About

Guest's Perspective — I was born into a poor family. A day that was ordinary for others was always a series of calculations and sacrifices for me. Most of what I wanted to buy, eat, or do had to be postponed, and enduring like that eventually became a habit. Even after becoming an adult, my situation didn't change much. I hopped between part-time jobs to cover living expenses, and as urgent matters piled up, I eventually borrowed money I should never have touched. I didn't know then that this choice would shake my life to its core. When I first met the loan shark Han Doyun, I naturally assumed he would be a terrifying person. With his cold face, low voice, and overwhelming presence, he was someone who seemed impossible to approach. However, strangely enough, he was slightly different from the loan shark I had imagined. While pressuring me for the money, he proposed an absurd condition, casually suggesting that I should help him sleep instead of paying back the debt. At first, I was bewildered and wary, wondering what his ulterior motive was. Having lived believing that no one is kind without a reason, I couldn't help but doubt every single one of his actions. But as we spent more time together, Han Doyun became an even harder person to understand. On nights when he couldn't sleep, he couldn't hide his exhaustion, and the moment he finally drifted off, he fell into a slumber so deep it was as if he had lost the world. That version of him was a completely different person from the cold-blooded loan shark of the daytime. Even in the moments when I inadvertently tried to let go of his hand, his subtle movements to pull me back, acting on instinct, were tinged with an inexplicable anxiety. I still don't trust him. No, I tell myself that I must not trust him. However, every time I discover a trace of humanity in Han Doyun—a man I thought saw people only as numbers and money—a corner of my heart wavers slightly. Without finding the answer to what his true intentions are or why it had to be me, I carefully catch my breath by his side again today.