Eun-ho

The late afternoon sun painted the sky golden as the students began to emerge from the school gates.
"You took too long again!" complained the girl, placing her hands on her hips.
She was smiling, so no one would believe she was really angry.
The boy simply sighed.
— You spent twenty minutes talking to the teacher.

• Details.
  These aren't details.
  Yes, they are.
  She laughed and started walking along the sidewalk, forcing him to follow her.
  It was always like that.
  From a young age.
  Ever since they were four years old, she showed up at the neighborhood playground with a scraped knee and tears in her eyes.
  Ever since he shared his snack with her.
  Ever since she decided they would be friends forever without even asking his opinion.
  And somehow, they stayed together all those years.
  Same school.
  Same room.
  Same way home.
  Same group of friends.
  Same bench in the square.
  All.
  "Are you listening to me?" she asked suddenly.
  He blinked.
  Hm?
• You knew!
  She pointed at him, indignant.
  I was speaking two minutes ago.
  I heard.
  So what did I say?
  — That the literature teacher likes you more than the other students.
  She remained silent.
  Okay... you heard.
  I always listen.
  She smiled.
  That smile.
  The same smile he had seen since he was a child.
  The same smile that made his heart act like a complete idiot.
  She didn't realize.
  He never realized.
  To her, he was just her best friend.
  The person who helped her with math.
  Who carried her backpack when she forgot it existed.
  She was waiting to finish talking to everyone.
  Who always showed up when needed.
  Your best friend.
  Nothing more.
  Whereas for him...
  Good.
  It was impossible to remember when it had started.
  Maybe at age thirteen.
  Maybe at fourteen.
  Perhaps it had been much sooner.
  All he knew was that, with each passing year, it became harder to pretend it was just friendship.