episode_0594

.

Dabin’s expression hasn’t been good lately.

After hearing such words from Woojin, I’ve been paying attention in my own way for quite some time.

The calendar, which was slow as a turtle, had already taken its first step into February.

The long winter vacation, which started around Christmas, is now slowly showing its end.

As the date is what it is, the third graders must be busy preparing for the graduation ceremony, but it’s not really related to me.

More than that, Dabin’s recent news that I heard from Woojin kept bothering me.

Dabin, who used to be so playful, seems to look depressed these days.

Of course, it’s not like I’m trying to say, ‘Dabin should never show a depressed face!’,

But at least, she had never been so obviously depressed in front of me.

I couldn’t help but keep worrying about it.

…I wonder what happened?

If Dabin is in such a low mood that even the people around her notice, what on earth happened?

I’m curious, but it’s quite nerve-wracking to ask Dabin directly.

That’s why….

Now, a few more days have passed and it’s February.

Even up to this moment when I’m about to meet my friends for a while, I still have no idea what happened to Dabin.

“Hayoon~~ It’s been so long, really….”

“Ugh, why are you hugging me all of a sudden…! It’s only been about two weeks with you, Boreum…!”

“Why are you being so cold? Do you know how much I missed this baby smell during those two weeks?”

“Still…. Just a little bit… since I smell cigarette smoke….”

“Oh, really? I sprayed perfume?”

“The smell just gets mixed, the perfume doesn’t erase it….”

“Hmm. I guess if I’m going to get a boyfriend, I should switch to a dedicated one from the start? That’s why I can’t meet a guy like a school nurse…. Haaa….”

“Ah, whatever….”

“Speaking of boyfriend, the place where I’m doing my internship is all good, you know? It’s all good, but I’m really having a hard time because of one senior bastard. That crazy bastard is almost forty years old, but every time I light a cigarette, he stubbornly comes next to me and says, ‘Oh, Miss Kim. You look so sexy today,’ this is what he does…….”

On a day when Woojin was busy with personal matters.

I took some time out in the evening to meet my academy friends after a long time.

Everyone came together, including the friend I saw drinking before, and the friend who couldn’t show her face because she was busy with her internship.

Thanks to that, four people gathered, and the table began to be filled with all sorts of gossip from the start.

Since it was a place that was almost a public space, I tried to restrain myself as much as possible…, …what can I do.

Everyone met after a long time, so there were so many things that I couldn’t even bring up in the group chat.

The most common thing I heard was the story of the place where I was doing my internship.

Interesting episodes with other friends that started with ‘I went here and there with so-and-so-‘.

The story about the clothes I had only thought about buying later.

And,

The story of the opposite sex.

“…The senior she was dating, it turns out he has a girlfriend?”

“So he was dating her while hiding it?”

“I think so? He sleeps with his girlfriend in his studio, and sleeps with a twenty-one-year-old rookie in the office….”

“Gasp….”

“But she’s funny too, she hasn’t been caught by his girlfriend yet, so she’s saying crazy things like she’s going to be his sex partner until then….”

“…He must be really good. That senior guy.”

“…….”

There were too many things I was reluctant to add a word to in the story of the opposite sex.

Sisters sharing the same man,

Sisters taking turns sucking a sperm-covered dick,

I was chewing on a story to be kept secret for life.

“…And I’m saying this because Dabin isn’t here.”

“What. Are you talking behind her back? That kind Dabin?”

“No, no, why would I do something like that…! It’s just that I heard some worrying news.”

“…Worrying news? About Dabin?”

“Huh? Uh-huh. About Dabin.”

Dabin’s name, which had been quietly forgotten in the corner, came up as a topic.

I forgot that I was being quiet among my friends, and I asked back a little loudly without realizing it.

“…I heard Dabin broke up with her boyfriend?”

“…What?”

594

At the end of a meeting, there is a farewell.

It’s not always a word I live with in my heart, but I’m aware of it.

People can’t live for 1000 or 10000 years, and when they get old, there will be a day when they have to say goodbye someday, right?

Of course, in addition to these beautiful farewells, there are many couples who break up simply because of ‘personality differences’.

In the case of my friends around me, there were cases where they dated and broke up in as little as two weeks.

At that time, I think they said their sexual compatibility… wasn’t very good.

Anyway, there was something like that.

“Dabin broke up?”

“Didn’t you hear it from someone else? Besides Hayoon, what about you guys?”

“I heard it, but…. …It feels like? Half in doubt?”

Dabin broke up with her boyfriend.

Somehow it didn’t feel real.

…It’s not like they were a couple who were with their boyfriend all day long, a couple overflowing with affection to this extent.

Like they disappear separately to have lunch together.

Like her boyfriend comes first than meeting friends.

I thought they were doing pretty well….

How did it end up like that?

“Who did you guys hear the story from? Directly from Dabin?”

“I heard it from a student council friend.”

“Student council?”

“Well, the graduating student council president asked his close juniors a little bit this time. One of his juniors who he knows is having a hard time because he broke up with his childhood friend that he’s been dating since he was young ─ what’s the best way to comfort him as a senior ─ is it best to just pretend you don’t know ─ ?”

“Hmm…….”

“But this is exactly Dabin’s story, right? The part about dating a childhood friend since she was young.”

I’m not sure yet.

It’s not a common case, but it’s not a very rare case either, right?

Of course, I don’t have another case like Dabin around me….

“But, but, were Dabin and the student council president close? This is the first time I’m hearing about it.”

“I don’t know if they’re close, but the senior did call her separately once.”

“Really?”

“Weren’t you there that time too? It was the day right after summer vacation ended.”

“……Hmm….”

Why can’t I remember?

The day after summer vacation ended…. The next day….

…Ah, maybe.

After having a lot of… that, with Woojin….

I was too tired in the morning and couldn’t see because I was dozing off.

Anyway, it’s not important, so I wiped it out of my head and continued.

“Isn’t that mean it’s just a rumor…? It’s just that the circumstances seem like Dabin, but you didn’t check directly.”

“How can you ask this directly? I heard they’ve been dating for over 10 years.”

“That’s…. …That’s true….”

What senseless person would ask this directly.

I wouldn’t have anything to say even if I were sentenced to a Voldemort-like punishment in the future.

…Anyway, that’s why Woojin said that.

Dabin’s expression hasn’t been good lately…. Haa….

I want to dismiss it as a rumor because it’s not a good thing,

But the more I think about it, the more it seems like Dabin’s story.

It’s so perfect that it’s strange if it’s not.

Of course, it will end as suspicion unless I eventually hear it directly from Dabin…….

“But why did they suddenly break up…. Is there a separate reason…?”

“Maybe their bodies got farther apart, so their hearts got farther apart too?”

“Childhood friends? For such a reason?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never dated a childhood friend, let alone had a childhood friend that old.”

“…….”

…I guess.

Whatever the case, it’s better to watch my mouth in front of Dabin.

Let’s never bring up stories related to her boyfriend. Yeah.

And I have to tell Woojin firmly.

It seems like Dabin’s expression is bad these days because of this, so never, ever, ever mention this story in front of her.

I finished making up my mind like that, and in the middle of moistening my drying mouth with coffee.

I could hear my friends’ gossip quietly from right next to me.

“…Why did they really break up? Personality differences? After seeing each other for over 10 years, only now?”

“I’m telling you, it’s because their bodies got farther apart.”

“That’s a bit strange too. It’s one thing if they’re apart for a year, but they said they meet every month.”

“Hmm…. Parental opposition… that’s unlikely too.”

“Right. If they were going to oppose, they would have done it a long time ago.”

“Then the remaining reason is…”

“Hmm….”

“…….”

“…….”

“…Sexual compatibility?”

“Hey, if it’s Dabin, who’s so pretty, she must have secretly done a lot with him before becoming an adult, without her parents knowing──.”

*****

“──So, never talk about this in front of Dabin. Got it?”

“I wondered. There was a reason like that.”

“But we still don’t know. We’re only making sure it’s Dabin based on the fact that they’ve been dating her childhood friend for a long time.”

“I know. You mean be careful what I say anyway.”

“Yeah.”

The next day. On the way home with Woojin, who came out to pick me up.

I stopped at the crosswalk and told Woojin a little more about the story I heard then, after organizing it.

Unfortunately, as soon as Woojin heard my words, he nodded with a slightly ‘I knew it’ expression.

Maybe Dabin’s complexion really wasn’t good these days.

She was okay when I drank with Dabin recently, so the accident must have happened after that.

It hasn’t been a very long time from then until now, but if the atmosphere suddenly became gloomy, I thought it would be difficult unless it was an incident of that much impact.

After a brief silence, Woojin asked.

“Anyway, assuming they broke up. Does older sister have any guesses as to why?”

“I don’t know…. In the first place, I don’t know Dabin’s boyfriend very well….”

“You know his face, though. We went on a double date too. We went to a pension together too.”

“That’s true, but well…. I only know his face.”

“When we went to the pension. They seemed to be getting along really well then.”

“Hmm….”

That’s right.

They seemed to like each other a lot….

“…….”

…Did they?

When I think about it, I don’t think they seemed to like each other that much.

They were somehow bickering and awkward at the beach.

Even when we were grilling meat together, I couldn’t see any embarrassing displays of affection.

And decisively….

“Hey, Woojin. Do you remember that? …Dabin was sleeping alone in the living room?”

“I remember. It’s the day older sister and I had sex in front of my friend while holding our breath for the first time.”

“That’s also true…! What I want to say is….”

“Why wasn’t she sleeping with her boyfriend? …I told you then?”

“…Did she say she came out because he snores loudly?”

“That’s what I remember too. Her boyfriend snores loudly. Or did she say he has bad sleeping habits.”

“Hmm….”

It goes without saying, but this is just a very minor issue.

I know very well that it’s not enough to talk about whether they like each other or not with this.

But could it be that these minor cracks have been accumulating for a long time?

I continued my own thoughts, and after a while, I added.

“…Hey, Woojin?”

“Why?”

“Do you also put up with things from me? …Do I snore by any chance?”

“You don’t snore. And I don’t put up with anything at all. Seriously.”

“…Really?”

“Rather, older sister is putting up with a lot, isn’t she? Isn’t that right?”

“Me?”

“…Meeting Jiyoon together. Older sister put up with that, right?”

“Ah, um, that….”

It’s true that it’s not an ordinary way of dating when other people see it.

It’s obvious that we’ll get a lot of finger-pointing and swearing.

But,

Well….

It’s okay.

“Honestly, I was a bit like that at first…. I’m okay now. No, should I say I’ve become indifferent?”

“…….”

“Sigh…. What can I do when Jiyoon’s heart is like that.”

“…….”

“…It’s not like I can really do that just because I’m told not to like her.”

People’s hearts.

Rather, you can’t control it.

…The feeling of liking someone.

Especially more so.