Sleepover
After our families went on that picnic together, time flew by in a blur.
Late summer had given way to early September, and the air was starting to carry a cool edge.
My relationship with Sia hadn’t changed dramatically since the trip.
She did seem a little brighter, though.
Probably because whenever I came over to her house now, it was just the three of us—me, her dad, and Sia—hanging out together.
So these days, when kindergarten let out, he would always ask the same thing.
“What do you want to do today?”
He was asking what we’d play once we got home.
Honestly, I could have fun no matter what we chose, so I gave him my usual answer.
“Whatever you feel like, Sia.”
“Tch… Siwoo always says anything’s fine.”
“Hmm… Then since it’s nice and cool out, want to play badminton?”
“Badminton? Yeah! Let’s do it!”
“All right, badminton it is.”
The day before had been pretty hot, so we’d stayed inside at her place, eaten watermelon, and watched cartoons on TV.
Maybe because we’d been cooped up yesterday, Sia was thrilled at the idea of going outside today.
Kindergarten hours passed in the blink of an eye.
When dismissal time came, the person waiting for us was, as always—
“Kids! Let’s go!”
“Okay!”
“Okay.”
—Sia’s dad.
We climbed into his car and headed home.
If her mom came to pick us up we sometimes walked back, but whenever her dad showed up, we always rode.
The moment we reached the apartment, Sia dropped her bag and announced.
“Dad! We’re playing badminton today!”
“Badminton? What about Siwoo?”
“Siwoo suggested it first!”
“All right, then. Grab your rackets and let’s head out.”
“Got it.” “Yeah!”
With badminton rackets, shuttlecocks, and drinks in hand, we made our way to the court inside the apartment complex.
It was close, and the surrounding buildings blocked most of the wind, so we always played here.
“Okay, you two can team up against me!”
“No way! We’re totally gonna win!”
We dove into the game with total abandon.
It looked like two-against-one would put her dad at a disadvantage.
“Hah!”
Thwack!
But he was so strong that he didn’t seem bothered at all.
On the other hand—
“Huff… huff… huff… I’m dying!”
“Haa… haa…”
Only Sia and I were getting exhausted.
Of course her dad was getting tired too, but—
“Hoo… Kids, want to take a short break?”
He still looked like he had energy to spare.
We sat down, sipped our drinks, and caught our breath.
“I’m gonna keep practicing!”
Sia declared she wanted more practice, grabbed her racket and a shuttlecock, and marched back onto the court.
She started tossing the shuttle up and hitting it lightly, working on her control.
“She’s really going for it…”
“Looks like Sia wants to be as good as you, sir.”
“…Even I get tired, you know.”
“We can all see you’re holding back.”
“Ahem… Is it that obvious?”
“Yes.”
“Ah… So that’s why she’s pushing herself like that.”
“Probably… something like that?”
Sia had a surprisingly strong competitive streak.
During the picnic, whenever there was any kind of contest, she threw herself into it to win.
She never got upset if she lost, though.
She would just keep challenging herself until she came out on top.
It could be tiring, but watching her beam with joy after finally winning made all the effort feel worth it. Honestly, I never really minded.
I was staring absently at her practicing when—
“Um, Siwoo.”
Her dad suddenly called my name.
I turned and found him looking unusually serious.
“After Chuseok… does your family have any plans to go somewhere?”
“After Chuseok? You mean during the holiday weekend?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m asking about.”
“We don’t really have anything set.”
“Oh… nowhere at all?”
“I only heard we might go to Busan for a quick business trip.”
“I see.”
“Is something going on?”
“It’s nothing major. It’s Ji-eun’s birthday.”
“Ah… right.”
“Sia seems to want to spend it with you, so I thought I’d ask ahead of time.”
“Then I’ll come over that day.”
“Really? If it’s any trouble…”
“I’m totally fine with it.”
By now, Sia’s family felt like my own.
Maybe because we spent so much time together.
I couldn’t say exactly when, but at some point her house had started to feel like my second home.
So going to her mom’s birthday party wasn’t an obligation—it was something I genuinely wanted to do.
“That would be wonderful. Thank you.”
“What time should I come?”
“Saturday works. Your parents are welcome too, of course.”
“Okay! I’ll let them know.”
“Good.”
Just like that, we had plans for after Chuseok.
There were still two weeks until the holiday, and even more until the actual day, but time has a way of slipping past before you know it.
Before long, my family was standing on the threshold of Chuseok.
“We’ll stop by Grandma and Grandpa’s for a quick visit, then head straight to Busan… Is that okay with you, son?”
“Yeah, I’m fine with it.”
“All right. While we’re down there, let’s pick out a present together.”
“Sounds good. What should we get?”
“Hmm… maybe some cosmetics?”
“I wouldn’t know. You pick.”
“Will do.”
We visited my grandparents, paid our respects, then boarded the train straight for Busan.
Even though it was the Chuseok holiday, Mom and Dad spent the whole time running around the city.
I passed the hours in the hotel room playing games or watching videos on the tablet we’d brought.
“It’s still… only three o’clock…”
Time crawled.
Back when I was at kindergarten, the days had flown by.
All I could think about was how much I wanted to go home.
Slow as it was, time eventually moved on, and soon it was time to head back… or it should have been.
“Oh no… Son, what are we going to do? The work still isn’t finished…”
“We can’t just keep Siwoo here with us…”
“You’re right…”
The schedule had suddenly been extended.
More than the boredom of staying at the hotel, what really bothered me was the thought of not seeing Sia.
That’s when Mom had an idea.
“Wait… Couldn’t Siwoo stay at Sia’s house?”
“What?”
“They’ve watched him until evening before. One or two nights should be fine…”
“…Hoo… That’s a tough call.”
“Just ask them… please.”
“All right… Give me a minute…”
Mom stepped away to make the call.
I waited with my heart in my throat until she came back.
“They said it’s okay.”
“What a relief…”
“I was really starting to worry.”
“Yeah… We’ll have to buy them a nicer gift.”
“Let’s do that. Should I take Siwoo up and then come back down?”
“That should be fine.”
“Siwoo, are you okay with this?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“All right. Then let’s get moving, Siwoo.”
“Okay.”
Mom and I quickly packed and caught the train back home.
We got off at Daejeon Station, bought a huge assortment of famous breads from a popular bakery to take to Sia’s family, then continued on.
By the time we reached the apartment it was already six o’clock.
We hadn’t made firm plans, but I didn’t want to arrive too late, so I started packing as fast as I could.
“Siwoo, pack enough clothes for two days.”
“Got it.”
“Just take out what we brought before and put the new clothes in.”
“Okay.”
I emptied the suitcase of the old clothes and filled it with fresh ones—underwear, socks, and comfortable house clothes.
Mom did the same, swapping out the contents of her own bag.
Once everything was ready, we gathered the gifts and luggage and were about to head out when—
Riiing! Riiing!
Mom’s phone rang.
“Mom, your phone’s ringing!”
“Huh? Just a second—can you bring it to me?”
I ran to get her phone and saw Aunt Ji-eun’s name on the screen.
“It’s from Aunt.”
“From Ji-eun? Let me have it. Hello?”
I handed her the phone and waited anxiously.
What if they suddenly said I couldn’t stay after all?
But it didn’t sound like that was the case.
“You’re already at our apartment complex? When did you get here? Uh-huh, we’ve packed everything, so we’ll be right out.”
“Aunt’s here?”
“Yeah, she’s waiting right outside.”
“Why?”
“She came to pick up our son.”
“Oh.”
“Son! Grab your bag and let’s go!”
“Okay…!”
I picked up the suitcase full of clothes and the gifts, and we headed outside.
“Over here!”
Aunt and Sia were standing there waiting.
“You didn’t have to come all the way here.”
“You looked busy, so I figured I’d save you the trip.”
“Thank you…”
While Mom and Aunt chatted, I walked over to Sia.
“Hey. It’s been a while.”
“Yeah… it has.”
There were so many things I wanted to say.
Did you sleep well? What did you do? Were you bored?
The questions piled up in my throat, but for some reason none of them came out.
Sia seemed to feel the same—she kept fidgeting and glancing at me like she had something to say too.
Then—
“All right, shall we get going? Siwoo, Sia, hop in.”
“Mom, I’m heading out now!”
“Okay, have a good time!”
“Goodbye…”
“Be good for them, Siwoo! Bye, Sia!”
“Siwoo’s a smart kid, don’t worry.”
“I’ll call later!”
“Sounds good! Safe trip!”
And just like that, I said goodbye to Mom and headed to Sia’s house.