Be Our Star Forever // TXT

04. Beautiful Magical Tree

As soon as they were home, Soobin and Byeol ate their ice cream while opening their favorite television channels.

"I'll get you a snack." Byeol stepped on her foot going to the kitchen leaving Soobin in the middle of the fun watching. In the kitchen Byeol saw Grandma sitting reading the newspaper with a cup of tea nearby.

"Grandma..?" Heard Byeol calling her, she slowly turned her eyes away from the newspaper he was holding and staring at Byeol who was standing in front of her.

"Byeol, you already home?" Grandma taking the empty seat next to her, asked Byeol to sit next to her.

Byeol went straight to her grandmother and sat next to her. "I'm glad. you two are getting closer now." Byeol smiled at her grandma's statement. Grandma then held both Byeol's hands. "Thank you very much Byeol."

"Why do you thank me?" Byeol is confused by the thank you that comes. She doesn't feel like she's been doing something for Grandma. But Grandma didn't answer Byeol's question and just gave her a smile.

Feel like not forcing Grandma to answer the question. Byeol is trying to divert to another question that happened to cross in her head. "Oh, we met a boy named Choi Beomgyu. Binnie oppa said her mom used to come here to visit, didn't she?"

"That's right, Beomgyu's parents were good friends with Soobin's parents."

"But why aren't Binnie oppa and Beomgyu friends? Binnie oppa seems doesn't even like Beomgyu."

"Maybe they're not close now, but they used to play together. And I'm sure they'll be good friends. Soobin and Beomgyu are unique kids. Something inside them makes them different from others, just like you Byeol."

Byeol's getting confused with the answers her grandma gave. The curiousness inside of her makes her want to know more deeply. But when Byeol wanted to ask Grandma to explain what she meant. Soobin followed Byeol to the kitchen because Byeol didn't come back with snacks. "Byeol-ah, what took you so long?"

"We'll continue to talk later Byeol. If the time is right." Byeol nodded her head and follow Soobin back to the movies.

~~~

"Where the hell is Binnie?" Byeol searched every room looking for Soobin. Not as expected, grandma's house is too big to explore alone. Tired of looking, she decided to go to the kitchen for a glass of water.

When she entered the kitchen, she was immediately greeted with a happy birthday song. There's Soobin's parents, Grandma and her dad who was holding a little birthday cake with 11-year-old candles. It's her 11th birthday and her first birthday with her new family.

Byeol is very moved, but instead of crying she chooses to smile. Because this is a moment of happiness that can't be broken by tears. Her dad came up to her with the birthday cake. After making a wish, Byeol immediately blew the candle and everybody's cheering. But Byeol felt something was missing because Soobin didn't come to celebrate her birthday. "Daddy, where's Binnie oppa?"

"Soobin? Oh, he said he wanted to go out for a while. He said he'd be back soon?" Byeol was a little upset, known Soobin went out while the others were preparing a surprise for her. At first Byeol was worried about Soobin because she hadn't seen Soobin since morning. But now she's sad because Soobin's not there with her.

"Byeol, where are you going?" Her dad asked when he saw Byeol about to leave the kitchen.

"I just want to walk for a while, Dad." Without saying anything else, Byeol went straight away. She doesn't know where to go, so she just follows where her foot take her.

After a few minutes, she's feeling better. Byeol decided to go home, thinking maybe Soobin was already there waiting for her. When she turned around, Byeol was confused with what she saw in front of her.

"Hmm... I don't remember walking here. How can I get here?" Byeol stood right in front of the area where she got lost the other day. Seeing that area, Byeol wasn't scared but her curiosity made Byeol step into it.

Byeol kept walking in, every side of the area started to look familiar to her. And then she arrived in front of a beautiful big tree, the place where Soobin found her. Byeol looked at that tree. It looks different than any other tree that grows in that area. From where Byeol stood, she could see how beautiful the tree was. The sunlight that shines on that tree is making it look beautiful. The more Byeol looking at that tree, the more she gets attached to that tree. A part of her felt complete when she near the tree. Just like when she got lost, Byeol didn't feel scared at all, even she feels safe near that tree.

"Such a beautiful magical tree..."

When Byeol was enjoying the view in front of her, something interrupt her. She was vaguely hearing someone's voice from behind that tree.

"Who's there? Is there anyone there?"