Promises Are Meant to Be Broken
Riha side.
“~~♪”
I had seen Aju with all kinds of expressions before, but I couldn’t recall ever seeing her this excited in a way that actually matched her age.
Aju walked home humming cheerfully, clutching the clothes I had just bought for her—using Mom’s money, of course—like they were her most treasured possessions.
Seriously, if she likes them that much, how is she ever going to bring herself to actually wear them?
“You’re going to wear those clothes a lot, right?”
“Huh?”
“They’re clothes. Don’t save them for special occasions—wear them all the time.”
“...”
“I only said it because I figured you’d overthink it and try to treasure them. Since it’s you.”
“...Uuu.”
Looks like I hit the nail on the head.
The weather after sunset was chillier than expected. Even so, Aju hadn’t even considered putting on the new coat she’d just bought.
“But… I really like them.”
“That’s exactly why you should wear them more.”
“They’re precious clothes you bought for me…”
“If you don’t use precious clothes for what they’re meant for, isn’t that unfair to the clothes themselves?”
“...Uuu.”
Aju was acting like a little kid throwing a tantrum. But then—
“…If you want more, I’ll buy you as many as you like. So wear them often. That would make me happier.”
“Riha oppa…”
From the start, I bought those clothes hoping she would wear them all the time. The long knit might be for going out, but the coat could definitely be worn to school.
“Come on.”
“…Okay.”
In the end, Aju pulled the coat from the bag like I told her. After gazing at it fondly for a moment, she slipped it on over her school uniform.
“How does it look?”
“It suits you. It gives a different impression than when you pair it with the long knit.”
“Hehe, really?”
“Yeah.”
Just like how she had hugged the shopping bag earlier, Aju now wrapped her arms around the coat she was wearing, holding it gently. A coat doesn’t actually block the cold as well as a padded jacket, but—
“Hehe.”
Seeing the warm smile on her face, it seemed like that coat had better insulation than any regular padding.
…Or maybe I was just imagining it.
After we got home, Aju and I ate the side dishes Mom had given us for dinner, then decided to spend some time on our own.
For once, Aju didn’t head straight into study mode. Instead she went into her room…
She was probably going to change back into the new clothes.
…How cute.
“Seriously, you could just wear them comfortably. Don’t you think?”
<<Well, that miserly habit has been drilled into her for a long time. Because of me.>>
“Tsk. Don’t take my joke so seriously.”
Daeho had said something I couldn’t just laugh off, so I clicked my tongue and sent Mom a message. It wasn’t anything special—Mom had asked me to take photos of Aju in the new clothes and send them to her.
Of course I had asked Aju first and gotten her permission before taking the pictures.
…She really is pretty.
<<You sending that photo to Auntie?>>
“Yeah. She kept asking for it.”
<<…Tell her thanks.>>
“How?”
<<…>>
How was I supposed to pass on thanks from someone who was already dead?
If I said, “Daeho says thank you,” Mom would definitely be confused. Realizing that, Daeho scratched his head with his front paw, looking embarrassed.
…He really did look like a cat.
“Oh? Mom replied right away.”
<<What did she say?>>
“She says she wishes she had a daughter like that. Seriously, I keep telling her to ask Dad for one.”
<<…Sigh. Auntie must find you pretty frustrating too.>>
“What are you talking about?”
<<Never mind, idiot.>>
Daeho’s dismissive tone irritated me. I was just about to flick his forehead when—
~~
My phone suddenly rang. Thinking it was Mom again, I checked the screen.
The message from Eunhye made my mind go completely blank.
O-okay, calm down and check the time first. Let’s see…
8:09. Yep. I was completely late.
“…Shit.”
<<What is it?>>
“I completely forgot about my promise with Eunhye… We were supposed to meet at eight.”
<<…You crazy bastard.>>
“Hey, you forgot too!”
<<You never told me the time!>>
“You could’ve asked!”
<<Just get out of here right now!!>>
“You’re right!!”
I shouted, quickly threw on a jacket, and burst out of my room. Right then, I ran into Aju, who had just come out to start studying.
“Whoa, Riha oppa? Where are you rushing off to?”
“Ah, Aju. Sorry, I have to step out for a bit. I need to meet someone.”
“Meet… someone?”
“Yeah. Study hard, okay?”
“…Okay.”
I was in such a hurry that I left the house the moment I heard her answer. Even as I did—
“...”
I could feel Aju’s gaze on my back, watching me intently. But right now, keeping my promise had to come first.
“Ah, damn it! Why did I forget?!”
I yelled as I ran.
The reason I had forgotten my promise with Eunhye was obvious. While watching Aju light up at the sight of her new clothes, I kept wanting to see more of that happy expression, and everything about Eunhye had been completely wiped from my mind.
“Sigh… I never thought the day would come when I’d have to apologize to that guy…”
Cursing my past self, I thought about what I should say as I ran toward Aju’s school.
“...”
“...”
When I finally reached the school, I spotted Eunhye waiting nearby with her arms crossed. As I got closer, she noticed me too… and stared at me with a completely blank expression, her eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.
…Scary.
“…You have something to say?”
“…Sorry.”
“Sigh…”
I ended up saying it after all. Well, it couldn’t be helped. I was in the wrong.
“Whatever. That’s just how you are anyway.”
“I have no excuse.”
“Don’t use fancy words that don’t suit you. Hurry up and follow me. I’ve already wasted a ton of time because of you.”
“…Got it.”
Had there ever been a time when I couldn’t say a single word in front of Eunhye like this? Even back in middle school when she beat me up, I had still talked back…
Ah, damn it! This was all that bastard An Daeho’s fault!!
Daeho side.
While Riha was gone, I had been lying on the living room sofa to keep an eye on Aju when my nose suddenly started itching.
<<Achoo!>>
“Oh, Hahu. Did you catch a cold? …Do cats even get colds?”
<<…How should I know…>>
“Hehe, even your meow is cute.”
<<Sigh…>>
I didn’t actually feel sick, but since I had never caught a cold in this cat body before, I couldn’t be sure.
More importantly, I wondered if that idiot was handling things okay…
“…Hey, Hahu.”
<<Yeah?>>
Aju’s voice suddenly called out to me. Well, she was calling for Hahu, but… I was Hahu now.
“Where do you think Riha oppa went just now?”
<<…>>
“He left in such a hurry. Could he… be going to meet a girl?”
<<Sigh. If you’re that curious, you should’ve asked him.>>
Even if I said it, my words wouldn’t reach Aju. To her, it would just sound like meowing.
“...Uuu.”
Just the thought of Riha going to meet a girl had her pouting all by herself. I hated to say it, but she didn’t have the right to act like that right now.
To him, she was still just his friend’s little sister.
<<Both of you… why are you so damn frustrating?>>
Having watched the two of them for so long, I knew exactly how they felt about each other. And knowing that only made me more confused.
Why… was Riha dating another girl? Why wasn’t Aju trying to get closer to him?
The reason… I still didn’t understand.
Riha side.
In the dark street lit by streetlamps after sunset, I was walking with a woman.
If you just heard that, it might sound romantic. Unfortunately for me, it felt anything but.
“...” / “...”
There was no conversation between us at all. We had never been close enough to share personal talk, and we didn’t even know what the other person liked.
On top of that, walking right beside her felt awkward, so I followed Eunhye from four or five steps behind. Honestly, to any third party, we would never look like a couple.
…If anything, I probably looked a little suspicious following a beautiful girl down a dark street.
“..Uh.”
Right then, Eunhye’s upper body swayed slightly as she walked ahead of me. She was wearing heels with a bit of a lift, and it seemed the heel had caught on a small pebble.
I briefly considered ignoring her… but—
“…Careful.”
“...”
No matter what, I couldn’t just ignore someone who looked like they were about to fall. Whether I disliked Eunhye, felt uncomfortable around her, or found her difficult to deal with.
This was something else entirely.
“…Let go.”
Eunhye snapped at the hand I had used to steady her.
I hadn’t done it expecting gratitude, but hearing that as a response to my good intentions…
Yeah. I didn’t feel anything at all.
“...” / “...”
After I released her hand, we put distance between us again and fell silent like before.
Actually, it was a little different this time.
“…Huu. Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
The gap between us had shrunk from four or five steps to about three or four. It wasn’t a meaningful change, but still.
We continued walking while keeping that distance, not exchanging a single word, until—
“…We’re here.”
“This is the place?”
“Yeah.”
“Is that blonde girl… here?”
“Jihee.”
“Right. Is that Jihee girl supposed to be here?”
“...”
Eunhye didn’t bother answering. She simply stared silently at the sign on the building in front of us.
I checked the sign as well and muttered, a little surprised.
“A minor at a PC bang at this hour…?”
The place Eunhye had brought me to meet Jihee was a PC bang located not far from Aju’s school.