Areum Became Our Daughter
"Hey."
"I told you to call me Oppa, didn't I?"
"What are you always going on about?"
"I'm a day older than you. That makes me Oppa."
"Shin Down… you're so fucking childish. We're the same age, you know?"
It was just like any other day.
After finishing cram school, my childhood friend Park Areum and I were heading home, bickering and sniping at each other the whole way.
"Hey, let's go grab some tteokbokki."
"Tteokbokki? Again?"
"Why~ I'll treat you. Come on? Just eat with me."
"Ugh… it's not about that. I'm sick of it already. If I eat more, I think I'll throw up."
"Then eat and throw up. So just stay by my side, okay?"
"I'm going home to play games. Hey! Heyyy! I said I'm not going!"
Park Areum pretended not to hear my protests and headed straight for the snack shop we went to every day.
I had no choice but to heave heavy sighs and trail after her.
…This was only because her dad had asked me to look after her well, so I was following Park Areum for his sake. That's what I told myself, anyway.
"Auntie! Two servings of tteokbokki, please!"
"Sure thing. But where's Down? Oh my. When the needle comes, the thread has to follow. Hurry up and sit down."
"…What thread. Hello."
I gave a slight bow of greeting to the snack shop auntie.
And she filled a plate high with tteokbokki for us.
Beside it were a few pieces of fried food, snipped with scissors.
"This is the last of it, so finish it up."
"Wow! Thank you!"
"Auntie. This is too much."
"Is it? Then leave some. But Areum that girl will eat it all anyway."
"Heh… looks delicious. Hey, you hurry up and eat too."
Park Areum grabbed two pieces of rice cake and brought them to her mouth.
She chewed with her mouth full, her cheeks puffed out so much they looked ready to burst.
"Hey, eat slowly. I'm not gonna steal it from you."
"Pwah… If I'm late, Mom'll nag again. I wish I was the daughter of your house. Then I could come home late."
"Heh heh, no thanks. Just imagining it gives me the fucking creeps."
"Or wanna switch? I'll be your house's daughter, you be our house's son. How about it?"
"Forget it, just hurry up and eat. You said you'll get nagged if you're late."
"Tch… You were the one who started talking first."
Park Areum shot me a sideways glare, but her chopsticks never stopped moving.
She stuffed her mouth full of rice cakes and picked out the next ones she wanted to eat, pulling them to the front of the bowl.
And for no good reason, those rice cakes looked even tastier to me, so I'd snatch them and eat them.
"Hey! You said you wouldn't steal them! You're always lying!"
Thwack- thwack-
Park Areum's cotton-ball fists pounded on my forearm.
It didn't hurt at all—didn't even tickle—but I made a face and acted annoyed anyway.
"Ah, shit… Hitting me while I'm eating? Even a dog doesn't mess with someone while they're eating."
"…Worse than a dog."
"What?"
"What? I didn't say anything."
Just as Park Areum played dumb and went to move her chopsticks again, my phone rang like crazy.
Seeing the two characters for "Mom" on the screen, I answered right away.
"Yeah, hello."
Son, are you with Areum right now by any chance?
"Yeah. She's next to me eating tteokbokki—ah… Mom, this is a secret from Auntie."
Park Areum glared daggers at me from the side and shot me a look, so I hastily changed what I was saying.
…Anyway, Mom will send you the address, so can you grab a taxi with Areum and come over?
"Right now? Where even is that?"
Don't tell Areum yet. The neighboring house just got into a traffic accident and…
"Ah, Auntie! Auntie! Are you talking about my mom and dad!?"
Ah….
"Where is it! We're coming right now!"
Of all times, Park Areum had been eavesdropping on the call right beside me.
"Hic, sob… hic…."
"Hey… it's, not… never mind…."
It had already been a week since I'd gotten that urgent call from Mom at the snack shop.
And today marked exactly one week since Park Areum's parents had passed away in the accident.
The tears never dried from Park Areum's eyes.
Certainly yesterday, and today too, and maybe tomorrow as well….
With no relatives to speak of, Park Areum had been left alone in the world at the age of ten.
This little kid with nowhere to turn, my childhood friend, was just too pitiful.
"Areum, how about living with Auntie and Uncle? With Down too."
My parents seemed to feel exactly the same way I did.
And in the eyes of Park Areum, who had been shedding tears without stop, it finally seemed like the end was in sight.
"Hic, snff! Hiiing…."
But the crying I thought had stopped burst out again.
And her head was nodding up and down, ever so slightly.
Just like that, Park Areum became the daughter of our house, exactly as she had wished.
And so, more than ten years passed by.