That night, the streets were cold and his stomach was empty.
The trash cans had already been rummaged through by someone else, and the smell of the street—fishy and rotting fruit mixed together—made it hard to breathe.
Curio had failed to beg for days.
People avoided the dirty, smelly child, and sometimes even hurled insults at him.
His tears had dried long ago.
In contrast, the sky began to rain without the slightest concern.
Cold droplets slid down his cheeks and seeped into the back of his neck.
When he turned the corner of the alley—
A warm orange light seeped out from a crack in an old wall.
As he got closer, the scent of burning wood and coal cut through the chilly air.
Through the window, he saw an old man and woman sitting in front of a brazier.
Both wore relaxed expressions and gentle smiles, as if things like cold and hunger didn't exist in this world.
But Curio shrank back.
No matter how kind someone looked, most people stiffened when they saw him.
And once, after following a friendly smile, he had nearly been sold to slavers.
That memory still felt like something gripping tightly around his wrists.
…And yet—
Grrrkk.
His stomach, cruelly, wanted that house more than its owner did.
Curio lingered at the door for a long time.
He raised his hand, lowered it, raised it again.
Finally, with trembling fingers, he knocked. Tap… tap…
The door opened, and with the warm light came the face of the old man.
In that instant, Curio froze.
Should he run? His toes twitched.
But the next moment, the old man's arms wrapped around him.
His rain-soaked cheek melted into an unfamiliar warmth—
like he had returned to a home he had lost long ago.
They led Curio to the brazier.
Hot soup slid down his throat.
His hands and feet thawed in a basin of warm water.
His worn-out clothes were taken off, and soft new ones embraced his body.
At the hospital, medicines he couldn't name soothed his cough.
That day, Curio realized for the first time that the world wasn't made of darkness alone.
---
"Of course, curiosity and interest haven't always led to good outcomes. Still… that memory left a deep mark on my personality.
That's why even now, I can't stop searching for things that are new and exciting."
When Curio finished speaking, Ali felt his heart thump.
It was a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time.
A world he had thought was only cold—
the ice had melted once before,
when under a gray sky he first saw a world where birds flew and light spread.
And now, he was traveling across the wide world with many people.
For the first time, the feeling called *empathy* sprouted within him.
At that moment, the seashell in Ali's hand glowed softly from within.
The light spread gently, filling a small glass droplet with gray liquid—
as if the frozen parts of his heart were slowly melting.
Ali stared at it quietly.
He didn't know why, but his fingertips trembled.
As though that tiny droplet was making him just a little more human.