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The sun peeked cheerfully through cotton-candy clouds, and a breeze fluttered past pastel streamers as the ZB1 Kindergarten prepared for its annual Children’s Day Parade. The walls were covered with doodles of stars, smiling suns, and crayon-sketched superheroes—some with capes, some with bunny ears.
"Today is the best day ever!" Gunwook shouted, hopping off the swing set and sprinting across the playground with his dinosaur hoodie flapping behind him.
"Only because you get to wear your dino costume again," Ricky teased, adjusting his red crown made of cardboard and glitter. “King Ricky has arrived.”
Taerae zoomed past them on a tricycle with streamers tied to the handles. “Make way for the racecar champion!” he cried, grinning so wide it made his cheeks puff.
Nearby, little Yujin was crouched in the sandbox, carefully building a castle with three flags. “This one’s for me, that one’s for Gyuvin, and the biggest one is for our class!” he said with a proud smile.
Gyuvin, chewing on a juice box straw, nodded and patted Yujin’s head. “Teamwork, right?”
“Teamwork!” Yujin agreed, raising his tiny plastic shovel like a knight’s sword.
Inside the classroom, their teacher Miss Soojin had just finished writing HAPPY CHILDREN’S DAY! in big rainbow letters across the whiteboard. "Okay, my darlings," she clapped. "It's time to pair up for the parade!"
At her words, the room erupted into excited squeals. Crayons dropped, paper hats flew, and tiny sneakers squeaked as the kids scrambled to find their partners.
“Hanbin! Wanna be my partner again?” Matthew asked, bouncing in place. He wore a little nurse outfit, complete with a paper stethoscope and a name tag that read Dr. Mat-mat in colorful letters.
Hanbin—dressed as a café barista with a mini apron, foam cup in hand, and a sticker that said Barista Bin—grinned and held out his hand like a gentleman. “Only if you check my heartbeat first.”
Matthew puffed his cheeks. “Only if you give me a special drink later.”
They giggled and bumped foreheads before walking hand in hand toward the art table to collect their banner.
“You guys always pick each other,” Jiwoong teased, strolling over with a soft blanket draped around him like a superhero cape. “Gotta admit though, you’re the dream team.”
Hanbin shyly smiled, then stuck a glitter heart on Jiwoong’s cape. “You’re our backup hero, Jiwoongie.”
“Thanks, Barista Bin.” Jiwoong beamed. “The city is safe with you two around.”
Across the room, Hao and Ricky were trying to construct a “royal float” out of a red wagon, ribbons, and too many sparkly stickers. Hao wore a blue velvet sash over his white shirt, and a big badge that read Prince Hao. Ricky, naturally, was King.
“This needs more sparkle,” Ricky declared, dumping another cup of glitter.
“We’ve used three cups already!” Hao coughed through the shimmer storm. “We’ll blind the teachers!”
“That’s the point,” Ricky said proudly. “Blinding beauty.”
Meanwhile, Gunwook and Taerae were attaching plastic tools to a cardboard firetruck. Gunwook wore a fire hat that was too big and kept slipping over his eyes. Taerae kept giggling every time he helped adjust it.
"You're the firefighter," Taerae said, drawing a little hose on the side. "I’ll be the fire!"
Gunwook froze. “You wanna be the fire?”
“Yeah! You chase me and put me out!” Taerae grinned. “It's like tag, but better.”
Gunwook considered it seriously. “Only if I can spray you with bubbles.”
“Deal!”
Once everyone was dressed, paired, and decorated in parade-ready gear, Miss Soojin gathered them outside on the track behind the school. Parents were already seated with their phones up, eager to capture memories.
Matthew stood next to Hanbin, holding the “ZB1 Class Parade” banner between them. It was covered in doodles, stickers, and little scribbled notes like We love snack time! and No broccoli, please.
“You look really cute,” Hanbin whispered to Matthew, cheeks pink. “Like... real cute.”
Matthew scrunched his nose, pretending to be cool. “You look kinda cute too... but not cuter than me.”
Hanbin laughed so hard he almost dropped his end of the banner.
Behind them, Gyuvin and Yujin were dressed as twin magicians, their hats crooked and wands made of rolled-up paper straws.
“Abra—noodle!” Yujin yelled, waving his wand. “Now Gyuvin will disappear!”
“I’m not gonna—hey!” Gyuvin said, then spun in a dramatic circle and dropped to the grass. “Poof.”
The crowd of parents laughed and clapped.
The parade began.
Led by Matthew and Hanbin, the ZB1 kids marched proudly down the track while music played through speakers. Jiwoong posed heroically with his cape fluttering. Hao and Ricky waved from their glittery wagon. Taerae and Gunwook played tag as planned, drawing laughter from the crowd with their chaotic antics. Yujin and Gyuvin threw imaginary magic sparkles into the air like confetti.
Midway through, Matthew leaned close to Hanbin and whispered, “I hope we can be partners every Children’s Day.”
Hanbin blinked, then nodded seriously. “Even when we’re in big kid school?”
“Even when we’re grandpas,” Matthew said solemnly.
Hanbin held his pinky out. Matthew linked it.
“Promise.”
After the parade, the kids ran to the picnic blankets for the party. Bento boxes shaped like animals, watermelon slices, and juice pouches were handed out by smiling teachers and parents.
Gunwook discovered his rice ball had eyes. “Is this alive?”
“Eat it before it runs away,” Ricky said, mouth full of fruit.
Jiwoong offered to open a jelly cup for Yujin, who was struggling. “Thanks, hyung!” Yujin beamed.
Gyuvin suddenly stood on a bench and announced, “I hereby declare this the Best Day Ever, and I shall now perform... the worm!”
“Noooo!” Taerae shrieked, but too late—the tiny magician flopped onto the grass, wriggling like a fish. Everyone clapped and whooped.
Matthew and Hanbin sat under a tree, quietly sharing a cookie shaped like a bear.
“Do you think we'll still be friends when we're big?” Hanbin asked softly.
Matthew blinked. “Why wouldn’t we?”
Hanbin shrugged. “What if you find someone else to be your Children’s Day partner?”
“I won’t.” Matthew reached over to fix the crooked bow on Hanbin’s apron. “You’re my Hanbin. Forever.”
Hanbin’s smile bloomed like spring. “Forever’s a long time.”
“I like long things,” Matthew said proudly. “Like noodles. And you.”
They both burst into giggles again.
As the sun dipped lower and the party slowed down, Miss Soojin called the kids together for one last activity—a time capsule. Each child got a small piece of paper and a crayon.
“Write down your biggest wish,” she said, “and we’ll put them in a box and bury it in the garden. When you’re older, you’ll come back and see what little-you wanted most.”
The room quieted as each child scribbled down dreams with concentrated little frowns.
Ricky drew a giant castle.
Hao wrote: I want to sing and play violin forever.
Gunwook: I want to be strong and make all my friends laugh.
Taerae: Be on a big stage with lights and people clapping!
Yujin: I want to be a nurse with Mat-mat hyung.
Gyuvin: I want to make games with Gunwook and eat pizza every day.
Jiwoong: I wanna build the biggest house for all my friends to live in.
Matthew wrote carefully: I want to always be with Hanbin.
He glanced at his partner, who was chewing on his crayon thoughtfully before writing something.
When they traded a peek, Hanbin’s paper read: I want to always be Matthew’s favorite.
They both turned pink.
Miss Soojin gathered the notes, placed them in a shiny silver box, and helped the class bury it under the cherry tree in the playground.
“We’ll come back someday,” she promised, “and see how your dreams grew.”
As the parents began arriving to pick up the kids, hugs and waves filled the air.
Matthew ran to his mom, waving a handmade card. “We marched! And I was the doctor! And Hanbin was my partner and we made a banner and—”
Hanbin tugged his mom’s hand toward Matthew’s. “Can Matthew come over for cookies?”
“Only if you make him iced tea, Barista Bin,” Hanbin’s mom teased.
“I’ll make him two!” Hanbin declared proudly.
As the sun set behind the schoolyard, the ZB1 class—tiny, silly, and full of dreams—waved goodbye to the best Children’s Day ever.
And two small boys, hands still sticky from cookies, pinkies still linked, made a silent promise to be each other’s forever.
𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔