Chapter Text
Before the sky tore open and bled monsters into the streets of Seoul, the world was a wonderfully small place.
For seven-year-old Sung Jinwoo, the world consisted entirely of the dusty playground at the end of the block, the warm kitchen where his mother cooked stew, and the small, brick-walled house immediately next door to his own.
Specifically, the world was the girl who lived in that house.
"Jinwoo! Jin-wooooo!"
The shrill, demanding voice filtered through Jinwoo's bedroom window, followed by the rapid thwack-thwack-thwack of a small pebble bouncing against the glass.
Jinwoo sighed, pushing his slightly oversized glasses up the bridge of his nose. He carefully placed a bookmark in his comic book and padded over to the window, sliding it open.
Hanging halfway over the wooden fence that separated their narrow yards was Cha Hae-In. Her bright blonde hair—a rarity that made her stand out among all the other neighborhood kids—was tied into messy twin tails that were already coming undone. She had a smudge of dirt on her cheek and a gap-toothed grin that could rival the summer sun.
"What?" Jinwoo asked, rubbing his eyes. "I was reading."
"Reading is boring," Hae-In declared, hoisting herself fully onto the top of the fence with the agility of a squirrel. She balanced there effortlessly, swinging her legs. "My mom bought ice pops. The melon kind. If you don't come over right now, I'm going to eat yours."
Jinwoo’s eyes widened. Melon was his favorite. "You wouldn't."
"Try me," she challenged, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
Jinwoo didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled out of his room, bounded down the stairs, and bolted out the back door. By the time he reached the fence, Hae-In had already hopped down into his yard, holding two brightly colored plastic tubes of frozen melon juice.
She handed him one, and the two of them sat side-by-side on the slightly damp grass of the Sung family's backyard, leaning against the warm brick of the house.
They were an odd pair, according to the neighborhood mothers. Hae-In was a bundle of kinetic energy, always running, climbing, and scraping her knees. She was fiercely independent and fiercely protective. Jinwoo, on the other hand, was a quiet, gentle boy. He bruised easily, caught colds often, and preferred the company of a good story to the rough-and-tumble games of the other boys.
But somehow, they fit perfectly together. Like two halves of a whole.
"Did you see the stray cat today?" Hae-In asked, biting the top off her ice pop.
"No, did it come back?"
"Yeah! I tried to catch it to show you, but it scratched me." She proudly thrust out her forearm, showing off a thin, faint red line.
Jinwoo frowned, his dark eyes filling with immediate concern. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, crinkled Band-Aid featuring a cartoon dinosaur. He carefully peeled the back off and placed it over the tiny scratch.
"You have to be careful, Hae-In," Jinwoo said softly, smoothing the edges of the bandage. "Animals don't know you're trying to be nice."
Hae-In looked at the dinosaur Band-Aid, then up at Jinwoo's serious, caring face. A soft pink flush dusted her cheeks. "You worry too much, Jinwoo. I'm strong! I can handle a silly cat."
"I know you're strong," Jinwoo replied, taking a bite of his ice pop. "But it's my job to worry about you. My dad said so."
Hae-In bumped her shoulder against his. "Your dad is silly. We're going to get married anyway, so my dad says it's my job to protect you, since you're so scrawny."
Jinwoo’s face turned bright red, matching the brick wall behind them. Their parents often joked over neighborhood barbecues about how inseparable the two children were, playfully mapping out a future wedding. Neither Jinwoo nor Hae-In fully understood what marriage meant, other than that it meant you got to live in the same house and never had to say goodbye at bedtime.
To seven-year-old Jinwoo, that sounded like the best thing in the entire world.
"I'm going to get stronger," Jinwoo mumbled defensively, looking down at his thin arms. "I'll be big and strong one day. Strong enough to protect you."
Hae-In giggled, the sound light and musical. "Okay, Jinwoo. It’s a promise. You get strong, and I'll keep chasing the cats."
They sat in comfortable silence as the afternoon sun began to dip low, casting long, golden shadows across the yard. Eventually, Hae-In’s head drooped, resting heavily on Jinwoo’s shoulder. All her frantic energy had burned out, leaving her sleepy and warm against him.
Jinwoo sat very still, not wanting to wake her. He rested his cheek lightly against her blonde hair. It smelled like sunshine, melon, and something uniquely Hae-In. He memorized that scent, letting it anchor him.
He didn't know that just a few days later, Hae-In's father would come home with an acceptance letter for a new, high-paying job in a city hours away. He didn't know that the comfortable, perfect world of their shared backyards was about to shatter.
For now, under the fading light of a normal, monster-free sky, Jinwoo simply watched the clouds roll by, holding onto the girl who was his entire world, believing with all the innocent conviction of a child that they would stay like this forever.