Chapter 1

Ssshhhh―  

The rain falling in early winter was as unfamiliar and bleak as the gloomy sky.  

Rather than a blessing that moistened the dry earth, it felt more like a warning, as if it meant to strip away every trace of green left on the ground.  

Rain quietly fell over a small village, where a few old houses stood among wide wheat fields. Leaning against one of those brick walls, a boy sat huddled. The boy, endlessly waiting for the gate to open, had lips that were blue and wore clothes unsuited for the season.  

His body temperature had dropped from the cold rain, but what was even more pitiful were his eyes, fading without dreams or hope. Having given up on everything, the boy just wanted to see his grandmother’s face one last time.  

To such a boy, a softly humming tune came drifting.  

Even though mud clung to her shoes with every step on the soggy ground, the girl humming seemed to enjoy it, matching her steps to the rhythm cheerfully. As the strange sound drew closer, the boy’s unfocused eyes sharpened.  

A girl, holding an umbrella and clutching a letter to her chest, suddenly stopped and looked up.  

“Huh?”  

Recognizing the boy’s face, the girl rushed over in a hurry.  

Splash, splash  

“Dean? Is that really you?”  

The boy, caught staring as if hypnotized, ducked his head beneath his arms, but he couldn’t avoid the girl’s attention.  

“Were you crying? What happened? Where’s your umbrella? Where are your shoes? Don’t tell me you came here alone like this?”  

Her voice was kind, but the boy burst out in irritation.  

“Stop meddling and go away!”  

‘Don’t look back, just leave and disappear. Don’t act like you care, don’t act kind.’

Instead of crying, the boy shouted.  

He knew better than anyone how pitiful and miserable he looked right now.  

It was insecurity.  

So that she’d be disgusted and never speak to him again,  

“Go away. Don’t come near me.”  

If he acted ugly, maybe she’d glare at him like the other kids and never come close again.  

Pouting, the girl’s angry face drew closer.  

“I’m not trying to meddle, but your grandma might not come home today. She went with my grandma to help her friend’s granddaughter who’s having a baby.”  

Dean jumped up.  

“Where is that! Tell me now!”  

When he’d run away from the dorm in desperation, the idea that his grandma wouldn’t be home wasn’t even an option. Like someone who’d lost his last refuge, the boy shouted.  

This was unexpected.  

No matter how much he acted out, his grandma was the only one who always accepted him. She was always supposed to be right there.  

So this was unfair.  

“I’m not deaf. I might answer if you ask nicely, but do you have to yell like that?”  

“If you don’t want to hear it, just tell me where it is!”  

The boy tried to run off into the rain to find his grandma. At that moment, Hailey’s eyes reflected his face like a mirror.  

“What’s with your feet! Where are your shoes?”  

His pitiful state was clearly reflected in her eyes.  

‘You must think I’m pathetic. I know. But what can I do? What can you do? I’ve always been a mess.’  

“Tsk.”  

That short sound made his heart drop.  

“Do you know Mary’s house? Grandma’s friend. Her granddaughter came to give birth, so your grandma went to help.”  

“Just tell me where it is!”  

“I don’t know either. Don’t you know where Mary’s house is?”  

His hurried, panting breaths kept sending out thin clouds of steam. The damp, cold air seemed to steal every bit of warmth left in his body just by speaking.  

“Your grandma will be home soon, so go inside and wait.”  

“I don’t have a key.”  

At Dean’s words, Hailey sighed deeply.  

“Want a cup of hot cocoa? Dad sent some.”  

He’d decided to keep his distance,  

But seeing Hailey’s kind eyes, he nearly burst into tears. So he clenched his teeth even harder.  

‘Why haven’t you changed at all?’  

He’d vowed to forget every broken, ruined thing about his past when he left Plojesville. Yet here he was, unable to adjust to his new life, coming back to this place.  

Frustration made tears roll down Dean’s face.  

Drip.  

His pride, already shattered, crumbled even further.  

“Want to wash up while the water boils? You’ll catch a cold like this. You need to wash off that mud.”  

Hailey pushed the boy’s back. Instead, the boy snapped.  

“I don’t need…… achoo!”  

In the middle of complaining, the boy’s eyes went wide.  

“See? You already caught a cold.”  

“No, it’s achoo! That’s not…… achoo! Achoo! Achoo!”  

Unable to resist, the boy rushed into the bathroom.  

When he came out, having washed up quickly, steam was rising from the kettle on the stove, and Hailey was hurriedly making cocoa in a mug. The sweet, rich smell invaded his nose, and maybe that’s why he felt relieved. The consciousness he’d barely held onto melted away at that one scent.  

After a quick bath in hot water, the boy looked even more pitiful. Wearing her grandma’s floral pajamas, which didn’t fit, made it worse.  

He tried to act casual, sitting on the sofa, thinking he looked fine.  

Dizzy.  

Once he relaxed, the world spun.  

‘No. Get a grip. The instructor always said you could get through anything if you held on with grit and determination.’  

He’d rolled and rolled, trying to fix his weak spirit.  

He hadn’t risked everything to escape the dorm just to fall apart now.  

But as his vision blurred, he blacked out for a moment.  

“Ah!”  

Realizing he’d lost consciousness, Dean quickly sat up. Something fell from his forehead—it was a wet towel.  

Lifting his head, he saw he was leaning back on the sofa under a blanket, with the cocoa Hailey made sitting alone on the table, growing cold.  

His curiosity was quickly answered. Hailey was dozing in a single seat sofa. She must have put the towel on his feverish forehead and stayed by his side, then nodded off herself.  

Snore.  

She even snored a little in that short time.  

Heh.  

It was so absurd that a silly laugh burst out.  

The boy held his forehead with both hands, laughing as if he had a headache.  

Snore, snore.  

She looked so peaceful. Having a guest didn’t bother her at all—she slept soundly. Hailey was always like that. No matter what happened, she’d just rub her sleepy eyes, take a nap, and talk about it later, unconcerned.  

“Hahahaha!”  

Even as he laughed, tears streamed down his face.  

Why did he come here?  

Did he really come just to see his grandma’s face one last time before dying?  

Even after returning so dramatically, the sound of someone snoring made everything seem trivial, and it was both sad and funny.  

Snore.  

Just before her head fell and her body slumped, Hailey woke up with a start.  

“Ah!”  

Worried she might have drooled, Hailey quickly wiped her mouth. Her sleepy, dazed face somehow comforted him.  

“You really have a knack for making everything seem like it’s no big deal.”