Minji had always been a quiet and introverted girl, struggling to make friends in her small town. But then, she met Haerin, and everything changed. Haerin was her only friend, and they spent their days together, watching movies, chatting till midnight, and having sleepovers at Minji's cozy home.
It was a rainy day, everyone else was running to find a roof to shelter from the rain. Haerin was the only one in the playground, swinging in the rain. It was really weird, but Minji still took her home, afraid she would catch a cold.
Therefore, the gears of fate turned.
These days, Minji couldn't help but notice that something was bothering Haerin lately. She would often find her friend gazing out the window, lost in thought. Minji was worried about her but didn't know how to broach the subject. Instead, she simply watched at the sadness in Haerin's eyes, her heart aching with unspoken concern.
Finally came up with an idea, Minji took Haerin's hand and asked her to watch a movie with her, they settled in to watch a movie with Haerin's head resting on her shoulder. They leaned against each other quietly, staring at the TV screen infront of them in silence. The plot of the story is about a character who discovered that her friend had been imaginary all along. The sudden plot twist left both Minji and Haerin gasping in surprise. It was a movie that made them question the nature of friendship and reality.
Got tired of watching movies, they went to the backyard and watched as the butterflies fly. They sat side by side on the grass. Summer is the peak butterfly season, butterflies flapped their wings and danced in the air, which looked so unrealistic.
Minji looked at them and said, "Haerin, you are so similar to these butterflies. It seems that you would fly away with them and disappear from me in the next second."
"Promise not to leave me, okay? I only have you..." a solemn expression on Minji's face.
Haerin took out Minji's hand and stretched out her finger, a greyish butterfly landed there, Haerin replied softly, eyes narrowed into slits, "Butterflies that flies away will fly back."
Minji didn't understand what Haerin meant, but at that moment she just wanted to hold Haerin tightly. Her pinky finger slowly came closer and then hooked with hers. It wasn't until she felt the warmth of the other person before everything felt real.
Days turned into weeks, and Minji's fondness for Haerin continued to grow. Some mornings, she would wake up to find Haerin already in her room, sitting on the floor and watch Minji sleeping on the mattress with a serene smile. Minji couldn't help but wonder how Haerin's bed remained pristine, as if it had never been touched, and how her school uniform always looked impeccably neat without a wrinkle.
Sometimes, Minji couldn't shake the feeling that Haerin was more like a ghost, a constant presence by her side.
She would greet Haerin with a cheerful "good morning" before going about her daily routine. Occasionally, Minji would mention to her mother that Haerin would be coming over, and every time, her mother's eyes would be filled with tears. Minji couldn't understand why her mother reacted this way, but she brushed it off, thinking her mother simply missed having visitors in their quiet home.
One fateful day, Minji woke up feeling unusually tired. She decided to rest her head on her desk at school, hoping to catch a few moments of sleep during class. When she awoke, she realized that Haerin was nowhere to be found. Confused and anxious, she hurried home and asked her mother, "Mom, have you seen Haerin? She promised me that she would come over today."
Minji's mother's eyes welled up with tears once again. She embraced Minji, her voice choked with sobs, and said, "You have always been the only one... There is no girl named Haerin in the neighbourhood."
Minji felt a chill run down her spine as her mother's words sank in. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She pulled away from her mother and insisted, "No, that can't be true! Haerin is real! She's been my friend for so long."
Her mother continued to weep, her heart heavy with sorrow. "My dear, you've been talking to an empty room, playing with an invisible friend. It's time to let her go."
Minji was overcome with disbelief and despair. She returned to her room, but Haerin was nowhere to be found. The realization hit her like a tidal wave, and she sank to the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had been living in a world of her own creation, a world where Haerin was her only friend.
After that day, Minji never saw Haerin again. She was forced to confront the painful truth that the protagonist in the movie they had watched was, in fact, herself. Haerin had been a figment of her imagination, a creation born out of loneliness and a longing for companionship.
As the years passed, Minji learned to make real friends and slowly moved on from her imaginary companion. Yet, deep down, she would always carry the bittersweet memory of Haerin, the friend who had been so real to her, even if she had never truly existed.
