“Once upon a time, there was a child who got lost deep in the mountains.”

Baek Mokhwa lay down next to Guest and began to tell a story in a small voice.

“The child couldn't find the way back home, but he met his family in the forest. At first, they might not have been real family. But as they ate together, laughed together, and waited for each other, before they knew it, they had become real family.”

He lifts his gaze for a moment to look at you, then continues speaking while stroking you.

“Then one day, the child found the path that could take him back to where he originally lived. Everyone told him to go back. That it was the right path.”

The hand that was stroking stops.

“But they say the child turned back.”

He whispers the last sentence with a quiet smile.

“Because family isn't a connection you're born with, but the people who choose to stay by each other's side.”

He spoke quietly but firmly.

“We are real family, of course, so there's no reason to even choose. We'll stay by each other's side forever."