One
Hey There Miss Shorty
“Why do I always sit in front? I also want to sit at the back,” Jongin whined, kicking a rock and staring at it as it rolled down the road. Nari giggled and patted the shorter boy’s head.
“That’s because you’re short. Teacher Kang doesn’t want you to suffer. You’ll not see the things written on the board if you sit at the back,” she replied.
Jongin turned to her with an irritated look on his face. True, Jongin’s short for his age and his height’s giving him some kind of handicap. He was turned down to be a member of the basketball team because they said he’s short or more of like “we don’t need a chibi in our team.”
He always asks himself if something’s wrong with him. He’s been eating vegetables, even if he hates them, and he drinks milk in the morning and even before sleeping. Maybe, just maybe, when God poured out height, he was sound asleep and Nari took it all because, damn, she’s tall for her age.
At the age of 12, he’s only 149 cm as compared to his classmates who are already hitting 160 cm. Nari’s not an exception. She’s 162 cm tall and she’s the tallest girl in their class. Jongin always call her giraffe but that’s just a subtle expression of his jealousy and frustration.
“Wow, thanks for explaining like I don’t know what the reason is,” Jongin huffed in sarcasm.
“Cheer up. You’ll grow taller soon,” Nari commented, ruffling his hair yet again. Jongin hit her hand and stepped away.
“Stop doing that. People will think I’m younger than you,” he stated, looking around. “And that’s the exact line you said last year. I think I’m stuck to being like this,” he continued, looking down.
Nari stopped walking and stared at her friend who had his back on her.
“Look! It’s Jeon Sohye!!” she suddenly shouted and Jongin looked at her in surprise. “Where?” he asked right away before looking around.
Instead of a reply, Jongin heard a loud laughter. “Do you really like her that much?” Nari asked between laughing and wiping her tears. Jongin glared at her. “Stop doing that. It’s childish,” he retorted.
“Ooh~ so you’re not childish? Between the two of us, you look like the child because you’re shorter,” she pushed playfully.
“Shut up.”
Jongin looked really pissed off. Seeing him like that made her feel a little guilty but she couldn’t help it. It’s fun teasing Jongin when he reacts like that all the time. He turned around and stomped away.
Nari stopped laughing and started running to cope with him. She put her arm around his shoulder and he grunted. “I said stop doing that,” he commented, trying to let himself free from her but she pulled him even more. He really does look like a kid when he’s next to her.
“Stop doing that~” she repeated in a high toned voice.
“Seriously, stop it.”
“Stop it~”
She laughed out loud when Jongin sighed in defeat. They continued walking like that until a bunch of kids stopped in front of them. Nari’s smile went away when she recognized who they were. She noticed how Jongin flinched at her side.
“Hey shorty, going home?” one of them asked and the others laughed mockingly. Nari grabbed Jongin’s hand and pulled him. She only took two steps when the guys started ‘oooh-ing’ them. Pissed off, Nari turned and glared at the tallest guy who was even taller than her. They are all their seniors in their school and they’ve been bullying Jongin all year round.
“Let’s just go,” Jongin said, tugging her hand.
“Yes, just go away like a coward. As expected from Shorty,” Seungho, the tallest one, said with a grin.
“Jongin’s not a coward unlike you who don’t pick someone your size,” Nari stated with a solid tone.
Wow, thanks a lot for pointing out that I’m not his size. Jongin internally muttered when he heard what she said.
“What? Who are you calling a coward? Me?”
“Yes, you. And unlike you, Jongin still has a chance unlike you. He can grow taller but in your case, you need to be reborn to have a different face.”
Seungho’s lips twitched into a smirk before stepping towards her. Nari felt Jongin pulling her again but she did not budge. The other guys were staring at them, holding their breaths for what will happen next.
“This bitc-”
The other guys gasped in unison.
Jongin couldn’t believe what Nari just did – a powerful kick on Seungho’s crotch.
Poor…balls. That’s all Jongin could think off.
“And stop calling Jongin Shorty. I’m the only one who can call him that,” she deadpanned.
“Do you think he’s okay?”
Jongin wrote on the pad before lifting it up, showing it to Nari who was sitting in front of her window which was adjacent his own room. She started writing something and she lifted her own pad after some seconds.
“Don’t care.”
He smirked. Nari has some kind of warrior spirit inside and she’s not afraid of telling off other people when they’re doing bad things. Sometimes, Jongin suffers the consequences of her actions.
“Suits him for calling you Shorty.”
She added, lifting the pad again. She smirked before making some funny faces. Jongin chuckled, grabbing his marker to write something.
“You also call me Shorty. Why are you an exception?”
Nari stared at what Jongin just wrote before quickly writing a reply.
“Because I’m Song Nari, your bestfriend and you love me very much.”
Jongin shook his head, laughing. “I don’t,” he wrote. Quickly, Nari added a crying emoticon on her paper.
“You love me, right? Right? T^T”
Standing up, Nari leaned over her window. “Kim Jongin, stop lying!” she shouted playfully.
“I’m not!” he yelled back. She frowned before turning her back on him. She picked her paper and started doodling. On the other hand, Jongin was doing the same.
Nari turned back, showing what she drew. It was a very big heart and she cutely posed beside it.
Jongin raised his paper above his head. “I’m just lying.”
Writing on papers to converse has been their own thing since they were younger. They’ve known each other’s’ likes and hates. They’re like the pair of the other. Jongin knows who her crush is and she knows his crush too. When Nari found out that Jongin likes Jeon Sohye, the girl from the other class, she has been using that to friend.
She just finds it too fun – looking at Jongin being flustered when Sohye’s around.
“Nari, come down and eat dinner!”
Her mom’s voice called and she looked at Jongin, gesturing that she needed to go down and he nodded right away.
Right, spoken words are not necessary when they’re together. They just have this connection – a connection that the two of them feel.
“151 cm,” Jongin mumbled, looking at the graph.
He paused for a long time, processing what he just saw. After two years of waiting, he finally hit the 150 mark. It’s not really that relevant for others but it is for him. He’s been praying for the past years to grow even for just a centimeter.
A bright smile broke on his face, already thinking of boasting what he found out to Nari. Quickly, he made his way to the door and quickly slipped his shoes on. As he got out of their house, he saw her staring up at a tree just beside their house.
Strutting across the road, he proudly lifted his head high. And when he stood beside her, he cleared his throat as if announcing that he’s there. Nari looked at her for a second before looking back at the tree.
“Do you think I look different today?” he asked.
Nari looked at him again, this time she gave him her full 3 seconds before looking away. “You cut you hair shorter?”
“No.”
“You got a new pair of shoes?” she asked, not looking at him.
“These are old.”
Sparing another 3 seconds, she turned to him again. “Ah!” she exclaimed. Jongin already had a big grin on his face, expecting that she’s going to point out that he grew taller.
“The pimple on your forehead disappeared!” she continued.
W-What?
Talking to Nari feels like deflating a ball. She’s hurting his pride everytime she opens . “Right?” she asked innocently and Jongin just sighed before rolling his eyes.
“I grew taller by 2 cm,” he finally said.
“Really?” she gasped before holding his shoulders, scanning him from head to toe. She even turned him around like a mannequin. “You look the same. Are you sure you grew taller? I can’t tell the difference.”
See? That’s what we call ego-punch brought to you by Song Nari. How could she tell the difference anyway? It’s just freaking 2 cm!
When her eyes met his, she could see lasers coming from him. “Let’s just forget I brought that up,” he stated before looking up at the tree. “What are you looking at anyway?”
“A cat. I saw it this morning,” she replied right away, looking up at the thick branches.
“Where is it?”
“There,” she pointed out. “It’s hard to see it because it’s black.”
“Oh, I see it.”
“I want to get it down.”
“How?”
Nari thoughtfully hummed before looking at Jongin who, in return, looked at her with suspicion. Sometimes, she could come up with things that could get them into trouble. Jongin quietly waited for her great idea.
“I’ll carry you on my shoulder and you reach for it,” she replied with a cheery tone.
Jongin could picture what she just said and he could swear that it didn’t look too good – a girl carrying a boy. That’s just weird for him. “I’ll just carry you,” he suggested.
“Are you sure? You look weaker than me though.”
Strike 2 for the day. Nari’s hitting all the spots and she looks like she’s going to hit a homerun too.
“Stop teasing me,” he grunted. Nari just chuckled and reached for his cheeks, pinching them. Jongin’s eyes widened before stepping back. “Seriously, stop doing things like that. Just get on,” he retorted before crouching for her to get on his shoulders.
“I was just playing around. Why are you such a sour ball these days?” she asked, getting on. Jongin could feel his shoulders going down because of her weight.
“Because you’re like that,” he replied, trying to steady himself before standing up slowly. He held her legs as he wobbled a little.
“Hey! Don’t you dare fall!” she screamed, pulling his hair in the process and he screamed too.
“Don’t pull my hair! That hurts!”
“Nearer. A little more,” she instructed, letting go of his hair and extending her arms to reach for the cat which was staring at her like it was ready to get down.
“Did you get it yet?”
“No. A little nearer,” she replied and Jongin stepped forward. His legs were already shaking. “Hurry up!” he yelled.
“Wait, there you go,” she chirped when she was able to reach the cat.
“Now, get down.”
Carefully crouching, Jongin huffed when Nari got off his shoulders. She patted his back.
“Is the air different there?” Nari asked, grinning while looking down at Jongin who was inches shorter than her.
The boy glared at her before making a snapping remark. “Just you wait. If I grow taller than you, I’ll call you Shorty Nari.”
Nari laughed whole heartedly.
“Okay, Shorty Jongin.”
“162 cm.”
Jongin blinked. It took him another two years to hit the 160 mark. This time, he’s confident that Nari’s going to notice the difference. He ran out of the house, slipping his pair of new shoes in the process.
The smile on his face was replaced by a stoic one when he saw her with Shinwoo, the new guy in their school, and they looked like they were having a good talk. They were standing in front of their house and Jongin hated how she was laughing at whatever Shinwoo was telling her.
Why am I feeling like this? He asked himself, putting his hand on his chest.
He just stood there, staring at them – at his bestfriend.
Nari did not even notice him glaring at them until Shinwoo left. Jongin really hated how she smiled at Shinwoo when he waved his hand goodbye. When she turned around, she saw him and called his name out loud. “Kim Jongin!”
Dragging his feet towards her, he couldn’t shake the bitter feeling inside of him.
“Oh! You’ve got a new pair of shoes,” she pointed out and Jongin just nodded.
“Wait, did you color you hair to dark brown?”
Jongin nodded.
“The scar on your left cheek’s almost gone,” she added. He unconsciously reached for his cheek. He didn’t even notice that. Nari’s been noticing even the smallest changes with him but he, on other side, couldn’t even tell that he’s changing and the biggest change of them all is how he looks at her.
He’s falling for her.
“Is it just me or we’re really the same height now?” Nari suddenly asked, checking their heights side by side.
“You’re still taller.”
“Am I?”
He nodded in reply. Nari’s standing 164 cm beside him. “2 cm taller,” he added.
“Really? Kim Jongin, this needs some kind of celebration,” she chirped, hanging her arm around his shoulder and pulling him down. He’s supposed to be used to it now but he could feel his cheeks burning. He could smell her usual vanilla scent shampoo.
“Song Nari, stop it,” he said with a hard tone. He stepped back and Nari let go of him.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“You should really stop doing that. We’re not kids anymore,” he replied and it was obvious that she was taken aback by his sudden remark and tone. She looked hurt and he felt bad for snapping at her. “Sorry, I’m just having a bad day,” he apologized.
An understanding smile came to her face after a while and it was like a light in his eyes.
“Well, your bad day will definitely go away once you eat some sweets. Come, dad bought some cookies and chocolates this morning,” she said with her usual energetic tone before dragging Jongin inside their house.
He followed suit while staring at her hand, holding his.
Falling for Song Nari. Me? I must be crazy.
Jongin shook his head for the nth time before rolling on his bed. Whenever he thinks that he’s falling for her, he couldn’t help but think of all the weird things that they’ve been through since they were kids. They’ve done too much crazy stuff together and he knows her so much and so is the case for her.
The vibrating of his phone made him snap back to reality.
“Jongin?”
He stared at that single word from Nari.
“Why?”
“Sleeping?”
“Not yet. Why?”
“Nothing.”
Jongin sighed as he sat up. He leaned on the headboard of his bed and started typing a reply.
“Spill it. You don’t text me for nothing. What’s wrong?”
He waited for a reply but she was not sending one. He was about to put his phone down when it vibrated again.
“Shinwoo asked me out.”
His hands felt like they were frozen. He bit his lip and typed a reply.
“And?”
He drew a long, deep breath before closing his eyes. Things are really going smoothly. He internally stated sarcastically.
“I don’t know if I’ll say yes or no. What should I do?”
Are you really asking me? Song Nari, you’re giving me all kinds of head problems. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.
“Jongin?”
He put his phone down and stared at it blankly as Nari’s texts flooded in.
“Kim freaking Jongin, what should I do? Help me.”
“Please.”
“I will not call you Shorty anymore. Please. I don’t know what to do.”
He did not budge.
“Window.”
Jongin raised a brow when he saw her last text. He got off his bed and pulled the curtains open. And there she was, holding her pad above her head.
“Should I go?”
Jongin’s eyes were glued on her. Nari frowned when he did not do anything. She started writing again.
“Help me. Please. I love you Kim Jongin. Please.”
I love you – those were the three words that Nari often uses and it’s like a normal thing between them but Jongin’s reacting to it now differently.
He pulled his own pad from his desk and started writing.
“Go.”
Nari paused a little.
“You sure?” she lifted.
Jongin nodded. Nari smiled at him, mouthing “okay and thank you” after that.
Great. What now? He asked himself as he saw her closing her window. He plopped back on his bed, regretting that he just told her to go.
“Go.”
Jongin traced his index finger on that piece of paper. It has been three years since he wrote that, pushing Nari to go to a date with Shinwoo and until now, he never had the courage to tell Nari what he feels about her.
He pulled the previous page and smiled.
“Don’t go.”
If only that was the page that he showed her, maybe things are different now. He decided to show the other paper on the last second. He opened his window and looked at Nari’s house on the other side of the road. All their windows were closed and that’s been how it was since her family moved to Australia.
They’ve been communicating but not that much through those three years. He’s been busy with school and so was she. They’ve been rarely having long conversations with each other. All they could ask was “how are you?”
And Jongin’s not sure if she has a boyfriend. He couldn’t bring himself to ask her because she might find him weird.
“Jongin!”
“Yes?” he asked, rushing to his door.
“Can you bring this folder to your dad? He left it this morning, he said he needs it this evening” his mother said from the living room.
“Okay,” he replied before rushing back to his window. He stared long at the other house before closing his curtains.
There’s something about the afternoon breeze that’s calming. It’s the time of the day when he and Nari would go home from school. Walking alone along that road which they used to walk through was weird at first but Jongin grew accustomed to it.
As he made a right turn to their subdivision, he saw a big truck in front of Nari’s house and they looked like they were moving some stuff inside. He walked faster, curious of what’s happening. Maybe Nari’s parents sold the house. Maybe someone’s moving in.
Maybe-
He halted.
He halted and stared.
He stared long and hard.
His eyes were on a girl who was carrying a box from the truck. She had her hair tied up.
He couldn’t believe his eye.
“Song Nari?”
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