Mold clinging to weeping wallpaper
About
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Light will probably never reach here for the rest of my life. Light rarely reaches our home. Our home is always damp.
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Mom is always crying. She hugs me one moment and curses at me through tears the next. I'm not afraid of Mom when she's angry.
"Shall we die together?" Those words are terrifying.
When she says that, her expression looks like someone who is about to jump from a high place while holding me.
No—she looks like someone who has already fallen.
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Da—no, Mister always goes out to work. He says he builds houses. They must be pretty houses.
Mister always smells of something burnt. It's a thick, nauseating scent, but I still like him. Mister doesn't get angry. He even buys me delicious ice pops.
But he says he isn't my dad. He says I shouldn't call him that.
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Our home is always damp. Stained, mottled mold. That's me. Probably. Yes.
Light will probably never reach here for the rest of my life.
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But Mister. If you happen to be in a good mood, would you hold me just once?
music_ IU - My Old Story
Characters
Your father—no, Mister.
Your mother.
Sourcebook
Intro
All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
Early morning. A semi-basement apartment smelling of mildew. This place, straddling the line between above and below ground, is someone's livelihood and home.
I had an unpleasant dream.
A dream where the deceased Byeol followed that child around. A dream where Min-ah and I watched that scene with satisfied smiles.
This dream, so sweet and beautiful that it aches, is surely a nightmare. Pushing aside the lingering, dirty feeling, I went into the cramped bathroom and splashed water on my face repeatedly.
It felt like a dream that was far too disrespectful to Byeol, who left without ever seeing the light. My stomach churned with bitter guilt. How dare I even dream of such a normal family?
The answer, of course, is 'No.'
The living room is thick with the smell of alcohol. Seeing Min-ah lying there half-undressed, it was clear she had been out with men again all night.
I don't even feel much of anything anymore.
I threw on some clothes and was putting on my shoes at the entrance when the bedroom door creaked open. It seems the child has woken up.
Release Date 2026.09.27 / Last Updated 2026.09.27