"Joy of hatred"

“I don’t know why we’re ensuring the future is good, but not ensuring we’re part of that good future.”

Tara froze, her mind reeling from what she had just heard. The shock left her breathless for a moment, but she forced herself to calm down. Without saying another word, she turned sharply and walked away from Dong Man, her pace quickening. "Don't follow me," she said, her voice strained.

Dong Man watched her, helpless. He wanted to reach out, but all he could do was pull out his phone. "Look after Tara," he said into it, his tone sharp. "She’s heading your way."

Lily’s voice came through, cool and calm. "Keeping her away from the truth will hurt her more."

Dong Man clenched his jaw. "If she gets hurt because of what you told her, I won’t forgive you, Lily."

She responded matter-of-factly, “She needs to hear it, Dong Man. It's the only way.”

He sighed, frustration evident in his voice. "Fine. Go after her, see if she’s okay."

Lily didn’t even spare him a glance before she turned, heading in the direction Tara had gone. Dong Man stood still, his mind racing.

“I have to find him before he does any harm to her.”

A figure stepped from behind the wall, a smirk curling at the corners of his lips. “Finally...” he murmured to himself.

Inside a nearby classroom, he waited in silence until another person entered. The newcomer didn’t need to ask; his voice was already thick with suspicion. “Why are you doing this?”

The smirking figure shrugged. “Why can’t I?”

The other person raised an eyebrow. “What’s your reason, then?”

The smirker said nothing, but produced something from his bag, showing it to his companion. “It’ll work out. Right?”

The other person studied it for a moment before replying with a chuckle. “I think so. You just want to make him mad, don’t you?”

The smirker’s lips curled into a grin. “Maybe.”

With that, he stood and walked out.

The next morning, Tara was jolted awake by the sound of her phone ringing. She squinted at the screen. Dong Man. Reluctantly, she answered.

“Why?” she asked, her voice thick with sleep.

“Don’t just lay there,” Dong Man’s voice came through, brisk and insistent. “You’re going to be late. Come down now, hurry.”

Tara glanced at the time. “Crap. I’m late,” she muttered, scrambling out of bed. She dressed quickly, skipping breakfast, and rushed outside. When she reached the street, Dong Man was nowhere to be seen. She sat down on the curb, feeling the weight of the morning’s chaos.

Suddenly, something hit her on the head. She looked up, startled. Dong Man stood there, holding a bag of food. “You didn’t eat breakfast, did you?” he asked with a half-smile.

Tara’s frown melted into a smile. “Of course not. You didn’t wake me up early enough. It’s your fault.”

Dong Man’s grin widened. “Yes, ma’am.”

They began walking toward school together, the air between them lighter now. Tara, still chewing on the food, glanced over at Dong Man and thought to herself, Dong Man, he’s my friend. Maybe more than a friend… though, only to me. Yesterday, I found out that I didn’t meet him at the hospital for the first time. We were friends even before the accident. But he pretended not to know me and started over as if nothing had happened. I feel bad I don’t remember how we first met, but… I’m glad I met him again.

As they reached the school gates, Lily was waiting for them. When she saw them, she approached quickly, concern etched on her face. “How are you, Tara?” she asked softly.

Tara gave her a small smile. “I’m still confused, but I’m okay now.”

Suddenly, someone came running from behind, placing a hand on Lily’s shoulder. It was Oh Jun, his breathing ragged. Without thinking, Lily pushed his hand off with a sharp motion. “What are you doing?”

“Oh Jun?” Dong Man asked, his voice tight.

Out of breath, Oh Jun gasped, “He… he woke up, Sung-ah.”

Lily went completely still, her face frozen in shock. Dong Man stepped forward, grasping Oh Jun’s shoulder. “What? Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Oh Jun managed, catching his breath.

“He’s at a hospital near our old school.”

Before anyone could say anything more, Lily’s face crumpled, tears welling in her eyes. Without a word, she spun around and started running in the direction of the hospital. Tara, puzzled, turned to Dong Man. “What’s going on?”

Dong Man looked at her, his expression grim. “We need to go. Come on.” He grabbed her hand and started running with her toward the hospital.

Behind them, Oh Jun stood, guilt in his eyes as he watched them leave.

At the hospital, Dong Man approached the counter with Tara beside him. “Room number for Lee Sung?” he asked the receptionist.

Tara froze when she heard the name. A sharp pain throbbed in her chest, and suddenly, memories, half-formed and blurry, rushed through her mind.

Flashback

“Let’s go together,” a boy called, running ahead of her, looking back with a wide grin.

Present

Tara’s hand pressed to her head, her breath coming in short gasps. She stumbled slightly, trying to hold onto her composure.

Dong Man noticed instantly. “Tara? Are you okay?”

She looked up at him, her face pale, and whispered hoarsely, “Lee Sung?”

He caught her before she could fall, easing her to a bench. His concern deepened as he sat beside her. Tara’s chest tightened as she tried to steady her breathing.

“Right now, I had a vision,” she murmured, almost to herself. “It was so blurry, but it felt so real. Could it be… a memory I lost?”

Dong Man’s arms wrapped around her instinctively. He held her close, whispering, “It’s okay, Tara. Whatever it is, you don’t have to figure it out alone.”

As she clung to him, she thought to herself, Was it my memory? Or just a dream?

Dong Man, too, had his thoughts.

"I’ll protect you. No matter what I have to do."

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