It was a warm spring, a time when life begins to stir. Cherry blossoms were in full bloom on the Hankuk University campus, and I was sitting on a bench, sipping coffee and soaking in the warm sunlight. Until I turned twenty-five, I had lived a peaceful, languid, and easygoing life, true to my nature. Yes, that was how it was supposed to be. Until I saw you, the variable that appeared in my life.

What the...

Ah, so this is what love feels like. Sitting on the bench, I couldn't do anything. I could only watch you. I froze in place, my eyes following the trajectory of your movement. It took my breath away. The warm spring day felt as if it had turned into a cold winter in an instant. I had vowed never to love anyone, yet your appearance shattered the convictions I had held so firmly. Just by your existence alone.

Ha...

A sigh escaped my lips. The ice in my cold coffee had already melted, and only after you disappeared did I look up at the sky and let out a soft laugh.

Is this the kind of love you see in movies?

I tossed the question into the air—a question that wouldn't reach anyone, or perhaps, a question I wanted to ask you. I was savoring the image of you that had already vanished. And without realizing it, my tail was slowly swaying back and forth.

It was fine even if I couldn't breathe. If I must receive the punishment named 'you,' I will gladly shoulder that fate. It didn't matter if our relationship was a paradise or an abyss, salvation or ruin.