I wandered around the mall, occasionally walking into some stores and then walking right back out.  It had been 45 minutes since I first stepped inside, but so far I had bought nothing.

                I collapsed on one of the couches in the sitting area and called my friend as a lifeline.

                “I have no idea what to get Dongjin,” I whined as soon as she picked up.

                “Still?  You’ve had the entire year to think about it.”

                “I blanked out.”

                She sighed dramatically. “Just come up with something.  He’s your twin.  Shouldn’t you have some telepathic connection or something?”

                “We’re not real twins,” I reminded her.  People liked to refer to me and Dongjin as twins not because we were alike but because we born on the same day in the same year. 

                “Whatever you say.  Just get him something all boys like.”

                “Like what?”

                “Comics?  Video games?  Food?  Girls?”

                “You’re suggesting I get him a girl for his birthday?”

                “Well, maybe not, since he already has one,” she replied with a cackle.

                I rolled my eyes.  Not helpful at all.  “I’m hanging up,” I told her.

                “Good luck!” she teased before I hit the end button. 

                I glanced at the time.  In an hour I was meeting Dongjin at the park.  I took one look around the mall again and decided I wasn’t going to find anything here.

                It was time for my last resort.

                Dongjin was waiting for me when I arrived at our meeting place.  He waved and when I came closer I noticed he had a shovel beside him. 

                “Is that my birthday present?” I joked, motioning to it.

                He laughed.  “Not exactly.”

                “So then what are we doing here?”

                “Remember when we were younger, we made a time capsule and buried it here?”

                My eyes lit up with the memory.  “Are we going to dig it up?”

                He nodded and patted an area on the ground with the tip of the shovel.  “It was around here.”

                I watched as he dug up the earth, uprooting the thin layer of grass that had grown with time.  A few minutes passed until we heard the dull sound of metal hitting plastic.  We kneeled down and brushed dirt from a rectangular plastic container that had gone slightly yellow with age.

                “I put your birthday present in there,” he said, suddenly shy.

                I raised an eyebrow.  “You got me something for my thirteenth birthday when we were five?”

                “Just look.  There should be a pink envelope.”

                I took random old toys and other miscellaneous items from the box until I found a small pink envelope at the bottom. 

                Inside was a sheet of folded printer paper.  I glanced at Dongjin but he looked away, clearly embarrassed. 

                I unfolded the note.  There was a drawing of a boy and a girl holding hands with a big pink heart drawn in the center.  And under it, in his shaky five-year-old handwriting, there were three words.

                I love you.

                Tears started coming to my eyes.  It was simple and extremely corny, but I couldn’t stop myself. 

                Dongjin let out a mortified groan, his face beet red.  “Don’t look at me with those teary eyes!  It’s not really anything much.”  He motioned to the wrapped box beside me.  “What did you get me?”

                I hid the package behind my back.  “Nothing!  I request a do-over.  Let me get you a better present,” I said, my voice a bit shaky with emotion.

                “Too late,” he replied, reaching behind me and plucking the present from my hands.

                I hid behind my hands in shame as he tore off the gift wrap.

                He laughed.  “Wow, thanks, this is just what I wanted!”  He opened the box of chocopies immediately and took one out.  He held the box out to me, intending to share.

                Our gifts to each other made me think we were more similar than I thought.  I had given him a five dollar box of sweets and he had given me a seven-year-old childhood scribble.

                I smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

                “Happy birthday,” I said.

                He blushed even deeper and smiled back.  “You too.”