Friends or family, family or friends.
I also have a lot of worries, but in the end I choose a friend.
When you follow your friends, there are times when you disobey your mom and dad.
But if you do as Mom and Dad say, you will lose your friends.
Mom and Dad would be upset if they found out, but now that I'm in sixth grade, my choices always lean towards my friends.

--- From "Uncomfortable Words"

I still can't believe that Dami and I are best friends.
How did I become Dami's best friend?
Actually, I don't know.
Dami says she likes how good I am at dancing. Could that be the reason? It sounds like a joke, but is it really because I look beautiful without makeup? Whatever the reason, becoming friends with Dami is the best luck of my life.


Or maybe I just felt it instinctively.
That the workbook that Dami gave me was actually the lifeline that would save me from my miserable school life.
Even if I had to deceive the teacher, I desperately needed that lifeline at that time.

--- From "The Best Luck"

It's a cautious thing to say Lee Ji-eun's name in front of Dami.
Dami said she really hated having to take classes with me in the same group as Lee Ji-eun.
My heart also became heavy when I saw Dami in a bad mood.
On the one hand, I felt unfamiliar with myself.
Because I never thought I would be afraid of anyone.
Until I met Lee Ji-eun, the child I wanted to avoid.

Is Lee Ji-eun really okay? Could it be that she's afraid of coming to school like I was back then? I know all too well how it feels to be alone while all the other kids have partners.
Not having any friends is like being thrown into deep water without a life jacket and not being able to swim.
I can't breathe, I can't live.

--- From "The Child I Want to Avoid"

I felt strange.
Her smile was so pretty.
Why do you always walk around with such a cold face when you know how to smile like that?
Rather than the joy of solving the problem correctly, I was more excited by seeing Lee Ji-eun's unexpected side.
At that moment, I was startled.
'Why do I want to think positively of Lee Ji-eun?'
--- From "Roller Coaster"

I looked at Dami.
A look of concern as if asking what was bothering me.
Looking at those eyes, I couldn't bring myself to say anything good about Lee Ji-eun.
If you do that, Dami will get hurt.
I couldn't defend that kid with this kind of Dami.
If I had to choose between the two, it would be Dami without hesitation.
I bit my lips.
'Okay, let's draw a clear line.'
--- From "A Ridiculous Joke"

It was a strange thing to say, but I was more in love with the key ring I was holding.
I want to have it.
I want it so much.
But do I deserve this? I abandoned the author at the amusement park, and even worse, I chose to gossip about him behind his back without even apologizing.
It would have been a mistake to receive such a gift just because someone likes the same idol.
And he's still a kid that Dami hates.

--- From "Keyring"

I swallowed the noodles with a gurgling slurp.
My mouth felt cold and tears were on the verge of welling up, but I held them back.
Maybe because I was eating slowly, the noodles seemed to be soaked in a lot of seasoning, and my stomach was getting fuller.
Even Dami ordered one more serving, but then said she was too full to eat and poured it all onto my plate.
It was so spicy that I had to drink the entire liter of juice that was served.
I felt sick and had diarrhea.
Not only did I force myself to eat something I didn't want to eat, I even paid the bill.
Still, I felt relieved when Dami linked arms with me and said she ate well.
So I held back my bitterness.

--- From "Dami's Request"

I was so depressed that I didn't want to do anything.
I came home, closed the door, and lay in bed all day.
I put on my earphones and focused on the Guardians' song.
But this time, even the Guardians were of no help.
I kept crying and couldn't even hear the lyrics.
The image of Dami's back as she turned and walked away lingered in my mind.
--- From "The Line That Must Not Be Crossed"

A secret that only I and the author knew quickly passed through the children's eyes.
Even though we were together, I felt alone.
Meanwhile, Dami was laughing and chatting with the children as usual.
Everyone seemed happy except me.
Although I had hoped for this situation, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling.
It hadn't even been a week since I asked you to leave a critical comment, and now you're trying to befriend the author? I couldn't believe this situation, or Dami's words.

--- From the "Declaration of Severance of Relations"

I didn't enjoy going to school.
During break time, I just lay down in my seat.
When the kids I used to play with left me out and their laughter pierced my ears, I felt like crying.
I didn't want to fit in with any other crowd, and the kids in the crowd wouldn't let me fit in with them.
Those kids are also watching Dami's expression.
And I also felt like I had to be Dami.

--- From "The Planet That Left the Sun"

“Are you being bullied? Have we ever bullied you?”
I wasn't harassing you.
But it was hard to believe that the children who had been smiling at each other just a short while ago would suddenly turn their backs on each other.
How could it be explained without being a shun? But Minji insisted until the very end that it wasn't true.
“I’ll be honest about how it came to this.”
Minji looked straight into my eyes.
“We didn’t get along well.
I'm not playing because it doesn't fit.
“I’m not ignoring you.”
--- From "The Planet That Left the Sun"

When I first met Dami, I was dazzled.
Everyone envied Dami, and everyone felt safe as long as they had Dami by their side.
I thought I would never be bullied or lonely.
That's why I couldn't imagine a world without Dami.
Because in that world, Dami was my most precious friend and my guardian.

--- From "Log Out"

“Keeping your center without being biased.
Is there anything more important than dancing? We all know it, but how can that be accomplished in a day or two? Spinning, falling, spinning, falling again.
After falling and getting up dozens of times like that, I eventually find my center of gravity.
I fall down and it hurts, I cry, and I feel frustrated as if I can't go on anymore.
“It took me quite a while too.”

--- From "Center of Gravity"