The purpose of our life is to be happy. 

Your precious parents, the cranky aged neighbor, the sole owner of a regular café that you visit often or even Dalai Lama. They all have used this one specific quote to give your existence a better self-esteem. 

Moments that wished a much better outcome seemed to never come, until I received an indeclinable opportunity to move right back where I originally came from. 

South Korea. 

My mom and dad were acting hesitant, not knowing if it was the proper choice to let me alone in a foreign country far away from where we were living now. I have always been treated fairly positive by my family members, both of my parents never rejected any of my or my sister's decisions. 

Still, they could not let their child stay miserable and regrettable forever.

There is a catch to this story though. My diligent mind only drifted towards one uncluttered goal, meeting my long-lost childhood friend. I honestly missed that cheerful boy, from which I was four years apart in age while that did not stop us from becoming depended on one another.

Thus, being in the middle of chaos and panic, sounds of rolling luggage and engaging conversations entered my mind as I found myself landed on Incheon International Airport. 

I told myself, Park Eunhee, you are in a country that was once not unfamiliar to you. Just be brave, get yourself together and work hard for what you came here for.

And with this peptalk, several months later between busy workdays I had finally found the needed free time for yours truly. 

The weather had peaked its most humid, sweat dripping as I dressed myself like a scrawny tomboy what contradicted my usual style. The right hand on my limb opened the door to walk into the 24/7 open convenience store, meeting the frigid air that was blown onto my face through the air-conditioning at once. 

Although the clock had clicked its midnight race, I craved for a cold Iced Americano while slumping towards the fridges where they sold plastic cups with alluring ice cubes. 

I yawned contagiously, squinting my droopy eyes until I saw two peculiar men on the opposite side of me. Their looks drilled screws in my brain as if I had done something to them in my previous life.

Appearing indeed taller than the general height of Korean people, the beanie guy and the oversized shirt guy looked quite frightening if it was not for the way they behaved silly. I diverted my view downwards, grabbing the plastic cup and package with the liquid coffee before waiting at the counter. 

The worker scanned my products annoyingly slow, the laundry detergents that I had to buy where nonetheless heavy for that poor, tired part-timer. At this point I had enough, my personality speaking for me as I did not want to back out of a conversation unless it is the way to deal with it. 

And before I wanted to turn around to let the balls rolling, a masculine voice mockingly scoffed his disbelieve. 'Hello? You seriously do not know me?'

My head rapidly turned around to stare back, the both of them were in a closer distance now which made me realize one thing. 

I am screwed. 

That dork was on every single page that I have been working on for the past couple of months. It is kind of ironic, this oversized shirt guy did not recognize me at the magazine shoot. Let alone the beanie guy who is basically named the Sold-Out King. I wanted to come clean, but a little bit of fun was not something I wanted to be reneged from. 

Paying my trivial errands, I titled the heavy shopping box while turning around and nudging towards the guys. 'No, but can I ask for a favor? Could you help me picking up this box because it is pretty heavy. I live in the building opposite from here so if it is not a burden, please consider helping me this one time.'

The pout on my lips made the beanie guy snicker outrageously loud, getting all the glares from my end as no one except us is at this store while slapping the other one on the shoulder. 'Yah Kim Mingyu, you are not that famous. Say, do you perhaps know me?'

In comparison to his taller friend, the beanie guy was definitely much more knowable worldwide. 

And as my playful side wanted to come out, puffing my acting frustration out like air of my lips as I set the heavy box down to the ground while folding my arms. 'No, why would I? Should I? Are you guys some famous Youtubers who jump from one building to another?'

The beanie guy rubbed his face with one hand, the infamous tattoo sleeve revealed at instant as he looked quite astonished. 'Wah, this dude is living under a stone.'

Dude? Oh, you got to be kidding me! 

My hands picked the grocery box up with difficulty, shoving it into the taller guy's arms. The veins immediately popped up as the other one snickered again. 

Walking myself lazily towards the exit, I looked back while I waved the guys to come and follow. 'Excuse me, are you seriously letting a lady walk alone home at this hour? Help now or regret it for life.'

Pretty weird that they followed like obedient puppies, even though that their statuses and the numerous dangers coming with it would probably sentence them to the devil's pit. 

Idols do live a beautiful dream that could turn into a nightmare right away if wrong choices are made. I collaborated with them day by day, as an editor of Allure Korea gave me an insight into their lives, and I must say that I need to give them props to after seeing what they go through.

Arriving at my doorstep was another milestone, their facial expressions getting more eccentric as I pushed my password in. 'So, you live here? In this house?'

Opening the door was an answer to the troublesome question, Mingyu setting the box just before the door line as his tall frame stepped out in reflex. 

The beanie guy named Jeon Jungkook looked conflicted, scratching his head while he mumbled something I was clearly not ignorant of. 'It is next to my place, dude.'

Are they afraid that I was one of those obsessive fans or something? I earned this apartment with all the blood and tears that I put into it, my parents helping me from their end as we are a bit on the richer side in society. 

I looked at the one who I was more disappointed in than the other, the one who should have said something and who I desperately needed to talk to all these long-dragged months. 'Okay, so? It is not like you are celebrities of some sort and we could get in a dating scandal for this. And by the way, I am not your dude. If you do not mind, I am really going to get myself a great shower with a good amount of sleep. Bye and see you guys around.'

I slammed the door in their surprised faces, hopefully bringing the message over that I wanted to stay in touch while minding the clear boundaries.

What did just happen in the middle of the night? 

The infamous two best friends were just going to get some drinks and call it a night, but when they saw that enigmatic girl in the store, their interests got immediately sparked up. 

Mingyu slapped both of his cheeks a couple of times while getting the other one's attention. 'I know her, Jungkook. I seriously do. Her eyes look so vaguely familiar. Oh my god Kim Min, you are so stupid. Where are your brains when you need them?'

Jungkook got himself a cup of water from which he took a big gulp, seeing his tall friend jaunting around the living room made him smirk from ear to ear. 'What? Her accent was undeniable, so that clearly makes her a foreigner with a bad attitude. From where would you even know someone like her? She honestly looks like you in your fashion terrorist era.'

Painfully frowning in deep thought, Mingyu buried his head in his hands while the laid-out issue came to sight. 'I do not know. I have met her before for sure. Here in Seoul but I somehow feel like it is longer ago. I need to look in my old photo albums for that.'

The beanie guy took his nickname right off, ruffling his natural black hair as he shrugged at Mingyu who was in clear confusion. Did Jungkook think that his friend was acting stupid and delusional? 

No, because this was not the first time that Mingyu behaved like he knew that girl. She walked a lot around this neighborhood which made more sense now. Every time his fellow idol had set his dark brown eyes on her, Mingyu would just freak out until Jungkook had enough. 

Getting freshened up was the only thing that the tall guy could do, his phone indicating that he got various messages from his mother. Scrolling and looking at the photo's that his parent had sent to him, one of them happened to be a couple of children in a sandbox. 

Those Bambi eyes, it was the girl without a doubt. 

Mingyu shoved the mobile device in Jungkook's face, who in return got startled as he was focusing himself on the TV-screen. 'See, I told you that I knew her. She is definitely Park Eunhee, the one who used to live around my neighborhood. How could she not recognize me? That is impossible.'

Jungkook chuckled under his breath while snatching the phone out of friend's hand, zooming in on the photo and their faces. 'Because you surely became uglier.'

Scoffing was the only thing that the fellow idol could do, grabbing his phone back while he stared at the younger version of the girl he was seeking. 'Says the one who only has handsome friends.'

There was no way that Mingyu was going to back out this given opportunity, ruffling his deep brown hair up. 'How are we going to make her remember me? She clearly does not want to speak to us anymore after that tantrum we have thrown on her.'

Just when Jungkook was about to give a suggestion that might would get Mingyu sulking all over again, a couple of timid knocks were heard on the door from where they were seated.

Honestly, I felt bad. 

Bad on how I had treated them, and mostly how I threw my one and only chance away to get my childhood friend to recognize me. I scrambled through my fridge, seeing and coming up with something that I could give as a token of apology. Well, soju is the solution to many problems. 

Sighingly breathing in and out, I made my way to the door of the house that seeming idols were supposed to be in. I reached with my clenched fist on the surface, knocking in a rhythm until I heard ruffling on the other side. 

The door was timidly turned open, revealing a disheveled Jungkook who screamed back behind. 'Mingyu, I think that this one is for you.'

My thick brows wrinkled at his comment, not knowing why the idol would be aware that I did not need him in particular. 

Once I met eye with Mingyu, who smiled earnestly back as I gave him the bottle of alcohol. 'A gift for helping me out. And for the apology that I owe to both of you all.'

They looked at each other before diverting their attention to me as I cleared my throat. 'I treated you like you were my workers or slaves even though I have just met you. Does this make it up for what I have caused, or should I prepare something else?'

Mingyu beamed his genuine smile in my direction again, shrugging as he suggested a whole different outcome. 'No, I know something better.'

The next day we both had leisure time in our own respective schedules. Mingyu decided to take the matter in his own hands by bringing me to the place where our childhood dreams started. A canicular afternoon traveled us to the vague familiar ground, my eyes scanned the surroundings while demanding an explanation. 'Are you planning on telling me why we are here Mingyu?'

While putting both hands in his pockets, Mingyu moved from one foot to another as he nudged and slumped further into the sand. 'Well, I just wanted to show you something. Something that you might like.'

I could only glower upon hearing my childhood friend's way of phrasing and on how he appeared next to me. 

My body was clad in navy basketball shorts with a white oversized shirt to beat the scorching hot weather, but Mingyu had contradicted the whole vibe. 'And why are you wearing a thick hoodie, beanie and mask when it is 90 degrees outside? Oh wait, your fictitious high standard celeb status. You almost look like that beanie friend of yours. Stop pretending Kim Mingyu!'

My legs set a jump to reach with my hands for his head, shoving the black mask almost off his face. 'Yah, yah stop! Don't take it off Park Eunhee!'

Grimace is the only aspect that suited my lips, Mingyu whined while setting the mask straight on his face again. 'I touched a part of your dignity, or rather dog-nity. Aigoo, you are such a whiny baby.'

His dark brown eyes were the only feature visible on his face, squinted in disbelieve as Mingyu murmured one thing that he probably did not mean at all. 'I hate you.'

I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly while I bit back at his opinion. 'Same here.'

We reached the middle of the viridian-green park, an intimate memory coming into my sight as Mingyu had turned around with his long arms wide open. 'Do you recognize anything from this playground? Anything?'

In my head, I genuinely wanted to take my act forward while I prepared my next line. Mingyu beat me to it, gritting his teeth as he conveyed his discovery. 'You can stop pretending now Park Eunhee. I know you are aware of who I am.'

The idol seemed so smart or at least he wanted to be, but I could only see the idiotic side of him. Catching Mingyu off guard, my right hand reached the back of his head from which impact he flinched. 'That took you a while Kim Mingyu. When did you find out? Last night?'

A cry of pain filled the humid air around us, Mingyu's jaw dropping open comically made this situation even funnier. 'What, you knew?! Why did you not tell me this earlier?'

I stopped in front of the single-seated swing, dropping myself as a snicker rolled off my lips. 'I am not stupid Mingyu. I knew you would not recognize me right away. We have done so many magazine shoots for Allure together, and you even asked for my expertise on tricks and skills. Yet, remembering me is something that was not in your scope of possibilities. Now that we are in a personal space, can I answer your question that has been lingering on my mind the second we parted our ways?'

The playground seemed to ray serene beauty, providing solace and peace to both youngsters. A complex situation had arrived for the 8-year-old girl, not knowing how to tell her best friend that she had to leave him all by himself in this gigantic city. 

Mingyu was the only friend Eunhee had, and that was the other way around too. They only had each other, unspoken feelings lying down on a deeper surface.

The teenager caressed her youthful skin, taking the sleeping Eunhee's hand as they laid together in the lush green park. 

His voice trembled without his intention, conveying all his truth at once. 'Eunhee, when you came to see me yesterday...when I saw you crying...I felt weird. It kind of felt like a part of my heart was aching too. It hurts to see you cry like that, you know. When I see you cry, it makes me want to bawl my eyes out too, to be there for you. No matter what I am doing, I keep thinking of how you cried. And it drives me crazy. So, Park Eunhee, please tell me...why you were crying?'

The swing made a squeaking sound effect, playing false notes in the silent air as I waited for Mingyu to notice my obvious hint. The younger self of mine did not take a nap that beautiful afternoon at all, having heard every single sentence spoken by the future idol.

I noticed that Mingyu wanted to lock eyes, seeing him jaunting forward while bending down towards my naked knees. 'I hope I get this right because you will haunt me for it if I do not. Why were you crying Eunhee? I mean back then.'

Lips were formed into a little smile that faded away almost immediately. My mouth opened to answer honestly, but I could feel a bunch of tears that threatened to come out any second. 

Keeping my stance together, I fidgeted my fingers while I murmured my resolution. 'My parents had just told me that we were going to move to Canada. The only thing entering my mind at that time was on how I had to break the news to you Mingyu. I plainly could not do that as the innocent child I was, leaving you without a single trace and regret that had been following me for ages now. I am so sorry.'

An unavoidable tear fell on my left cheek, making the guy in front of me grin a bit while he patted my head. 'Cute.'

This was the start of our journey to become what we were once before. His parents were grateful to meet me again, loving praises leaving their inner thoughts as I could only blush. And with those compliments I meant that they were willing to become my in-laws in one swift. We both laughed it off, finding the idea too ridiculous to pursue. 

After the amazingly delicious dinner, Mingyu gave me a ride home, standing in front of his car after catching up about everything that had been conducted over the past course of years. 

A slightly nervous smile suited my lips, rethinking my decision to do this but no regret about what was to come for me after. 'Mingyu, do you know what day it is today?'

His head titled a bit to the right, getting his phone out of his black bomber jacket while lightening the screen up. 'Today? Well, it is not a public holiday. Your birthday has already passed too. I do not know. What day is it?'

Jittery is what I genuinely perceived, sighing the phrase right of my mind that had been lingering there. Dangerous, reckless yet something that people genuinely want to achieve in their lives. Happiness. 'The day we started dating.'

There was not a single other emotion to read off his stunned facial expression, his voice getting louder and huskier at each syllable. 'Huh? Hold on. What did you just say? Huh?! What? So, are we dating now?'

My head nodded as I could not help myself to smile brightly, Mingyu coming closer to my frame as he shook me by holding both of my shoulders. 'You are serious, right? It is not because you are flattered by my parents, right? For real?!'

His sentences presumably could wake up the whole neighborhood at this point, holding my right index finger against my lips to hush his excitement down while he got me trapped in his bear hug. 'Yah, keep it down.'

Laughing throughout the whole engulfment, our foreheads matched as we gazed lovely at one another. The vampire-like canines were in a close distance now, him biting his lower lip made my heart race like crazy. His lips parted to let a breathy sigh out of his mouth, raising his left hand while placing it on my right cheek. 'Park Eunhee.'

I felt his thumb moving on my heated face, slowly making himself ready to close the distance between us. The undeniable joy did wake up one person who screamed his frustration from up the balcony. 'Oh my god! Please come upstairs before I start puking, love birds!'

The tall guy kept me captive in his strong arms, yelling his declaring statement back towards his fellow idol. 'Yah, stop pretending hating this sight when you were the one supporting this all along!'

My eagle view could even spot his mocking eye movement from down here, Jungkook refuting his original position in this story at once. 'Ugh, stop your ugly fantasies Gyu!'

I could not help but to scream too, feeling Mingyu's lips place on my left cheek which send butterflies from here till the farthest place away. 'Jungkook, you have to live with this for the rest of your life!'

Dalai Lama is indeed right.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wrote this story in between lecture hours and my annoyingly bothersome fever. This is really not the best one that I have written so far, including all the grammer mistakes that I could have made. Might going to change it a bit after I finished them for all the members.

Came up with the idea for this one after seeing this picture lol:

I know, it is freaking random.

But I did not know how to write it further, until my muse "A Time Called You" came on Netflix. Review about that drama: I watched it because of the actors. Very confused about the timelines and stuff so if you are a patient person unlike me, this serie is definitely something for you.

By the way, thank you so much for reading this story <333 And do not be shy to push the vote button because that could help me expand my book's rankings ;-)

Love,

dahliainjeolmi01