I'm New to Having Friends Too...
Summer vacation had begun, and I'd told my parents everything Kang Ryuyeong had mentioned.
I'd even double-checked whether the resort she described was actually the one I knew.
My parents just laughed it off, treating it like a child's innocent joke.
They told me that no matter how prestigious Cheongdam Elementary might be as a luxury private school, it would be difficult for them to own multiple resorts in Busan.
I'd never even known my own school was considered a luxury private institution.
Still, reassured by my parents' words, I was about to settle into a peaceful summer break when—
A black limousine pulled up in front of our house, and Kang Ryuyeong stepped out with confidence, handing me a resort invitation that proved this was no childish prank.
One week into summer vacation, I found myself at a resort in Busan operated by Kang Ryuyeong's family.
"Unnie!! Unnie!! Look at this~!!!"
"Dad, can I go over there?"
"Seolhwa! Seolhui! Calm down for a second, will you!"
On the highest floor of the resort, in a room where every building and person below looked like tiny toys and the sea stretched out to the horizon, my parents and I couldn't play as freely as Seolhwa and Seolhui.
Seolhwa was giggling while filling a bathtub large enough for our whole family with bubbles, using her superpower to make the foam pour from the tub.
Meanwhile, Seolhui unnie was practically bouncing on her feet, eager to visit every restaurant listed in the guidebook—all marked as free to use.
Knock. Knock.
"Harang!! Are you in there!!"
At Kang Ryuyeong's voice from outside the door, I dashed to open it as if I'd found the key to solving everything.
When I pulled her inside, the bright smile she'd been giving me faltered slightly as she saw my parents, and she greeted them with a hint of nervousness.
"Hey! Harang, uh, hello..."
"Little dragon, this... what is this..."
"What? Is something uncomfortable? Should I call a manager?"
I shook my head vigorously at Kang Ryuyeong's offer, begging her not to do that.
Unaware of my parents' and my worries, Seolhui unnie spotted Kang Ryuyeong, ran over with the guidebook in hand, and asked whether everything really was free.
Kang Ryuyeong smiled brightly and confirmed it was all complimentary, adding that she'd already arranged for our family at every restaurant, so we could just go eat whatever we wanted whenever we wanted.
Seolhui unnie immediately ran to my parents, grabbed both their hands, and tried to drag them off to eat right away.
My mother, looking a bit tense, approached me and Kang Ryuyeong, bending down to meet their eye level.
"Ryuyeong-ah, I'm grateful that you're being friendly with Harang, but... it feels a bit burdensome..."
"Ah, no... I mean... if you don't like it, I can switch you to a different room..."
At my mother's words, Kang Ryuyeong glanced between us, her lips quivering as she hesitated whether to speak or not. Then she bowed her head deeply, her face flushing crimson, and mumbled in a voice far quieter than her usual boisterous tone.
"I... I'm also new to having friends... I don't know what's appropriate..."
My parents exchanged surprised looks, and my mother wrapped her arms around Kang Ryuyeong in a warm, reassuring hug.
Kang Ryuyeong stiffened, unsure how to respond, before slowly reaching out to hold my mother's back.
Seeing this, my father chuckled and, with his usual gentle smile, told my mother to just enjoy ourselves.
My mother loosened her embrace and looked into Kang Ryuyeong's eyes, asking if it would be okay if our family made mistakes since we weren't used to places like this.
Kang Ryuyeong nodded repeatedly, her face still flushed, and told us to use everything freely.
After that, my mother stretched and stood up, smiling at us.
"Alright, I knew our Harang picked a good friend. If you came looking for Harang, you'll be playing with him, right? Honey, I'll keep an eye on Harang, so you take Seolhwa and Seolhui to get some food first."
"Yeah, got it, honey. Ryuyeong-ah, Seolhui eats a lot—will that be okay?"
"What? Yes! B-but... in exchange, later there's a sparring arena here, so a few rounds..."
Kang Ryuyeong glanced at Seolhui unnie while answering my father's question, and Seolhui unnie nodded firmly, accepting the sparring request.
She'd probably already forgotten about the inconvenience of sparring, realizing she could eat as much as she wanted, spar, get hungry again, and then eat even more.
When Seolhwa heard they were going to eat, she climbed out of the bathtub and trotted over to grab my father's hand.
Despite playing with water droplets in the tub, not a single spot on her clothes was wet.
Kang Ryuyeong held my hand and looked at my mother, her expression uncertain about what to do next.
My mother smiled and patted the top of Kang Ryuyeong's head.
"As you know, Harang's body is weak, so adults like me and your father have to watch over him, which is why we can't let the kids play together freely."
"Ah, I... I know that... Yes, I was thinking of going to the... arcade..."
My mother nodded, saying it was fine to go.
Perhaps expecting to be turned down, Kang Ryuyeong's face lit up with surprise, and she smiled brightly as she grabbed my hand and started running out of the room.
"Let's go, Harang! I brought the latest game machines here for you!"
"Hey, hey! I'm gonna fall!!"
Thinking about being dragged around by Kang Ryuyeong for the ten days we'd be staying at the resort, I felt a bit tired already—but seeing her face flushed crimson with happiness, I decided to enjoy myself too.
Every time I camped in the other world, I'd noticed the same thing: the first day of camping was always exhausting and annoying, but once a day passed, camping became familiar and comfortable.
I was feeling that same shift now at the resort.
The discomfort and awkwardness of the first day had faded, and in just three days, our whole family had begun settling into resort life.
Especially Seolhui unnie, who was in the most excited state—she'd wake my father up every morning, drag him to the restaurants, eat until she couldn't fit another bite, spar with Kang Ryuyeong, and then stuff her stomach full again.
I was genuinely worried about how much Seolhui unnie was eating, so I asked Kang Ryuyeong if it was really okay.
Kang Ryuyeong laughed and said she could eat like that for a year without any problems.
I almost blurted out that a normal person could eat like that for years without issue, but I held it back.
Seolhwa had been happily spraying water droplets everywhere for a few days, but now she'd grown tired of that too. She'd roll around in the room playing with me, and only when Kang Ryuyeong sparred with Seolhui unnie would her eyes light up and she'd chase after them.
I wondered if Seolhwa, who wanted to become a magical girl, might be disappointed by the lack of flashy, beautiful aesthetics in Kang Ryuyeong and Seolhui unnie's fights.
But my father told me that at that age, just watching older sisters fight was fun enough in itself.
BOOM!!!
From a vantage point overlooking the sparring arena, the voices of Kang Ryuyeong and Seolhui unnie came through the speakers.
Kang Ryuyeong had started calling Seolhui unnie "Senior," and while she still hadn't managed to defeat her, each day of sparring brought Seolhui unnie closer to being at a disadvantage.
Both of them wore small earphones—one connected to me, the other to my mother—so we could assist with their movements.
Seolhui unnie, who used to create and throw steel wires or move with them, had now learned from my mother how to directly manipulate threads, creating barriers and even small snakes made of lightning.
When I asked in awe how she'd managed to make an electric snake fluttering through the sky, Seolhui unnie just smiled and said, "You just do it."
Since I was helping Kang Ryuyeong, Seolhui unnie didn't explain her techniques to me.
All I could guess was that she was using a magnetic field to float in the air, but my mother said superpowers were formed by the user's will and senses, not just science, and avoided giving a detailed explanation.
"Two lightning serpents on your right! Don't think about fighting them—dodge! Focus on getting through to Seolhui unnie! Move right, track them!!"
I looked down at the sparring arena, analyzing Seolhui unnie's attack patterns and positions, and relayed the information to Kang Ryuyeong.
Kang Ryuyeong smiled and moved exactly as I described.
Her punch was blocked by a barrier of lightning made from wires before it could reach Seolhui unnie, and as Kang Ryuyeong tried to retreat, lightning spears shot out from between the barriers, throwing her off balance.
Immediately after, the two lightning serpents she'd just been told to ignore flew toward her, targeting her escape route.
"Don't dodge in a straight line! Do you want to get bitten by the serpents?! Get it together!! Roll diagonally to the right!!"
But Kang Ryuyeong, already off-balance, failed to roll and ended up sitting on the ground.
She was now surrounded—Seolhui unnie pointing lightning spears at her, and the two lightning serpents closing in.
Defeat.
"The lightning serpents move by Seolhui unnie's will—they're not alive, so complex movements are difficult. Since Seolhui unnie extended her spear straight from the barrier, she was planning to push you straight back, and the serpents were targeting right behind you accordingly. That's exactly what happened."
Once I confirmed the sparring was over, I went down the stairs and approached Seolhwa and my father, who had been watching from the side of the arena.
Seolhwa saw me, her eyes sparkling, and ran over to throw herself into my arms.
She didn't understand exactly what I was saying, but she loved that I was shouting instructions at Kang Ryuyeong—it felt cool to her.
Of course, the moment Seolhui unnie came out, Seolhwa let go of me and ran to hug her instead.
Seolhui unnie, who actually used lightning in flashy ways, was inevitably cooler than someone who just talked.
My father patted my shoulder and said there was nothing I could do about it. I wasn't upset.
Really. I wasn't upset at all.