Chapter 2: Everywhere

Minjae regretted shaking Kang Jiho's hand.

Not immediately.

But after the third day of being followed around by him.

"Minjae!"

Silence.

"Minjae!"

Silence.

"Minjae!"

A sigh.

Minjae finally looked up from his book.

Jiho beamed.

"What?"

"You answered."

"I didn't."

"You looked at me."

Minjae returned to his book.

Jiho laughed as if that was a victory.

For some reason, he never seemed offended by Minjae's coldness.

Most children gave up after a few failed conversations.

Jiho treated every rejection as a challenge.

Every afternoon he appeared somewhere nearby.

If Minjae sat on the porch reading, Jiho appeared with a soccer ball.

If Minjae walked to the convenience store, Jiho somehow ended up there too.

If Minjae visited the small park nearby, Jiho was already playing with the other children.

The annoying part?

Everyone liked him.

Within two weeks, Jiho had somehow become friends with nearly every child in the neighborhood.

Minjae didn't understand how.

The boy was loud.

Extremely loud.

Yet people laughed whenever he spoke.

Even adults.

Especially adults.

One afternoon Minjae returned home from the library to find Jiho sitting on the living room floor.

Beside Areum.

His stepsister looked delighted.

"Brother!"

Minjae stopped.

Jiho waved enthusiastically.

"Hi!"

Minjae looked at Areum.

Then Jiho.

Then Areum again.

"What is he doing here?"

Areum gasped dramatically.

"He has a name."

Jiho pointed at her.

"See? Areum understands me."

Minjae considered leaving.

Areum quickly stood up.

"Jiho came to play."

"He talks too much."

"He says you don't talk enough."

Jiho nodded seriously.

"We balance each other."

Minjae stared at him.

The boy actually looked proud of that statement.

Somehow, Jiho and Areum had become friends.

Which wasn't surprising.

Both possessed endless energy.

Both talked enough for ten people.

And both seemed completely immune to Minjae's attempts at creating distance.

Over the next month, the friendship only grew.

Sometimes Minjae would return from school and find Jiho teaching Areum how to kick a soccer ball.

Sometimes they built blanket forts.

Sometimes they sat in the garden drawing pictures.

Jiho had become a regular part of the house.

Just like that.

As if he had always belonged there.

It was strange.

Very strange.

One Sunday afternoon, Minjae came downstairs to find his father arranging dishes on the dining table.

His stepmother was smiling.

The house smelled of food.

Guests.

Minjae immediately knew.

"Minjae," Sunhee called. "The Kang family is coming for lunch."

Of course they were.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.

Chaos entered the house.

Kang Donghyun, Jiho's father, greeted everyone loudly.

His wife laughed at everything he said.

Their daughter, Kang Jiwon, politely handed over a box of fruit.

And Jiho...

Jiho immediately sat beside Minjae.

Unfortunately.

The adults talked while lunch was served.

Minjae quietly ate his food.

Jiho quietly did not.

"Minjae."

No response.

"Minjae."

"What?"

Jiho grinned.

"You spoke again."

Minjae regretted it instantly.

Across the table, Jiho's mother laughed.

"He's cute."

"No, he's annoying," Minjae replied.

The entire table went silent.

Everyone stared.

Jiho blinked.

Then burst into laughter.

"You called me annoying!"

Minjae frowned.

"Is that funny?"

"That's the longest sentence you've said to me."

The adults laughed.

Even Minjae's father looked amused.

Minjae returned to eating.

People were strange.

After lunch, the adults moved to the living room for tea.

The children remained nearby.

Jiho and Areum were arguing over a board game.

Jiwon watched them with the patience of a saint.

Minjae sat on the sofa reading.

Then he overheard a conversation.

"We need school recommendations," Jiho's mother said.

"Oh?" Sunhee asked.

"We moved during vacation. Jiho and Jiwon need a school."

Minjae's father nodded.

"Minjae's school is excellent."

Jiho's father's eyes lit up.

"The one nearby?"

"Yes."

"I heard admissions are difficult."

"They are."

The adults exchanged looks.

Then Minjae's father smiled.

"I know the principal."

Minjae looked up.

Jiho looked up too.

His grin widened.

Dangerously.

"No."

Everyone turned toward Minjae.

His expression remained calm.

"Don't."

Jiho immediately pointed at him.

"See? He wants me there."

"No, I don't."

"You do."

"I don't."

"You absolutely do."

Minjae closed his book.

This conversation was hopeless.

The adults continued discussing admission procedures.

Jiho continued smiling.

Minjae suddenly felt uneasy.

A few days later, the admissions were confirmed.

Jiho and Jiwon would be attending the same school.

Worse.

Jiho would be in Minjae's class.

The moment Jiho found out, he ran across the street.

Actually ran.

Straight to Minjae's house.

Straight to Minjae's room.

Straight to Minjae.

"We're classmates!"

Minjae stared.

Jiho looked like he had won the lottery.

"We're classmates!"

"I heard."

"We can sit together."

"No."

"We can eat lunch together."

"No."

"We can walk home together."

"No."

"We can be best friends."

"No."

Jiho paused.

Then smiled.

"Okay."

Minjae frowned.

That was easy.

Too easy.

Then Jiho added—

"We'll become best friends later."

And suddenly Minjae understood.

The problem wasn't that Jiho didn't listen.

The problem was that Jiho did not give up.

That evening, Minjae sat by his bedroom window.

Across the street, lights glowed inside the Kang house.

Laughter drifted through the summer air.

Jiho's father was saying something ridiculous.

His mother was laughing.

Jiwon was scolding someone.

Probably Jiho.

Minjae watched silently.

Then he looked away.

It felt strange.

Only a few months ago, he had never seen any of them.

Now Jiho was friends with Areum.

Friends with his parents.

Going to his school.

Joining his class.

Appearing in his house almost every day.

Entering every corner of his life.

Fast.

Far too fast.

Minjae didn't know whether he liked it.

Or hated it.

But for the first time in years, his quiet world wasn't so quiet anymore.

And somehow—

He couldn't stop noticing it...

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