Middle School Life
By the time I entered middle school, it felt like it had barely been a few days since I started.
But here I was, already facing the start of my first-year summer vacation.
Somehow, the new environment made time fly by incredibly fast.
To begin with, classes were a big change.
Compared to elementary school, the subjects I was learning now felt much more difficult.
And the fact that I had a different teacher for every subject was fascinating.
The biggest difference after entering middle school was the school uniform.
Back in elementary school, I could wear whatever clothes I liked.
Now, I had no choice but to wear the uniform every single day.
The worst part was that it was cold and stiff, and I had to layer a puffy jacket on top.
It was a little uncomfortable to move around, but I could handle that.
The real problem came when it was time to study.
My arms were already stiff, and writing notes in the textbook was tough.
Everyone found a way around it though.
Some people brought an extra jacket, or they would take it off and leave it in their bag.
Another big change was the clubs.
The names were different, but they were basically sports clubs like basketball or soccer.
I joined the badminton club, and Sia joined the basketball club.
It wasn't planned that way.
Sia had lost at rock-paper-scissors and ended up joining the basketball club.
Middle school also had a lot more new friends because elementary students from nearby schools would gather here.
So I made some new friends of the same gender.
I had friends from elementary school, but none of them were as close as my new buddy Minseong.
We became close by pure chance when we were paired up for a project.
We just clicked instantly and became best friends.
Minseong was really friendly, so he brought two more guys into our class.
Now the four of us were inseparable.
When I asked Sia about it, she said the first day was a total chaos.
But now it was okay, she said.
She just hated having to go to the bathroom together every time.
Despite all the little annoyances, Sia and I seemed to be adjusting well to middle school.
We walked home together every day, and during lunch we always met up to chat.
Most of the time, I hung out with Minseong and the others in the classroom.
Especially during group work or at recess.
We had a good time every day.
But the one topic that came up again and again was love and sex.
Since entering middle school, everyone seemed to have their eyes opened to those subjects.
I didn't bring it up myself, but with Sia around so much, I naturally didn't talk about it much.
Unlike me, though.
My classmates and the other kids seemed completely unbothered by it.
Even if it was called a joint class, they didn't seem to care that much.
Especially during gym class, when boys and girls did separate activities.
They didn't talk about it openly, of course.
The conversations usually went like this:
"Oh... I want to date."
"Admit it, the fourth class? They already have couples."
"For real? That's talent."
"Maybe it's just a rumor."
"Still, it's kind of enviable, right?"
"Well... there's nothing you can do about it. The face is the problem."
"I plan to build abs over summer vacation so I can have a girlfriend starting next semester."
"Summer vacation? Are you serious?"
"Totally."
"Donghyeok, don't try to make abs before you even start dieting."
"You're right."
"You idiots don't get it. To build muscle, you need body fat."
"But you have way too much fat already."
"What do you know? It's possible."
"Hah."
"If I make them, what will I do? Buy bread with a thousand won?"
"Call it, Donghyeok will treat us."
"Fine, if I win, you guys buy me a date."
Everyone around me seemed to have a lot of interest in the opposite gender.
I... honestly didn't know what to think.
I was just happy being with Sia, so I never paid much attention to dating.
That's why I was quietly listening to my friends talk when suddenly the spotlight swung back to me.
"By the way, Siwoo already has a girlfriend, right?"
"Yeah, I saw him walking around with that really pretty girl from the next class."
"That's right. Her name's Lee Sia, isn't it? I've seen them together going to school."
"I thought that girl from our class was waiting for someone. It was you?"
"Uh... no, not that."
Three of them suddenly focused on me, so I had to scramble for an excuse.
"Wow... so Siwoo was already taken."
"Park Siwoo the cheetah boy..."
"Siwoo is laughing."
"No, Sia and I are just close friends."
"Whoa! Did you see it? Sia calling Sia! She even took off the honorific!"
"So the person with a lover gets special treatment."
"No, we’ve been friends since kindergarten."
"So... you don’t see her as an opposite sex?"
"Um... I don’t know."
I had never once thought of Sia as anything but a friend.
She was just someone I’d known since kindergarten.
Since I had no idea how Sia felt about me, I didn’t want to think about that kind of thing.
I was perfectly happy with our current relationship.
But the three of them weren’t satisfied with my answer.
"You’re lying."
"Liar."
"Stop lying."
They thought I was teasing them.
"Kyaaah! Stop! Stop!"
"That’s justice!"
"How dare a couple lie? They deserve to die."
"Show us the results of your training!"
I ended up being bullied by the kids.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Summer vacation had arrived.
This was my first summer vacation since entering middle school.
I had expected homework like in elementary school, but there was none.
So I was just chilling at home with the air conditioner blasting.
Instead of going outside on a hot day, I was more comfortable reading or studying inside with the air on.
The only time I left the house was to meet Sia.
"Siwoo! Let’s go to the beach!"
It was Sia, of course.
She had suddenly decided to go to the beach even though we usually played in the city.
Since I had time, I thought it was fine.
But my parents weren’t available, so I was worried we couldn’t go.
"If you’re going with Sia, it’s fine."
"Son, it’s okay if you go alone."
"Yeah, it’s better to hang out with Sia than just staying home."
Thanks to my parents’ enthusiastic approval, I ended up going to the beach with Sia’s family.
We had originally planned to go to the East Sea, but we switched to the West Sea because someone connected to my parents ran a pension there.
I grabbed my swimsuit, a few tubes, and some bags.
We headed to Sia’s house that evening.
The next morning, we set off early for the beach.
Since it was the West Sea, I expected it to be close, but we left at 7 and arrived at 10.
After sitting in the car for so long, my body felt stiff.
But the moment I saw the vast, open sea, my chest felt completely free.
"Wow! The sea! It's the sea!!"
"...Must you always say it that way, darling?"
"Why? It's proper etiquette when you see the sea."
"Fine. I’ll stop scolding you."
"Hehe! Then let’s pitch the tent right away! Siwoo, help!"
"Yes!"
With the uncle, we started pitching the tent.
At first I thought it was the same kind of tent we used to play with in elementary school.
But once we got it up, I realized it was a different style—completely open on all sides with just a roof.
I thought a regular umbrella would be fine too, but this tent was much larger than the one far away, so it was definitely better.
After securely tying it down with ropes so it wouldn’t blow away, I went back inside.
"Here, drink this."
Sia handed me a cool drink.
I took it and sat beside her, sipping it.
"Alright! Then it’s time to get in the water!"
"Did everyone bring swimsuits?"
"Yes!" "Yeah!"
"Then change quickly and play in the sea."
My swimsuit was a black pants-style with a white zip-up top.
Sia wore short shorts and a short-sleeve shirt.
They were a little short, so they might get see-through when wet.
"Is that a swimsuit?"
"Yeah, I have a separate one underneath."
"Oh, I see."
That made me feel a little more at ease.
Although... I wasn’t sure why I felt relieved.
The uncle handed me the inflated tube and I rushed to the water, but
"Wait! Put on sunscreen before playing! Your skin will burn!"
"Ugh... it’s annoying."
"Just do it! You two should put it on each other properly. Got it?"
""Yes""
"Come here so I can put it on you."
"No... I’m fine, I already put it on."
"Then you need sunscreen on your face too. No more talking, come here! Your skin seems to burn more these days."
"No... I’m an ocean liner captain..."
The auntie squeezed a big amount of sunscreen onto the uncle’s skin and started rubbing it in.
It was more like smearing it on than actually applying it... but I figured it was probably fine.
"Here, Siwoo."
"Ah... yeah..."
I wasn’t in the mood to think about the uncle.
Sia squeezed the sunscreen and started spreading it evenly on me.
She did my shoulders and neck, then my arms.
I felt satisfied that it was enough.
"Siwoo, turn around."
"Why?"
"I’ll put it on your back."
I wondered why, but I understood when I saw the auntie doing the same thing for the uncle.
"Quickly."
"Got it."
When I turned my back, Sia rubbed sunscreen on my back with her small hands.
The cool sensation mixed with Sia’s slightly warm hands gave me a strange feeling, but I tried my best to stay calm.
After what felt like ten hours of ten seconds, Sia said she was done.
"Me too."
She suddenly demanded I do it to her too.
…