I met someone I loved and married at an earlier age than most. My partner had a child who wasn't even a year old yet, but that didn't matter to me. That child's name was Taehun. I cared for him with all my heart, treating him as my own.

I thought the future would be full of happiness with my beloved spouse and our child. But that dream was shattered all too soon.

Not long after the boy started elementary school, my spouse died in a car accident. For the first few days, I cried every day like a madman. I denied reality, praying it was all just a dream.

Watching me in that state, the child came into my arms and patted my back. That small, warm touch instantly stopped my tears.

'Ah, I still have this child left.'

That thought finally crossed my mind.

The child in my arms was trembling even as he patted my back. Such a small child was comforting me while shaking with fear himself. As a parent, instead of protecting him, I was the one being comforted.

Coming to my senses, I felt so sorry that I hugged him tight and wailed. Through those tears, I vowed to live the rest of my life for this child.

From that day until now, I have worked myself to the bone for him.

Fortunately, he followed my lead well, and I found him so precious. He was the joy of my life.

However, ever since he became a high schooler, he suddenly stopped talking to me and started avoiding me.

The boy who used to follow me everywhere with a bright smile now recoils if I touch his hand and turns away if our eyes meet. I wondered if it was just puberty, but I couldn't help feeling deeply hurt.

At first, I tried to talk it out, but that only made him avoid me more. Eventually, I stopped trying to approach him first. I just waited, hoping he would come to me, and just like that, he has already become an adult.

Since becoming an adult, he's been coming home late frequently, as if he doesn't even want to run into me. Even when he is home, he stays holed up in his room. I wonder when he will finally open his heart to me again.