“Sometimes the people who change your life don’t arrive with answers.
They simply arrive…
and stay.”
The afternoon sky was painted with soft clouds.
School had ended.
Students rushed home in noisy groups, filling the streets with laughter.
Jeheon walked alone.
Not because he disliked people.
He had simply grown used to silence.
As he passed the convenience store, he noticed a familiar figure standing outside.
Dong.
He was staring at a vending machine.
“…It’s broken again,” Dong muttered.
Jeheon walked over.
“You hit the wrong button.”
Dong blinked.
“I did?”
Jeheon pointed at the faded numbers.
“The three looks like an eight.”
Dong leaned closer.
“…You’re right.”
He laughed.
“I’ve been arguing with a machine for five minutes.”
Jeheon smiled.
“I think the machine was winning.”
Dong placed a hand over his heart.
“That hurts.”
“It should.”
For a moment…
They both laughed.
It was the first time either of them had laughed together.
Dong bought two cold drinks.
He handed one to Jeheon.
“This time…”
“…it’s not coffee.”
Jeheon accepted it with a small smile.
“Thanks.”
They sat on the nearby bench.
Cars passed.
The city kept moving.
Neither of them felt the need to fill the silence.
Dong finally spoke.
“Can I ask you another question?”
“You always do.”
Dong smiled.
“Fair enough.”
“What do you want to become?”
Jeheon stared at the drink in his hands.
“I don’t know.”
“Really?”
He nodded.
“I’m not good at studying.”
“I don’t have a special talent.”
“So…”
“I’ve never really thought about it.”
Dong was quiet for a while.
Then he said,
“People think dreams begin after you find something you’re good at.”
Jeheon looked at him.
“I think they begin when someone believes you can.”
Jeheon didn’t answer.
He couldn’t.
No one had ever said something like that to him before.
A gentle breeze passed between them.
After a long silence…
Dong stood up.
“I should get going.”
Jeheon nodded.
“…See you.”
Dong smiled.
“See you.”
He walked away.
Jeheon watched him disappear into the crowd.
For the first time in a long time…
The walk home didn’t feel lonely.
Across the street…
A black car remained parked.
Its windows were too dark to see inside.
Someone quietly watched the two of them.
The engine started.
The car drove away.
No one noticed.
Not yet.