It began when they were kids.

There was just a new neighbor for Kim family. They had seen they were unpacking their belongings. Once they saw the family plate’s name, they knew this family came from China. Since Mr. Kim could speak Chinese, it was not really a trouble for making them friends. Turned out, the family members could also talk Korean, even though their children couldn’t really talk much.

On one day, the new neighbor decided that they should visit their first friend ever in Korea’s house.

“Jong Dae-ah! Be polite!”  However, that little kid just stared scarily to the family in front of him. He even hid himself behind his mother’s legs. He gripped his mother’s left leg because he didn’t want to get out.

“I am so sorry,”  Mrs. Kim talked, “my son is a shy one. He always does this to strangers.”  Then she stared angrily to him, “Kim Jong Dae! You should greet them!”  The kid just shook his head repeatedly. He kept hiding behind his mother’s legs.

“Hel….lo?”  Asked one kid, who was slightly older than Jong Dae. He spoke with broken Korean, but he tried his best to smile to the younger one. He had a deep dimple on his cheek and Jong Dae really thought he would not forget it. Jong Dae took a peek, and then hid again.

Yi Xing’s smile disappeared and he looked to his mother, “Mother, doesn’t he like us?”  He asked with Chinese, because he and his family were from that country. They moved because of his father’s work. He was assigned to work in Seoul, so he brought his family along to move to Seoul.

“Jong Dae! Say hello to our new neighbors!”  His father yelled a bit, but Jong Dae persistently kept himself hidden.

“No, Yi Xing-ah. He surely likes you. He is just a shy boy,”  Jong Dae’s mother answered Yi Xing’s question, because she could understand Chinese too.

“Hi! How are you? What’s your name, little boy?”  Another voice was coming. Jong Dae took a peek and that time, a young girl waved happily to him, smiled brightly. And with that smile, Jong Dae really thought she was a goddess or maybe an angel who came down from heaven.

“Jong Dae, answer it.” 

Jong Dae came forward shyly, and then he answered, “my name is Kim Jong Dae.”

“My name is,”  that girl said, “Zhang Li Yin and this kid is my little brother, Zhang Yi Xing. We are your new friends, Kim Jong Dae.”  She smiled again, and Jong Dae really felt that this day he really met an angel.

Jong Dae just stared awed to her. She kept smiling, and her brother was there too, smiling to him.

“Jong Dae, will you play with them?”   Jong Dae nodded. Li Yin smiled and she stretched her hand to him, “come on. Let’s play together!” She then took his hand and made him run into the front yard. 

Several years later…..

“Uh, guys?”

“Yes?”

“Why should I be the one who help you two swings at the swings? I deserve to go too!”   Yi Xing commented angrily on how unfair (for him) the situation was. Li Yin just laughed along with Jong Dae. It was true. Both of them were swinging happily while Yi Xing almost lost his breath catching both his sister’s swing and his best friend’s. He was really pissed.

“It’s my turn!”

“No! I want to be with noona longer!”

“Kim Jong Dae, please remember she is my real jie! I want to ride the swings too!!” 

After their meeting for the first time, Jong Dae had spent his entire time with Zhang siblings. He literally did everything with them. Yi Xing was older one year while his sister was three years older than Jong Dae, so they really treasured him and protected him. Jong Dae met them when he was just four years old, and this time, he was ten years old. He and Yi Xing went to the same elementary school, while Li Yin had gone to junior high school. However, she still spent times with her two beloved men in the world, her little brother and little neighbor (well, Jong Dae pouted when she stated it. He said that he was not a kid anymore).

“Alright! Now, it’s Yi Xing’s time!”  Li Yin came down from the swing and Yi Xing smiled proudly.

“Wait! Me too!”  Jong Dae also came down from the swing.

“Wait! Why is it only me riding this thing?”  Then Yi Xing heard chuckles from his back, “Oh, great. You two are doing this together, right?”  Li Yin laughed so hard seeing her brother got really angry. Yi Xing got off and then began to chase them. Jong Dae ran while laughing too with her, and he could swear it was the best day of his life. Running along with your first love, nothing was happier for him than this.

He realized he liked (well, his mother prevented him to talk about ‘love’ since he was still a kid) his neighbor a year ago. It was just like any other day, they were playing together. Three of them were playing at the park, and just that, Jong Dae fell down. He cried loudly and Yi Xing ran to their houses to inform his parents. Li Yin was attempting to make Jong Dae stop crying, but not to avail; Jong Dae still cried.

“Stop!” You said you are already a big guy! Big guy never cries, Jong Dae-ah!”

“But noona, it hurts so much!”

“Then hold it! My father said no matter how hurt it is, you have to endure the pain because you are a man!”

“Noona…”  Jong Dae talked while he was still sobbing.

“What?”

“You are not a man. You are a girl.”   Li Yin got pissed, so she hit him onto his right arm. “OUCH! Noona, that hurts!”

“I am serious, Kim Jong Dae. You have to endure the pain. That makes you unbeatable. You then can get whatever you want, because you will try hard and harder and you are okay with pains.”  Jong Dae just listened to her well. Somehow her words touched his heart.

“Where is Yi Xing?”

“I do not know.”

“Well, I guess I have to carry you to your house.”  Li Yin squatted, and Jong Dae got confused. “Uuuh….noona, why do you squat?”

“Get onto my back! I will carry you to your house.” 

“Really?”

“Yes, I mean it. Now just hurry! Or your injury will get infected!”  Jong Dae got onto her back and she piggybacked him back to their house. Jong Dae buried himself on Li Yin’s shoulders.

“Noona, you smell really nice.”

“I wear a nice shampoo. It is strawberry flavor.”  Since then he decided his favorite fruit was strawberry. He really liked the smell, and then he realized his heart beat faster than usual.  He also felt his face getting warmer than before. He tightened his hands around her neck.

“What is it? I will not let you down, Jong Dae-ah. I will protect you forever.”

“I am the man; I should be the one who said that.”  Li Yin laughed, “Alright. If you are an adult, I give you permission to protect me.”

“Really, noona?”

“Yes. You are actually heavy, Jong Dae-ah.”  Jong Dae pouted. But in his heart, he felt tenderness he had never felt before.

And later he found out that he felt in love with his noona after checking books about love. He checked his mother’s collection.

He then smiled every time she came to pick them up. She seemed to always be the sunshine of his life; her smile made him fluttered. Her laugh was the source of happiness for him; he would do everything to make her laugh. Her cry would be his despair too. He never liked her crying. He would do everything to just see her smile, her cute aegyo which she did every time she wanted to get her parents’ permission or Jong Dae’s help, her happiness when she saw park with swings, and her laughter when she rode the swings with Jong Dae assisted her.

He would do everything to make her happy, even though it would hurt him.

Because there was nothing more mattered in his life beside her happiness. Jong Dae was so sure about that. He lived to make her happy.

“Jong Dae, watch out!” Yi Xing yelled and Jong Dae stopped. He was about to hit a stroller.

“I am so sorry, Ma’am.”  Jong Dae said sorry to the lady, but the lady was just smiling and walked with her baby.

“Please be careful,”  Li Yin approached Jong Dae and looked to him worriedly. She was taller than him, so she could reach his forehead with her hands easily. “You don’t get hurt, right?”

“Yes, noona.”

“That was close.”

“Yeah, I am so close with you two! Feel my wrath!”  Yi Xing began to throw those leaves, as it was autumn. They were laughing and Jong Dae really wanted that day to be lasted forever. He wished that the time just stopped like this.

6 years later…..

“I got it!”  Li Yin stormed into Jong Dae’s room, where he and Yi Xing were playing guitar.

“Noona?”

“Oh great, jie. Can I remind you this is a boy’s room? You can’t just storm in like that. What if Jong Dae has secrets he doesn’t want you—OUCH!”  Yi Xing’s shin just got kicked by Jong Dae. Yi Xing knew his feeling to her, but he had promised Jong Dae to keep it. Jong Dae was so shy about his feeling.

“Oh, right. You two are my brothers; is there anything I do not know?”

“No.”  Jong Dae answered shortly. Li Yin smiled and she showed paper. “I got accepted!”

“What?”

“Really?”

“Yes! When I graduate, I will go to France! It is a big dream for me!”  Li Yin jumped happily. She didn’t pay attention to Jong Dae’s face. He suddenly got pale and sad.

“Hey, what happened? Aren’t you guys happy for me?”  She then realized she was the only one person there showing happiness. Both Yi Xing and Jong Dae were frowning.

“Jie, are you really going to France? How are about Mom and Dad? As far as I know, they kind of reject this.”

“I am still working on that. That is why I told you guys first,”  Li Yin smirked and then she side-hugged Jong Dae, “You two will help me, right?”  She then looked to Jong Dae, “please. Jong Dae-ah, you know I am so eager to become a pâtissier. I love baking cookies and cakes for you all.”

Jong Dae then gulped. He could feel his cheeks were heating up. Li Yin’s face was so close to him. Her pretty eyes weren’t helpful too. “Okay. I will do help you.”

“Jong Dae! You are the best!”  Then she pecked his cheek lightly. Yi Xing was just gasping, while Jong Dae got stunned.

“What? Is it weird? I am his sister; I can kiss him on the cheek.”

“Nothing.”

“Yah, Zhang Yi Xing, you will help me, won’t you?”  She then threw her knife-stare to him. He just nodded, because he got scared. Once you got that kind of stare from her, she would surely put your life in danger. He could still remember when he denied helping Li Yin to sneak out for joining a party hosted by her friend. Li Yin ended up got grounded, but she tortured Yi Xing in unspeakable way. Yi Xing didn’t want that torture happened again.

“Well,”  she then clapped happily, “we have to make a plan, a brilliant plan to grant this wish.”

Just a month after that, Li Yin got the permission to go to France. She then bid goodbye to everyone in Korea.

12 years later……

“Doctor, I have a fever!” 

“Really? Then please lay down. I will check you up.”  He approached his desk and took the stethoscope and thermometer. The young boy was just waiting patiently for the doctor. 

“Now,”  the doctor spoke, “open your mouth so I can check your temperature.”  The boy followed his direction. They waited patiently and when the time was over, the doctor took the thermometer.

“Hm, Young Jae-sshi, you seem lying to me. Your temperature is not high.”

“But I am sick! I can feel it! Your equipment must be broken!” 

“Okay. I believe you. Let me call your mom, okay?”  Then the boy turned to pale. His scheme was discovered. He then jumped hastily from the bed.

“Wait! Where are you going?”

“I am just lying, Doctor Kim! Please don’t call my mother or I will get punishment!”  Jong Dae smiled then he patted his little patient’s head softly, “that’s alright. I know you are here to see Jin Ri noona, right?”  Young Jae just nodded, “she is at the receptionist desk. You can see her there, rather than be in here. I will not call your mother. I forgive you.”

Young Jae smiled widely, “Thank you Doctor Kim! You are the best!”  He then got out from the practice room as Jong Dae smiled too seeing him. When he was about to reach his seat, the nurse, or you can say his only assistant at this little clinic, came in.

“That Young Jae,”  she began to speak, “how could he not understand that Jin Ri is not a show?”  Jong Dae smirked, “he will learn, Mrs. Choi. How’s her pregnancy, by the way? Has she checked it to the doctor that I recommended?”

“Yes, she has.  Thank you so much, darling. He said that she and her baby are healthy.”

“Glad to know. I am just helping a bit, Mrs. Choi.”

“A bit? What you have done is amazing, Doctor Kim! You took us when we were at the lowest point of our life!”

“That’s because my mother said you were the best nurse this town’s hospital could offer.”

“Yes, it was before everything happened,”  Mrs. Choi sighed, “but really, Jong Dae-sshi, thank you so much. You really help us.”

“You’re welcome.”  Jong Dae then drank the coffee that she bought. “Is there anything else, Mrs. Choi?”

“Uh….you know….your mother called.” 

“When was that?”

“This morning. She asked about you and…..girls.”  Jong Dae smiled warmly. He knew where this would be going. His mother and her dream to have grandchildren at the shortest time. She even thought Jin ri’s expectant baby was his.

And this time, she really wanted to adopt the baby. But Jong Dae refused the plan. The baby is Jin Ri’s and her family’s. He or everyone else, including the baby’s father, had any rights to get the baby. Well, technically, the father had, but he ditched it long ago so Jong Dae thought he had no rights more.

“Did she? What did you tell her?”

“She asked to give her full report on your dating life. I just said I didn’t know much because I sensed I had no right to pry on your private life.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Choi.”

“But son,”  Mrs. Choi spoke, “I agree with your mother. You should find yourself a girl. You are a young successful doctor and have good personality and looks. I think there will be a lot of girls want to be your wife. Why don’t you just take a look?”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“Is this because of that girl? The girl beside you at that photo?”  She pointed one particular photo. It was a photo of him, Yi Xing and of course, Li Yin. It was taken at the airport, just before she got into the passengers’ room. That was the latest photo he had with Li Yin. For twelve years, there were no photos, emails, or even any single information about her that he had heard. Yi Xing himself had settled at other part of Seoul. He rarely met Yi Xing, so he hadn’t heard anything from Li Yin since.

It was not Li Yin’s mistake. Yi Xing and his family moved just after his father got a mutation to Busan, thus made Yi Xing had to get accepted at Busan University. Then Jong Dae moved out from his family’s house after he took his professional status as a doctor. He dedicated himself to work at the little suburban city. He was alone at first; sometimes he hired local people to help him at the clinic, but seven months ago, Mrs. Choi along with her daughter, who was recently pregnant at that time, joined his clinic, since they searched sanctuary from people. Yi Xing then got moved back to Seoul while his parents stayed in Busan, but they hadn’t really contacted.

Let’s just say they were lost in contact. That was why he hadn’t heard any news about Li Yin.

“Mom!”  Jin Ri came in, “I am sorry Doctor Kim, but someone wants to talk to you. He is waiting at the phone line now.”

“Oh, who is he?”

“He said his name is Zhang Yi Xing. He said something important was coming up, like news about his jie’s comeback is important for you.” 

this is the very first chapter. I hope you like it :) I also hope you can understand the story from here.