Childhood Friends: Turning the Tables - Chapter 2.2
When will it end? Why does Yoon Tae-seung’s homeroom teacher talk so much? Even without saying it out loud, Go Eun-sae’s face showed everything she was thinking.
Her single braid was messy, and her overalls, clearly bought with the thought that she would grow taller, looked baggy and loose.
Her eyes were clear and bright as she watched the students pour out through the back door. The moment Eun-sae spotted Tae-seung, her face lit up.
The bored expression from waiting disappeared instantly. Her round eyes curved into crescents, her mouth spread into a big grin, and her plump cheeks puffed up as if they would burst.
Even though he saw her face every day, Tae-seung always thought it was fascinating. How could someone’s emotions show so clearly on their face?
“Wow… your teacher really talks a lot again today!”
It was pure admiration without a hint of malice. Instead of responding, Tae-seung simply held out his hand.
“Give me your bag.”
Go Eun-sae’s bag was always stuffed full, though it was unclear why she needed so many things. Feeling sorry for her as she struggled under the weight of something almost as big as herself, Tae-seung had started carrying it for her. Before he knew it, it had become a habit.
“I’m really fine, though.”
Even as she said that, Eun-sae laughed and handed him the bag from her shoulders.
The hallway of the sixth-grade classrooms was bustling with students heading home.
“Hey, pass that here!”
“Who’s kicking a ball in the hallway? What class are you from? What’s your name?”
“Teacher, he’s running!”
“Hey, I said stop hitting!”
Even amid the noise and chaos erupting all around, Eun-sae chattered excitedly about what had happened earlier that day.
“They served rice cake skewers for lunch today, right? But the kid who got served after me got a piece way bigger than mine. I was so jealous that I kept staring, and then he said, ‘Do you want mine?’ Just like that!”
There was never a moment of silence in Eun-sae’s conversations, even if no one was listening. She could talk endlessly by herself. Tae-seung, listening with one ear and letting it pass through the other, had only one thought in his head.
What in the world did Go Eun-sae keep in her bag to make it so heavy?
He carried the same brand and model, but the weight was completely different. Still, it wasn’t so heavy that it was difficult for him. He was much stronger than Eun-sae, after all.
He just wished she would show him what was inside. If she was hauling all her textbooks every day despite barely studying, he wanted to tell her to stop.
“Yoon Tae-seung! Are you even listening?”
“Yeah.”
He answered immediately. Because of that, he didn’t really know what happened to the rice cake skewer or what she talked about afterward. But Eun-sae wasn’t the type to care if someone actually listened. What mattered to her was being able to talk freely.
“Right? Then I’ll keep going.”
Satisfied with his short reply, Eun-sae smiled again and continued.
“Oh, right!”
It was when they were passing through the school gate.
Someone suddenly darted between them, brushing past. Eun-sae grabbed her left shoulder where she’d been bumped and glared straight at the boy who stood in front of them.
“What’s your problem?”
Even Tae-seung recognized him. He was a boy from Eun-sae’s class, someone who often played soccer with students from other classes during lunch.
The boy spun around and gave a teasing grin to both of them.
“Are you two dating? Why are you always together?”
His tone made it obvious he was mocking them.
Irritated, Eun-sae frowned.
“Ugh, you’re so childish. Just because we hang out doesn’t mean we’re dating. Then by your logic, you must be dating Kim Bong-yeon and Shin Chae-ho!”
The names of her male classmates spilled right out of her mouth. They were probably the ones who hung around with that boy.
He snorted loudly in disbelief.
“We’re just friends, but you two are a boy and a girl.”
“So what? We’re just friends too.”
“There’s no such thing. If a boy and a girl hang out all the time, that means they’re dating.”
Seeing Eun-sae’s expression harden, the boy laughed out loud and stuck his tongue out before darting away.
“That kid…!”
Fuming, Eun-sae was about to chase after him, but Tae-seung blocked her with his arm.
“Leave it. You’ll just trip again.”
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