Haechan and I were seated in the reading corner, flipping through a picture book about talking animals. It was one of our favorite things to do during playtime—make up silly voices for the characters and giggle uncontrollably when one of us got too carried away.

“That’s not how a bear sounds!” I laughed, nudging him. He puffed out his cheeks dramatically, pretending to be offended.

“I’m a voice actor,” he declared. “You just don’t get it.”

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t stop smiling. Haechan always knew how to make me laugh. We’d been best friends ever since the first day of school, and it felt like we’d known each other forever. He was loud, funny, and a little bossy, but he always shared his snacks and never let me sit alone during lunch.

That day, we decided to build a fort in the corner using a pile of cushions and blankets from the nap area. Once it was finished, we crawled inside, laughing as we bumped into each other in the cramped space.

“This is the best fort ever,” he announced, his grin wide and proud.

“Yeah,” I agreed, hugging my knees. “No grown-ups allowed.”

Haechan leaned back against the cushions, looking at me with his big, mischievous eyes. “You know, best friends are supposed to do special things.”

I tilted my head, curious. “Like what?”

“Like… um…” He hesitated, his face turning a little pink. “Like a kiss. On the lips.”

I froze, my five-year-old brain trying to process what he’d just said. “What? That’s for, like, grown-ups!”

Haechan shrugged, but he was fidgeting with his hands now. “I saw it in a movie. They kissed because they liked each other a lot. And I like you a lot.”

Before I could respond, he leaned forward and gave me a quick, awkward peck on the lips. It was so fast I barely felt it, and then he pulled back, looking everywhere except at me.

For a second, I just stared at him, my cheeks burning. “Haechan! You’re so weird!”

He grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. “Don’t tell anyone, okay? It’s a secret.”