Life, Once Again!

unks.

“Why are all these people here?” Yoojin grumbled before bringing a chair from a nearby machine and stood on top of it.
Jiseok held her from the side and she was able to see where Maru was safely.

‘Claw machine?’

Maru was focused on the claw machine.
Whenever the silver crane moved, people exclaimed.
It was a marvel to see so many people following the movement of the crane with their heads.
The slowly moving crane then lowered down and picked up a doll.
The crane then moved towards the exit.
When the doll fell down right into the exit hole, another round of exclamations could be heard.
One man even clapped.

Maru took out the doll from the machine and piled it on one side.
There were at least ten dolls piled up in that mountain.
Yoojin immediately went there and grabbed the doll.

“You won all these?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow.
I heard it was difficult to win these.”

“The machine’s settings were good.
Oh, if you like anything, you can pick one.”

“Really? Can I?”

Yoojin grabbed the cat wearing a pink apron.

“Not that one.”

Maru shook his head.

“Why?”

“Because it’s for my girlfriend.”

“…Tsk.”

She gave up on the cat and grabbed the dolphin.
Maru asked Jiseok if he needed one but he said he didn’t need one.

“You’re going to take all of those?”

It seemed impossible to take all of them and get on the bus.
Maru seemed to have known that already and said that he did not plan to take all of them.

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Sell them.”

“Sell them?”

Maru approached a man who seemed to work here and said a few lines.
A while later, a middle-aged man came out and gave Maru two ten thousand won bills and Maru returned the dolls other than the two mentioned before.

“That man bought all of them?”

“Do you think they’re free? They should cost a few thousand won each, so two thousand won per doll should be quite cheap.
That’s why the owner took them too.”

“You… Do you live in an arcade?”

“When would I have the time to play around like this? I have practice to do every day.”

“Then how are you so good at it? Should I try as well?”

Hearing those words, Maru jokingly replied ‘You should probably try being reborn before you do it.’

“Well then, we should go to the noraebang right?”

Jiseok interfered mid way and dragged both of them by the arm.
Yoojin quietly praised his endless thirst for fun and followed him.

“For a kid lacking stamina, he’s good at moving around.”

When she grumbled, Jiseok looked at her and grinned.
Yoojin resolved to have real fun since it was already like this as she followed behind Jiseok.

* * *

“The party was boring, but the after party was the best!”

Those words came from Jiseok as they left the noraebang.
Maru glanced at Yoojin.
Although she was glaring at Jiseok with a snort, it didn’t look like she hated him that much since she hung out with him until the end.

“We should go out to have fun sometime again.
No, wait.
Let’s invite a few more people as well.
Since summer’s coming, why don’t we go to the sea together?”

“What an ambitious dream.
If you’re the one calling me, I’m never gonna go.”

“Why? We’re best friends now!”

“Who’s your best friend, huh.”

Jiseok approached Yoojin who was walking towards the bus station with her arms crossed and got her number.
Seeing the number written on his phone, Jiseok looked as though he had just achieved world domination.

“Do you like her?”

“I do,” Jiseok replied without hesitation.
Maru narrowed his eyes and looked at him.

“And I like you too.
You don’t like me?”

“…Why did I even bother.”

Maru put his hands inside his pockets and walked towards the bus station opposite to Yoojin’s.
Jiseok sneakily followed him.

“You had fun today, didn’t you?”

“Just the claw machine, yeah.”

Jiseok became depressed but burst out into laughter again.

“I hope we can chat later too.
People really should live in the same place for a long time.
I like this place.
Busan, and the place I lived before that was good too, but there weren’t as many people around as in this place.”

“But you look like you can have fun all by yourself.”

“Hm, I guess that’s true.
I am good at having fun by myself.
But… it doesn’t last a long time.
Before I get bored of it, I feel stifled.”

Jiseok was smiling despite what he was saying.
Maru asked as he looked at his face.

“I think you’re sick after all.”

“Mentally, I’m not ill at all.”

“What about physically?”

“Well… I won’t die.”

The reply was a little disturbing.
He was about to ask a follow-up question, but Jiseok started moving backwards.
Maru raised his head to look at Jiseok.
He was waving his hands goodbye, with a face that did not contain the slightest bit of worry.

‘Tsk.’

Perhaps Jiseok’s bright side was a kind of defense mechanism to hide his weak side.
From how he ran out of breath quite easily, he seemed to have a respiratory or cardiac issue.
Though, from how he was active all the time, it didn’t seem to be a big problem.
Or perhaps it was a big issue in the past but not anymore.
Crossing the road, Maru turned around for a moment and had a look at Jiseok.
Jiseok was still waving his hands.

“He should act like a kid until the end if he wants to be a kid.
He’ll be in for a real pain if he decides to be a half-hearted grown-up.”

Maru looked away from Jiseok.
They weren’t close enough for him to ask Jiseok the truth.
Perhaps the situation would change once the man named Jiseok became significant within Maru, but right now… they weren’t that close yet.

Getting on the bus, Maru took out his phone from his pocket.
He had two text messages.
One was from Suyeon, grumbling about how Geunsoo didn’t show interest in her at all, and the other came from Ganghwan.

[You should have reported to me if you passed the audition.
Geez, you’re impolite as always.
I think you need a scolding so come to the Suwon practice studio after school tomorrow.
I’ll forgive you if you bring a fair lady.
Otherwise, you should come prepared.]

Maru smiled and texted back ‘Yes’.

A moment later,

[Oh, and congrats on passing.]

A short message arrived.
Maru’s smile became thicker.

[1] This seems to refer to the arcade game “Pump It Up”