Childhood Friends: Turning the Tables

Without realizing how Eun-sae’s expression was gradually changing, Kim Si-hyun continued to list every moment when Yoon Tae-seung had looked cool to her.

“That’s… that’s enough. You don’t have to tell me any more.”

By the time they had walked two laps around the track, Eun-sae finally stopped Si-hyun.

“Huh? Why?”

Si-hyun still seemed to have plenty more to say, but Eun-sae really didn’t want to hear it anymore. Still, a small part of her felt grateful that her closest friend thought kindly of him.

“Anyway, I’m definitely not dating Yoon Tae-seung. Our moms are friends, and we’ve known each other since kindergarten, that’s all. So you really don’t have to worry.”

It was an explanation she had repeated so often since elementary school that it came out easily. Hearing that, Si-hyun’s face brightened so much it almost glowed.

“That’s a relief.”

“Right? Anyway, thanks for the jelly. I’ll get going now…”

“Then help me out.”

“…What?”

“I’m really curious about Yoon Tae-seung. But he only hangs out with the guys, so I’ve had no one to ask. The others said you’re the only girl he ever talks to.”

“Uh… I mean, that’s true, but…”

Was that really the case? Had Yoon Tae-seung never hung out with any other girls? She couldn’t quite remember.

“You’ll help me, right, Eun-sae? Please?”

Si-hyun grabbed Eun-sae’s arm and lowered her eyebrows, pleading with shining eyes. Eun-sae couldn’t bring herself to look away.

“But how could I even help you? I don’t really know that kind of stuff either…”

Si-hyun spun around, stood in front of her, and pulled out her phone from her pocket before handing it over.

“Let’s get close too. Give me your number.”

***

[What kind of food does Yoon Tae-seung like? Can he handle spicy stuff?]

[What color does he like? His bag and sneakers are both black. Does he like black?]

[Which brand is his favorite? He’s athletic, so probably sports brands, right?]

[Oh, right! Your sneakers are the same as his. I’m jealous, they look like a couple pair >.< Can I buy the same ones too?]

Ever since exchanging numbers with Kim Si-hyun, Eun-sae had been constantly pestered. Si-hyun had said “let’s get close,” but that “we” clearly meant her and Yoon Tae-seung, not her and Eun-sae.

When talking face-to-face, Si-hyun was kind and considerate, but in her messages, she turned into someone who cared about nothing but Yoon Tae-seung.

As Eun-sae slipped her constantly buzzing phone back into her school jacket pocket, she let out a small sigh. She also cast a sidelong glance at Yoon Tae-seung, who was walking beside her, matching her pace.

‘You’re the reason I’m exhausted too…’

But she couldn’t say it out loud, especially since she didn’t even know whether Yoon Tae-seung was aware of Kim Si-hyun’s existence.

To start their usual after-school conversation, Eun-sae broke the silence first.

“Are you going to taekwondo practice today too?”

“I don’t go to taekwondo anymore.”

“What?”

Eun-sae stopped in her tracks, startled. Yoon Tae-seung also stopped and turned slightly toward her.

“Why.”

“You quit taekwondo? Why? Then what do you do now? And why didn’t you tell me sooner? You never mentioned anything!”

“Just because.”

“What do you mean, ‘just because’? That’s not an answer. I didn’t even know…”

As she showed her disappointment, Yoon Tae-seung let out a quiet chuckle and tugged lightly at the strap of her backpack. Hurry up, he seemed to say.

“I’m going to an MMA gym now.”

“MMA? What’s that?”

“Mixed martial arts.”

“What even is that? Isn’t that where people actually fight?”

“I think it suits me better than taekwondo.”

“But taekwondo’s great. You could even major in it in college later.”

She couldn’t picture Yoon Tae-seung not doing taekwondo. Since they were young, she had always seen him in a taekwondo uniform, kicking in midair. To her, that image of him was even more familiar than seeing him in his school uniform. For Eun-sae, taekwondo and Yoon Tae-seung were two sides of the same coin.

“If it’s mixed martial arts, won’t you get hit a lot?”

“Do I look like the type who’d just get hit?”

Yoon Tae-seung shot back bluntly.

“If you’re not getting hit, then you’re the one hitting, right?”

Whether he was getting hit or hitting someone, Eun-sae didn’t like the idea either way. But Yoon Tae-seung didn’t say anything more. There must have been a reason he decided to quit after all those years of taekwondo. He had probably thought about it far more seriously than she had, so Eun-sae didn’t press the issue any further.