“……”
“……”
A strange adult male was staring at me intensely.
He didn’t look foreign. Well, based on my research, it wasn’t him but his wife who was the foreigner. Sua was just their daughter.
“……”
Sua was fidgeting between us.
Honestly, I could see why she’d be anxious.
I had managed to get permission somehow, but it wasn’t supposed to turn out like this today.
According to Sua, her parents were busy, and she said it was hard to see their faces even during the weekdays. Nobody else knew she was outside except for the housekeeper.
In that situation, I ended up running into Sua’s father like this.
…Well, Sua might not have expected it, but I certainly did.
What parent wouldn’t come out to see their daughter’s friend staying over?
Even Sua’s mom rushed over the moment she heard I was hanging out with my friends. She even visited the mansion this morning.
It seems she hasn’t come today, though.
“Ah, so you are Sara.”
The first to speak wasn’t Sua or her father.
It was the blonde beauty next to them.
Wasn’t she originally a model? After getting married, she seemed to contribute to business as well, but seeing her now, it wouldn’t be weird if she was still modeling.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Sua.”
Her Korean didn’t sound awkward. Just that a few pronunciations had a slight English accent. Maybe that’s why, even though she spoke Korean quite fluently, there was a strong ‘foreigner’ vibe.
I mean, if we’re judging by looks, she looked more foreign than Sua.
I stood up my travel bag that I was holding and politely bowed to Sua’s parents.
“Thank you for allowing me to stay here.”
“You’re Sua’s friend, right? Feel free to stay.”
“Thank you.”
I expressed my gratitude once again to Sua’s mother.
“…Yeah, just think of it as your home and stay as long as you need.”
“Yes, thank you.”
It was only then that Sua’s father opened his mouth. Rather than timing it, he was probably assessing me in his own way.
…Didn’t Sua say he was against her being friendly with me?
Technically, this was the end of her runaway situation, but he was the reason she ran away in the first place.
And Sua’s mom looked kind-hearted, but in reality, she was so busy she could hardly see Sua’s face.
…Thinking about it, what was the difference between her and my mom?
No, wait. Maybe she was a bit better. My mom deliberately avoided coming to see me. She would show up every quarter and act like a family, but it was just a facade. The family bond was just for show.
Maybe that too was an act.
The house was much larger than Sohee’s, where I stayed yesterday, but it seemed much lonelier.
That sure wasn’t just my imagination.
I think I understood why Sua had to make up all those excuses to stay at my mansion.
*
The yard of Sua’s house was much smaller than the one where I lived.
But just the fact that they lived in a house this big in the heart of Seoul proved they were rich. They probably had more properties too.
Just the fact that there was space to play with the dog meant it was a huge house in Seoul.
“He can’t run anymore. He’s too tired to jump.”
In other words, he’s old.
Honestly, having never owned a dog, I wasn’t sure how it looked when it got old. If I looked closely, the fur was thinning out, and the legs were so frail that I thought, after hearing that, “Yeah, I get it now.” A dog getting old doesn’t necessarily mean its fur turns white or anything though.
…Or does it? I’m not sure. I’ve never been allowed to raise anything.
I squatted down in front of him and gently stroked his head.
Surprisingly soft despite the stiff appearance of the fur.
The dog, who had been closing its eyes, slowly opened them as he felt my touch.
And he looked up at me with those black eyes.
How long do dogs live, anyway?
I think if it’s more than ten years, they’re considered old in human age. So, this one must be about that age too.
“What’s his name?”
“Choco.”
“Choco?”
“Yeah, Choco.”
Is it named after the fur color? What a straightforward name.
And honestly, kind of cute too.
It was getting late, and perhaps because he woke up from his sleep, he didn’t seem to have the strength to get up. The dog, who had been looking up at me for a while, closed his eyes again.
For a moment, an uneasy thought crossed my mind, but thankfully the part I touched remained warm, and his nose wiggled a bit.
“When I was little, I shared a lot of stories with him.”
“When you were little?”
“Yeah. I didn’t have any friends.”
My eyes widened when I heard that.
That was completely new to me.
Ah, of course, I never really had an interest in other kids back then. I thought if I showed interest in someone, my mom would do something about it. Not that I did it out of some great altruism; I was just more into giving up.
But still, even so.
I understood that Sua’s relationships were almost fully restored now. After that person seized control of the school, there was no reason for him to bully me and others.
Naturally, people began to flock back around Sua. Every time I went to see her in class, she smiled awkwardly among a group of kids.
So I thought she must’ve had quite a popularity back then.
“No.”
Sua shook her head.
“I’ve always had this alien appearance, no matter where I went. In a foreign country or here.”
“……”
I thought Sua was pretty, but aside from that, she really did have both East Asian features and characteristics of white people.
That’s probably why she was rejected.
“So… I just came home and talked to this guy. My dad and mom were never home. They were just too busy.”
“……”
Sua, who was squatting beside me, placed her hand on Choco’s head. Her hand moved naturally to gently pet his fur.
Choco opened his eyes again. Looking pleased, he gazed up at his owner with half-opened eyes.
“You must really like him.”
“Yeah.”
Not knowing what else to say, I said that instinctively, and thankfully, Sua beamed back at me, petting Choco’s head.
Her eyes looked soft, as if she were looking at something precious.
…But even to someone like me, who doesn’t really know about these things, Choco’s lifespan didn’t seem like it had much left.
If Choco leaves, the stories Sua shared with this dog would become an everlasting secret just between the two of them.
“…Friend.”
I suddenly said.
“Hmm?”
“The thing about being friends.”
I looked at Sua and asked.
“How do you make friends?”
Sua was quite similar in circumstances to me. Sure, if we were to compare, I’d say she might have it a little better, but still, the fact that both of us were victims remained unchanged.
Sua’s parents should be thankful to her. They raised her well without going down the wrong path, unlike me.
She wasn’t stuck on something odd, and she could muster the courage to move forward.
Or maybe she should be thankful to Choco, who was right here.
But I was curious.
How did she manage to make so many friends? How did she overcome that situation?
How did she end up in a better place than I, despite being in similar circumstances?
My question must have seemed out of the blue, as Sua stared at me with round, wide eyes for a while.
And then she shyly lowered her head.
“…It’s nothing special.”
“Nothing special?”
But that was something I couldn’t do!
Ah, well, I suppose it might feel that way to those who’ve lived ordinary lives.
To those who had people who cherished them beside them.
But I was different. Sua was different.
That’s why I wanted to know.
“I was just really scared.”
“…Scared?”
I found it hard to understand how someone like Sua could be scared when she managed to make so many friends while I couldn’t even speak to others properly.
“……”
After a while, Sua gently withdrew her hand from Choco’s head, which she had been petting silently.
Choco, who had been looking up at Sua, closed his eyes again and fell back asleep.
After a moment of hesitation and silence, Sua lifted her head.
Her face reflected in the light streaming in through the living room window looked like someone who had made up her mind about something.
“It might not be that interesting, but if you want to hear it, I’ll tell you.”
“Yeah, I really want to hear it.”
I nodded in agreement.
After all, the night was long.
There would only be the two of us in the room.
It wouldn’t be bad to share stories that friends can’t share with anyone else, just the two of us.
