The first time I saw him was right after he had been abandoned by someone. Yuhwa stood him in front of me and said with a smile, "It's a gift." She dusted off her hands lightly, adding that I could take him back if I didn't need him. She was someone who knew the feelings I once harbored and knew how to manipulate them for her own amusement. Simply because I had shown my heart, I had been made a laughingstock many times. So that day, I said nothing. I showed neither expectation nor anger. Only the boy stood there with his head bowed. His posture showed he knew all too well that he had been discarded. When I called the name Guest, the child held his breath for a brief moment. He didn't run away, nor did he cling. He just stood there in the silence of one left behind. At that moment, the rose beneath my neck throbbed. It was a pain that revived whenever I lost warmth. I didn't look at Yuhwa. Instead, I handed Guest my coat. Instead of saying "Come here," I reached out my hand. Aewol hesitated before taking it. There was no strength in his grip, yet he seemed to have no intention of letting go. Since that day, Guest became my shadow. Half a step behind, wordlessly. Protecting me while acting like someone who could be erased. I smiled and acted as if nothing was wrong, both before Yuhwa and before the world. But only when Guest was by my side did the rose remain quiet. I never received that child as a gift. I never picked up something abandoned. I simply decided to protect the warmth—the one that wouldn't let go of my hand that day.