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Nishimura Riki and Son Iseul have been best friends since childhood.
They were born on the same day, their mothers are very close, and they happen to live right next to each other.
But sometimes they don't get along.
"Sma...
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"Come on," Ni-ki pulled Iseul by the arm and started running with her. Once they arrived at the bridge, they slowly walked, hand in hand, towards the center.
The cars whizzed by, rushed and in a hurry. Honking and construction noises were coming from every direction. But the two didn't hear them. They were so used to the racket it was all background noise, or you could call it ambiance. They were the complete opposite of the busy streets. Just wandering slowly without a care in the world. They had a destination, but they never set a goal to reach it.
A few feet from Iseul's anniversary surprise, Ni-ki stood behind her and covered her eyes with his left hand. With his right, he guided her forward. He wanted to make sure she was perfectly aligned for her reaction so he moved her a couple times. He directed, "I need you to move slightly to the right. More. A little bit less. Perfect, just forward a little. Nope that was too much and you moved left a bit."
Iseul groaned and said, "Are you ever going to let me see?"
"Yes but I need it to be perfect. I worked really hard on this," Ni-ki explained. Iseul just 'hmphed" and crossed her arms. Ni-ki sighed and gave in, "Alright. You can open your eyes, but not yet. You can't be mad before you see it." Ni-ki could tell she rolled her eyes even though he was behind her but she still brought her hands down to her sides. Ni-ki said, "Okay. Are you ready?"
"Yes, I've been ready all day."
"I don't think you're ready for this. Take one more deep breath," Ni-ki told Iseul.
Iseul took another deep breath and said, "I'm ready. Can I pleeease see my present?"
Ni-ki laughed and gave in, "Alright, alright." He lifted his hand off of her face.
Iseul looked down once she realized it wasn't right in front and saw the bench, painted black cleanly and with colorful blobs on it. She laughed on the inside. They lived in the city, so there was no way that it was going to stay like that for long. She looked closer and saw the engraved metal plate at the top. It read:
My dearest Soul,
Happy Anniversary to my classmate, neighbor, soulmate, lover, and my best friend. Your presence all these years has excited me, annoyed me, influenced me, spited me, charmed me, and most importantly, has taught me how to love. Now you're stuck with this dimwit. I hope we can continue to do all the stupid things we do. When we get old and pruny, I want to come back here and judge people as they pass by. I will always be there right next to you and if I'm not, expect your Pumura to come back to you with flowers and a hoodie (with my manly cologne scent) for you to wear. I love you Son Iseul, more than you could ever imagine.
