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Chapter 1
“Fine, let’s start as friends.”
“Ha. No, I mean let’s just stay friends.”
“I said, let’s start as friends.”
“God, why can’t you take things seriously—”
Yeo-reum spun on her heel, her tone cold, as if she didn’t want to waste another word.
Snatch.
Hyun-ho caught her wrist in a quick, desperate motion.
She glanced down at his trembling fingertips, exhaled a short sigh, and muttered,
“I have no intention of being more than friends with you.”
“Even if I try hard to win you over?”
“…Yeah.”
“Five seconds.”
“…What?”
“That tiny moment of hesitation? That’s enough for me.”
Yeo-reum slipped her wrist free, her face twisted with utter confusion.
“I honestly don’t get why you’re doing this to me.”
“Because once was enough.”
“Once?”
“You. Missing you once was already too much.”
Silence fell between them.
“I never want to lose you again because of my own mistakes.”
“….”
“I’ll come to you. All you have to do is stay still. Don’t move away. I’ll do everything.”
It was far too difficult to push him away when he kept drawing closer.
Ah. What am I supposed to do…
His face, desperate to the point of tears, was just unfair. It was impossible not to falter.
No matter how many times she swore she would never be swayed by him again—
“Don’t you really remember me?”
The image of her seventeen-year-old self being helplessly pulled along by him flashed vividly before her eyes.
Spring, 2004
Yeo-reum was preparing to enter high school when she went downtown with her longtime friend, Bo-ram. Their excuse was to register for cram school classes—just like all the other students who had already started.
Of course, that wasn’t their only purpose. The academy was located in Seomyeon, one of Busan’s busiest districts. It was the perfect excuse to shop, hang out, and sneak in fun between study sessions.
On that day too, they huddled together, whispering as they chose their subjects with the unspoken goal of finishing quickly and heading off to play.
“Hey, Han Bo-ram.”
“What, Han Yeo-reum.”
“Do we really need Korean class?”
Yeo-reum tilted her head, unconvinced. She was never top of the class, but she wasn’t bad either. Korean had always been one of her best subjects, consistently scoring over ninety.
‘It feels like a waste of time and money…’ she thought.
Maybe English would be better. Grammar was her weak spot, after all.
Bo-ram snorted. “Then should we drop math? We’re terrible at math, you know. Even if we go into the humanities track, math is unavoidable.”
“I’m saying let’s drop Korean! We’re already good at it.”
“Pfft. You need at least one easy class to keep you going. Haven’t you heard of confidence? Besides, our classical literature’s still weak.”
“But still—”
“Trust me. If we only take math, we’ll show up two or three times at best, then ditch every session. This is called self-awareness, my friend.”
“Self-awareness, my foot. English makes more sense.”
“…Hmm. Fine. English it is.”
With math and English decided, they finished their registration and escaped the cramped alley of cram schools, stepping into the broad avenue.
Almost immediately, their eyes locked onto their usual stop: MiniMini Mall.
They never skipped it. Especially the sticker photo booth tucked between the first and second floors—an absolute ritual for the two of them since elementary school.
That day was no exception. They bought a few pens, a couple of t-shirts, and dove into the booth with armfuls of silly props.
“God, it’s been forever.”
“Right? Hey, Han Bo-ram, I’m using this—red star sunglasses.”
“Then I’ll use… this! Rainbow afro wig!”
They snapped photos in goofy poses, drew sparkly doodles across the prints, and scribbled words like Best Friends Forever.
Yeo-reum was about to slip out, leaving Bo-ram behind for another solo set, when it happened—
Thud.
“Oh!”
Her forehead smacked into someone’s shoulder.
Startled, Yeo-reum clamped her eyes shut and let out a tiny yelp. When she opened them again, a boy stood before her, clutching his chest like she had scared him half to death.
“Geez, are you crazy?” one of his friends barked.
“I knew it. Running around like a maniac.”
“Aren’t you gonna apologize?”
A group of boys crowded around, teasing the one who’d collided with her. One even grabbed his head and forced him into a bow.
The boy jerked free and muttered quickly,
“I’m sorry.”
Yeo-reum blinked, flustered, then gave the tiniest nod to show it was fine.
“See? I told you to watch where you’re going. Next time, listen.”
With a final grin tossed her way—
“Enjoy your photos, girls.”
—the group turned and strolled off, still heckling their friend mercilessly.
Yeo-reum found herself staring after them long after they’d disappeared, strangely captivated by the idea of boys taking sticker photos together.
On the way home, when Bo-ram asked what she was planning to do, Yeo-reum’s eyes sparkled.
“Gonna change my Winamp skin.”
Bo-ram rolled her eyes. “And then play games, right? Word cross puzzles and those spot-the-difference ones.”
No one knew Yeo-reum better.
The two had been inseparable since Yeo-reum moved into the apartment complex at age six. Same schools, same classes, same future—it was destiny.
By now, being apart was unthinkable.
So when Bo-ram nagged her like a second mom, Yeo-reum only grumbled half-heartedly as she opened her front door. She was in too good a mood to care—after all, she’d registered for cram school, and her mom couldn’t scold her for slacking.
“I’m home!”
Her cheerful voice rang through the apartment. The bedroom door opened, and her mother, Eun-sook, stepped out.
“Mom, today I went with Bo-ram to—”
“You’re back. Come sit down a minute.”
“…Why?”
“I want to talk. Come on.”
There was a heaviness to her voice, enough to make Yeo-reum nervous.
Dragging her feet, she ran through a mental checklist—no games, no mess, no dirty dishes. Nothing to feel guilty about.
“…Uh. By the way, I registered for math and English.”
“That so? Good job.”
She confessed like it was a crime, bracing for the usual lecture about studying harder. But her mother didn’t even blink. She looked… preoccupied.
That only made Yeo-reum more anxious. Something bigger was coming.
Finally, Eun-sook drew in a breath and spoke.
“Would you… come to Canada with us?”
“Ha—God, Mom, I thought you were being serious for a second. What did you just say?”
“Your father and I. Don’t you want to come live in Canada with us?”
Yeo-reum froze, eyes wide. Canada? Now?
Yes, she knew her parents had been preparing for immigration for years. They dreamed of running a Korean-style café overseas.
But in her mind, she was never part of that plan. She hadn’t studied English, hadn’t prepared a thing. Her parents never pushed, never insisted she join them.
She thought she’d stay behind. That this apartment would be hers. That she’d live independently, like in the movies. Maybe even reinvent herself into the kind of queen bee she’d seen in foreign films.
And now, suddenly—Canada? As casually as if they were moving to the next neighborhood?
Right before she was about to start high school?
Her lips parted in disbelief. Her face flushed red. And then—
“What the hell, Mom! Seriously?!”
