My Girlfriend Is a Shaman

51 – Incomplete Excitement #1

“Sera, I’ll go now.”

“See you tomorrow.”

When it was late at night, I returned home with the clothes I bought at the department store. Not Hyehwadang, but the house where my mom and I live. No matter how much I wanted to be with Sarah, her mother would worry if I went to sleep at Hyehwadang every day.

When I returned home, it was already time to sleep.

“Mom, I’m here.”

“You are coming now, my son.”

There was a mother at home after getting off work.

Her mom, who was drinking her beer in her living room, drunkenly accosted me.

“Have you eaten dinner?”

“I ate at Sarah’s house.”

“Did you stay up late playing with Sarah again?”

“I’m always like that.”

Is it because I drank beer and got drunk?

Mom smiled brightly at me.

“Oh my. It’s always like that! My son has already set up his home outside.”

“What kind of living outside is this?”

“Isn’t that how you live outside? You spend more time at Sarah’s house than you do at home. Anyone who sees you will think you are the son-in-law of that house.”

“Mom…!”

Living outside.

I couldn’t say anything to her mother because I had nothing to say. In fact, it was true that I set up my home at Hyehwadang. At Hyehwadang, I had my own toothbrush and blanket, and many of my clothes were brought with me.

Mom also knew that I was using Hyehwadang as if it were another home. There was even a time when Sarah’s parents and my mother met. Her mother didn’t say anything about my coming and going to Hyehwadang. Except for the occasional teasing like this.

“hehehehe, son. Why are you talking so loudly? Did something happen with Sarah today?”

“Nothing happened.”

“Really? If something happens with your childhood friend, please contact your mom. Mom will take the day off and come to congratulate you.”

“No, really!”

Her drunken mother kept teasing her about her curly pronunciation.

I quickly went into my room and ended the conversation with her mom. Perhaps there was nothing between me and Sarah that my mother expected. So, even though my mom teased me, I only felt unfair.

‘Why do you keep teasing me? ‘You’re a friend.’

I washed up and lay down on the bed. Sarah and I were close childhood friends. Although men and women were her friends, she did not have any expectations. The reason I didn’t have any expectations was because of what happened between us in the first year of middle school.

In fact, it is true.

There is a story that is embarrassing to tell to others.

When I was in my first year of middle school.

Sarah and I dated for a short time.

“…….”

You might not believe it, but it was true. My silver-haired childhood friend was my girlfriend for a short time, but it was clearly in my memories. It wasn’t just me who misunderstood. Sarah probably remembers something from middle school.

It was a spring day after we entered middle school.

One day, Sarah suddenly said this to me.

━Jinwoo, why don’t we date?

━What?

At first, I thought I was hallucinating.

But the invitation to date wasn’t an auditory hallucination.

━Dating seems fun. How about we try it as a joke?

━Now, as a joke?

━Yes.

He seemed fun, so let’s date him as a joke, that’s what he said.

It was a joke, but I immediately said okay. To be honest, it wasn’t that I didn’t have any excitement for Sarah since I was young. A pretty silver-haired childhood friend asks you out, but who could refuse?

━Let’s do it! Sounds fun.

━Right? hehehehe.

As a middle school student, I had expectations when accepting Sarah’s offer. Maybe our relationship could have become more and more complicated. I’ve read novels about couples who start dating as a joke, but soon become serious. I was so excited because I thought we could become like that couple.

━Seraya. Let’s go to the amusement park this weekend.

━Hmm. Are you asking me out on a date already? Good.

After that day, we dated as a joke for a week. Because it was a joke, I didn’t tell my parents or friends that we were dating. We spent a week going to amusement parks together and going on dates.

In my memory, it was a very exciting time.

I thought it would be nice if we were dating sincerely, not as a joke.

A week has passed.

━Whoa, you had a good time.

━Okay.

━Jinwoo. Now we….

━Now?

━Let’s stop dating jokes. I’ve been playing pranks for a week. It would be embarrassing if your parents caught you.

It didn’t happen that Sarah crossed her line. As a week passed, we ended our dating joke without any regrets. After being so excited every night for a week, my expectations were completely dashed.

From that day on, I no longer misunderstood women. The disease that all children have, a little bit, has completely improved. If a girl gives you something to eat, you just give her something to eat. If a girl is particularly kind to me, she is just being nice. Because if you don’t have expectations, you won’t be disappointed.

“Ugh.”

It was a moment that brought back all the dark memories of middle school.

A moan naturally came out of my mouth.

So, I did not have vague expectations for Sarah.

To be precise, she tried not to harbor expectations.

*

But still.

Even though I tried not to have expectations, there were sometimes days when I did.

It was a day like today.

It was when I went to school early in the morning.

When I opened the door to the classroom and entered, I saw Sarah, who had arrived earlier than me.

I waved happily as usual.

“Hello, Sarah.”

“Hello.”

Sarah, who was sitting by the window and reading a book, answered.

I approached Sarah and sat down next to her.

“What book are you reading today?”

“It’s an astrology book.”

It was when I looked closely at Sarah to see what book it was. I realized that Sarah looked different from usual. Sarah, who always had straight, flowing hair, was wearing her hairpin today.

It was a blue butterfly-shaped hairpin.

I felt like I had seen it somewhere before.

‘Huh?’

I immediately remembered where I had seen it. That was the hairpin I picked out for Sarah the last time we went to the department store together.

At that time, wasn’t it something you didn’t buy because it looked flashy? But why am I using it now?

“Hmm…”

“Hmm….”

I saw Sarah quietly touching her hair while turning the pages of her book.

It was as if she was advertising for someone to look at the hairpin she was currently wearing.

There was a moment of silence between us. I couldn’t contain my curiosity, so I opened my mouth first.

“Sera. Did you buy a butterfly hairpin? Wasn’t it because it was flashy that you didn’t buy it?”

“Oh, this?”

Sarah put down her book and touched the butterfly hairpin with an expressionless face.

It was as if he had just remembered something after I told him.

“…I just liked it so I bought one.”

“Did you like it because I chose it for you?”

“I didn’t buy it specifically for you. None of the hairpins at home had a butterfly shape.”

“Oh, I see.”

It may have seemed like a very ordinary conversation to others.

But there was a subtle tension between us.

You didn’t buy it because I chose it? No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed old, but Sarah’s expression was so calm. She was Sarah, and she kept her poker face for a while, so it wasn’t easy to figure out what she was thinking.

It was then.

Sera asked me what I thought in passing.

“So what about me? I tried using a hairpin.”

If you ask me how I feel, is there anything else I can say? The butterfly hairpin I chose suited Sarah very well. Sarah, who always wore her hair straight, now looks brighter.

“…It’s pretty.”

“I can’t hear you, so would you like to say it again?”

“He said it was pretty.”

When I spoke honestly about my impressions, Sarah looked at me and smiled.

“Jinwoo. Am I so pretty?”

“Who said this?”

“You just said that.”

Although she said she was pretty, she didn’t add the word ‘too’.

Why am I saying something I didn’t say?

“hehehe.”

When I saw Sarah’s smile getting brighter, I felt like teasing her.

I opened my mouth again.

“Not you, but the hairpin is prettier.”

“Huh…?”

Successful change of words.

Sera’s smile became stiff. Sarah was laughing as if she was playing with me, but she couldn’t laugh anymore.

“You meant the hairpin, not me…?”

“Of course. I’m sure you’re not mistaken, right?”

“…I couldn’t have been mistaken. I knew it too, but I was just joking.”

Sarah, probably embarrassed, turned her head and looked toward the window of her hallway.

When it was time to start school, the children in the class began to enter the classroom one by one.

Sarah fell on her desk, unable to make eye contact with me.

“Hey, are you sleeping?”

“I’m not sleeping. My head hurts.”

Am I feeling embarrassed and pretending to be sick this time?

At first, I thought Sarah was pretending to be sick. But as time went by and her first period class began, she realized that Sarah wasn’t acting. Sarah put her hand on her forehead and said to me.

“I suddenly feel like I have a fever…”

“Where does it hurt?”

“My head hurts a little.”

I reached out my hand and touched Sarah’s forehead.

I really felt a slight heat on Sarah’s forehead.

“You really have a fever. Shouldn’t you go to the nurse’s office?”

“It doesn’t hurt that much. I’d like to go to the nurse’s office.”

Do I have a cold?

Because it was still April, the weather was cool. Sarah went to the nurse’s office during her class and took fever reducers. But even though she took medicine, her fever did not subside. Rather, her fever rose as time passed.

All classes at school are over.

“Ugh…”

“Let’s go home quickly.”

After school, I picked up Sarah and took her to Hyehwadang. On the way, I looked at Sarah’s forehead again. The slight heat on her forehead was now warm enough to be felt in her palms.

Sarah arrived at her Hyehwa temple and lay down in her own room.

“Jinwoo, I think I need to get some rest…”

What?

Why is it suddenly an honorific?