Room 143

Prologue

I sat alone on the bench in my kindergarten, with no friends by my side. I looked around at all the groups of friends playing together. I tried to join in a few times, but it felt like everyone wanted nothing to do with me. A wave of sadness and loneliness washed over me, but then I noticed a little boy sitting alone on the playground.

I walked over to him and offered him one of my sandwiches. "Hello, I'm Song Jihyo. Nice to meet you." He took the sandwich and smiled shyly. "Riki... nice... to, um, meet you," he replied, stumbling over the words as if he wasn’t very familiar with Korean.

I sat down beside him. "Wanna be friends?" I asked, but he looked confused, so I broke the words down for him. "Wanna. Be. Friends?"

"Oh, yes," he said, and I smiled, feeling a warm connection between us. Riki told me he was from Japan and didn’t know Korean very well yet.

I decided it would be my job to teach him a few Korean words every day until he was fluent.

-

We became so close that we were inseparable, having playdates at each other's houses and spending every day together. I taught him Korean, and he improved a little more each day.

I made him a blue friendship bracelet with "RJihyoR" written on it, his initial and my name together. He loved it and promised me that he would never take it off.

The next day, Riki looked upset.

"What’s wrong?" I asked, noticing his pout as he fiddled with his bracelet. He looked at me with a sad expression. "I’m moving back to Japan," he said quietly.

"What? Why?" I asked, feeling a knot form in my stomach.

"I don't know. I don't want to leave," he said, his voice trembling slightly.

"It's okay. We'll still be friends. We'll send letters to each other," I reassured him, trying to smile through the lump in my throat.

-

The next day, I went to school, and it was true—Riki was moving back to Japan. Once again, I found myself alone, watching groups of friends play, feeling like an outsider.

Two weeks passed, and then I received a package from Riki. Inside was a note and a pink friendship bracelet with "JRikiJ" written on it, just like the one I had made for him, but this one was pink, with my initial and his name.

For two months, I wrote a letter every day but since we lived far apart, we would send a box full of letters once every two weeks, keeping our connection alive despite the distance.

One day, I waited for Riki's package to arrive, but it never came. I waited for three years, hoping each day that it would show up, but it never did. My mother told me that he had probably forgotten about me. So, at the age of 8, I sent my very last letter to him, unsure if he would ever read it.

The letter read:

Dear Riki,

I miss you so much! I don’t understand why you stopped sending letters. Every day, I look out the window, hoping to see the mailman with a package from you, but he never comes. I’ve kept all the letters you sent me, and I read them over and over, hoping to feel close to you again. I keep wearing the bracelet you gave me, and I think about the day we said goodbye, how I promised we’d always be friends. But now, I don’t know where you are or if you’re even thinking about me anymore.

I wish you could send just one more letter to let me know you're okay. I’m scared you’ve forgotten about me, or maybe something happened to you. I just want to hear from you again, even if it’s just one last time.

I’ll always remember the good times we had and the promises we made. I hope wherever you are, you’re happy and safe. I’ll never forget you, Riki.

With all my love, 
Song Jihyo