A Long Long Time Ago…
back when Han Do-Yoon was a 5-year-old kiddo…
back when he was called as 'Ra-Bong'…
In front of an apartment.
A woman who seemed to be around mid/late 20s was talking to a moving company employee.
"I've left the door open so you just need to go straight up to the apartment. I'll head up after taking the kids to the playground."
Next to the two, a 5-year-old boy who seemed to have popped out from a romance comic was soullessly rocking a stroller with a 2-year-old girl sleeping inside… squatting down.
Once done talking… the woman headed over to the boy.
As the woman grabbed the stroller handle, the boy stood up and said.
"Told you I'll just come once you're done moving just like Dad."
"How? Are you going to fly over?"
'Psh!'
The three headed their way to the playground.
"When you get married, don't be like your Dad and leave everything over to your wife when you move, making her do all the hard work. You do everything. If not, you're going to have to pay for it all at once when you grow old along with all other things you've done wrong. Just like how your Dad will."
"Dad said he will leave to far far away when he grows old."
"Don't worry. He will pay for it before he does."
"Like that will happen."
Once they arrived at the playground, the woman said as they sat on the bench.
"Stay here and watch your sister. Don't lose her by leaving her all alone to play by yourself."
"Why are you telling me to watch her when you didn't even ask for my consent when you had her?"
"Be quiet!" The woman said striking a knuckle shot on his head.
"Ah!"
Handing a game boy to the boy… "Just play until I come back to get you two."
"Should have just given it to me from the beginning."
"Are you keep going to be like this?!"
As the woman attempted to strike another knuckle shot, the boy blocked it with his one hand with his eyes glued on the game boy… then said.
"Hurry. The movers are waiting."
The woman sighed, then said as heading back to the apartment.
"Be good and make sure to watch your sister!"
The boy just concentrated on the game without responding.
.
.
A moment later…
The game boy turned off by itself running out of battery.
The boy murmured. "Psh! No wonder she gave it to me so easily."
***
Same moment.
'Gotcha.' The woman smirked as she entered the apartment building's main entrance.
The moving company employees stood by the elevator with things to move upstairs… waiting for it to arrive.
The woman said to the moving company employees as she went up to them.
"Such a long day, isn't it? I'll treat you guys with some of the popular foods around here once done."
"Oh no, it's fine."
"You're supposed to share food with others when you move."
Ding! The elevator arrived.
As the elevator door opened, a woman who seemed to be mid/late 20s got off. Then she thought to herself seeing the boxes and the moving company employees. 'Must be for the ones who are moving to the unit in front of ours.' As the woman greeted to the moving company employees with her eyes, a familiar voice was heard all of sudden.
"My! Ae-Jung!"
?? As the woman turned around and confirmed… 'Oh My God!'
"Sae-Na! Why are you here… Wait… are you the one who's moving to the unit in front of ours?"
"The unit in front of… wait… you live on the 12th floor here?"
"Yes~"
"This isn't where you live. When did you move here?"
"About 6 months ago. My husband transferred to the hospital around here. Anyway~ When did you come back to Korea? Why didn't you call?"
"Ha~ It's a long story."
The moving company employees said to Sae-Na standing inside the elevator.
"Mrs., we'll just head up first."
"Yes~ Go head."
Then Sae-Na and Ae-Jung went on busy catching up.
.
.
.
.
A while after Sae-Na and Ae-Jung had zoned into their endless conversation.
Playground.
As the baby cried being woken up, the boy put the pacifier in her mouth as if he was used to it. The baby fell back to sleep right away.
Being bored to death, the boy gazed at the kids playing at the playground… studying them. Then all of sudden… something just flew by in front of him. '(gasp) What was that?!'
Having goosebumps all over his body, the boy tried to look away being a bit scared… but then…
"Ah~~~~!!" Voices of kids screaming were heard.
The boy instantly froze by the screams. With his fear gage crazily going up, he murmured without realizing… "Mommy."
Then he thought… 'My… What have I just said?'
While the boy was suddenly in shock from himself crying out for his mommy like a wimpy little boy, the screams of other kids were kept being heard.
Not being able to control his fear gage by the screams, the boy tried to calm himself down… 'Shouldn't be a wimp since I'm going to be a Batman when I grow up.'
The baby woke up by the screams and started crying.
The boy opened his eyes wide gripping onto the stroller with his one hand trying to overcome his fear. Has never been so fond of his sister, but must protect her. That's what Batman would have done.
As if he had made up his mind, the boy nodded with his eyes in flames and looked towards where the screaming was coming from.
'???'
A kid in a Ninja Turtle costume was busy running after other kids and the kids were running around screaming.
Gasp… The boy just stared in loss of words. Then all of sudden, his eyes met with the Ninja Turtle Costume kid's.
Not sure why… but all of sudden… he felt as if his heart thudded down feeling suffocated… then it started pumping insanely as if it has lost control.
The Ninja Turtle just turned away and started running after other kids again.
The boy just froze and didn't know what to do. He sure has just dropped down on the ground, but he was standing. It was this strange feeling as if his soul has stepped out from his body just like in movies where the soul of a dead person steps out from its body right after an accident.
Seconds later…
Losing interest from running after other kids, Ninja Turtle started scanning for a new target… then the boy came into her eyes! Bingo! Her mind lightened up as she scanned the boy up and down… then she smirked and said.
"Target Scanning Complete~"
The boy all of sudden felt a chill on his back.
As the Ninja Turtle insanely ran towards the boy and was about to attack him…
"Ban. Ha. Ri.!"
With a high decibel shout, the Ninja Turtle got captured by someone. As she carefully looked up to see who it was… of course… it was Ae-Jung. Sigh.
Ha-Ri tried to escape using every bit of her strength with her Ninja Turtle Shell being held by Ae-Jung, but of course, it was just like running on a running machine… going nowhere with the effort but worth to be a good exercise.
Ae-Jung interrogated Ha-Ri.
"Why are you here when you should be at the ballet school?!"
"I told you! I don't like ballet!"
'What am I looking at?' The boy, Sae-Na, and the baby stared at the two with big rabbit eyes with their heads tilted.
Then Sae-Na barged in.
"My! Has she grown up so big like this already?! Anyway, wasn't Ha-Ri a girl? Was your second child the daughter? Have I have gotten it mixed up because of her name? No, she sure was a girl."
Ae-Jung took off the Ninja Turtle mask from Ha-Ri.
Bam! As Ha-Ri's face got revealed with the mask being taken off…
ShaLaLaLaLaLaLa~ The boy felt as if he was getting sucked into Ha-Ri. An angelic glow formed around her… his heart started running fluffily and softly which was very different from how it ran earlier… and his entire body became so warm all of sudden.
Ae-Jung answered.
"She is a daughter."
Looking very different from how the boy was seeing her, covered in sweat and with messy hair, Ha-Ri awkwardly smiled.
Then Ae-Jung said to Ha-Ri.
"Say Hi. It's mommy's friend, Auntie Sae-Na."
"Long time no see, Ha-Ri. You don't remember me, do you? Auntie nearly raised you when you were young."
"That's right. You liked her more than Ra-Bong. You always asked to switch the two."
"He was such a fuss, and Ha-Ri was so calm."
"So what. As you can see, she's like this now."
Ha-Ri tried to escape seeing it as a chance, but there was no way Ae-Jung was going to let go of her.
Ra-Bong still couldn't snap out from Ha-Ri.
"Anyway, I need to take her to the ballet school right now... Have dinner at our house tonight~ You probably won't have time to cook anyway since you just moved in."
"Ah~ You're such a lifesaver! Ha-Ri~ Have fun at the ballet school~"
Ha-Ri shouted trying to slip away.
"No~ I'm not gonna do ballet! I don't want to~"
"Be quiet! Anyway, see you guys later!"
"Okay~"
As Ae-Jung headed to the ballet school dragging Ha-Ri, Ha-Ri kept shouting trying with every bit of her effort to run away.
"No! I don't want to go~"
Ra-Bong kept giggling staring at the Ha-Ri with his ears sizzling.
Then Sae-Na said to Ra-Bong.
"I'll be back soon so just stay here for a bit more."
There was no response from Ra-Bong.
"Han Ra-Bong!"
Ra-Bong then soullessly responded with his eyes still on Ha-Ri.
"Okay."
It was probably then… when all the people in this world started being distinguished as Ban Ha-Ri and people who aren't Ban Ha-Ri to Ra-Bong… to Do-Yoon.