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

“Hyun!”

The 7-year-old glanced up to see his older brother marching into the room with his arms wide open. With a sigh, Hyun quickly climbed out of his covers, ignoring the older child. But before he could make his escape, Joon managed to squish Hyun’s puffed cheeks. 

“Good morning, my little mochi~!”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying.”

“Sheesh. Why so grumpy? Come on, I’ll help you down.”

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

“What’s wrong?” Joon asked, trailing after Hyun as the little boy reached over the sink for his toothbrush.

Hyun glanced at Joon’s reflection in the mirror and winced at the golden light illuminating his brother’s stupidly good looks. “Go away. You’re too bright. It’s giving me a headache.”

“Uh…? Ah! Are you talking about my handsomeness?”

“... Never mind.”

“Haha, I’m just messing with you. Hurry up and get ready, okay?”

“‘Kay….”

Hyun paused for a second, watching Joon hurry down the steps. Was it really only him who saw those weird special effects? No matter how many times Hyun tried to explain it to his family and friends, no one understood what he was saying. 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 landscape was the one thing he recognized from his previous life. That alone was his only solace.

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

“Okay!” Hyun half-heartedly yelled back, staring at the pink seashell peeking out from under the wet sand. Ooh! What a rare find! I hardly see colored shells on this beach! 

Squatting down, Hyun marveled at the enormous size of 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, but undeterred from his mission, Hyun ignored the odd child and continued to dig into the sand. He was just about to lift the large shell out of its hiding spot when a shadow loomed over him. The ruby-eyed boy paused, the hairs on his arms standing in alert at the sudden intrusion. No way… Was he about to be robbed of his seashell?!

“Look, I know this seashell is pretty rare around here. But you can’t just come over and try to steal someone else’s hard work! That’s just wrong, you know?” 

“…”

Gritting his teeth, Hyun covered the seashell with his hands, glaring menacingly at the aloof boy. “Hmph. You’re gonna regret trying to steal from me. I got an older brother who will beat you up–.”

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

Oh. So, he wasn’t going to take his seashell? Well, that was good to hear! Dropping the shell into his bucket, Hyun glanced at the boy, but did a double take at what he was seeing. Oooh, how pretty…! Hyun stared at the boy’s eyes in fascination. Sure they glimmered like a precious gem, but the boy’s eye color was the most “normal” looking one that Hyun had come across during his time in this world. It felt nice to see something so familiar, yet so different from what he had always believed to be the norm in his past life. 

Noticing the boy staring at him in confusion, Hyun quickly glanced away, his brows scrunched up in a scowl. Great, now the kid is going to think I’m some creep! This is so embarrassing! 

Clearing his throat, Hyun awkwardly side-glanced at the boy and quickly picked up his bucket, “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,” the child muttered the last bit under his breath while observing Hyun with a small frown.

“I didn’t glare at you though.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Nuh-uh! Maybe you need to get your eyes checked. Hmph!” Hyun retaliated, snubbing the boy in an obnoxious manner.

“Am I supposed to be offended by that?” The boy asked, an amused grin on his lips.

“I didn’t say it to offend you. I meant it. Looks like you should also schedule an appointment with an otolaryngologist.” Hyun smirked, feeling proud of his “refined” vocabulary. It was convenient and oddly satisfying to have the memories of a 31-year-old. Hehehe. Look at how flustered he looks. Bet you don’t even know what kind of specialist that is—.

“Looks like you should go to the ENT specialist yourself, so that he can check your nose to see if there’s a defect that’ll explain your nasally voice.”

Stunned, Hyun stared at the little boy. How did this kid know what an otolaryngologist was?! Was it just a lucky guess? 

“Well, I happen to appreciate my ‘nasally’ voice. Besides, don’t you know that males with a higher pitched tone are more likely to develop a deeper voice after puberty? Not that you’d know what puberty is, anyway.”

“… That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. While you’re at it, why don’t you schedule an appointment with a psychologist? Some therapy might help.” The boy replied dryly, brushing off the sand on his swim trunks.

“Hey–!” Hyun was abruptly cut-off as Joon came bounding from behind while waving a bottle of sunscreen.

“Hyun! Eomma told you to put on some suncream. Oh, hello! Did you make a new friend?”

“No–.”

“Woah. He’s pretty handsome! He’d totally pass for her type with his cute face. Hmm, I wonder….”

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. This kid was so similar to his younger brother. Hyun had also said the darndest things back when he was four. I seriously thought someone else took over his body at one point. Pfft.

Ignoring the older boy, the small child walked up to Hyun with an unreadable expression on his cherub face. “Anyways, my name’s Park Yoo-jin**. What’s yours?” The little boy extended his hand for a handshake as the cool ocean breeze swept Yoo-jin’s shaggy chestnut bangs from his face. 

“I’m Lee Hyun. This is my older brother, Joon.” Hyun 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; they’re over there building a sandcastle.” Yoo-jin responded, pointing to the giggling young couple patting the wet sand into a small mound.

“That’s a sandcastle? Looks more like a grave–.”

“Hyun! That’s not nice. Sorry about that,” Joon sheepishly smiled at Yoo-jin while nudging his haughty little brother, “Hyun, apologize.”

“Hmph!” 

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

“That’s so random.” Hyun muttered, struggling to quell his excitement at the mention of the delectable dessert. 

I’d kill to have some strawberry Oreo cake from Cupid’s Bakery right now. The tartness from the strawberry paired with the rich chocolate biscuit mixed in the fluffy whipped cream is just divine~! Darn it, now I can’t stop salivating. A small chuckle escaped Hyun’s lips as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“There he goes again. Hello, Earth to Hyun!”

“Huh?”

Joon shook his head at his brother’s obvious thoughts. Hyun always lost all rationale when desserts— especially cakes— were involved. Their parents had an extremely difficult time teaching Hyun to never follow a stranger if they offered him cake or any delectable pastries. Even now, Joon wasn’t confident that Hyun would be able to run away if such a situation arose. 

“Um, I actually have some strawberry Oreo cake from the bakery on Gaeogi Street. Do you want to share it with me?” Yoo-jin hesitantly asked, but paused when he met Joon’s gaze, “Er… Your brother can come, too.”

“CAN I?!”

“Shouldn’t you be asking your brother?” 

“Hyung, can I?! Please?” Hyun pleaded, his ruby eyes shimmering.  

Joon couldn’t help but dotingly smile at Hyun’s adorable face. But unbeknownst to Joon, blossoms of roses and gardenias accompanied by a bright halo of light surrounded him the moment he smiled. With a deadpan expression, Hyun blankly stared at the sparkles poofing all over the place. All the while, the dreaded “sha-la-la-la” sound effect echoed within his ears. Hyun could never get used to these damned things that appeared randomly, catching him off-guard every time.

Yoo-jin, who had been watching the sibling’s interaction, suddenly froze. His eyes widened at the special effects radiating off of Joon. Was… that normal occurrence around here? Weirded out by what he was seeing, Yoo-jin stayed quiet, his heart thumping loudly in his ears.

“Hmm, you can, but only if you put on your suncream. Come here.” Squirting a huge puddle of sunscreen in his hands, Joon roughly rubbed the product all over Hyun, making sure his brother was well-protected from the sun. “There. All done!”

“Yay!!!”

Joon glanced at Yoo-jin and gave the boy a dazzling smile, “Thanks for the invite, but I need to get going. Please take good care of my brother for me!”

“… Sure.”

“Hehe. Have fun, but make sure you stay where the adults can see you guys, okay?” Joon warned, waving  goodbye as he ran off to grab his bags for practice.

“Okay! Come on, Yoo-jin, it’s CAKE TIME!”

“Right, let’s go!”

SIDE NOTE:

*Suncream: sunscreen.

** In East Asian cultures, last names usually come first, followed by the first name. So, “Park” is the last name, and “Yoo-jin” is the first name. :)

**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.**