"Do you have the time?"
        "Sure, it is ten to eleven."
        "I appreciate it."
        "Don't mention it."
        The student who asked me the time disappeared to the other side of the street from where I was standing for a while. I had an appointment with my classmate in front of the gym near my home. After she went away, I looked at my blue watch again. It looked particularly light blue in the bright sunlight. I like the color blue so much. Whenever I buy something special, I choose something blue. How pretty it is! If someone asks me why I love it very much, I want to tell them that it always reminds me of my best friend. I do not know exactly when I started to like that color. I guess, however, it was when I was a middle school student.
        When I saw Young Ae from a distance in our classroom for the first time, she was sitting with her arms folded, looking at a book. It was time to start the first class of the spring term. I thought she had a brilliant, thin, white face, and remarkably black eyebrows. She also had a few freckles, and some small pimples with a pail complexion. She looked so cute, but like a boy because of them. In her sweet visage, there was delicacy, vivaciousness and grace. She did nothing but look at her book, without chattering like other students.
        When I looked at Young Ae, I could perceive that she really liked the color blue. Everything that she had was blue: her pencil case, notebook, backpack, shoes, and so one. Especially, I found that she had a very pretty blue watch. She was not at all tall, but she was not diminutive. I thought she had a singular western air. She was at once wild and pure. At that time, I was very shy and had a negative character. So I really wanted to talk to her about anything, but I could not. I looked at Young Ae for a while. She suddenly stood up and stepped slowly towards me, smiling at me.
        "Why have you been looking at me for a long time?"
        "Ah... Um... I just want to talk to you."
        "Then, why don't you say anything to me?"
        "Ah... I tried to... but...."
        "Ha, ha, maybe you want me to be your friend."
        "Sure, would you...?"
        We were soon to be close. We very often walked along the stream near the school after class. Young Ae was always dressed in a white cotton blouse and a short black skirt. She loved blue, to collect leaves, and to sing a song like an opera singer. So far as I remember, I have never met a friend who was as comfortable and kind as she was. She was eminently pure. Her eyes were clear, and she looked honest. She especially liked taking a walk with me anywhere I wanted to go.
        Young Ae always prayed to God whenever she ate and whatever she did. Sometimes she told me about Jesus Christ, but I gave no heed to her. One day she asked me to go to the church where she went every Sunday. I told her that I had no idea about religion, so I did not want to go there. We still had a good relationship even though I did not listen to her tell me about the church. We studied very hard and helped each other. She was a really studious friend. She liked math, but I did not. I liked English so much, but she did not. We did all of our work as a pair. She was particularly amiable and was universally loved by everyone. It was on account of her good character. She gave me many lessons and impressions. She always told the truth and was honest. I liked it when she gave me courage, as I did not know what to do when I was in trouble.
        It was a very lovely and wonderful day in October when we went on our last picnic together. Young Ae and I decided to go on a picnic to Yang Pyong with four other students in our class. We thought that might be the last picnic when we were middle school students, because we had to take the high school entrance test two months from that day. Nobody else was there where we pitched our tent except my friends and I. It was very strange not to find some people though it was a busy season for many travelers. There were not only many trees near our tent but also lots of fish in the river. Across the river, there were some wooden houses. I saw a particularly big green tree near our tent. I also remember looking at the river that was singularly blue and clear. We enjoyed a campfire and had a very wonderful time the first night. We were very happy and had sweet dreams.
        The next morning, Young Ae wanted to go fishing. I went into the river first, and she followed me to catch fish with a net. While I was going into the river, I saw an old woman crossing the bridge carrying a very heavy basket of corn. I wanted to help her carry it to the other side. So I gave the net that I was carrying to Young Ae. She continued to wade into the river without me. As soon as I came out of the water, I turned toward her to wave. Suddenly I felt something was wrong. I could not see her anywhere. I cried out very loudly and shouted toward her. But there was no response. Nobody could help her. We could just look into the very deep, cold, blue river. That was the only thing we could do. Suddenly I felt very sad and burst into tears. I ran in tears toward the river that she was in. I continued to call her name many times, "Young Ae... Young Ae...." I really just wanted to hear her voice, even something like "Help me... help me...." But I could not hear her voice at all.
        That was the last time I saw Young Ae alive. She returned to me as a cold dead body. I could not say anything to her when I saw her. I just hugged her cold body and said to her for the last time, "Good-bye, my precious friend, good-bye." She looked prettier, but still did not smile. I wanted her to call my name again like when she was alive. I also hoped that it was just dream. But it was a real accident, and I realized I had to accept it. She left the blue river for Heaven alone like that. I remember her mother crying very sadly near the river. She could not stand her sadness, but she prayed to God for her cute, pretty and smart daughter's soul.
        After Young Ae's funeral, her mother asked me to go to the church her lovely daughter had gone to. I willingly answered that I wanted to be a Christian like her daughter, even though I did not understand about God yet. I went to the church every Sunday for a long time for her and for my best friend. One day, I found I was crying loudly when the minister preached about the gospel. I knew that Jesus Christ died because of my sin and found out that Jesus Christ always watches and loves me. I always felt that my friend's death was my fault. I thought she died instead of me, because I gave her the net. If I did not give her the net, maybe I might have died.
        After I realized the truth of the gospel, I did not feel that I was a sinner any more. The only reason I did not feel sad about Young Ae was that I knew God loves and forgives everyone. I could understand why she loved God so much. I think her righteousness, purity and love was from God. Her tenderness and kindness, too. I believe she was a real Christian. I could get a new life through her death. Her death gave me a good chance to know God. She also taught me about what the best way to live is. The river in Yang Pyong is always clear and blue like the innocent soul of my best friend.