“What are you staring at like that? You’re making me blush.”
Min Yugeon flashed a playful smile with his eyes. Who are you trying to flirt with right now? I frowned in distaste.
“Just answer the question.”
“Hmm. Love life, huh.”
Leaning back against the chair, he stroked his chin.
“That’s kind of a sudden question. I can’t answer it right away.”
That was fair enough. We’d been living together for almost ten years now. We’d been friends since childhood, so we’d known each other even longer. And in all that time, the one topic we’d never once brought up was romance.
In a way, it made sense. Neither of us had dated anyone, so there just wasn’t much to talk about.
“What about you?”
Suddenly, Min Yugeon turned the question around.
“Why don’t you date?”
“……”
I shut my mouth and looked down at the steaming food. You only really want to meet someone if you’re lonely, or if you want to build a family. But I didn’t feel either of those things. The biggest reason was probably…
“Because I have you?”
I lifted my head and met Min Yugeon’s eyes. His eyes widened.
“What?”
“Because I have you, I don’t really see a reason to be with anyone else.”
We’d been through almost everything together, big and small, and with just a glance, we could usually read each other’s minds. How could I feel lonely with someone like that by my side? Sure, a romantic partner is supposed to be different from family or friends, but no matter who it might be, I didn’t think anyone could ever mean more to me than Min Yugeon.
“……Suho.”
Min Yugeon let out a groan, covering his face with one hand. The skin peeking through his thick fingers was flushed red. Was he embarrassed?
“You say stuff like that way too easily.”
His voice came out much quieter, almost a murmur. It felt like I’d just confessed or something. All I did was answer honestly…
Feeling awkward from his reaction, I clamped my mouth shut.
“……”
“……”
Once we both went quiet, silence naturally fell between us. It was a kind of awkward silence that rarely ever happened between us.
“But I liked it.”
After a long pause, he finally spoke again.
“What you said.”
Min Yugeon lowered his hand, and his amber-brown eyes locked onto mine. For some reason, I forgot to breathe for a moment. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him happy, but something about this felt different.
That smile, tinged with fluttery warmth, tickled somewhere deep in my chest just from watching it.
…Since when did he know how to smile like that?
He looked like someone who had just received the exact gift they’d been hoping for. The unfamiliarity of that expression made me instinctively avert my gaze.
“So then why are you single?”
I looked down at my plate and pressed him for an answer, as if to say, I answered, now it’s your turn.
Min Yugeon gave a light shrug.
“Single? I’ve got you, don’t I?”
“Don’t joke—”
“I’m not joking. I’m going to live with you forever.”
I stared at him in disbelief. It wasn’t like he was some kid insisting he’d marry his parents one day. Seeing my reaction, Min Yugeon pouted and rubbed his chin with a mock-tragic air.
“What, Suho doesn’t want to? Are you planning to ditch me someday?”
“Hey.”
“Then I’ll just have to stick to you forever.”
He wiped at the corners of his eyes and mumbled like it couldn’t be helped. Ditch you, my ass. That might’ve made sense when we were younger, but now that we’re older, it’s me who relies on you. If Min Yugeon weren’t around, I’d be the one in trouble, not him.
I stared at him, exasperated, then shook my head.
***
Min Yugeon and I first met when we were barely half the size we are now.
“Waaah!”
“Huuuhng!”
“……”
A facility where the children aboard the ship gathered to play. I had come holding my parents’ hands, and the moment I stepped in, I was struck dumb. The shrill wailing echoing throughout the room, children running wild, guardians scrambling to catch them, decorations and food toppling everywhere in the chaos, and the pale-faced staff trying to maintain order—it was absolute mayhem.
…I had never seen a place so noisy and chaotic.
Since my parents were hardly ever home, I was usually stuck at the house with just a babysitter. I didn’t really have any opportunities to meet kids my own age. So when my mom and dad, finally off work for once, suggested going somewhere filled with “lots of friends,” I followed them with a fluttering heart. But now…
A kid’s swinging head of hair smacked me across the face as they dashed past. I flinched. The kids were running around so wildly that I couldn’t even find a safe place to stand still. Overhead, my parents’ voices came down to me as they held one of my hands each.
“Oh my, be careful there…! Goodness, this is utter madness.”
“Yeah, well, anywhere with kids is bound to be like this. Our Suho is just unusually calm.”
Watching the chaos with amused smiles, my parents looked slightly flustered but still upbeat.
“Suho, look how many friends are here for you.”
“Excited?”
“…Yes.”
Honestly, they seemed more excited than I was. Which made it harder to say out loud that I wanted to go home.
“Let’s have some fun here today before we head back, okay?”
“…Okay.”
“Oh, honey, look! There’s a slide over there. Looks super popular.”
“Wanna go check it out, son?”
The playground with the slide was the most crowded area. A fight must’ve broken out while kids were lining up—there were children lying on the floor crying their eyes out, while adults frantically tried to calm them down. It looked way too intense to even think about approaching.
I stayed quiet for a moment, then gave a small nod. Just as my parents started leading me in that direction—
“Jaejin, Heeseo!”
A call rang out, warm with recognition. My parents, called together by name, turned toward the voice. I looked as well, and saw a kindly-looking man standing with a boy.
“Oh! Min Sanghan!”
“You’re here.”
My mother and father greeted Min Sanghan with familiarity. They must’ve planned to meet here today. Min Sanghan gently nudged the boy along as he came over to us. While the adults exchanged light hugs, the boy—young Min Yugeon—and I peeked at each other.
“You got here early.”
“No, we just arrived ourselves.”
Min Sanghan’s gaze shifted to me. Noticing this, my father gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
“First time seeing us with the kids, huh? This is our son, Seo Suho.”
“Hello.”
I gave a polite bow. With my front teeth missing, my greeting came out with a bit of a lisp. Min Sanghan chuckled warmly and nodded.
“He looks a lot like Heeseo. Hello, Suho.”
“He’s a spitting image of me, isn’t he?”
Mother smiled, clearly pleased with the compliment, and explained that Min Sanghan was both a colleague and friend of theirs. Meanwhile, Min Sanghan gave a gentle push to the boy who had been silently standing beside him.
“You should say hello too.”
“……”
But Min Yugeon ducked behind his father instead, twisting his body and staring at the floor. It was obvious to anyone—he was feeling shy. My parents whispered to each other about how cute he was, and Min Sanghan laughed, baffled.
“This kid? He’s never been shy a day in his life. What’s gotten into him?”
“…Hello.”
“Say your name too.”
“I’m Min Yugeon.”
Min Yugeon’s cheeks turned pink as he sneaked glances at our family. My parents greeted him warmly.
“Hi, Yugeon.”
“Let’s see… Yugeon must be seven too?”
“Yes.”
“Wow! Suho, Yugeon’s the same age as you.”
Dad clapped his hands lightly. I stared directly at Min Yugeon. It was unexpected. He was so much taller than me and looked so mature—I’d thought he was older.
“By the way, where’s Minha?”
Mother glanced around and asked Min Sanghan, looking for his wife.
“Ah… She wasn’t feeling well this morning, so I brought the kid by myself.” Min Sanghan answered casually.
“Oh no, really? We see you at the lab every day, but we never get a chance to see Minha, so I thought I’d finally see her again after such a long time…”
“Right? The last time was your wedding.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“What a shame. Please tell her we hope she feels better soon.”
My parents spoke with genuine concern, and Min Sanghan nodded gratefully.
“…Mom, Dad.”
I gently tugged on the hem of their clothes. As they turned their attention to me, I pointed toward the snack corner on the opposite side of the play area.
“Can I go eat something over there?”
“Hm? Are you hungry?”
“A little.”
In truth, it wasn’t hunger—I just wanted an excuse to avoid the slide. My plan was to pretend to be eating the whole time we were here.
Just then, Min Yugeon hesitantly raised a hand.
“Me too…”
“Ah-ha.”
Mother smiled, amused.
“Looks like the kids want to be on their own.”
“S-Suho.”
Father’s eyes turned misty, already convinced I’d just made my first friend. Watching him, Min Sanghan chuckled and stroked his chin.
“Hmm. But is it okay to let little kids sit alone…?”
“We’ll just sit close by.”
“There’s a parent table right next to it.”
In the end, we all moved together. Min Yugeon and I sat at a table meant for kids, while the adults served us snacks on plates and took their seats at the neighboring table where other guardians were sipping tea. They sat across from each other, chatting comfortably.
“……”
“……”
Meanwhile, our table was wrapped in awkward silence.
