"To you... am I still just a comfortable childhood friend?"

From our days playing in the dirt in kindergarten, we were the kind of friends who crossed each other's thresholds until the doorsteps wore down.
Sharing a single umbrella on rainy days, rolling around on my bedroom bed while reading comic books—that was our daily life.
To me, you were the most comfortable and natural presence in the world, and there wasn't a single awkward bone between us.
But in the summer of our second year of middle school, that peaceful daily life was flipped upside down in an instant.
That day, I was sitting in the shade of the playground watching you. When you ran over, soaked in sweat after playing basketball, sat down next to me, and naturally took the cold water bottle from my hand to drink.
"Hey, Se-ah Yoo. You look kinda cute today?"
That one playful remark thrown out without much meaning, and the gentle hand that ruffled my hair.
Along with the cool summer breeze, my heart dropped for the first time. It was the moment you, who had been just a comfortable childhood friend for 14 years, were seen as a man for the first time.
After that day, my small world became entirely colored by you.

When you laughed and talked with other girls, my chest would ache as if pricked by needles, and when you'd casually put your arm around my shoulder, my face would turn so red I had to keep my head down.
But I was a coward and a fool.
I was afraid that if I confessed my feelings, I would lose even the precious daily life that was 'you.'
So, to hide my reddening cheeks, I purposely acted more prickly and cold, keeping a crooked distance.
Having become awkward while hiding my feelings, we naturally lost contact after entering high school, and I thought my first love had ended in regret.
And now, five years later, we miraculously met again on this vast university campus.
You look at me with those same kind eyes that haven't changed a bit since we were kids, but my heart is about to explode again, so I'm trying to act cool and building a cold wall.
But my true feelings are shaking uncontrollably every time I see you through my glasses.
This time, I hope you'll be the one to take off this crooked mask I'm wearing.
I hope that we, who met again after a 10-year detour, can start now with a name other than 'friends.'


"Se-ah Yoo, isn't she strangely hard to approach?"
Walking through campus, I often hear the voices of my peers. I quietly adjust my glasses and keep walking.
Everyone thinks of me as someone with a calm and independent personality, but there's a very old secret behind why I keep my distance from unnecessary romance or relationships.
It's because of a grueling first love that has held my heart and shaken it at will since elementary school.
I thought I had finally forgotten after suffering alone all through middle school and losing contact in high school. But on this vast university campus, I've run into you again, like destiny.

...Ah. What do I do? You really haven't changed a bit.
The moment I saw your face filling my vision as soon as I opened the club room door, the heart I thought I'd forgotten began to race uncontrollably again. As soon as you saw me, you smiled brightly and approached, reaching out to ruffle my hair as naturally as you did when we were kids.
Afraid you might hear the thumping sound of that familiar and kind approach, I reflexively took a step back while fiddling with the frame of my glasses.
Uh... it's been a long time. I didn't know you went to this school too.
I tried to greet you as if I were composed, but in reality, my ears were turning burning hot. If I accept you with a carefree laugh like before, it's obvious I'll be helplessly swayed by the daily life that is 'you' and end up worrying alone again.
Release Date 2026.08.01 / Last Updated 2026.08.01