it was when i realized how much i loved you

six.

minseo awoke from a deep sleep. she got up harshly and looked around, only to see her old town and her house burned down to flames. she looked at the boy in front of her, who was wide eyed and staring at her.

"a-are you okay?" he asked.

she stared at him with a million thoughts in her head. "y-yeah- a-are yo-you.."

he nodded, and looked down. he put on a cheeky grin and said, "im renjun!"

she blinked softly and muttered a quiet, "i know," with a soft smile.

"what?" he asked.

her eyes widened as she shook her head. "im minseo."

she looked into his eyes and shook her head when she felt a sudden switch.

"so how was life like before in school? mustve been nice to have two parents and a house like everyone else."

renjun put his head down on a desk in a small convenient store at the corner of the street her house used to be at.

minseo looked at him admiringly as he pouted while looking down at the table and drawing a small picture of moomin with his finger.

his pupils looked back up at her cutely, as she jerked up a bit. "actually, my dad left when i was 6," minseo felt her right cheek, below the right eye, "he slapped me right here before he left and never came back."

renjun jerked up hearing that. he got up, pulling minseo along with him and hugged her, comforting her with the words, "im very sorry, but you got through it."

as she let go of the boy, she saw a slightly older renjun on the train to seoul.

"what do you think we'll do in seoul?" he daydreamed with a smile.

she looked at him for a good second. "well maybe we'll be homeless because we never planned anything else but the train ride."

"well, lets plan right now!" he said with a beaming smile and an adorable eye smile.

she returned the smile as she felt a gush of wind gently breeze over her face, and a new renjun appearing right before her eyes.

"should we take that guy's hotdog for our lunch?" he asked minseo with a sly smile.

"are you sure you wont- uh- fail?" she asked him hesitantly.

"ive lived like this for so many years, what else do you think i would do? ask him to accompany me to see the president?" he asked her jokingly.

she laughed a bit as she witnessed her best friend sugar coat the man and snatch the hotdogs.

after they had ran, they sat in their alleyway, hidden from society.

"yknow, im very lucky to have you, minseo." the boy said.

"and im lucky to have you!" minseo beamed as she took a bite of her hotdog. she looked up at renjun to see a serious look painted on his face.

"no, i really mean it. i accepted my fate of death back during the storm, i was ready to die. but you did something nobody else would ever do for me. and im very grateful to be alive, with someone who actually cares for my wellbeing." he said.

minseo looked at him in the eyes, hoping to GOD time would stop, and it did.

time had stopped.