It Seems Like My Childhood Friend Has Returned

#57

“Disgusting? Repulsive? Joonu, what could be a worse word than that?”

As I thought of ways to express my feelings towards that punk, I could see Joonu’s startled expression at the words coming out of my mouth.

Uh-oh.

I didn’t want to show Joonu my bad side, but there was no other way to describe those kids.

I’ll be careful from now on.

Sorry, Joonu.

I liked how Joonu didn’t question my plea to stay away from those kids and just agreed.

If it’s Joonu, I’m sure he’ll keep this promise.

Just that thought was enough to make me happy when suddenly Joonu reached out and gently started to pat my head.

What the…

Where did this come from all of a sudden?

At first, I was a bit shocked but soon, as his hand began to gently glide through my hair, I felt good and slightly closed my eyes.

Looking at Joonu’s expression, it seemed like an unconscious action, but I couldn’t let this rare opportunity pass me by.

So I subtly adjusted myself to give him more areas to pet.

…Good things are good, right? Uh-huh.

Just as we were enjoying this pleasant moment, Joonu seemed to snap back to reality, and with a surprised look, he tried to pull his hand away, making me pout in disappointment.

Was my wish for more conveyed? I felt a gentle hand brushing through my hair again.

I heard Joonu let out a slight chuckle, and when I opened my eyes to ask why, he honestly replied it was because I was cute, looking at me with affectionate eyes.

In that instant, I found Joonu so lovable that I thought I wouldn’t be able to hold back for long.

If Joonu were to approach slowly and cautiously… then…

#58

I skipped class for the first time, but I didn’t mind since I was with Joonu.

I wanted to experience everything for the first time with him.

It was slightly embarrassing to say I had a romantic escape in front of the class, but I didn’t deny it.

It wasn’t exactly a wrong statement.

What surprised me was that even Joonu didn’t deny it.

He didn’t even seem to notice anything strange, and I was quietly happy about that.

#59

After class that day, what I thought would be a brief chat with Jia and some other friends unexpectedly took longer than expected.

At first, it was just supposed to be a quick talk before heading to Joonu, but hearing Jia talk about how she got a boyfriend and her first love stories turned out to be more exciting than I thought.

…I’m jealous.

I want to date Joonu soon and go out and have fun too.

While imagining going out together, arms linked, and kissing, suddenly my phone ding-a-linged with a vibration.

I didn’t even need to check who it was.

I had made sure that only Joonu could vibrate my phone.

When I looked around for where Joonu was calling me from, I saw him waiting for me, looking my way.

My heart raced at how he waited for me without a fuss, as if it was only natural.

Maybe it wouldn’t take long for my recent daydream to become a reality, and a smile crept onto my face.

#60

As I strolled home alongside Joonu against the backdrop of a reddish sunset sky,

an awkward silence hung between us.

[“I like being with you the best”]

which Joonu had said softly while looking at me kept replaying in my mind, causing my heart to flutter.

Joonu too seemed different from usual, quietly waiting for me, adjusting his pace to mine.

I wondered if he knew?

That his actions made me feel like he was considering and caring for me little by little.

All those sudden gestures,

were really driving me crazy.

I couldn’t believe I had taken those moments for granted before; it made me hate myself a little.

Ah, I can’t take it anymore.

Deciding I had to pop into Joonu’s room to absorb some Joonu energy, I asked him if it was okay to hang out in his room.

Of course… I knew Joonu wouldn’t say no.

However, I was confused when Joonu, with an apologetic expression, said he was headed to the PC Bang.

Did he need to pick something up from home?

Curious, when I asked why, I couldn’t believe my ears at his answer.

It seemed Joonu’s friends were already at the PC Bang, and he had come to pick me up.

Seeing how Joonu took that as a matter of course felt incredibly endearing.

…Joonu, are you trying to seduce me right now?

If that was his intention… he had perfectly succeeded.

Right now, I wanted to take Joonu’s hand and pull him not to the PC Bang, but to my room. Thoughts swirled in my mind about whether Joonu would prefer a boy or a girl.

This was… serious cheating.

How was I supposed to hold back?

Today, Joonu was truly getting a perfect score.

So perfect, it was almost slightly annoying.

#61

After Joonu dropped me off and headed to the PC Bang,

I entered Joonu’s room to absorb some Joonu energy.

…He didn’t say not to come in. Uh-huh.

As soon as I opened the door, Joonu’s scent wrapped around me, making me feel good.

I naturally stepped toward the bed and lay down, wrapping myself in the blankets Joonu used and burying my face in the pillow, feeling as if Joonu was right beside me.

Rolling around on Joonu’s bed while soaking up his energy was satisfying, but I still couldn’t shake an odd feeling of disappointment.

“I miss you…”

With the satisfaction from Joonu’s scent, I knew it couldn’t truly replace the real thing.

Holding Joonu’s blanket tightly, I took out my phone to send a message.

…Will he think I’m annoying?

They say clingy women aren’t attractive.

…But I want to see him.

Eventually, unable to resist my desire, I sent a few messages, but even after a few minutes, the ‘read’ symbol wasn’t disappearing.

Observing that Joonu usually checked his messages quickly, I assumed he must be having fun now.

…Suddenly I pondered what I did when I was alone in the past and realized it was always the same.

Joonu would always be around, or when I was bored, he would come over or reach out to me.

…Like a fool, I had taken all that for granted.

I was really such a fool.

As I was feeling upset about how I treated Joonu, my phone let out a ding,

It was Joonu!

Excited, as I opened my phone, I saw him saying it’s fine; I could contact him anytime.

Even if he said that, I knew he’d surely think it was annoying if I contacted him while he was playing.

But seeing that Joonu prioritized me and told me that made a smile spread across my face.

Feeling jubilant, I sent more messages, but unfortunately, the number ‘1’ remained unsent.

…Sigh.

I expected this… but still, it was a bit disappointing.

He said it was fine to send messages…

He said being with me was the best…

A liar, fool…

While I pouted thinking of the innocent Joonu, a good idea popped into my head.

Couldn’t I use this as an excuse to go see Joonu?

Instead of bringing him back from his fun time, just being next to him would make me happy, so I headed out immediately.

Searching where Joonu often went to the PC Bang, once I entered, I spotted Joonu and his friends seated.

“Hey, you punks! It’s your fault Han Seo-ah is mad…!”

Huh? Me?

Getting closer, I heard Joonu’s voice sounding wronged as he lamented to his friends about how I was angry.

Ah, is it because of the message I sent before I left?

I was just pretending to be a little upset to see Joonu…

It seemed that Joonu genuinely thought I was mad.

…Uh-oh. I kind of understand why he might feel that way.

Feeling a bit guilty but seeing that Joonu felt that way, I thought I should act angry for now, so I stiffened my face.

Hee-hee.

However, it was too hard to maintain my expression when I saw how cutely Joonu was panicking, thinking I was actually mad.

Hmm-hmm.

I gathered myself again, put on a stern look, and quietly approached Joonu.

“You didn’t see how I got mad, did you? When I’m mad, it’s really…!”

“Really what?”

Joonu, you fool.

I’m not angry at you, though.

…Probably.

#62

I took Joonu out and we faced each other across a vacant seat at the PC Bang.

Originally, I had planned just to sit beside him, watching YouTube, and occasionally glancing at him, but somehow it turned into this.

Joonu’s fidgeting while sneaking glances at me was utterly adorable.

But I felt I was doing something terrible to Joonu.

…I love seeing Joonu smile.

What to do.

Seeing Joonu bow his head in apology made me upset.

This wasn’t why I came here; I should have just stayed back in his room.

Feeling distressed, I pouted.

Hoping Joonu would realize.

“…You said being with me was the best. Liar.”

“I hate you.”

Just those words seemed to let him know I wasn’t really mad, and I could see Joonu’s face brightening visibly.

I felt relieved with that realization.

Though it was going oddly,

I had heard that couples often fight over contact-related issues.

Since we were bound to be a couple one day or even something more, I thought we could consider this a practice run or something.

…Of course, I would later have to admit and apologize to Joonu for all this.

Sorry, Joonu.

#63

After that, every time I was with Joonu, it became harder to suppress my overflowing feelings for him.

Joonu seemed to treat me less like a close friend and more as a romantic interest now, but since we still couldn’t call ourselves a couple,

I felt a thirst for more.

I could hardly distinguish where the line was between childhood friends.

From the moment I returned to the past,

I had intended to confess when the moment felt right, but at some point, my feelings became so strong I wanted to become his girlfriend as soon as possible so I could have him.

As I stifled my desires for Joonu every day, one day,

while lying in bed together and having him gently stroke my head,

I felt my heart race at the thought of going on a trip together for a night after the midterms—as Joonu sweetly whispered those words.

I was more excited about the midterms than ever before.

With that, I eagerly anticipated the huge change in our relationship.

My heart raced like it was going to burst.

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