[missinvisible] | Song Young Jin with Lee Seung Hyun [Seung Ri] | Pan Pan

First Snow

10 years ago

Young Jin woke up with a smile wider compared to the oceans. It was February 12. That day wasn't just a regular day to her, was why. That day was the most important day, alongside Christmas, to a now-8-year-old like her. It was her birthday.

She stretched herself awake and got out of bed, preceding to fix her bed as quick as possible. She wanted to get downstairs to her parents to receive her presents!

But suddenly, just as she was about to fold her blanket, Young Jin's motions slowed.

'My parents ...'

Young Jin sighed in sorrow. She took one of her stuffed animals into her arms and dejectedly sat on the edge of her bed. She cast her gaze to the outskirts of her room and gave the boxes stacked high an evil eye.

Unexpectedly, the door opened to reveal a man and a woman, both in their early 30s. They brought into her room with them a small chocolate cupcake with an "8" candle on it.

Her mother beamed as she happily walked over to her child and held out the cupcake. "Young Jin-ah, happy birthday dear."

Young Jin's focus switched from the cupcake, to her mother, and to her father. This overwhelmed her - she really wasn't expecting a cupcake, just simple birthday greetings. They were moving halfway across the Earth, after all. Nonetheless, she smiled. "Umma, appa, thank you," she said.

Her father grinned. He made his way beside her and brought her into his arms. "No problem, dear. Now make a wish!"

Young Jin switched her attention back to the candle positioned on top of the cupcake. She closed her eyes and yearned for her one and only wish to come true. When she opened her eyes again, her eyes met to the sight of a curious expression on her mother's face. "What did you wish for, honey?"

"Would you like the truth or a lie?" she asked. Young Jin knew her parents didn't want to here another her true wish. She knew that her wish agitated them when she asked for this in the past.

Her father sighed. He knew exactly what she wanted, but it wasn't something that could easily be bought from a store. In spite of that, he went ahead and pressed for the truth.

"I don't want to go to America. I want to stay here, and here alone. That's my wish," she responded with a blank expression on her young face.

Her mother sighed and rubbed the sides of her forehead with her free hand. "Young Jin, you know perfectly that we can't grant tour wish. Our plane leaves promptly at 9:00 PM tonight, and I plan for us to leave with it."

With that said, Young Jin knew that their discussion over the subject was over. Refusing to show emotion, she nodded with a straight face. "Okay." She faced her father and asked, "If I can't get my number wish then I want you to take me to Seung Hyun oppa's house. It's his birthday too!"

Her father stood up with slight traces of a smile on his face. He held out his hand, which Young Jin gladly took, and they walked down to the car with a farewell to her mother.

~~

Seung Hyun's mother opened the door with a delighted expression. She bowed politely and let them in.

Young Jin bowed and smiled in return. "Annyeonghaseyo, auntie!" she exclaimed.

The woman laughed at the young girl's loud outburst. "Hello to you as well, dear!" She knew that the girl came to see her son, so she pointed towards the couch. "Just sit down, Young Jin-ah, Seung Hyun's just in the restroom."

Young Jin nodded and excitedly made her way to the couch. Once she sat down, though, the bathroom door opened and Seung Hyun came out of the bathroom with a smile. "Young Jin-ah! You're here!"

But before Young Jin could respond, Seung Hyun's mother cut in effortlessly, "Seung Hyun-ah, go flush the toilet and wash your hands, young man."

Seung Hyun sighed and made his way to the bathroom, with heavy steps, once again. "Don't call me Seung Hyun, umma. You know I hate it," he mumbled. His mother just shook her head and said, "Fine. I'm sorry mister Lee Seung RI."

Young Jin heard the toilet flush and the water go on. A few seconds later, he came out again, wiping his wet hands on his jeans. He made his way to the couch beside Young Jin, without interruptions this time, and exclaimed happily, "Happy birthday, Young Jin-ah!"

Young Jin smiled brightly and answered, "Happy birthday to you too, oppa!" Yes, it was ironic that they shared a birthday, wasn't it? She tugged on his sleeve to get his attention and asked, "Oppa, it's already February but it's not snowing yet. When do you think it will start?"

He looked outside and tried his best to construct the most accurate guess, but all there was out there were the endless gray skies. "I don't really know," he answered, "Hopefully before my bedtime, because I really want to see the first snow!"

She looked at him with longing: she hasn't told him that she was moving all the way to America yet. The right time that she's waited for never seemed to want to come. "Oppa," she said weakly, "Let's have fun today, okay?"

Seung Hyun looked at her with a questioning expression, but he quickly brushed it away with a smile and two thumbs up. "You can count on me to make that happen!"

~~

And fun they had.

The two youths made their parents drive them all over Seoul as their birthday presents. They went to the arcade and Seung Hyun won a pink pig for Young Jin, they went to the candy shop to buy sweets, they went to a Japanese restaurant, Young Jin's favorite, for lunch, went teddy bear shopping at a store in the mall, and before they knew it, it was past 5:00.

Young Jin strapped herself safely on her booster as Seung Hyun put his seatbelt on.

Young Jin's father looked at the two kids in the back from the mirror. "Okay, kids, one last destination. Where would you like to go?" He watched the two give one another a 'look' and nod.

"Appa, we want to go to the park, please," Young Jin requested.

~~

Seung Hyun and Young Jin, enjoying the comfortable silence, were seated on top of a great hill as they watched the sun in all glory set in between hills.

"It's really pretty, isn't it?" Seung Hyun asked.

Young Jin nodded in agreement. "Definitely." Her head bowed down to look at her hands intertwined nervously. She was going to tell him now. "Oppa," she whispered as she tugged on his jacket to catch his attention, "Oppa I have to tell you something."

Seung Hyun nodded excitedly. He just knew it was a present! She's been shaky and kind of nervous around him lately and that could only mean that she was going to surprise him with a present! "What is it?"

"Oppa, there's no easy way to say this," Seung Hyun's smile faltered a little, "But I ... My family ..." she broke off with a slight whimper and he found her starting to tear up.

Seung Hyun reacted right away and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, don't cry! Today was great as it was, and I don't need a present! You being happy and smiling is enough," he ensured her.

Young Jin buried her face into his shirt and sniffled. This wasn't the right time to be a coward, and she knew that. Sitting back up, she took a shaky breath. "Oppa, I'm moving to America."

Seung Hyun took a moment to analyze what she was saying, and suddenly began laughing uncontrollably. She wasn't the type to tell funny jokes, but this one was definitely a knee slapper. "That's a good one, Young Jin-ah, now seriously, tell me!"

Young Jin bit her lip, a useless way to stop her tears. "N-no, I'm not kidding, oppa, I really AM moving to America ..."

Just then, Young Jin's father chose to appear. "Young Jin-ah, it's time to go, honey. We have to go to the airport," he said softly. Watching his daughter like this broke his heart, it really did, but it couldn't be helped.

She nodded and roughly rubbed her tears away with her jacket. Standing up hastily, Young Jin bowed her head and kissed his cheek. "Sorry for not telling you earlier, oppa," she whispered.

As she about to turn away, she felt a tug on her wrist. She turned around to see Seung Hyun's blank face. "Oppa--" "Promise to come back. After 10 years, on this spot, on this day."

"Young Jin, come on. Your mom's waiting. Seung Hyun-ah, your mother's in her car as well."

She looked forward to her father and then to Seung Hyun. "I-" she couldn't make sure to keep his promise, but she would do whatever it took to make him happier. She was shivering, by this time, and covered in her tears and completely engulfed in her own sadness.

"I promise, oppa."

With that said, she broke free from his grip and ran into her father's arms, walking off to their car. Not long after, Seung Hyun found himself screaming and begging for her to come back, unable to stop the waterfall of his own tears.

The snow never came that year.

9 years and 11 months later

"Jin, it's finally going to snow later on!" Young Jin's friend, Jenny, exclaimed as she took her seat.

Young Jin nodded and put a smile on her face. "Finally, right?" Her beaming face sure looked happy, but the remorse she felt inside was another story. A clock in her head was ticking, slowly counting down to her birthday.

"Aren't you glad that the school year's finally almost over?" another friend, Marina, asked, "I mean, we've been stuck in this hell hole for 4 years. Wouldn't it be awesome in the summer when we can officially do whatever we want to?"

Young Jin nodded and tried to focus on what they were talking about, but her thoughts always seemed to come back to Seung Hyun. Yes, she knows it's almost been 10 years since they last saw each other, but time didn't stop her from thinking about him.

She looked out the window and rested her head on her arm.

'How is he?'

'Does he still remember me?'

She couldn't stop these thoughts from forming in her mind, no matter what. She even tried to cut herself off from her Korean heritage from not listening to any of their music to not eating any of their food.

"... gonna do, Jin?"

"H-huh?" Young Jin was brought back to reality with a snap of her neck.

Marina sighed. "Jin, what's wrong?"

"Hmm? Why would something be wrong?" Young Jin faked a smile, "It's almost my birthday, I'm just excited to finally be 18 years old."

Jenny gave her a skeptical look but she quickly shook it away and replaced it with a smile.

~~

"Hyung," Seung Ri whined. "Hyung!" He's been trying to get Ji Yong's attention for hours, but he was too busy doing something stupid: writing lyrics. 'We have enough songs already! Big Bang doesn't need more songs!'

Ji Yong finally glanced up from his desk at the younger one with an annoyed expression. "What do you want now?"

"Hyung, do you think she still remembers me and her promise?"

Ji Yong's brows furrowed in confusion. "Who?"

Seung Ri shook his head. "Young Jin, hyung, Young Jin!"

"You didn't need to yell, maknae," Ji Yong lectured, "But to answer your question, no, I don't think the girl remembers you. I mean seriously, is she really going to remember you and the promise you made 10 years ago? Let's be rational, alright?"

"But I was her best friend!" Seung Ri fired back.

Ji Yong pointed his pencil at him. "'Was'. That's the key word, Ri."

Seung Ri sighed. He jumped onto his bed and hurried his face into his pillow and murmured against it, "You you might be right, hyung." He chuckled bitterly and though to himself, 'Why would she remember a guy like me?'

~~

"Umma, please! Just that one week I'll be gone! Please!" Young Jin begged, practically on her knees.

Her mother side and shook her head. "Song Young Jin, how many times do I have to reject your offer? I refuse to let you go to South Korea by yourself! "

Young Jin stomped her feet on the ground hard, and furiously rubbed her eyes, trying to control the tears that were threatening to fall.

Her mom let out an exasperated sigh. She didn't know why Young Jin wanted to go to Korea anyways!

"Umma, please let me go this one time and I promise that I won't ask for anything else, not even for a graduation present. Umma, please," Young Jin pleaded with watery eyes.

Young Jin's mother let out all of her pent up frustrations and banged her fist on the closest thing she could, the wall in this case. She had just about enough of this topic. She knew that the only way to get her to stop talking was to agree. "Fine, Young Jin. Fine."

~~

'Would he remember me?'

'What if he's still mad at me for leaving at such a short notice?'

'What if he shows up?'

Young Jin immediately stopped circling the big old oak tree perched on top of the big hill in the park, not because of her thoughts, but because of what she saw etched on the tree:

' LSH <3 SYJ '

She smiled fondly at the memory of the day they wrote that there. It was her 6th birthday and she's been praying for a pony for a present, but she didn't get one. She immediately ran up to the hill and under the tree and started crying. Seung Ri, 9 years old then, found her on the same position, curled up in a ball and bawling her eyes out. He etched their names on the trunk of the tree, telling her not to be sad because even though she didn't have a pony, she'll always have him.

Young Jin couldn't help but put her gloved finger on the markings and it gently. She was so lost in her memories that she didn't hear someone approaching her from behind.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Young Jin let out a startled gasp. She turned around to find an older boy, just about her age if not a little bit older, in a thick, yellow winter jacket and wrapped in a blue scarf. His eyes, with dark circles under them, held a questioning expression. "Huh?" she asked. "No, I was just looking at something," she explained.

The boy's expression deepened, if possible. He pointed to himself, "I ... No speak ... Uh ... Engleesh," he tried to say.

Young Jin laughed at both herself, for not remembering to talk Korean, and at him, for his cute broken English. "Mianhe," she said in Korean this time, while bowing to him, "I forgot to switch languages."

"Ah," he nodded his head in understanding. "No, that's alright." He pointed back to the tree, directly at the carvings, "Please don't touch those. They're very important to me." He walked beside her and touched the ' SYJ ' part. "See this? She was my best friend. She left for America, though," he said sadly, "I'm supposed to meet her here today, though. I really hope she'll come..."

Young Jin was stunned. Her ears refused to listen anymore after he said the words 'my best friend', but her mind refused to stop thinking. All she could think of at the moment was, 'Could this be my Seung Hyun?' She knew she had no right to call him hers, but it sounded so natural. "S-Seung Hyun oppa?" she asked in a shaky voice.

He covered his face immediately and bowed. "Mianhe! Sorry, but please don't tell anyone you saw me here! YG hyung doesn't know I'm here!"

Young Jin was too stunned to speak. She carefully walked closer to him, took her glove off, and poked his cheek, making sure that she wasn't dreaming. When she felt soft and warm flesh, under her finger tips, she let out a shrill scream and jumped into his arms. Only then did she let her tears flow freely. "O-oppa, I missed you," she hiccuped.

Seung Hyun, though, didn't understand why the strange girl was doing this, but still pat her back. 'Might be a VIP,' he thought. "It's alright, it's alright. The Big Bang oppas will have another concert soon, so don't worry, okay?"

Young Jin pulled back, wiped off her fresh tears, and looked up at him surprisingly. Did she hug the wrong guy? "Oppa, I'm--"

"A VIP, I know," he intervened with a charming smile. "Would you like an autograph or a picture?"

"Ani!" Young Jin shook her head furiously and cried out, "I'm Song Young Jin, oppa!"

Seung Hyun laughed, more skeptical this time. "I'm sure you are," he responded. This fan couldn't be telling the truth, right? And if she was, Young Jin was a very common name..

"Why won't you believe me?!" she cried out loud and dropped to the ground, "I came all the way from America just to meet you, and this is how you repay me?!" Suddenly, Young Jin didn't feel betrayed anymore. She felt infuriated. "How dare you? How dare you forget me? You were the one who made me make this promise, and when I come to fulfill it, missing my own birthday party in America, you forget me? Do you know how hard it was for me to leave you when I -- Mmff ...!"

Young Jin tried to struggle from his tight hold around her waist and not to mention from his lips on hers. He finally let her lips go after a few moments and opened his glossy eyes. "Welcome home," he whispered, and tightened his hug.

Unknowing to the two, the first snow of the year started to fall. 

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