Chapter 14

The day I got a serious scolding from my mom and dad and felt down.

I thought Yooni would comfort me, but instead…

"Oppa is an idiot."

After being harshly hurt by Yooni, I locked myself in my room.

Soon, the end-of-term exams arrived, and all the third-grade elementary school kids were frantically studying.

The only ones who weren’t panicking were me, Ha-Soo-Yul, and Choi Ye-Seo.

For me, I didn’t even need to look at the textbook more than once. Ha-Soo-Yul just didn’t care about the exam.

As for Choi Ye-Seo, she seemed to be diligently studying.

Ding-dong-ding-dong~

At the bell for the first class to end, the kids who had been frantically studying just a moment ago jumped up and rushed off to play.

Ha-Soo-Yul and I were…

"I’m so bored, I could die."

"Draw me something."

We were talking about completely different things.

I ignored Ha-Soo-Yul, who was obsessed with my drawing, and just laid down.

"Hey! Yul, let’s go play after school!"

Choi Ye-Seo came over and tried to convince Ha-Soo-Yul. How does she not get tired of being rejected every day?

As usual, Ha-Soo-Yul just shook her head.

"I have to go to academy."

She came up with a bunch of reasons to run away.

"Stop lying… you went yesterday."

It seemed like Choi Ye-Seo wasn’t completely clueless, so she tried to convince her a little more gently.

"...I’m going to see Yooni."

At this point, it seemed like she could have just agreed, but Ha-Soo-Yul remained firm.

Choi Ye-Seo knew this, but still persisted.

"Then I’ll come too!"

She didn’t seem like she would give up on sticking to Ha-Soo-Yul like a leech.

Choi Ye-Seo’s eyes turned to me. Ha-Soo-Yul desperately shook her head.

"...Fine."

I wasn’t clueless about Ha-Soo-Yul’s feelings. After all, my mom does the same thing to me.

But there was no reason for me to refuse.

If Ha-Soo-Yul can do it, why can’t I?

‘Ugh, this is so annoying.’

Even my family eagerly awaits when I bring friends over.

Just like Ha-Soo-Yul, I don’t have any real friends.

Of course, I get along with everyone, but that’s just for show.

I haven’t really considered any of them my friend yet.

I could see the light fading from Ha-Soo-Yul’s eyes, while Choi Ye-Seo’s eyes brightened.

What is this? It’s kind of scary.

I deliberately turned my gaze away and looked out the window. It was about time for the other kids to come back.

That means class is about to start.

"Hurry up and go back."

It was time for Choi Ye-Seo to return to her seat.

"Hee-hee, I’ll come back later!"

Choi Ye-Seo left with a pout. What a spoiled attitude.

When I glanced at Ha-Soo-Yul, she said,

"...Sorry."

She was staring at me with lifeless eyes. Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine, and I brushed my arms.

"I’ll draw for you."

Her mood seemed to improve a little after hearing that.

"Draw a shark."

That damn shark. After visiting a drawing cafe, Ha-Soo-Yul became obsessed with sharks.

I like sharks too. They’re cool, with their sleek bodies and sharp fins.

But…

"Here."

I handed her a paper with a drawing of a shark. Ha-Soo-Yul took it without saying anything.

It wasn’t the excited look I was hoping for. I had drawn a cute, cartoonish shark, not a realistic one.

But I guess it was good enough, since a smile appeared on Ha-Soo-Yul’s face.

She chuckled and leaned on her desk.

Today, I wasn’t planning to pay attention to the class.

...

After school, when I was packing my bag, Choi Ye-Seo came over, shouting, "Let’s go see Yooni!"

Ha-Soo-Yul forced herself to stop from frowning.

By the way, Choi Ye-Seo had been to our house quite a few times. Ever since she transferred, she came almost every week.

Mom and Dad were always so happy about it, and Yooni clapped her hands in excitement too.

"Sigh... Before we go, I have somewhere to stop."

I had just woken up, so I yawned. Ha-Soo-Yul patted my head.

Choi Ye-Seo watched us silently.

"I always feel like Yul treats Ha-Eun like a puppy."

I nodded in agreement with Choi Ye-Seo’s comment. Lately, I’ve been feeling like she treats me like an animal...@@novelbin@@

But I don’t really mind, so I just let it be.

"Where are you going, though?"

When she asked, I showed her my phone’s screen.

[♡Mom♡: Buy tteokbokki when you come back~.] 02:47

By the way, the heart symbol wasn’t mine, it was my mom’s.

"So, we need to stop by the snack shop?"

"Yeah."

Unfortunately, there’s no snack shop near our school. So, we’d have to go to the market area, which is a bit of a hassle.

Mom knows that, so she gives me extra pocket money for it.

And the market isn’t that far either. Just a little out of the way.

"I want some too."

Ha-Soo-Yul likes snacks a lot. How much, you ask?

"Fried mixed platter and sundae?"

"Yeah."

I had to buy three servings of tteokbokki if I was going to eat it all by myself.

Ha-Soo-Yul took his wallet out of his pocket and handed me 5,000 won.

Normally, I wouldn’t accept it, but after hearing what Ha-Soo-Yul said, my hesitation disappeared.

"I’ll be strict about money."

It was not something a 10-year-old would normally say, so I was a bit uncomfortable.

What the hell did that lady teach him?

Choi Ye-Seo also tried to pull out her wallet, but...

“Forget it. How expensive can the snack shop be?”

She already gets a lot of allowance. If I took her money too, my conscience would bother me.

This routine kept repeating, and in the end, Choi Ye-Seo put her wallet back into her bag.

Then she smiled brightly and said, “Hehe. I’ll enjoy it!”

“Sure.”

Sometimes, I think Choi Ye-Seo resembles Ha-Yoon a lot.

They’re both so lively and get along really well.

After our conversation, we left the school and walked toward the market.

It takes about 15 minutes for me to walk there at my usual pace.

It’s not too far, but not exactly close either.

...But with the summer weather, it was a bit exhausting.

I’m sure the air conditioner will be blasting at home, right?

I should quickly buy it and head back.

There’s a fountain at the outskirts of the market, and you can watch kids playing there.

Choi Ye-Seo, Ha-Soo-Yul, and I all looked at it.

"...Want to play for a bit?"

I almost nodded at Choi Ye-Seo’s suggestion without thinking.

“Get a grip. You could catch a cold, even in the summer.”

Summer colds are supposed to be really bad, but I’ve never caught one, so I’m not sure.

‘Even if I do, I’ll probably catch it in spring or autumn.’

I get a cold almost every year. It’s a little unfair.

Having weak immunity isn’t my fault.

As I muttered to myself, we arrived at the snack shop.

This is the place our family likes to go, or rather, it’s my mom’s favorite.

Ha-Soo-Yul ordered his food, and I ordered mine too.

Choi Ye-Seo chose what she wanted to eat—gimbap?

Well... it’s whatever.

“Should we pay together?”

“Yeah, and three sodas too.”

Nodding at the snack shop lady’s words, I also got three sodas.

It felt like I wouldn’t be able to survive without something to drink.

While waiting for the takeout, we drank soda on a shaded bench.

“Phew! Ahh, I feel like I’m alive.”

Choi Ye-Seo shook her head like an old man drinking beer.

“Phew...”

Ha-Soo-Yul exhaled like he could finally breathe.

I also enjoyed the cool and fizzy soda.

This is paradise.

After about 10 minutes of waiting...

“Hey, it’s all packed.”

The food was ready.

We each took our bags and headed home.

The tteokbokki I carried was a bit heavy, since it was three servings.

“Is it heavy? Should I carry it for you?”

Ha-Soo-Yul looked at me with concern.

“It’s fine. Not that bad.”

Even so, I have some pride as a guy. I can’t leave everything to a 10-year-old girl.

But seriously, how aren’t they getting tired?

“Are you not tired?”

I asked out of curiosity.

“It’s light, so it’s okay!”

“Yeah. It’s light.”

...I shouldn’t have asked. I ended up just feeling bad.

Shouldn’t guys have more muscle than girls, statistically speaking?

‘Well, I always lose at arm wrestling.’

Especially with Ha-Soo-Yul, there’s no way I could win with strength.

Even Choi Ye-Seo tried arm wrestling once...

"...Ha-Eun, you’re really weak."

How embarrassing. The memory of that past made me feel drained.

Anyway, after some time, we finally made it to the apartment.

I saw Ha-Yoon playing in the playground.

“Huff, huff...”

Mom was almost collapsing.

So, Ha-Yoon was on the swing, and mom was pushing her from behind.

“We’re back.”

I walked over to them. Mom gave me a face like she had found her savior.

“My boy~! Welcome! Yooni! Oppa’s here. Let’s go inside quickly!”

Mom was laughing, sweating buckets.

‘It’s like seeing a worker resting under the blazing sun.’

Yooni, too, was smiling happily as she ran toward me.

“Oppa! Tteokbokki!”

At least the name “Oppa” came out first, so I’m okay. If tteokbokki had been mentioned first, I would have been really upset.

“Huff, huff. Phew.”

Mom took a drink from the water bottle she had brought, and I felt a little sorry for her.

“Why were you waiting outside? It’s so hot.”

“No... Yooni said she wanted to see you quickly.”

“So you played in the playground while you were waiting?”

“Yeah. But hurry up and go inside—oh, wait, I see. So-Youl and Ye-Seo came.”

“Hello.”

“We came to hang out!”

“Good, the more people, the better.”

They both replied in unison, and mom greeted them with a smile.

But more importantly...

“Let’s go inside. Mom’s dying here.”

At my words, mom quickly nodded. How could she have been in the playground in this hot weather...

Yooni sometimes seems like pure evil.

“Son.”

Ha-Soo-Yul and Choi Ye-Seo had already taken Yooni and went inside first.

Mom and I were following behind, and mom called out to me.

“…How’s your body?”

Her voice was full of worry, so I shrugged.

It’s always the same question when I come back from an errand.

“No, I’m not that weak.”

Even though she heard me, mom just kept staring at me quietly.

“…Honestly, I’m a little tired.”

At my words, mom sighed deeply.

The bag was already in her hands, and there wasn’t anything too hard to carry, but...

“Next time, I’ll go instead of you.”

It was me who wanted to do the errand in the first place.

I thought maybe I could build up my strength a little.

But even with those efforts, my stamina hasn’t improved. If anything, it’s only decreased.

Mom never lets me do anything tough unless I do it first.

So, my current exhaustion isn’t her fault.

“…Okay then.”

I couldn’t argue anymore and just nodded.

“Mom can’t bear to see her son struggle, even a little.”

But what if something goes wrong?

I didn’t hear the rest of mom’s words. We had reached the elevator.

Mom smiled and picked me up.

“Whoa!”

At the sudden action, I turned my head.

“It’s a bee~.”

...Whether it’s a bee or not, mom was sweating. Okay, I was too.

“I feel gross…”

I scrunched my face and fidgeted.

I hope no one’s laughing at us, seeing the three girls watching us.