Chapter 13-1
by Han Yong-un · 2026-08-25
Dae-cheol grimaced and collapsed, drooling bubbles.
With his powerless hand, he tried to grasp Soon-young's wrist but let go involuntarily.
Soon-young looked closely, wondering if Dae-cheol was taking his last breath.
However, since he always seemed on the verge of death, there was nothing particularly surprising about it.
Even if he were to die right away, Soon-young had no other way to deal with it, so she could only keep watch over him.
The crescent moonlight seeped through the rustling leaves swaying in the wind.
The light reflecting off Dae-cheol's pale face, devoid of any signs of life, was both pitiful and frightening, as if it held some meaning.
Sitting beside him, unable to calm her heart, Soon-young recalled the words that Un-ok had said earlier and the words that Dae-cheol had spoken.
She could not understand what the world was and what it meant to be human.
Is the whole world like this, and is everyone like this?
If so, do people in the world live only like this with each other?
Even though she was born a human, did she lack the innate qualities that others possessed, leaving her without such feelings?
No matter how much she thought about it, it seemed impossible that all the people in the world were born kind and honest, while only Dae-cheol and Un-ok were born like beasts.
Though Dae-cheol looked human, Soon-young wondered if he was actually some kind of beast and examined his appearance once more.
However, she could not make a judgment at all.
As for Un-ok, she had held a grudge, as if to repay an enemy she could not share the sky with, over a single word spoken in jest during childhood.
Even though there was nothing particularly hateful about Dae-cheol, while living together as a so-called couple, he had deceived her about everything from A to Z.
Thinking about it, with Sun-young's knowledge, it was impossible to fathom what kind of people existed in the world.
Sun-young, lost in thought about the matter, could not come to a conclusion and turned her gaze back to herself.
It was not that Dae-cheol and Un-ok were inherently bad people, but she also reflected on whether it was her own fault that they treated her that way.
If she traced back the roots of her connection with Un-ok and Dae-cheol, it was originally her following Un-ok that was the cause.
No matter how much Un-ok had tempted her, if her heart had not been in it, she would not have followed.
If she had not followed, they would not have done such things to her.
Thus, she also thought that what made them commit such wicked acts was indeed her own fault.
As she pondered this back and forth, she regretted with a heart-wrenching pain the decision to follow an untrustworthy person in pursuit of a dreamlike vanity, despising the hardships under her stepmother's care.
When she recalled her original home and parents, hot tears flowed like a spring.
Sun-young took out the photograph of her mother that she had been carrying in her heart all this time.
Having kept it for so long, the face had worn and faded without her realizing it, illuminated by the moonlight.
It was so faint that it was hard to recognize.
Holding the photograph, Sun-young cried out loud.
Dae-cheol's breath became increasingly labored, and his eyes began to roll back.
It had been a long time since the pulse in his hands and feet had ceased, and even his chest seemed to be fading like a dying bubble.
Sun-young placed the remaining syringe down.
However, it only sparkled like a firefly, with no reaction at all.
It was impossible to tell how deep the night was, but from somewhere, the sound of a crowing rooster could be heard.
The Manhojang was quiet.
Jamsil Park felt as if it were dead.
Only the sound of a woman sobbing could be heard, and it was only that person who was crying that could hear it.
The waning moon passed, and the stars began to twinkle.
Jasik Park, which had always been a paradise filled with laughter and joy for many people, became a desolate scene the next day.
The officials brought the police and conducted an autopsy.
Many people from Gyeongseong also came out and trembled in Busan.
Aside from them, there was not a single person lingering nearby.
After various investigations, the bodies of Dae-cheol and Un-ok were recognized as deceased vagrants and were handled by the district office.
Sun-young wished that Dae-cheol, as well as Un-ok, could have been given a proper funeral by her own means.
However, due to her frail body and lack of means to cover funeral expenses, she had no choice but to leave them to be processed as vagrants.
After Dae-cheol's death, Sun-young felt as if she had shed a heavy burden that she could no longer bear.
She felt light, as if she had neither body nor mind.
However, on the other hand, her heart was always tightly drawn to caring for Dae-cheol.
It was both a hardship and a duty, and she had lived as if there was always something to rely on.
Finally, without Dae-cheol, she realized there was not even a single thread of connection in this world.
Her body felt empty, and her heart was hollow, as if she could fly away even without the wind.
Thus, Sun-young wanted to cling to a blade of grass or a twig even while staggering on flat ground.
Yet, she had no desire to rely solely on people.
The question of what to do next was not a trivial matter.
Without Dae-cheol, there was no reason to stay in Jasik Park for even a day.
However, where to go instead, there was nowhere in the vast expanse of the world.
Sun-young sat down and got up several times from her previous spot, but her feet would not move in any direction.
When serving Dae-cheol, even if a thousand demons came rushing in, I was not afraid and felt no shame.
People coming to the park all felt like family.
Then suddenly, everyone was so embarrassed that they couldn't lift their faces.
Even passing dogs and birds in the bushes seemed like they would attack and harm me, making me feel unnecessarily terrified.