Characters: Shin Hyejeong, Seo Yuna

Genre: Romance

Word Count: 1180

Yuna has nothing left after losing her mother to cancer. The girl practically gave up on everything in life. She stopped schooling, she stopped working, and she wished she could stop living as well but she remembered what her mother told her: “don’t stop.”

Yuna’s father abandoned them when she was five. Yuna’s the only child in her family. Now, she’s all alone. Yuna is kind of an introvert so she doesn’t have any friends. She’s a top scorer in her school but it’s sad that things happened this way.

Yuna is walking along the streets on Myeongdong. She saw a girl around her age giving out balloons with a big smile.

‘She must have come from a perfect family, I am so jealous.’

“Hi! Please take a smile!” The girl handed Yuna a balloon but Yuna just gave the girl a mere look and walked away.

She sat in front of the river bank and thought about her life, she didn’t do anything wrong so why did God do this to her? She hates her life so much right now, she has nobody to rely on, nobody to have fun with, nobody to rant to.

“Hello, remember me?” A girl appeared beside Yuna. It was the girl who handed her a balloon just now.’

Yuna looked at the girl and looked back at the river in front of her.

“Here, I kept a balloon for you!” The girl took the balloon for Yuna but the latter still ignores her.

“C’mon, take a smile!” The girl took Yuna’s hand. The balloon has a smile printed on it.

“Lame.” The only word that came out from Yuna’s mouth.

“It is not lame okay! Many people took this balloon and they smiled!” The girl retaliated.

“I am Shin Hyejeong. What’s your name?” Hyejeong introduced herself.

“Seo Yuna.”

“How old are you then?” Hyejeong asked.

“19.” Yuna replied shortly without looking at Hyejeong.

“Oh I’m 23!” Hyejeong said excitedly.

“I got it.” Yuna smiled faintly and Hyejeong’s heart melted when the dimples appeared on Yuna’s face.

“Hey… Why are you so gloomy?” Hyejeong nudged Yuna.

“Why are you so talkative?” Yuna shot back.

“This is the way I am!” Hyejeong laughed at her own joke.

“Can I have your number?” Hyejeong bravely asked.

“For what? I’m a very boring person; I don’t encourage people to make friends with me.”

Hyejeong slapped Yuna’s arm, “C’mon! You have nothing to lose righ?!”

Yuna gave up; she took out a pen and wrote her number on Hyejeong’s shirt.

“Wait for my call tonight!” Yuna didn’t respond to what Hyejeong said and just walked away but she smiled a bit.

‘This girl is quite interesting…’

Hyejeong look at Yuna before she disappears in her sight.

‘She is so pretty… Gah… I’m in love with her…’

-

Yuna reached home to an empty house, she hates it so much. She threw herself onto the bed and started crying out of no reason. She has become even weaker after being left alone.

After crying for several minutes, Yuna’s phone started ringing. It was from an unknown number. She picked it up.

“Hello?” Yuna answered.

‘Hi! I’m Hyejeong!’

“Oh… Hello…”

‘You don’t sound right, are you crying?’

“No…”

‘Alright then.. I’ll be at Cheongdamdong tomorrow, come down to look for me okay! I’ll buy you a meal!’

“For what?”

‘Can’t I buy my new friend a meal…???’ Yuna could feel Hyejeong pouting.

“I’m not your friend.”

‘Seo Yuna! I’m going to be so hurt if you say this!’

“Just kidding… Okay Okay. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

‘See you Yuna!’

With that, they ended their conversation. Yuna didn’t know why but she feels happy when talking to Hyejeong even for a short while. She recalled how she felt a sense of protection when Hyejeong was beside her just now at the river bank. Who knows, maybe this time someone genuinely wants to be her friend?

-

Yuna was supposed to meet Hyejeong at 11am, but she went to Cheongdamdong at 7am. She just doesn’t want to stay at home alone. She rather go out and face other people than to stay at home facing the four walls.

Yuna saw the banner where Hyejeong will be giving out balloons at, so she sat there.

“Yuna!” Yuna turned to the source of voice.

“Hyejeong?” Yuna’s eyes widened.

“I made breakfast for you!” Hyejeong took out the sandwiches she made.

“Why are you so good to me?” Yuna asked all of a sudden.

“Because I like you. I want to take care of you and I want to protect you.” Hyejeong confessed.

“W—what…?” Yuna was dumbfounded.

“Please give me a chance to know you more.” Hyejeong held Yuna’s hands.

Yuna was hesitating. She didn’t want to accept anyone into her life, because they will leave her eventually and she is so tired of people coming in and out of her life like nobody’s business but Hyejeong just made her feel secure.

“Tell me what happened? Is there any problems with your family?” Hyejeong asked a sensitive question. Yuna didn’t know if she should tell Hyejeong everything.

“My… My mom lost her life to cancer, and now I’m left all alone.” Yuna said briefly.

“I’m sorry… Then what about your dad?”

“He abandoned us when I was five…” Yuna cried.

“Yuna, it’s okay. You can cry everything out. But, aren’t you still in college?” Hyejeong side hugged Yuna.

“I stopped schooling when my mom is fighting with the cancerous cells in her body. I need to take care of her and be by her side.”

Yuna looked at Hyejeong, “Promise me you won’t leave me, please. Don’t ever leave me.” Yuna hugged Hyejeong and the moment Hyejeong started brushing her hair, Yuna broke down even harder.

“I won’t, I promise.” Hyejeong wiped away the tears on Yuna’s face and went behind the banner.

“Now, take a smile!” Hyejeong handed her first balloon of the day to Yuna and this time, Yuna really smiled.

From that day onwards, Yuna and Hyejeong have never left each other. They go to any places TOGETHER. All thanks to Hyejeong’s balloons, whenever Yuna is sad or when she thinks about her mom or dad, Hyejeong would tell Yuna to take a smile and make her happy.

All thanks to Hyejeong, Yuna gathered all her courage and went back to college to study. Hyejeong would often pick Yuna up when she’s done with her classes and bring her to ice cream parlors. Hyejeong also got her parents’ consent to move in with Yuna at her apartment so that Yuna won’t feel lonely.

During the weekends, Yuna would help Hyejeong to give out smiles at certain places. She was shocked when Hyejeong told her she’s doing this without receiving any wages. But she’s happy when she sees people smile after receiving her balloon. Turns out to be that Hyejeong came from a rich family and it’s rare to see a rich girl being so humble, that’s what Yuna love about Hyejeong too.