Once upon a time, in a cozy little town, there lived a bright and bubbly girl named Naomi. Now, Naomi had a special name that came from Japan, even though she was born and raised in Korea. Her parents chose it because they loved how it meant "beautiful" in Japanese, and they thought it suited her perfectly with her sparkling eyes and kind heart. Naomi loved her name—it made her feel unique, like a secret treasure.
At school, Naomi was very popular. She had a big group of friends who laughed at her jokes, shared snacks during lunch, and played games with her on the playground. Everyone wanted to be around her because she was fun and always had a smile on her face. But one day, there was a problem. Her friends started making fun of a boy in their class named Dylan. Dylan was quiet and loved drawing pictures of dragons and castles, but he was a little shy and sometimes tripped over his words. Naomi's friends teased him about it, calling him silly names during recess.
Naomi didn't like it one bit. At first, she tried to laugh along so she wouldn't feel embarrassed or left out, but deep down, it made her tummy feel all twisty and wrong. "This isn't nice," she thought to herself as she watched Dylan sit alone under a tree, looking sad.
After recess ended and everyone went back to class, Naomi couldn't stop thinking about it. She decided she had to do something brave. Quietly, while the teacher was writing on the board, she scribbled a note on a piece of paper. It said: "Sorry about my friends. I tried to make fun of you so we would not be embarrassed, but it wasn’t right." She folded it up like a tiny origami bird and passed it to Dylan when no one was looking.
Dylan unfolded the note and read it slowly. His eyes widened, and a small smile crept onto his face. He looked over at Naomi and nodded, as if to say, "Thank you." From that day on, Dylan realized that Naomi was truly nice—not just popular, but kind-hearted too. He started sharing his drawings with her, and she stood up for him when her friends tried to tease again. Soon, Naomi's friends learned from her example, and the whole class became a happier place where everyone felt included.
And so, Naomi learned that being a good friend means being brave and doing what's right, even if it's a little scary. As the stars twinkled outside her window that night, she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of adventures with her new friend Dylan.
The end. Sweet dreams!