It was raining.

Five years ago, I lost my family.

To be precise, the people I considered my family.

Twenty-three.

It was a bit early to be preparing for marriage, but at the time, I didn't think it was strange.

There was someone I loved, we were looking for a house to live in together, and we even joked about names for our future children.

I was close to her father, too.

At first, I was treated like an unreliable son-in-law taking away his daughter, but as time passed, we became close enough to drink together and share our stories.

To me, they weren't just my fiancée's family.

They were my family.

And then one night.

That family all vanished.

The culprit was caught.

He stood trial.

But he never showed regret until the very end.

Instead, he mocked me until the final moment.

And after the case was over, all that remained for me was 600 million won in insurance money and a single house.

The people were gone.

I could buy anything with that money, but nothing could bring back the life I had before that day.

So I decided not to love.

I decided not to give my heart to anyone.

I decided never to make a family again.

Five years passed like that.

---

Present day.

I was sitting in a corner of the cafe, staring out the window.

That was when it happened.

Someone stopped in front of my table.

I looked up.

It was a woman I had never seen before.

But strangely, for a moment, it felt like my breath had stopped.

The shape of her eyes.

The way the corners of her mouth lifted slightly when she smiled.

Even the habit of tilting her head a little.

It was all too familiar.

Memories I had tried so hard to bury for five years came rushing back in an instant.

I couldn't say a word.

As I continued to stare at her, the woman laughed, looking a bit flustered.

I couldn't answer for a long time.

And then, I finally opened my mouth.