Idol’s Childhood Friend

5 – I like you too, Min-ah

If I had stayed drunk until the end, I would have at least pretended not to know.

‘Wow…. I was just trying to kiss Yumin… ?’

I remember everything I did from the moment I drank my first drink at the izakaya to the moment I sobered up after gulping down the chocolate milk.

It is not strange to die in shame right now, but would you say it is a blessing in disguise?

“hehehe… !!”

You barely escaped from my arms and seemed to have no idea that I had sobered up.

“Key. “Drink chocolate milk for this taste.”

This is method acting.

“Hey Stop It. Where are you taking me?”

“Look at the time, look at the time…” ! I won’t go to the bamboo forest tomorrow… ?”

“You can just be late. Let’s sit down and talk a little more, okay?”

I grab your arm and stop you from sneaking away.

I want to push you away right away, but there’s no way I could let you go when I’m drunk.

…… hahahaha, alcohol is the real problem.

“Isn’t our Min kind? “Come here~.”

“… Just until 11 o’clock. Got it?”

“Yes! Until 11 o’clock!”

You, defeated by your momentum, sit against the wall.

A slightly longer distance than usual. Normally, I would have stuck with him and asked why I was keeping my distance, but……

———No. Not now.

“Ugh! “Isn’t there one more of these?!”

Continue with method acting accompanied by storm milk drinking.

Wide bed and modern interior. A wood scent that matches the scent and mood lighting that gently brightens the space. Even the night view of the city seen through the large window.

‘…… It’s so awkward.’

Maybe it’s because I’m drunk, but this whole situation feels like the ‘secret night atmosphere’ that couples want, so I don’t know what to say.

Ah, if you keep going like this, they will definitely notice that you are sober.

“Sea.”

“Huh?”

“Suddenly the sea came to mind.”

I know best that it’s random, but isn’t that what a drunk person says anyway?

‘I’ll be kicking the blanket all night, so please do something… !’

If I had known this would happen, I would have read the book more carefully.

I blamed myself for my poor vocabulary and looked at you with a blank expression……

“The sea reminds me of 6th grade.”

Luckily, you seemed to have remembered something and smiled softly.

“Second 6?”

“Don’t you remember? “When we went to Busan for summer vacation.”

“… “The one where you got stung by a jellyfish?”

“Yes, that. My body still throbs when I think about that time? “I can’t go into the sea anymore.”

“I remember because you said it. “I was stabbing the jellyfish next to me without realizing it, so you got scared and stopped me.”

“… Thanks to this, I had the unique experience of being stung by a large jellyfish about 1m long.”

“Thanks to you, I was able to experience seeing someone being hugged by a large jellyfish about 1m long.”

“Yumma.”

“Sorry. “I shouldn’t smile, but I stop without realizing it.”

You roll your eyes and make a puzzled expression.

I quickly swallow my laughter because I feel like if I laugh any further, I will get a look of disdain on my face.

“I honestly felt so sorry and amazed seeing you cry?”

“What else is surprising?”

“I thought you would never cry. “At that time, to me, Kang Yu-min was someone who wouldn’t bleed even if he was stabbed with a knife.”

“I knew you were looking at it that way, but… , still hey. “If a 6th grader gets stung by a big jellyfish like that and doesn’t cry, is that a human?”

“I thought you weren’t a person?”

“No, it’s already time…” ….”

“Sorry. And it’s only been 10 minutes?”

You click your tongue, muttering that it’s a waste.

I lean my upper body, which was off the bed, against the wall again and continue talking.

“… “Anyway, when I think about that time, my whole body feels numb.”

“But wasn’t the sea you saw today very pretty?”

“It was pretty.”

“Then how about we dip our toes in it next time?”

“… ….”

“Okay. “You know I’m so sorry, right?”

hehehe, I give a vague smile and vaguely touch your shoulder with my shoulder.

Seeing you showing off your displeasure and making a angry expression……

But it was really cool back then. Did I really think I was falling for you at that time?

I couldn’t say that honestly, so I had no choice but to just smile and explain it.

My childhood friend Vibe didn’t go anywhere.

The worry of wondering how to get over this situation led to an episode where nothing was said and the conversation continued without a hitch.

Thanks to you, the more we talked, the less I felt like I was acting……

As I listened to your quiet voice as if listening to late-night radio, the 30 minutes disappeared like melting snow.

Suddenly.

Suddenly, I remembered the second sign of liking that the members had mentioned.

Conversation that continues without interruption.

It is human nature to never have a long conversation with someone you are not interested in, so a long conversation is a typical sign of affection that suggests he wants to be with you for a long time.

In terms of proportion, it is 85 to 15.

When I raised a topic, Yumin would bring up a story, and I would chime in with the story.

Originally, the position should have been the opposite. The Yumin I know isn’t the type of person who talks this much.

You also showed me a new side of myself that I didn’t know about.

It was a great stimulus for me, who accepted the unknown with the expectation of finding out.

“This reminds me of my middle school days.”

———So this guy’s drinking is the problem.

“Middle school?”

“That was back then. “There was a time when I was really annoyed that I couldn’t go on a field trip because of the final evaluation of the debut group.”

“Ah, I remember. “It was truly a sight at the time.”

“What?”

“Even when I’m drunk, I understand well…” ?”

Jerit. I turn my head and look at you, but you block my gaze with your hand.

This is the beginning of a serious conversation, so what are you doing to make me lose my pulse? ….

“Anyway. “I really wanted to go back then.”

Honestly, I could have stopped here. But is it still because of the alcohol that I haven’t stopped?

Or do you just want to make excuses?

“Isn’t that right? Although the debut group was important, the memories I had with my friends were just as important to me. “Especially because things like school trips can only be enjoyed during those times.”

“That choice is what made you who you are today. The debut group itself was an opportunity that I never knew would come at the time.”

“The regret is that there is nothing we can do about it. What I still remember is how much anticipation I had when I received the family letter, and how I dreamed of having fun in Jeju Island every night. “Back then, I always had nightmares about failing in the debut group.”

He chuckles, raises his knees, pulls his legs up with his arms, and buries his face between his chest and legs.

Although several years have passed, the emotions of that day are still vivid.

“You know what? If you say no, you want to do more, and if you can’t have something, you want more. “I was so desperate to join the debut team that I even had nightmares, and even though I knew that, I really wanted to go on a school field trip.”

“Okay. You, who like to have fun, managed to endure it and come this far. “You’re cool, Han Chae-won.”

“———That’s why I like you.”

“…… Uh?”

A single word that awakens the silence.

Then I also wondered what I had said.

I wanted to talk about this, but I didn’t mean to talk about this.

“Yes. I like you.”

It’s strange. Strange.

What is it? Am I still drunk… ?

“I like it. Kang Yu-min, you.”

A strange and unfamiliar feeling that I have never had in my life.

I know the name of this feeling because I have lived for decades, but……

When I tried to give it a name, everything, including myself, which I was trying to accept, felt strange and unfamiliar.

This is all because of the members.

The members kept tying us up by saying things like it was an engagement or a wedding, and trying to attach special emotions to our every action, so I became conscious of it without even realizing it.

Because I’m conscious of it, I’m more concerned about it, and because I’m concerned, every word and action you’ve given me so far seems strange and unfamiliar.

Come now.

Now, 15 years later, Kang Yu-min has become a ‘curious person I want to know’ to me.

Because I haven’t known you for the past 15 years.

———Yes. This is all because of alcohol.

It was alcohol that divided our familiar relationship into you and me and put a question mark on our emotions, and it was also alcohol that made that question mark like a hook and urged us to catch your heart.

So how many times have you made a fuss?

I need to know. Even if I have to make excuses about being a member or drinking, I need to know now.

If you catch it like that, even if it’s just a small piece, it’s fine……

I need to catch every single clue you have.

“… “What does a school trip have to do with what I like?”

You talk so casually.

You, who had been blushing and embarrassed until now, went somewhere, and the you I knew appeared out of nowhere.

But I’m not sure if this is the person I really know.

Now, the ‘Kang Yu-min’ that I am still familiar with is no longer there.

Phew, I take a deep breath and cool down my boiling emotions.

I can’t waste anything again.

“You sent me a lot of photos back then. “I heard there were over 300 copies?”

“… Did I take that many pictures?”

I really can’t remember anything. I feel sad that I am the only one who remembers it, but I try to accept it calmly.

“Yes. He also called me during my break or when I was returning home and told me how I spent my day and told me stories related to the photos.”

“….I see. “I remember you telling me that you played with sand alone at the beach.”

This is the ‘Kang Yu-min with a good memory’ that I know.

“Even though I spoke bluntly at that time, calling it a deception and all, I was honestly very grateful. “I felt a lot of comfort while looking at the photos, and the story was so vivid that I felt like I was there myself.”

“… What. “What are you planning to do to me tomorrow by getting on a plane like this?”

This is the ‘extremely shy Kang Yu-min’ who I don’t know.

I want to understand you clearly amidst the inexplicable gap.

“I got first place in the end-of-month evaluation and got a vacation when I entered the debut group. “When I said I wanted to go to Jeju Island, which I couldn’t go to then, you said you would go with me.”

“Do you remember how you messed up back then? “I still can’t forget you lying down and spinning around telling me to go to Jeju Island.”

“… “Don’t remember that.”

“Anyway. I didn’t want to study either, and I wanted to congratulate you on being in the debut group. “More than anything, she sang that my mom wanted to go to Jeju Island.”

You fold your fingers and talk one by one.

Smile and nod.

“The last reason was decisive.”

“You got along well with my mom and her aunt. “But you came to Jeju Island to celebrate, so how can you two wander around for 4 days and 3 nights?”

“Thanks to you, you took me with you throughout the trip.”

“I’m sure my ‘J’ was created at that time.”

“It was fun. Even back then, you and I watched the sunset at the beach, and we sat like this in the evening and talked about various things.”

“… That’s right. “It was really fun back then.”

“Thank you. “For always being by my side, then and now.”

I turn my face to the side and look deeply at your face.

“I guess you’re quite drunk. “In my life, I’ve heard strange things from people thanking me for being by their side.”

You accept my sincerity without any hesitation.

“hehehe, I guess so. “But you didn’t get your tongue twitched at all?”

Yes. I expected it. Still, I guess I can’t help but feel sad.

“It’s really gross. “How can a drunk person’s repertoire be so consistent?”

“But it’s true. “My pronunciation isn’t awkward at all?”

“Soy sauce factory manager.”

“Gangjang Gonjang Gonjanjang.”

“That’s bad.”

“Why are you laughing at me? “I had really good diction~.”

“Okay, go to sleep. “Let’s skip the bamboo forest tomorrow and get up late and eat udon.”

“What? Are you going to sleep already?”

“It’s already 11 o’clock. “Not already.”

You showing your cell phone clock.

Well, as you said, it’s already 11 o’clock. No matter how excited I am to see you after such a long time, and even though I hold onto you like a child, we can no longer be in the same room.

You and I are adults, we are of different genders, and above all, we are ‘friends’.

“———Tell me this one thing clearly.”

That’s the problem.

“Honestly, there are a lot of things I can’t say to my parents, members, close celebrity colleagues, or friends, but I can say them comfortably to you. “Isn’t it amazing?”

Isn’t it really amazing?

Why are you and I still friends?

“I can’t beat my parents in terms of how long I’ve known them, I can’t beat my members in terms of affection, and I can’t beat my celebrity colleagues and friends in terms of bond, so why do I think of you when something happens?”

Even if you are happy, sad, angry, happy, scared, excited, sick, bored, empty, lonely, and even happy.

Why do I think of you at any time?

“I didn’t understand that so I thought about it? But, oddly enough, even though it’s my problem, I think you know, and I think your answer is the right answer to solve my problem.”

No one ever decided that you and I should remain childhood friends……

Why on earth are we still friends?

“So. So, we need to talk about it properly… ?”

Stop, take a deep breath, and remain calm.

I’m just pretending to be drunk anyway.

If I have to, I’ll pretend I don’t remember.

“I like you too, Min-ah.”

I need to know.

I need to know.