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•
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" also.. "
“ … ”
It's been three days since I started school. I try to be the first one to arrive 10 minutes early, but Beomgyu always arrives first and sleeps face down.
He's going to come anyway and sleep all the time, so why does he come early? He might as well sleep more at home and then come out.
I naturally sat down next to him and watched him sleep just like he had for the past two days.
I lost all my SNS friends with the kids at school, so I don't really have anything to look at on my phone.
“Did you bring soap bubbles today too..?”
“ … ”
Swish,
" also.. "
” … “
It seemed like a routine had developed every morning. I'd always arrive ten minutes early, sit next to Beomgyu as he slept, and check for bubbles next to his backpack.
For me, who suddenly faced so many changes in life, this routine wasn't all that bad. The mere presence of one constant amidst so many ever-changing things creates a powerful contrast.
I feel this every morning, but Beomgyu's eyelashes are really long. How many centimeters are they? They're the kind of eyelashes that make you want to curl your pencil lead.
at that time,
"..you are looking at meIs it fun?
"Huh? "
“From the day you first came here, you kept looking at me like that, kid.”
“Ah.. I don’t really have anything to do...”
“Your cell phone or somethingIsn't there any..? "
“No, there is.. There’s nothing to see there either.. ”
“ … ”
At that moment, Beomgyu got up, straightened his messy hair, and looked for something else in his bag. What the kid handed me was none other than...
“Soap bubbles..?”
"Go ahead and blow this. Don't watch other people sleep and have fun."
"Oh.. oh, thank you."
After those words, Beomgyu lay down and fell asleep again, and I felt a strange sense of disappointment. Yeah... Even I wouldn't be able to sleep if you stared at me like that because it would be burdensome.
Finally, I turned and blew soap bubbles toward the window, and the pleasant smell of soap tickled my nose.
I was blowing bubbles alone like that,
" hey!!! "
“ ..?!! ”
“Who’s that guy blowing bubbles upstairs?!! If you get caught, you’re dead!!!”
“Crazy...”
I got caught by the teacher. Hi... I should have spoken more quietly...
After a while,
Knock knock,
“What the heck, who is that bubble guy?!!”
" .. under "
“Why don’t you just crawl out!!”
I was so scared by the teacher's scolding that I ended up turning myself in.
Swish,
widely,
“ ..?!! ”
“..it is true.”
“Huh.. This kid is just sleeping soundly instead of coming out?!!”
” … “
"Crazy.. "
Beomgyu grabbed my arm as I was about to give him my hand, put me down, and dragged me to Teacher Hakju, saying it was him. Is it really worth getting scolded like this for blowing bubbles..?
Beomgyu ended up not even coming to class and only came in after the bell rang for first period. I felt so sorry that I didn't know how to talk to him... Seriously, I decided not to cause trouble.
Still, I felt like I should say thank you, so I spoke to Beomgyu cautiously.
" I.. "
“ ..? ”
" thank you.. "
" what. "
" uh..? "
“What are you thankful for?”
"Well...so, please take the scolding instead of me..."
"That was something I should have been scolded for in the first place."
" uh..? "
"I gave you a soap bubble, so I should be the one getting scolded."
"No... but still"
"Okay. That teacher was a bit of a rascal from the beginning, and that didn't suit me."
“ … ”
I felt a little better after Beomgyu tried to tell me that it was okay, but...
Swish,
“ ..!! ”
“ … ”
I couldn't help but feel better when I saw the child's red, swollen calf.
—
“ … ”
“ … ”
It seems like I only looked at Beomgyu's legs the whole time we were walking home. No, it's not that I'm thinking something perverted, but I was just really bothered by how swollen they were.. I really didn't think anything else.
I felt like I needed to apply some medicine, but I was just blowing bubbles and going along peacefully. The bubbles were almost confiscated, but I managed to get them back, so they didn't get taken away.
Knock knock,
" excuse me.. "
“ ..? “
“Your legs… I saw them earlier and they were red and swollen.”
" ah.. "
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
“Not really..?”
“.. Wait here for a moment”
“ ..? ”
I quickly turned around and went into the pharmacy I'd seen earlier to buy some ointment for the wound. It felt like the fastest I'd ever run in my life. I thought I'd just run ahead if I was late.
And as a small apology, I also packed the Mychew that was in my bag.
So I ran again and headed to the place where I was with Beomgyu.
"Ha.. ha, that's a relief"
” ..? “
"This is ointment. If you apply it to the area where your leg was hit, it will help."
" .. ah "
It's a reaction that seems like it would never happen. What is this, really?
“.. Or can I apply it for you..?”
“ … ”
Eventually, Beomgyu and I headed to a nearby park bench, where I dabbed some ointment on a cotton swab and applied it to the swollen area. As expected, Beomgyu winced every time I applied it, as if it were painful.
“Okay.. it’s done!”
“ … ”
"Let's just wait a little while until it dries and then go."
" ..((nod) "
“ … “
” … “
" excuse me.. "
“ ..? ”
“Was it really burdensome to watch me sleep..?”
“..not a burden”
“ … ”
“I asked because I thought you might be really bored.”
" ah.. "
“..well, if you’re not bored, it doesn’t matter whether you watch it or not.”
" ..!! really..?! "
“ .. ((nod)) ”
“Heh.. thank you”
“ .. ((nod)) ”
Thank goodness. I was worried it might have been a real burden, but it was even said out of consideration for me...
This kid is even more affectionate than I thought.
After a while,
"It must be dry now. Let's go."
" ..((nod)) "
It's only been three days since I moved here, but it seems like quite a lot has happened. Well, of course, this is just the beginning.
“They’re all here.”
“ … ”
“Not going in?”
" .. excuse me "
“ ..? ”
“If you’re bored at school tomorrow, wake me up.”
" uh..? "
“Come and wake me up instead of just staring at me like that.”
“ … ”
“Then we can play together without getting bored, kid.”
"Ah..! Yeah! Got it."
" .. then "
After those words, Beomgyu went into the house, and I stood there blinking in surprise for a few minutes. I guess I was secretly worried.
The next day,
“..How am I supposed to wake you up when you sleep so soundly?”
Swish,
“ … ”
“..heh, I don’t know”
In the end, I sat down next to him and watched him sleep, just like I always do. Actually, I think this is even better.