ORAS | Chapter 1.2

“It’s true.”

“Stop lying! Do you think I’ll believe you?”

He yelled, his stomach churning with the first real feeling of betrayal. The boy, who had been silent for a moment, met Wooyoung’s eyes firmly.

“My dad’s not here.”

Wooyoung fell silent at the unexpected answer.

“What?”

Wooyoung mumbled, still staring at him in confusion.

“I don’t have a dad. Only my mom.”

“……”

“But… now my mom’s not here either. She went to America and will be back next week.”

Wooyoung frowned, his face contorting. The thought that someone without a dad wouldn’t have a dad’s car seemed illogical, but somehow it also made sense.

The boy lowered his lashes with a gloomy expression. His jet-black eyes shimmered, as if they were about to tear up.

Wooyoung felt a rush of discomfort. A sudden wave of guilt crept over him, as he had briefly forgotten that he, too, didn’t have a father.

After a moment, the boy raised his gaze again, calm as before.

“Let’s do the homework together. Okay?”

Wooyoung hesitated, watching the boy’s pale fingers gently grip his wrist. The soft touch and tender voice made his heart flutter. Despite the urge to lash out, Wooyoung found his emotions wavering.

Damn…

Wooyoung felt as though the wrist that had been touched was burning. As he lifted his gaze and met the boy’s gloomy eyes, he involuntarily clicked his tongue and turned his head away. Before he knew it, he found himself trudging along, following the boy’s lead as though unable to resist.

Ko Taeseong.

The first real friend Wooyoung had ever made in his life.

The first time Wooyoung stepped into Riverpark Castle, the entrance alone was overwhelmingly extravagant.

Pretty flowers bloomed in the flower beds, lush green trees swayed, and the walls, seemingly woven with meticulous care, were lined with tall cherry trees that dropped petals like snow. The large townhouses clustered together looked like something out of a cartoon village.

The boy, walking ahead, stopped in front of a gate that was several times taller than his own height and pressed the bell. With a loud click, the large iron gate opened.

Wooyoung, frowning as he scanned his surroundings, followed him inside. The yard was even larger than he had imagined. It wasn’t until they walked for a while after entering the gate that his house finally came into view.

When the door opened, a woman greeted them warmly. Since his mother wasn’t home, she appeared to be someone taking care of the house. Wooyoung, stiffly greeting her, stayed close to the boy’s side. It was his first time entering someone else’s house, and he felt awkward.

Inside was even grander and more expansive than the outside. The furniture was obviously expensive, and the living room was as large as Wooyoung’s entire house. It felt strangely empty, perhaps because it was so large.

The boy’s room was on the second floor. He ran up the stairs first and opened the door for Wooyoung.

The large window and ivory-colored curtains caught Wooyoung’s attention. In the middle of the room was a large, white grand piano. A tall bookshelf that stretched all the way to the ceiling was filled with books, and atop the storage boxes were rows of car figurines and various robots.

The space, three or even four times the size of Wooyoung’s room, was cozy and had a warm atmosphere. It seemed to be a perfect fit for the delicate, refined boy.

Wooyoung sat on the soft couch while the boy told him to wait for a moment and went outside. As Wooyoung glanced around the room, the boy quickly returned, carrying a tray with juice and snacks.

“Let’s eat this and then start.”

After setting the tray on the table, the boy hurried to the desk. From the drawer, he pulled out a sketchbook, crayons, and other art supplies and placed them on the table.

Crayons, markers, solid paint, 72-color pastels, and a dozen brushes. There was no need for a separate art room.

Wooyoung sat there, staring blankly. No one had ever been so friendly to him in this way, so the situation felt awkward and embarrassing. He wondered if he had made a mistake by following him. His hand instinctively balled into a fist on his lap, but the boy quietly sat next to him, staring at him intently.

After a brief silence, the boy, lost in thought, rustled through the snack bag with his small, pale hands and picked up a cookie. He then held out the round chocolate cookie right in front of Wooyoung’s face.

“Ah.”

“……”

Wooyoung, not quite understanding what was happening, blinked and looked at him. The boy still held the cookie in front of Wooyoung’s lips, his dark eyes staring without a flicker.

“Ah, eat it.”

The boy’s red lips moved. Wooyoung froze, caught in the unfamiliar situation. The boy, with his lips tightly sealed, didn’t seem ready to pull the cookie away.

“Try it, it’s delicious.”

A sweet scent wafted from the cookie. Wooyoung stared at him like a predator eyeing its prey and slowly brought his lips to the cookie. With a crisp sound, he bit into it.

Crunching, the boy quickly moved his hand under Wooyoung’s chin. He put the crumbs and leftover pieces of the cookie into his own mouth and smiled.

Wooyoung chewed the cookie with an expression as though he had eaten something terrible. Every time he chewed the sweet treat, a strange feeling lingered.

After their snack, the boy and Wooyoung began to draw. Wooyoung picked one of the toy cars scattered around the room. It was a sturdy, stylish off-road black jeep.

Wooyoung, who had just roughly drawn a square with crayons, glanced at the boy’s drawing. The boy was drawing a flat sports car with a hole in the ceiling. His drawing, highlighted by the intense red color, was surprisingly delicate for an elementary school student. Wooyoung, feeling his own drawing was inferior, instinctively hid the sketchbook with his forearm.

“I go to art academy.”

The boy, without even looking at Wooyoung, said it matter-of-factly.

So what?

Wooyoung silently filled his white sheet with drawings, ignoring the boy’s persistent calls.

His original plan to finish the homework and head home quickly was immediately overturned. The boy, who had been pushing snacks and juice towards him non-stop, insisted that Wooyoung stay for dinner after they finished their drawings. He rattled off a list of delicious meat dishes and other tasty items. When Wooyoung stood up to leave, the boy made a face that seemed like he was about to cry. Wooyoung couldn’t ignore the uncomfortable feeling that arose in him.

It was only one time. Wooyoung reluctantly called his grandmother to tell her that he was having dinner at a friend’s house. Her startled reaction echoed in his mind as he put the phone down and followed the boy to the table, where a lavish dinner was waiting.

After eating, Wooyoung started to gather his things to leave, but the boy stopped him again. This time, he pushed a pile of colorful comic books in front of him.

Wooyoung had never seen comic books like this before, and they were surprisingly interesting. As they lay on the floor, with Wooyoung lying on his stomach and flipping through the pages, the only sound that filled the room was the rustling of pages. As Wooyoung got more absorbed in the books, time seemed to slip away unnoticed. What had started as a short break turned into a long stretch of time.

“Wooyoung.”

The sudden call broke his concentration. Wooyoung raised his head, finding the boy, Taeseong, with his chin resting on his hand, staring at him.

“Since we’ve done the homework and eaten together…”

“Yeah.”

“Should we be friends starting today?”

Without answering, Wooyoung turned his attention back to the comic book, flipping through the pages. He had reluctantly followed the boy today but didn’t really want to make a friend, especially someone from Riverpark Castle.

“I don’t have any friends.”

The boy’s dejected tone didn’t stir a response from Wooyoung, who kept his focus on the book, although the words in it weren’t sinking in.

“Huh? Let’s be friends.”

Wooyoung slightly furrowed his brows at the quiet insistence. He gripped the book tighter, the edges of the pages crumpling slightly.

“Wooyoung.”

“……”

“Are we friends?”

Despite the silence and Wooyoung’s refusal to even look at him, the boy didn’t give up. He even started tugging at Wooyoung’s sleeve, shaking him gently.

“Yeah?”

“……”

“Are we friends?”

“……”

“Yeah?”

Wooyoung snapped, his patience finally breaking. He slammed the comic book shut and glared at the boy.

“Ugh, fine. We’re friends!”

At last, the boy’s face broke into a smile.

“Yeah. Okay. Let’s be friends.”

Feeling the strange tickling sensation in his chest, Wooyoung grabbed his drawings and turned to leave. He stormed out of the house, but the boy only waved him off, not following him outside.

From that point on, Wooyoung started hanging out with Ko Taeseong. More precisely, Ko Taeseong never left him alone. During recess, lunch, in the bathroom, after school, and even on weekends when Wooyoung wasn’t going anywhere, Taeseong stuck close to him. The eleven-year-old boy had a stubborn personality.

After graduating from elementary school, they entered the same middle school in Unil-dong. This was when Wooyoung made his second real friend.

Nam Ki-hyuk lived next door to Taeseong. His mother and Taeseong’s mom were long-time friends, and their families interacted often. After school, Wooyoung, who had begun hanging out with Taeseong, naturally ended up getting close to another kid from Riverpark Castle.

Ki-hyuk, though small and tanned, had a gentle and carefree personality. Wooyoung liked him too, and for the first time, he felt what it was like to truly be part of a group, a “friend.”

The three of them were soon inseparable. Wooyoung, who had once been prickly like a hedgehog, slowly changed as he grew closer to them. He shed his rebelliousness and prejudices, becoming a bit rounder and more approachable. The harsh, angry look in his eyes gradually softened, especially after he entered middle school.

By then, Wooyoung was also able to get along well with the other kids from Riverpark Castle. He laughed more freely and made friends without much difficulty.

However, unlike before, after school, their schedules began to diverge. Taeseong and Ki-hyuk had to go to their private lessons, while Wooyoung, with no particular plans, was recommended by his teacher to join the soccer team.

Wooyoung was physically stronger than most of his peers and excelled in running. He picked up new skills quickly. It didn’t take long before he became the striker for the Unil Middle School soccer team, and by his third year, he was the team captain. His ability to score decisive goals made him popular with his friends.

Taeseong, who had initially wanted to join the sports club with Wooyoung, couldn’t due to his heavy schedule with private lessons and art academies. So, he often came to watch Wooyoung practice after school, bringing along snacks like bread and milk.

Wooyoung spent his days from morning to night with Taeseong. He knew what he had for breakfast, the dreams he had the previous night, how many test questions he got wrong, and what grades he received—there was nothing Wooyoung didn’t know about Taeseong. It was only natural that Taeseong became an inseparable part of his life.