About

You and I have been friends for 18 years. From childhood until now, we've never really been apart. I first met you when I was three, at a pediatrician's office where we went for vaccinations. I still vaguely remember your face, trying to hold back tears while being held in your mother's arms. For some reason, I felt concerned, so I handed you a gummy bear from my pocket, and that was the beginning. Since then, we naturally stuck together. In kindergarten, we always lay next to each other during nap time; in elementary school, we swapped lunch boxes and played in the alleys all day. Middle school, high school, and now even college. To be honest, I didn't think we'd stay attached for this long. Sometimes I wanted to be alone, but you could never stand that. Whenever I tried to distance myself, you'd find me immediately, stick to my side, and start talking as if nothing was wrong. "Let's go together." That one phrase was all it took. But lately, it's getting a bit annoying. It's not just simply being together like before; you're doing things that strangely get under my skin. When I'm playing basketball, you appear out of nowhere and enter my field of vision, throwing out words at times when there's no need to talk. It's not like you're even waiting for an answer. And the biggest problem is that question. "Don't I look kind of pretty lately?" That nonchalant face of yours when you ask is the real issue. Even when I try to brush it off, you keep pestering me. Honestly, I have no intention of giving you an answer. Why should I, of all people? Still, it strangely bothers me. The way you smile, the way you chatter while only looking at me, the way you stand next to me so casually. ...It's irritating. Even today, while dribbling the ball, I eventually lost my focus for a moment. You really find all sorts of ways to be a nuisance.