When Your Pain Becomes Mine

In the classroom of the fancy wood event.

The children's expressions on the light brown trees looked serious.

They were coloring various rough sketches, such as hand mirrors, characters, and key chains.

"With a variety of colors, you can make it look better."

Sun said while looking at them with a smile as she stroked the children's heads.

Then, the door opened, and Ari came in. "Now, it's time for an exciting recreation!"

"Wow!"

The children looked excited and stood up from their seats.

"Now, go to the next classroom."

Following Ari's guidance, the children left the classroom. Only Sun was left in the classroom that was quickly emptied.

"Let's clean up now, shall we?"

Sun tapped her sore back a few times before starting to clean up.

Then, a child returned to the classroom and stood in front of her.

"Hey, is there anything you need?" Sun asked carefully.

The child, who had his head bowed, pointed his finger at the model that Sun had painted herself.

"You mean this?"

The child nodded.

After reading the boy's thoughts, Sun picked up the fancy wood sculpture in the form of a doll.

"This doll helps his friends with the power of the magic stone." Sun continued speaking while looking into his eyes. "This arrow is his weapon. How's that? Can you help your friends like this kid?" Sun asked with a smile.

Instead of answering, the boy was locked in thought for a long time.

"Well... Can he find my mom too?"

"Huh? That's…"

His question seemed to have surprised Sun.

"No? Is it because my mother abandoned me?"

"Oh, no. Your mom didn't abandon you… but..."

"So then, can we find my mom? Can you?"

The boy looked up at Sun with tears in his eyes. Sun panicked and didn't know what to tell him.

"We can't find your mom for you."

Then she heard a familiar voice in her ears.

She saw Gyeonhui standing at the door with a firm expression.

The child quickly had a sullen face and sniffed like he was going to cry at any minute.

"Gyeonhui, that's so horrible for him." She tried to stop Gyeonhui.

"Maybe not, but I can keep you safe here until you go find your mom."

He lowered himself and said after looking into the boy's eyes.

"It's so hard now because you're too young, but you will find her later. Sister Andrea and I will help you."

The child slowly looked up at Gyeonhui upon hearing his words.

"And then, you'll decide if you're going to find your mom or not."

The child, who was standing still, nodded slowly with a determined look on his face. Gyeonhui reached out and patted the boy's head.

Gyeonhui smiled, which was rarely seen.

"Thank you for the doll."

The uplifted child left Gyeonhui and returned to his seat.

When the child left, Gyeonhui stared at Sun.

"Crushed hope only makes them live with false expectations. Sympathy only hurts them more."

Gyeonhui turned after saying his last words.

"Gyeonhui..."

Sun unwittingly called his name, but he didn't stop and left the classroom.

Sun became uncertain and bit her lower lip.

'Knock. Knock.'

Sun then heard a knock at the door.

Sister Andrea, with her gracious expression, looked at Sun.

***

In the Director's Office.

While Andrea was preparing tea, Sun looked around the room.

The walls were filled with children's drawings.

While she was looking at these drawings, one of them that was drawn with black crayons caught her eye.

Andrea smiled when she poured the herbal tea in the cup by the window.

"Were you surprised because of Gyeonhui?"

"Sorry? Oh, no!" Sun slowly shook her head.

"He used to be such a sweet guy." Andrea looked out the window and swallowed her bitter words.

Sun lifted her eyes and looked back at her. When she sang his name in a friendly way, she knew that Ojae's words were not wrong when he said that Gyeonhui had a special story here.

"Do you personally know Gyeonhui well?" Sun asked carefully.

"Oh, Gyeonhui must not have spoken to you about us yet?"

"Sorry?"

Andrea smiled upon hearing Sun's response; Sun looked a little surprised.

"I've heard that you were in a relationship with him in the past, is that true?"

Andrea asked in return instead of answering it. Sun was a little surprised and looked at Andrea with unexpectedly.

"I heard a little bit about you from Ojae."

"Yes…"

When Sun recalled Ojae's name, she nodded awkwardly.

"Have some tea. It's going to warm up your throat." Andrea said as she offered Sun the tea.

"Thank you."

"We're ever so grateful. You've sacrificed everyone's weekend for our children.

"No, it's my job."

"You seemed to be enjoying the job, aren't you?"

Sun smiled awkwardly at Andrea's words. "These kids are so cute and adorable… and..."

"You feel sorry for them."

Sun nodded slowly.

"That's why I'm more careful with these kids. I'm afraid that even my sympathy would hurt them."

"You have a similar story like them, don't you?"

Sun nodded again after hearing Andrea's soft voice.

"... My parents also passed away when I was a young girl." Sun continued as she recalled her childhood memories.

"When my mother passed away for the first time, all my friends were so sorry for me. It was pitiful. But at some point, I knew what it truly meant. It felt like I wasn't a part of them, and they had an obligation to take care of me. It was like that." Sun still felt the bitterness of it all as she spoke.

"I'm sure that became a scar in your mind." Sister Andrea said.

Sun nodded slowly.

Compassion hurt her so badly, and it made her hide her thoughts more from everyone.

"But even my dad... I felt alone in the world when he passed away."

Sun's face was still struggling as she told her about her dad.

Reading her wounds, this time, Andrea nodded.

After stopping for a moment, Sun remembered the boy she met in the classroom.

"But I made the same mistake people did to me. I was just like them to the boy."

"Compassion is not a bad thing."

Sun looked up after hearing Andrea's words.

"Children need compassion and strict admonition, too, sometimes; they also need some advice. It's a problem if they have only one of those."

Sun nodded at Andrea's words.

"And sometimes they need to have fun."

"Yes?"

Sun seemed to be in doubt.

"It looks like they want to play. What do you think? Can you play with them?"

Sun looked out the window after hearing her words. Some of the children were holding the ball and looking inside.

"Come out and play with us!"

As she watched the children shouting like a choir, her face brightly lit up with a smile.

She smiled and nodded as she turned her head and looked at Andrea.

"Go on."

Sun slightly bowed to Andrea as a response and ran out to the playground.

"Hmm…"

After Sun left, Andrea breathed a shallow sigh and moved her gaze to one side of the wall.

There was a sketchbook of the children's drawings there.

Her gaze was fixed on one of them; it was a drawing painted in a black.

***

Standing against the wall of the director's office, Eunwoo looked at the back of Sun as she walked away down the hallway.

Eunwoo came to look for Sun and unintentionally listened to the conversation between Sun and Andrea.

"Is this a willful negligence?"

Eunwoo had to show his presence, but he couldn't turn his ears off from the conversation that they just had.

Eunwoo turned his head and looked at Sun through the window.

Sun was already being dragged onto the playground as the children surrounded her.

She might be tired, but her face didn't look exhausted at all.

"... She's pretty. That's for sure."

Eunwoo smiled as he soon began to run towards Sun.

There was no further delay in his pace as he ran toward her.