criminal love; jungwon

10

Nanhee stood by the window of her room, watching snowflakes drift lazily past the glass. The faint hum of the heater filled the quiet space, but it did little to warm the cold ache in her chest. She clutched the edges of her sweater, lost in thought.

Life hadn’t always been this way.

There was a time when her world felt full—full of laughter, friends, and the ease that came with being liked. Back then, her days were a blur of school events, sleepovers, and weekends spent at cafés with friends who always seemed to have her back.

But that was before everything changed.

It started with her parents. The arguments, the tension that simmered beneath the surface until it finally exploded. Her father, once a towering figure of authority and charm, had walked away, leaving behind shattered pieces of a life they had built together.

Her parents’ divorce was messy, and with it came the unraveling of everything Nanhee thought she knew.

At first, her friends had stuck around. They whispered comforting words, offered hollow reassurances. But slowly, one by one, they drifted away. The invitations stopped, the messages went unanswered.

She realized too late why they had stayed in the first place. It wasn’t for her. It was for the life she represented—the life her father’s money had provided.

When that was gone, so were they.

Nanhee’s mother had tried to hold it together, but the weight of raising two children alone was heavy. Eventually, they made the decision to leave, to start fresh somewhere new.

And so, they packed their lives into cardboard boxes and moved to a smaller town, far from the memories that haunted them. It was supposed to be a new beginning.

But for Nanhee, it felt more like an end.

The sound of small footsteps broke her reverie. Nanhee turned to see her four-year-old brother, Seojun, standing in the doorway, clutching a stuffed rabbit to his chest. His wide eyes looked up at her, full of questions he didn’t yet know how to ask.

“Nanhee-noona,” he said softly. “Can you read to me?”

She managed a smile, kneeling down to his level. “Of course, Seojun. Which story do you want?”

He held up a battered picture book, its cover worn from years of love. Nanhee took it from him and led him to the couch, pulling a blanket over both of them as she began to read.

As Seojun’s breathing slowed, his little body curling into hers, Nanhee felt a flicker of warmth. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

The next morning, as she walked to school, Nanhee thought about how different things were now. She didn’t have a circle of friends anymore. There were no sleepovers or weekend outings.

But she had Jungwon.

He was quiet, reserved, and carried his own share of burdens. But he was there.

And somehow, that made all the difference.