prologue

"I know why I came here."

The girl who said that had no facial expression.

The child was locked in a room for three days and was put in a shaking van without even bein gable to wash properly.

The child was hungry and his mouth was sore, but his eyes were wide open until the end.

It's been a while since I was thrown here, sur rounded by gentle wallpaper, but the stiff neck hasn' t loosened one bit.

All I did was face the psychiatrist wearing a white coat and nibble at my crusty lips.

"I had a fight with the kids at the daycare, but I was the only one who was fine. I didn' t even cry...."

"I see."

The doctor scribbled something with a silver pen.

"But you also look very injured and in pain."

"This? Not really."

The wounds are really not that big of a deal. So, I found it rather funny that the teacher reacted excessively to something that was just this bad. That teacher must really be a weakling....

"The kids I hit were hurt more."

"How many people did you hit?"

"Five people."

"....."

"I broke one person's forearm and knocked the other person down. He also kicked him in the buttocks, wrapped around his neck , and hooked his leg s."

The child said , folding his fingers one by one. It was a very serious tone.

"...."

"I see So how did you feel when your friends were crying?"

"It was funny."

"Why was that funny?"

The doctor's hands were busy. The child cont inued his words without taking his eyes off the silver pen stand that moved silently.

"Because fools cry because they are sick. Real idiots. It's not something to cry about , it' s so mething you have to endure. That' s how you be come healthier. It is said that the more a bone is broken and put back together, the stronger it becomes."

"...."

"I hit my shins with tree branches on purpose to strengthen my bones. Then, later on, your shins will become as hard as iron."

For the first time, pride appeared on my emo tionless face.

"I heard that martial arts athletes train like that.

"Would you like me to show you my shin s?"

"Do you want to be a martial artist when you grow up?"

"no."

"Then why do we do such training?"

"....."

Although his expression was not rich, the child who had been chirping like a bird suddenly closed his mouth. She kept tilting her head as if it was a question she had never thought about before.

The doctor, who was writing something in a plain file, raised his head a beat late. It was around that time that the conversation started to fall a part.

"It's mine."

"....."

"I will never let you leave my side. If it leaves, I will catch it again, and if it runs away, I will catch it again and keep it by my side."

There was a burning desire in the child's hungry eyes.

this... The doctor desperately resisted the urge to clutch his forehead.

"Sweetheart , no matter how much you like someone, it doesn' t mean you can have whatever you want."

"why?"

The child tilted his head innocently.

"Neither people nor love can be had unilaterally. "It may still be difficult to understand, but truly caring for something is not the concept of ownership."

"But there' s only one thing I want. I want somethin g of my own that will never go away. "It' s really the only one in the world that' s mine."

The child was stubborn and desperate. And she wa s incredibly hungry for her love. Is it because he was a child suffering from emotional poverty? She instinctively knew what I needed. Its keen senses were similar to those of a hunter.

The doctor put down his pen for a moment and Iooked into the young, shaking eyes.

"Then I guess I' ll have to learn how."

"What?"

"How you won't make mistakes when you meet someone you like someday. Won't the other person be scared by a radical approach? "With the slightest mistake, we can lose someone we love forever."

The child raised his cute hands and hid his face. Just the thought of someone leaving my side felt I ike a skewer was pricking my insides. no... You can't lose anything here....

"That' s why you always have to be careful when dealing with people."

The doctor, satisfied with the child' s reaction, was leisurely drinking tea.

"Then what if you hit my shin s some more?"

He puffed out the tea he was drinking. His chin

and clothes were a wet mess. Either way, the child's pretty eyes were shining.

"You can't break something precious. What if your legs get stronger and you leave me again?"

"...!"

"I have to be counted. Even if you leave me, I can always get you back."

For a moment, a strange expression appeared on his face, which had been blank like a blank page the entire time. It wasn't a smile, but the corners of his mouth twitched and went up in a similar way.

"I will catch it."

A slightly strange and stubborn look appeared in the child's eyes.

Since that first meeting, my child, Han Seo- ryeong, has been coming and going here once a month.

The fighting was so constant that there was never a day without bruises on my body.

Then, one day, he said he had a talent for gymnastics and often participated in competitions, but due to an unfortunate incident in high school, he dropped out of school and failed the college entrance exam.

When I became an adult and left orphanage, I had no choice but to jump into the job market.

Even then, consultations were often held. When a visit became difficult, a simple phone call was substituted.

In this way, a huge amount of counseling paper covering the life of a child suddenly became the record of a person named Han Seo- ryeong.

Seo- ryeong, who overcame her poverty and safely became an adult, obtained a massage license using the skill s she learned while doing gymnastics and worked as a caregiver for a long time.

He said that although the work is hard, it is good because the monthly salary is stable and allows him to live a normal life.

But life was an unpredictable area.

"Teacher, I'm getting married next month."

The chil d who came to visit for the first time in several years was holding in his hand a foldable can

e for the visually impaired. However, her expression was infinitely bright, as if she had the whole wor ld.

A vitality that had not been seen even when I was young was covering my entire face. She smiled shyly, holding out the flower-scented wedding invitation into the air.

Looks like you finally found your person!

The child's eyes turned red at the word s he shouted in surprise.

If so, please be ha ppy.

But seeing her again, whom I had not heard from since her marriage...

It was on the 9 o'clock news.