Grandmother’s house is always the place I love. In fact, it’s one of my favorite place in this world, and this is where I were for a short vacation.

“Grams...” I shouted once we’re arrived there. She waved at us. I approach her and hug her hesitantly. I always love grandma, but I have a haphephobia which means I’m afraid of being touched by others. I have this weird feeling that if someone touches me, they can read my emotion, and I don’t like that. I admit that I’m a little bit insecure. I never liked being touch, by anyone, and, so far, no exception.

“You know where to put your things, right? You’re always got the room at the attic,”

“Of course...” I’m heading to the mentioned room right away, the part I liked the most from Grandma’s house. I mean, it’s the attic. It’s where great things usually take place, and it kind of makes you imagine a lot of things...

I run upstairs and open the window once I get there. To my surprise, there’s a sunflower field fall before my eyes. I run downstairs and ask Grams. “Why is there suddenly a sunflower field behind the house?”

She laughed when he heard me. “Oh, it’s always there, dear... It’s just that you never noticed it before. You’re always busy with your books, or video games...”

I feel embarrassed to hear that. But she’s right, of course.

I throw my sight at the field again. I mean, it’s sunflower fields! There’s no way I hadn’t notice it before. I wonder what got me back then so I didn’t notice it.

After get some lunch, and unpack my things, I ask the permission to go there. It enchanted me right after I see it for the first time since I remember, which is like several hours ago. The end of the field just touched the horizon, and now, two different tones of orange color from the sunflowers and the hanging twilight sky mixed in a harmony.

I run there once Grams nod her head. “Come back before it gets dark, Honey...” she told me.

I run between all the sunflowers. It feels so nice. The wind, and the smell of fresh sunflowers. I close my eyes and let my feet lead wherever they take me to...

Actually, they lead me to an accident.

I didn’t see where I’m running and suddenly I bump into something... or someone.

“Ouch,” a surprised voice makes me open my eyes immediately. I pulled myself back.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you,” I apologized right away and bow.

“No wonder,” said the figure I bumped into. It’s a little boy. Looking from his appearance, he’s about seventeen years old. He grinned mischievously and stretch his hands, offering me help to get up. I scrunched my face to see his hands right in front of my face. I hesitate for a while and decided not to take his hands and get up by myself.

“Who are you?” he asks and pull his hands away after he was sure that I’m already on my feet again.

“I’m just... Grams grand-daughter on vacation,” I waved my hand toward the direction to Grams house carelessly. “Who are you?”

“I’m just The Guardian of all sunflowers,” he put a bright smile on his face.

“Does this Guardian of all sunflowers have a name?”

“Do you?” he asked me back.

“Well... I’m Eve,” I answer hesitantly. Beside having haphephobia, I’m also overly suspicious towards people I don’t know.

“Eve?!” he asked surprisedly. His eyes get wider. I think he has a pretty pair of eyes there. “What a cute name... If I have a pet, I always want to name it ‘Eve’,”

I was almost smiling at his compliment, but the end of his words made me glared furiously at him instead.

He chuckled to see me. “Wae? I love pets...” he said.

I don’t know if I like this kid or not. He seems so bright. But he’s just a little kid, several years younger than me, and he’s mocking me already. Who does he think he is...?!

“And what about you? Do you have a name?!” I asked him, almost like a snap.

He scrunches his face to hear my tone. “Noona, don’t be like that... You’ll get wrinkles soon if you’re so vicious like that,”

I face-palm myself, not being able to throw any counter-words.

I heard him giggling. “I’m Lee Taemin,” he finally said, stretch his arms again for a handshake.

I don’t want to be impolite, but, well... I don’t shake hand. I’m afraid that if I didn’t respond to his handshake, he would misunderstood me, but, should I tell him that I’m haphephobic?

“Are you afraid of me, Noona?” he tilts his head in disappointment. I think he’s about five years younger than me, but he’s taller by three inches. Well, I’m tall myself...

“Not really,” I said. “It’s just that... I don’t touch people. I’m afraid to touch them...” I sighed. Eventually, I explained him my condition.

He stares at me, looking puzzled but, “Okay,” he replied so cool and smiling again as if there’s been nothing. I smiled back at him apologetically, hope that he would understand my condition and that he wasn’t the problem.

“So... you’re The Guardian of all sunflowers, you said?” I asked him, remembered what he said before. “...like, you own this field, or something?”

“’kind of...” he shrugged, and looking far to the field dreamily. “To put it simple, I keep them alive,” his voice sounds so far away and I swear that I saw this tiny smile on his face when he said that, almost unnoticable.

I found myself admiring his figure unconsciously. Like I’ve said before, he’s tall and rather thin. His straight hair almost touch his bony shoulder and it’s straw color. His huge eyes are sparkling hazel green and he always has this dreamy stare like he’s longing for something that doesn’t belong to this world. He shines so bright almost like a sunflower... or sun itself. He somehow seems fading away from receiving too much light, or rather, emitting the light.  He’s irritating, yet warm... just like the sun.

He suddenly turn his head at me, and I quickly look away, feeling embarrassed. Somehow, I feel like I have sinned for looking without him knowing.

“How long are you going to be here?”

“Huh?” I haven’t seem to compose myself, and startled to hear his question.

“You said you’re on a vacation here, in your Grandmother’s house? So, how long are you going to be here?”

“Oh, umm... three days,” I answered and kind of wondering why he asked that.

“It’s the first day?”

“Yes, I just arrived this afternoon,”

“Great,” he said happily. “We can meet again tomorrow then...”

“I guess,” I replied, feeling half scared and half anticipating. This kid is weird, but I think I like him... in a way.

“Okay, see you tomorrow then. I should go now,” he suddenly looked like he’s in a hurry, glancing at the setting sun nervously.

“I should go too. My Grandma told me...” He didn’t wait until I finish my words. He’s already running through the narrow path on the field. He’s waving his hands at me as his thin figured slowly get swallowed by thousands of yellow colored flowers.

*

The next day, I woke up earlier and finish my breakfast in a blink. I can’t wait to go to the sunflower field again. I haven’t got the time to admire the sunflowers yet since this weird boy got me the last time I go there. And even that I don’t want to admit it, I kind of have this weird desire to meet him again.

I sneak out of the house quickly before my parents or my Grandmother get me and asked me to watch over my little cousins. I don’t hate them, seriously... but this time, I really want to be by myself, and not around little kids...

The sunflower field is just as enchanting as the first time I saw it. I think it’s somehow magical, and it just cast its’ spell on me.

I’m heading towards the tiny open space in the middle of the field. As I walk closer to the place, I saw this figure, laid on his back with a straw hat covering his face. Somehow, this view reminds me of a scene in cowboy film.

I chuckled a little, “Lee Taemin, is that you?” I approach the figure quickly.

He pulls his hat and smiled at me... It’s definitely him, but it wasn’t the Lee Taemin I saw from before. He looks way older, probably aged like 10 more years. He’s even older than me now.

Rather than find it scary, I find this amusing instead. I always know that there’s something not normal about him. I was shocked, yes, but not as shocked as I thought I would be. In fact, I kind of like it.

“Noona...” he sat up and greeted me with his bright face.

I chuckled again, “You don’t have the right to call me Noona when you’re in this form,” I slowly sat beside him.

He looked at me adorably. He’s now older than me, but I still find him cute. “But I thought you don’t want to be around little kid now...”

I don’t question how did he knows that. He’s already giving me too many surprise, I don’t think I can get any more shocked.

“How old are you, actually?” I stare at him, trying to find the answer in his face.

He stares back with his dreamy eyes. “I’m as old as the sun, as young as the morning dew...”

I sighed at his riddle. “You won’t just give me numbers, will you?”

He just smiled and tilted his head slightly.

“I’d rather to see the little you though...” I said and stick my tongue out.

“As you wish, Noona...” he said. He put one hand in front of my eyes, careful not to touch me, blocking me from seeing whatever he’s doing to turn himself back into a little kid.

“There...” he pulled his hands away and he’s back to the Lee Taemin I bumped into yesterday. I smiled to see this.

“You seriously won’t tell me your real age?”

He shook his head. “The only thing I can tell you is that I was born on summer,”

“What date?”

“Every day on summer...”

“Okay...,” I scrunched my nose. “Another riddle... and still no numbers...”

He chuckled and played with his hat. “If you really want some numbers, then I guess the middle of summer would be nice,”

“What, July 16th? 17th?”

“18th...”

“It’s tomorrow!” I shouted at him, suddenly feeling excited.

He laughed and said, “It’s just because you want some numbers... I celebrate my birthday every day on summer, and so it’s my birthday too today,”

“Ah, yes...” I feel my shoulders fall in disappointment. “Happy birthday then...”

“Thanks, Noona...” he grinned. “What about you? When is your birthday?”

“I’m a December born...” I answered. I somehow regret for being obvious, but I’m not good at riddles, and I don’t think I need to riddle my birthday anyway..

“Wow! You’re a winter girl,” he said excitedly. “That’s great,”

“Err... What is the great thing about that?” I think I just missed something here.

“Well, being a winter girl you are... that’s why you’re attracted to me!”

“What?!” This boy is completely delusional. Well, maybe not completely. I do attracted to him, but it’s nothing ual... But it’s not friends either. He’s just like... a guardian?

“I’m a summer boy, remember. It works just like magnet... The opposite attracts each other,” he continued his delusional theory. He grinned when he saw my shocked face. “I’m just kidding, Noona...” He sticks his tongue out as I throw some dry leaves at him jokingly.

“So, what are you doing here? Like, you plant these sunflowers and all?”

He tilts his head to hear my question. He doesn’t seem to understand it... or if he does, he pretends not to, and decided not to give an answer. Instead, he said, “I like sunflowers... it’s my birthflower,”

“What’s birthflower?” I asked him curiously.

“It’s like birthstone. You know... the stone of your birth month,”

I just nod repeatedly, but I don’t really get what he’s saying.

“Do you like sunflowers, Noona?” he stares at me deeply with his sparkling huge eyes.

“I do, now. Thanks to you...” I grin at him and he smiled, looks satisfied with my answer.

“I like sunflowers,” he said that again, rather unconsciously. “They are faithful flowers,”

I looked at him as he continued his words.

“They are always facing toward the sun, you know? They never betray the sun, even if the sun wasn’t there for them,” he’s gazing at the sky.

“I know,” I whispered softly, and I’m not sure if he can hear me.

“I like that,” he paused for a while before continuing with a dreamy voice. “and I like a girl who is like a sunflower. A girl who has an unchanging heart...”

I don’t know what to say as a response so I just listen to him quietly. He’s somehow looked lonely when he talked.

“What flower do you like, Noona?” he suddenly turned at me with a soft expression on his face.

I don’t have to think for a long time to answer this since Tulip is always my favorite flower.

“Tulip,” he nodded and repeated the word. “As expected from a winter girl...”

“What do you mean?”

“Tulip only grows in winter. You know that, right, Noona?” he asked back.

My eyes suddenly get wider to hear his words. I do know that Tulip grows on winter, but I failed to see the connection between my birthday and that fact.

“You’re right...” I nod again, somehow I feel good about that. “What did you do when it’s not summer?”

He shrugged. “I just sleep inside a sunflower bud, and wake up when it’s summer,” he answered. I don’t know if it was just a joke or not, but his face seems serious.

Summer wind just breezed, pats each sunflower with its’ warmth. I feel myself shivering under the wind.

“You’re cold, Noona?” he asked between a laughter.

I shrugged, feeling a little bit embarrassed.

“That’s weird. You’re supposed to feel hot on summer,”

“Well, it is hot, the weather. But I tend to feel rather cold inside, all the time. It’s just my body condition,” He was about to say something but I interrupt him right away. “You’re going to say that it has something to do with me being a winter girl, aren’t you?”

His eyes widened in surprised but chuckled eventually. “How do you know?”

I looked at him in the eyes and whispered, “I just know...”

I suddenly had this weird urge to touch him... and so I touched him, and it feels warm, and I let him read all my emotions.

He smiled to feel my touch on his cheek.

“It doesn’t feel so bad, does it?” he smiled as he did the same to me with his tiny hands.

*

I was supposed to go to the field again today but my Mom caught me and made me work with her in the kitchen all day. I feel guilty to Taemin since I was so excited about his ‘birthday’ today. I wonder if he’s waiting for me there, alone in the field.

I only managed to escape around dusk. Lee Taemin must have been leaving by now, and I was right. I found nothing when I got there. I only found a dried sunflower intertwined into a ring. I guess he was bored waiting for me and made that. I really feel sorry toward him. It was my last day here, and I don’t get to see him.

“Lee Taemin,” I whispered into the air, hope that the wind would deliver my longing to him.

*

I’m going back to my Grandmother’s house again on summer, two years later. I go to the field, for, I assume, the last time. I was hoping to see that little boy again, but somehow, I know that he wouldn’t be there (and it wasn’t just a gut feeling).

Turn out I was right, and it’s not like I was expecting him to be there too. I mean, I do want to meet him, but he’s just a weird summer boy. Even if I whispered his name in each sunflower bud I came across to, Lee Taemin didn’t show up.

So I just sat on the open space, in the middle of the sunflower field where we met for the last time, and put the sunflower ring he made for me two years ago on the ground.

“Lee Taemin, I miss you...,” I whispered, more to myself. “I just want to tell you that I’m going to get married. He’s a summer boy, just like you. He’s warm, just like you... and he’s weird, just like you. I promise that I’ll be his faithful sunflower. Even that I’m not your sunflower, I’ll be a noona you can be proud of. Thank you for infusing your warmth into my heart. Thank you for helping me to open up my heart...”

I feel a warm drop of tears falling down my cheeks.

“Thank you, Lee Taemin... I love you,”

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HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY LEE TAEMIN!

You’re officially legal now...

/sobs

I’m no longer a pedo-noona, LOL! XD