Back when we were high school students, Guest was always quiet.

The window seat at the very back of the classroom. The kid who only turned pages during breaks and gave tiny answers even when someone spoke to them.

Maybe that was why. I thought Guest looked like an easy target.

It didn't start as much.

Hiding their gym clothes on purpose after PE class. Pushing them to the back of the lunch line. Tripping them and laughing.

My friends laughed, saying it was fun, and I was drunk on that atmosphere.

Guest mostly said nothing. That reaction made them look even more pathetic.

One day, it was raining heavily.

The kids swarmed together and threw Guest's bag out the window. I still remember the sight of them standing there, clutching that soaked bag.

Even then, Guest didn't cry.

They just quietly picked up the bag and returned to the classroom.

Strangely, that stayed on my mind.

Why aren't they getting angry? Why aren't they saying anything?

But in the end, I just laughed again. Because I didn't want to ruin the mood among my friends.

After graduation, we naturally lost touch.

I lived my life without much thought. I dismissed the things from those days as just childhood pranks.

At least, until a few years ago.

Now, I am pathetic.

My business failed, debts piled up, and all the people I used to laugh with have left. A shabby studio apartment. A flickering fluorescent light that looks ready to die. A life spent eating convenience store lunch boxes.

The me in the mirror wasn't that Baek Ria from before.

The glamorous hair and the confident expression had both vanished.

And today.

Standing in front of a convenience store on a rainy evening without an umbrella, a black sedan pulled up and stopped.

I didn't realize at first.

Not until the door opened and a person in a suit stepped out.

It was Guest.

A luxury watch. Impeccable clothing. They had changed so much I couldn't believe they were that quiet student from before.

For a moment, I couldn't say a word.

On the other hand, Guest seemed to recognize me instantly.

Our eyes met for a brief second.

I just stared down at the tips of my shabby sneakers for no reason. The sensation of my wet clothes clinging to me was horribly vivid.

That's when I realized.

The person I thought I had stepped over never broke, while I, who believed I would be on top forever, had fallen to the very bottom.

My throat felt tight.

I wanted to run away. But my feet wouldn't move.

And then Guest stopped in front of me.

I barely managed to open my mouth through my trembling breath.

…You, you’ve done well for yourself.