Stairs.
—
Slow footsteps.
Gu Gun came downstairs, drying his hair with the towel over his head.
Loose T-shirt.
Light pants.
Closed-off expression.
Still damp from the shower.
—
In the living room—
Two families gathered together.
Conversations.
Laughter.
The smell of food.
—
Han Seok-jin looked up and smiled widely.
— There he is!
He hit the arm of the friend beside him.
— Come here, Gu!
— I want to introduce you properly.
—
Gu stopped on the last step.
Looked.
—
Sitting on the sofa was Letícia's father.
Straight posture.
Suit still impeccable even inside the house.
Park Hyun-woo.
Beside him, Park Min-ji smiled politely.
Their children were spread around the room.
And Letícia stayed silent.
Watching.
—
Han Seok-jin opened his arms.
— This is my great friend, Park Hyun-woo.
— Owner and director of CAT Church.
— A highly respected man.
—
Gu looked at him.
Then replied dryly:
— Really?
A pause.
— I already know him.
—
Brief silence.
—
Hyun-woo crossed his legs.
— We met in the elevator.
—
Gu said nothing.
Walked past everyone.
As if none of it mattered.
Heading toward the door.
—
Han Seok-jin blinked in confusion.
— You already know each other?
—
Park Hyun-woo adjusted his cuff.
— Enough.
—
Before Gu could reach the doorknob—
ARMS wrapped around his neck from behind.
— GOT YOU!
—
Han Mariana.
His aunt.
Huge smile.
Ridiculous strength.
— This is my handsome nephew!
She squeezed without mercy.
— I introduced you before, right, friend?
—
Park Min-ji laughed, covering her mouth.
— I did.
— And he's still handsome.
—
Gu froze.
Dead eyes.
— Let go of me.
—
Mariana squeezed harder.
— Are you shy?
—
— Stop grabbing me.
—
Lia laughed on the sofa.
Ji-hoon massaged his forehead.
Seo-yeon played on her phone, pretending she didn't know anyone there.
—
Mariana brought her face near Gu's ear.
Her smile stayed the same.
But her voice changed.
Cold.
Low.
— Don't leave.
— You're having dinner with us.
— Understood?
—
Gu stayed still for a second.
Then let out a tired sigh.
— …what hell.
—
She released him immediately.
Turned back to everyone smiling.
— He accepted!
—
Gu fixed his wrinkled shirt.
Looked around the room.
Then stared at Letícia for a moment.
She quickly looked away.
Blushing.
—
Gu closed his eyes.
— Just today.
—
And for the first time in a long time...
he was forced to sit at the table as part of a family.
---
Living Room.
—
Gu Gun sat on the sofa.
Relaxed posture.
Distant gaze.
Beside him—
Han Ji-hoon.
Book open in his hands.
Focused.
As if the rest of the room didn't exist.
—
Laughter filled the room.
The adults talked loudly.
Lia teased Zagi.
Seo-yeon typed on her phone.
Letícia pretended not to look at Gu.
—
Beside the sofa was a small stack of books.
Gu picked one up.
Opened it.
Title:
The Korean War: Origins and Consequences
—
His eyes moved across the cover.
Then he remembered class.
The teacher.
The questions.
The stares.
The girls whispering.
— Ahh… that...
Low.
Almost annoyed.
—
Ji-hoon turned a page of his own book.
— Interested in the Korean War?
—
Gu half-closed the book.
— No.
— I already know all this.
—
Ji-hoon raised an eyebrow.
Sarcastic tone:
— You know, immigrant?
—
Before Gu could answer—
Letícia joined the conversation.
— Yes, he does.
Everyone looked.
She adjusted her glasses.
— Today he humiliated the teacher.
— That was the topic of class.
—
Gu froze for a second.
Looked at her.
Clearly didn't want that subject brought up.
—
Mari widened her eyes.
— What do you mean?!
—
Letícia smiled.
— The teacher asked about the war.
— Nobody could answer everything.
— Then he answered one after another.
— Six questions.
— Without missing a single one.
— At the end, the teacher looked like he was going to faint.
—
Lia burst out laughing.
— No way!
— Gu?!
—
Seo-yeon lowered her phone.
— I wanted to see that.
—
Mari puffed out her chest.
Nose high.
— Of course.
— My nephew has always been smart.
— Since he was little.
—
Gu closed his eyes.
Tired.
—
Park Hyun-woo folded his hands.
— So you understand our country?
— Are you studious?
—
Gu answered coldly:
— No.
— I just like reading.
—
Park Min-ji smiled elegantly.
— Reading is wonderful.
— Korea has a lot of history.
— Traditions.
— Philosophy.
— You'll like it here.
A pause.
— And it must be good to study hard.
— Soon you'll be thinking about college.
—
The Han family's mood changed instantly.
Brief silence.
Mari coughed.
— He just arrived.
— No need to rush that right now, right?
—
Before anyone could continue—
A woman appeared at the kitchen door.
Simple uniform.
Hair tied back.
— Mrs. Mari, dinner is ready.
—
Mari smiled.
— Ah, perfect as always, Sun-hee!
— Everyone, to the table!
---
Dining Table.
—
Large.
Well arranged.
Warm lighting.
Plates aligned.
Amazing smell.
—
The Park family sat on the right.
The Han family on the left.
—
At the smaller end—
Lia and Zagi.
The "kids' table."
— WHAT?!
Lia slammed the table.
— I'm sixteen years old!
—
Zagi poured soy sauce on a piece of rice.
— And I'm ten.
— So you lost.
—
— You little demon!
—
Nobody cared.
—
Everyone started serving themselves.
Without too much formality.
The housekeeper, Sun-hee, helped bring trays.
Park Min-ji smiled at her.
— Sun-hee, the kimchi is excellent as always.
—
Sun-hee bowed her head.
— Thank you, Mrs. Park.
—
Mari crossed her arms.
— You spoil that woman too much.
—
Sun-hee laughed.
— Someone has to.
—
Everyone smiled.
After organizing everything, she grabbed her bag.
— I'll be leaving now.
Good night, everyone.
—
— Good night! — some answered.
—
The door closed.
Dinner truly began.
—
Gu raised his eyes.
In front of him sat Owen Park.
Blond.
Light eyes.
Perfect face.
Perfect smile.
Looked like he came straight out of an advertisement.
—
Owen leaned forward.
Speaking low:
— Hey.
— In the elevator that day...
— Your mouth was bleeding.
— Were you fighting?
—
Gu chewed in silence.
Then answered:
— Where are you going with this?
—
Owen smiled wider.
— Nowhere.
— I just think you look like someone who fights.
— Want to throw hands with me someday?
—
Gu stared at him.
— I've never fought.
— I don't know how to fight.
—
Owen tilted his head.
— Then what was that blood from?
—
Han Seok-jin spoke loudly:
— What are you two whispering about over there?
—
Owen raised a hand to his head, laughing.
— We got caught.
— Nothing serious.
— I just asked what Brazil was like.
— I only know stories.
—
Park Min-ji looked at Gu.
— True...
— It's been a very long time since I was there.
— More than thirty-five years since I left.
She rested her chin on her hand.
— Tell me, Gu.
— What did you do there?
— Isn't it hard coming here without your family?
—
Mari choked slightly.
— No... no...
— Gu is fine.
— And his parents too.
— It was better for him to come.
— To know a better place... new opportunities...
—
The silence turned strange.
—
Min-ji noticed.
Changed her tone.
— I understand.
Then asked softly:
— Did you work?
— Study?
—
Gu set down his chopsticks.
— I don't feel like talking about that.
—
Silence.
—
Hyun-woo wiped his mouth with a napkin.
Firm tone:
— That's fine, young man.
— I only want to know one thing.
— If you allow me.
—
Everyone looked.
—
— Brazil has poor districts.
— Organized crime.
— Great violence.
— Here in Korea, that has started growing too.
— Gangs.
— Corruption.
— Hidden power.
He stared at Gu.
— My question is:
— Will you be able to live here peacefully?
—
Gu held his gaze.
Without blinking.
— That's what I intend to do.
—
Hyun-woo smiled faintly.
— Very well.
—
Mari let out a nervous laugh.
Sweating.
— Gu is a good boy.
— Always has been.
—
Letícia watched everything silently.
—
Time passed.
Side conversations appeared.
Seo-yeon talking about social media.
Jin commenting on college.
Seok-jin remembering old stories.
Lia fighting with Zagi over dessert.
Zagi swearing innocence while putting sauce in her hair.
— I'LL BURY YOU, DWARF!
—
General laughter.
—
In the middle of all that—
Gu was distant.
The sounds felt muffled.
The lights heavy.
His eyes tired.
One question kept returning:
What am I doing here?
—
Mari pointed at Letícia.
— And you?
— When are you bringing some boyfriends for auntie to meet?
—
Min-ji almost dropped her spoon.
— What do you mean boyfriends?
—
Hyun-woo widened his eyes.
— She's not dating anyone.
— She's daddy's baby.
—
Jin Park whispered:
— Here he goes...
—
Seok-jin burst into laughter.
— Still overprotective!
—
Hyun-woo placed a hand on his chest.
— We raise them, protect them, love them...
— Then they grow up and only think about other men...
—
Mari smacked his back.
— Pull yourself together, man.
—
Laughter.
—
In the middle of the chaos—
Gu stood up.
No one noticed.
Left in silence.
—
Letícia saw.
She stood as well.
— I'm going home to get a sweater.
— I'm cold.
—
Min-ji nodded.
— Be quick.
—
She left.
---
Outside the Condominium. Night.
—
Low lights.
Small empty park.
—
Gu Gun sat on a swing.
Gentle movement.
A lit cigarette between his fingers.
In the other hand—
An iced coffee from the vending machine.
—
Silence.
—
Footsteps.
—
Letícia sat on the swing beside him.
Without asking permission.
—
Gu didn't even look.
— Why are you here?
—
She crossed her legs.
— Did you know smoking here is forbidden?
—
Gu slowly exhaled smoke.
Sighed.
—
Letícia looked forward.
Took a deep breath.
— Thank you so much... for that day.
—
Gu released smoke.
Silence.
—
She continued:
— If you hadn't gotten my bag back...
— my mother would have killed me.
A small laugh.
— Her wallet was inside.
— Documents.
— Everything.
—
Gu took another drag.
— Haven't you said that already?
—
She blinked.
Then smiled.
— Not properly.
— So thank you for real.
—
Silence.
—
She turned to him.
— You're actually very kind.
—
Gu finally looked at her.
Cold.
— Kind?
—
— Yes.
— You helped me without even knowing me.
— And you didn't try to gain anything from it.
—
Gu looked away.
— You're mistaken.
—
She tilted her head.
— Am I?
—
— I just had nothing better to do.
—
Letícia laughed softly.
— You're bad at lying.
—
Gu sighed.
Pressed part of the cigarette into the ground.
— What's your deal?
—
She frowned.
— What do you mean?
—
He turned his face.
Stared at her.
— You kissed me out of nowhere in the classroom.
— Now the whole school is going to talk shit.
— And you still insist on staying close to me.
— Why?
—
Letícia opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Thought.
— The kiss...
She adjusted her glasses.
— It was gratitude.
—
Gu kept staring.
Waiting for the rest.
—
She lowered her voice.
— And also...
A pause.
— I think I want to know you better.
—
Silence.
The wind passed softly between the buildings.
—
Gu stood up.
Stepped on the cigarette.
Stood in front of her.
Taller.
Broader.
Firm shoulders.
Heavy presence.
—
Looked down.
Cold as always.
— I don't want you to know me.
—
Letícia felt her chest tighten.
—
Gu continued:
— Go back to your games, princess.
— And leave me alone.
—
He turned his back.
Started walking away.
—
Letícia stayed still.
Processing it.
—
"Princess?"
—
Her cheeks heated up.
She covered her mouth.
Looked at the ground.
Then at his back walking away.
—
— Oh my God...
—
A smile escaped.
Red-faced.
Unable to control it.
—
She slowly stood up.
— Now I'm definitely not leaving you alone.
—
End.