Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Two Gifts
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With Dad's help, I somehow managed to get into the same middle school as Seol-i.
In fact, once my parents gave their permission, there weren't any major problems after that.
Why?
Because it's in the same district, there were no special procedures or anything for the application.
Of course, the teacher did give me some advice laced with worry.
"Haneul, are you really sure about this? There's a middle school right next door—do you have to go all the way to that far-off one?"
"I want to go there. My parents already gave their okay."
"......Well, if your parents approved, there's nothing to be done about it. And you've always been such a good kid, Haneul."
The teacher nodded with a pleased smile, so I bowed politely and headed back to the classroom.
Seol-i looked extremely down.
In truth, she'd been like that ever since I told her about the move.
Even when I talked to her, her voice lacked any energy, and she seemed utterly listless.
Sometimes, just looking at her made me think she was on the verge of tears.
I hadn't told Seol-i yet that I'd be going to the same school.
Why? Because I wanted to surprise her with it like a special gift.
On Christmas Eve—her birthday.
And that Christmas Eve was already just a week away.
As I watched Seol-i, I found myself lost in one particular worry.
Would just telling her the news be enough? Wasn't there a better gift? Something else I could give her alongside it?
The truth was, I'd always remembered her birthday every year, but I'd only ever given her food.
Once I started getting allowance money, ironically, it became harder to give her anything decent, so I'd ended up with snacks year after year.
The most substantial gift I'd given her since elementary school was probably that plain pencil case she's using now.
That's why, this year, I wanted to give her something truly special.
I started pondering what that gift could be...
...and ended up discovering something completely unexpected.
I was just wandering around the mart alone as usual when I happened to glance at the accessories section.
Not that I was planning to give her a ring or bracelet or anything like that. Those start at tens of thousands of won anyway, and I don't have that kind of money.
So what did I find?
A snowflake-shaped hair pin.
Seol-i's name literally means snow—the snow that falls from the sky.
It was so adorably perfect for her cute name, so pretty and charming, that it completely captivated me.
And the price? Right around 5,000 won. More than affordable with my meager allowance.
I bought it without hesitation, and the moment I got home, I started wrapping it in some packaging paper.
I wondered if a hair pin already in plastic really needed wrapping, but it just felt better that way somehow.
I could hardly wait.
For the look on Seol-i's face when she got the gift—for the expression she'd make upon hearing I'd be at the same middle school.
*
The next day—Christmas Eve.
It was a Friday, and Fridays meant school ended early.
Thanks to that, right after lunch, Seol-i and I were able to head home together.
Seol-i still wasn't saying a word.
She looked utterly depressed.
I could understand why.
Our graduation was just two weeks away, and three days after that, she'd be moving.
From her perspective, we only had 17 days left of being together every day.
It wasn't a long time at all—far too short, really. I wondered what must be going through her mind as she spent it with me.
Thinking about it suddenly made me feel sorry for her.
I should've just told her earlier about which middle school I'd be attending. Then she might've felt more at ease.
She wouldn't have had to wear that expression even on her own birthday.
I'd gotten so caught up in the surprise gift idea that I hadn't considered her feelings.
Seol-i and I headed to her place first.
It was our usual routine—dropping her off at home before I went to mine.
Something we did every time, and something I'd keep doing.
Seol-i held my hand tightly all the way to the apartment entrance.
...This hand-holding thing—what should I even call it? Maybe it was time to stop.
Even if she wanted to keep doing it, we were both hitting puberty soon, and in that phase, holding hands with the opposite sex like this might draw some weird looks from people.
Some kids already gave us strange stares as it was.
Though Seol-i never seemed to care.
That wasn't the point, though. The point was that it was time to say goodbye.
At least for her.
"Haneul... bye..."
She let go of my hand gently and waved at me.
Her expression was so heartbreaking that no one who'd never seen it could possibly understand.
I decided then to give her the birthday present I'd prepared—the one where I hadn't considered her feelings.
"Seol-i, it's your birthday today."
"Yeah... you already said happy birthday earlier..."
"You have to take your present too."
I pulled the wrapped hair pin from my bag and handed it to her.
Seol-i stared at the wrapping, then looked at me questioningly with her eyes.
Can I open it? That kind of question.
Of course, I nodded to let her know it was fine, and she started carefully unwrapping it with her small hands.
And then, for the first time in so long, I saw Seol-i's eyes sparkle.
The look on her face the moment she saw the hair pin couldn't be described any other way—her eyes were literally shining.
"What do you think? Pretty?"
-Nod nod.
Her nodding picked up speed. How could even the way she nodded her head be so cute? Seol-i really was the embodiment of cuteness.
To that Seol-i, I decided to give the even more important gift—the real one.
"Seol-i."
"Yeah...!"
"I'm going to the same middle school as you."
"Huh...?"
I repeated it to her stunned face.
Complete with the exact school name.
"Yeoul Middle School—I'm going there too."
The moment she heard that, Seol-i froze completely, like time itself had stopped. She didn't move a muscle.
Instead, she just stared at me blankly.
"......Haneul too?"
Her voice was thick with disbelief and astonishment.
And naturally, the emotion coloring it was pure joy.
I nodded, feeling her tremble.
"Yeah, me too."
At my short reply, Seol-i's whole body started shaking.
And a moment later.
-Drip... drip...
Tears began streaming from her eyes.
"Seol-i?"
"Hic... h-hic... waaah... wahhhh..."
She burst into sobs right there on the spot. Seeing her like that brought all the guilt I'd been suppressing bubbling back up.
If I'd known she'd cry this hard, I would've told her sooner.
Feeling bad, I gave her a light hug to comfort her, but Seol-i had no intention of stopping there.
-Squeeze!
She threw her arms around me tightly and buried her face in my chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
Her cries felt like they were scolding me—why tell me now, I'd been so miserable, so miserable that I was bawling like this.
I gently stroked the back of her head to soothe her, and when she finally looked up at me again, her face was a complete mess of tears.
"...You okay?"
Seol-i looked at me, then murmured in a tiny voice.
"Thank you..."
Her unexpected words made me look at her again.
Her face was smeared with tears, utterly wrecked.
But a smile was blooming at the corners of her mouth.
A smile full of happiness.
"Haneul."
"Yeah."
"Really, really? You'll go to middle school with me too?"
"We'll go to high school together too."
"For real...?"
"For real."
At my answer, Seol-i wore the brightest smile I'd ever seen—the kind I'd never witnessed before.
Then she pulled away from my embrace a little and immediately put on the hair pin I'd given her.
The snowflake pin on her hair fit her so perfectly, like it had always been hers—like it was made for her.
"Haneul, how's it look?"
"It suits you perfectly."
"Hee hee hee. I'm gonna wear it all the time. Even in middle school, high school, even when I'm grown up."
"...By then, we'll upgrade to something better."
She shook her head vigorously at that, declaring even more firmly.
"Even when I'm grown up, I'll wear it fore~ver."
Seol-i's beaming smile was so incredibly cute—and she looked so happy.
And just like that, our final days as elementary schoolers came to a smooth close.
...Or so I thought.
"Tonight, I'm sleeping over at Haneul's!"
That night, Seol-i suddenly showed up at our house.
......We're in 6th grade, Seol-i.
Aren't we past the age for sleepovers?