Written in charcoal on a folded, slightly crumpled parchment. The strokes are neat, careful. Each word carries weight.
---
To the ones who walked beside me,
And to the ones who watched from afar—
I never said much.
Because I didn't know how.
Because I was scared that words would break what little I had left.
But you listened anyway.
You waited.
You let me follow, even when I fell behind.
Thank you.
Sun-Ho taught me that silence doesn't mean weakness.
So-Ri taught me how to read the wind.
Ma-Rok taught me to swing without hesitation.
Yul-Rin taught me to question everything, even poison.
Ji-Mun taught me that laughter can be louder than pain.
Master Jang taught me that being still… is its own kind of strength.
I don't know who I'll become.
But I'm not afraid anymore.
Even when the world turns sharp,
Even when the sky falls,
I'll walk forward.
Because I'm not walking alone.
Next time, I'll protect someone.
Like you all protected me.
—Yeon
P.S. I still have the first formation diagram Sun-Ho drew for me.
It has a soup stain on the corner. I kept it that way.
P.P.S. Ji-Mun says Yeon kept his letter short—not because he lacks words, but because he's still deciding if the readers are truly worthy of a longer one. Perhaps if he sees more support… he'll consider a second draft. Maybe.
P.P.S. Ma-Rok says Yeon is never that harsh
---