The Gift for the Trip
Hey Harang, this is the gift for the trip!
I've been thinking lately that Harang's been acting a bit off.
Is it because I haven't been playing with you much during my swimming practice?
But I really need to train a little more if I want to show off my best at the sports festival.
“Harang-ah?”
“Uh, uh? Yeah? What’s up?”
Harang kept giving me this sad, teary-eyed look as she stared.
She’s so mature… I can’t believe she’d be into a girl like me.
Mom even said it was weird, so!
I pulled Harang into a gentle hug and said softly, “It’s nothing weird, Harang. Really.”
“S-Seah-ya! What are you talking about? Wait—wait, let me go!”
Harang swatted my back and shouted to let her go.
Yeah, I’ve been liking her for a few days now… so that makes sense.
“Harang! Look forward to it, okay? I’m gonna show you something awesome at the sports festival!”
“… Yeah, I’ll be waiting.”
After I win first place in the running event, I’ll hang that gold medal around Harang’s neck!
Then we’ll hold hands and go to the bathroom for my confession! Kyaa~!!
--- --- --- --- ---
Harang got the news two weeks ago that Seah was moving.
I still haven’t told her.
I didn’t want to crush her excitement about the sports festival, but even more… even though I’ve lived here for twenty years and said goodbye to countless friends, I still wasn’t ready inside.
Seah must’ve noticed something was different too. She’d been hugging me more lately and acting extra gentle.
“Haa…”
How lame.
I’d lived in this world for twenty years, met and lost so many people… yet I still trembled at the thought of someone I cared about leaving.
“Harang? Why are you like this? Are you sick?”
“Huh? No, I’m fine. More importantly, Seah, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard lately?”
Seah toddled over to me like a newborn fawn, legs still trembling.
When I asked worriedly, she stopped shaking, puffed out her chest, and said proudly, “I’m not sick! The teacher says it’s normal for legs to shake after swimming practice!”
“Oh, you were just loosening up sore muscles, huh? Still, don’t overdo it.”
“Yeah! Thanks!”
After school, Seah dashed straight to the swimming pool, while I headed to the library to read until Han Seolhui’s class ended, then walked home together.
“Did you tell her?”
“Not yet…”
“Mhm.”
Pat pat.
Seolhui-unnie patted my back when I admitted I still hadn’t told Seah.
The longer I hesitated, the heavier the guilt grew.
Yeah… I think I should tell her the night of the sports festival.
The sooner I say it, the easier it’ll be to part with that smile.
--- --- --- --- ---
“The Great Gakho Sports Festival!!! Let’s begin!!!”
The announcement blared from the loudspeakers as the festival kicked off.
I stood in the boys’ cheering section wearing the flashy red cheering uniforms, waving my horn and holding a sign.
Honestly, there weren’t many events I could join as a regular guy.
Most boys even skipped the festival altogether.
Only last year’s long-term patient like me was allowed because I submitted my medical records.
“Wooooh!!! Number 1, Class 3-3, Seah! So fast!! Faster!! Lead is 2M!!! Second place is 1, Class 2-2, Ryuyeong!! Run! Run! I’m coming!!”
Seah took part in nearly every event that required running and dominated all the first-years with her overwhelming speed.
She won the sprints, the object-retrieval race, and even the “find the closest friend” event by hugging me tightly and bolting ahead.
Right now she was leading the relay for all grades, charging out in first as 2M.
Of course, she wasn’t comparable to the older students’ relay teams.
Because of her power, the order was reversed—older students ran first, and Seah snatched the baton from a 2nd-year and barreled past every other first-year.
“Seah! Fighting!!”
“Faster!!! First-year Class 3-3 Seah!! Taking the final straight!! Two meters ahead of second!! Three meters!! Five meters!!!! She can’t be caught!!!! Goal!!!”
Seah surged forward even harder at my cheers, crossing the finish line a full five meters ahead of second place.
She rushed over to me, gold medal dangling from her neck.
“Seah! That was amazing! And you should wear the gold medal yourself—I don’t want it.”
“No way! Harang cheered for me, so I won! It’s true!”
“Ah, ah… All events in the Great Gakho Sports Festival have concluded. While the final tally is being calculated, students may…”
The announcement that the festival had ended rang out.
At those words, Seah grabbed my hand firmly, her face uncharacteristically serious.
“Harang… can you come with me?”
“… Yeah.”
I had something important to say too.
--- --- --- --- ---
Seah and I sat facing each other in the empty Class 3-3 classroom.
At first she’d suggested going to the bathroom together, but then she shook her head quickly and changed the subject to the classroom.
She must’ve been nervous.
Seah was clearly struggling with what to say.
Did she already know I was moving?
Well… it wasn’t me leaving, but her leaving.
And her house had felt a little tense lately too. She must’ve sensed something.
So I wanted to be the one to tell her.
“Seah, can I speak first?”
“Eh, eh?! U-um! Yeah!! Tell me!!”
I took her hand in my slightly trembling fingers.
My throat felt tight, but I took a deep breath and started slowly.
“Seah… I heard from your parents.”
“Me too!.. Yeah?”
“December… Seah, you have to move. I wanted to tell you instead of your parents…”
“W- wait, Harang, what do you mean…? Move? Me? Again?”
Seah’s eyes widened in shock as she shook her head.
I stared at her in surprise. So she didn’t know?
“Seah? You already knew—”
“I don’t know!! I don’t know!!! Stop lying!!! Then—then I can’t say it!!!!”
Crash!
“Ugh!! Seah-ya!!”
“Harang is such a fool!!!!”
Seah shoved me away and bolted out of the classroom.
I didn’t bother cleaning up the fallen desk and chair and ran after her into the hallway.
She hadn’t used her power to run away, so I could see her dashing toward the end of the corridor. I chased after her.
After using her power too hard, she couldn’t go far and finally collapsed, sobbing.
I knelt and took her hand.
“It’s okay, Seah. Even if you move far away, we won’t lose touch, right?”
“No…! No!! That’s not it!! Idiot!! I’m an idiot!!!!”
Seah ended up crying in my arms, but no matter what I said, she just kept repeating, “I’m an idiot.”
I wasn’t completely clueless.
Based on how Seah was acting now and how she usually acted around me, I could guess what she wanted to say.
But…
“Seah, it’s fine. Your aunt said it’s only for a few years. They’re coming back eventually.”
“Idiot… idiot… ugh… hic…”
I couldn’t answer that heavy heart.
--- --- --- --- ---
Unlike her parents’ worries about her running away, Seah didn’t cause any big trouble after that day.
Of course, she did have little incidents.
In the first few days she threw a tantrum saying she’d sleep over at our house, then sometimes she’d hug me, run down the street using her power, and get scolded by the police.
Right before she moved, her homeroom teacher told all the students the news.
Many girls who were close to Seah hugged her tightly, tears streaming down their faces.
“Harang, are you okay?”
After the confession incident, Juhui, who had become a bit closer to me, came over and asked.
Since I’d spent the most time with Seah, my calm expression probably looked strange.
“No, I’m not okay… but I can’t stop her.”
“… Yeah, I guess.”
I still wanted to beg her parents to let her stay, or at least make sure she could stay at our house for a while.
But I wasn’t childish enough to force her, and I didn’t have the power to protect her either.
In the end, the responsibility fell to her parents, so I couldn’t say anything.
“We’re not really parting forever. Your parents said they’d come back later.”
“Eh? Really? I didn’t know. Ugh, stop glaring at me like that. I’m leaving.”
I don’t know if she’ll actually return.
Her parents said it was just a short trip to help, but no one knew how long “short” would be—maybe forever.
Seah marched straight up to me, put her hands on her hips, and glared.
“Hmph! Harang’s not sad because I’m leaving?”
“No, I’m sad. You cried last time too, remember?”
“Once?! Hah! Harang only loves me that much?!”
I forced a bitter smile at the word “love” that slipped out and pulled her into a hug, patting her back.
“That’s not it. She’ll be back soon. If you cry while saying goodbye, you might not come back.”
“Ah… yeah… you’re right.”
--- --- --- --- ---
One week later, on the day the first snow of December fell, Seah’s family moved.
Seah finally couldn’t hold back her tears. She sobbed into my arms.
Surprisingly, her parents looked surprised and praised her for being so well-behaved this time.
I handed Seah a huge brown teddy bear. She loved teddy bears more than anything.
Of course I liked them too, so I bought myself an identical one and put it in my room.
“This is a gift for the trip.”
“Sniff… yeah…”
I didn’t use the word “move.”
“Trip.”
Seah and I decided to call this move a “trip.” A trip we’d come back from.
“Sniff… Harang, I… I’ll be back soon… so… don’t get too close to the boys…”
“Yeah, yeah. Be careful.”
“Wung!… sniff…”
Seah gave me a watery goodbye and slowly walked away.
I stood there until the car her parents were driving disappeared into the distance.
“Son…”
Today, Dad’s arms felt a little damp.