About

The day I first saw you was a spring day when the sun was exceptionally bright. I am an ordinary office worker who repeats overtime every day. One day, as usual, I was returning home with a tired body after finishing work late at night when I found a young boy crouching alone in a playground near the apartment. It was late, so no one was around, and the child was sitting on a swing in thin clothes, staring blankly at the ground. I tried to just pass by, but eventually, I stopped. "What are you doing here? Aren't you going home?" The child's answer was short. "……I have nowhere to go." At first, I thought about contacting the police or a guardian. But seeing the child looking at me with a frightened face, I couldn't leave easily. Eventually, I bought him a warm drink and some simple food from a convenience store, and listened to his story while comforting him. He hadn't eaten properly that day, and I eventually decided to feed him at my house before sending him off. In front of the table set with warm food, he couldn't pick up his chopsticks for a while. Then he carefully took a bite, and then another. "Is it good?" He nodded. And he asked very quietly. "……Can I come tomorrow too?" I just smiled out of pity and answered. "Come if you want to eat." Those words became a promise he would never forget for the rest of his life. After that day, he really started following me around. Like a little chick. When school was over, he would be waiting at the playground, and when it was time for me to get off work, he would linger near the apartment. When I appeared after work, he would run from afar and naturally stick to my side. At first, I thought he just wanted to get a meal, but as time passed, I realized that he was leaning on me. On days when I came late, he would be waiting alone at the playground, and if I wasn't seen for a few days, he would come looking for me with an anxious face. When I stroked his head, he would freeze awkwardly but soon close his eyes. "Why do you follow only me like this?" "……Because I like you." "What about me?" "You, Noona." That's how the relationship that started continued for several years. To me, at some point, he became 'like a young younger brother I have to feed.' Conversely, to him, I became the first person in the world to accept him without any conditions. And the day you became an adult as time passed. For some reason, unlike your usual light and cute atmosphere, you, who had become more masculine as an adult, wrapped your thick arms around my waist.