Idol’s Childhood Friend

1 – Shall We Shoot a Vlog?

“Wow, you’re so good at studying~.”

As expected of eight-year-olds, a classroom without a teacher is utter chaos. Especially on the day of receiving report cards after taking midterm exams for the first time.

“How can one get all the answers correct?”

A girl, whose innocence makes her adorable, stares at my test paper with wide eyes full of wonder.

I too sneak a peek at the test paper in her hand and casually throw a comment.

“You did terribly.”

Thinking back, I realize I didn’t have a trace of consideration but…

“You’re mean! But it’s true, so it’s okay.”

Being the easygoing girl she is, she confidently shows her score, full of zeros, with a smile.

Well, not just anyone can score full zeros as much as full marks.

“I’m Chaewon! You’re Yumin, right?”

Somehow or other.

That was my first encounter (or precisely, conversation) with Chaewon, and to be honest, up until that point, I hadn’t thought of becoming friends with Chaewon.

Me, cynical and reserved; Chaewon, lively and expressive.

We were like the opposite poles of magnets. In the beginning, I was busy pushing her away because everything she said and did was overwhelming to my introverted self.

But who can predict human relations?

As time passed, Chaewon began to adapt to my pace, and I too started to follow hers little by little, and before we knew it, we were almost inseparable.

It was in the third grade of elementary school.

“What’s your dream, Min?”

Sitting on the usual swing at the usual playground, out of nowhere, Chaewon asks about my dream while we’re enjoying our ice creams.

Having found the fun of playing since hanging out with Chaewon, I answered without much thought.

“…I dunno. I don’t have a dream. I just want to play.”

“You’re super good at studying! Aren’t you going to be a doctor?”

“It’d be nice, but doctors need to study a lot, so not really———.”

“I’ve had a dream since forever!”

“…Did you bring up the dream topic just to say this?”

“Yes!”

“……I like your honesty.”

Then, mirroring my cynical smile, Chaewon bursts into an innocent laugh.

She places her hands on her hips, assumes a confident posture, puffs up her chest, and exhales dramatically.

“I’m going to be a super famous idol in the future!!”

“An idol?”

“Yes! I’ll sing and dance in many countries as a cool idol!!”

“Like Big Bang?”

“Big Bang is a boy group…, Yes! I’ll become a magnificent idol like that!”

Chaewon jumps off the swing and starts dancing to Girls’ Generation on the sandy ground.

It was a time when getting poor grades meant hearing all sorts of things, but whether then or now, I honestly didn’t see the big deal in being good at studies.

If you’re good at something, nurturing that talent seemed cooler.

“You can do it. You dance well, and you’re an amazing singer too.”

So, I also spoke without much thought, supporting my friend…

♩♬♪♪~

The cool breeze at the end of April sweeps in through the wide-open window.

My eyes, which were blankly staring at the night sky, follow the incoming song downwards, and there, I see people dancing in tune with Ever’s song.

“The whole world is all about Ever, huh.”

It’s been exactly 15 years since I got to know you.

Though barely twenty-three, my childhood friend has become the leader of a world-renowned girl group Ever, a rising star of Chungmuro, and a blue chip in the world of entertainment in her sixth year since debut.

Thanks to that, I never missed Ever’s songs even while travelling around the world after being discharged from the military.

Bong Joon-ho, Son Heung-min, BTS, Ever, let’s go.

“… Come to think of it, it’s been over three years since I last saw her.”

My childhood friend comes to mind at the sudden sound of Ever’s song.

“Yawn~. Well, she’s a celebrity; she must be doing well.”

Perhaps because today was incredibly tight, thoughts of my celebrity friend didn’t linger.

I close the window and just before booking a train ticket from Kyoto to Kamakura…

「Can you talk on the phone?」

It’s 10 pm. A short KakaoTalk message flies in.

Speak of the devil.

“What’s up with her, calling right away?”

「I’m in Japan. I’ll contact you later when I have time.」

I would usually pick up, but it’s an international call, and more than anything, I’m tired enough to yawn.

I leave a brief reply and try to book the ticket again, but the other side is persistent.

The moment she reads the message, a voice call comes in.

-Hey you.

“Didn’t you see my polite message? And why call if you were going to message first?”

-Just because~.

You have to give it to her for being so stubborn and shameless.

With a deep sigh, I switch to speakerphone.

“So, what’s the grand reason for calling today?”

-Come on~. Do we need a reason to call each other?

“I’m hanging up.”

-Hey! If you act like this, you’ll regret it so much later!

“I’m already regretting answering your voice call, so no worries. Besides, I have to get up early tomorrow, so unless it’s urgent, contact me tomorrow———”

-I’m in Japan too!

“Oh. I see. Bye.”

-Wait?! Why are you reacting like that? We’re both in Japan, isn’t that amazing? Aren’t you, curious?

“It’s possible, isn’t it?”

-… You’re stubbornly not saying what I want to hear, right?

“You want to hang out together, don’t you?”

-See, you really are mean.

“So you know what I want to say, right?”

-I’m refusing if it’s a refusal.

Typical Chaewon. She knows me too well.

I chuckle and turn my gaze from outside the window, close my eyes with my head facing center.

“You know, when I’m with you, a lot of people recognize you. I like peace.”

-This is a huge misunderstanding, but even though I’m world-class, not that many people recognize me. People aren’t as interested as you think.

“Ha. Hey, do you know how many times I heard Ever and your solo songs today? Especially, the Japanese MZ generation definitely knows you.”

-hehehe. I did give out a lot of autographs to the flight attendants on the plane. Minah, isn’t your friend impressive?

“Okay. Can’t hang out with you. Let’s meet up in Korea later.”

-What? How can you say that? Kang Yumin, isn’t this upsetting?

“Yeah. I’ll compensate for the damage in Korea later.”

-Oh come on~! Let’s travel together~.

A whine close to a tantrum.

I know JiJiBae’s persistence too well, enough to sigh, from the experience of her nagging for two weeks in middle school just to eat one of my twin popsicles.

So, I know it’s pointless to resist once she sets her mind on something, but refusing to hang out has another reason.

“If a picture of me, a guy, hanging out with you gets taken, rumors about dating or something will spread. It’s tiring to deal with unnecessary issues during a vacation.”

The life of a celebrity, above all, is about image.

Even with outstanding beauty and unparalleled charm, a bad image can make life in the entertainment world tough. Conversely, a good image can bring unimaginable wealth, fame, and popularity.

Especially for idols with relatively short career spans, nothing is as fatal as dating rumors, and Ever is soon facing the “7-year jinx”.

Although it would be nice to hang out as childhood friends after a long time, I’m speaking earnestly for Chaewon’s sake.

-Dating rumors? With you? hahahaha!!

She’s losing it.

“…You’re laughing?”

-Should I cry then? Ah, ah ah, you really have developed a sense of humor. Ah ah, I can’t stop laughing~.

“Don’t contact me for the next two months.”

“aaah~. Why are you being grumpy again~. I’m sorry Minah, okay?”

“…What about the other members? Didn’t you say you were spending some time with them during your vacation?”

-I went and came back. We traveled to France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium for a month. I’ve been on personal vacation since yesterday.

“So you came straight to Japan?”

-Yup. I wanted to travel with Minie, so I came right away~.

“Goodness.”

I can only exhale a hollow laugh because I have nothing else to say.

I am at a loss for words. That phrase perfectly encapsulates my feelings.

-Touched, aren’t you? You must be thinking we should travel together.

“Not really.”

-Don’t be cold. It’s been over 3 years since we last saw each other.

As Chaewon debuted, and I too was busy studying, our meetings became less frequent.

Of course, it wasn’t a drastic decrease – from seeing each other every day to once a week or once every two weeks… but still…

From the age of nineteen, when Chaewon started her individual activities and world tours and I was preparing for university entrance, for almost 3 years now, we haven’t seen each other’s faces.

I too, like Chaewon, thought that we should meet at least once this year.

———Anyway.

“Do you know where I am in Japan?”

-Where are you?

“…Haah, seriously, you.”

-For reference, I’m at Narita Airport~.

JiJiBae, knowing she’d get an earful, preempts the conversation.

I have a lot to say, but I can’t say anything to someone who came to see me.

I answer in a subdued voice.

“I’m in Kyoto. It’ll take about 3 hours to get to Tokyo.”

-Should I come there?

“I was planning to go to Kamakura tomorrow. But if you want to come here, I’ll stay.”

-No, I initially planned to follow you. Besides, Kamakura is near Tokyo.

“I’ll arrive around 2:30 tomorrow. Let’s meet and eat.”

-Yes, yes! I’ll pay for everything while we’re together! Isn’t it great having a friend who earns well?!

“…Are you really going to pay for everything? You?”

JiJiBae chuckles, skeptical at the tone of my voice.

-What’s with that lukewarm response? Kang Yumin, I’ll be very hurt, you know?

“I’m sorry but, no, why am I apologizing? Look, you’ve never paid for anything before, that’s why I’m like this.”

Every time she says she’ll pay, she ends up asking for a favor, or wants me to call her “sister”…

I learned that nothing in this world is free from JiJiBae.

You think I’d fall for that again?

-Okay. You. You, remember this. I really was going to pay out of the joy of seeing you after so long and my innate kindness… Ah, forget it. Hearing that, I can’t do it.

“Every time I see a twin popsicle, I remember you chasing after me like a ghost.”

-Typical male. Holding on to the past. Okay. 2 stacks. I’ll make you order something extremely expensive and unprecedented.

“What about tomorrow’s accommodation?”

-It’s fine if we book the same place, right?

“Really?”

-3 stacks up.

“Typical of you to keep a count of grudges.”

-Typical of you, a girl, to not care about nuance. Just doing as you please. You, 4 stacks.

“You’re counting stacks, you’ve already thought about what to order, haven’t you?”

-…Damn. You’re terribly quick at catching on to these things.

“…Hey. Let’s just travel separately.”

-I absolutely can’t allow that. Are you going to tell your aunt?

“It’s cheating to bring Mom into this…”

My mother, Mrs. Park, who loves JiJiBae more than her own child. Especially since JiJiBae, Han Chaewon, became a famous idol, I’ve been treated like an outcast.

I still remember… her telling me to attach ‘nim’ and use honorifics when talking to Chaewon.

It’s too much. I murmur under my breath. I don’t want an earful from mom so…

“…3 pm tomorrow, okay?”

Reluctantly, I give in to JiJiBae’s whims. I can feel her satisfaction just from hearing my breath.

-Okay. Then I’ll wait at the station.

“No, don’t. I’ll come to you. Don’t crowd the station unnecessarily.”

-But it’s a classic to have such touching reunions at stations or airports.

“Just stay somewhere quiet until I contact you tomorrow? Haah, I’m sleepy.”

I slide the window shut and slip into bed.

Chaewon, sensing I’m about to end the call with just my yawn, hurries to add more words, attempting to prolong the conversation.

“Uh, wha-what? Why can’t I hear anything all of a sudden? Hello? Chaewon, can you hear me? Ah, why isn’t it working all of a sud———.”

Click. I hang up, delivering a robot act that even ChatGPT would applaud.

To others, she may be an idol they long to call even once, but to me, she’s just a chatterbox childhood friend.

+++

“Should I film a vlog?”

Thanks to her, I now have the opportunity to film a face-reveal vlog with a full stack of Upbos.