Chapter 12

After turning 7, time passed like the flow of years.

I grew taller, gained weight, and now, I could think to myself that I was looking somewhat handsome.

I still wished I were a bit taller, but because of my weak body, I was slightly smaller than the other kids my age.

In winter, just after graduating from kindergarten, I was about to enter elementary school.

"This one seems good, right? The facilities are nice."

"The kids should like it. Let’s check out other schools too."

My parents and Auntie came together to decide on a school.

For me, it didn’t matter where I went, since it was just a place for kids to play. But the adults didn’t think the same way and were extra careful in their decision-making.

In the end, the school we decided on was a nearby public elementary school.

The facilities were good, and the teachers were also nice, according to Auntie, so my parents agreed.

Ha-Soo-Yul and I were confirmed to attend that school, while Lee Do-Yoon and Baek Yoo-Seol would be going to a private elementary school.

The two of them were quite upset about being separated, but...

Since we could always contact each other and meet up, it wasn’t a big deal.

Our houses weren’t far from each other, so we could easily meet.

Thus began our journey at elementary school. Looking back now, I felt despair at the reality of going back to school.

The elementary school curriculum was already something I could do in my sleep, and I had to at least attend high school before I could do anything worth doing.

After spending a year or two in the dull school life, I entered the third grade.

"Nice to meet everyone! I’m Choi Ye-Seo from Suwon!"

With blonde ponytail hair and black eyes, and a mischievous expression on her face,

Something about this new student... was definitely unusual.

***

As usual, while heading home from school,

Ha-Soo-Yul asked me from the side.

"Ha-Eun, what did you think of the new transfer student today?"

I turned my head at the sound of her voice, and there was Ha-Soo-Yul, a bit taller than me.

Although she was an elementary school student, Ha-Soo-Yul had perfect proportions. If she keeps growing like this,

'She’ll probably hit 170 with ease.'

Kids grow quickly, but I didn’t expect her to grow this fast.

Honestly, I wonder if she’ll be struggling with growing pains when she reaches middle school.

Ha-Soo-Yul’s height had already surpassed 140 cm, while I was still only in the mid-130s.

I know girls usually grow faster than boys at this age,

but it still makes me feel a little sad.

"The transfer student? I don’t know. I didn’t really think about it."

At my answer, Ha-Soo-Yul stared at me intently.

"Wasn’t she pretty?"

What kind of question is that?

"Not really? I didn’t look at her properly."

"Really?"

Ha-Soo-Yul’s face lit up with a smile. I really couldn’t figure her out.

But, I wasn’t completely clueless about women’s hearts,

so I decided to play it off like I didn’t notice.

Besides, Choi Ye-Seo, she’s a heroine, after all.

She’s probably going to end up involved with Lee Do-Yoon later, so what can I do?

And right now, she’s just a kid. I don’t know what will happen later, but not now.

I don’t know why Choi Ye-Seo transferred to our school,

but I’ll meet her again in high school.

'Can I even have a relationship at all?'

The people who like me and the people I like.

I still don’t understand romantic love. If I had to say, it’s probably the former.

I know Ha-Soo-Yul likes me, but I’m not exactly sure about her feelings.

So, I think I’ll just wait and see for now.

"So why did you ask about that?"

"Hmm, nothing. Just curious."

That was anticlimactic. I stretched and crossed the crosswalk.

Ha-Soo-Yul had to go to her after-school academy today, so we parted ways in the middle and I went home.

It was unexpected that Choi Ye-Seo transferred, but it doesn’t matter to me.

'Unless she approaches me first.'

That’s because Choi Ye-Seo really loves beautiful things.

And that’s where the problem lies.

'It’s not just limited to things... she’s into people too.'

Choi Ye-Seo is obsessed with beauty and things that are pretty.

That means she could approach Ha-Soo-Yul.

'She has to be really beautiful for that to happen.'

In the world of romantic comedies, even regular people tend to be good-looking.

But Ha-Soo-Yul’s appearance is practically main-character level, so I wonder why she’s not a character in the story.

Of course, I can’t say much about that because I’m the same, but still.

After showering, I had dinner and then lay lazily on the living room couch.

Normally, I would go to my room and draw, but today, I just didn’t feel like it.

You know those days when you don’t want to do anything?

I didn’t feel lethargic, and my condition was fine,

but I just didn’t want to do anything today.

So today, I decided to just relax.

"Son, aren’t you drawing today?"

Mom gently lifted my head and placed it on her lap.

Feeling comfortable, I answered lazily.

"I’m just... feeling too lazy to do anything."

"Really? Is something wrong?"

"Not really."

If Choi Ye-Seo transferring is considered something wrong, it’s a bit ambiguous.

"Has Ha-Yoon not arrived yet?"

"Yeah. When she gets here, I’ll go pick her up. Do you want to come?"

Today, Ha-Yoon was on a field trip from her kindergarten.

In the morning, she was so excited, packing up things like a little squirrel.

Mom kept shouting about how cute she was. Ugh.

I think she took almost a hundred pictures, exaggerating.

"Okay, sure. I don’t have anything else to do."

Mom and Dad never told me to study.

And why would they? I’m first in my class at school.

Even though it doesn’t mean much, it still feels nice to get it. The tests at school are pretty basic.

With my great memory, elementary school tests are a piece of cake...

Seriously, I could study by just glancing through the material a couple of times during break.

Math and science are still no problem either.

In my past life, I was terrible at them, but maybe this time things will be different.

I looked at the clock, and it was 4:50 PM.

Thinking about it now, elementary school finishes really early.

Even if it ends late, it’s still over by 3 PM.

I’m not sure about after-school activities, but I don’t really see the need for them.

I spent the time watching YouTube with Mom, just passing time.

Ding!

"Ah, Ha-Yoon must have arrived."

Mom’s phone notification rang, and we got ready to leave.

Since all we had to bring was the phone, I stuffed it into my pocket and put on my shoes.

It was a gift when I started elementary school.

I don’t really use it for games, just for communication and watching YouTube.

But my classmates are really into mobile games.

While we waited for the elevator outside the hallway,

Mom, who had been looking at her phone, held the screen up to me.

"Look, son. Your subscribers have gone up a lot."

I didn’t know, but Mom had been uploading my drawings to YouTube for me.

I had thought about starting a YouTube channel, but my laziness stopped me.

I didn’t think it would last long, so I gave up.

But Mom had been filming me drawing.

Of course, she got my permission first. She said she had to protect her son’s likeness.

I didn’t really care if my face got out there. With a face like mine, anyone who insults me would just be jealous, right? Haha.

Looking at the subscriber count on the screen,

"...At this rate, it looks like we could start monetizing."

It hadn’t been long since we started, but with this many subscribers, I might be able to make a living as a YouTuber instead of working.

Mom seemed to be seriously considering it. She’s the kind of person who knows a lot about finance.

When I muttered this, Mom smiled and nodded.

"Yeah! If we upload one or two more videos, it should work."

Amazing, Lee Ha-Eun! Looks like I’ll live off my looks.

Such a brutal world of appearance-based standards.

Actually, there were a lot of comments praising my looks.

Since Mom manages the YouTube channel, I don’t have to worry about anything.

Ding.

We got in the elevator that had just arrived and went down.

Holding hands with Mom, we headed to the kindergarten.

As we passed, people gave us snacks and smiled at us.

We thanked them and said we’d enjoy the treats.

We weren’t going to turn them down.

Mom and I ate the snacks (like chips or puffed rice) as we walked toward the kindergarten.

We couldn’t eat too much, or we wouldn’t be able to have dinner later.

When we arrived at the kindergarten, there were people gathered at the front gate.

They seemed like the parents of the other kids, waiting to pick them up.

By the way, where’s Ha-Yoon?

"Mom! Oppa!"

Had she just been to the bathroom? She came running from inside, her hands all wet.

I walked slowly toward her and hugged my sister.

"Don’t run like that. What if you trip?"

"Hehe. It’s okay, Oppa will catch me!"

Does she think I’m Doraemon?

"That’s right, Yoon-ah. It’s dangerous to run."

Mom also backed me up, picking up Ha-Yoon in her arms.

"Ah, our daughter is getting heavy."

At 7 years old, it’s getting a bit much to carry her. But why do I still keep picking her up so eagerly...

"I’m not heavy!"

"No? You’re pretty heavy, sweetheart."

Mom made a playful face and pinched Ha-Yoon’s nose.

"Ugh!"

Ha-Yoon’s scrunched face was so cute that I took a picture.

Click.

"Ah, I missed it."

Ha-Yoon jumped down and ran behind me.

I gently patted her head.@@novelbin@@

"Now, it’s our son’s turn."

"...Am I not heavy?"

"Not at all?"

This is strange. I’m pretty sure I weigh a lot more than her.

"How much do you weigh, son?"

Mom whispered in my ear.

I froze for a second and quickly covered my ears. After a long sigh, I admitted my weight.

"I think it’s 31 kilos? The last time I checked, it was 31."

I remembered the physical exam we had when we started third grade.

Mom, hearing my answer, said,

"...Aren’t you a bit too skinny? I guess that’s why you’re so light."

She looked seriously at me and muttered.

Isn’t this normal?

I looked at Ha-Yoon in disbelief.

"...Mom, that’s not nice."

The 7-year-old Ha-Yoon couldn’t stop being shocked.