Paper Friendship Chapter 29

As we were walking like that, it occurred to me that Choi Juoon didn’t really like fish. It seemed he had made the reservation there because Jin Seyoung liked it. Should I tell Jin Seyoung? If I told her, she would surely like it.

But if it were the kind Jin Seyoung, she might say she wouldn’t eat fish from now on. Sigh… getting caught between a couple is tiring. I pondered for a moment, then turned around to let them know. The two of them were already walking, mixed in with the crowd. Choi Juoon had his hands in his pockets, laughing and whispering into Jin Seyoung’s ear, and Jin Seyoung had her arm wrapped around Choi Juoon’s waist.

The sight of the two of them was deeply etched into my eyes. Strangely, my heart ached with a sharp pain. Is it because it was deeply etched into my heart, too? Thinking that maybe I shouldn’t have looked back, I turned my body around again.

Not long after, it began to snow. I lifted my head and looked up at the black night sky. It seems the sky is watching those two as well.

Choi Juoon paid for dinner. The price was 150,000 won per person. What kind of money is 450,000 won to Choi Juoon? I have 450,000 won too, but in my situation, it’s hard to spend that much on a single meal. Today is an important occasion with his close friend and his girlfriend, though. I guess he pushed himself a little?

And his hair was styled perfectly, too. At first, when Choi Juoon was doing his ‘flight attendant hair,’ I was the one holding the mirror in front of him. Then, I messed around with the mirror and got hit a few times by Choi Juoon. But now, it was a skill with no room for criticism.

Also, what about Choi Juoon’s attire? I don’t know much about clothes. But even someone like me could tell they were expensive. I brushed my bangs down with my hand.

Suddenly, that thought popped into my head.

Will I be able to stay by Choi Juoon’s side in the future?

My stomach felt upset. I hadn’t eaten quickly, but it felt like I had indigestion. It started snowing harder. I took one step after another, stepping carefully so as not to fall.

∞ ∞ ∞

Next week would be the start of winter break. Joo Sunhye and I hadn’t bumped into each other even once at school. For one thing, I didn’t even go to eat lunch, and it seemed Joo Sunhye was avoiding me as much as possible, too.

And Choi Juoon and I decided to go on a trip to Jeju Island. From December 31st to January 2nd, a 3-day, 2-night schedule. We decided to take a boat instead of a plane, and taking the boat was my idea!

However, it was a secret from the other kids that the two of us were going on a trip. I felt like the others would be hurt if this became known. I wanted Park Yoonchul to come along, but Choi Juoon just said the two of us should go alone.

While planning the trip over the phone, I didn’t show it, but I was very happy. Wondering if it was just me who was excited, I listened carefully to Choi Juoon’s voice, and although he didn’t show it, he sounded happy, too.

∞ ∞ ∞

Christmas arrived.

Park Yoonchul told me to come bowling, but I didn’t go because I couldn’t be bothered. Instead, I went out to buy things for our Jeju trip and almost got swept away by the real crowds. People were everywhere, so I just wandered around the streets. Then, before I knew it, it was 9 PM.

I thought about just going home, but since I was already out, I decided to stop by a bakery to use a cake gift certificate I had received a while ago.

I was worried there wouldn’t be any cakes left as I opened the door and went in, but fortunately, there were cakes left, so I was able to use the gift certificate, which didn’t have much time left on it. I don’t like whipped cream, but I bought a strawberry whipped cream cake to eat with my parents.

My parents, according to my father, weren’t on good terms with my mother right now. Still, he said they were trying to go back to how things were, so I should just wait for a little while. He said my mother was staying at my maternal grandmother’s house for now. Was that why neither of them were home often?

I sat on a park bench and called my parents. The signal tone rang for a long time, but neither of them picked up. Honestly, I became a bit depressed. After staring at my phone for a moment, a realistic concern arose: What do I do with this cake? If it were a chocolate cake, I would have managed to eat it somehow, but this was a whipped cream cake. It was when I turned on my phone with the serious intention of even selling it on Carrot Market (a local classifieds app) that—

“Lee Juun?”

I lifted my head at the familiar male voice. But it was dark, so I couldn’t see well. The person approached me slowly. Seeing him up close… ah, it was Choi Juoon.

Choi Juoon? Why is Choi Juoon here? He should have an appointment with Jin Seyoung today.

“Are you alone? Where’s Jin Seyoung?”

“She’s at the café above.”

“Is she there by herself right now?”

Choi Juoon sat in the seat next to me. Then he let out a deep sigh, scratched his head as if he were annoyed, and said.

“She’s with a friend right now. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Judging by his tone and the atmosphere, it seemed like they had fought. I wanted to say something, but…. I’ve only dated once, so I didn’t think it was my place to give relationship advice to Choi Juoon, so I kept my mouth shut.

“What are you doing here?”

Choi Juoon asked as he stretched his neck briefly, and I answered while holding the cake carefully.

“Bought this and I’m resting here for a moment.”

“This is whipped cream? You don’t eat whipped cream.”

“Ah, this was a gift certificate.”

“Then why didn’t you pay the difference and exchange it for something else?”

“What’s that?”

When I asked, Choi Juoon suddenly looked back at me with a pathetic expression and said.

“You don’t know?”

“What is that?”

And Choi Juoon didn’t answer and laughed by himself. I grabbed his arm a few times and kept asking what that was, but laughing was all he did.

As I watched him, I handed him the cake I had just bought(?) and said.

“Just say you bought it and give this to Jin Seyoung.”

“….”

“Ah, take it quickly. You know I don’t eat this cake anyway.”

Even though Choi Juoon didn’t ask, I felt embarrassed for some reason, so I explained the situation in elaborate detail. Choi Juoon stared at the cake without answering, with both hands shoved into his coat pockets.

“My arm hurts, so take it quickly. It’s nothing weird, this is really something I just bought. The receipt…. Ah, I don’t have a receipt.”

“….”

Choi Juoon slowly reached out and took the cake. Then he said in a sarcastic tone.

“You’re fucking sweet, aren’t you?”

This time, he was openly being sarcastic toward me. It was too much effort to argue, so I pushed Choi Juoon’s back to make him leave quickly. Choi Juoon acted like he was going to stand up and go, but then he sat back down on the bench and tore open the cake packaging. My eyes didn’t deceive me. He really tore open the cake packaging! I shouted in surprise.

“Hey! You’re supposed to go over there to open it, what are you doing opening it here!”

“Lee Juun…. isn’t a cake gift for Christmas a bit much? Soon you’ll be gifting me a ring instead, too.”

“What are you talking about? Just act like you gave it. I did you a favor, but you’re still being a jerk…. Ah… fine, give it here. I’ll just eat it myself.”

Choi Juoon still didn’t have much of a response. Then he just stuck his hand straight into the cake. It was a continuous series of shocks. He even put that finger straight into his mouth.

“It tastes fine.”

“Are… are you crazy?”

“Try some, too.”

Choi Juoon held out the finger he had been eating to me. Normally, Choi Juoon is incredibly fastidious, and if I had to say, I was the more free-spirited one.

But even for me, this was a bit…. I recoiled in disgust. Then Choi Juoon grabbed my wrist and immediately made a threatening expression as he said.

“Hurry up. One, two.”

“…There’s a knife there. I’ll eat with that.”

“Lee Juun, don’t be annoying.”

Three. Four. Five. Choi Juoon counted the numbers quickly, his brow furrowing even further. In the end, I had no choice but to lower my head and take a small bite of the whipped cream on Choi Juoon’s finger. But in that short moment, Choi Juoon’s finger poked right into my mouth.

“Ah, you crazy bastard!!!!”

I was literally incredibly angry, and Choi Juoon laughed out loud. Furthermore, like some elementary schooler, he smeared the whipped cream into my hair. I felt bewildered, which made me let out a dry laugh. I smeared the whipped cream onto Choi Juoon’s hair, too. Then Choi Juoon smeared some back on me, and I smeared some back on him. We repeated this for a long while.

“Stop now, let’s stop.”

I was the first to wave the white flag, and fortunately, Choi Juoon also willingly agreed, going to a nearby restroom to pull out some tissues. I wiped only the area around my hair roughly with the tissues Choi Juoon brought.