look to the person when you are greeting him. This is the manner.”

“Mianheyo, appa. I will remember it and I won’t do it again.” This time she looked to her father when she talked to him. She always tried to do as her parents wanted her, even a small action, because she wanted to make them proud of her. She knew her parents always worried about her health and she did not want them to worry anything more.

“Good. So what are you looking for?” her father asked again with a smile on his face, knowing that his daughter will not let him down.

“I’m looking for my birthday present. Omma said she put in the living room but I can’t see it anywhere.”

“Oh… the present is under the table. Go and find It.” her father told her while walking toward the kitchen.

Joo Hyun ran a little toward the small table on living room. She looked under it and saw a rectangular box sitting there. She took it out and opened it slowly. Her long waited present was finally a few centimetres away from her eyes. It was a picture story book, which she wanted it long ago. She was sad at first but at last she felt happy also because she got the story book that she wanted it for quite a while.

“Thank you for buying me this story book, appa omma. I really like it. Gomabseubnida.” Said Joo Hyun when she joined her parents on the dining table.

“As long as you like it. Now for your second and third birthday presents” Her mother opened the cover of the dishes revelling gogumas and seaweed soup.

“Wah! Gogumas and seaweed soup. I love it. Gomabseubnida omma, for preparing all this for me.” Joo Hyun was surprised with the presents she got today.

“Faster finish this or you will be late for your school.” Her mother ordered.

“De… ouch! This is hot!” Joo Hyun shouted as she tried to peel the goguma.

“Come here, I’ll help you to peel it. Drink the soup first.” Her father offered to help his daughter after he letting out a small chuckles, seeing her reaction.

“Kamsahabnida, appa.” Joo Hyun handed over her goguma to her father.

After half an hour of talking, eating, and laughing, they finally got to continue their daily work and school. Joo Hyun was sent by her parents to school first before they went to their own work place. After school Joo Hyun had to take the school bus to home and her mother will be home as soon as she finished teaching her piano classes. Sometime, if her mother finished early, she will fetch Joo Hyun by herself.

This day Joo Hyun went back home by school bus, she was smiling widely on her way home as she recall her classmate and her teachers all wishing her happy birthday and some even got her a present. She was quite well known in her school, although she always absented because of her weak health, and everyone like her including teachers. As she approached her house, she saw a letter was in her home mailbox. She took it and noticed that this letter is for ‘Princess Seo’. At first she didn’t recall this nickname that she made days ago, then when she looked at the sender’s address, which was from Busan, she suddenly recall her-so-call friend from Busan.

“Wow, he is fast. I think he had reply me immediately after receive my letter. Hihi.”

“Annyeonghaseyo, Princess Seo. I’m the boy who wrote the note in the bottle. Nice to meet you. I’m very happy when I saw your letter. I never thought that the bottle would survive on the long journey, although it was only from Busan to Seoul, hihi. I also never thought that someone would write to me and even cheers for me. Thank you for your cheers, I really appreciate that.

I don’t know what to say right now, but can I ask you to be friend of me. I know this is out of sudden but I would like to know more about you and your life. I had this weird feeling on you because you seem like know me or my situation very well so I hope can be your friend and learn it from you. I hope you will not think that I’m some kind of bad person, which I’m totally not.

By the way, I forgot to tell you my name. Call me Prince Jung, since you are princess so I think I would like to be call as prince, hihi.

Oh ya, I almost forgot. Happy Birthday to You, Princess Seo. I’m sorry because I don’t have money to buy you a present so this wish is all I can do and it is also weird to receive a present from a stranger, isn’t it? Before I forgot, thank you for your birthday wish. Yes, you are a bit late, my birthday is on 22th June, but it doesn’t matter.

That’s all for now. Hope to receive your reply soon because I really want to be your friend. Goodbye. Annyeong.”

Joo Hyun smiled the whole moment she read the letter. She found this boy quite funny and maybe someone that can be trusted as a friend. Surely, they had not met each other but she felt like they had known each other for a long time. Not only him, but she also wanted to be friend to him and they will learnt from each other. They seem to be different in many aspects but in the same time, they also had some similarity between them such as loneliness in their heart.

When Joo Hyun was busy thinking about the two of them, her mother show off in the front door. Joo Hyun heard her mother and quickly kept the letter in her book. Luckily her mother did not saw it as she was putting down the materials for their dinner.

“Yah, Seo Joo Hyun! Why are you still in your school dress? You should arrived home one hour ago, so why are you sitting in the living room with your school dress on and also all your school stuff on the table?”

Joo Hyun did not realised that she was sitting there thinking about ‘Prince Jung’ for more than forty minutes.

“Oh omma, err…… I… err…… I was just thinking about the next week exam. I heard that it will be very difficult so I’m worried about it. I don’t know that I was thinking for so long already. Sorry omma. I will go to clean up myself now.” Joo Hyun rushed to her room immediately after finish the last word.

“Aish, this girl… but at least she was thinking about the exam, not other things. Now I better start to prepare the dinner. Yeobo is going to reach home in an hour.” Her mother turned her attention to the material that she bought it just before she came home.

After the peaceful dinner, Joo Hyun went back to her room and started to write a reply to her new friend, which she will sent it to him the next day after school. She was very happy that whole day, started from her goguma present then her classmates and teachers birthday wish and lastly her new friend’s letter. She never felt so happy in her life before and she hoped that the happiness can continued on till eternity. She had a big smile on her face when she falls asleep that night.

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A/N: Hello again everyone. I'm srory that i didn't updated yesterday. I was out for the whole day so I don't have time to update it. Mianheyo.

To all the viewers, new and old, I want to thank you one more time because I won't have the courage to continue this story if you all were not here supporting me. Gomabseubnida. (90 degrees bow)

As usual, pls give me some commants on this story. I would like to know how you think about this story. 

See you on the next update. Annyeong ^^