Childhood Friend (1)
The classroom was noisy during recess. As usual, I was chatting with Jeongho.
"Hyunseong, is there a girl you like lately?"
"W-What?!"
My best friend, Geum Jeongho, had tanned skin, dyed blonde hair, and sharp eyes.
When he blurted out such a random question without hesitation, my face flushed bright red.
H-How did he know?
Sure, I went out of my way to help Jiwu when she was carrying heavy things.
And I gave her my bread when she was sad because the school store ran out of the one she wanted.
And I ran like crazy to take a hit from a flying ball meant for her! But that was it!
Did that really make it so obvious?!
I was freaking flustered.
"You've been making it so damn obvious how nice you're being to Jiwu lately. Pfft... your bro's intuition is insane, you idiot."
"Ah, shit... Was it really that obvious? Anyway, keep it a secret from the others."
"For free?"
Jeongho pointed at his mouth, gesturing for a bribe. He looked incredibly obnoxious.
This guy wasn't a best friend; he was a nemesis.
"You son of a... Fine. I'll buy you an orange juice from the school store."
"Throw in a pizza bread too."
"Ugh... Just make sure you keep it a secret. Especially from Sia. Don't tell her."
I had no choice. If Sia found out, it would become a massive pain.
I wanted to spit on Jeongho's face as he giggled and sighed, but...
We'd been friends since our first year of middle school, so I couldn't actually do that.
Once things go well with Jiwu, I'm going to beat him up.
"What are you not supposed to tell me?"
"H-Huh...? Oh, nothing. Haha...!"
"What do you mean, nothing? I heard everything. Tell me the truth."
"I-It's really nothing!"
Sia had suddenly intruded on our conversation.
Pressuring me with her sharp, cat-like eyes, she was actually a bit scary. Cold sweat began to bead on my forehead.
Since Sia was my childhood friend of seven years, I was even more reluctant to let her know that I liked Jiwu, who was in our class.
She would definitely meddle in my love life.
Whew... I wanted to brush this off, but knowing Sia's personality, she wouldn't let it slide.
"Man! You're already busted. Just tell her. This guy was secretly getting advice from me to prepare a birthday present for you, Sia, since your birthday is this weekend."
"J-Jeongho is right! It's your birthday in three days. I wanted to prepare a surprise gift in secret, but I guess the cat's out of the bag!"
"W-What...? If that's the case... I mean... it's not like I want a birthday present from you or anything?!"
What a nice assist from Jeongho!
Jeongho flashed me a look and gave me a thumbs-up.
Thanks to him, I managed to avoid getting caught about liking Jiwu.
What a guy... A best friend is a best friend after all! I should buy him some fruit jellies too.
By the way... this Sunday was Sia's birthday?
Shit... I completely forgot.
"B-By any chance... Hyunseong, are you f-free on my birthday? I mean, just... the t-two of us..."
"The two of us...?"
Sia's face turned as red as a ripe apple.
Seeing her stutter like that, did she have a fever or something?
"I-It's nothing! Anyway, I don't expect to get a present from you!"
It was weird how she just said her piece and stomped off, but...
It was probably nothing.
"You must have it rough. No offense to Sia, but her personality is a bit... rough. I heard other girls talking trash about her, calling her a rude bitch."
"Don't be like that. She's actually a good person deep down. Besides..."
Geum Jeongho sighed as he glanced at Sia walking back to her seat.
I defended her, because I knew better than anyone how kind and warm Sia could be.
Name: Lee Sia
Age: 18
Height: 165 cm
Chest: Huge, anyway.
Weight: I know it, but a girl's weight is a secret, so I won't say.
It all started back when I was eleven, in the fourth grade.
"Hello! We just moved in next door. We look forward to getting along with you. Come on, Sia, say hello too."
"Ah, yes. I did hear someone was moving in next door. Nice to meet you. I'm the housekeeper employed by this family. You can just call me ahjumma."
My family was filthy rich.
My grandfather was the chairman of Saseong Group, and my father was the president.
My mother was...
"Hello!"
"Oh my, what a polite young man! Sia, you should learn from him."
She seemed slightly surprised when I bowed politely to her.
My father had told me countless times that etiquette was crucial for a successor.
I had been rigorously drilled in manners by the etiquette tutor my father hired.
As a result, proper manners were already deeply ingrained in my body.
"I don't want to!"
The young Sia snapped, turning her head away in annoyance.
My first impression of her back then was that she was a rude brat.
"Hey! Sia, I told you not to behave like that."
"Hmph..."
"Haha, it's fine. Children are usually like that at this age."
Sia's mother scolded her rude daughter, but Sia didn't even pretend to listen.
"Is your name Sia?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"I'm Ryu Hyunseong. You can call me Hyunseong."
"No."
In any case, our first meeting was the absolute worst.
Since both of Sia's parents worked,
Sia came over to play at our house almost every single day.
It was annoying, but because the manners drilled into me by my tutor were so deeply ingrained,
I didn't let it show on the outside.
"Ryu Hyunseong, what are you doing?"
Sia called me by my full name, which felt a bit distant, but I didn't pay it any mind.
"Just... writing a novel."
Sitting at my desk, I answered indifferently to Sia, who was pestering me while I quietly wrote.
"What kind of kid writes a novel? Let's play Blue Marble~."
"You can play with the housekeeper."
"She said she's really busy~. Come on, play with me~."
Sia kept clinging to my arm, pulling at it while I tried to write.
It was annoying, but I couldn't get angry.
Because that was proper etiquette.
"No. I'm busy."
"Aw, come on~. What are you writing that makes you so busy? Let me see."
When Sia snatched my notebook with a mischievous grin,
Anger began to boil up to the top of my head.
No matter how angry I was, holding it in was proper etiquette.
"Oh... Did you really write this?"
Sia immediately began reading my notebook.
As she read, her eyes widened in surprise, but...
"Lee Sia!! Give that notebook back right now!!!!"
I couldn't hold it in anymore.
I was just a kid like Sia, so I couldn't keep suppressing my anger forever.
I raised my voice and yelled at her.
"W-Why are you being like this...? Just because I took your notebook...?"
This notebook was the last gift my mother had left me.
I absolutely hated anyone else touching it.
Because I was normally so gentle, my sudden outburst of rage startled her.
Sia couldn't hold back her tears and began to sob uncontrollably.
"I'm s-sowwy... I j-just... wanted to p-play with Hyunseong..."
My father had told me, 'Making someone cry is a breach of etiquette.'
That was right. I had just behaved rudely.
"I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry I lost my temper. Let's play Blue Marble together!"
"R-Really...? You'll play with me?"
"Yeah, let's play."
I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and wiped away Sia's tears.
When I comforted her with a bright smile,
Sia stopped crying and stared blankly at me.
"Th-Thank you... Here's your notebook... Your story was really fun, Hyunseong... Are you going to be a writer when you grow up?"
"A writer...?"
A writer... Right... My mother had said the same thing.
Three years prior, in a small hospital room. My mother lay in a hospital gown, hooked up to an IV.
"Mom, the Little Mermaid story you read to me before was fun. But I feel bad for the Little Mermaid. In the end, she couldn't marry the prince and dissolved into sea foam."
"Mom thinks so too. It must have hurt the Little Mermaid's heart so much when she disappeared."
"So I tried writing one myself! A story where the Little Mermaid becomes happy with the prince!"
"Really? I'll have to read it."
I handed my mother the notebook containing the story I had worked so hard on. She read it with a gentle smile on her face.
"Oh... An angel suddenly appears, turns the Little Mermaid back to normal, and she lives happily ever after with the prince... Haha... Hyunseong, that was really fun."
"Really?!"
The story I wrote received high praise from my mother. I was truly happy. I preferred happy endings over sad ones. Not being able to be with the person you love and turning into foam was just too cruel!
"When you grow up... maybe our Hyunseong will become a writer?"
"A writer...?"
"Yes. There are many kinds of writers, but I think a novelist who writes fun stories to make people happy would suit you best, Hyunseong!"
"A novelist...? Yes! I'm going to be a novelist when I grow up!"
"You'll definitely become a bestselling novelist. This is a gift from Mom!"
My mother handed me a large spiral notebook.
"Write the stories you want to write in here."
"Okay! I'll write tons of fun stories and show them to you, Mom."
"I'll look forward to it, my son~."
My mother smiled brightly and stroked my hair, which made me feel wonderful.
And I never got to show my mother the stories I wrote after that.
"Thanks, Sia. I'll definitely grow up to be a writer—no, a novelist."
"Yeah. I'm sure you'll be a great novelist, Hyunseong."
It was the first time I had ever seen Sia smile so purely, without a hint of mischief.
We exchanged smiles and pulled out the Blue Marble board.
If I recall correctly... it was around this time that Sia stopped calling me 'Ryu Hyunseong' and started calling me 'Hyunseong'.
A novelist.
My strict father would definitely oppose it.
But even if it was just for my late mother, I wanted to write wonderful stories that ended in happy endings.
Even if it was a difficult path.
"Writing novels is fine and all... but how is the contest going?"
"Haha... It's not going very well..."
I had entered a contest to pursue my dream, but... of course, I was instantly eliminated.
If you asked anyone what the largest web novel platform was, they would immediately think of Yutonovel.
I had uploaded my novel there too, but... both my view count and recommendations were abysmal.
"Well, does it even matter if Master Ryu Hyunseong, the heir to Saseong Group, ruins a single contest?"
"I have no intention of becoming the heir."
I was writing novels in secret from my father.
I had no desire to inherit the company.
I wanted to chase my dream.
But I would have to tell my father the truth eventually.
"Hey, what were you guys talking about~?"
"H-Huh...? Jiwu, what brings you here?"
I was flustered to see Jiwu waving and walking toward us.
What on earth... was going on...?
"I should probably get ready for the next class~."
Jeongho patted my shoulder lightly and left.
He must have set this up.
Thanks, Jeongho.
You really are my best friend.
"Oh, w-well... I was just talking with Jeongho. Haha!!"
Even though Jeongho had gone through the trouble of calling Jiwu over...
My mind went completely blank the moment she stood in front of me.
As I scratched my head, looking completely clueless, she spoke.
"Really...? Hyunseong, do you have time this Sunday? Do you want to go see a movie with me?"
"A movie...? Why so suddenly?"
"I happened to get two tickets. And you got hurt trying to save me during PE class last time... I'll buy you dinner to make up for it!"
Unlike Sia, Jiwu had puppy-like features. Seeing her blush shyly made my heart pound.
Of course I had to go.
Could it be that Jiwu liked me too?!
Woohoo~!
Wait...
Sunday is... Sia's birthday?