“Teacher, it’s Chiwon.”
“Come in.”
When I knocked and called for the Director, I heard a reply from inside. The Director didn’t like being called “Director,” so I usually called her “Teacher.” That’s the kind of person the Director was. Someone who preferred to call it “our home” rather than “orphanage.”
When I opened the door and entered, the Director was sitting at her desk, bending over to take something out of a drawer.
“Chiwon-ah.”
“Yes, Teacher. I came because I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I made friends at school. Three of them.”
I held up three fingers. I thought grinning like this would make me look childish, but I couldn’t help it. The Director grinned along with me.
“That’s great!”
“Yes.”
“Then the gift I prepared will be just perfect.”
“A gift?”
“I went out today and bought one.”
The Director held out a box to me. The box was light compared to its size. When I opened the lid, there was a shiny black cell phone inside.
“Oh!”
“You’re a high school student now, and I thought you should have a cell phone. It’ll be easier to contact your friends, right?”
“But…”
“Don’t worry about the younger kids. I’ll tell them they’ll get one when they enter high school. It’s not that great of a phone, but the teachers pooled a little money together to buy it. Your birthday is coming up soon, right? Think of it as an early birthday present.”
My birthday was the day I entered this orphanage. For children in the orphanage whose birthdays were unknown, the date they entered the orphanage served as their birthday. But since there were many children, it was difficult to celebrate each one individually, so at the beginning of each month, we would gather all the children with birthdays that month and have a birthday party all together. Since there were three other children with birthdays in the same month as me, it seemed difficult to give a nice gift like a cell phone at that gathering, so she was giving it to me now.
“Speaking of the younger kids, Chiwon-ah.”
“Yes?”
“You don’t have to try so hard to help with our home’s work anymore. Eat dinner at school, do night study sessions, and take care of your own life. I’ve been really grateful until now, but on the other hand, I felt sorry. We wished you could care for yourself as much as you care for your younger siblings.”
“But, Teacher.”
“It’s okay. We haven’t been working as teachers for 10 years just goofing around. We’ll work harder, Chiwon-ah. High school life only comes once, right? There are so many things you can only do now, so spend a little more time with yourself. Didn’t you say you made friends? There must be so many fun things to do.”
The teacher laughed softly. It was a laugh I’d been seeing since I was very young.
I looked down at the cell phone. I received a lot because I was the eldest. Until the younger kids came, I monopolized the teachers’ attention and affection, and I worried them tremendously because my manifestation was late. Being the first child, I required a lot of care, and they went through a lot of trial and error, so the teachers always felt sorry for not being able to take proper care of me. On top of that, whenever the younger kids happened to sleep together in the big room, they all scrambled to sleep next to me. To get my attention, the younger kids always did only cute things. I was a loved eldest brother and oppa. I was also the only one in the orphanage who had a room to myself.
I had really received a lot. And yet…
“…Thank you, Teacher. I’ll use it well.”
“Good.”
I couldn’t refuse. I seemed to be quite greedy. I felt excited thinking I had a cell phone. What would the kids say if I went to school and told them I got a cell phone?
I walked almost skipping into my room. The first thing I did upon entering was open my diary. I wrote today’s date, then wrote “CELL PHONE!!!” in large letters and grinned to myself while holding my pen. Then below it, I wrote something small again. ‘I made friends. I think it’s the first time.’
I had people I could call friends. Three of them.
The next morning, I deliberately went to school a bit late. It was 20 minutes before morning assembly, and even Na Junsu, who had started coming late again after the bread bet, was already in the classroom for some reason. I walked up to the three of them with an uncontrollably bright smile and suddenly held out my cell phone.
“Oh?”
“I got a cell phone.”
“Oh!”
It was what I said even before “hello.” Kim Eorin tapped my shoulder.
“Wow, nice!”
“Yeah, I’m happy.”
I smiled with my mouth open. Kim Eorin pressed down on my head firmly and ruffled my hair. Na Junsu giggled.
“You must be really happy. It’s the first time I’ve seen you smile like that.”
“I smile a lot though…”
“Who says you smile a lot?”
When Junsu teased me, Woojin laughed and held out his hand.
“Chiwon-ah, give me your phone. I’ll enter my number.”
I was about to hand over my phone when a hand suddenly shot out from the side and snatched the phone away. It was Kim Eorin.
“Save mine first.”
“I said it first though.”
“I’m first for our Chiwon.”
“Since when is he our Chiwon?”
“Since ages ago.”
Kim Eorin smirked and returned the phone to me. While saving the number that was entered, I hesitated for a moment before writing the name. But I ended up writing it in the end.
‘Eorin-i.’
“Ah, Chiwon-ah, add my last name. What’s that?”
Kim Eorin, no, Eorin-i seemed to dislike being called “Eorin-i,” but I had no intention of changing it. For me, it was crossing a boundary. Even if it seemed petty, it couldn’t be helped.
“No.”
I immediately pressed save and passed the phone to Woojin. After getting Junsu’s phone number too, the numbers saved in my phone became nine. One orphanage number, five teachers’ numbers, three friends’ numbers. And after receiving my number, Junsu saw that there weren’t many apps on my phone, so he installed a messenger himself and invited me to a group chat.
“But why the cell phone?”
Junsu asked as he returned the phone.
“Ah, I got it as a birthday present.”
“Birthday? Was it your birthday?”
“No, it hasn’t passed yet, but it’s not far off. I got it early.”
“When is it?”
“April—”
Just as I was about to answer the 6th, the teacher opened the front door and came in, tapping the lectern and telling us to sit down. Thanks to that, the conversation was cut off, but it was okay. I smiled slightly and turned off my phone. Originally I shouldn’t do this, but just this once, I inwardly asked the Director’s understanding for using it a bit improperly.
‘April 6th.’
After sending that by phone, I smiled to myself. I didn’t care whether Lee Kanghyeong saw or not.
After morning assembly ended, I caught up with the teacher in the hallway in front of the front door as he was leaving and held out my phone to him too.
“Teacher, I got a cell phone.”
“Ah, that’s great!”
The teacher grinned. Then he saved his own number directly in my phone. The saved numbers increased to ten.
“You seem to be doing well these days. It’s good to see.”
“Yes.”
Even though the teacher probably didn’t know my entire situation, I really was doing the best I’d ever been in my life these days. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I smiled, and the teacher lifted his tie and pretended to wipe away tears. I burst out laughing.
“Ah, Teacher. I’m planning to apply for night study sessions starting in April.”
“I see. That’s good.”
Knowing that I didn’t do night study sessions because I helped with orphanage work, the teacher smiled at my words and ruffled my hair. Because of that, I pulled down my bangs that had stuck up with my fingers.
“Just because you got a cell phone doesn’t mean you can use it during class. Make sure to turn it off and only use it during breaks.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
The teacher walked away while pretending to wipe tears with his tie. I was watching and laughing at the kids in the hallway flinching in surprise when they saw the teacher, when an arm suddenly came out from behind and wrapped around my neck. It was Eorin-i. I slowly pressed down the instinct that was about to bristle. When we were stuck close together like this, there was a faint vanilla scent from Eorin-i. Whenever that happened, I deliberately breathed more slowly. Closing off pheromones wasn’t difficult.
“You’re going to do night study sessions?”
“Yeah. The teacher said it’s okay not to help anymore.”
“Good. I’ll have to abandon Na Junsu and move next to you.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s noisy.”
Eorin-i grumbled. I giggled.
When we returned to the classroom, kids were gathering noisily around a paper posted on the bulletin board next to the blackboard. Woojin, whose head stuck out prominently from among the kids and was easy to spot, looked our way and tapped Junsu’s shoulder next to him.
“What is it?”
“The club list. Have you thought about what to do?”
“No, I haven’t…”
They said we wouldn’t do it until March as it was an adjustment period, but starting in April, there would be club activity time on Friday afternoons. There was something called CA in middle school too, but I had joined the self-development club where we gathered without any activities and just read books or studied. Looking at the list carefully, there was quite a variety. I glanced at Eorin-i. Feeling my gaze, Eorin-i turned to look at me.
“Why?”
“I was wondering if there’s something you want to do.”
“Hmm… I was planning to join a club where I could exercise.”
“Ah. How about the basketball club?”
Junsu suggested. It seemed like it would be fun, but I was a bit concerned because Woojin didn’t like sweating. Since we were doing it anyway, I wanted to do it all together, and it seemed like the kids thought so too. But unexpectedly, Woojin nodded without much thought.
“Is it okay?”
“Yeah. It’s fun playing basketball with Chiwon.”
When I grinned at Woojin’s words, Woojin also grinned looking at my face. Junsu, who was watching us, muttered quietly.
“When I watch these two, I feel like there’s not a single problem in the world…”
As soon as April came, the weather quickly became warm. Kids walking around with their jackets and vests off, wearing only dress shirts, were noticeable. We joined the basketball club, and I submitted my night study session application.
“Tomorrow is Chiwon’s birthday.”
“Ah.”
I nodded. Two days ago, we had an April celebration party at the orphanage. Even though I was thoroughly congratulated then and received a cell phone as a gift, I bowed my head to hide my expression at Eorin-i’s words. I felt like a materialistic person, but honestly, I was looking forward to my friends celebrating my birthday. Was this normal? I couldn’t really tell, but even just a word of congratulations would be good, nothing grand. While eating lunch, Eorin-i asked.
“Is there anything you want?”
