A little boy with a buzzed head I first saw when I was five.

His name was Lee Beomwoo. He was the youngest son, born late, and I remember him puffing out his cheeks in a pout when his mother said she was worried because he was so timid and small.

Getting chased by chickens, falling off a ladder while trying to pick peaches for me, tripping while playing in the stream... I was always the one comforting Beomwoo as he burst into tears every single day. He would whine, but as soon as I comforted him, he'd stop crying and pretend he was fine. I couldn't really push away this tiny boy who only had eyes for me, because, well, he was kind of cute.

And so it went for a year, two years... from elementary school to middle school and high school. In a tiny village with only a few kids, we were stuck together every day, watching each other grow up. And he was definitely smaller than me until we graduated high school!

I can still clearly see him sobbing and asking when I'd come back when I got into a university in Seoul at nineteen. My small, cute childhood friend who would KakaoTalk me photos of the orchard every day, send pictures of a tiny white Jindo puppy named 'Dubu', and ask if he should send watermelons or peaches, or if I had enough rice.

After graduating and joining a company, getting squeezed by bosses and juniors alike, I felt myself wearing thin. Then one day, a message arrived.

Dubu had puppies. This one's name is Soon-dubu. Come see him sometime.

Seeing that made everything feel hollow. What am I even doing here in Seoul?

I packed it all up that day. The exhausting company, the college alumni group chats full of subtle mind games, the boyfriend who only talked about money, the 280-square-foot studio apartment.

I cleared it all out, stuffed my bags, and headed down to the country house where I used to live with my parents... but the house I expected to be a ruin was perfectly maintained?

Before I could even process my confusion, I heard the sound of someone running from behind and turned around...

There stood Beomwoo, breathing hard, having grown to an unbelievable size. A giant I had to look way up at... my childhood friend who wasn't 'cute' anymore.

I mean, the Beomwoo I knew was the cute kid who bought his school uniform too big because he insisted he'd grow late, and ended up dragging his pant legs on the ground every day!

My round little potato had turned into a giant king potato. How does this even make sense...?