Just A Friend

#15

‘…Oh.’

He was a well-known political figure that anyone who consumed media would recognize. Though the name was vague, Nam Seonwoo knew he was famous.

‘I think his surname was Kang.’

But the frame was flipped over by Baek Heeyeon. It was a very natural motion, as if tidying up the bookshelf, but her hands were somewhat hurried. Glancing to the side, Nam Seonwoo noticed Kang Jihan’s gaze lingering there too. His expression was unreadable.

But that minister… Wasn’t he married?

The man often appeared on TV programs. There were several reasons, but his popularity had soared after appearing on a family show.

His wife who ran an art gallery, a tall daughter who resembled her parents, and a late-born son who came like a gift. They had shown a harmonious image in their picture-perfect home, earning everyone’s envy.

“…”

Nam Seonwoo didn’t want to learn about someone else’s family matters this way. A mix of indescribable emotions crossed his mind. To think he didn’t know this one thing despite liking Kang Jihan so fervently for fifteen years. Nam Seonwoo bitterly mocked himself as he tore his gaze from the frame. But his outward expression showed no trace of shadow. Right now, he wore the bright and innocent face befitting his age, just admiring the vast house.

While Baek Heeyeon prepared the meal in the kitchen, Kang Jihan and Nam Seonwoo sat in the living room. Kang Jihan seemed awkward about bringing a friend home; he sat on the sofa at first but then joined Nam Seonwoo on the floor. Nam Seonwoo pretended not to have seen anything and nudged Kang Jihan’s arm, lowering his voice.

“I guess she’s going to scold you after we eat? Is your mother very scary?”

Kang Jihan laughed incredulously.

“Does she look scary?”

“No, she looks like a complete angel. But you know, people like that are really scary when they get angry.”

“Angel?”

“Yeah, angel. Excuse me, but she’s incredibly beautiful. You look like her.”

Kang Jihan rubbed his nape. After fiddling with his shoulder where it met his neck, he replied a moment later.

“I must take after her.”

That conversation softened the awkward atmosphere. Kang Jihan took out a file from his school bag. Possibly used for storing school notices and memos, the July meal plan distributed today was inserted at the front. Unlike the colorful one Park Gyuhyeon had filled in, Kang Jihan’s meal plan was plain. Nam Seonwoo unconsciously took out that sheet.

Even as he scribbled on someone else’s meal plan with someone else’s highlighter, Kang Jihan didn’t say anything. He didn’t even object when Nam Seonwoo highlighted samgyetang, cucumber kimchi, and perilla leaf side dish. Looking at the increasingly colorful meal plan, Kang Jihan spoke.

“Try to eat it even if it doesn’t taste good.”

Nam Seonwoo looked at him, but Kang Jihan was just staring at the meal plan.

“She’s not good at cooking.”

It seemed Kang Jihan’s mother was unaware of her lack of culinary skills. Imagining Kang Jihan silently preserving his mother’s joy, Nam Seonwoo felt an inexplicable heaviness. Pretending to be upset, he said, “Do I look like someone who takes food that seriously?” Kang Jihan looked back and forth between the meal plan and Nam Seonwoo, then nodded.

Just then, Baek Heeyeon called them to the kitchen. Nam Seonwoo genuinely marveled at the meal laid out on the marble table. From labor-intensive side dishes to piles of grilled meat and fish. Her consideration in preparing various dishes, not knowing what he might like, was evident. Baek Heeyeon smiled brightly.

“I hear you’ve been helping Jihan a lot? With studying, I mean. That’s what Jihan said.”

Nam Seonwoo glanced at Kang Jihan sitting next to him. So the kid knows how to be grateful. He gave him that look, but Kang Jihan silently used his chopsticks.

“I wanted to treat you to something as thanks, and now we have the chance. Please, eat up.”

Nam Seonwoo smiled broadly and replied.

“Thank you. But it seems Jihan also told you about my favorite foods.”

“Jihan.” At those three syllables, Kang Jihan’s chopsticks twitched.

“These are all things I like. I’ll enjoy the meal.”

Nam Seonwoo thought he understood what Kang Jihan meant. The dishes tasted a bit different from how they looked. The stir-fried anchovies, expected to be salty, were bland, and the spicy gochujang pork, which looked fiery, was mild. While the seasoning was slightly off in each dish, Nam Seonwoo stuffed his cheeks full and chewed thoroughly.

“Does it suit your taste?”

He wasn’t forcing himself to eat. The taste wasn’t that strange, and just being able to eat such a home-cooked meal was moving. Moreover, considering the effort put into this spread, the seasoning was hardly an issue. Nam Seonwoo nodded sincerely and mumbled.

“I’m so happy, I feel like it might be my birthday.”

“Oh my! This child.”

Watching Nam Seonwoo clean his plates with satisfaction, Baek Heeyeon brought the side dish bowls closer. As he readily accepted and ate whatever was given, Kang Jihan looked at him with concern. But Nam Seonwoo didn’t stop eating. Not just his eating mouth, but his chattering one too.

“Wow, this is seriously the most delicious kimchi I’ve ever had. Did you make it yourself? Amazing. You know how they say a place with good kimchi is a truly good restaurant? I think you have a natural talent for cooking, have you ever thought about going on TV? It’s too good for just me to enjoy.”

Baek Heeyeon’s eyes widened before she burst into laughter. Unused to seeing his mother laugh so heartily, Kang Jihan forgot to stop Nam Seonwoo’s excessive flattery and just stared at them blankly. Baek Heeyeon leaned towards the table and said,

“I was worried because Jihan never says such things no matter what I make, but hearing it’s delicious puts this auntie’s mind at ease.”

“Well, you know Jihan, he’s not much of a talker. But you’ve never seen him throw his spoon, right? He throws it when the food’s not good.”

“What nonsense…”

“So if he eats your food quietly, doesn’t that mean it’s incredibly delicious? Right, Kang-ji?”

Before Kang Jihan could respond, another burst of cheerful laughter erupted. Covering her mouth with both hands like a young girl, Baek Heeyeon asked,

“Did you just call him ‘puppy’?”

She seemed to have misheard “Kang-ji” as “gangaji” (puppy). The two looked at each other with stiff faces for a second.

“I was worried because Jihan never talks about his friends, but it seems it was needless concern. You two must be very close, right?”

Quickly putting on a fresh smile, Nam Seonwoo answered nonchalantly.

“Of course. Jihan likes me so much, it’s almost a problem. To what extent? He cleans the blackboard for me, does the recycling for me, and also…”

“Oh my!”

As Nam Seonwoo continued the conversation sociably, Baek Heeyeon seemed to get more excited. She looked happy asking and hearing about how Kang Jihan was doing at school, his relationships with teachers and other friends, and such daily life matters.

Despite the fabricated stories, Kang Jihan quietly moved his chopsticks. The kitchen, usually enveloped in silence, was now filled with lively, unending conversation, and Nam Seonwoo finished almost all the food, proving his praise wasn’t just exaggeration.

After finishing the meal, Nam Seonwoo and Kang Jihan naturally picked up the dishes and headed to the sink without anyone taking the lead. Baek Heeyeon stopped them from doing the dishes. She handed them each a popsicle and patted their backs, telling them to relax and enjoy themselves.

“Seonwoo’s future mother-in-law must be so happy. To have such a tall and considerate son-in-law joining the family, it must feel so reassuring and joyful.”

Somehow, he couldn’t easily play along with those words, so Nam Seonwoo just responded with a smile. At that moment, Kang Jihan nodded as if to say “follow me.” As Nam Seonwoo was about to follow him to his room, a gentle voice stopped him.

“Seonwoo.”

“Yes?”

“Please take good care of our Jihan. It’s funny for this auntie to say this, but…”

Baek Heeyeon looked at her son’s back with a guilty expression. Nam Seonwoo could guess the words she swallowed. Beyond the guilt of not being able to care for him more attentively as a parent, there was also regret on her face for not being able to provide a “complete” family.

“Don’t worry. You know what kind of person Jihan is.”

Nam Seonwoo followed her gaze. Over Kang Jihan standing alone in the mansion-like house, he saw an overlapping image of Kang Jihan in a white doctor’s coat.

‘A high-paying field.’

‘If you earn a lot of money, what for?’

Now he thought he understood what future Kang Jihan was drawing. …Only now.

The part-time jobs he didn’t need to do, leaving this house right after his mother passed away, and relentlessly pursuing his goal until becoming a specialist. All of it must have been a struggle to escape the economic shadow of his biological father.

Nam Seonwoo didn’t feel the slightest resentment about Kang Jihan not sharing his family story during their long relationship.

Why did he realize only now? He couldn’t even begin to fathom how Kang Jihan’s intense focus on his goal, and the absence of his mother who should have been there to see it, had affected him.

Perhaps, he thought, it wasn’t just Kang Jihan who lacked interest in the other. His heavy heart led to a desire to see Kang Jihan through to the end.

“He’ll do well, even on his own.”

So this time, let’s each go our own way. You have a normal romance, get married, start a family, and I’ll live my own life. It would be nice to be friends who occasionally meet for a drink. Unlike a lover who will eventually become a stranger, friends can keep watching each other’s paths.

“Seonwoo, you’re not just a class president, you’re really…”

Nam Seonwoo turned his head at Baek Heeyeon’s voice. Suddenly, what caught his eye was Baek Heeyeon’s necklace.

“You’re like a homeroom teacher.”

The white mother-of-pearl butterfly pendant was familiar to Nam Seonwoo’s eyes. It was Kang Jihan’s mother’s keepsake that he kept in his first drawer. Seeing it, he felt oddly relieved. It was truly fortunate that his mother had regained her health.

“Thank you, Seonwoo.”

Nam Seonwoo took his eyes off the necklace and responded with a smile.