In the End, It Was You

Being together has always felt like the most natural thing in the world for us.

It’s a belief you’ve never once questioned—
but for some reason, it feels strangely unsettling to me.

The same lips that used to call me out to play
now casually throw around jokes about marriage, as if it’s a habit—
without having the slightest idea what I’m really thinking.

“I think it’d be nice if we started dating. You and me.”

Just how long do you think you can keep avoiding it?

“[So, you must be John. Nice to meet you.]”
“[Hello.]”
“[We actually called you here because we need someone who can speak Korean. There’s a new transfer student today—could you help them?]”

The principal stepped a few paces closer.
An unexplainable pressure made me nod before I even realized it.

“[Come in now.]”

The moment the words fell, a thin figure darted out from the back of the staff room, as if they had been waiting for this exact cue.

The administrative staff, the principal…
and then—someone with a face I knew all too well.

“Oh, hey. Been doing well?”

A bright, cheerful face I hadn’t seen in a long time waved at me warmly.

“Missed me, didn’t you?”

That bold, shameless tone—completely unchanged.

“Let’s get along, Jungwoo.”

From that moment on, the connection between Seo Gihyeon and me truly began—
on weekdays, on weekends, all year round…
always together.