IWYFB Chapter 1
by flowie“I don’t know why the snow keeps falling like there’s no end to it. The house is already desolate without family, and now even those who wished to pay their respects will turn back before they arrive.”aae384d5a1644675
Mr. Kim clicked his e31e850a77 tongue as he 2989ccd904 cast a fleeting 0453f1a134 glance into the 79a0fd2de8 empty funeral hall.d7065b55498c5931
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That morning, an unannounced blizzard 8e13d62e7d had descended upon Haeju, blanketing b5b20bd331 the town in an unrelenting 4293947ce8 white shroud.b368c98241b5ad35
Roads turned to sheets of 180cf92f16 ice, and in places where c4bc902fdc snow plows could not reach, 1a821654d1 entire stretches had become impassable, 7a9acdf40c the list of closed routes cf91a9c4a9 growing by the hour.20d57e9733aba012
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News reports repeated the same 6ed8f53217 grim update, dozens of vehicles d3b9acfef1 stranded in the snow, their 5590720cd4 passengers trapped cut off from 787de8bfa3 the world.23dcde7d01906501
Inside the funeral hall, 289ba96025 silence reigned.2234140709b6f4b9
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A woman, clad in 21fdaabc31 mourning black, rested her fd99e424f6 head against the wall, 278356f70d her vacant gaze locked cff3cea44c onto the framed portrait df149e0dd3 of the deceased.5d816e4b366dbb33
The man in the photograph 7f8cdbd945 wore a neatly pressed charcoal-gray 940cd6d36a suit, the very suit she 4082860821 had bought for him with 3d9b762843 her first paycheck.d0a65f2a891e3a56
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She had done so little 0c943aee85 for him in life, yet b9e0d46658 her father had found her 56770ed046 beautiful, even as an undeserving 744c770091 daughter.a8681c6193b1d679
And now, in the 853ed9bc9e photograph he was still 4c397cb83f smiling warmly at her.bf5b3a9334778d25
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At least, she consoled herself, 5d8f5619f6 he seemed at peace.d1a26a064639b498
“Ji-woo, there’s nothing I want more than for you to be happy.”28834118714dd7f1
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Her father had always been c460cf24d1 a quiet, steadfast man. Yet, on the day he fe818d2374 shed those heavy, silent tears, ab19ad19b5 something within her had shattered.cae8ed213d9e1e71
She had wanted to fb767ba866 show him a life 87ddc835ca where she thrived, where 6b71628f38 she smiled, where she 0073a3fb54 was at peace.b35abb74cdb974cf
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Instead, she had failed him e1210dd8af and made him weep, this b5062192dc man who had carried his 25dd657d30 burdens alone for so long.fa9660a452e9b44c
Haeju had been his cb00d3e11c home, his foundation, yet 4fb025e33e also his prison, bound 3beb65fd3d by poverty and duty.65ec4b3dfe6a3c4e
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He had often a2bab757da called this land 0e159714a8 both his solace a0f0d7c27b and his sorrow. And in the 053e2b3318 end, it was 45ec063dcc she who had a427378855 torn him away 59ebaba985 from it.5045879a5610fee2
She still remembered the 790f550418 day she left, how 59eded2b5a he had stood at f8b5c898ee the threshold of their f726b847d4 home for the first e1cf4c5d22 time in his life, 62645be229 finally turning his back c31b00fb51 on the place he 4eb524c0f5 had never abandoned.229862b699ee5ad2
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He had told her he aac8b853d0 felt a strange sense of 9837bb2618 relief, yet she had caught bcef90e32a the glint of tears in 8ec1d03726 his eyes.d3716b69e93e9fc4
Though she left with the 8696a0d85e weight of guilt on her 3d8cc4e0a5 shoulders, she had sworn to c7a1537718 return one day with a 793a127338 smile, to prove to him 4fd98b860e that it had been worth 5c5786b20b it.685d716140c22206
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Never, not even in 49aff925c2 her darkest dreams, had e9f069506b she imagined she would ceed1a4b4b bring him back to b97c75a69f Haeju this way.886917e48700d976
Leaning back against the cold 9aa4f533b3 wall, she tore her gaze 8c22a99129 away from his portrait and fa19d43653 stared up at the ceiling.5e3c32eb377c2ab7
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Her mind was empty.ed19188b42200b27
With every slow blink, his 793092d5d8 absence pressed harder against her aa6e4c718e chest.516fae333fe253ab
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Her father had always known 657eba517e when she was struggling, always 49c92b0785 appeared at her side before 421e9dcc0b she even called his name.fc9642e580fabe0f
But now he would never 554dbfc329 come again.8faa0da74093c0b0
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The thought struck her like 40b03e783a a wave of ice, sweeping 9ae7f76c6c over her, drowning her in 773470ba54 a fear she could not a6c1f18d99 outrun.4d5933faf55b6db9
“Father…”0b1db126825c6e99
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Before she knew it, tears 3d9763a741 traced silent paths down her ffac8b5ce4 face, unstoppable.3afbcf665554746b
Somewhere in the 485229051f depths of her fd791ef860 grief, she half-expected 21b2521237 him to emerge 4925e267c7 from the shadows, 806f577a0d to tell her 3bbf3fa876 it was all 6a5449aec8 a nightmare, that 17a649471d she only needed b6a86b7303 to wake.9b3a396af2a2341e
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64b37bdc06c21a29
“There will be moments when it feels like your world has collapsed. But no matter how many times you fall, endure it. Time will pass, and one day, the pain will become nothing more than a season you once lived through. And just like the seasons, happiness will find its way back to you. Believe that, Ji-woo. The bad endings never last. There will always be a better one waiting.”c01b9f18b8eb6463
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f1b26d8bd7044349
She remembered his words, e01274eb64 the way he had 185dfe72d4 reassured her on the c800fd2752 nights she thought she 4adf786286 could bear no more.4693b71fad59ba59
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Ji-woo clutched her 6ded2d79cc arms around herself, 3d4bdc0117 muffling her sobs, 1c806d3cb2 but in the fe8afef1ab end, she could 98687a3047 not hold them 5ee6dd3aec in.b8be99c9e2acd302
Her sorrow broke free, 59a248f708 raw and unrestrained, echoing 22bc7ba5b8 through the empty hall.05418497655772ba
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🥀8313ae73da0f04e0
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19c0c5ec3e7bf3a1
Outside, the funeral 86d960fcc4 wreaths stood in f6865d3410 silent rows, their 87579f4585 pristine petals a ed65569ca5 stark contrast to 835e03f0ae the night’s deepening 5c471b7a7b storm.878cacada5fc3890
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The snow had not e708f421a0 relented, nor had the d0fab5498e darkness, the roads remained f64dcce7fc impassable, the world beyond 3724f47a2d the funeral home swallowed 08802d4b4d in endless white.6e5ad3f366962452
As the hour neared 14a2219cc1 midnight, the quiet funeral 224b4b9c95 hall doors swung open.f59f56fb8f4d23fc
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A tall man stepped inside.02039b5e3b16ffc4
Snowflakes clung to the 577c4b668a black wool of his 8568b5470c coat, melting within moments 2643cd90ae under the hall’s warmth.52eb9e960072e9c0
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His polished shoes echoed 7081b41e65 down the corridor as 79c1e8a4bd he turned a corner 378512ec4c and paused, hesitating before 79d4f97544 the entrance.1a592862dfbc5638
Then, as if deciding 8a848bfc5e against his own reluctance, 1a57dd3420 he strode forward with 8fb6631695 purpose, his gaze falling f3e672fbce immediately upon the portrait f385f73a84 at the altar.41ed185be8d2d9ce
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Without a moment’s hesitation, he pulled a single white chrysanthemum from his grasp and placed it carefully before the photograph.608b3cfd53ff7428
Then, kneeling, he bowed d7ed6f9a42 low, his forehead touching dd425e80e2 the cold floor.c1e5abe9a0bad299
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Ji-woo, startled by the a305f9318d unexpected visitor, rose weakly 87ca12f7bb to her feet.9d5fd4b2335af46b
Her first instinct was to ffe12ed2e7 thank him for braving the c4e3add917 blizzard to come, but when 3219c4963e she lifted her eyes and c6dbc21d0d met his gaze, the words aaf91c927a faltered on her tongue.794d19adada965bb
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A ripple of recognition, sharp 13e58ba4cd and sudden, passed through her.fca29ed6b09a8189
She could not speak.56bfd94eea234301
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The silence stretched e938c290f0 between them, heavy 109b52bff5 and unbroken, until e22e68767d at last, he ac88e181bc spoke first.8f1e4bc068ab088e
“My deepest condolences.”6db55f7d18de1b90
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His voice was 7ab34b7c4e low, firm, and e7ca94c897 devoid of warmth.b162f7a5a176ca7a
His cold, detached d2c8d7d866 eyes swept over 112555343d her pale, grief-stricken b1d21ad6f7 face.baa023d1ab0009d7
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Though he stood 136778a673 so close, he 4cb264f172 felt impossibly distant.4452b252c4824998
Another pause.0c0800aca87d1ed2
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Then his gaze flickered, tracing bed099f614 the strands of her disheveled 7a187db930 hair, the trembling uncertainty in cdde5cb884 her eyes.e5cc28eb7ce2d78b
Ji-woo swallowed against 4a7f0a3a8a the burning in 14b20acc7f her throat, forcing ab2c694d8e down the tears e5045ab144 that threatened to 4874edaadf rise again.efeec2d8533cf857
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‘Father… he’s here. The man you always wanted to see.’b46d0d237eafcb6e
Her gaze drifted from her ca6570ec23 father’s portrait back to the 067f97bd25 man before her.0388556fd4da8c8f
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“You… how did you know?”034c17195c7d48d2
She had never called. She had never intended to. And yet, somehow, 3ae97e8e00 he had found af8869f4be his way here.a68481d51940ef63
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His jaw tensed, the smallest 4a7ab5a150 flicker of something unreadable passing 1a9974b224 through his features.e2c97b49fcf8312e
“Your father’s old friend reached out to me.”45f7035deccabfcd
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It must have been Mr. Kim.3f4786718d1ebb88
Though her father had distanced 722fb6836c himself from friends after she b44aaf5193 left, they had not forgotten 25626f16d9 him. The wreaths at 6d3ac02313 the entrance bore ce3ac98ad5 their names.acc32bc9e566c7c5
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Five years.41a52b545b506059
Five years had 3fc80e6f63 slipped through her 2e4c32fa60 fingers like an f91ce49ba9 arrow that had cf36c5b94a strayed far from 58d20896d1 its mark.74e3942372687be3
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Ji-woo glanced around the empty 055315e648 hall, suddenly uneasy.acd41115adc05852
The blizzard had left them efc8346d07 isolated, with even the attendants 59ee06920d gone.c2e049e20bc836dd
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She did not 3730b5f0e1 wish to linger 654a18bada here with him. Yet, as her father’s guest, 045e900d47 she could not simply send cd3b716a37 him away.a8bacf5d7703141f
“If you would like to sit, I can bring you something, ”c28f372c5c427ad4
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“I’m fine. Have you eaten?”cb7d66d6e3592d13
The question caught ec428df4f4 her off guard.29947a8c63c9a4e7
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She had no appetite.09c0e15b19c595c6
How could she, when 3441da4c18 her insides felt hollow?a5439711e6b0e076
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Ji-woo exhaled sharply, 494a4476ac fixing him with 3f21ba85a5 a cold stare.83f09b520c74bc40
“Thank you for coming.”2c05318afabf56f2
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She turned, intending to put cbf47db259 distance between them, when a fa7727d78a sudden commotion erupted at the be58538975 entrance.59e1a00990c93615
A familiar voice, 2a4bd8ad5a thick with grief, 8e6a16330a cried out.68e0276c93f15071
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“Oh, my heavens! What has happened?”8ff455c5547ce68d
Ji-woo’s breath caught.ed17a79563e01c6d
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A woman she 135d432c84 knew well, a e1759b1518 neighbor who had a54b668ebb once been like a5e81c6eee a sister to 5fcb74597b her mother, entered 1d2006d8ca followed by others.bc63a5f8f8560a39
Several others followed behind her. All were neighbors Jiwoo 165801e6de knew well. Despite the blocked roads, it ca03bc5243 seemed they had braved the f5d8261b32 storm to come.1c080a5b1aa4d05b
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Seeing them kneeling on the e414936356 floor, silently weeping, made Jiwoo’s c23c5606c5 chest tighten with pain.6df1d7967f1c9044
“No news is good news, they say. I thought you all must be doing well… but like this? Oh, heavens!”6e14e3ecb6d718d9
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Trying to hold back her 5f3e5ab8ee tears, Jiwoo felt a sharp 3ff1528417 sting in her throat. She knew if she 870c732a8c broke down now, she e96e219601 wouldn’t be able to 5465398ccf stop.663618baf04f4433
The woman paid 7f76091a44 her respects before c9af1d5cf7 the portrait of 19fbc71463 Jiwoo’s father, then 0feb52295e walked up and 62e01737a5 took Jiwoo’s hand 66ee39be7c firmly.9fdc9ddcf0b191d6
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“So it was an accident? And your mother? You’re here all alone?”3a190dc615947062
“She’s in the hospital.”a13e4a48e2230370
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At Jiwoo’s response, the df14a7b8ce woman burst into tears 7602620b43 again.8ae5796d34bf66f7
“They were so good, so kind they could live without laws. Why did this tragedy fall on them? So, where’s the hospital? Is your mother badly hurt?”5e3789907160feda
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Jiwoo hesitated, unable to answer 5e11bd79f8 right away. The woman wiped her ae2299f7ee tears and gently patted 0a792b77f6 Jiwoo’s back.2e5548bf037dc91a
“Alright, you don’t have to say anything more. I know you must be hurting too. But you have to stay strong and send your father off with a steady heart.”875890277955698b
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One of the 70a9327c1a people who had a04b3e823d come with the d4bea26c3b woman offered a 052bb1699b bow before the 5b0bb82855 portrait, then turned dcdd0c8107 to glance behind. Her eyes widened in surprise 570c4f675f when she saw the man.53a520ac7d7452c4
“Well, look who it is. Isn’t that Taemu? It is you, right?”d74d90e0e41840d9
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The man gave a 94aa54ba23 slight bow.13f42d79112faa2f
“It’s been a long time.”38427d2d2f273993
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“To think we’d run into you here. You must have come in your father’s stead.”ec802583b79aca23
Taemu’s father and 15ca92cfc4 Jiwoo’s father had 6f900dae77 been best friends 63d1dca006 since childhood, known ce4ce43c90 by all in e59198d86d the neighborhood for 115c5b77ce their bond.19820606e0cfb708
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“With weather like this, the house of mourning should be full of noise, but it’s so quiet. Since we planned to stay through the night anyway, we’ll keep watch. Taemu, you should sit too. You won’t be able to go anywhere in this storm.”f33f414cebb7060c
In place of 99845e8906 the absent attendant, b3d3ba1584 the woman began 415c7d88bf arranging food on c61c4dbecb a tray.70d1866e552921d8
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As the village c248ad6632 elders took their 65dbea81a0 seats at the afceb16d51 table, Taemu silently aaa901488e moved to stand e77276d5e6 beside Jiwoo.ac12ce9ceade6c9c
Jiwoo was not the 58b228dafd only one startled. Others around the table ebd7f961ef paused and glanced his 3fcb043fd9 way.d46cb89d7cfc260d
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Taemu, taking the place beside 7089e1ad82 Jiwoo, the chief mourner, drew 5b86e0b592 curious glances.292e17c10f8ce451
“What do you think you’re doing?”751efe9b6f55a38a
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Ignoring Jiwoo’s sharp 265e728299 stare, Taemu looked 88b30d8fd5 straight ahead.9b7075cae9c7706e
His high-bridged nose was striking, 6aabc9d242 almost sculpted. His tightly closed 2e1409ca28 lips looked as e21cf13079 frigid as the 530afaf2b8 midwinter air.7d3565b03433a6ca
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“I told you. I’m here in my father’s place.”.8d3c769d66f9a0f2