The screen was a blurry black and white like an old movie projector. The childhood photos provided by Yoo-Jin appeared on the screen one by one. The photos showed an ordinary single-family house with traditional Korean decorations on one side and laundry hung on a line across the yard.
In the photo, a man in his mid-30s was sitting on the floor repairing a child's bicycle while a woman in her early 30s was smiling brightly as she shook out the wet laundry.
After about ten seconds, the TV screen switched to a photo of a little girl hugging her mother who was doing the laundry. The little girl was the young Yoo-Jin. Though everything on the screen was black and white, only one person in the picture, the young Yoo-Jin hugged by her mother, was colored.
"Mom... Dad..."
Yoo-Jin's voice started to intertwine with sobs as she looked at the photo. The dongdongju and pajeon she had been holding in her hands were long forgotten. Yoo-Jin's eyes couldn't leave the image of her parents on the TV.
Miso quickly ran to the dresser and brought back a box of tissues. She carefully pulled out two sheets and handed them over to Yoo-Jin.
"Mom, here."
"Thank you, Miso."
Yoo-Jin wiped her tears with the tissues Miso handed her and hugged Miso, before refocusing on the TV.
The screen slowly depicted Yoo-Jin's childhood, resembling the turning of pages in a picture book. Each black and white photo showed how loved and happy young Yoo-Jin was. She was always smiling—at her mother, at a puppy, and even at a frog. A girl who was always smiling: that was young Yoo-Jin.
Then, Yoo-Jin's older sister soon appeared. In every photo, Jung Yoo-Mi was holding Yoo-Jin's hand tightly as if she were worried Yoo-Jin might get hurt or lost. Jung Yoo-Mi's gaze was always on her younger sister, even though she looked only seven or eight years old. It was evident how much Yoo-Jin's sister adored Yoo-Jin.
"I must have been such a nuisance to her..." Yoo-Jin muttered to herself.
The photos swiftly passed by following the timeline and showed the siblings growing older. Even as Yoo-Jin reached the age to wear a school uniform, the two sisters continued to hold hands and shared smiles.
Time passed, and the photos of Yoo-Mi at a maternity hospital while holding Miso wrapped in a blanket, were shown on the TV. Yoo-Mi looked disheveled as she was taking a rest in bed shortly after giving birth. But at that moment, something changed in the photo. While the background remained black and white, another person became colored—it was Miso wrapped in the blanket.
"It's Miso!" Yoo-Jin pointed at the screen excitedly.
Miso tilted her head curiously with an excited expression. "That's me?"
"Yes. That's how small you were when you were born, Miso..."
In the photo, the whole family was smiling warmly at baby Miso wrapped in her blanket.
Then suddenly, without realizing it, Miso muttered to herself, "Dad, Mom…"
Looking at the face of her mom, whom she barely remembered now, Miso began to sob. Yoo-Jin quickly embraced her to comfort her.
"It's okay, Miso. It's okay. Mom is here."
"Yes...I'm okay, Mom."
At that moment, the background music began to play.
『When mom goes to pick oysters under the island's shade~』
The song 'Baby of the Island Home' filled the room from the speakers with no narrations or subtitles. The quiet and slow melody with heartbreaking lyrics touched everyone's hearts.
I felt overwhelmed for some reason and let out a tear without realizing it. I somehow felt an inexplicable longing for a mother I'd never seen.
As the song neared its end, the screen slowly transitioned into full color.
It was the funeral hall of Yoo-Jin's parents and her sister's family.
The Human Stories was now indicating that Yoo-Jin and Miso's lives had begun together from this point. Time flew by again, and Yoo-Jin's school appeared on the screen. Suddenly, the students at the school's main gate in the photo started to move.
The screen, which had been showing only the photos so far, had now transitioned to videos. The TV showed a brief glimpse of students heading to school, followed by a scene in the staff room.
A pleasant-looking woman in her mid-50s with streaks of white in her short hair was smiling broadly.
"Huh? Mrs. Choi Eun-Hye?"
Yoo-Jin's high school homeroom teacher in grade 12, Choi Eun-Hye, started talking about Yoo-Jin to the camera.
-Yoo-Jin? Haha! I can't believe she became an actress. She was always busy looking into becoming a civil servant. Anyway, everything that guy Ju Kang-Yong wrote is all lies. Everyone in this school knows how kind and caring Yoo-Jin was. Here, take a look at her school record.
Choi Eun-Hye showed the school records and gave an insight into Yoo-Jin as a person. Next, Yoo-Jin's friends appeared on the screen.
-Yoo-Jin, are you watching this right now? Thanks to you, I've become a teacher at a special needs school. You helped me a lot by pushing my wheelchair all the time. Thank you.
-A bully? Pfft. She used to cry at the sound of thunder.
-She couldn't even go to the bathroom alone during night self-study. How could she be a bully? Yoo-Jin, have you been hiding your true power all along?
-Anyway, Yoo-Jin, I'm glad I can see you on TV now! I'll definitely watch the broadcast!
-Yoo-Jin adored Miso like her own daughter. That's why Yoo-Mi unnie always urged her to marry quickly and have her own child. But Yoo-Jin, do you even have a boyfriend now?
Yoo-Jin's face turned red at her friends' teasing remarks.
"Ah, what are they even talking about..."
While there were pleasant stories, her high school friends also shared candid tales. Yoo-Jin's life and relationships were revealed through the footage. Moreover, the owner of the snack bar in front of the girls' high school, the comic book store, and even the convenience store owner confirmed that Yoo-Jin was a kind and caring student.
Then, the screen changed again.
'When was this?'
The date was unknown, but Yoo-Jin was sitting on the couch and practicing her script. She was completely immersed in the script with her hair tied back.
Behind her, Miso was lying on the floor and diligently doing her homework as she bounced her feet in the air. For a long while, Yoo-Jin uttered her lines softly while Miso concentrated on her drawing.
Seemingly bored of waiting, Na Hoon-Seok spoke up first in the video.
『Excuse me, Yoo-Jin. We are here, you know?』
『Oh! It's Mr. Na!』
Both Yoo-Jin and Miso turned their heads with bright smiles on their faces, naturally bringing smiles to the viewers' faces.
And at that moment, the narration began for the first time. Unexpectedly, it was the voice of someone completely unexpected.