Childhood Friends: Turning the Tables - Chapter 3.2
Yoon Tae-seung quietly sat in the chair, seemingly organizing something on the desk.
Wait. What was on the desk again? Hair clips, elastic bands, tangled chargers and devices, some books, and also… her diary!
The realization hit her like lightning, and Eun-sae shot up from the bed.
“What are you doing right now?”
It was a reflexive reaction, triggered by fear that her privacy might be violated. She expected Tae-seung to look at least startled or flustered, but he simply sat there and looked up at her calmly.
“You weren’t asleep.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t. Why are you touching my desk?”
“It’s messy.”
“……”
“It’s dirty.”
Following his gaze, Eun-sae scanned her desk. Stacks of paper seemed ready to topple over, notebooks full of random doodles, half-read comic books, and all sorts of miscellaneous clutter were scattered without any order.
Her diary was nowhere to be seen. She was sure she had left it on the desk, but it must have been buried somewhere under the mess.
Feeling awkward, Eun-sae cleared her throat and mumbled defensively.
“It might look messy, but it’s organized in my own way. So don’t touch it.”
Tae-seung’s brow noticeably furrowed. For someone who usually just nodded along, this was one of the rare times he disagreed. Apparently, he couldn’t accept that even a messy desk could have its own sense of order.
Embarrassed by his reaction, Eun-sae pouted and sat back down on the edge of the bed.
Knock, knock.
“I brought snacks. Can I come in?”
“Yes.”
The door slid open, and her mother entered with a tray. On a small plate were crispy potato pancakes, accompanied by two glasses of strawberry milk.
“If it’s not enough, let me know. I made plenty, so I’ll fry some more. And no fighting, okay? Talk things out nicely.”
Her mother spoke in her usual cheerful tone as she gently pushed aside the items on the desk to place the tray down. Eun-sae didn’t answer, just pouted and muttered under her breath.
“Who’s fighting…”
“Go Eun-sae, don’t bully Tae-seung.”
“Bully him? I protect Yoon Tae-seung, actually.”
Her mother glanced between the two and smiled faintly.
“Then why did he carry both of your bags? You shouldn’t make your friend do that.”
“Yoon Tae-seung offered to carry them! Right?”
“Yes.”
When Eun-sae gave him a threatening look, he quickly nodded and replied. Still unconvinced, her mother squinted at her daughter, silently warning, we’ll talk later, before leaving the room.
By then, Tae-seung had already picked up his chopsticks and was tearing apart a potato pancake. He dipped a piece into the sauce and put it in his mouth, exhaling a soft “ha, ha” as the heat hit him.
“Is it good?”
When she asked with a skeptical tone, he immediately nodded and held out a piece of the pancake to her.
Eun-sae almost opened her mouth to take it but stopped. Instead, she took it with her own chopsticks.
“Hey, Yoon Tae-seung.”
He turned to her with his usual blank face, not realizing what was strange. Eun-sae sighed shortly and continued.
“We’re in sixth grade now. Next year, we’ll be in middle school.”
“Yeah.”
“But when we walk together, other kids keep teasing us, saying we’re dating…”
“But we’re not.”
“Well, yeah, but I don’t like being teased about it!”
She wasn’t sure how to explain it, but she believed Tae-seung would understand even if she didn’t say it perfectly. This time, though, he tilted his head, looking confused.
“What I mean is…”
She couldn’t look him in the eye and lowered her gaze.
“I think from now on, you should hang out with the boys, and I should hang out with the girls.”
“……”
“We’re friends, but people keep misunderstanding, and it’s uncomfortable.”
He didn’t reply.
Did she go too far? Maybe she should’ve just ignored it even if she felt embarrassed. They’d drift apart naturally once middle school started anyway.
When she glanced up at him, Tae-seung had finished tearing the potato pancakes into bite-sized pieces. Then, he simply said,
“Okay.”
His answer was so plain and predictable that Eun-sae felt an odd sense of emptiness. She had gathered the courage to say it, only to receive his usual one-word response.
It stung a little, but she couldn’t complain. Yoon Tae-seung was always like that.
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