“I’m late… I’m not supposed to be late… Not this time… It’s that little girl’s fault… If she wasn’t so manipulating, my Omma wouldn’t let me do chores… Nam Soo Hyun, you’re going to pay for this!”

 

          A young man of 17 mumbles while running towards the nearest bus stop… With his long legs he was able to make it at the stop a minute earlier than the planned time of meeting. He stopped to catch his breath, looking around he tries to spot a head of orange blonde hair… A color that usually stands out from the crowd. And he thinks to himself how unique Maeng Hyun Joo is.

 

 He looks around again, there wasn’t any sign of her being there… He checked his watch… It’s 9AM… He did get the time right… He checked his phone again and he found out that he has a message. This must be from Hyun Joo. Opening the message, he was shocked on what was written on it, it was from Hyun Joo but it wasn’t the happy message he was expecting.

 

****

          Lee Seung Yeol is sitting on the curve in front of their house, looking at his phone. Rereading the last message Hyun Joo sent him before she decided to ignore him completely. How can he forget that they were supposed to meet at 8AM? They decided to start early so they’d have plenty of time to go around the Han River. He was the one who suggested it. He can’t believe he forgot…

 

          “Yeollie-oppa! Annyeong!!! What are you doing here all alone…?” A little girl wearing a patched dress carrying a knitted bag approached the brooding guy. Upon seeing the little girl, he immediately stood up and started walking towards their house. “Oppa, sonmeol!!!” The little girl shouted.

 

          Curiosity got the better of him so he turned around to see what it was. The kid was making a heart sign and throwing it in his direction. Seung Yeol shakes his head, this girl has a tendency to be overly cheesy, aside from being overly hyper-active. He hated the Nams that moved to the house next door. Eversince they moved in he has been pestered by their youngest, the middle child Nam Woo Hyun wasn’t any different. He just directs his greasiness towards the ladies. Thank god for Nam Boo Hyun, the eldest son… He’s the only normal child in that family. Hmm… thinking about it, maybe he could ask Boo Hyun-hyung for advice.

 

          “Is your brother at home…”

 

          “Woo Hyun-oppa?” This little girl really has a tendency to overdo acting cute.

 

          “No, the more useful one… Boo Hyun-hyung…”

 

          “Oh… he is… Woo Hyun-oppa and him are playing basketball, do you want to join them…”

 

          Thinking it over, Seung Yeol decided to just go for it. He needed a plan and Boo Hyun-hyung might be a big help regardless if he has crazy siblings.

****

          Today is the start of the Seven Days of Winning Maeng Hyun Joo Back. After talking with Nam Boo Hyun, Lee Seung Yeol finally figured out what he needs to do. He’s going to give her the perfect date she always wanted and a more perfect gift. He just hopes that she’d be more cooperative on the 7^th day.

 

          He’s waiting for Nam Soo Hyun to arrive with what she says as “THE HELP” Team. He wasn’t really keen on accepting any help from the child but she insisted and any resistance would bring him trouble especially from his mother who adores the little girl more than him.

 

          “Seung Yeol-oppa!!!! Soo Hyun is here with the The HELP Team…”

 

          “There’s no need to shout, everybody is looking at us… Aish!”

 

          “Ya, Lee Seung Yeol… Don’t bully my sister…” Nam Woo Hyun says while approaching the little girl who is now pouting. Seung Yeol has to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

 

          “So, who are these people?” Looking at each one of them, he recognizes a few to be in the same school as him… One he’s really not familiar with and another one who looks like he would want to be anywhere but here.

 

          “They’re your elves… Since I bet Hyun Joo unnie wouldn’t want to see your face as of the moment… They’ll be delivering the gifts to her… Oppa-deul, please introduce yourselves…” The little girl did this bunny ear gesture at said Oppas, two of them giggled at the little girl’s cuteness, the other two just smiled and the last fellow didn’t even bat an eyelash, Seung Yeol decided then that he likes that fellow even if his gaze makes him look intimidating.

 

          “I’m Kim Sung Gyu, I believe we’ve seen each other in school before…” The guy with the eye smile waved at him and he thinks he remembers bumping into him in school once.

 

          “I’m Ho Ya… And I’ve never met you before… I’m friends with Woo Hyun…” A guy who has manly features and sharp canines greeted him with a wave…

 

          “I’m Jang Dong Woo… We attend the same Literature Class…” Seung Yeol smiles at him, remembering a poem that Dong Woo wrote in Lit Class. Everybody enjoyed it since instead of just reciting the poem he presented it as a rap. Everyone started calling him Charming Eyes after that.

 

          “I’m Lee Sung Jeong… Lee Ho Won’s younger brother…” Seung Yeol stares at the kid and thinks to himself… Who’s Lee Ho Won?

 

          “Ya, Sung Jeong-ah… I told you not to call me that…” The guy named Ho Ya (or Ho Won as everyone now knows) reprimanded Sung Jong, who just smiled at his hyung.

 

          “I’m L…” Seung Yeol looks at the guy with the piercing eyes waiting for him to say more… A few seconds had passed but the guy didn’t say anything else.

 

          “So, I guess that ends the introductions… Can we proceed to the plan?”

 

          “Ya, Lee Seung Yeol… I haven’t introduced myself yet…”

 

          “I already know you, Woo Hyun… I don’t need an Intro from you…”

  

          “Yeollie-oppa, as Boo Hyun oppa has told you the other day… We’ve got to follow this diligently or else the plan would be ruined…”

 

          “You’re a scary kid, you know that…”

****

Lee Seung Yeol’s Seven Days to Winning Maeng Hyun Joo Back (PLUS Creating the Perfect Christmas Date and Present)

 

Monday (19.12.11)

          Spotted Maeng Hyun Joo doing the groceries as reported by Nam Soo Hyun…

 

          “Unnie, Annyeonghaseyo!!! “

 

          “Oh, Soo Hyunnie… What are you doing here? Are you alone…?” Hyun Joo looks around to find the little kid’s parents even her brothers but she can’t see anyone around.

 

          “Aniyo… I’m with a friend… Unnie is really pretty today…”

 

          Maeng Hyun Joo has known Soo Hyun eversince she started dating Lee Seung Yeol (she shakes her head, she’s still mad at that guy for forgetting the actual time of their date), she’s a cute little kid… but sometimes she thinks that Soo Hyun’s going a bit overboard on the fan service (Blame it on Woo Hyun for letting her little sister witness his greasiness).

 

          “Umm… Excuse me…” A guy with a really cute smile approached her. 

 

          “Sung Gyu-sunbaenim…” she thinks to herself, is he with Soo Hyun? Looking around the little girls is nowhere in sight.

 

          He smiled at her again and handed over a rectangular box wrapped in candy stripped paper. After giving her the box the guy made a wave motion with two hands and walked away. Curious as to what the gift was, she hastily gathered her groceries and proceeded home. Once home she didn’t waste time opening the present… And she has… A nutcracker… Well, it’s close to Christmas so having this type of gift isn’t really unusual… But why would Sung Gyu-sunbaenim give her a gift… She’s only met him once during a Judo competition that she thinks he was just forced to join, seeing as he looks like he’s going to break his spine while trying to lift his opponent… Turning the nutcracker around… She noticed a note attached to the nutcrackers base. In cursive writing so unfamiliar to her, it says:

 

Why, Why… Why, Why

 

Tuesday (20.12.11)

          Spotted Maeng Hyun Joo sweeping their front lawn, as reported by Soo Hyunnie…

 

          Maeng Hyun Joo was distracted, after receiving that gift from Sung Gyu-sunbaenim yesterday, she didn’t know if it was a prank or maybe it was a misplaced note. Sung Gyu-sunbaenim and her weren’t really on friendly terms, so why would he give her a gift… and what’s more puzzling is the note. She was so busy thinking about this that she didn’t notice someone approaching her.

 

          “Annyeonghaseyo…” A male with dirty blonde hair approached her, smiling from ear to ear. The guy is not familiar… So what is it that he wants from her… getting her defence up… She raised the broom that she was holding just in case the guy was some kind of… mad person or something.

 

          “I come in peace…” He said this while laughing heartily. Well, someone with that smile couldn’t do any harm (and she remembers Lee Seung Yeol smiling like an idiot, she shakes her head at that.  He hasn’t tried to contact her after the incident, now she really wants to hit something).  “Ummm… Excuse me…”

 

          She was taken back to the present by someone shaking her arm. She forgot that there was someone there, she should stop thinking about that choding.

 

          “You’re Maeng Hyun Joo, right?”

 

          “Yes… Why?”

 

          The guy smiles again and she could see his gums. He has a really wide smile, she thought. Like yesterday, this guy also handed over a candy stripped wrapped gift but smaller than what she received yesterday. And then he started walking away.

 

          “Ya! What’s this?! Who is this from? And who are you?!”

 

          The guy turns around and does a bow you only see in old medieval movies.  “Just call me Charming eyes…” After saying that he left… This is getting more puzzling…          Sitting down on the curve, she immediately opened the gift. It was a cross between a windmill and a chopper, well… she really has no idea what to call it… This is the first time she’s seen something like it… And again on the bottom of the gift was a note, saying:

 

I feel like dying and my head hurts.

         

Wednesday (21.12.11)

          Spotted Maeng Hyun Joo shopping with friends, as reported by Soo Hyunnie…

 

          Maeng Hyun Joo was with her friends, looking for Christmas presents to give to their loved ones… She’s really not in the mood to go out since she hasn’t received any text messages from Seung Yeol. She didn’t want to message him first… It was his fault in the first place. After the series of text messages he sent on that day, she hasn’t heard from him. He hasn’t even shown up at their house yet. He usually does that when he’s at fault. She was thinking this when one of her friends tugged her arm…

 

          “Nam Woo Hyun is approaching us…”

 

          She wasn’t too fond of Nam Woo Hyun. They were acquainted because he was Soo Hyun’s older brother. He’s greasy and does fan service like there’s no tomorrow… He isn’t a playboy (heck is actually awkward around girls) he just goes overboard with his aegyo.

 

          “Hyun Joo-ya… Annyeong!”

 

          “Annyeong…  Nam Woo Hyun…” Her friends are eyeing the both of them. Really, what does Nam Woo Hyun want from her…

 

          “There’s a gift here for you… Soo Hyunnie picked this especially…  So please take care of it well.“ He handed he over a cylindrical gift wrapped in navy blue paper.

 

          “Who is this from?”

 

          “That’s a secret…” And he smiles this greasy smile of his. Would it be worth it to hit him with this gift?

 

          “Nam Woo Hyun-ah… You know something about this, right?”

 

          “I have no idea what you’re talking about… I’m just an elf… See ya!” And he exits while jumping around clapping his feet in mid-air.

 

          “Hyun Joo-ah… Let’s open it….”

 

          Opening the gift… It was a coin bank… shaped like a snowman… What would she do with this… And why is she getting random gifts from people she barely knows?

 

          “There’s a note!” Why isn’t she surprised?

 

Even when I reminisce the memories. Why can’t I see it?

 

Thursday (22.12.11)

          Spotted Maeng Hyun Joo at the park, by the swings. As reported by the great (and cute) Nam Soo Hyunnie…

 

          Maeng Hyun Joo was in a bad mood. She hasn’t received any text messages from Seung Yeol… If he’s going to ignore her this whole time, she’s going to make her move. She’s thinking hot water and a broom. But it’s really odd for Seung Yeol not to get in touch with her. He’s usually the confrontational type. She misses their bickering.

 

          “Would it be okay if I join you?”

 

          Hyun Joo frowns, this is her ME Time, she hates interruptions. Then she remembers she’s in a public park. Trying her best to smile at the person who asked her that question, she nods her head and continued with her thoughts…

 

          “It’s a nice day, isn’t it?”

 

          She’s really not in the mood to talk so she kept silent. The guy is a complete stranger, she can’t even remember if he lives around here. He doesn’t look familiar. Maybe he’s friends with Woo Hyun seeing as he has a well-built body, he might be one of his gym buddies or something.

 

          “Here…”

 

          “Eh?” She looked at the package that he was handing over to her. It was wrapped simply on recycled paper.  A thought occurred to her… Are these guys playing tricks on her? Is this some kind of a bet? Like whose gift she would prefer best.

 

          “Why are you giving me this?”

 

          “Because I’m an elf…” After saying that he stood up and runaway. Weird Guy. She tore through the package, seeing a reindeer figurine and a puppet but she ignored that looking for an all too familiar note, she found it attached to the reindeer’s tail.

 

You were overflowing to me, because I was sorry

 

Friday (23.12.11)

          Maeng Hyun Joo spotted at a Café by herself. As reported by the good side kick, Nam Soo Hyunnie (regardless of what that bamboo pole choding says).

 

          Looking around the café, Maeng Hyun Joo can’t help but feel lonely. Envious of the couples that are laughing and talking. She and Seung Yeol used to frequent this café because he’s addicted to Americano. How he’s able to drink that without adding sugar is still a puzzle to her. And it’s odd that she ordered it when she really doesn’t like the taste. She obviously misses the pabo. It’s almost a week and still nothing.

 

          “Noona, are you alone?”

 

          She looks up and she sees a pretty boy dressed in greens and reds with matching Santa hat… She thinks, is there  a big sign on my forehead saying  “Please bother me”

 

          “I’m Lee Sung Jong… You probably don’t know who I am… But I know you… a bit… I’m just here to deliver your present… “

 

          He handed over a Christmas sock that matched his Santa hat… This is creeping her out…

 

          “Would you be able to give me an answer if I asked who this is from?”

 

          “Noona, mian… I’m just an elf… I’ll see you around…  Annyeong…” Like the others from the past days, he exits skipping.

 

          She slowly opens the Christmas sock to find a snowball and a card… Seeing that the message might be in the card instead of a note, she read its contents…

 

amazing.. You.. amazing.. and I.. amazing.. how did we become

 

Saturday (24.12.11)

          Spotted, Maeng Hyun Joo is being a bum… She hasn’t gone out of their house since yesterday afternoon. As reported by the ever reliable Nam Soo Hyun.

 

          She has decided. If he wouldn’t make a move today. She’s going to consider their relationship over.  She has no intentions of doing this but with the way things are going… She might as well forget that Lee Seung Yeol ever existed… Maybe she’ll take a pick from the guys who gave her presents. They might be secret admirers or something.

 

          The ringing of the doorbell interrupted her musings. It’s still too early to get visitors but she stood up to take a look anyway it might be Seung Yeol though she doubt that he’d be ringing the doorbell, he had a habit of banging the door to announce his presence.

 

          Upon opening the door she came face to face with one of the most handsome faces she has seen in her entire life. This person looked absolutely perfect. Why would someone like this person visit her?

 

          A few seconds has passed and the person in front of her hasn’t told her his purpose.

 

          “You’re Maeng Hyun Joo?” The fantasy was broken when he spoke in this nasal tone. So this perfect being isn’t really that perfect. And how can he  be so straight forward. This is the first time she’s seeing him. Shouldn’t he talk formally?

 

          “Here…” He hands over, more like shoved a box wrapped in pale paper with a red ribbon to her.

 

          “Don’t tell me… You’re an elf, as well?”

 

          “No… I’m an Inspirit…” After that he walked away. Looking at the guy she felt like she was watching a music video, with him looking up and smiling like that.  A nasal voice can’t ruin perfection.

 

          Remembering the package, she tore through it and was surprised to see two heart cushions… it was something that she really wanted when she saw it in one of the stores she and Seung Yeol visited. Could it be…?  Looking for a note, she sees it taped on the back of the box.

 

Nothing's Over

 

          She flipped over the note, and in an all too familiar handwriting it says:

 

Meet me at the park near your house 5 minutes before 12mn tonight. I wouldn’t be late. My girlfriend hates late comers.

 

Saturday (24.12.11) 5 minutes before midnight…

          Maeng Hyun Joo is excited. She wonders what Seung Yeol has in store for her. He’s actually not much of an organized person but she doesn’t mind that.

 

          She was waiting for him to arrive when she spotted Nam Soo Hyun approaching her.

 

          “Unnie, please come this way…”

 

          “But Seung Yeol and I are supposed to meet here…”

 

          “Nevermind Seung Yeol-oppa… I have a better surprise for you…”

 

          Soo Hyun dragged her into a clearing she hasn’t ventured in the park before. It was a private property so no one dares enter it since the grumpy owner beats up anyone who trespasses.

 

          “Please wait here…”

 

          The place was void of light. Sensing that Soo Hyun isn’t there anymore, she tried to look around her surroundings. A faint sound of music can be heard from somewhere… it was actually getting closer but it was too dark to decipher where it’s coming from. She heard a soft voice singing. A very familiar song, she remembers Seung Yeol playing this over and over.

 

If I go back into this alley, maybe she will appear and surprise me again (I can fly & fly again)

 

Shining even more in the white snow that shone through the dark night

I might, I might, I might still

 

Love you, a fluttering hope yeah~ a confession I couldn’t tell you yeah~

I’ll go find you with the white snow and tell it to you yeah~ I’ll tell it looking you in the eyes yeah~ The love that I still have yeah~

 

I want to at least give it to you now

 

          Looking ahead she spots a light floating towards her, inspecting it she figured that it was coming from a cake lit up with candles. She smiles widely when she recognized who was holding the cake…

 

          “Pabo… Where’s my gift?”

 

          “It’s right here…” Lee Seung Yeol points at the ribbons on his neck, there was a note attached to it as well. “Aren’t you going to read the note? Notes are significant too, you know…”

 

          Hyun Joo took out the note from the ribbon and read it.

 

You’re still doing well, right?.. You’re still doing well, right?.. You, who was special..

 

Merry Christmas!! ^^v

 

          The music got louder... so this is his White Confession… She was about to say something when Seung Yeol gestured for her to flip the note over. She did what she was told and in the back, in really small characters…

         

          “Ya! How am I supposed to read this… it’s too small…”

 

          “That’s what the candles are for… Pabo…”

 

          “Ya, did you just…”

 

          “Maeng Hyun Joo… the candles are about to burn down… please read the note or you’ll ruin the moment…”

 

          Looking grudgingly at him, Hyun Joo read the note and she smiled at what was written on it…

 

Few folk have seen a Fairy

But I found this one for you.

If you believe with all your might

He’ll make your dreams come true.

 

          Lee Seung Yeol is smiling widely at her and he suddenly snapped his fingers. More than a hundred fireflies lit up the dark area illuminating the both of them.

 

          “Sowonuel marhaebwa…”

 

          At that moment, she thinks that the fairies already granted her wish.

 

****

          In the background…

 

          “Ya… Lee Sung Jeong your stepping on my foot…”

 

          “Ah, mianhae… Sung Gyu-hyung….”

 

          “Dong Woo-ya… don’t steal my rap parts…”

 

          “Is it time to start throwing my flying hearts… Ya… Is anyone listening to me?”

 

          “Myeong Soo-oppa… You’re supposed to free the fireflies… They’ll get scared if you keep staring at them like that…”