“Thank you. I’ll eat it well.”
I received the chocolate Sohee held out, and before I knew it, a smile crept onto my face.
A warm, pleasant smile, that is.
Over something this trivial, something that would normally be taken for granted.
Had I ever received this kind of gratitude before?
And it’s not like this reward was anything grand, so why does it make me feel this good?
I could feel my heart stirring just a little.
“And… what I asked earlier, is it too much of a burden or uncomfortable…”
Sohee fidgeted in front of me as she spoke.
And before she could even finish that sentence, I cut her off.
“I’m fine with it.”
Yeah, my mind was already leaning toward doing it.
That’s how I feel, at least… but the real problem isn’t me, it’s the other side.
“Really?”
“Yeah, but… I’m not sure if I’ll actually be of any help. I really just read along, that’s all.”
“That’s totally fine. Just do it the same way you used to with Ahyeon.”
“Well… if that’s okay with you, then I’m okay with it too.”
“Eung!!”
Sohee followed up with a bright, sunny smile.
It was such a clear and pure laugh.
The kind of smile that makes anyone who sees it feel good without meaning to.
“So what kind of character do you think I’d fit?”
Then, as if naturally moving on to the next topic, Sohee asked first.
So she’s asking about her own image, huh.
“Hmm… a bit of an innocent heroine? Everyone’s first love?”
It wasn’t so much that I thought about it before saying it, it was more like I just voiced my honest first impression.
Because that really was the image Sohee gave off.
“Oh… is that how I come across?!”
“Yeah. That’s the vibe I got from you at first.”
“Heheh, you’ve got a good eye!”
Sohee laughed lightly and tapped my shoulder.
And in the meantime, Ahyeon, who was a bit late because she went to buy water, arrived.
Ahyeon walked toward us cheerfully, but then paused for a moment nearby.
Sohee was still flashing that bright smile at me, and only then did she notice Ahyeon.
“Oh! It’s Ahyeon! I got permission from Jinho. He said he’d watch me act too!”
She approaches Ahyeon with a lively voice.
At that, the corner of Ahyeon’s mouth twitched slightly, looking a little unnatural.
It was a puzzled sort of atmosphere.
Well, to be fair, I wasn’t quick to jump on that tempo either.
It just sort of happened out of nowhere.
***
The run started, and for some reason, my pace was slower than usual.
Normally, I’d be running side by side with Ahyeon… or I’d be taking the lead.
Today, Ahyeon is leading, and I’m following behind her.
It wasn’t because I was tired.
Even if I wore ten masks, there’s no way I’d get worn out before Choi Ahyeon does.
If that’s the case… then it must be.
It’s because I’m keeping an eye on Sohee, who’s struggling to keep up behind me.
Yeah, I was running between Ahyeon and Sohee, constantly glancing back.
I mean, looking at yesterday, Sohee fell behind a lot and ended up dropping out.
And Choi Ahyeon, for some reason, is charging ahead today, only looking forward. Like someone with a lot on their mind.
If she brought her own friend, shouldn’t she be paying a bit more attention to her?
“Hah, hoo, hah.”
From behind, Sohee’s irregular breathing eventually reached the front.
She’s probably hit her physical limit.
How far have we run by now… about 2 kilometers?
Well, either way, I should stop here.
“Hey, Choi Ahyeon!”
I raised my voice to call out to her.
But my first call wasn’t enough to stop Choi Ahyeon, who was just stubbornly staring ahead and running.
Is it because she’s listening to music, or is she just that deep in thought about something?
Whatever it was, I couldn’t tell…
“Ahyeon!”
So I ended up calling out again, louder this time.
And only then did Choi Ahyeon flinch, pulling out one earbud at a time.
“Let’s take a break. Sohee looks like she’s struggling.”
I said that, stopping my own two feet that had been running ahead.
At that, Ahyeon also glanced back at Sohee and stopped.
“Ah, yeah….”
Ahyeon’s reaction was a bit lukewarm.
And then, from behind us, Sohee came pattering up, her footsteps finally catching up.
“Hah… sorry.”
Sohee immediately gasped out.
Still, she made it a lot further than yesterday.
“Sohee, are you okay? Want to rest a bit?”
Ahyeon walks over to Sohee and asks.
Yeah, that’s what you should have been doing from the start.
Meanwhile, I checked my phone to see how far we’d gone.
About 2.3 kilometers… Well, it’s definitely more than yesterday.
“I don’t think I can run anymore….”
Sohee said that.
Well, yesterday she gave up at even less distance.
Even if she rests now, she’s not going to be in any shape to keep running.
“Oh, really? Hmm….”
Ahyeon looked a bit troubled, glancing at Sohee.
The reason Ahyeon is reacting that way is probably because stopping here means we barely ran at all.
She’s someone who usually manages herself by running 5 kilometers, and she barely ran yesterday, let alone today.
But leaving Sohee here alone and running the rest of the distance… that’s not right either.
“Can’t be helped. Let’s call it here for today.”
While Ahyeon was still mulling it over with that lukewarm tone.
I spoke up first, decisively.
Ahyeon looked like she had something she wanted to say, but in the end, her mouth just opened and closed before she shut it.
***
That night.
“Yeah, you, you, you… ah…! Sorry.”
It was during script practice with Ahyeon again.
Ahyeon, uncharacteristically, was either still unable to memorize the script properly, or the words were just getting stuck in her mouth.
Either way, she was stumbling like that.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah… let me try again. Give me a second… ahem, ahem. Ah-ah.”
Then her voice cracked slightly, and she made a pained expression.
Ahyeon’s voice cracking like that had been a common thing since the past.
Whenever she practiced for a long time, that happened quite often.
And honestly, her throat was never all that strong to begin with.
“Let’s rest for a bit. Your throat doesn’t sound good….”
“Yeah….”
Ahyeon’s voice was deflated.
She probably wasn’t happy with herself either.
Anyway, in times like this… there was something I always used to do for her.
“Wait a second. I’ll brew you some tea.”
That’s right, platycodon tea.
I found it back in the day when I was researching what’s good for the throat, just for Ahyeon.
“Eung….”
I opened the shelf in Ahyeon’s place and took out the dried platycodon I had bought before.
Choi Ahyeon probably doesn’t even know what it is.
Yeah, the reason I’m doing this now is…
“Ahyeon, can you come here for a sec?”
“Huh?”
I called Choi Ahyeon into the kitchen.
At that, she trotted over and stuck close to my side.
“This… it’s dried platycodon, you know?”
“Oh, really? I was wondering what that was.”
“Yeah, the tea I’ve been making for you all this time is made from this.”
I teach Ahyeon how to brew platycodon tea.
Yeah, now she needs to learn how to make these things on her own.
Because in the future, she’ll probably have to.
“That nasty-tasting stuff?”
“Sure, but it works when your throat hurts, right?”
“It did, yeah. And it’s nice and warm.”
“Then listen closely right now.”
“Huh?”
Ahyeon looked like she was wondering why I was suddenly teaching her this.
With her eyes wide, she looked up at me, and I brought some water and poured it into a pot.
“Put about this much water in, and about this much dried platycodon. Simmer it on low heat for 10 to 20 minutes and it’s done.”
“Ah, okay. But what if I put it on and forget about it?”
“Then… you’re screwed, that’s what.”
“Puhahaha, are you trying to burn my place down?”
Ahyeon laughed innocently.
I, on the other hand, wore a bitter smile.
Now it was my turn to feel that way.
The physical distance between us was still growing slowly, but the emotional distance had already widened quite a bit.
In the past, I would’ve smiled along with her simple laugh and played along.
Seeing myself not do that anymore, I finally realize that I’m really preparing to drift away.
Yeah, I can feel the distance of a heart that’s grown apart.
Maybe it’s from today onward that the gap really spread wide.
Especially after this morning.
With that, the chocolate Sohee had given me this morning faintly floated into my mind before vanishing.
“Since I’m making it anyway, I’ll brew a lot, so drink some tomorrow too.”
“Ah! I should put some in a tumbler and bring it to school.”
“Yeah, that works.”
While waiting for the water to boil, we sat side by side for a while and talked.
The sound of the flames crackling was faint, but it was enough to fill the small studio.
“But why haven’t you cooked for me lately? I want to eat that pasta you made a long time ago.”
Ahyeon asked in an innocent voice.
Cooking, huh.
It’s true that I used to cook with her at her place about once a week.
Usually on the weekends. Kind of like wrapping up the week.
But… well, there’s no real reason to do that anymore.
It’s not like we’re the kind of people who sit at the table together, face to face, laughing and chatting.
At least from my side.
I don’t want to, and there’s no reason to.
Anyway, that’s why when I came over to drop off food before, I brought more frozen meals and meal kits.
Since I had no intention of cooking for her anymore, I wanted to make sure she could manage on her own.
And what I brought that time will probably be the last, considering how many days are left until the audition.
“I’ll make it… the day before the audition. Let’s eat together that day.”
I said that.
Well, it’s probably closest to a final dinner.
If that’s what she wants, then let’s have one last dinner.
A final dinner that only I know about. And a farewell that only I know about.
When the day of the audition comes, I’ll disappear from your side right after.
“Okay. I’ll eat Jino’s cooking to fill up, then go out and absolutely crush the audition and come back with the pass!”
“Yeah, hopefully that’s how it goes.”
“If you pass… let’s have a celebration party together!”
After that, the water bubbled and boiled, as if turning even our conversation into wispy steam.
Naturally, our conversation fades out.
.
.
.