Prologue

It was spring.

The gentle breeze stirred the countless branches of cherry blossom trees in the garden, causing white petals to flutter and fall gracefully, just like the snowflakes that fell on the day she first met him.

As if in a dream, Wendy’s gaze followed the falling petals from the sky to the ground. Beneath the cascade of blossoms stood the man who, then and now, captivated her attention.

It was a picturesque scene.

Spring, swirling petals, and her charming first love.

Their eyes met as he turned his head. The soft smile he wore while admiring the cherry blossoms faded, and the petal in his hand fluttered downward.

At that moment, she suddenly realized:

That man did not love her.

He never would.

Someone once said that first love is beautiful because it cannot be fulfilled.

But the first love that had consumed her childhood, the one she had dreamed would lead to a beautiful ending, left only pain behind.

She vowed never to love again—not a love that only brought pain.

The world, once radiant and pink like cherry blossoms, turned gray in an instant. Like paper burning to ash, spring disappeared, leaving behind only the harsh reality Wendy had come to understand.

Turning on her heel, Wendy fled the scene as if running away.

Thus ended her first love.