Summary : Something precious begins from the little things. It's memories that built a lasting feeling.
Warning : Time jumps. Pay attention to the time information.
She wondered, how long could a girl survive carrying an unrequited love? One or two years? Five or ten? Or worst, a lifetime? Could the brain order the heart to not feel something? Could a heart listen that something unreachable will be forever useless to dream upon? It's exhausting. It's stupid. And it hurt you from the inside.
Kang Ga Eun stopped what she was doing and put a hand to feel her heart.
My heart is foolish and stubborn. It won't stop though I've tried so many times.
If only.....if only he knows. If only he feels the same....if only...
"Ga Eun?"
She was startled, and the wiping cloth she held fell from her hand.
"I'm really starving. What's for dinner?" Lee Myung Hwan asked.
"There's beef in black pepper sauce. You like it right, Doryeonnim (young master)?"
"Ah" his face lit up. "Heat it for me, will you?"
"Right away Doryeonnim," she assured dutifully, before moving swiftly in the kitchen.
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If she must pick the best memories that made her fell in love with him, she'd pick three. One, the first time they met. Second, that one time at Christmas Eve. Third, one night when she was in high school.
The first time she met him, she was eight years old and it was snowing. It was midday, and it was three days past Christmas. Her father had held her hand as they walked through a very big, beautiful house. In her eyes, it looked like a castle. A place that fit for kings and queens. Her father then met the owner of the house and discussed something she didn't know.
Later, she'd understand that her father was looking for a job.
Her mother had died when she was five. Liver ailment had taken her from her family too soon.
Her father was a chef and had worked for a wealthy family for years. Alas, his employer went bankrupt and he was forced to find a new job. It's far from easy, since he needed a place that could use his abilities and housed him with his daughter.
So he came to a last resource. To his high school friend, Lee Chung Ho. Somewhere in the big Lee household, there must be a vacancy for him.
His letter was answered with a favorable reply. The butler in their house had resigned, feeling too old already to continue the duty. "Would you care to replace him?" Lee Chung Ho had asked.
That was why Ga Eun's father came there that day.
To work for the famous Lee family was a great honor. Since they were one of the top three wealthiest families in South Korea. For generations, the Lee family had become the leader in a lot of industries, mostly in chain hotels and restaurants. Their network grew larger by the years, making them one of the most sought after family by the press and public in general.
To this family the father and daughter were going to dedicate themselves.
But little Ga Eun would understand all of this much later. At that moment, she was bored from waiting. She got tired looking at the snowdrops falling one by one to the ground. She had inspected the vast garden from corner to corner with her quick eyes. At that moment, she wanted to play.
There was a big pile of snow in the middle of the garden, covering a fountain.She took a handful, neglecting the fact that it's wetting her gloves. She kept taking the icy cold powders and formed balls in her hands, round and round again. She put every ball neatly on the ground, making three little snow balls.
In her over active imagination, the snow balls represented her, Appa and Omma.
"What are you making?"
She turned sharply. There was a boy standing quite close from her.
"Um. Snowballs."
"Really?" the boy asked again, walking to her.
"Ne (yes)."
"It's not as fun as a snowman, you know."
"I know. But I can't make it without my Appa."
"Oh. Hm....I can help, if you want."
"You mean, making a snowman?"
"Yeah."
"Really?"
"Yup. And if we want to finish it before the sun shines and melt everything, I guess we better start now."
Ga Eun didn't really know why. There's something in that boy that made her felt safe. She forgot that he was a stranger and heartily agreed to play with him, immediately scooping snow into her arms.
"I'm Lee Myung Hwan, by the way. What's your name?"
"Me? I'm Kang Ga Eun."
"Kang Ga Eun," he repeated lightly, starting to make a big round snowball and took the snow she added on the pile.
"Ne. How old are you? And why are you here?"
"Me? I live here. And my age....care to guess?
"Hm...." she considered, adding more snow to the big round white ball, that was taking a shape of the snowman's body. "Twelve?"
The boy chuckled. "Close. I'm a year older."
"Thirteen?"
"Yes. And you?"
"I'm eight years old and four months."
"Oh. Okay. Now we just have to put this one into that one," he mumbled, "And I think this looks like a snowman already."
"But it's a thin snowman."
Myung Hwan laughed. "I know. Let's add more snow. Make him fat," he decided, shaping the head of the snowman.
Ga Eun beamed and readily assisted him.
The boy was there and came looking for her because her mother told him so.
"There's a little girl waiting alone in the garden, Myung Hwan-ah. Her father is currently talking with your Abeoji, he will be our new butler. He's a good friend of your Abeoji. But his daughter is alone out there. And it's very cold. Maybe she is feeling shy to come inside. Go and keep her company."
Before he walked out the door, his mother added : "Her mother died. So be nice to her, will you?"
He had obeyed his mother and showed kindness to Ga Eun that day. A kindness that would be etched forever in her memory.
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Another memory that she would forever treasure was on that Christmas Eve. It was her third Christmas with the Lee family. Usually she spent the night helping the maids preparing the dishes and cakes for the Christmas party. But that year, the preparation finished early, and she entered the sitting room just in time to see Myung Hwan doing the final decorations on the Christmas tree.
Every year, he was the one who put every piece of angels, tinkling balls and ribbons around that tree. After giving his parents the freshly baked brownies, Ga Eun stood to admire the tree.
"It's beautiful....." she murmured, though this was not the first time she saw it."
"Hey, Ga Eun. What do you think of it?"
"Beautiful!" she repeated loudly. "I wish this could be here everyday, not only on Christmas."
"Haha. Yeah. But then, it would make it boring, wouldn't it? It's special because we can't always have it."
Ga Eun didn't answer. Her eyes were busy admiring rows and rows of silver and red.
"I'm just going to put this on top of the tree. But what if you do it this year?" he asked, holding the big, silver star decoration, polished diligently by one of the servants, making it glinting under the lamp light.
For the ten years old Ga Eun, it looked as if Myung Hwan was holding a real shining star in his hand.
"Jeongmalyo (really)? I can do that?"
"Sure, why not? Come up here," he said, going down the ladder he sat on, "you're not afraid, right?"
"A little" she confessed.
"Don't worry. It's not that high. Besides, I'll help, so you won't fall."
Doubtfully, she climbed up the ladder, one step at a time. She seemed to get longer the higher she got.
"Aigoo. Little Ga Eun, don't be scared" he assured, climbing the ladder behind her. "Go on. Up you go."
It's childish. But she believed with him behind her, it's impossible to fall.
She had to stand on top of the ladder to reach the top of the tree. Carefully, she put the star there.
Ga Eun smiled widely, admiring it.
"Ok. It looks good now."
He went down first and she followed, but much slower. Because it looked scarier to come down then going up.
He finally reached her and carried her down.
"Gamsahamnida," she bowed gratefully.
"No problem. I started to get scared that you'd really fall."
They stood together looking at their handiwork, when Kim Ae Mi, Myung Hwan's mother said, "Stay there. We'll take a picture of you two," she said, before taking the camera.
And she froze the moment.
Kim Ae Mi took several pictures, and when she printed it, she gave one to Ga Eun.
The picture showed her smiling shyly at the camera, while Myung Hwan smiled too, one hand in his pocket, the other one around her shoulder.
She put the picture in the first page of her diary since then. She took it off and put it in her new diary every time a year passed by.
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Author's Notes:
I hope you'll like this story. I posted this for two other ships before with my other penname.
Please add this to your library, or you can give a comment if you like this first chapter.
See you soon!