* * *
If I had to sum up my first impression of Jung Jehee in one word, I’d say “puppy” without hesitation.
A puppy that runs up to people all excited, even if it’s their first time meeting.
With big round black eyes, a chubby butt, and a tiny tail wagging like crazy, trotting after you on stubby legs wherever you go, rubbing up against your feet just for attention.
The kind of puppy that gets all hyped up just because you talk to it or pat its head a little, hopping around in joy and rolling over to show you its soft, pale belly.
…And I’m not exaggerating to make him sound cute—Jung Jehee was really like that.
Ever since we first met, he’d come find me almost every single day.
If I called, he came running. If I fed him something, he ate it happily.
Whenever there was a group activity, he always came to me first.
Whatever I wanted to do, his eyes would light up and he’d nod without question.
Everything about him, from his actions to his energy, was more dog than human.
I was so baffled by how much he seemed to like me that one day, I straight-up asked him.
“Why are you even friends with me?”
“Huh? My dad told me to be close with you.”
“…That’s it?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“…”
Yeah. Jung Jehee was a simple kid.
It wasn’t that he liked how I looked, or that my family was well-known and well-off, or even that he knew I’d awaken as a high-ranking ability user someday.
He didn’t care that I was good at sports or studying.
He just listened to what his dad told him.
That was it.
But that same kid—simple, innocent—genuinely liked me.
Every time he saw me, he smiled like I was the best thing in the world.
He was like a fool, but an endearing one.
To be honest, I wasn’t exactly the kind of kid who obediently followed what my dad said, but still.
I wasn’t such a jerk that I’d push away and bully some clueless, sweet kid who just wanted to be close.
He liked me.
He wanted to be my friend.
What else was I supposed to do?
So I hung out with him.
“Taehwan! There’s a kitten over there! What if it’s been abandoned by its mom?”
“That grandma over there looks like she’s struggling! Let’s help carry her stuff, okay?”
“That guy said he’s lost! He said if we help him, he’ll buy us tteokbokki!”
Jung Jehee was ridiculously high-maintenance to have around.
Always talking about being a hero, helping people in need.
He couldn’t just walk past someone who looked like they needed help, and he always dragged me into it too.
On top of that, he was so kind and clueless that he practically had a target painted on his back for the kind of creeps who prey on kids.
Why the hell did he have to look like some adorable little puppy?
It just made perverts gravitate to him.
“What the hell? You almost got lured by a creep over freaking tteokbokki?”
“H-huh? That guy was a pervert?”
“Obviously. He looked like one. Why else would he ask you for directions? This street has big signs and tons of stores. He could’ve asked literally anyone. Why promise you food?”
“Oh…? That makes sense…”
“Yeah. Jehee, if you want tteokbokki, I’ll buy it. Let’s go.”
“Okay!”
Honestly, Jung Jehee should’ve been grateful to me.
Even without the danger of creeps, he was a total mess.
Every time he ate something delicious, it ended up all over his face.
His shoelaces were always untied.
He moved around so much for his little “hero” missions that he got into a lot of close-call situations.
If I hadn’t been there for him, something would’ve happened a long time ago.
…Which is probably why it hit me so hard when he changed.
Jung Jehee changed, and it all started with one incident.
It felt like betrayal—plain and simple.
“Sorry. I have to go to the hospital with my mom today.”
“Maybe next time. I’m busy.”
“Not for a while. Let’s hang out later.”
Maybe it was because his dad—the man who told him to be friends with me—passed away.
He stopped hanging out with me.
He stuck to his mom’s side and started pushing me away.
Things only got worse after his younger siblings were born.
Before, our time together got cut in half.
After the babies came, I barely saw him at all.
And like, why him?
Why was he the one taking care of newborns?
That’s a job for adults.
Jehee was still a kid himself.
But he kept taking care of those babies.
He didn’t follow me around like he used to.
We only saw each other at school.
Even when we hung out, all he talked or thought about was his mom or those babies.
“Even his personality changed.”
It wasn’t just that he stopped making time for me.
He stopped smiling at me like I was his whole world.
He looked exhausted, burdened.
And… he didn’t seem to like me more than his family anymore.
Our friendship was built on the fact that he liked me.
So what the hell was I supposed to do if he didn’t like me anymore?
I kept obsessing over that question, and eventually, I snapped.
I couldn’t hold in the anger anymore.
At the changed Jung Jehee, at his mom and siblings for dumping so much on a kid.
Even at his dad, for dying and leaving him behind.
“You’ve changed.”
“Ever since your dad died, you’re different.”
“You… you’re just some pathetic, fatherless loser now!”
It was pure lashing out.
If we were going to end, I wanted it to be on my terms.
I wanted to hurt him.
So I said the worst thing I could think of.
I did so much for him, and he betrayed me.
He pulled me in and then left me.
He didn’t even seem grateful.
It felt like he shoved me down the priority list.
So I thought—wasn’t I justified in saying something like that?
“…I’m sorry, Taehwan.”
But why?
Why didn’t it feel better after I said it?
Why didn’t it feel satisfying, even when he apologized?
Instead, from that night on, I started having nightmares.
Every night, I dreamed of Jung Jehee crying.
And it didn’t stop there.
The dreams ruined my sleep, and everything about him started annoying me even more than before.
How he came to school the next day with puffy eyes.
How he flinched every time he saw me.
How he started going out of his way to avoid me on the walk home.
It all made me furious.
“You don’t hang out with Jehee these days, huh, son? Good. It’s for the best. That family always looked gloomy anyway.”
“What are you talking about? I’m still taking after-school classes with him.”
“After-school classes? Why? We just got you a new private tutor…”
“Don’t need one. Just letting you know.”
“Hey! Taehwan!”
I didn’t need my mom’s permission.
The after-school program didn’t even cost that much.
It was nothing compared to how much I used to spend on snacks for Jehee back when we were close.
I’d noticed something, too—ever since he started taking care of those babies, Jehee’s grades had dropped.
Of course they had.
He didn’t have a tutor, didn’t go to any academies, and he kept falling asleep during class.
How was he supposed to keep up?
He might’ve managed other subjects by skimming the textbook, but not math.
After every test, he looked devastated.
But considering his situation, would a guy busy looking after his younger siblings even have the time to go to a cram school?
At most, he might take an after-school class, I figured.
“Why are you taking this class?”
“Because I want to.”
Right on cue.
That was exactly the kind of answer I expected.
Since I got mad at him, Jung Jehee had been avoiding me—so for him to come up to me first must mean he was really thrown off by seeing me here.
But that was it.
He kept his distance and tried to sit elsewhere, so I quickly took the seat next to him.
His eyes widened as he looked at me.
It had been so long since we’d made eye contact…
Back in the day, I used to see those eyes every single day.
Without meaning to, I looked away.
And then immediately regretted it.
I wanted to see his eyes again, so I propped up my chin and turned back to him.
“You mind?”
“No, I don’t… Let’s study together.”
For the first time in a long while, Jung Jehee smiled at me.
It wasn’t the bright, carefree smile he used to have, but… it wasn’t a forced one, either.
“…Yeah.”
It felt strange.
Just seeing him smile made my chest flutter.
I didn’t get it.
If it were something unpleasant, that’d be one thing—but even though it was a feeling that rubbed me the wrong way, it leaned a little too close to “I like this,” and that was the real problem.
Still, there was one thing I could say for sure: choosing to take that after-school class wasn’t a mistake.
Jehee still didn’t smile often.
He was still just as busy and exhausted.
But his eyes… his eyes were still beautiful.
Especially when I helped him with a problem he couldn’t solve—his dark eyes would light up just like they used to, like an eager puppy’s.
“You’re amazing. You really do know everything.”
“Took you long enough to notice. I do know everything, so ask away.”
“Okay! Thanks!”
And once again, I was sure of it.
Yeah—Jung Jehee needs me.
It annoyed me that he only looked after his family and ignored me, but cutting him off and leaving him alone didn’t feel like the right move either.
I mean, I’ve known him for so long.
This much… I can do.
…And being nice paid off sometimes.
“Ah, r-right! Taehwan, here—”
“What is it?”
* * *
