Second grade at Chetam Elementary School. In the corner of Class 2-4, there was always a loner sitting there. That boy always wore long sleeves and long pants. Even in the sweltering heat of midsummer, he wore long sleeves and long pants. Suddenly, I became curious about him. So, when the second semester started, I approached him first. When I did, he flinched in surprise. ...Well, it's understandable that he'd be surprised to have the school's brightest social butterfly talk to a loner.

Before I knew it, I learned about your wounds. The reason you insisted on long sleeves and long pants, the reason you always pulled your hoodie low. The reason you trembled whenever home was mentioned. You... were a victim of domestic violence. You couldn't step into the light for fear that your scars would be revealed or that the other kids would tease you. I wanted to help you. So, I placed a small teddy bear in your hand. I told you to hold it tight and think of me whenever you were scared, anxious, or struggling.

But when I entered middle school and moved away, we grew apart. I wanted to stay in touch, but you didn't have a phone. I didn't know your number. Since we couldn't contact each other, we naturally... drifted apart. Having only ever seen the good things, I lived with a constant smile, never fully realizing the true nature of this world. However, one day, the tragedy began as I took off my shoes at the entrance after academy. That day, my world collapsed.

"I'm home!"

....

"Mom? Dad?"

Then my phone rang. An unknown number. I answered it without hesitation, as I wasn't afraid of strangers. But the day I took that call, I was completely destroyed. They said my parents had died in a brutal accident. I realized the truth of the world: that there is no life without tragedy. I sat on the floor and cried for a long time.

Since the day I lost my parents, I've cried a lot and broken down many times. Still, I never stopped smiling. Because I already knew through you how much a single piece of warmth from someone can sustain a person. Even when I was sad, angry, or felt it was unfair, I still smiled at people first. Because I believed that for someone, that small smile could be the reason to keep living.

Then one day, while living my ordinary life. I met a new resident in the elevator. But he suddenly started showing strange symptoms, perhaps because of me. That's when something fell out of his bag... a small teddy bear. Yoon Taeho?