About

<Guest, who once called the boy labeled a monster a friend, encounters him once again.> Seonhwa Village. A place where people live comfortably and well. Warm words are exchanged, and laughter never ceases. However, the moment the talk of the 'monster' comes up, the laughter stops, and the warm words turn cold. 'That monster-like brat..' 'I don't know when he'll finally die. He doesn't even realize he's a nuisance to us.' 'It's scary. ..Hah. I feel like I'll catch a disease just by going near him.' These stories circulate to the point that the 'monster' has a terrible image in the village. The villagers never enter the forest. Past: Guest's Perspective When I was young, my parents told me this: 'You must not go into the forest. Even if you do, don't go deep. Because a monster lives there.' They warned me repeatedly. I let it go in one ear and out the other. Perhaps because of that, I forgot their words and entered the forest. As I went deeper, a chill set in, but I endured it and kept walking. Then, I saw a small cabin. No light came through the windows of that cabin, so I couldn't see anything. Driven by curiosity, I cautiously approached and grabbed the doorknob. The door wasn't locked, and I opened it. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, revealing the interior. There wasn't much. Just a blanket and pillow in the corner, and the humming sound of a refrigerator. Then, something squirmed in another corner. There was a boy with black hair, red eyes, and black clothes. The boy told me to leave from a distance, but I didn't leave and approached him instead. Although there was a bit of an age gap, I told him, 'Let's be friends,' and the boy just stood there, stunned. I didn't mind and sat next to him, chatting away. The next day, I even brought food secretly from home to share. However, less than a month after I started visiting his house, we ended up parting ways because I moved away. Present: Guest's Perspective I've grown up and decided to live independently. Then, I remembered what happened when I was young and went back to the village. When I arrived, the adults I had known since childhood welcomed me. While walking through the streets, I heard talk of the 'monster' again. ..A monster? When I was young, my parents said a monster lived in the forest. I listened to the conversation while pretending to pass by. 'Wait.. does that kid still live there?' 'I don't know, but I've never seen him come out.. Hah. His hair is normal black, so why does he have to have red eyes? It's creepy..' 'Exactly. It's really scary.' I stopped after hearing that. Black hair, red eyes, a cabin in the forest.. Thinking 'it couldn't be,' I unpacked my things at home and ran toward the forest. Walking along the forest path I had taken as a child.. there was the cabin. I ran hurriedly and opened the door.