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─── ･ ｡ﾟ ☆: *. ☽ .* : ☆ ﾟ. ───
The earliest thing that Sehun can remember during his childhood days was meeting someone who had, later on, become an important part of his life.
While everyone had a childhood friend, Sehun had no one, except for that one person he met by chance.
It was the 22nd of May, 2000, and a five-year-old Sehun was all dressed up in a cute suit. His parents were invited to a party by their friend, and so they brought Sehun along. Even at such a young age, Sehun was already very mature, and everyone around him felt how intelligent he was.
Sehun was quiet by nature and parties like that, which he often attends with his parents, are just not his thing. He was introduced to some kids, but he found them too bratty to play with. They were all the same, just spoiled kids who always get their way with things, and Sehun does not like those types of people.
So instead of playing with them, Sehun decided to go around the venue and see what he could find.
Sehun saw a bunch of trees leading to what seemed to be a forest. Figuring the party would last for a long time; he thought he might as well explore a little. Bringing nothing but himself, he ventured on an adventure.
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At first, there were just trees, more trees, and even more trees, but as he went deeper into the forest, at least as far as his little feet could bring him, he heard someone crying.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” Sehun says to no one in particular.
The crying suddenly stopped, so Sehun figured that someone must have heard him.
“It’s okay. I just want to help. Are you okay? Where are you?” Sehun said as he moved his head around, trying to find where the person must be at. He was walking towards a tree when he heard a sound coming from a bush near him.
Startled, he moved away from it as someone came through the bushes.
It was a cute little kid, smaller than him, with skin as white as snow.
‘Is this Snow White? Like the one from those fairytales? Am I dreaming?’
“Uh, hi? Are you the one who was crying?” Sehun said, trying his best not to ogle at the kid in front of him.
The little kid nods but does not say a word.
“Do you not understand me? Am I scaring you?”
The little kid wiped his tears away and hesitated before speaking.
“I can’t….find my mom.”
“Oh, you got lost. That’s okay. I’m here. Did you attend the party with your mom?”
The kid nods again. Sehun took another look at the kid and saw he was wearing casual clothes, a pair of denim shorts and a cute red shirt.
“My name is Sehun. I’m five years old. What’s your name?” Sehun says as he puts out his hand in front of him to show his age.
“I’m--------”
“Should we go find your mom?” Sehun smiled at the little kid as he offered his hand.
The kid reluctantly held his hand as they walked and tried to find a way out of the forest.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ ☆: *. ☽ .* : ☆ ﾟ. ───
Sehun wakes up on his bed, his entire body covered in sweat. It was the same dream, the one he’s been having ever since he came back to Korea. He can still remember the memory as if it was just yesterday, but he just cannot seem to remember the name of the kid that he spent one of the happiest days in the world with.
He gets out of bed, takes a shower, and goes down to the kitchen so he can grab a glass of orange juice from the fridge. As he takes a few gulps of the juice, he smiles sadly and remembers how his grandmother used to make him freshly squeezed orange juice back when she was still alive.
He still has a few days left of vacation before the semester starts at his new university.
He grabs his phone from the counter and dials the number of his only friend.
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They had walked for a long time, but they couldn’t seem to find the exit. Sehun was pretty exhausted, and the kid walking right next to him seemed tired too.
“Do you want to rest for a bit before we continue?” he asks.
The little kid just stares at him and tightens his grip on Sehun’s hand.
Sehun decided that they would walk a bit more, just in case they found a place where they could rest. To his surprise, after a few minutes of wandering around, they saw a little rundown shed.
“Should we go there?”
The kid nodded, and so they decided to head inside. As soon as they were under the roof of the shed, the rain poured heavily.
It started getting a little cold, and Sehun could see that the kid next to him was shivering because he was wearing light clothes. He took off his coat and gave it to the kid.
“Why?” the kid asks him.
“You’re cold. I’m not. You can have the coat for a while. Are you hungry?”
“Not rea---” the kid replies but is cut off by the sound of his stomach grumbling, causing him to blush in embarrassment.
Sehun remembered he still had a cookie in his pocket, so he grabbed that and handed it over.
“Here, you can have this. I’m not hung---” Sehun’s stomach grumbled too.
They exchanged looks and laughed loudly.
The kid opens the plastic in which the cookie was, breaks it in two, and hands the other half to Sehun.
“I’m really okay. You can have it all,” Sehun says.
“Just take it. You are hungry too.” The kid replies before giving him a wide smile.
Sehun blushed as he saw the kid smile.
He looks like an angel.
“Angel? What?”
“Did I say that out loud?”
“Crystal clear. So what do you mean?”
“I just think you look better when you’re smiling.”
After a few minutes, they had finished the cookie and were waiting for the rain to let out. They were sitting next to each other, and Sehun felt the need to talk; the silence was too loud.
“So, how did you get lost here anyways?”
“My mom told me I could go play in the garden. I saw a rabbit and chased after it. The next thing I know, I couldn’t find my way back.”
“I see. Don’t worry. We’ll get back out soon enough.” Sehun said, trying to reassure the kid.
“Oh, and you’re shirt is really cute.”
“Thanks, my mom bought this for me to wear since it’s my birthday today.”
“It is? Sorry, I don’t have anything to give you, but happy birthday!” Sehun said and kissed the kid’s cheeks.
The kid’s face turned red.
“Wha---why---what was that?”
“It’s a birthday greeting. In my family, we kiss each other when we greet someone else happy birthday.”
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Sehun smiles as he remembers his first kiss if it can be considered that. He wishes that he could find the little kid from that day. He has been searching for far too long. Sometimes, he wonders where that kid went and if he will still recognize Sehun when they see each other.
“Sehun? What are you smiling for?” the voice on the other end of the phone says.
“Ah, sorry, Hyung. I just remembered that time from when--”
“It’s about that kid again, isn’t it? Your first love….”
“Well, I wouldn’t say first love, but--”
“Dude, don’t even try to deny it. The look on your face says it all.”
“Ugh, whatever. Anyways, I won’t be coming back as I’ve transferred to a new uni. I told you that, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll miss you. Don’t worry. I’ll visit your next break, okay? Make new friends! Don’t be a loner.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll do my best. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
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It was almost nighttime when they finally found their way out of the forest. It turned out his parents had been searching for him for an hour already.
“I’m sorry,” Sehun says to his parents.
“It’s okay. We were just worried about you. Who is this kid you are with?”
“He’s -------”
“Oh, where are his parents?”
Sehun was still holding the kid’s hand when his mother came along. Sehun didn’t want to let go of his hand, but they said that he had to go because the party was almost over, and the kid’s mom still had to help around in serving the guests.
The kid gave Sehun a hug before whispering something in his ear.
As Sehun watched the kid walking away from him, he inhaled deeply before shouting.
“I’ll see you again!”
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“I’m Kim Junmyeon”
I can’t believe this.
“Do you want to grab lunch with us, Junmyeon?”
Please say yes.
“No, it’s fine. Thanks for the invite.”
“Uhm, sure.”
Junmyeon walked towards the door. Before Sehun knew it, he automatically grabbed Junmyeon’s shoulder. Junmyeon looked back at him, this time with a frown on his face.
“Did you have anything else to say?” Junmyeon asked, his voice cold.
“You see, Uhm, I’m actually a transfer student, so I don’t know a lot of people here. By chance, can we be friends?”
Don’t you recognize me?
Junmyeon lets out a defeated sigh.
“Believe me, you’re better off not being friends with me.”
Sehun was stunned at what he had just heard, and Junmyeon took it as an opportunity to leave.
Left in the classroom all alone, Sehun smiles.
I finally found you.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ ☆: *. ☽ .* : ☆ ﾟ. ───
As soon as he heard Junmyeon’s name, the memories in his head suddenly made sense.
Jumnyeon. That was the name of the kid he met all those years ago. The one he was so hell-bent on finding. However, it seems Junmyeon does not remember him at all.
That’s okay; Sehun will just have to work hard to make him remember.
Sehun suddenly remembered the words that Junmyeon had said to him before they met for the last time.
“Thank you for today, it was the best birthday ever.”