There’s a friend I’ve had for what feels like an eternity.
To be honest, he’s the kind of friend who can be more of a curse than a blessing.
Why?
Because this guy is a total child.
Elementary, middle, high school.
Even kindergarten—we’ve been together since then.
Lee Jihoon.
Sure, I guess it’s nice having a friend of over ten years.
I’ll admit that much. I like things neat and simple.
But this guy? He’s aging backward.
Those were the days of pure innocence.
"Ah!"
I was playing with wooden blocks in kindergarten when the tower I built collapsed. A block hit my foot, leaving behind a deep blue bruise.
It stung enough to bring tears to my eyes.
I stared at my bruised foot for a few seconds, then finally let my tears fall onto the floor.
"Ugh… it hurts… sniff…"
Sitting quietly in the corner, I stared at my foot, tears dripping down my cheeks.
I didn’t cry out loud.
…
All my attention was on my foot, bruised and aching.
Tears blurred my vision, snot dripped from my nose, but I didn’t care.
I just kept staring at the pain.
"Here."
That’s when a boy handed me a handkerchief.
Even though I didn’t take it and continued crying, he sat beside me and wiped my tears for me.
Then, with a firm "Hmph!" he helped me blow my nose.
A truly mature little boy.
That was you, Lee Jihoon.
Do you remember?
Or was it only me who remembered our first meeting?
I suppose we were too young.
I must have been frustrating, crying all by myself without saying a word, too scared to even tell someone I was in pain.
You, a kid my age, must have found it so pathetic that you wiped my tears yourself.
Thinking back, even at mealtimes, you always helped me.
Since I learned how to use chopsticks late, you’d pick up pieces of rolled omelet for me.
It felt like such a big deal back then…
"Ack!"
"Here, drink some water."
And even when the omelet got stuck in my throat, you calmly handed me a glass of water while I flailed around in panic.
You were a really smart kid.
From then on, we walked together,
Built wooden block towers together,
And…
We entered elementary school together.
Our first day of school.
In the large auditorium filled with new students, we sat side by side.
For some reason, you and I were always in the same class, never separated, not even once.
My mom was so happy to have you around because I was such a klutz.
She always told me how lucky I was to have a friend like you, someone who always caught my arm whenever I was about to fall.
Your reflexes were incredible.
…
Then came first grade, then second, then third…
By fourth grade, nothing had changed.
Once again, we were in the same class, and my mom was thrilled.
She even gave you snacks, asking you to keep looking after her "clumsy little girl."
And you, seeing me sulking with my lips jutting out,
Would always pull out a snack from your pocket and pop it into my mouth.