001. Seeing a Childhood Friend After 18 Years
001. Seeing a Childhood Friend After 18 Years
Everyone probably has at least one friend they can't forget, no matter how much time passes.
For me, there are four such friends.
Faces that remain as vivid as if I had met them yesterday, even now after 18 years.
The crybaby who stuck to my back like a piece of gum, Chae Soohyun.
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The troublemaker who always walked around with band-aids on his knees, Do Doyoon.
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The strongest and most reliable one among us, Seong Woojoo.
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Our spirited, dependable leader, Han Jiwon.
Just by hearing their names, you might think a few of them were girls, but all four of them were buzz-cut boyhood buddies who stripped their shirts off and played rough like wild beasts with me.
We went to different elementary schools, but because we lived in the same neighborhood, we were as close as brothers.
We also threw fists and fought like crazy, too.......
Even though the time we spent together was only one year, that single year remains the most precious memory of my life.
Honestly, calling them boyhood buddies might be a bit of a stretch, but....
I consider those punks my true boyhood buddies.
...I wonder how they're all doing?
The winter when I was nine.
After moving to Seoul, I lost all track of how they were doing.
Back then, it wasn't like any of us had our own cell phones.
And because we moved in such a hurry, there wasn't even time to say goodbye.
That was why I had no way of contacting them until now, but....
A few days ago, a way opened up.
Appa ran into Jiwon's mother at the hospital.
Because they were busy, they couldn't talk for long, but he sent me Jiwon's cell phone number, telling me to get in touch after all this time.
With a trembling heart, I made the call.
It rang.
It rang again.
And after it rang once more.
Ttalkkak.**
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「The power is turned off. You will be connected to voicemail after the beep.」
I tried calling a few more times, but it was the same.
It wasn't that he wasn't picking up.
Even after several days passed, Jiwon's phone remained turned off.
Naturally, there was no reply to the text messages I sent either.
So, I decided to go down there in person.
Since I was told they hadn't moved.
This was the reason I was riding a bus down to the countryside since dawn.
"Ha."
A hollow laugh suddenly escaped me.
Am I being way too excited?
Going all the way down using paid annual leave.
When tomorrow is already Saturday.
That's how hyped I was.
Looking forward to an emotional reunion.
But could that really happen?
It's been a whole 18 years.
They say even mountains and rivers change in ten years.
Nearly twice that amount of time had passed.
We might be boyhood buddies, but the odds of us not recognizing each other if we passed by on the street converge on 100%.
Above all.
Just because I remember that guy,
doesn't mean he remembers me too.
I might wipe away tears and hug him tight, only for the mood to suddenly turn freezing cold with a "W-Who are you?"
That's highly likely.
Still, if we start talking about the old days, he'll remember.
"Haaaam......."
Waking up at dawn made me sleepy.
The arrival time is....
More than three hours left.
I should just get some sleep until we arrive.
I put on my earphones.
I casually hit play on a random playlist.
Bbaam, bba-baam♪
A female idol song flowed out.
It makes my butt groove to the beat,
but not enough to interfere with sleeping.
I closed my eyes.
I brought up old memories.
Han Jiwon.
I recall him.
A buzz cut.
Eyes shaped like a feisty cat.
The tallest and most mature among us.
Because of that cold impression like a stray cat, I initially thought he'd be blunt and aloof, but he was brimming with loyalty, so we called him our Captain and followed him closely.
How would he be now?
If there's one thing I know for sure,
it's this.
He must be fucking handsome.
Jiwon had distinct potential right from the sprout.
Even at that age, his facial features were super defined, you know?
His head was also the smallest among us.
If he didn't hit a reverse growth spurt and grew up well, he'd be an alpha male with an insane hymen-destroying power.
Come to think of it.
Something suddenly crossed my mind.
The song I'm listening to right now.
The girl group that sang this, ENOUNI.
Though they disbanded a few years ago.
They were an unprecedented girl group that created an incredible sensation from debut and entered the KSPO Dome in just one year.
The leader of that group was also named Jiwon.
Surprisingly, even the last name was identical.
Han Jiwon.
Obviously, just someone with the same name.
The gender was different to begin with.
Unless my boyhood buddy chopped off his dick and got a sex change.
As I indulged in such absurd thoughts, I slowly drifted off to sleep.
When I groggily opened my eyes.
Right on cue, the bus arrived at the destination.
"Whoa, it's just like the old days."
The view of the town that unfolded as soon as I stepped out of the bus terminal was hardly any different from 18 years ago.
Old buildings.
Faded signs.
Only time had passed from the image I remembered.
Of course, it wasn't like nothing changed at all.
A McDonald's had sprung up where a field used to be.
In a countryside town like this.
After taking a brief look around the terminal, I moved my feet.
"Fascinating...."
Even though it's been 18 years, I remember the way.
As if my body remembered.
My feet moved on their own.
Leaving the town, I walked along the sansuyu-tree-lined avenue.
Soon, a nostalgic place appeared.
The stream where we went to play every day in the summer.
We threw off our shirts and splashed in the water until our lips turned blue.
The cup ramen we ate while warming our wet butts on sizzling-hot rocks was fucking delicious.
While reminiscing over the childhood memories lingering in every nook and cranny as I walked, I soon arrived at my final destination.
Jiwon's house.
"Whoa... what the hell?"
Jiwon used to live in an old detached house.
A house with a blue slate roof.
The kind of house you commonly see in the countryside.
But.
In its place stood a mansion.
High walls that made it impossible to peer inside.
Several pine trees were planted above it.
A rich person's house by anyone's standards.
There were even CCTVs installed all over the place.
Just how many CCTVs are there?
Is it because it's a rich house?
Anyway.
"What is this? It's not like I came to the wrong place...."
The huge zelkova tree across from the house.
The fact that it was there meant this was indeed Jiwon's house.
But I was told for sure they hadn't moved?
It wasn't certain.
I only heard it second-hand from appa.
"Did I make a trip for nothing?"
Still.
Just in case.
I approached the front gate, which felt like something you shouldn't approach, and pressed the doorbell.
-Dding-dong-dong♪
It's ordinary.
I thought it'd go 'Kkaaaaang' or something.
A rich family's doorbell chime, I mean.
That was when.
「Who is it?」
A mature woman's voice came through the doorbell speaker.
"Excuse me. Isn't this the residence of Han Jiwon-ssi?"
The blinking CCTV light made me needlessly nervous, but I spoke calmly.
「...Who are you?」
A wary voice.
I could even feel hostility.
Fair enough.
If an unknown man rang the doorbell in the countryside, even I would be suspicious first.
It's not like the world is a safe place these days.
"I am Choi Seonwoo."
Not knowing for sure if this was Jiwon's house, I introduced myself.
"I'm not sure if you remember me, but...."
That was when.
Before I could even finish my introduction.
「Seonwoo?!」
The atmosphere of the voice inside the speaker completely shifted.
「Teacher Choi's son?」
Teacher Choi.
She was referring to appa.
When he lived here, he worked at the town public health center, so he was called Teacher Choi.
"Yes, that's right."
「Oh my goodness! How long has it been? I'll open the door. Come on in.」
A moment later.
-Cheolkeok
The front gate opened automatically.
"...Excuse me."
Stepping inside, I carefully closed the front gate.
A set of stairs appeared.
Step by step.
With a fluttering heart, I walked up the stairs.
Wow.
A lawn-covered yard came into view.
It was clearly well-maintained at a glance.
At the end of the yard stood an art gallery-style two-story house.
Did they win first prize in the lottery or something?
No.
This is on a scale beyond the lottery.
Could they have invested in crypto before the coin market really blew up?
It was on that level.
That was when.
"Seonwoo!"
An ajumma with an elegant air emerged from the house.
Eyes shaped like a cat.
The vibe was a bit different, but
her eyes were identical to the Jiwon I knew.
It was Jiwon's mother.
"Hello."
"Just how long has it been! I could hardly recognize you, kid!"
She looked me over as if in amazement.
"Ajumma, you haven't changed a bit from the old days."
"Oh, you. How old do you think I am now?"
Chalssak, she smacked my shoulder.
It wasn't empty flattery.
She truly looked just like she did in the past.
If there was any difference from back then, it was the wrinkles around her mouth and this house.
It feels a bit awkward to say this, but....
Jiwon's family wasn't on the wealthy side.
She ran a gukbap restaurant at the market.
No matter how successful a gukbap place was, reaching this level seemed unlikely.
"My, you look just like Teacher Choi."
"Ha, haha."
I scratched the back of my neck and laughed awkwardly.
"I thought you'd arrive around lunchtime, but you came early?"
"Pardon...?"
"I heard from Teacher Choi."
"From appa?"
"He said you couldn't reach Jiwon, so you were going down in person today."
What the.
"Are the two of you in touch with each other?"
"Occasionally, ever since we met at the hospital."
Then appa should've told me.
If I knew they were in contact, I would've asked ajumma how Jiwon was doing.
"I'm sorry for making you come all the way here."
"No. It wasn't any trouble at all."
"I told Jiwon to turn on the cell phone several times, but that child wouldn't listen. I was trying to surprise you."
Ah.
I see why he didn't tell me.
She just said it.
To give a surprise.
Appa probably wanted to make our reunion a bit more dramatic too, I suppose.
And hearing how your friend is doing from their own mouth in person would be much better than hearing it through someone else.
"Is Jiwon doing well?"
I took a quick glance around.
No one who looked like Jiwon was in sight.
Since ajumma kept it a secret, he must not know I've arrived.
If he knew, he would've come out.
"Well, that's......."
Ajumma's expression darkened for a moment.
"...Doing well, of course."
Her upbeat voice turned slightly subdued.
Her reaction from a moment ago weighed on my mind, but
I decided not to bring it up separately.
Since she said everything was fine.
"Where is he right now?"
"In the basement."
"The basement?"
I looked down.
Considering the height of the wall seen from the outside,
there was more than enough room for a basement floor.
At this point, I decided to ask what I was curious about.
"By the way, you built the house really beautifully, didn't you?"
Unable to ask directly, I beat around the bush.
"Right? Jiwon built all of this for me, you know?"
"Whoa."
Ajumma spoke with a subtle hint of bragging about her child.
That was the exact reason I asked.
Anyway, this punk Jiwon.
Made it big, huh.
What did he say his dream was when we were little?
I don't remember, but his success was readily felt from the fluffy, plush lawn.
"See those stairs over there?"
Ajumma pointed to one side of the yard.
Aside from the stairs coming up from the front gate,
there was another set of stairs.
"If you go down there, a room will appear. He's in there."
Ooh.
A basement room accessed through the yard.
It feels like a secret hideout, stimulating a man's romance.
"Ajumma will make you a delicious lunch, so you two go on and talk."
"Okay."
Ajumma chuckled excitedly, "Hohoho," and went into the house.
I walked over to the stairs.
At the bottom of the stairs was an iron door.
So he's inside there, right?
Aaaagh, I'm nervous.
A boyhood buddy seen after 18 years.
Seeing ajumma's reaction, there was a high chance Jiwon remembers me too.
I headed down.
Salgeum-salgeum.
I was careful not to make any footsteps.
And thus, I stood before the iron door.
Seuljjeok.
I pressed my ear against it.
Whether the iron door was too thick or not, I couldn't hear a single sound.
Grasping the doorknob, I turned it slowly.
We hadn't even met yet,
but I was already so excited that the corners of my mouth twitched into a grin.
Feeling the heaviness of the iron door, I pulled the handle.
Through the slightly opened crack of the door, a sound leaked out from inside.
「Oohk! Nng-oohk! This dick is so fucking good...!」
Meomchit.
A woman's filthy, lewd moaning leaked out.
It's not like he brought a girl over....
Then.
He must be watching porn.
Through the speakers, no less.
I knew he was brave since childhood, but to think he'd be this brave.
His mother probably rarely comes down to this room.
Smirking, I checked my smartphone.
[10:04]
Jerking off at this hour.
This bastard.
Healthy as fuck.
I gotta fling the door wide open and scare the shit out of him.
What if he gets so freaked out that he goes 'Nng-ooh!' and squirts jizz everywhere?
I held back the laughter that was about to burst out.
In my mind, I slowly counted three seconds.
One....
Two....
Three....
I threw the door open.
"Hey! Captain!"
Using that title for the first time in ages.
I called out to my boyhood buddy who would be pathetically beating his meat.
However, my voice was drowned out by the moans blasting loudly from the speakers.
And before my eyes.
"Eut...!"
A scene completely different from what I had imagined unfolded.
"Ha-eut...!"
A woman with long, straight hair.
She was lying on her side on the floor in a half-naked state.
Her tank top was pulled up above her chest, exposing her breasts which spilled out and jiggled.
Her pants, along with her panties, were caught around one of her ankles.
From between her wide-spread legs came a sticky, jjigeok-jjigeok sound.
I had expected to see someone enthusiastically stroking his dick in front of a computer.
But the reality was.......
"Huuah... ah-eut...!"
She was busy moving the playback slider with the laptop touchpad while vigorously fingering her pussy.
Completely unaware that someone had entered, she was totally engrossed in masturbation.
Every time she plunged her slender fingers deep inside her pussy, it squelched jjibop-jjibop, and love juices could be seen splattering against her inner thighs.
"......."
My mind went blank.
Why is a woman...?
But wait.
I stared at the face of the woman who was biting her lower lip and scowling in pleasure.
I definitely... saw her somewhere...?
The song I had been listening to on the bus came to mind.
The girl group that sang it, ENOUNI.
The member and leader who had risen to become the icon of a generation with her overwhelming visuals.
Han Jiwon.
"What the...?"
Her unfocused, dazed eyes turn toward me.
"Where is the wind coming from...... Hit?!"
My eyes met hers.
"......."
"......."
Amidst the awkward silence.
「Aahn! Cum inside me...! Please give me your semen...!!」
Vulgar moans continued to blare relentlessly from the speakers.