"pup"
I had a friend. We were friends, but we were too estranged to be considered friends. I don't know when that began, but we'd long been known at school for being hated.
In general, I hate it though.
“개새끼라 그랬냐?”
“Okay, what are you going to do?”
It was commonplace for me to bump shoulders with them while crossing the hallway, and for them to stare at me like they were going to kill me and swear at me. My friends would tell me to stop, asking how many times this had happened, but once a fight broke out, they were the type to go all out, and there was no sign of it ending.
“And you were the one who hit it first!”
It's a bit of a school routine to be growling in the hallway and have a teacher who happens to pass by stop you.
“Lady, please take this to the neighbor’s house.”
My parents are close. So, seeing them so often has been a concern lately. I look at my dad with the side dishes my mom gives me, but he doesn't pay any attention. I knock on the door next door, wondering what my situation is like.
BANG BANG BANG!!!!
Normally, I would have rang the doorbell, but I'd just confirmed that both of his parents had left. That meant Kim Taehyung was alone. So I deliberately knocked hard on the door.
“What the... I thought my heart was going to drop.”
“You’re coming out really late?”
In fact, he came out earlier than I expected. Normally, I would have met him with a messy, magpie-like hairdo, but he was dressed neatly. Perhaps that's why I scolded Kim Taehyung for being late.
“Stop talking nonsense, why did you come out?”
“Oh, are you here to see your future husband???”
He stares at me with his bright, sparkling eyes, his face aching with pride. One of the things I find repulsive about him is that he always says his future husband is a jerk. Whenever I ask him why he's marrying me, he just says, "Just because."
When I hit him on the head in anger at his bright eyes, he starts to cry as if asking why I hit him. When Kim Taehyung asked why I came, I handed him the kimchi container I was holding. Early winter was kimchi-making day, and since our house had already made kimchi, my mom asked me to bring him a container.
“Why kimchi? Did you make kimchi?”
“Nice~ Your kimchi is so delicious.”
I dodged Kim Taehyung's attempt to take the kimchi container. "There's no way I could do anything good for you," I said. I held the container in my hand and didn't even think about letting it go. Kim Taehyung frantically tried to grab the container, asking, "What are you doing?"
“It just won’t do.”
I hid the kimchi container behind my back and extended the hand not holding it to Kim Taehyung. I was so upset about bumping shoulders that morning, annoyed that he hadn't even apologized, and annoyed that he remained calm despite knowing full well I'd be holding a grudge.
“What? I don’t have any money!!”
“And that’s what your mom gives you.”
“Why are you making such a fuss?”
“What can I do? It’s our house anyway, right?”
Kim Taehyung closes his eyes tightly and sighs. After telling me to wait, he takes out some money from his room and hands it to me with a frown on his face. It's a delight.
“I’ll give you a special discount.”
Having received the ten thousand won, I handed over three hundred-won coins I had in my pocket. My loss was reduced by 300 won, but the thought of feeling like I'd been in more trouble had already made me forget about my morning anger.
“Oh my, you’re a lady?”
The person who greeted me, who was laughing and joking after teasing Kim Taehyung, was his mother. It wasn't even her time to come. I saw my father following behind her. Seeing the kimchi container in his hand, she said it was a relief and invited him inside.
Kim Taehyung, who had been frowning, smiled at me. Perhaps it was because once he entered this house, he couldn't leave for several hours.
“So... does the female protagonist have a boyfriend?”
Phew—!!!
The sudden question made me spit out the juice I was drinking. "Mom, what do you mean?"
Kim Taehyung, who was listening from the side, also coughed violently, as if he had caught the case. Seeing this, my mother looked back and forth between me and Kim Taehyung with suspicious eyes.
No, I don't know what it is, but for now, no.
“Are you two dating?”
“Oh, Mom!!”
Kim Taehyung, who couldn't stand to hear this anymore, got up from the sofa and shouted loudly. "Why~ When you went out to play with Yeoju last time, you tensed up your whole body?" said his mother. Kim Taehyung grabbed my wrist and dragged me to his room.
“Don’t worry about what Mom says, it’s just empty words.”
I sat him down on the bed, and Kim Taehyung sat down on the chair. Without even looking at me, he rubbed his temples with his index and middle fingers. I left him behind and lay down on the bed as if nothing had happened. For some reason, Kim Taehyung's ears were red, so I pretended not to notice, as if his emotions were becoming more complicated.
Ugh...
I was sleeping soundly when I heard a rustling noise next to me. Half-opening my eyes, I looked to see who was there and saw Kim Taehyung. I opened my half-opened eyes and quickly got up from my seat.
“What, why are you here?”
I carefully recall the past. After arriving at Kim Taehyung's house, I lay down on this bed.
Oh, I guess I fell asleep then.
“You’re awake.”
Moonlight streamed in through the undraped window. Thanks to this, I could see Kim Taehyung's face, which was normally invisible. His expression and voice were intensely serious, and his eyes, reflecting the moonlight, gazed at me. I was slightly taken aback by Kim Taehyung's unusual aura.
“You hate me?”
He must be in the mood, he's talking nonsense.But why was it? Normally, I would have just cursed and said I really hated it, but something was different now. Did I just get in the mood?
Kim Taehyung sat on the floor, his arms draped over the bed. Thanks to this, I lowered my head, which I had to raise, and looked at him. His moonlight-filled eyes were so deep that it wouldn't be strange to lose myself in them.
Kim Taehyung opens his mouth.
"i like you."
It's been a really long time since I've been here!! About a year...?? I'm already a sophomore in high school... and it's been over 3 years since I started...
Back in my second year of middle school, I never imagined that writing, which I started just for fun, would leave such great memories. The first comment I received was satisfying, and the first subscriber I got was a thrill of joy and excitement. I don't think I'll ever forget those moments. 🥺
Although I can't visit often these days, I hope this post brings back some of the memories you all shared with me. I'll be back someday!