“Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She was really playful and innocent, and I met her when I was at the orphanage. I grew up in the orphanage, and I was quiet and never talked to any of the other kids, and she was the only one that dared to talk to me. We would always play by the sandbox, and she would mess up her hair and become very dirty, causing the caretakers there to get really angry with her.”, Cha Hakyeon smiled as the camera focused on him. He loved the attention, that everyone, even the sunbaes were listening intently to his story.

“She was my first love, but I never knew her name, and when I was 15 I left the orphanage, and I never saw her again...”

“Ahh.... So you haven't met her in 6 years already?”, Kang Ho Dong asked, and N nodded in reply.

“Have you ever returned to that orphanage to see her?”, Boom questioned.

“I returned to the orphanage recently, but I found out that she's left it already. Orphanage said that she's changed her name, and they cannot reveal any of her personal particulars, so it's pretty much impossible for me to find her..”

Everyone in the studio nodded sympathetically. N smiled weakly, despite all the attention. This was his signaling beacon, the only method he could think of. The more attention the story got, the higher the chance of her listening to it, if she was still in a place where he could reach her...

*          *          *

Choi Sera was watching the television while she did her chores. Her foster mother and 'sisters' were lounging on the sofa as she swept the floor. They were watching this variety TV talk show program which she found to be quite boring. It was a perfect representation of self-absorbed people – idols come around and tell stories about themselves, thinking that everyone was interested in them and their stupid stories. She rolled her eyes at the last person who told a rather uninteresting story about how her first love cheated on her. How typical, a sad sob story to get the audience to sympathize with you and be on your side.

“Omona!! It's N's turn!! Look, it's N-oppa's turn!!” her sisters gushed.

“...What kind of a stupid name is 'N'?”, Sera muttered.

“You're the stupid one, missy! N is this super perfect guy – he has good looks, can dance and sing well, and he has a wonderful personality! If you don't like him, there must be something wrong with your brains~” the elder of the two spitefully replied.

Sera sighed in defeat. It wouldn't be of any use to talk back to her. She continued sweeping the floor, causing screams of annoyance when she occasionally obscured the television from her sisters' sight.

“...I grew up in the orphanage, and I was quiet and never talked to any of the other kids, and she was the only one that dared to talk to me. We would always play by the sandbox, and she would mess up her hair and become very dirty, causing the caretakers there to get really angry with her...”

“An idol from an orphanage? I call bull. Must be another sob story..” Sera thought, knowing better than to voice her opinions.

“She was my first love, but I never knew her name, and when I was 15 I left the orphanage to train, and I never saw her again...”

“Ah. But I know someone like that...”, she thought. “He would always laugh when I messed up my hair and the caretakers scolded me, so I made an effort to get really messy when I played in the sandbox. I was pretty stupid then.” Sera laughed to herself.

“Idiot, what are you laughing at??”, the younger of the two spat. “You're blocking out N oppa's beautiful voice!”

Sera glanced to look at the television, ignoring her. The younger one was a bit of a pushover, she would always follow her mother and her sister and act really mean. She would be a nice person, Sera thought, if she was surrounded by better people.

Cha Hakyeon's face appeared on the television with a vague smile. Sera dropped her broomstick in surprise.

*          *          *

N was sitting in the van, driving back to the dorm with his groupmate, who was playing a game on the iPad. Ken sighed as he lost his game yet another time. He threw the iPad aside and groaned in frustration, deciding to turn his attention to something that would lift his spirits.

“Hyungggggggieeeeeeeee~ You did a good job~ I didn't know you were capable of creating stories like that.” the aegyo-filled grown man praised N.

“Idiot-Ken, that wasn't made up!” N gave Ken an expression of mock-disappointment, and hitting Ken lightly on his head. Ken laughed and told him it sounded like something from a drama and was too good to be true. N frowned at his words. What if people laughed at his story and told him that it was bull? His reputation being tarnished would be a problem, but more importantly, he wouldn't be able to get the story out. What if she didn't see it?

*          *          *

Choi Sera retreated to her room after washing the dishes. Her foster mother and sisters were already sound asleep, and she retreated to the small little hardly noticeable room to the side of the main house. She took the thin mattress out of her wardrobe, set it down, and retrieved a little pink jewelry box from the rundown drawer at the corner of the room – her prized possession. The orphanage had given it to her when she left after being adopted.

She opened it, and in it was the bracelet that was given to her by a little boy with brown hair, the same one who was really quiet, but laughed warmly when she got scolded and played with her in the sandbox. He told her that he found the pendant and made the bracelet himself. The heart-shaped pendent aligned perfectly with the heart-shaped birthmark she had on her wrist.

She sighed.

...It can't be him...