Valentine's Day — Not Dating
"Mmm... this isn't working..."
Nine years had already passed since Sihyun and Riya first met.
It was spring break of their third year of middle school. Riya had arranged to meet Sihyun in the afternoon for the first time in a while — which, considering the two of them had been practically inseparable all break, was rather surprising. And the reason was simple. Today was February 14th. Valentine's Day, of course.
"Chocolate..."
Riya's plan went like this. From morning until three in the afternoon, she would make and package the chocolate she'd researched online the day before. Then, at five o'clock when Sihyun's kendo practice ended, she would go deliver it in person. It was a perfect plan. A plan that would have been carried out without a hitch — if not for a single variable.
"It's ruined..."
The chocolate Riya had made was a disaster. A complete and utter disaster. The reason was simple: she'd misjudged the amount of chocolate. Because of that, her ambitious plan to make chocolate bread had collapsed entirely.
"Honey, you should've just bought some like last time."
"It's the last year of middle school..."
Until last year, she'd simply bought them. She hadn't known how to make them, after all. But starting this year, as she entered her third year of middle school, she'd wanted to make them herself. That first ambition had been a bit too much. Looking back now, she couldn't even understand why she'd thought of making bread.
"Want some help?"
"...No."
Yujin asked from beside her, but she shook her head. With Yujin's skill, chocolate bread would have been no problem... but she didn't want help. This was her first time making chocolate, and she wanted to do it alone.
"I'll go buy more."
It was currently four-thirty. If she just bought chocolate, melted it, and let it set, she could just barely make it in time. And so Riya left the house at a quick pace. Watching her daughter's retreating figure, Choi Harin spoke to Yujin.
"Sihyun is one lucky kid. Where else are you going to find a girl like our daughter?"
Now in her third year of middle school, Riya had grown far more beautiful. Through her first year, she'd been more cute than beautiful — but now she was truly lovely. As puberty set in, feminine curves had begun to take shape, and her once-short arms and legs had grown long and slender. Thanks to her Russian heritage, her skin was still as pale as milk. And that silver hair of hers — she seemed not to care about it, yet she constantly maintained it whenever she was with Sihyun, even though it fell all the way to her waist. Considering Riya wasn't usually one for self-care, it was remarkable.
"Still, there's no one quite like Sihyun."
"That's true."
Sihyun was much the same. He'd always been tall, was still tall, and was still growing. Having practiced kendo and other sports since elementary school, he had a good physique. His eyes were still sharp, but his looks overall were strikingly handsome. Put simply: a decadent kind of handsomeness — the cool, aloof type. That was his image at school.
At school, Riya and Sihyun were fairly well-known. Both of them were exceptionally good-looking, and they were always together — it was only natural. But their particular atmosphere meant not many people approached them. And one more thing that was only natural, if anything was: the school rumor mill had them pegged as a couple.
"I wish they'd just start dating already."
Anyone who knew them would say, "These two aren't dating?" They exchanged gifts every Valentine's Day and White Day without fail. They still sometimes slept in the same room. And yet, astonishingly, they still weren't dating. Truly astonishing.
"Thank you for your hard work!!"
Five in the afternoon. Once kendo practice ended, I immediately changed out of my uniform into the clothes I'd brought. I was soaked in sweat and felt sticky, but unfortunately this kendo dojo didn't have a shower.
It's not a big dojo, after all.
Still, home was nearby, so I could just head back and wash up. So, still drenched in sweat with a long bamboo sword slung on my back, I left the kendo dojo.
Even after making 3rd Dan, nothing much has changed.
I was currently a kendo 3rd Dan. Having practiced continuously since elementary school, it was fast if you considered it fast, and slow if you considered it slow. No — compared to my previous life, it was clearly much faster.
"It's cold."
It was early February, so of course the weather was quite cold. Not below freezing, but... still too cold for just a thin windbreaker like this. But I was sweating this much — I didn't want to put anything else on.
Just go.
Home was five minutes away, so I'd manage somehow. Well... if I caught a cold, I'd just deal with it. There was no kendo practice tomorrow anyway.
"Hey, heading straight home?"
The one who called out to me then was none other than Hoyeon. Our friendship was one of the few that had lasted from elementary school all the way until now. On top of that, we were in the same class this year. Honestly, I was grateful — he was the only close guy friend I'd had so far. Even when I didn't reach out first, he was always the one who came to me. The fact that he had no romantic interest in Riya was a big part of it, too.
"What about your academy?"
"Just finished. Looks like you just wrapped up kendo too?"
"Yeah. Heading straight home."
"Aren't you cold?"
"I am. I'll just run home."
"In this weather...?"
Saying that, Hoyeon looked at me like I was insane. Sure, it was cold, but not that cold — was this really crazy-person territory? Worst case, I'd just catch a cold. Not exactly a major risk.
"More importantly, did you get any chocolate?"
"Chocolate?"
"Today's Valentine's Day."
Ah. Come to think of it, I'd completely forgotten. February 14th, Valentine's Day — the day girls give chocolate to guys. Of course, I hadn't received any yet. Honestly, that was only natural. If Valentine's Day had fallen on the first day of school, maybe — but during break, the only person who'd come find me to give chocolate was Riya. And even Riya had said she'd meet me late tonight.
"No, nothing."
"What about your girlfriend?"
"She's not. And no, I haven't gotten any."
"So you know who I mean."
Saying that, Hoyeon pulled a chocolate from his pocket and held it out to me. A rather fancy-looking chocolate, with packaging that was quite nice too.
"Is that for me?"
"Are you crazy? This is one I received."
"From who?"
"A junior I know. Jin Haryeong — she goes to the same academy as me."
Saying that, Hoyeon carefully tucked the chocolate back into his pocket — very carefully, as if it were precious. After pocketing it, he rolled his shoulders as if working out some stiffness and said to me,
"Must be nice not going to an academy. I'm stuck here because of the break special lectures..."
"Then just do kendo."
"It's too late to make that a career path."
Unlike me, who showed up at one and stayed for four hours, this guy came at nine and was stuck there for eight. Neither in my previous life nor this one had I ever studied that hard, so I couldn't really relate.
"Here, eat this."
Still, I felt a little sorry for him, so I tossed him a candy from my pocket and started walking.
"Oh! What's this? You're giving me stuff now?"
"Because I feel bad for you. I'm heading out."
"Thanks! I'll pay you back next time."
Hoyeon must have been cold standing around too, because with that he immediately got moving and left. I was also starting to struggle with the cold, so just as I was about to break into a run—
"Sihyun."
"...Riya?"
A voice called out and stopped me. Turning my head in that direction, I saw none other than Riya. She approached me wearing a fairly thick coat, a white bag in her hand.
"Your coat. Aren't you wearing one?"
"Ah... I feel a little sticky from the sweat."
"You'll catch a cold."
Saying that, Riya started unbuttoning her coat as if she were about to take it off and hand it to me right then and there. Through the slightly opened coat, I could see clothes that looked thin at a glance — clothes that would practically guarantee a cold if worn out in this weather.
"No, then you'll catch a cold."
"I'm fine."
"I'm not fine with that."
"Mmm... then let's hurry."
A pure white, slender hand reached out toward me. I took that hand naturally, and Riya and I started walking.
"It's been a while — come over and have a meal."
"Okay."
Without any hesitation, Riya answered right away and turned toward my house.
Cold. Her hand was cold. It was about a ten-minute walk from her house to the kendo dojo, and without gloves, of course her hands would be cold.
"...?"
"Your hands are cold."
I immediately slipped her hand into the pocket of my windbreaker. It wasn't that thick, but better than nothing.
"Ah..."
"Riya?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
After that, we walked toward my house in silence. The sweat smell bothered me a little, but the wind was pretty biting — would it be okay?
"Is the sweat smell okay?"
"Sweat smell...? It's fine."
That was all. Silence settled over us again, but after about nine years, it felt natural — more comfortable than forcing conversation. And so, as we were nearly at my house without a word exchanged—
"Sihyun."
Riya suddenly pulled something from the white bag she'd been holding and handed it to me. Inside were various chocolates wrapped in plastic. These weren't the store-bought chocolates she usually gave me.
"Did you make these yourself?"
"Yeah. Since this morning."
"Wow..."
Honestly, store-bought would have been fine. Not getting any at all would have been a little disappointing... but what mattered was that she remembered me. Still, I never expected Riya would make chocolate herself to give me.
"I was going to make bread, actually."
"Bread?"
"Yeah. Chocolate bread. But I ruined it."
From what she told me, it seemed she'd tried to make chocolate bread, failed, and hastily molded these instead. She and her family didn't seem to realize it... but I knew she had no talent for cooking. During home economics cooking practice in second year of middle school, only her dish had been a disaster.
Just this is more than enough to be grateful for.
That was why just this alone made me so happy. I immediately popped one of the star-shaped chocolates into my mouth.
Sweet.
"It's sweet..."
It was really sweet. Really.
My tongue is going to go numb...
I'd never eaten chocolate this sweet in my life. What on earth did she put in this? Don't tell me she added sugar to the melted chocolate? I couldn't be sure, but one thing I knew for certain. Dinner was a lost cause today.
"Sihyun...?"
But I couldn't say that to Riya. These were chocolates she'd made herself — if I did, she definitely wouldn't make them next time. I clamped my mouth shut, focused on swallowing the chocolate, and at the same time reached out — and pulled her into my arms.
"Ah...?"
"Thank you."
"S-Sihyun...?"
Riya's face turned red in an instant. Bright scarlet. With her already pale complexion, her face flushed like a beet stood out all the more. She buried her face against my chest, hiding it. There was the smell of sweat, but... she didn't mind. Right now, the urge to hide her face was stronger. No — even if it weren't, she wouldn't have minded.
"Riya, let's go now."
"...Ah? O-okay."
The sweetness was still overwhelming, but once I'd finished the chocolate in my mouth, I gently pulled her away again. Leaving behind a Riya who, for some reason, looked a little disappointed, we took each other's hands again and headed home.
And let me say it one more time.
These two still weren't dating.