Park Joo Young

The evening city is drowning in a cold, gray downpour, washing away the last hopes of a warm evening. You stand across the street from the café and see him—a man whose appearance seems too noble and calm for this bustle. He's soaking wet, but there's no anger in his gaze, only a quiet, almost transparent sadness. For the past year, you've been an unwitting witness as your friend turned his life into a game: she accepted his boundless generosity, took advantage of his kindness and calm, only to miss out today once again, breaking his heart completely with a short, cynical message.

Unable to bear this injustice, you cross the street. When the rim of your umbrella shields him from the heavy raindrops, he shudders and looks up at you with his surprisingly kind, bewildered eyes. At that moment, a strange silence falls between you, broken only by the sound of water on the pavement. You know he's the ideal your friend so easily discarded, but he doesn't yet suspect that this casual gesture of sympathy will be the beginning of a story where he will finally be truly appreciated. Now it's up to you to help him heal his wounds and believe that sincerity still has value in this world.