It Seems Like My Childhood Friend Has Returned

#49

“So, was it good?”

The moment the long, grueling last class ended, I spotted those two damn idiots approaching with their goofy grins.

“…What do you mean?”

“This guy’s pretending he doesn’t know, huh?”

“Buddy, with this attitude, we can’t help but turn into demons.”

Honestly, seeing those two blabbering as if they were forcing a confession on me made me exhale deeply in disbelief.

“No, you idiots. Really, nothing happened.”

At that moment, a mental image flickered in my mind of Han Seo-ah, happily rubbing her head against my hand like a purring cat, and my conscience throbbed, but I kept my cool.

“You just held Han Seo-ah’s hand tightly and went out looking all serious, and now you’re saying nothing happened?”

“I thought I was watching you, Joonu, marching off to war?”

— Ugh, why did it have to be these guys?

“I just thought she seemed a bit startled, so I calmed her down, you idiots.”

I wasn’t lying.

“What? So boring.”

“Uwoo. Muscular man Joonu.”

Seeing Kim Seung-hyun and Park Jae-hwan, my duo of disappointment, signaling thumbs down while making annoying sounds, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

With an expression that screamed disbelief, Kim Seung-hyun spoke with a knowing smile.

“Jokes aside, we heard everything. Some crazy dude came into class and started picking a fight with Han Seo-ah, right?”

“Why does such a thing happen when all three of us are gone? It feels like stepping in poop.”

While I was quietly listening, realizing they had figured it all out, I started thinking about something that bothered me.

What was it? Did I hear wrong?

“Hey, say it right. It wasn’t Han Seo-ah who picked a fight; it was that crazy dude who picked on her.”

Upon finally pinpointing the source of my annoyance, I retorted, and Kim Seung-hyun raised his hands in surrender.

“Alright, my bad. Relax your face a bit.”

“Oh my, just mentioning Han Seo-ah turns your expression savage.”

Is my expression savage?

Suddenly feeling a bit too touchy, I awkwardly admitted.

“…Sorry. I guess I was a bit sensitive.”

“All good. If it were me and some random crazy dude was picking on my girlfriend, I’d be furious too.”

“Truth. If you hold it in, you’re a pushover.”

Seeing these guys sympathize with me, I realized they were good friends after all.

“Alright, enough chit-chat. Are we going to the PC bang? You weren’t here yesterday, and it was just me and Park Jae-hwan getting demolished.”

“You fumbled like crazy.”

“What? Crazy dude! You said you wanted to try going top with Yu-mi! Look how that turned out.”

You lost because of your screw-up, not mine.

Watching these guys bicker made me feel the urge to hit the PC bang after a long time.

Wait, hold on. What? Yu-mi top? That’s crossing the line, man.

Caught between the fear of shocking news and the urge to hit the PC bang, an image of Han Seo-ah, returning home alone, suddenly flashed in my mind.

— Ugh, I don’t like that idea.

“Hey, you guys go ahead to the PC bang.”

“Why? Do you have something else to do?”

Saying the next line took more courage than I expected.

“I’ll drop Han Seo-ah off at home first.”

The moment I finished speaking, an unsettling silence surrounded us.

Not even able to face the expressions of those two, I hurriedly turned my head towards Han Seo-ah’s spot.

Then,

“Whoa, what the f—”

“What did I just hear?”

The genuine tone of shock in their voices made it impossible for me to look back.

“…Just think what you like. See you later.”

As I walked away, ignoring their mixture of awe and swearing, I steeled myself and headed towards Han Seo-ah, who was chatting and giggling with other girls.

#50

“So, what happened then…”

Chit chat.

I couldn’t help but admire them.

Since four girls were gathered, the conversation didn’t stop, and I was at a loss for when to jump in.

It felt awkward to just barge in, so I whipped out my phone and sent her a message.

[ㅎㅅㅇ]

– Hey (dog knocking on the door emoji)

Zing—

As soon as I sent the message, Han Seo-ah took out her phone to check.

Upon seeing my message, she looked around, and when our eyes met, her round eyes widened.

A moment later, she made a face like >_< and clasped her hands together as if apologizing. Seeing that cute sight made me smile, and while I waved my hand in a "it's okay" gesture, I noticed her quickly typing away on her phone. [ㅎㅅㅇ] - Sorry, Joonu ~ㅠㅠ Did I keep you waiting? I'll be there in a minute. (crying rabbit emoji) We hadn’t even talked about going home together today. Seeing Han Seo-ah flustered as if she violated a natural rule somehow filled my head with affectionate thoughts. — I’m losing my mind here. Growing up with her as my childhood friend and experiencing this unfamiliar yet familiar feeling made me smile at every little action, every gesture of hers. “Hey guys, I’m heading out first!” Before I knew it, she hustled to pack her things and rushed straight toward me. “Joonu! Sorry! Let's go quickly.” “You could’ve taken your time.” Feeling guilty that I might have caused her to rush, I said that, and Han Seo-ah looked up at me as if to ask, "What do you mean?" "Why?" "Weren't you just having fun with those guys?" "Ah~ It's alright. Honestly, I'd rather hang out with you, Joonu." Whoa, came in strong. I didn’t know how to respond and fumbled for words, and Han Seo-ah watched me with a gleeful smile, almost like she found it hilarious. "Not you?" “...” Her eyes seemed to twinkle mischievously, and I noticed a slight blush rising on her cheeks. As we locked eyes, I couldn't help but think—this is a childhood friend I’ve known forever, yet I could never get used to this side of her. The sight before me was both cute and beautiful, and I found myself at a loss for words, just silently gazing. “Joonu?” You nudged me in the side playfully, urging me to respond. It was a familiar action we had done countless times, but today, it felt oddly special and shook my heart. "...I do." Swallowing hard, I struggled to open my mouth. "I mean, I like being with you the most." As I finally conveyed my true feelings, I felt my heart pounding like crazy. So loud I worried the childhood friend next to me might hear it. "... I said I enjoyed playing around the most." Han Seo-ah, hearing my answer, suddenly lowered her head, avoiding my gaze. But even with her head bowed, her adorably red ears were visible. It felt like they were echoing her true feelings at that moment. Seeing her like this made my own face flush with warmth. "... I feel the same." Awkwardly, yet softly, I reiterated my feelings. #51 On our way home. With faces still rosy, we couldn’t bring ourselves to meet each other’s eyes. As we hesitantly stepped out of school, the sun was setting, painting the streets in shades of crimson. Fortunately, the glowing sunset seemed to mask our embarrassment, but unlike usual, the atmosphere felt strangely quiet. As the silence lingered, I sneaked a glance to the side. Surprisingly, Han Seo-ah seemed to have been peeking at me too, and our eyes met. Startled, we both quickly turned our heads and burst into laughter simultaneously, puhaha.

“What are we doing?”

With the awkward air surrounding us broken, casual conversation flowed naturally.

“Seriously, what are we doing?”

As if trying to make up for the moments of silence, we kept chatting on without needing a topic.

“Ah, Joonu.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I come hang out at your place again later?”

I wondered if she had ever asked beforehand, but feeling no reason to decline, I was about to say yes when—

Kim Seung-hyun’s ugly face flashed in front of me.

Oh crap, my eyes…!

“I want to say yes, but I’m dropping you off, and then I’m meeting Seung-hyun and Jae-hwan at the PC bang.”

Since I missed it yesterday—

Trying to brush it off, I explained myself.

Suddenly, I noticed Han Seo-ah’s sparkling eyes growing round with surprise.

“You’re going to the PC bang?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“Did those guys go home and then plan to meet?”

“Uh… not exactly. They’re already at the PC bang now.”

Why the sudden line of questioning? I wondered as I answered, and the shocked expression on Han Seo-ah’s face shifted to something adorably affectionate.

“Then… why didn’t you go right away, Joonu?”

“Of course…”

I opened my mouth to answer absentmindedly, but then I hit a wall.

It struck me why Han Seo-ah was looking at me like that.

Overwhelmed with embarrassment, my face became even redder than it already was; I found myself instinctively turning my head down.

“Hey… Joonu.”

“…What is it?”

Her voice, full of laughter, was unmistakably filled with happiness about this moment.

“Thank you. Can you keep it up for me from now on?”

“…Sure.”

Seeing her reaction, overflowing with gratitude and joy rather than any burden, filled me with a sense of pride and made me feel that it was worthwhile to show up today.

“Today’s Joonu gets a… 100 points!”

“What’s that? What’s it out of?”

Backlit by the sunset, Han Seo-ah looked back at me with her hair tossed to one side, smiling happily.

Was it just me, or did her face seem to glow as if painted by the sunset?

---