Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
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“……”
“……”
A man I had never seen before was staring intently at me.
His appearance didn’t seem foreign.
Well, from what I had looked up, it wasn’t him who was a foreigner, but his wife.
Soo-ah was simply their daughter.
“……”
Soo-ah stood nervously between us.
It was understandable.
Although I had somehow gotten permission, I hadn’t expected to run into him today.
According to Soo-ah, her parents were busy, and it was hard to even see them on weekdays.
She said that even when she was out of the house, no one noticed except the housekeeper.
In such a situation, I ended up facing Soo-ah’s father.
…Well, maybe Soo-ah didn’t expect it, but I could have predicted this.
There aren’t any parents who wouldn’t show up if their daughter’s friend stayed over.
Even my mother had rushed over as soon as she heard I was staying with my friends.
She even came by the mansion this morning.
Though, I heard she hasn’t shown up yet today.
“You must be Sara.”
The first one to speak wasn’t Soo-ah or her father.
It was the blonde beauty standing next to him.
Wasn’t she a model before?
I heard that after getting married, she contributed to the business in some capacity.
But looking at her now, she could still easily be a model.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Soo-ah.”
Her Korean didn’t sound awkward, but a few of her pronunciations had an English accent.
Maybe that’s why, even though she spoke fluently, the ‘foreigner’ impression was strong.
Well, she looked even more like a foreigner than Soo-ah.
I set down my travel bag and bowed politely to Soo-ah’s father and mother.
“Thank you for allowing me to stay here.”
“You’re Soo-ah’s friend. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Thank you.”
At Soo-ah’s mother’s words, I once again offered a polite thank you.
“…Yes, think of this as your home and stay as long as you need.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Finally, Soo-ah’s father spoke.
Rather than waiting for the right moment, it seemed like he had been assessing me.
…Didn’t Soo-ah say he opposed her being friends with me?
Though Soo-ah’s runaway was effectively over, it had been caused by him.
And Soo-ah’s mother, though she seemed gentle now, was said to be so busy that Soo-ah barely saw her.
…When I think about it, she wasn’t much different from my mother.
No, maybe she was a little better.
At least my mother had deliberately avoided seeing me.
She’d visit every few months, just to maintain appearances as a family, but that was all it was.
The idea of family was just a facade.
Perhaps this kindness was just an act too.
The house was much bigger than So-hee’s house where I stayed yesterday, but it felt far lonelier.
I didn’t think it was just my imagination.
I could now understand why Soo-ah made all sorts of excuses to stay at my mansion.
*
Soo-ah’s backyard was much smaller than the one at my house.
But honestly, living in such a house in the middle of Seoul was already proof of being wealthy.
And I doubt this was their only property.
Having a space for a dog to run around was already a sign of a large home in Seoul.
“He can’t run anymore. He’s too exhausted.”
In other words, the dog was old.
I had never raised a pet before, so I couldn’t tell if he looked old.
His fur was patchy and his legs looked frail, so I only realized it after hearing what she said.
Dogs don’t turn white with age, after all.
…Or do they?
I wasn’t sure.
I had never been allowed to raise anything.
I crouched in front of him and gently stroked his head.
Despite his stiff-looking fur, it was surprisingly soft.
He had been resting with his eyes closed, but when he felt my touch, he slowly opened his eyes.
And he gazed quietly at me with those black eyes.
How long do dogs live?
I think I heard somewhere that after ten-something years, they’re considered old. He was probably that old by now.
“What’s his name?”
“Choco.”
“Choco?”
“Yeah, Choco.”
Did they name him based on his fur color?
It was a simple and straightforward name.
It was kind of cute.
It was getting late, and maybe because he had just woken up, he didn’t seem to have the strength to move.
After staring at me for a while, he closed his eyes again.
For a moment, I worried, but thankfully the part I touched was still warm, and his nose was twitching slightly.
“When I was younger, I used to talk to him a lot.”
“When you were younger?”
“Yeah. I didn’t have any friends.”
I opened my eyes wide in surprise.
This was news to me.
Of course, I hadn’t been particularly interested in other people back then.
I thought that if I showed any interest in anyone, my mother would make them disappear.
I wasn’t being noble; it was more like I had given up.
But even so.
I thought Soo-ah had recovered her relationships by now.
After that person took over the school, there was no reason for anyone to bully me or anyone else anymore.
Naturally, people began flocking to Soo-ah again.
Every time I visited her classroom, she was awkwardly smiling among a group of kids.
So, I had assumed she was popular again.
“No.”
Soo-ah shook her head.
“Because of my unique appearance, I stood out wherever I went. Whether I was abroad or here.”
“……”
I thought Soo-ah was beautiful, but her features were a mix of East Asian and Caucasian.
That was probably why she had been ostracized.
“So… I would just come home and talk to him. My parents were never around. They were always too busy.”
“……”
Soo-ah, who had crouched beside me, gently placed her hand on Choco’s head.
Her hand moved naturally, softly stroking his fur.
Choco opened his eyes again and looked up at his owner with a contented expression.
“He seems to like you.”
“Yeah.”
I wasn’t sure what else to say, so I blurted something out, but luckily, Soo-ah smiled and continued petting Choco.
She had a soft look in her eyes, like she was looking at something very precious.
…But even to someone like me, who knew little about dogs, it seemed like Choco didn’t have much time left.
When Choco passes away, the stories that Soo-ah shared with him during those years will forever remain their secret.
“…Friends.”
I suddenly spoke.
“Hmm?”
“Friends…”
I looked at Soo-ah and asked.
“How do you make them?”
Soo-ah’s situation was similar to mine.
If we were to compare, she had it a little better, but still, we were both victims.
Her parents should be grateful to Soo-ah.
She didn’t turn out twisted like me.
She didn’t become obsessed with anything strange and had the courage to move forward.
Or maybe, they should be thanking Choco.
But I was curious.
How did she end up with so many friends?
How did she overcome it all?
How did she manage to be different from me, despite being in the same situation?
Soo-ah stared at me with wide eyes, as if surprised by my sudden question.
Then, after a while, she lowered her head shyly.
“…It’s nothing special.”
“Nothing special?”
I couldn’t do it.
Of course, maybe to others it didn’t seem like a big deal.
For those who lived ordinary lives, with people who cared for them by their side, it might seem trivial.
But it wasn’t for me.
And it wasn’t for Soo-ah either.
So I wanted to know.
“I was just scared.”
“…Scared?”
I had been too frightened to even approach people, so it was hard for me to understand how someone like Soo-ah, with so many friends, could have been scared.
“……”
Soo-ah continued to stroke Choco’s head for a while, then gently pulled her hand back.
Choco, who had been looking up at her, closed his eyes again and fell asleep.
After some thought, Soo-ah finally lifted her head.
Bathed in the light pouring in from the living room window, her expression looked like she had made up her mind about something.
“It might be a boring story, but if you want to hear it, I’ll tell you.”
“Yeah, I really want to hear it.”
I nodded.
After all, the night was long.
It would just be the two of us in this room.
Sharing stories between friends that no one else would hear didn’t sound so bad.