~~Three Years Later… Jeju Island, South Korea~~

“Hyun!”

“Mmmph!!!” the irritated child groaned as he buried himself deeper into his covers. Why was his brother being so annoying?!

“Hyun! Wake up, buddy! We’re going to be late for our family outing!” 

“Mmmm? Ah, hyungggg! Just five more minutes!”

“You sure about that? It’s already 9:30. Don’t you want breakfast–” 

Bolting up from his bed, Hyun gaped at his older brother in shock, “9:30?!!! WHY DIDN’T YOU WAKE ME UP SOONER?!”

“I tried; you just kept sleeping like a log. Hurry up and get ready. We’re going to leave around 10:15.” Hyun’s brother, Joon, ruffled his little brother’s hair, chuckling at the seven-year-old’s disheveled bed hair. 

“ARGH! Stopppp. You’re ruining my hair!” Hyun pouted as his older brother hugged him tightly. 

“Haha, you should probably go look in the mirror, Hyun. You look like you have a bird’s nest on your head.”

“Hmph!” 

“Awwe, don’t be like that~! Why are you so grouchy today? Come on, I’ll help you out.”

Jumping off of his bed with his brother’s help, Hyun inquisitively glanced up at his brother. Damn, the older he became, the more his older brother resembled their father. In the past three years since his arrival in this weird world, the little boy had somewhat gotten used to the blinding beauty of his new family. …Sort of. Grimacing at the glittering light surrounding his handsome brother, Hyun groaned as he plodded towards the bathroom.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ugh. You’re too bright.”

“Uh…? Nevermind, hurry up and get ready, okay?”

“‘Kay….”

Hyun paused for a second, watching his older brother hurry down the steps. Was it really only him who saw those weird special effects? No matter how many times he tried to explain it to his family and friends, no one quite understood what he was saying. It was as if he was a narrator/ abandoned main character in some fictional story… Though he was just as cherished and loved in this life, Hyun couldn’t help but feel so alone. Letting out a deep sigh, Hyun softly closed the bathroom door shut behind him. 

“... I wish there was someone I could talk to about all of this….”

~~~

The soothing waves of the glimmering blue ocean calmed Hyun’s frustrated mood. With a carefree smile on his lips, he ran away from his parents as he dug his bare feet into the warm sand, relishing the skin-tingling feeling. The beautiful scenery of Jeju island was still as vibrant as ever. In this vast, unknown world of his, this ocean was the only thing he recognized from his previous life. That alone was his only solace.

“Hyun! Come here, let’s put on some suncream*!” his mother called, motioning for her youngest to come to their makeshift shelter, which consisted of two large parasols, a cooler, and some beach towels.

“Okay!” he half-heartedly yelled back as the pink seashell peeking out from under the wet sand drew his entire focus.

Squatting down, Hyun was about to pick up the seashell when he noticed another boy around his age staring at him in wonder. What the heck? Why was he staring at him like that?! Perplexed, Hyun ignored the odd child and continued to dig into the sand. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him as the ruby-eyed seven-year-old paused in his tracks. No way… Was he about to be robbed of his seashell?!

“Hey, do I know you from somewhere?” the boy suddenly asked while his round eyes glimmered like a pair of black Tahitian pearls.

Oooh, how pretty…! Hyun thought as he stared at the boy’s eyes in fascination. Noticing the boy staring at him in confusion, Hyun quickly glanced away, his brows scrunched up in a scowl. Ack, he got caught staring…! How embarrassing!

“Er, um… I don’t know…? Why?”

“Gosh, it was just a question. No need to glare at me like that! Dang… He nailed that judging face so well…” he muttered the last bit under his breath while observing Hyun with a small frown.

“I didn’t–”

“Hyun! Eomma told you to put on some sun– Oh. Did you make a friend?”

“No–”

“Woah. So handsome…! He’s totally her type. Hmm…”

The two siblings paused, staring at the curious boy with a dumbstruck gaze. Biting his quivering lips, Joon glanced away– trying his very best not to burst out laughing. Why did this kid remind him of Hyun when he was four? His little brother had always said the most bizarre things at the oddest times back then. 

The eleven-year-old sighed as he snuck a peek at his little brother. He missed the toddler from back then. Nowadays, Hyun was more mindful of what he said– to the point that their parents teased him for already reaching puberty... Though, Joon highly doubted his kid brother even knew what that meant. 

Ignoring the older boy, who was lost in his thoughts, the small child walked up to Hyun with an unreadable expression on his little cherub face. 

“Anyways, my name’s Park Yoo-jin**. What’s yours?” The little boy extended his hand for a handshake as the warm ocean breeze swept his shaggy black bangs from his face.

“I’m Lee Hyun. This is my older brother, Joon.” Hyun shyly replied, hesitantly shaking the other boy’s hand. “Where’re your parents? You’re not here all alone, are you?” 

“Nice to meet you both! Of course not; that’d be child abuse! They’re over there building a sandcastle.” Yoo-jin responded, pointing to the giggling young couple patting the wet sand into a small mound.

“...Sandcastle? Looks more like a grave–”

“Hyun! That’s not nice. Sorry about that….”

“It’s fine; I’m used to it. My best friend is a sassy, stubborn girl with a short temper. Say…” Yoo-jin glanced at Hyun again, “... Do you like cake?”

Did he just say cake…?!!!

SIDE NOTE:

*Suncream: Konglish (Korean-English) for sunscreen.

** In East Asian cultures (like Korea), last names usually come first, followed by the first name. So, “Park” is the last name, and “Yoo-jin” is the first name. It’s also the same logic with other Korean names that will be mentioned in later chapters! :)

**NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**