“I’ve known the Park family ever since I was a little toddler, thanks to our mothers being best friends themselves.

Out of the three siblings, I was the closest with Chorong due to our similarities; we had the same taste in fashion and shared various hobbies, so we naturally became best friends in no time. Wherever she went, I’d follow, and whatever I did, she’d try to join in. We were practically inseparable.

We were also lucky enough to always attend the same schools, since our mothers really wanted us to maintain our friendship throughout our entire lives. I was extremely thankful for it at first… though I never thought achieving it would be so heart-breaking.

Perhaps it’s because we achieved it a bit too soon for my liking.

Of course, Seunghee went to the same school as well, but her and I weren’t actually close back then.

She had such a strong and different personality compared to my own, I honestly didn’t know how to bond with her.

I had always found her to be quite an intimidating person, and I was pretty convinced that she didn’t even consider me as a friend of hers; she never seemed to be interested in hanging out with Chorong and I, nor did she ever allow me to get too close to her.

At one point I even thought she hated me for some reasons.

Seunghee and I remained distant until this one unexpected day, where Chorong couldn’t make it to school due to a fever and I was forced to go to school with her alone; I had always met up with them by their house in the mornings to walk to school together, but never had I done it without Chorong.

I remember promising Chorong that I’d make sure Seunghee gets to her class… however, Seunghee had other plans in mind and tried to escape from me.

I had to chase her down the streets and ended up following her to her secret hideout, which somehow impressed her since she didn’t expect for me to be able to catch up. She ultimately surrendered and I managed to drag her back to school, though we were already late for an hour at that point.

I’ve never gotten into that big of a trouble with the teachers in my entire life.

Once Chorong recovered from her sickness, things went back to how they were before.

I did get to hang out with Seunghee a bit more, and I suppose that was the true starting point to our friendship.

Everything was perfect in my opinion… but it sure didn’t last long.

Because it was during our second year of junior high, that incident happened.

I remember feeling as if I was going to throw up from the merciless waves of emotions, and I didn’t dare to imagine how the Park family felt.

My family and I immediately visited them as soon as we heard the unfortunate news, and throughout the entire car ride I had tried to come up with a way to prevent myself from breaking down when we arrive to their place. I honestly didn’t think I’d make it, because the pain was just too much for a 14 year-old to endure. The look in everyone’s eyes made it 1000 times worse, and I could physically feel my heart shattering into a million pieces within me.

But unexpectedly, I didn’t collapse into a mental breakdown. Not even when we sat with the Park family in silence, trying to accept the harsh reality.

Somehow, it was the broken and traumatised look in Seunghee’s eyes that made me hold myself together, all because I wanted be there by her side properly. To hold onto her tightly, even throughout her sister’s funeral. And throughout our high school enrolment.

And all the way to this day.

Unlike what others tend to believe, I had always been the one who persistently stuck myself next to her, and not the other way around.

People thought she was using me as company to distract herself from the new emptiness back home, but the truth was the exact opposite.

She tried her very best to push me away as she couldn’t bring herself to face me, her late sister’s best friend, properly anymore.

I didn’t let her though, and for once I managed to become more stubborn than her.

Even when she skipped school, I’d go find her at her secret hideout and simply accompany her until she felt better enough to leave.

I made sure she was never alone, and I made sure she knew I was always going to be there for her.

Not many people can understand why I’d go out of my way like this for her, but I suppose I never really told anyone in the first place as um…

It’s… kind of sad, and I wish I didn’t have the need to feel this way, but truthfully speaking…

I... I don’t think she has anyone else in this world, and at this point I’m too scared to leave her side.

I think she’ll break as soon as she’s left alone with her thoughts.

I mean, Mrs. Park has stopped going to therapy for the sake of keeping her favourite daughter ‘alive’, and Seunghee’s just feeding into her insanity by continuing with her act. I’ve tried so many times to convince her to stop, yet my pursuasion never succeeded because she still believes that she’s the one to be blamed for what had happened that night. She said she’s ‘paying for her sins’, and there’s nothing I can do to change that mindset of her’s.

It’s absolutely heart-breaking, to see both Mrs. Park and Seunghee like this, but she’ll literally do anything for the sake of her mum’s happiness…

Even if it means to destroy her true identity and to live the rest of her life as someone else…

To live as Park Chorong forever…”

Once Son Naeun was done with her explanation, a faint howl of the evening breeze took over the conversation as both of the troublemakers were far too stunned to even speak a single word. What they just heard was definitely a lot to take in- an incredibly difficult one, too.

Jung Eunji could only stand there with a pair of trembling eyes, biting her inner cheeks as a million thoughts ran through her mind.

Yoon Bomi, on the other hand, managed to break out of her silent trance and reached into her jacket pocket for her lighter and a cig, desperately in need to relieve the uncomfortable weight in her heart somehow.

They continued to walk on without a destination in mind, their footsteps extra heavy.

The moment of silence was a lot longer and difficult to bare this time, and it was only broken after a cigarette was extinguished.

The girl let out a deep sigh while her friend slowly took hold of Naeun’s hand, giving it a warm squeeze as an expression of her sincere sympathy.

“Um, I-I know I was the one who asked you in the first place, but why… why did you answer me? I mean, why do you trust us to point of telling us everything?” Bomi barely choked out her thoughts, making her friend glance back to the girl whom she was still walking hand-in-hand with.

Her words caused Son Naeun to arch out a faint and somewhat bittersweet smile, merely staring back at her for a couple of seconds without a reply.

Eventually, she gave Eunji’s hand a firm squeeze back before she finally parted her lips to answer:

“It’s because I think you’re capable of saving her, Yoon Bomi-sshi.”