Paper Friendship Chapter 1

“Did you know? They say that when a movie starts with ‘This film is a work of fiction,’ it’s actually closer to a true story. And conversely, if it says ‘This is a true story,’ it’s closer to fiction.”

“What’s for lunch today?”

“Hey, are you listening to me?”

“So, Lee Juun, what do you want me to do about it?”

When Park Yoonchul said that, the guys around him laughed loudly. I gave Park Yoonchul’s shoulder a light hit and thought: Forget it.

“Lee Juun, where are you going?”

“To get a drink of water.”

“I have to borrow a textbook. I’m going ahead.”

“Yeah.”

After gym class ended, I walked slowly toward the water fountain. Perhaps because the timing was awkward, there was no one around but me. I was bent over, drinking water, when I heard footsteps coming from afar, which then stopped behind me.

“Time to wash your face.”

I didn’t need to look back to know that voice; it was too familiar. It was Choi Juoon. Unlike usual, his voice was filled with a great deal of playfulness. When he spoke like that, it usually meant he was about to play a prank. I tried to lift my head in a hurry, but Choi Juoon was faster.

Choi Juoon’s large hand grabbed my head and pressed it down. Half of my nose went into the water, and only then did I put strength into my arms to resist.

My face was half-submerged in the water, and we kept this state for a while. I was fighting to keep the water out of my ears, while Choi Juoon kept pressing down as if trying to force me to wash my face. It was a prank we usually played, but he would normally stop by now.

Strangely, today, Choi Juoon’s hand had even more force behind it. I was starting to suffocate. I kicked Choi Juoon to tell him to stop, but he didn’t let go of his grip even while getting hit. No, it felt as if he had only increased the pressure. Just as I genuinely thought I might die, Choi Juoon touched my side with his other hand.

“Ahh!”

Because I’m incredibly ticklish, the strength left my arms, and I ended up washing my face in the water. My entire face was soaked. Shaking off Choi Juoon’s touch, I finally gasped for air.

I heard laughter from behind me. I turned around and glared at Choi Juoon. This guy was bent over laughing, holding his stomach—what was so funny?

“Hey, I really almost died just now.”

I said it with a bit of anger, but Choi Juoon didn’t even pay attention to my words. I didn’t feel much disappointment, as I didn’t expect him to listen anyway. I watched him for a moment, then immediately began my revenge.

“You’re the one who started this Water Bomb festival first.”

I cupped my hands full of water and approached Choi Juoon with my mouth full of water as well. But Choi Juoon didn’t run away; he just stood in place and laughed. He usually runs away. Why is he doing that? Choi Juoon was somehow different from usual. You… you’re supposed to run. Why aren’t you?

Even when I stood right in front of him, Choi Juoon didn’t move and just kept laughing. Honestly, he looked a bit like a madman. For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to splash the water. Since my mouth was full of water, I couldn’t speak and just stared at him. Choi Juoon smiled and said:

“Swallow it.”

Why? Since I couldn’t speak, I just tilted my head slightly to the side. Then, I splashed a little bit of the water I had in my hands onto him. Choi Juoon frowned and stepped back a little.

“Ah, you crazy bastard.”

Yeah, that’s how it should be. Seeing that, I smirked while still holding the water in my mouth. Choi Juoon brushed the water off his clothes and said:

“I have something to tell you. It’s good news for you, seriously.”

“….”

“I’ll stake Lee Juun on it.”

Stake Lee Juun. It meant he was betting me. It was the first time Choi Juoon had ever bet something, and more than anything, I thought that if he was willing to say something like that between us, it wasn’t just a joke. With the addition of Choi Juoon’s serious expression, I couldn’t bring myself to joke around anymore either. I looked at Choi Juoon and swallowed the water. Still, I had a little water left on my hands.

“What is it?”

“Want to go on a blind date?”

As soon as I heard that, I dumped the water on the floor.

“Oh, yeah. Of course. Who is it?”

Choi Juoon didn’t say any more and just laughed like he did before. I felt a bit embarrassed, too. Even I thought my reaction was too honest. Should I have waited a little bit before answering?

But none of the other kids had any dating experience, and since we were high school seniors, I accepted immediately, thinking that maybe I would graduate without ever having had a romance in my school days.

“Stop laughing. Who, who is it?”

I went to pat Choi Juoon’s back, but then noticed I still had water on my hands, so I wiped them on my pants. Choi Juoon had a rather sensitive and fastidious personality, so I feared that if I got him wet, he might call off the blind date. Seeing me behave, Choi Juoon finally managed to stop laughing and said:

“Someone really likes you.”

“How much? How much do they like me?”

“They like you a lot. They said it’s been a long time.”

I bowed my head and meticulously wiped the water off my hands. It wasn’t a joke, and I already felt fond of this girl, whoever she was. My heart began to race.

But for some reason, it was difficult to show that I was happy. I could feel Choi Juoon observing my every move. Was he going to relay this to that girl? It felt like I was being tested. I looked up and asked cautiously:

“So…. who is it? The girl?”

“I’ll tell you when I go to my academy tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is already the weekend?”

Tomorrow was the day Choi Juoon went to another region every two weeks for his flight attendant academy. Two weeks had already passed. I tried my best to smile, but honestly, I was dying of curiosity. Why tomorrow? How am I supposed to wait? The girl is waiting. Countless thoughts swirled in my head, but if I pressed him any further, knowing Choi Juoon’s personality, he really would cancel it, so I acted cool, acted like I didn’t care, and asked naturally.

“By any chance…. what grade is she in? Or, um…. just a tiny hint about who it is.”

Choi Juoon thought for a moment, then muttered lightly:

“She’s pretty.”

I mulled over Choi Juoon’s words. She’s pretty. It was an ambiguous statement, and above all, it wasn’t any kind of hint. Then, the class bell rang. I shook my wet bangs with my hand and thought: The music room is far, so if I leave now, I’ll probably be a bit late. What should I tell the teacher?

“Lee Juun, are you happy?”

Choi Juoon called out from behind. I turned around. We were already at a distance, and because of the backlight, I couldn’t see Choi Juoon’s face or expression clearly. But why was that? His voice was no different from usual, but for some reason, hearing those words gave me goosebumps. Anyway, it seemed like he was going to relay my feelings to the girl, so I smiled as brightly as I could and said:

“Tell her I love her.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her.”

Was that just a casual question? I didn’t think much of it and turned around again. The music room was in the exact opposite direction of Choi Juoon’s classroom, so after that last word, I turned my back on Choi Juoon and started running.

Choi Juoon and I. We are friends who are a little more special than others.

I first met Choi Juoon when I was twelve. I transferred in during the sixth grade, and even though we were in different classes, I knew of Choi Juoon’s existence almost as soon as I arrived. Back then, Choi Juoon was at the center of the most popular group in our school.

However, since we were never in the same class throughout elementary school, we never had any small point of contact until graduation.