i must have been around the age of nine,
when i first made a friend.
it was after dark.
i was sitting at a table doing school work.
mother was upstairs folding laundry.
father was not home from work at the time.
it was a peaceful thursday night.
i was focused in my school work.
mother was humming a tune as she folded clean clothes.
all was well and going as planned.
until i looked out a window, and saw a shadow of some sort.
i couldn't see what it was, exactly.
but i remember being curious, as any child would be.
very curious.
so curious to the point that i ignored my parents words,
and snuck outside.
it was easy sneaking away from mother.
she was focused in her chores that she didn't even see me
open the front door and leave.
that was the first time i disobeyed their rules.
i have only been outside a few times before that.
fascination, curiosity, and wonder was stirring
around in my head.
we had a forest right beside our backyard.
despite it being very dark outside, that was the
first place i went to.
i remember being fascinated by nature at that moment.
all the living plants and trees, i have only seen in textbooks,
were right there in front of my eyes.
and it amazed me.
so i ventured deeper into the forest,
admiring all the living green things.
i was feeling so much joy.
my young mind became captivated by the world.
hardly anything had been harmed by humans,
at the time.
eventually i found a spot with hardly any trees.
only an empty hill, with grass and dirt.
so i climbed to the top of it.
when i looked up, i saw them.
stars. millions. shining brightly in the dark night.
my mind became blank just by looking at them.
it was the most beautiful thing i'd ever seen.
i never seen stars before that. only in pictures.
but they were much more beautiful up close.
"there really pretty, aren't they?"
i jumped from surprise.
turning around, i saw a person.
a young boy was standing only a few feet away from me.
he was small and frail.
around the same age as me. nine or ten.
but pale, very pale.
i hadn't spoke to anyone besides my parents.
so i didn't know what to say.
i only responded with a simple, "yep."
i turned back around and looked up once again.
as a child, it seemed that the stars were twinkling.
i wanted nothing more but to stare at them forever.
the boy walked closer and stood beside me.
he too, was looking up at the night sky in front of us.
it was odd.
all the other children were loud and cheerful.
they always seemed to be happy, with their bright smiles
and personalities.
but this boy was different.
he was quieter and calmer then the others,
and hardly spoke a word.
i thought to myself, why isn't he like the other children?
so i spoke up.
"what's your name?" i asked, cautiously.
the pale boy turned to me, and spoke in a small voice,
"yoongi."
i nodded. "i'm jiyeon,"
after that it fell silent once more,
as the two of us watched the night sky.
the stars shining brightly in dark blues and purples.
"uh, you wanna be friends?"
"sure."
"cool."
