Paper Friendship Chapter 36

Thankfully, Choi Juoon told me to take the window seat. But I refused. Then Choi Juoon said he would really beat me up if I got motion sickness again, so I had no choice but to sit by the window.

The cabin gradually filled with people. Choi Juoon seemed to be trying to sleep; he sat with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

“Please lower your hands if your trip with Lee Juun was fun.”

The person next to me didn’t react. But I didn’t care and kept talking.

“Thank you for using Juun Travel Agency, customer. Please rate us.”

“This place is about to go bankrupt…. In my opinion.”

“Ah, stop joking around. What was good about it?”

Choi Juoon muttered after a moment.

“The weather and the food.”

“Then what was not so good?”

“Hey, even for me, it’s a bit much to swear right in front of you.”

This time, Choi Juoon openly frowned, so I wrapped it up with a regretful conclusion.

“Juun Travel Agency will continue to do our best to meet our customers’ needs. Thank you.”

“0.1 points. Take your rating.”

“Isn’t it a bit harsh to play such a prank on a budding sprout?”

Choi Juoon just smiled, raising the corners of his mouth. It was when I was about to pick up the brochure in front of my seat.

“Lee Juun.”

“Yeah.”

“Check your promises better. And sleep a little less.”

“….”

“I’m serious.”

“Yeah.”

Feeling slightly embarrassed, I shifted my gaze out the window. When the in-flight announcement played, I turned on my phone for a moment to put it in airplane mode.

[Mother] [Juun-ah, call me when you see this]

It was a text message from my mother.

I thought I would call her after getting off the plane, so I didn’t reply and turned off my phone. Soon after, the plane took off. I stared blankly out the window and said.

“Two nights and three days is too short.”

“….”

“It was fun, right?”

“It was okay.”

“Let’s come again next time.”

“We’ll see.”

“Next time, to Hong Kong.”

That last part was my own little joke. But no matter how I thought about it, I felt like I had slightly crossed the line. Fortunately, this time too, Choi Juoon didn’t say anything and just smiled once.

After getting off the plane, I called my mother right away. But she didn’t pick up the phone. I thought lightly of it and just left a simple text.

Back home, I roughly organized my luggage and went straight to sleep. It feels like I slept for almost an entire day. After waking up, I ate the chocolate I had put in the freezer and checked my pending messages. A few days later, I went to get my driver’s license with the other kids.

Choi Juoon and I finalized our universities. The distance to each other’s university was about 40 minutes by car. Choi Juoon seriously looked for a house for us to live in together. Of course, I wanted to live together too, but realistically, I had to get my parents’ permission…. Unlike the trip, there were many things to think about in many ways. I naturally pushed it back, saying let’s live together starting from the second semester.

Because of this, we fought a lot over the phone. In the end, I applied for the dormitory, and Choi Juoon said he would live alone off-campus.

∞ ∞ ∞

Monday came, and school started. And that Friday, February 8th, was graduation day and Choi Juoon’s birthday.

At school, I talked to the kids about Choi Juoon’s birthday. While we were all going to an internet cafe after school, I ran into Choi Juoon at the main gate. It was the first time seeing him since the Jeju Island trip. Choi Juoon was on his phone, as if waiting for someone. For some reason, he seemed to have grown a bit taller while I wasn’t seeing him. It was slightly awkward, but I approached him first and greeted him.

“Long time no see.”

Choi Juoon looked up, put his phone in his pocket, and said.

“Where are you going?”

“To the internet cafe. Want to come?”

Choi Juoon shook his head and answered.

“I have an appointment.”

“You’re busy.”

“Feeding you.”

Choi Juoon said jokingly. I laughed softly. I couldn’t think of much to say, and honestly, seeing Choi Juoon after a long time felt awkward. I turned around and was about to follow the kids who had already gone far away.

“Lee Juun.”

From behind, Choi Juoon called me quietly. At those words, I turned around again.

“You know what this Friday is, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Keep your time open.”

I nodded while smiling. After seeing Choi Juoon smile slightly and take out his phone again, I ran towards the kids.

∞ ∞ ∞

While I was playing a game at the internet cafe, I got a call from my mother. I answered the phone without delay. It had been a while since I heard my mother’s voice. She sounded a bit weak, but it was still the same as before. The content of the call was to have dinner together at home today.

I hung up the phone and checked the time. It was six-thirty now, and the appointment time was seven, so there was no time. I said goodbye to the kids and ran home happily, with a very full heart.

It was a family meal after a long time. For dessert, I intended to ask if it was okay to live with Choi Juoon in the second semester while eating the chocolate I bought in Jeju Island. Or persuade them to ask if I could live with Choi Juoon starting from the first semester.

Since I was a child, my parents almost always granted what I wanted. Hmm, good. I will show them the aegyo (cuteness) of an only child.

Should I surprise Choi Juoon? Should I say I don’t have to go to the dormitory? I can still cancel the dormitory room. If it works, Choi Juoon would love it, right? Thinking about that made me feel good, too.

I should emphasize that Choi Juoon was with me when I bought this chocolate. Ah, I should also say that I will be coming in late this Friday because it’s Choi Juoon’s birthday.

But am I only talking about Choi Juoon too much? Still, well, I like Choi Juoon so much these days. Should I call it a different kind of “liking” than before? I guess it’s because I’ve become an adult now. Anyway, so, it was natural that I only talked about Choi Juoon.

I arrived home, but the atmosphere was not what I had thought. My parents’ faces, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, were very different from their usual appearances. Apart from them getting older, their faces looked very dark. Is that why? I definitely thought of many things, but nothing came out of my mouth. In the solemn atmosphere, only the sound of chopsticks hitting the table could be heard.

“Juun-ah.”

My mother called my name softly and put down her chopsticks. Her voice lacked strength. I lifted my head and looked at my mother across from me. My mother did not look into my eyes, but spoke with her head bowed.

“You might be very surprised. But…. this is not a bad thing.”

What happened. For a moment, I had a bad feeling. I looked at my father once. My father was also just chewing silently with his head bowed. My hands started to sweat. Instinctively, I was anxious. After taking a short deep breath, my mother said this.

“We are getting a divorce.”

“….”

Ah.

It felt like the world had stopped.

“Juun-ah, I’m sorry but…. I don’t think I can live with you. I am, right now, just to survive…. I’m making an unavoidable choice.”

My mother stopped talking, pounded her chest, and shed tears. Then my father put down his chopsticks with a sound and said.

“Don’t show ugly sights in front of the child.”

“….”

“Juun-ah, Dad will explain. Your mom is right now…. attending a mental hospital. Divorce…. that is a problem we will handle on our own. It might be sudden, but for a while, let’s follow Dad and live at Grandma’s house. I’m sorry. As you can see, it’s because your mom is not in her right mind right now.”

“….”

My father resumed his meal. I, I….

I was scared.

Because all the situations were a first for me, fear came rushing in. Suddenly, sweat started to pour down like crazy. Strangely, my head was so dizzy that I felt like I would faint. At that time, my mother put down her chopsticks with a loud noise.

“Juun-ah, I feel so aggrieved that I have to say what I have to say. Why am I attending a mental hospital? Who was it that made me like this? It’s your house, isn’t it.”

“… Juun is in front of you.”

“If I hadn’t given birth to Juun-ah, what kind of treatment would I have received in your house. You ignored me so much because it was a “noble” house, but you all got scammed as a group? Are the people in your family not even smarter than dogs? What kind of pedigree is this?!”

“Is this woman crazy!!!!”

My father stood up from his seat and shouted loudly. And he raised his hand at my mother.