The strange thing about childhood memories is that they feel endless while they're happening… but years later, they become small fragments floating somewhere far away.
For Rin, those fragments were filled with sunshine, dusty roads, and a girl who was always running beside him.
Her name was Yuna.
They weren't just neighbors. Their mothers were close friends, which meant the two houses were practically connected. If Rin disappeared from his house, his mother already knew where to look.
"Yuna's place again?" she would say with a smile.
And she was always right.
Every afternoon after school, the two children would rush outside before even changing their clothes. The warm air smelled like grass and dirt, and the sound of their laughter often echoed through the quiet street.
They played tag until their legs hurt.
They climbed trees they weren't supposed to climb.
They fought over snacks and then shared them five minutes later.
"You cheated!" Yuna would complain, her cheeks puffed up.
Rin would cross his arms confidently.
"You're just slow."
Then she'd chase him again, determined to win.
Those days felt endless. Like they would repeat forever.
But life never warns you before it changes.
---
One evening, Rin's parents called him into the living room.
"We have good news," his father said.
Rin tilted his head.
"You've been accepted into a boarding school."
At first, Rin didn't understand what that meant.
But soon the house filled with preparations. New clothes. A suitcase. Papers and phone calls.
He would be living there.
Not for a week.
Not for a month.
For years.
---
The morning he left was strangely quiet.
The car waited outside the gate.
Rin carried his small suitcase, trying to look excited instead of nervous.
And there she was.
Yuna stood near the fence, holding a tiny folded paper airplane. One they had made together a few days earlier.
"You're really leaving?" she asked softly.
Rin shrugged, pretending it wasn't a big deal.
"Yeah. But I'll come back during holidays."
"That's still far."
For the first time, she looked smaller than usual.
Rin didn't know what to say.
So he said the simplest thing.
"Don't be sad. We'll play again when I come back."
The car door closed.
The engine started.
As the car slowly moved away, Rin looked through the window.
Yuna was still standing there.
Holding the paper airplane.
Watching until he disappeared at the end of the road.
---
Boarding school was overwhelming at first.
New faces. New rules. A dorm full of noisy students.
The first nights were the hardest.
But slowly, things changed.
Rin made friends.
They joked in class.
They played sports after school.
They stayed awake whispering stories long after lights-out.
Life became busy.
And busy lives leave little space for old memories.
During holidays, Rin sometimes returned home.
But the visits were short.
He mostly stayed inside, played games, or went out with family.
For some reason, he never ran into Yuna again.
Maybe their schedules didn't match.
Maybe she was somewhere else.
Maybe the distance had already started growing between them.
Months turned into years.
New memories piled up like pages in a book.
And slowly—
Yuna became just another quiet memory.
Not forgotten completely.
But no longer someone Rin thought about.
---
Four years later, the hostel chapter of his life finally ended.
Rin returned home for good.
At first, everything felt strange.
The street seemed smaller than he remembered.
The trees looked shorter.
Even the house felt different somehow.
Life settled into a slow routine.
Morning.
Afternoon.
Night.
Days turned into weeks.
Weeks turned into months.
Rin got used to ordinary life again.
And somewhere along the way, the people from his childhood faded even further into the background of his mind.
---
One calm afternoon, Rin was lying on his bed upstairs, lazily scrolling through his phone.
Sunlight spilled across the floor through the half-open window.
Then he heard voices downstairs.
The front door had opened.
His mother sounded happy.
"Oh! It's been so long. Come in!"
Another woman laughed.
"We were passing nearby, so we thought we should visit."
Rin barely paid attention.
Visitors came sometimes.
But then—
He heard another voice.
Soft.
Gentle.
A girl's voice.
Curious, Rin stood up and quietly walked toward the hallway that overlooked the living room.
He leaned slightly against the wall and peeked downstairs.
And that's when he saw her.
A girl stood beside the sofa while her mother talked with Rin's mom.
For a moment, Rin simply stared.
He didn't recognize her.
Her long dark hair fell smoothly over her shoulders.
Her posture was calm and graceful.
Sunlight from the window touched her face softly, making her look almost unreal.
Rin felt something strange in his chest.
Who… is she?
Then his mother said a name casually.
"Rin came back from his hostel a few months ago. You remember him, right, Yuna?"
Everything stopped.
Yuna…?
The name echoed in Rin's mind.
That girl downstairs…
Was the same messy-haired kid who used to run beside him?
The same girl who used to argue over ice cream?
She looked completely different.
More mature.
More beautiful.
And suddenly—
Rin's heart began beating faster.
Without thinking, he quickly stepped back from the railing, hiding before anyone could notice him watching.
His hand rested against the wall as he tried to calm down.
Why am I nervous?
Back then, she was just Yuna.
Just his childhood friend.
But now…
Seeing her again after so many years felt strangely overwhelming.
Going downstairs suddenly felt impossible.
What would he say?
"Hey, remember me?"
"Sorry I basically disappeared for years?"
Everything felt awkward.
So Rin stayed upstairs, hidden in the quiet hallway.
Meanwhile downstairs, Yuna sat politely on the sofa.
Her eyes occasionally drifted toward the staircase.
As if she was wondering if someone might come down.
Someone she hadn't seen in years.
Two childhood friends.
Separated by time.
Standing only one floor apart.
Yet neither of them had the courage to take the first step.