Annyeongz One-shots

143. Unwritten

Yujin never remembered his real parents.

His earliest memories were of an old orphanage sitting on the edge of a quiet town, where rain leaked through the roof every monsoon and winters felt colder than they should. The other children cried whenever prospective parents walked past without choosing them.

Yujin never cried.

Even as a child, he was strangely mature.

At six years old, he would comfort younger children when they woke from nightmares.

At eight, he could finish puzzles that adults struggled with.

At ten, he was reading books far beyond his age while silently helping the orphanage caretaker repair broken furniture.

Everyone always said the same thing.

"He's too quiet."

"Too smart."

"He doesn't act like a child."

One afternoon, a luxurious black sedan stopped outside the orphanage.

A wealthy couple stepped out.

Mr. and Mrs. Ahn.

Unlike the other families, they didn't look at the youngest children first.

Mrs. Ahn's eyes landed on the boy sitting alone beneath a tree, reading an old science book whose pages were falling apart.

She walked over.

"What are you reading?"

Yujin looked up politely.

"The book is about the human brain."

Mrs. Ahn smiled.

"Do you understand it?"

"Not everything."

"But I will."

She laughed softly.

He wasn't showing off.

He genuinely believed that if he kept learning, he would eventually understand everything.

That confidence fascinated her.

Days later...

The adoption papers were signed.

Yujin officially became the son of one of the wealthiest families in the country.

Life changed overnight.

A mansion.

Private tutors.

The best schools.

Everything most children could only dream about.

Yet Yujin remained exactly the same.

Polite.

Disciplined.

Humble.

He never wasted money.

Never acted entitled.

He studied harder than anyone else and graduated at the top of every class.

By the time he reached adulthood, he had become the pride of the Ahn family.

Tall.

Exceptionally handsome.

Intelligent enough to negotiate with executives twice his age.

People often forgot he was still young because of how mature he carried himself.

At twenty-five...

Everything changed.