Leftover Worries

After eating together yesterday, we finally decided to go camping instead. Considering that the holiday is only two days, we can't travel far.

“Dad, I'm leaving.” I said goodbye after asking for his permission. We sat on the floor facing each other.

“Hmm. Go ahead. Take good care of yourself,” he said while touching the top of my head.

“Dad... are you really going to be okay?” Honestly, I didn’t want to leave him alone in this house. Dad still needed treatment with his illness lingering inside him. I needed to take care of him, but I had to keep my promise to Hana. She really begged me to come along. I had no other choice.

“Of course. Listen! You’re only going for one day and one night. Why are you acting like you’re leaving for years, huh?” He chuckled, maybe thinking my attitude was exaggerated. But for me, it wasn’t something to be taken lightly. That illness... could take Dad away from me at any time. Moreover, while I was away, I wouldn’t know what might happen to him. My current promise was important, but the promise that had become my life’s goal was even more important.

“I know. But how can I make sure you’ll be okay while I’m gone?”

“Let’s do this. Let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Yes. If something happens to me, the first person I’ll contact will be my nagging daughter. How’s that? Feeling better now?” he said while holding my hand, his face adorned with a comforting smile.

“Okay. You promised, right? Besides, if not me, who else would you contact? That woman is unreliable.”

“Hey. You’re really something. Now go! Do Hwan has been waiting outside for a while. Leave before your mom gets home.”

Right. That’s another worry before leaving the house. I had to leave before that woman arrived, or everything would be a mess. Finally, we got up and headed outside.

Outside, Do Hwan was busy arranging stuff in the trunk—from tents to several food boxes. He took the initiative to pick me up and let Da Reum pick up Hana because he didn’t want to be in the same car as Da Reum.

“Are you ready?” Dad asked, and Do Hwan immediately turned around.

“Not yet.”

“What’s not ready?” I asked, confused.

“Give me your bag.”

“Oh, I forgot,” I replied, walking closer to the trunk to put down my backpack, but before I could, Do Hwan snatched it from my hand.

“I’ll do it.”

“All right.”

Once everything was set, Do Hwan nodded, signaling that everything was ready and we just needed to leave.

“Dad, I’m leaving now.”

“Be careful on the road. Take good care of yourselves. Do Hwan, I’m counting on you to take care of Narin.”

“Of course, sir,” Do Hwan replied confidently.

We got into the car and started our journey.

During the trip, we didn’t talk much—just light conversations and some of Do Hwan’s playful antics that made me shake my head. Somehow, his attitude toward others seemed completely different. It was like he had a split personality.

I finally broke the silence. “Where are the others?”

“Who? Oh... them? They asked to meet on the way. They said it’s in the same direction as our destination.”

I nodded. “Oh, I see.”

“Narin,” Do Hwan called, making me instantly turn to him.

“What is it?”

“I want to ask you something.”

I just nodded as an answer.

“How did you become friends with Hana?”

That question made me a bit confused. Why did he suddenly ask something like that? I didn’t answer right away, and a few seconds later, he glanced at me and saw my confused expression.

“No particular reason. It’s just that... you two seem inseparable. Despite what happened before, I realized how strong your bond is.”

I took a deep breath, starting to understand his point. “I am really close with Hana. We met in middle school and got closer when we moved up to the eighth grade.”

“Why only in eighth grade? Didn’t you already meet in seventh grade?” he asked while steering the car.

“Hana comes from an upper-class family. She’s a kind and cheerful girl. She even had a few fans who were active on social media. But one day, a nasty rumor spread about her—saying that she bullied a popular girl. Some people believed that ridiculous rumor, especially since the girl spread fake evidence. Hana ended up being shunned by everyone.”

“A rumor? That’s terrible.”

“Yeah. But it didn’t last long because some of her fans still believed her and tried to find proof. It turned out the rumor wasn’t true—the girl was just jealous of Hana. After everything was cleared up, Hana stopped being friends with them and chose to be alone. Then, when we moved up to eighth grade, she approached me. At first, I avoided her—not because of the old rumors, but because I didn’t think I was suited to be friends with someone like her. But that silly girl kept sticking around. Eventually... we became close like we are now.”

“I didn’t realize your friendship was that sincere.”

“I don’t know... maybe Hana is just foolish for wanting to be friends with me.” I chuckled lightly.

Do Hwan fell silent for a moment, then murmured softly, “Do you know why she wanted to be friends with you?”

I frowned. “Why?”

“Because of your simplicity. She didn’t find anyone truly sincere until she met you. You’re a beautiful, sweet, simple, genuine, and... strong girl. Everything about you is special. So stop belittling yourself. Because... the person who likes you doesn’t like that.”

I fell silent. My heart pounded wildly, and without realizing it, my face felt hot. I glanced at Do Hwan, who remained focused on the road as if he didn’t notice the effect his words had on me. I chose not to respond, but his words kept echoing in my head.

Oh God. I must be losing my mind.

My heart was still pounding fast, and I knew my face must be flushed by now. I stared out the window, trying to distract myself, but Do Hwan's words kept echoing in my head.

I bit my lower lip, trying to calm down. Was he really serious about what he said earlier? Or was it just one of his usual jokes?

"I'm going crazy," I muttered softly.

However, amid the chaos in my mind, there was one thing I couldn't ignore—the warm feeling slowly creeping into my heart, leaving a trace that was hard to erase.

***