21 – Episode 21
“Hey, you know, today was fun, right?”
Seoa smiled at me and said.
“Yeah! Of course, we worked hard because we’re working at the company. We came to such a nice restaurant, and I succeeded!”
“Hey… Did I fart?”
“But we’re one, aren’t we?”
“Wow… Do you want to hit me?”
I dodged Seoa’s swing at me with a clenched fist, and she looked at me with a smile.
“I wonder how I ended up meeting someone like you.”
“Do you regret it?”
“No, I’ll never regret it. If anything, I would have regretted it if I hadn’t met you. I would have pounded the ground in regret.”
“Wow, that much?”
Seoa approached me.
“Not just that much, even more. You’re my everything, my reason for living.”
“Uh… When you suddenly say something embarrassing like that…”
And now, the distance between us was close enough for a punch to land.
“I never knew loneliness until then. I was always alone, but…”
“From the moment I met you, I could feel the loneliness. So…”
“Will you… marry me?”
…
Time is relative.
In that moment, my time slowed down infinitely, and the sound I heard pierced through my heart, surpassing the speed of sound.
The word “marriage” is not something to be taken lightly.
It’s the act of merging my boundaries with the other person’s.
Our lines intertwine and we become one.
That’s why it’s cautious and impulsive at the same time.
“Do you really mean it?”
“Then is it fake? You sometimes say let’s spend our whole lives together.”
“Yeah…”
“Isn’t this the way?”
Approaching me with a smile,
“hahahaha”
“Huh!?”
“Wow, it’s just like back then.”
When Seo-ah first confessed… Maybe that’s what she’s talking about. No, I’m sure.
“Yeah…”
“Then the answer should be the same, right?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Then I’m fine too, let’s get married, Seo-ah.”
“…Is it a dream or the future?”
It may not be a long time ago, but it’s been over two years and a few months, so it’s been a while.
She came to me,
She gave me courage,
A person who always opened up her own boundaries for me, someone I’m always grateful for.
“We’re grateful to each other, right?”
Already pointing to the July on the calendar
“Seo-ah… We got married in October, remember?”
In that October, when Seo-ah and I officially got married, we became a beautiful bride and groom
Receiving everyone’s blessings
“…I have to do it again this time”
I will do my best to give her the courage to trust me and to be there for her
I quickly got myself together, prepared, and went to school
“Hey! Welcome back”
“Hey, I’m back”
I greeted my friends lightly and took my seat
The daily routine of school has become almost familiar now
Sometimes, I feel like I’m getting older in my thoughts, but I think it’s because I’ve experienced working life
Playing with friends, watching games and anime after a long time, brought back old memories and made me happy
Among them, the most exciting thing is
“Ji-hoon”
“Seo-ah!”
During my high school life, what makes me happiest is undoubtedly going to school with Seo-ah
Although we were in different classes, we could still be partners during class transfers and meet during break time
“Did you do well yesterday?”
“Of course, Ji-hoon. You didn’t go home and play games again, did you?”
“…Maybe just for a day…”
“No way! You should study instead of playing games. There’s only one week left.”
“Fine…”
Playing games at home after work felt somewhat similar to getting scolded by Seo-ah.
“Jihoon, let’s go for a walk.”
“A walk?”
“Yeah, sometimes you need to clear your mind. Let’s just walk today.”
I remembered the time we walked together in Hangang Park.
“What are you thinking?”
“Hmm? Oh, nothing.”
Of course, Seo-ah I know now is almost the same as before… but we’re different ages and our circumstances of meeting were also different.
Nevertheless, I was grateful that I could meet Seo-ah again, so I cherished the time with her.
“Ugh… I don’t want to study.”
After class, we went to the library as usual and talked about various things.
“You know, if it’s so difficult for you, it must be even harder for me!”
Park Seo-hyun started getting higher scores. Surprisingly, Seok-ho was a good teacher.
“By the way, do you know what our class is doing for the festival?”
Seo-ah’s question reminded me of what the class president said earlier.
“I posted a poll in our group chat to decide what our booth will do.”
“Oh! Right, just a moment.”
I took out my phone and entered the chat room to check.
“Hmm… There’s a lot.”
Board game booth, shooting range, maid cafe? Who put these here?
“Wow! There are so many options!”
Even though the kids had exams next week, they seemed excited about the big event and were discussing it in advance.
“By the way, what do you want to do?”
“Huh… Me?”
I should choose something that’s not too busy so I can hang out with Seo-ah.
“How about this?”
I chose the board game.
“Really?”
“What’s this? A booth?”
Seok-ho was talking to Park Seo-hyun and looked over at us, checking his phone.
“What’s going on…? Are we deciding on booths? But shouldn’t we do this after the exams?”
“hehehehe, how foolish. You have to decide quickly to secure the good ones.”
It was said that the booths that have the same concept cannot be chosen, so there is fierce competition every year to secure the popular ones.
“Well, I wanted to try the maid cafe.”
“Hey, we have few girls in our class. Are you going to wear a maid outfit?”
“What the… Are you crazy?”
“Eww… Why would you do something like that, you pervert?!”
Park Seo-hyun looked at us with cold eyes.
“No, you pervert!”
“That’s right!”
“That’s right, Seohyun. It’s just wearing a maid outfit, what’s the big deal?”
When Seo-ah joined in and spoke, Park Seo-hyun seemed even more flustered.
“Oh… no, Seo-ah, look closely. It looks intentional.”
“I think I look pretty…”
Honestly, I didn’t expect Seo-ah to say something like that when she saw the maid outfit.
So, is this because she did it for me when I asked her to wear a maid outfit back then?
“Anyway!! It’s not like we have to do that, so what are you guys going to do?”
Thinking about Park Seo-hyun’s question, both of us pondered.
“I don’t know?”
“Maybe we can think about it later?”
“Ugh… men.”
“hahahaha…”
“Well then, what about you, Park Seo-hyun?”
“We did a few investigations. We went to a cafe and a haunted house. But there are many other places that could be haunted, so we…”
She said we would do it after the exams, but why does she seem so knowledgeable?
“hahahahaha, Seohyun is really looking forward to it.”
Oh?
“What does Seo-a want to do?”
“Hmm… I just want something quiet.”
“Something quiet?”
“Yeah, so that I can hang out with you.”
Hup!
“Is… that so?”
“Why? Don’t you like it?”
“Oh no, not at all.”
“Hey, you two, stop flirting and let’s go inside.”
“Oh… sorry.”
“…Geez.”
As we entered the library, heeding Seok-ho’s warning, we came out when the sunset was fading away.
“So, where should we meet this weekend?”
“Last time, we had it at Seo-hyun’s place, so let’s have it at Ji-hoon’s place this time.”
Seok-ho suggested, and the rest of us didn’t think of any other place, so we all agreed.
“Umm…”
But I was taken aback. Last time, I was determined to bring Seo-a to my place without thinking about the consequences, but this time it was different.
Even if it’s Seo-a and Seok-ho, Park Seo-hyun… I feel like she would disdain my merchandise…
“Really? Can I go?”
Seo-a grabbed my hand and her eyes sparkled.
“Um… well~”
I couldn’t resist that gaze.
“Wow, it’s been a while, but this building looks really expensive.”
“Um… Was he doing well?!”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
I showed one person a casual reaction and the other person a surprised reaction.
That’s why I don’t bring friends here…
“Hey… sorry for being late.”
Seo-ah said as she ran towards us from a distance.
“You found it okay? I got a little lost.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, something like that.”
Actually, I came here first, so I already knew.
“Come on, let’s go inside. It’s a hassle to open it from the outside.”
I entered the password and swiped the card inside the elevator.
Beep.
“What kind of facility is this? Why is it so complicated?”
“I wonder too.”
Yeah, I’m curious too. It’s so annoying.
I got off the elevator and opened the door.
“Come on in~”
“I’m here, Mom.”
“Hello, ma’am.”
“Good day, Madam.”
“Um… Hello.”
Seo-ah and Seok-ho raced ahead, while Park Seo-hyun seemed a little tense, perhaps because she was meeting our mother for the first time.
“Alright, everyone, make yourselves comfortable. I’ll bring some snacks later.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
I ushered my friends inside.
“Wow…”
“Still the same, huh? Or did you grow even more?”
“Huh?”
No matter how much we cleaned, there were still a few action figures and books that we couldn’t put away.
“Wow… It’s a mess.”
“Well, it’s because I like living like this.”
“Huh… Seo-ah, um…”
“Why? Let’s sit down.”
“Huh?”
Seo-ah, either because she had gotten used to it or because she didn’t care much, simply started taking out books from her bag.
“That’s right, you should sit down too.”
“Huh… Well, it just feels like I’m being left out all the time.”
“What are you talking about? Sit down and be quiet.”
And so, our preparation for the exam continued.
Told you there’s obsession here