Let's Play Pretend

| One |

[June 27. 2011: Ryujin]

It was raining that night. Pouring actually, when I heard a couple knocks on the door of our new house. My family and I had just moved in a few hours ago so I was wondering who could be visiting at this hour.

I opened the door even though my parents told me never to let strangers in without telling them. Ten-year-old me was rebellious.

"Hello! You must be our new neighbor!  My name's Yuna, yours?"

Damn. She was soaked in the rain, yet she grinned like no tomorrow. Powerfully bright, I'd say... Like a bolt of lightning in a storm.

She reached out her hand, simultaneously dropping the soaked brown paper bag she had been carrying with both of her hands up until now. I couldn't help but smile. She was quite clumsy as well. I went down on a knee and picked it up.

"Ryujin," I accepted her handshake.

"Would you... like to come in?"

"Oh, I'd love to!" She never stopped grinning and it made me smile as well. I asked her to take off her shoes and she gave me those eyes at the doorstep. I noticed she was still soaking wet. She was wearing a bright yellow raincoat (like her personality) but all this time she didn't wear her hood.

"Stay right here, I'll get a towel."

Yuna nodded, still smiling. I went upstairs and notified my parents of our unexpected neighbor who got us a gift. They quickly got over their worrying about me letting in strangers when I mentioned that she seemed like a young kid who only wanted to welcome us.

I went back downstairs and ruffled her hair dry. She giggled, "I feel like a dog."

"A cute one." I blurted out. She looked at me from under the towel and I swear for a second, my heart stopped. Her eyes were formed into crescents.

"Uhh... the cake!" She jolted her head to the brown bag next to her feet. My lips formed an 'o' and I immediately took it to put it on our dining table.
Yuna hung her raincoat and followed after me into the dining room.

"Welcome!!" She grinned, taking a seat. I softly smiled and ripped the soaked brown paper bag.

Fortunately, the cake was in a smaller plastic container. It was a pink heart-shaped cake with the words, "Welcome! From Shin Family"

"Your last name is Shin too?" I laughed. She also burst out in laughter, "Yeah!! Omo, we're so similar... unnie?" She gauged to see if that was the right way of calling me.

I tilted my head, "What year were you born?"

"2003!"

"Then I am your unnie. By 2 years actually, hehe."

"Oooooh... then you..." She held out all ten of her fingers and gasped as she got to folding her pinky, "You have two digits in your age, unnie! That's so cool..."

I giggled and pinched her cheek (lightly, unlike how the adults do it), "You'll get it in two years, just wait. You'll be a cool kid soon."

[June 2013: Yuna]

Two years later, I didn't become a cool kid as Ryujin promised me. Unnie was in middle school now so I saw her less often. It turned out that we went to the same primary school this whole time, but being in different grades we would only pass each other by the hallways. It made sense why I never recognized her.

Despite being in different schools, we were practically stuck together. I visited her house the minute I finished my homework to play video games with her. She had a PS4! That was the hottest game console back in 2013. My parents didn't mind that I went to Ryujin's. In fact, they were quite fond of her. Ryujin would visit our home often as well to watch movies with me.

We grew up together like sisters.

Yet, in that same year, I realized she was more than that. She was more like my savior. I couldn't explain who she was to me.

I was quite a dork. I wore thick-rimmed glasses and that tacky yellow raincoat with a white polo that I buttoned up to the top button. Because of that, boys made fun of me and called me spongebob.

"Hey SpongeBob, catch!"

I ducked my head, preparing for a water balloon to be thrown at me but instead, I heard a splat and felt nothing.  I looked up and saw the back of Ryujin's body standing still in front of mine.

"Unnie!"

Ryujin furrowed her eyebrows, "Don't you all have something better to do?" She whipped her now wet hair, making the guys blush as they tried to come up with a comeback.

I hid behind Ryujin and dug my face into the crook of her neck. My heart was beating really fast.

"Wow, Patrick the savior!" One boy teased, finally getting his voice back.

"That's right. I'm Patrick and no one messes with my SpongeBob."

Ryujin glanced back and winked at Yuna.

That was the first time I realized something. Ryujin is... a really cool person.

[September 2020: Yuna]

Fast forward to seven years later, we're now finishing our last year of high school. I was quite smart so I was accepted in a grade above me, aka. Ryujin unnie's grade!

Things haven't changed much, except through the years, I realized being a teenager sucks. You get these things called crushes and apparently a symptom was having butterflies in your stomach. When I was thirteen, I thought we literally had ingested them and asked my mom how to get them out. Until today it's my most embarrassing moment.

Speaking of my crush, I saw her again today. She said 'hi' to me in the hallway and I'm not sure why! I think it's because I kept staring at her from six feet away until we finally crossed paths. I forgot what I said back. Wait, did I even say anything back?

"Hey, Spongebob!"

Seven years ago, I would've had an anxiety attack, but hearing that deep familiar voice immediately erases all of the bad histories behind it. I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"Patrick," I turned around only to be tackled by Ryujin, my savior. She hopped off of me and I took a mental note at how my growth spurt started. I'm about three (3) inches taller than her now.

"How was your second day?"

"Are you gonna keep asking me that every day until we graduate?" I joked.

She shrugged and linked her arm with mine, "Not unless you want me to."

I wanted her to, but I kept that opinion to myself cause I knew she would do it if I said yes. Ryujin did everything for me. Anything and everything. Yet, I needed clarification.

"Would you do anything for me?"

"Is that even a question? Of course, I would." She smirked as she scrolled through her phone as we walked.

"Can you be my girlfriend?"

She immediately halted in her steps and almost dropped her phone, barely catching it with her foot (don't ask how).

She looked me in the eye and started laughing, "You... this isn't a funny joke!"

For some reason, a part of me felt offended. Geez, what if I actually liked her? Damn, I feel bad for myself if I did.

"Ugh, I meant pretend girlfriend! I want my crush to notice me."

Her foolish grin disappeared from her face, "Oh."

Okay, this is probably a bad idea. Chaeryoung doesn't even know me, why the heck would she care if I dated Ryujin? Also was that disappointment in her eyes? I shrugged it off once I heard her speak again.

"Sure...?"

She unlinked our arms and looked down at her feet, "I did say I'd do anything."

Well, I guess Ryujin and I dating.