Age Thirteen: Elementary School
Time flew by.
Really, after meeting Riya, my time passed faster than anything else—as if the seven years that had stood still were finally beginning to move again.
"Sihyun. What do you think?"
Sixth grade of elementary school.
In the year that marked seven years since I first met Riya, we ended up in the same class again for the first time in a long while. And even after seven years, our relationship hadn't changed one bit.
No—if I were to put it more precisely, we had grown a little closer. And I still had no other friends.
Not that it mattered.
As long as I had Riya, I didn't particularly care whether other students were around or not. Though the fact that no one ever spoke to us did bother me a little...
It was probably because of the nickname that had stuck to the two of us.
The Ice Couple, they called us.
It was an incredibly childish nickname, as expected of elementary schoolers. We weren't even a couple to begin with.
"Sihyun?"
"Ah..."
"Does something hurt?"
"No, I was just lost in thought for a moment."
Maybe because we'd been in different classes last year, ever since we ended up in the same class this year we had been sticking together constantly. Even now, during lunchtime, it was the same. After eating, we sat side by side and talked.
"The drawing."
"Drawing?"
"What do you think?"
On the paper she handed me was a familiar drawing by now—a portrait of me. Riya would sketch my face whenever she was bored, and her skill had improved steadily over time. It was incomparable to that first portrait she'd drawn of me back in kindergarten.
Of course, I still had that one.
I still kept that portrait at home. It was the first gift I'd ever received from Riya, and my treasure. I had absolutely no intention of ever throwing it away.
"It's better than last time."
At my short reply, Riya immediately smiled and went back to drawing. Around us, people were whispering as they watched. They seemed to be trying to hide it, but their voices carried far too clearly to be considered hidden.
"Riya is so pretty..."
"Is this your first time seeing her? I was in the same class as her last year."
"I want to talk to her... but Baek Sihyun is too scary."
What was so scary about me? Sure, as my body grew, my eyes had gotten sharper, I'd put on a bit more muscle, and I was taller than my peers. But I had no intention of threatening anyone.
Of course, if they messed with Riya, that would be a different story.
That was a separate matter. Anyway, this kind of treatment wasn't new, so I didn't pay it much mind.
Maybe I should just read a book.
There were two ways I killed time. One was kendo; the other was reading. But I couldn't practice kendo at school, so I had no choice but to read the book I'd brought from home.
And so, for a while, Riya drew while I read. Then, mid-drawing, she suddenly turned to me and asked,
"Sihyun, tonight. You know, right?"
"Yeah, I know. That's the third time you've asked."
What Riya meant was simple. We had promised to have a pajama party at my house tonight. Until second grade of elementary school, we had slept over at one house or the other almost once a week, but it had become less frequent lately. This pajama party would be the first in nearly half a year. It was only natural that Riya was looking forward to it.
I was looking forward to it a bit myself, too.
It had been a while since I'd stayed up late with Riya. Anyway, after that conversation, time flew by and dismissal arrived.
"See you later, then."
Since Riya had things to pack at home, I parted ways with her and headed home. A hand clapped my shoulder.
"Sihyun! Where'd you leave your girlfriend and go off alone?"
"We're meeting up separately later. And I told you she's not my girlfriend."
"You should've denied it first instead of answering."
The guy standing next to me was named Kim Hoyeon. He was the only one around me who came close to being a real friend. Of course, I hadn't approached him first—he had come to me. Apparently because my eyes looked interesting or something.
His way of speaking might seem childish, but the content itself was pretty mature.
His speech sounded very much like a little kid's, but he never crossed the line. It had been a bit uncomfortable at first, but once he'd figured out the boundaries, he absolutely never crossed them. Even if having Riya was enough, not having a single male friend felt a bit much, so I didn't push away the guy who'd approached me first.
"Kendo academy today?"
"I'm taking a break. I pushed myself a bit yesterday, so my body's sore."
"You're really intense, you know that."
That was why I was a little worried about the pajama party. I might fall asleep first. I'd wanted to stay up all night with Riya if possible. Of course, my mom wouldn't allow that anyway.
"See you next time, then. I've got academy."
"See you next week."
With that, I arrived home, and not long after, Riya arrived.
"It's been so long!"
"You're here."
Riya came to our house with Choi Harin. She didn't really need a guardian to come along... but Choi Harin had probably just wanted to chat with my mom. Since we didn't meet at home often, the two of them didn't get to see each other much either.
"Let's go."
"To your room?"
"Yeah."
Leaving the moms to talk among themselves, we headed straight to my room. There wasn't much Riya did when she came over to my house. Just like anywhere else, either drawing or playing board games. Today was no different.
First up was a board game.
"I won."
"Ah..."
The board game we played was Monopoly. We didn't play Halli Galli or other games that required quick reflexes or physical ability—because I would win those.
"I lost."
This victory was mine. After a full three hours of play, I had won. The fact that it took so long was also one of the reasons we played this game. Honestly, there wasn't much else to do when we met. Being together was one thing, but we needed something to do in the meantime, right?
"Kids, time to eat!!"
Dinner was delivery food. Ever since elementary school started, we ordered delivery a lot. This time it was chicken and tteokbokki. For the record, the chicken was boneless.
"Sihyun, eat."
"I told you not to."
As always, Riya dipped a piece of chicken and held it out to me. I'd told her before that she didn't have to, worried she might find it inconvenient, but as you can see, she completely ignored me.
I did like it, though.
It wasn't a bad thing, so I hadn't really refused much after that. While we were feeding each other like that, the auntie suddenly spoke up to me.
"Sihyun."
"Yes?"
"Try calling me mother-in-law."
"...Yes?"
She would come at me like this every once in a while, and I never knew how to respond. Somehow, if I refused here... it felt like Riya next to me would do something. There was no real basis for it—just a gut feeling.
It's not like I like her romantically or anything.
I didn't like Riya in a romantic way. At least, that's what I thought. There was the age... difference, too.
"This auntie trying to snatch someone else's son."
"It's something you'll hear someday anyway, so isn't it better to get used to it early?"
"There's still an order to these things."
"I think that order's already passed."
"I should be the one hearing 'Mom' first!"
What on earth were they talking about.
Anyway, after eating, we returned to the room. After cleaning up the Monopoly board we hadn't put away yet, we each did our own things. I read a book on the bed, and Riya sat at the desk drawing. Whenever we went to each other's houses, this was pretty much the usual scene. I couldn't exactly practice kendo in front of Riya, after all.
More than that... I'm sleepy.
I was sleepy. I'd expected it, but I was far sleepier than I'd thought. Even considering I usually went to bed at ten, it was only eight-thirty, and I'd never been this sleepy before.
I must have overdone it yesterday.
I must have pushed myself too hard with kendo practice yesterday. My body was complaining of considerable fatigue.
Maybe I'll just close my eyes for a bit.
Was it the sandman? Normally I would never think of falling asleep first and leaving Riya alone, but right now those thoughts weren't coming easily.
Just a little... sleep.
When the time came, Riya would wake me up. With that thought, I fell asleep.
"Ah..."
When I opened my eyes, light was already streaming in through the window. It was morning.
Did I sleep straight through?
Fortunately, my mind was crystal clear. Looks like I'd gotten a good night's sleep for the first time in a while. Still, as I tried to move my stiff body and get out of bed, the moment I turned my head I had no choice but to freeze.
Riya...?
Riya was sleeping right next to me—with her pure white skin and long white hair spread out, right beside me. That much was fine. Sleeping together with her was something that had happened quite a few times. But there was one problem.
"Aren't you a little too close...?"
She was stuck way too close to my body. Riya, sleeping pressed right up against me. Even now, feeling her breath on me, I couldn't move.
What do I do?
Should I just go back to sleep? As I was thinking that—
"Auu...?"
Riya suddenly moved and sat up. Her beautiful blue eyes blinked through half-lidded lids. Still half-asleep, she blinked and looked at me.
"...."
"...."
A brief silence. Then, looking at me, she opened her mouth in a sleep-laden voice.
"Sihyun..."
She mumbled that and came closer. Wrapping both arms around my waist, she completely nestled into my embrace. The soft sensation of Riya's head against my chest. With her arms tightly around me, Riya and I were completely pressed together.
"Hee.... Sihyun. Don't go."
Nuzzle, nuzzle.
And that wasn't the end of it—nestled against me, she rubbed her head against my body. And at her movements, my body completely froze.
...Damn.
I lay back down on the bed, but I couldn't sleep.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
My heart was pounding far too hard.