be with me | hamada asahi

17 | Friend

" It's up to you
Whatever you say, say to mе
It's dangerous, dangerous "

12 years ago...

"... And this year's Top Student of the Year is Yoon Jaehyuk from Class 2-4. Not only did he excel in all subjects, he also set a new record for the highest scores ever achieved by our students in our school's history. Congratulations!"

The crowd gave a standing ovation. Young Jaehyuk smiled with delight as he walked up on stage to receive his certificate and medal from the school's headmaster.

Mr and Mrs Yoon were at the front row of the audience, clapping for their son. They looked at each other and smiled.

"My goodness, your son is truly one of the most gifted children of this generation! He is able to perform extremely well in his academics and is able to solve the most difficult mathematics and science questions out of his syllabus. He's a prodigy!" A woman seated next to them praised, and the two nodded their heads to thank her.

"Jaehyuk also has an IQ of 150." A man behind them added warmly. "That's remarkably high!"

Yoon Jaehyuk was now the talk of the town in Seoul, appearing in many newspaper articles and making headlines. Everyone knew about the child prodigy who was scooping away medals from various national competitions. Not only was Jaehyuk gifted in academics, he's also very handsome, making him the star of the show among many girls his age. But he was never interested in any of those.

After the ceremony, Jaehyuk joined his parents once again and was preparing to leave when Jaehyuk's homeroom teacher Mr Lee had suddenly stopped them.

"This is for you, Jaehyuk." Mr Lee stated and passed a sheet of paper to him.

"What's this?" Jaehyuk asked.

"This is an invitation from the Osaka Institute of Technology. They are offering you an undergraduate degree in the field of robotics and design through a three-year scholarship program." Mr Lee explained. "I hope that you will consider taking on this scholarship."

Jaehyuk stared at the letter and was pleasantly surprised to see this. As he sat in the car, his parents were already discussing about his travel arrangements.

"I like that Hyuk will have his own accommodation but he's still too young to be living on his own." Mrs Yoon pointed out worriedly.

Mr Yoon thought for a while.

"I know a colleague of mine who lives in Osaka. I'm sure he won't mind having Jaehyuk stay there." He suggested.

Mrs Yoon nodded her head, but Jaehyuk was furious. Why did his parents love to take control over everything? It annoyed him so much, and was glad for this opportunity to get away from them for a while.

A week later, Jaehyuk was busy reading in his bedroom when his father came knocking at the door.

"Jaehyuk-ah." He called. "I've already contacted Uncle Akira, a friend of mine from work, to let you stay at his place while you study at the university."

Jaehyuk furrowed his eyebrows, but maintained a smile.

"Thanks, Dad."

When he arrived in Osaka the following year, he saw Akira Kawazu and his daughter waiting for him.

"Hello, you must be Jaehyuk right?"

Jaehyuk shook hands with Mr Kawazu and glanced at the small girl, who looked wary of him.

"Good afternoon, Sir. Thank you for letting me stay in your home."

"Wow, your Japanese is so fluent! You're indeed a very smart boy." Mr Kawazu complimented and looked down to his daughter. "Yuna, don't be rude. Say hi to Jaehyuk."

Yuna glanced at Jaehyuk and looked away shyly. Jaehyuk grinned, amused by her.

"My apologies. My daughter is highly introverted and has trouble socializing with people."

"Oh, it's no problem. She's cute."

As they drove back to the Kawazu's house, Mr Kawazu tried to get to know the teen boy a little.

"So, Jaehyuk. I see you're interested in the field of robotics."

"Yes, I am."

"If you didn't know, I also majored in Robotics. Right now, I'm working as an engineer at a tech company where I get to work with humanoids."

Jaehyuk turned to Mr Kawazu, shocked that he was also like him.

"Does that mean you'll be able to guide me if I ever need help with my work?"

Mr Kawazu chuckled. "Of course!"

As they arrived at the apartment, Mr Kawazu carried Yuna up and opened the door for Jaehyuk.

"There is an extra bedroom for you to stay in. Make yourself at home, alright kid?"

Jaehyuk nodded and thanked him before pushing his luggage into the empty bedroom to settle in. As he was unpacking, he spotted Yuna peeping at him from the door. He broke into a small smile and continued to unpack.

"I see you, Yuna." He teased.

Yuna jumped in shock. The young girl didn't expect that she would've been caught. She bashfully walked inside and sat on the floor next to the boy, watching him take out all sorts of clothes, books and other necessities in the bag.

"Can I buy you?" Yuna asked him quietly.

Confused by her question, Jaehyuk stopped his unpacking and stared at the little girl.

"Excuse me?"

"I want a friend. With my pocket money savings, I think I have enough to buy you to be my friend."

Seeing how young and innocent Yuna still was, Jaehyuk patted her head.

"Sure, you can. But I will let you have me free-of-charge, so you don't have to pay anything. We're now friends."

Yuna's eyes lit up excitedly and she gave him a big hug.

"Thank you Jaehyuk for being my friend!"

Jaehyuk saw how her eyes sparkled so beautifully and his heart started to melt. At that moment, he realized that this little girl could be his light of hope, that he won't be alone here in this foreign land. Leaning forward, he planted a small kiss on Yuna's cheek.

'When you're older, Yuna, I hope you'll be more than just a friend.' Jaehyuk thought to himself as he watched her leave the room, prancing happily.

To Be Continued...

HIIII OMG I'M FINALLY BACK WITH A NEW CHAPTER FOR Y'ALL!!!! my apologies for the long wait but i just finished a major paper today and uh, i'm just hoping for the best HAHA

anyway, this chapter gives a backstory of jaehyuk to help y'all understand a little of what happened before the present time :)