That time, when I was seven years old...
My parents and grandpa had already left this world.
When my parents died in an accident, no relatives wanted to take care of me. Not a single one.
But my grandpa was there.
He was the only one who stayed by my side.
He and I lived together in the house my parents had left behind.
That time I spent with him… it was warm. Safe. Gentle.
A memory I still carry like an ember in the dark.
But happiness doesn't stay forever.
If there is happiness, there will always be sadness.
That's just how life is.
And the time came.
Two years after my parents' deaths...
I lost my grandpa too.
Just like that, I became completely alone.
A seven-year-old boy, alone in a big house.
No one beside me.
No one left.
Just me.
---
One day, some relatives came to the house. Their smiles were soft. Friendly.
"Siyoon, from now on, we will stay with you."
They smiled warmly.
They treated me with kindness. Their voices were gentle. They cooked for me, hugged me, talked to me like I mattered.
They behaved like I was their real son.
I was happy.
Really happy.
But that happiness… only lasted a little while.
Because after just three days—
They showed me their true colors.
The care, the kindness, the warm smiles…
All of it had been an act.
They didn't care about me.
Their interest wasn't in a lonely boy.
It was in the property.
The inheritance left behind by my parents and grandpa.
The house. The land. The money.
And all of it was in my name.
One morning, they all stood in front of me, handing over a stack of papers.
"Siyoon, please sign here. If you sign here, we can take care of you for the rest of our life."
---
But before my grandpa died, he warned me.
It was a cold evening. I remember lying on his arm, his chest rising and falling slowly as he gently patted my head. He had been ill for a while. But even in his weakest days, he never once left me.
"Siyoon, my boy."
"Yeah, grandpa?"
"Do you know something? This world is very selfish. No one will help you until they get any benefit from it. So never trust anyone."
"Why, grandpa?"
"There's no reason, my boy. The world was always like this… and it'll be the same in the future as well."
"I see."
He paused. His fingers brushed my hair.
"And also keep this in mind. There will be some people coming when I won't be here with you. They'll show you that they care. They'll behave nicely. That's not the problem. But if anyone ever wants something from you—any document, a signature, anything—don't ever give it to them. Do you understand, my boy?"
"Yeah… but Grandpa, where will you go? Why won't you be here with me?"
We spent so many peaceful days together.
I didn't know then… that everything he said would come true so soon.
---
They really did want something from me.
Why are people so selfish?
I asked myself that question again and again… but no answer ever came.
I refused to sign.
And just like that—they left.
Abandoned me.
Again.
Alone.
Time passed.
I didn't cry. There was no point.
But no matter how much I tried not to...
At the end of the day—
When the night came, and the silence crept in—
Tears always came.
No one cooked anymore.
I was a kid, so I couldn't cook well. I had to eat fast food every day. Greasy, tasteless food. Since then, I never tasted a home-cooked meal again.
I tried sometimes.
But it never worked. It never felt the same.
And that wasn't all.
Sometimes, when I went outside—whether for errands or school—boys on the street would beat me up. Just for existing. For being weak. For being alone.
I began to fear going outside.
Even school.
That was how my life went on.
---
Sometimes I thought to myself—
Why is this all happening to me? Why is it always like this?
Should I die? Should I die now?
There's no reason to live in this world anymore.
It's just a cruel world… and I have no place in it.
---
But after three years—
My life changed.
---
It was a quiet day.
I was sitting on the beach, far from the other people, alone.
Just me and the sea.
Whoosh... shhh... whoosh... shhh...
The waves rolled in softly, as if whispering stories no one could hear.
I was sitting in the sand, knees hugged to my chest, watching the ocean as it breathed.
There was a time when I could enjoy moments like this with Grandpa.
But now… there was no one.
Still, I kept coming here.
Even though it didn't make me feel better.
Even though it made me feel more alone.
It would be a lie to say my mood got better here.
In fact, it only reminded me of how empty everything had become.
Despite knowing that—
I always came back.
But today was different.
A voice cut through the sound of the waves.
"Hey... Are you watching the wave of the sea alone?"
It was a girl's voice.
Soft. Curious.
I hadn't noticed anyone approach.
She stood to my right.
I turned my head slowly—
Yeah… it was Jung Haerin.
She looked down at me, smiling.
"Why your face look so sad? Children in our age should always be happy."
Her smiling face… it was warm.
Like sunlight.
Like a star that refused to burn out.
That was the moment.
That was the beach.
Where I first met Haerin.
And now, again, on that very same beach—
She was running toward me, smiling, as if no time had passed.
Her dress fluttered in the breeze. It suited her perfectly. She looked like—
An angel.
An angel running toward me.
Tears spread through my eyes.
She was here.
Alive.
To be continue...