Chapter One: Prologue

“Hurry up, get out of bed! The plane is going to be late!” In a room of a certain Beijing hostel, a stunningly beautiful girl was violently trying to rouse the boy in bed, hoping he would finally get up.

But it seemed her efforts were in vain, for the boy simply mumbled, “It’s still early, let me sleep another ten minutes!” With that, he pulled the blanket over his head and went back to sleep.

“You lazy cat! There are only two hours until boarding! If you don’t get up now, I’m leaving without you!” Her tone was growing increasingly impatient; the respectful “brother” had now devolved into the nickname “lazy cat.” Clearly, her patience was wearing thin.

… Silence filled the room …

“Jiang Yihan!!!” And there it was—her patience exhausted, she called him by his full name. Even the legendary lion’s roar of Hedong couldn’t compare to this.

“Huh? Huh? Alright, alright, I’m up.” The boy finally sat up, rubbing his head vigorously, his eyes still bleary with sleep. He was remarkably handsome, with a head of sleek black hair and deep, captivating eyes. “You’re really nagging me. We still have two hours! Can’t you just let me sleep a bit longer?”

“Oh please, are you really my younger brother? You’re older than me and yet you act so immature. Aren’t you ashamed to still be lazing around in bed? Hurry up and go wash up!” The girl, pouting, pinched Jiang Yihan’s cheek and continued to grumble.

“I barely slept! Just ten minutes more…” he protested.

And so, the two bickered their way through washing up and soon boarded the shuttle bus to the airport.

Beijing International Airport

“Yiyi, stay here. I’ll call Mom. I don’t know where to find a payphone for an international call to Hungary, though.” Jiang Yihan instructed his younger sister, set down their luggage, and began searching for a public telephone. Their mother had been living in a European country called Hungary for nearly ten years, running a small business. It was a hard life, but with euros sent home and spent in China, their income was just enough to get by, allowing the siblings to study abroad.

Ring, ring...

“Mom, we’re at the airport… Yes, I’ll be careful… Okay, we’ll call you again once we arrive in Korea… Don’t worry, we’re not kids anymore. We’ll take care of ourselves, yes, yes. Alright, you get back to work. Goodbye!”

And so, in September 2004, a boy and a girl left China, bound for Korea. What lay ahead for them? Who could possibly know? Isn’t that so?