episode_0006

Four years later, after Aki and I started attending the same elementary school.

The spring of the year I entered third grade in elementary school.

It was now three weeks since the new semester began.

When I was young, 10 years old, I was getting ready to go home after the funeral. Then, Jaehyun, a classmate and friend from the same kindergarten, came up to me.

“Junior Universe, you know that we decided to meet at my house after school today, right?”

“Yes, I know. Was it okay to go by 4pm?”

“Uh, that’s right. Do you remember?”

“Then. Of course I remember. How do you forget your friend’s birthday?”

“Oh, of course the main universe. … … Ah, but it’s space.”

“Ugh, why?”

“What happened to the question you asked then? Well, bringing your girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? Oh, are you really talking about Aki?”

When I asked him a question, Jaehyun grinned as if it were true that I had mentioned Aki.

I shook my head at Jaehyun.

“She’s not my girlfriend… … .”

“Anyway, is that why it’s here? You’re coming together today, right?”

“No. I don’t think it will work.”

“What? Why, why?”

“I asked him secretly last time and he said he didn’t like it. I don’t want to go to a stranger’s house.”

“Someone I don’t know… … ?”

Jaehyun stuttered as if he was quite shocked. From Jaehyun’s perspective, he went to the same kindergarten as Aki, and even though they were classmates, he probably treated them like strangers.

Actually, it was because Aki at that time tended to treat everyone else but me as an afterthought… … .

Jaehyun, who had no way of knowing that, or rather knew vaguely but didn’t want to admit it, came closer to me.

“Hey, then what should I do, what should I do?”

“There’s nothing I can do, I’ll just have to go to your house, right?”

“Oh, no! then no. I already told the kids that you and her are coming to my house!”

“Huh? Why are you talking about something you’re not sure about?”

“Why, don’t you think that way more girls will come! All the girls want to be friends with Aki… !”

Jaehyun, who was very honest about his desires both when he was young and now, didn’t know what to do, but grabbed my shoulders with both hands.

“Major Universe. No, it’s space! As a friend, let me ask you a favor. Can you bring her here today?”

“Well? Because I can’t take him with me if I want to… .”

“You are her boyfriend. Even though we ask him to play with us every day, he just says sorry and only plays with him! So, if you say anything, I will listen!”

“Umm, that’s not it… … .”

The kids don’t know much, but Aki is secretly stubborn.

When a girl and a boy play together, the boy usually takes the lead, but in reality, the opposite is true, and even when I encourage him to play with other kids, he only wants to play with me.

How can I explain this reality so that Jaehyun understands? I was trying to think about it, but at that moment, I heard a familiar voice coming from far away.

“Wooju~chan!”

As if to prove that we have become closer after 4 years of continuous interaction, the girl no longer calls me with san (さん) but chan (ちゃん).

I turned around at the sound of a familiar but slightly unfamiliar name, and sure enough, Aki was standing next to me.

“School is over, let’s go home now!”

Akina’s house moved the year before last and became quite close to ours. It’s about a 10-minute walk. So we went to and from school together every day, and today as well, Aki came to my place to go home with me.

Jaehyun must have thought it was an opportunity, so he slowly walked back and patted my back.

“… … Hey, the universe!”

Although nothing was said, it was clear that he meant to ask me one more time.

“Hmm… .”

I don’t think it’s going to work anyway, but I guess I’ll say it anyway.

With that mindset, I stood up and naturally started crying.

“Okay, let’s go. But Aki, today is Jaehyun’s birthday.”

“Jaehyeon? Who is that?”

“Nam Jae-hyeon. Do you know our friend who went to the same kindergarten as us?”

“Ah, Nam Jae-hyeon? Yes, I know!”

“He’s a kid.”

“Oh, I see. Nam Jae-hyun, birthday omedeto! (Congratulations!)”

At this time, Aki often used both Korean and Japanese. Maybe it was because I spoke Korean at school and Japanese at home, and it’s less so now, but when I was young, I was in a state that was often expressed as ‘the Korean patch is wrong.’

I use formal and informal language interchangeably, and I say strange things because I can’t distinguish between multiple meanings. He sometimes confused me by muttering very quickly in Japanese, but he was basically a polite and good child because he received good education at home.

but.

“Yes, thank you! But Aki, maybe today… .”

“… … Fujiwara-san(さん).”

“Uh, what?”

There was only one case when Aki became decisive.

That’s when someone you’re not close to calls you comfortably.

As I said before, Japan has its own unique calling culture called ‘Yobiste’. To put it simply, Japanese people have a title they use when calling someone they are not close to, and a title they use when calling someone they are close with, and they think that is basic courtesy.

If you ignore that and only call her by her first name like I do, or approach her informally and casually, Aki will also give you a straight face.

“Nam Jae-hyun and I are not close, so please call me Fujiwara-san.”

“Oh, sorry… .”

“… … .”

A thought comes to mind whenever Aki, who always smiles brightly, gives me such a straight face because I only called him by his first name.

‘I hate it when people I’m not close with are rude, so why didn’t you act like that when you first met me?’

Actually, that question wasn’t solved even after we got older, but whatever.

“Fujiwara-san, there is a birthday party at my house today. If it’s okay, come and join us-.”

“Sorry. I have a pre-arranged appointment with Uju~chan today. If I get the chance next time, I will go.”

“Uh, the next one is in a year… … ?”

“Wooju~chan, let’s go.”

Aki quickly shook off Jaehyun’s suggestion, crossed his arms around me as I hesitated, and immediately left the classroom.

-Hey, look at that.

-Are you two going together again?

-Aren’t you and Woo Joo dating?

When I was in the third grade of elementary school, when I was at the peak of my playful life and everyone would make fun of me just by playing with boys and girls, I boldly came out and crossed my arms, attracting all the attention of the class, but Aki didn’t care at all.

Should I call it bold or reckless? Or maybe I should say both, I’m not sure.

Anyway, I was half-dragged out by Aki, and I walked while paying attention to my surroundings.

“You know, Aki.”

As soon as I entered the unpopular street, I quickly opened my mouth.

“Yes, why?”

“Why don’t you play with other kids?”

The reason I brought this up was because I was worried about Aki.

It’s not that it’s not true, Aki hardly ever played with friends other than me.

Where I am, I am a stepping stone, so we can still chat, but when I am not around, Aki is truly an isolated island. Actually, you can feel it just by looking at the way he treats Jaehyun, right?

Aki had pretty hair and a cute face, so it was clear that if you treated her a little warmly, everyone would try to become friends with her first. However, I hit the wall first and didn’t make any other friends, so I felt sad and sad about it.

Actually, the biggest reason was what I heard from Aki’s father.

‘Woojung, please become good friends with our Aki.’

Four years ago, in front of Aki, her father made a sincere request to me.

Although he was a bit harsh, he was clearly a good father. The words he said still remained in my mind, and that’s why I wanted to be Aki’s good friend.

Not only did I want to be a good friend, but I also thought that it would be nice if there were more friends like me.

“Do other kids hate you? If that’s the case, I’ll… .”

“No, I don’t like friends other than Woowoo~chan.”

But I don’t know if Aki knows how I feel. He tossed his head from side to side as if he didn’t want to make other friends.

“Huh? Why?”

“Watashi (I) will marry Uju~chan later.”

“… … .”

And on top of that, he went around declaring things he didn’t agree with, but since Aki hasn’t mastered Korean yet, he ignored it.

But, that is that and this is this.

Since Aki insisted on making friends other than me, anxiety slowly began to bloom in my heart.

‘… … ‘What if Aki doesn’t have any friends like this?’

In the first and second years, we didn’t know anything about each other and weren’t used to it, so we all got along pretty well. When children reach a certain level of discernment in third grade, they tend to only play with other children.

However, because I’ve been pampered so much, Aki now doesn’t belong to any group.

I felt like if I continued like this, I might spend the rest of the year, or even the next few years, without any other friends besides me.

‘… … That’s not allowed.’

It shouldn’t be like that. Because Aki’s father has a favor to ask me.

Since I truly thought so, I walked side by side with Aki and thought about a solution.

A way for Aki to instantly blend in with the kids in his class.

“Wooju~chan, why aren’t you answering? Uju~chan, you don’t want to marry me?”

“Huh? Oh no. That’s not it… .”

“Then are you going to get married? Are you going to do it?”

“Um, that’s… .”

‘… … uh?’

While I was thinking, something passed through my mind.

──Marriage.

What do you need to get married?

I need a wedding guest.

Guests are friends of the bride and groom.

That being said, wouldn’t it be possible to use a friend… … ?

“… … Aki.”

I stopped while walking down the street.

“Yes, why? To get married?”

“No, that’s not it. Shall we go eat pork cutlet together?”

And, using pork cutlet as bait, he gently tempted Aki.

“Oh, pork cutlet? Uju~chan and me?”

“Yeah, how about it?”

“Okay! I want to go eat pork cutlet with Uju~chan!”

“Then, let’s stop by the house and leave our bags first, okay?”

“Yes, okay, okay! Pork cutlet, pork cutlet with Uju~chan~”

“… … .”

‘… … Sorry, Aki.’

Actually, I’m not going to eat pork cutlet.

But this is all for Aki, so you can understand… … ?