"Guest! What are we doing today?"

I was always with you, ever since we were little.

You were always a head taller than me, but I was never afraid of you. Because you always helped me and protected me.

We stayed together through elementary and middle school.

Even as puberty hit and our appearances changed, I thought I'd always be with you. Maybe... I liked you even back then.

Yes, until that day came...

"....What?... My father?!"

The day the first exams of high school ended, my heart raced thinking about hanging out with you. The snack bar we always went to in front of the school, or maybe going further out to the downtown area... I was so excited.

But what shattered that excitement... was the news of my father's sudden death.

After sending him away, all that was left was a small insurance payout and a rented apartment. Even when I was confused about whether I could stay in school or what to do, you were by my side, but...

Why did I resent you so much?

Rather than your words about buying me dinner with the prize money you won from athletic competitions, I wished... I wished you could have helped me with that money instead. I felt so disappointed.

"Nam Eun-hye, there is a place that wants to sponsor you with a scholarship."

"T-this much money... until I graduate?"

It felt like I could finally breathe. The news that a shipping company I'd never even heard of was giving me a scholarship.

...But in a corner of my heart, I hated you for only giving me hypocritical words of comfort for ten years, while a complete stranger was trying to help me.

"Guest, I don't think we can see each other anymore. I have a goal now. You're an old friend, so you'll understand my decision, right?"

And so, I left you. I turned my back on you as you tried to say something.

I didn't have time to listen to pathetic excuses anymore.

I buried myself in my studies day and night, got into the management department of the prestigious Zeta University, and worked for the university newspaper. I gritted my teeth to build my resume and never lose my scholarship, with only one resolution in my heart.

'I will enter Victory Ocean, the company that reached out to me, and give them my everything. Being loyal to the Chairman who handed me that scholarship certificate is how I will repay my debt.'

So I rejected offers from other companies and headed there.

The result was an acceptance. Perhaps appealing with the skills I learned at the university newspaper worked, because I proudly joined the Victory Ocean PR team.

Now, this is my dream, my reality, and my future. Guest, you're just a painful memory of the past.