All Chapters of I Need To Be Next To You [English version]: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

"My House vs His House"My house and Jano's house were right next to each other. Literally side by side.But we didn't live in one of those modern housing complexes where every single house looks exactly the same, with the same plot of land and the same boring facade. Our neighborhood was different. It was an old residential area that had gone through a long process of modernization and beautification. Every house had its own neat little fence and a tidy trash bin in front of it, and the street in front of our houses was paved smoothly with real asphalt, not just cheap paving blocks.Like most old neighborhoods that weren't built by a big real estate developer, our houses were not uniform at all. So don't be surprised if the size of the land and the architectural style of each house here are wildly diverse and varied. Some houses still maintained their original old buildings — these belong to the original residents who have lived here for decades. Some have been heavily renovated. And

"Why Am I So Different?" [2009]On weekends, if he wasn't on duty out of town, Dad would read the newspaper, books, or magazines after breakfast or towards late afternoon. Usually accompanied by a cup of black coffee and snacks that's made by Mom. That Sunday afternoon I saw Dad relaxing in the back porch with a newspaper spread out, there was a cup of coffee still steaming and a plate of boiled cassava on the side table next to the chair Dad was sitting in. I walked towards him timidly."Dad...""Hmm," Dad's answer was only a soft murmur from behind the pages of the newspaper that stretched, blocking our view. Clearly his attention was poured into what he was reading."Why am I different from Rachel and Alena? Why am I dark, curly, ugly?! Am I not you and Mom's child?" I asked softly.The newspaper in Dad's hand went down at super speed. A pair of his eyes behind glasses widened staring at me."WHAT? What did you just say?""Why am I ugly, not like Bari, Rachel, and Lena?" I said wh

"OH, HERE WITH YOU, NEAR WITH YOU" [2019]I never forgot that little moment.That afternoon, Jano was glued to his laptop — whether he was working on a college assignment, just browsing, or whatever. The moment I walked into his room, he was typing furiously, eyes locked on the screen. Ever since college — hell, ever since high school — we hadn't hung out like we used to. We barely talked, let alone goofed around together. And I hated being ignored like that. He even forgot to wish me a happy birthday, let alone give me a gift, for my seventeenth.Like always, I walked straight into his upstairs bedroom without knocking. This time I barged right up to his desk."What are you so busy with?" I asked, wedging myself behind him, even though his chair was clearly not made for two. So I was plastered to his back like a leech. I rested my chin on his left shoulder and peeked at the laptop screen that had stolen all his attention.Jano jumped when he felt me against his back. His head snappe