"Thank you, have a nice day!" Lin watched the customer leave, waiting until their car left the parking lot, before relaxing his stance and letting his smile fade. Soon, his shift would be over and he could finally go home and relax after the long day.

His quiet peace was interrupted by a violent coughing fit. Lin sat down, holding a tissue to his mouth, and waited for it to pass.

After a couple minutes, he felt better and removed the tissue from his mouth.

'Haa, blood again? I should really get this checked out.'

While contemplating a trip to the doctor, the bell on the door rang and another customer came in.

"Welcome!" After his greeting, any thoughts about visiting the doctor quickly left his mind and he forgot about it for the rest of the shift. Instead, his thoughts mainly focused on what was for dinner, how to manage expenses, and feeding that cat he met down the street a couple weeks ago.

Before he realized it, his shift was over and he closed up the store, grabbing a can of tuna from the shelves on his way out.

The walk home was quiet and cold, it was the beginning of fall and it had long been dark out so not many people were out.

A little before he arrived home he stopped by the alleyway and left food for the cat, waiting a few minutes for it to arrive. Sure enough, the cat arrived quietly and greeted Lin by rubbing her head against his shins before digging in.

Meanwhile, Lin had a very important thought lingering.

"What should I name you?" Lin had crouched down, resting on the balls of his feet. The cat had almost finished her dinner, licking the can hard enough so that it rattled with every movement. Lin on the other hand, stayed silent, as if waiting for a response.

Suddenly, Lin's eyes lit up with an idea, and he picked up the cat from under her arms, looking into her eyes.

"I know! It should be Yukiko!" He pulled the cat closer with a grin, holding it close but not tight. Surprisingly, Yukiko seemed to be okay with the sudden contact and remained mostly motionless with the exception of licking her lips to gather any remaining tuna.

Lin's smile softened, and he buried his face into the top of her head.

"That was my sisters name," For a moment he paused, only to finish the sentence with "It will suit you wel-"

Letting go of the cat quickly Lin brought his hand to his mouth, coughing harshly. Panic enveloped Lin, these coughs felt worse than normal and he barely had time to breathe in between coughs and his hand felt warm and wet, much more blood than normal. Yukiko seemed to be concerned as well, she began to meow and butt her head against his knees to no avail.

After a while, Lin stumbled and sat down while propping himself against a wall. He started to feel dizzy, but couldn't do anything except focus on trying to breathe.

Despite his best efforts, the loss of blood, lack of oxygen, and general exhaustion led to Lin passing out. The last thing he felt was Yukiko licking his clean hand, staying by his side.

-

"Mom! Dad! Don't forget your coffee!" A little boy with messy black hair ran out of his house, holding a mug of freshly made coffee.

A woman in her mid-thirties poked her head out from the opposite side car, standing up straight to face the boy.

"Oh thank you Lin!" She quickly finished buckling in Lins' little brother, just as his father finally got his sister in her booster seat. Pulling him into a hug with one arm and taking a cup of coffee from the other his mother guided him into his seat.

Once they were all settled, they set off. Lin was trying to make peace between his two younger siblings, after all he was sitting in the middle and often got hit in the crossfire. Soon, the family was laughing and talking about nothing in particular, the moment felt pure and warm.

Then his father spilled his drink, so he looked down to get a napkin. It was only for a moment, one of those momentary glances away from the road that happens so often no one thinks twice about it.

Only this time, another car had been speeding in their direction, not stopping at the stop sign. As soon as someone saw it, it was already too late and no one was able to react.

The car violently crashed against theirs, smashing it against a wall on the other side.

When Lin awoke he couldn't tell what was going on. His ears were ringing, he was dizzy, and he was covered in warm, wet, liquid. When he finally opened his eyes, he found himself covered in blood, and saw that no one else was moving.

He turned to his left to look at his brother, Jun, and immediately felt sick. The sight was brutal.

He burst out in a choked sob, which evolved into a helpless wail. He couldn't move, so all he could do was close his eyes and wait.

Eventually help came, and Lin felt himself being taken out of the car. At this point his uncontrollable tears had dried up, his throat sore, and all that emerged was an occasional whimper. Voices and flashes surrounded him, and he felt overwhelmed.

Soon he was passed out in an ambulance and quickly taken to the hospital.

When he awoke, there was no one by his side. He still felt dizzy, and confused.

What had happened in the accident suddenly rushed to his mind, he shot up and tears quietly started to spring from his eyes.

The nurses outside noticed he was awake after a couple of minutes, but that small amount of time, utterly alone was all it took to impact Lin's future.

Later, he had found out that most of his family were presumed to have died on impact. With no other family members to care for him, he was promptly sent to an orphanage once he was discharged. There he spent a little under five years, staying quiet and drifting to the background.

During those five years, he discovered a way to fill the void his family had left. He started making little sculptures of creatures, they started off rough but slowly advanced in detail and craftsmanship. Eventually he had quite a collection, each and every one was as dear to him as a friend.

His life at the orphanage was rough, so he ran away many times trying to escape. When was 17 he finally succeeded. After that he somehow managed to live under the radar for a whole year, leaving almost no traces of his existence.

Then one day, he decided to change that. Slowly but surely, he integrated into normal life. Getting a solid job, renting an apartment in an okay neighborhood, and making relationships with people near him.

Another change was he started investing more into his sculpture making. Whenever one of his friends or neighbors would come by and see his room, they would marvel at the sight. Shelves upon shelves full of sculptures made from wood, chipped from stone, or molded clay. Each one grew in detail and realism, eventually becoming so life-like the sculptures looked as if they were just animals dipped in plaster.

Often, someone would tell him that he should sell his creations, make some for extra cash. However he always declined, laughing it off. After all, just the idea of selling his sculptures hurt his heart.

He had spent a couple of years like this, making ends meet and enjoying a slow but content life. This all led him to where he is today.