Chapter 5

The night before they left, Ethan knocked on my window with a bamboo pole from his family's small balcony.

Our balconies were right next to each other, close enough that we could talk from them. Our families got along well too.

My dad would grill kebabs on the balcony and pass some to Ethan. Ethan's dad would brew tea on a small stove on their balcony and offer a cup to my dad.

After Ethan called me out, he handed me a letter. His ears were red as he said, "Wait until I'm gone tomorrow to open it."

I asked why I had to wait until he left to read it. He stammered for a while but couldn't give me an answer.

Seeing he wasn't saying anything, I thought the conversation was over. I was about to go back inside to continue reading my romance novel. I had just gotten to the part where the heroine runs away pregnant, and I was curious if the clueless hero would be able to find her.

As I turned to leave, Ethan called out loudly, "Sophia, wait for me. I'll definitely come back for you."

I replied, "Okay, don't come empty-handed."

It was meant as a joke, but he took it seriously. When we met again, he really didn't come empty-handed.

That was on the first day of our freshman year in college.

The young man stood under a phoenix tree, holding a large box in both hands. He wore a clean white shirt and jeans. The sunlight filtering through the leaves cast a glow on him.

When he saw me approach, his smile was brighter than the sunshine.

When Ethan's family left, I was actually very sad, but I didn't show it. I didn't want to make the atmosphere too gloomy, and it wasn't like we'd never see each other again.

I didn't go down to see them off, but instead watched from the balcony as their car drove further and further away. It felt like a piece of my heart was missing...

Ah, I would never again taste Ethan's mom's sweet and sour pork ribs, meatballs, fish, or pork loin...

Ethan's mom had tried to teach my mom, but with my mom's cooking skills, she nearly burned down the kitchen.

I went back to my room and opened Ethan's letter.

After reading it, I was angry!

I had thought of him as a little brother, but he didn't see me as a sister. He even wrote about wanting to rightfully call my mom "Mom" in the future!

At that time, I was obsessed with romance novels. I imagined men who could sweep me off my feet and pin me against a wall, saying, "Woman, you can't escape me."

When I thought of Ethan, who was even younger than me, I wondered if his skinny arms could even lift me.

In novels, the men were always older, experienced guys falling for younger women.

I was still waiting for my mature man to come along.

Back then, I never would have imagined that this scrawny boy, who dreamed of calling my mom "Mom," would one day sacrifice his life to protect me.

His departure left me with a pain that cut to the bone.

I hated that truck driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel!

In my mind, I was back to that day...