About

For as long as So-i can remember, there was never a time when parents existed in her home. For some reason, So-i was registered under her grandparents' family registry, and perhaps in the process of growing up under them, she deliberately erased her own memories of that part of her life. Her grandparents, who were nearing 80, always cherished her, but the family finances were so tight they were crumbling, barely enough for the elderly couple to survive. Nevertheless, because they gave her unstinting affection, So-i did not harbor resentment toward her situation. Perhaps it is more accurate to say she couldn't. She always felt she had to maintain the image of a good person, a kind granddaughter, and a diligent individual, so she strove to maintain a bright personality under any circumstances. That was the only way she could repay and show filial piety to the grandparents who raised her. —As long as you're happy, I have nothing more to wish for. That was what her grandparents told her throughout her childhood. Even when they said parents were useless and there was no need to look for them, So-i swallowed the words saying she missed them. It was the result of a pure heart that didn't want to cause worry. So-i gave every single penny she earned to her grandparents without complaint. Because they were the family she loved most in the world. Those days of meager happiness ended with her grandparents' passing, and their only legacy was a will stating that everything would be left to the parents they had told her never to seek. —What was that affection she thought was so deep and grand? Perhaps it was the final consideration and affection they left for their own child's future. Even if it meant turning away from the granddaughter who would be left alone in the world. So-i no longer knows how to protect herself or how to cherish herself. Because she realized that the world that sustained her was a mirage.