A Thousand Paper Cranes (Novella)

If you fold a thousand paper cranes, your wish will come true. - Japanese Legend

At the start of a new semester at Bedford University, two souls cross paths-one desperately clinging to life, the other ready to let go of it.

Evan Lee Kim has spent the last five years living in borrowed time, hiding the weight of his terminal illness behind a bright smile and a relentless optimism that borders on defiance. To his friends, he is the life of the party, the charming senior who never lets anything bring him down.

Daehan Lee arrives at Bedford with a secret plan: to disappear. Haunted by a past steeped in loss and abuse, he has spent years feeling like a hollow shell, convinced that his existence serves no purpose. He never expected to meet someone like Evan, someone who radiates life even as it slips through his fingers. Though in quiet clandestine moments, he folds paper cranes-each one a silent wish for a life he knows he cannot keep.

When a twist of fate forces Daehan onto the stage of a freshman event, Evan sees him-not just the cold, distant exchange student, but someone who, like him, is quietly drowning. What begins as an uneasy companionship slowly unfolds into something deeper, something neither of them anticipated. But as their bond strengthens, so does the looming shadow of the truth.

Evan is running out of time.
And Daehan, for the first time, wants more of it.

In a world where love and loss are two sides of the same coin, A Thousand Paper Cranes is a heart-wrenching tale of self-discovery, healing, and the quiet miracles found in unexpected places. Because sometimes, meeting the right person-even for just a moment-is enough to change everything.

A/N: Previously titled: Hyakkaku (A Hundred Paper Cranes)