Will We Stay Friends Forever? — Chapter 18

IT WAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COMPOSITION CLASS.

Topic: Freedom

WE WERE TOLD TO WRITE ABOUT WHATEVER WE WANTED.

MY HAND HAD STOPPED FOR A LONG TIME AT THOSE WORDS.

REPEATEDLY DRAWING LINES WITH MY PENCIL AND ERASING THEM,

I DO NOT EVEN REMEMBER WHAT I ENDED UP WRITING IN THE END.

ONLY THE IMAGE OF LEE JUYEONG NEXT TO ME,

FILLING THE PAPER DENSELY,

REMAINS STRONGLY IN MY MEMORY.

HAVING NO CORRECT ANSWER WAS TERRIFYING.

IT FELT AS THOUGH I WAS BEING TESTED.

IS SHE NOT EVEN AFRAID OF FAILURE?

I ONLY CAME TO UNDERSTAND AFTER WATCHING FROM BESIDE HER.

THE THINGS I PERCEIVED AS FAILURES

WERE NOT FAILURES TO LEE JUYEONG.

FALLING GRADES,

COMING IN LAST PLACE IN A RACE,

AND FAILING TO BECOME FRIENDS WITH THE OTHER KIDS IN CLASS

WERE UNIMPORTANT MATTERS TO LEE JUYEONG.

WHAT KIND OF LOOK WAS SHE GIVING ME

AS I STRUGGLED DESPERATELY TO WIN THE APPROVAL OF OTHERS?

PATHETICALLY?

PITIFULLY?

DERISIVELY?

OR PERHAPS SHE HAD NO THOUGHTS AT ALL.

PERHAPS SHE DID NOT EVEN CARE TO THAT EXTENT.

BEATING THE DRUM AND CLASHING THE CYMBALS ALL BY MYSELF...

SELF-PITY REALLY IS A RELENTLESS THING...

BEING AROUND LEE JUYEONG MADE ME ASHAMED OF MYSELF.

I HATED HOW ENDLESSLY SMALL I BECAME.

BECAUSE THAT FELT LIKE MY TRUE SELF.

YET WHY DO THINGS ALWAYS TURN OUT—

WAS IT YOU WHO MADE OUR CHILD SKIP CRAM SCHOOL?

LAST WEEK WAS THE FUNERAL...

WHY IS IT THAT ONLY THINGS WHICH HURT YOU KEEP HAPPENING?

LEE JUYEONG, LET US GO.

WHY AM I ALWAYS A STEP BEHIND AT CRUCIAL MOMENTS?

JUYEONG...

I LIKE YOU...

I WISH YOU WOULD STAY BY MY SIDE.

I JUST WISH YOU WOULD STAY BY MY SIDE.

BUT YOU ARE NOT LIKE THAT, ARE YOU?

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT YOU BEING BY MY SIDE;

YOU DO NOT WANT ME TO ONLY BE BY YOUR SIDE EITHER.

LOVING LEE JUYEONG WAS JUST LIKE THAT.

I COULD BARELY MANAGE TO HOLD ONTO WHAT FIT WITHIN MY PALMS,

AND LACKED THE SKILL TO EMBRACE SOMEONE OVERFLOWING,

SO I SIMPLY LET THEM DRIFT PAST,

WAITING FOR ALL OF THIS TO PASS BY

WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING IT WAS POOLING UP...

Received Mail

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It has been a while. Are you doing well?

Dohun Lee <[email protected]> To: Doyeong Lee <[email protected]>

Doyeong, it has been a while, how are you doing?

As for me, things are going well without any incidents.

UNNIE~! HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WELL?!

JIIN~ IT HAS BEEN A WHILE~

ARE YOU VERY BUSY? I WENT TO HAESOO'S BAR OFTEN LATELY,

BUT I COULD NOT CATCH A GLIMPSE OF YOU AT ALL.

UNNIE... I RAN OUT OF BUFFER CHAPTERS SO I AM LIVING TRAPPED IN THE STUDIO LATELY...

HOW ARE PREPARATIONS FOR YOUR NEXT WORK GOING, UNNIE?

I HAVE HAD SOME THINGS ON MY MIND LATELY SO NOT AT ALL...

OH DEAR, GOODNESS ME...

BUT I SUPPOSE I MORE OR LESS KNOW HOW TO HANDLE IT NOW.

OH! NO WAY, REALLY?

WHAT SORT OF CHANGE OF HEART DID YOU HAVE?

SINCE IT IS UNNIE'S WORK, DID YOU PERHAPS ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING LIKE XX?

Just Kidding Lol

DO NOT GO AROUND TALKING ABOUT MY BUSINESS ANYWHERE.

......IT IS SIMPLY

BECAUSE JIIN INTRODUCED ME TO A GREAT ASSISTANT POSITION!

I AM TOUCHED~

SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE WORKING THERE WELL?

I WAS WORRIED SINCE THEY WERE SOMEONE I DID NOT KNOW WELL EITHER, BUT I AM GLAD.

MM~

JUYEONG, IS THERE TRULY NOTHING YOU WANT TO CONSULT ME ABOUT?

IT DOES NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE ABOUT MANGA.

WELL... THINGS LIKE FRIENDSHIP OR DATING WORRIES...

IS SHE IN NEED OF DOPAMINE?

THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THAT~

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FEEL TOO BURDENED~

SHE DOES HAVE A SOMEWHAT PERSISTENT SIDE TO HER, THOUGH.

I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT NEED A PLACE TO REST SO I BOUGHT A SOFA!

IF YOU ARE TIRED, YOU CAN SLEEP HERE FOR A BIT!

GREAT~ THEY TREAT ME COMFORTABLY AND WELL.

THAT IS A RELIEF~

I WAS A BIT WORRIED,

BUT I AM GLAD EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE GOING WELL WITHOUT ANY ISSUES!

Jiin~ When Does Your Call End?

AH, UNNIE, I NEED TO GO EAT DINNER WITH MY STUDIO FRIENDS,

SO I WILL DM YOU NEXT TIME! BYE-BYE~~

WITHOUT ANY ISSUES...?

WITHOUT... ANY... ISSUES...

Saturday, June 3rd 19:27

Haesoo Regarding the gathering we planned to have everyone come together to celebrate Haesoo and Yoon Jiwon, let us meet on our shop's day off.

THE SMALL SECRET I ROLLED FORWARD,

THE SMALL TRUTH I TURNED AWAY FROM,

YOON JIWON~!

PILES UP AND GROWS INTO A SHAPE I NEVER EXPECTED.

GO IN TOGETHER~

BEFORE I KNOW IT, IT BECOMES TOO BIG TO HANDLE,

TO THE POINT WHERE I CAN NEITHER TURN AWAY NOR AVOID IT ANYMORE.

IT OVER- WHELMS ME.

WAS TODAY NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A DAY OFF?

THE END IS COMING.

OH, AHYEONG?

ASSISTANT MANAGER...?

OH... OH MY, AHYEONG IS HERE? WHAT SHOULD I DO ABOUT THIS, FEELING SO SORRY?

BECAUSE TODAY WE DECIDED TO HAVE A DRINK WITH OLD FRIENDS~

AH...! AH... YES...!

AH...

I...

AS FOR ME...

I WILL COME NEXT TIME...!

HUH...? WHAT DID I JUST SEE?

LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT... UNNIE JUYEONG AND THE ASSISTANT MANAGER ARE OLD FRIENDS...?

HE WAS TALL AND HAD BLACK HAIR...

COKE

AWKWARDLY COVERING HIS FACE...

THEN... THE ASSISTANT MANAGER IS...

AHYEONG!

SINCE YOU CAME, HAVE A DRINK AND GO.

BESIDES, THE KIDS ARE NOT SHY AROUND PEOPLE ANYWAY

UNNIE...

IS THE NAME OF THE CHILDHOOD FRIEND WHO IS YOUR FUCKBUDDY LEE DOYEONG?

HUH? YOU KNOW LEE DOYEONG?

HE IS...

OUR ASSISTANT MANAGER...