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Thud. It had only been a day or two since the Hwang family visited. Yet, Cheol had gotten used to the sound of pebbles scattering after the scuffling of sandals that followed his footsteps, often accompanied by an "oomph!" as the young girl fell. Sighing, Cheol turned around.
"How many times did I tell you not to run after me?" Cheol scolded her. Mi-ae stared at him as she lay on the ground, eyes like the full moon, blinking innocently at him. He turned his head away, uncomfortable by the way she never lost eye contact with him. "You're going to hurt yourself one day…" Cheol stopped as he saw crimson; drops of blood leaking out of the cut on her knee. It was shallow, but he could tell it was painful from how Mi-ae winced as she got up, brushing the dirt off herself.
"Oh, this? I'll be okay, I've had worse!" Mi-ae chirped, grinning. "Hey, let's go play!"
"Sit down," Cheol growled, pointing to a bench nearby. "I'll go get something to clean your knee with. And if you don't stay there," he warned as he walked away, "I'm really not going to play with you later."
A while later, Cheol returned with his family's first aid kit. As he expected, she was nowhere to be seen. The girl was so impulsive he felt nervous leaving her alone in the unfamiliarity of the countryside. Who knew what she would climb over or chase after? "Hey, Hwang Mi-ae!" Cheol called out. "I'm leaving if you don't tell me where you are!"
"Cheol! I'm here!" a high-pitched voice cried out. He could barely make out a hand waving in the distance, across the fields of long wild grass.
"Why the heck are you there when I told you to stay sitting on the bench," Cheol grumbled, but he started to stride through the fields. He could only see Mi-ae as he got within a meter of her, who was crouched down and peering through the tall grass.
"Cheol, look! There's so many flowers!" Mi-ae exclaimed, pointing at the daisies scattered across the field. She was right; the field appeared to be covered in a blanket of snow from just how many daisies were growing. "I couldn't help but come here. It's so beautiful!"
"Well, don't just run off next time, or you might get lost," Cheol told her, opening the first aid kit. "Now sit down properly so I can apply the ointment." Cheol applied a small amount of the antiseptic ointment onto a cotton bud and started to gently dab at the wound on her knee.
"Ouch! Stop it!" Mi-ae yelped, pulling away from him. "It hurts!"
"It's supposed to hurt," Cheol bluntly replied, pulling her arm so she wouldn't squirm again. "Stop moving, or else I can't treat it properly!"
"I'll be fine without it! Really!" Mi-ae tried pushing herself up but was yanked down again by Cheol, who scowled at her.
"If you stay still while I apply this, I'll give you something after," Cheol grumbled.
At this, the girl lifted her head, eyes shining as if they were the galaxy, stars sparkling within them. "Really?? A present? What is it!" Mi-ae squealed, turning herself towards him.
"I'll show you once we're done. And don't talk to me while I do this," Cheol grumbled as he looked away and continued where he left off. Only the sound of cicadas chirping and birds whistling could be heard as Cheol focused on cleaning the wound. As soon as he applied the plaster, Mi-ae bolted up, almost smacking him in the head.
"Show me, show me!" Mi-ae chanted, pulling at Cheol's shirt sleeve.
"Stop it," he growled, shaking her arm off his. "It's nothing great, don't get too excited. Close your eyes for now," Cheol instructed her. Mi-ae obediently closed her eyes, holding her hands together as if praying. She couldn't hear much noise, only the slight fidgeting of his hands. A few minutes later, Mi-ae felt something brush against her finger. "Okay, open your eyes."
Mi-ae blinked; a chain of daisies was wrapped around her finger on her left hand, dainty and beautiful. She gasped, bringing her hand close to her face to admire the handiwork. "Wow, I love it!" she whispered. She wasn't used to having any accessories except for the hair clips her mother used to pin up her baby hair.
"Uh, it's not much of a big deal," Cheol scratched the back of his head. "My grandmother taught me how to do it. I make it for Hwani sometimes."
"You should teach me too- Oh!" Mi-ae suddenly exclaimed, her smile spreading into a toothy grin. "Hey, you put it on my fourth finger!"
"Yeah, so?"
"The fourth finger on the left hand is where you put the wedding ring when people get married! I've seen it in movies before! Does that mean you're going to marry me?" Mi-ae smirked.
Cheol blinked at her. Then, his eyes widened, his eyebrows scrunched up. "Of course not, I didn't know that!! Why are you so weird," he puffed, standing up abrupting and briskly walking away, the tips of his ears blushing.
"Wait, Cheol! I was just joking! It's a joke!" Mi-ae yelled, scrambling to get up. She quickly checked that the ring of daisies was still intact on her finger before rushing to follow the sullen boy. "He can't take a joke," Mi-ae mumbled under her breath. "No wonder he doesn't have any friends that are girls." Still, Mi-ae couldn't help but grin as she chased after the boy who had accidentally proposed to her.
*
It was a scorching summer, hotter than ever before. Cheol tugged at his tie, sweat beading down his forehead into the crevices of his neck. They had just finished their exams, and the school was filled with buzzing of excitement as students discussed their plans for the holidays.
"Where is she?" Cheol muttered, wiping his forehead with his wrist. Mi-ae had told him to wait for her after school so they could meet the rest of the academy kids together to celebrate finishing their exams. He was waiting where they normally did, outside the school entrance. Yet, once again, she was nowhere to be seen. After so many years, she still couldn't stay in one spot. Cheol peered through the crowd of students passing by, peeking to see if he had missed her. Although they were in their last year of high school, Mi-ae had barely grown since middle school, much to her dismay. She appeared even more petite now, her peers towering over her.
Yet some things had changed. Mi-ae had lost some of the roundness of her cheeks, her features sharper. While she was still bubbly and explosive, she was more reserved now. The girl who once displayed her emotions freely now held them back behind the mysterious smile he occasionally saw.
"Cheol! I'm here!" As if she knew he was thinking of her, suddenly Cheol heard Mi-ae call out. Cheol swung in the direction of her voice and saw a small figure crouched behind one of the classrooms, waving at him.
"Why didn't you wait where we usually do?" Cheol asked her as he leaned against the brick wall of the classroom, narrowing his eyes at her.
"You were taking too long! It's too hot today, I had to wait in the shade," Mi-ae pouted, tucking her hair behind her ear. Her hair was long now, past her shoulders. Sometimes when they were in the classroom, Cheol would catch a glimpse of her and watch her hair flicker as the breeze passed by, dancing in the sunlight. 'Like now,' he thought as her bangs brushed across her forehead, her eyelashes fluttering as she looked down at the ground.
"Cheol, look what I found!" Mi-ae pointed to the lawn that they were standing beside. "They're daisies, like the ones back in the countryside when we were younger."
"Were you picking daisies while waiting for me? And their petals?" Cheol raised his eyebrows, gesturing to the snowflake-like petals clenched in her palm. In her other hand, Mi-ae held a daisy with almost all of its petals gone, only a few remaining.
"I wasn't getting the answer I wanted," Mi-ae softly replied. And there it was, that smile Cheol had seen more frequently, a subtle difference from her usual grin. One with a hint of uneasiness, or was it sadness? He couldn't tell. That smile only lasted briefly, and then she was grinning as usual. "Hey, do you still remember how to make daisy chains? You should make me one now!"
"What are you, still a child?" Cheol scoffed, sitting next to Mi-ae on the lawn. After plucking a few daisies, he began to make tiny slits across the stem of the daisies with his thumbnail. He accidentally dug into the tip of his finger as a gust of wind blew, the strands of Mi-ae's hair tickling the back of his neck. 'Ignore it,' he told himself as he dug his nail in deeper.
"Ah, I'm so glad that the test is finally over," Mi-ae yawned, stretching her arms. "I still can't believe we're in our last year of high school. Soon we'll be adults off to college. Although I don't know if I'll make it to the end of the year, from how my mother is nagging me about my studies." At this, Mi-ae groaned, falling backward to lie on the grass. Rolling over onto her side, Mi-ae looked up at Cheol. "Hey, do you know what you're going to do in the future?"
"Huh, why are you asking suddenly?" Cheol muttered.
"I don't know, that's all I hear people talk about these days. My parents, the teachers, even the other students. I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't know what the future holds or what I want to do." Mi-ae sighed, burrowing her head into her arms.
Cheol glanced over. He wanted to pat her head, reassure her somehow. He looked away, continuing to connect the daisies. "I feel that way too."
"You do?" Mi-ae perked up, turning her head to stare at him again. "Even you?"
"Yeah. So don't worry, you aren't alone."
Mi-ae's eyes widened, twinkling like the stars in the countryside he loved so much. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, the unspoken question lingering between them.
Cheol coughed. "Hey, give me your hand." Holding her palm, he paused for a moment. Then, he slid the daisy chain onto her finger.
Mi-ae inspected her hand, gently caressing the petals. "You made it for me anyways. Thanks, Cheol." Mi-ae smiled at Cheol, and warmth spread into his chest, radiating through his entire body. She was the glow of the sun, kissing every part of his skin. Like the daisy, she was innocence, happiness… and true love.
"H-hey, you put it on that finger again… Did you forget?" Mi-ae stuttered, her fingers lingering over the daisy ring in hesitation.
Cheol stared at her. "Forget what?"
"Nevermind," Mi-ae mumbled, standing up suddenly. "Hey, let's go or else they'll be waiting for us!" She quickly marched away, still holding onto the finger with the daisy ring.
"She doesn't even wait for me," Cheol smiled as he followed her.
He had never forgotten; he never would. He knew nothing about the future or what it would behold. Yet, Cheol knew that he wouldn't be afraid as long as she was with him. A future with Mi-ae, well, that was all that really mattered.