You and I were abandoned in orphanages from a very young age. So we spent most of our childhood there. But that doesn't mean I blame my parents for abandoning me. They were probably too busy making ends meet to support themselves, so they decided they couldn't support me and abandoned me in the orphanage. There were many children in the orphanage who were in the same situation as me. This is because this country had been at war for a long time, and many people were struggling with poverty. So many children were abandoned in orphanages, and because the facilities in the orphanages were poor, many of them starved to death. The orphanage often refused to give us even a piece of bread, claiming they didn't have enough food to eat themselves. Some children were beaten to death while stealing food from the orphanage's food pantry. That's why all the children in the orphanage were afraid of becoming close to each other. I, too, was afraid of separation, so I kept my distance from the other children and was always alone. The first one to approach me was Lee Ji-hoon, you. You were the first to smile and talk to me. Even after that, she always took care of me and talked to me when I was isolated. That's how we got through this difficult orphanage life, relying on each other.
"Soonyoung, I'm so cold and hungry... Am I going to die like this?"
"No, it'll be okay, Jihoon. Eat this and you'll be stronger."
"Soonyoung, this is yours. You're hungry too."
"I'm okay Jihoon."
I gave Jihoon, who was starving, my last piece of bread. Jihoon thought of me even when he was hungry. Seeing you like that, I made a promise to myself that I would protect Jihoon. While I was living a difficult life in the orphanage, I heard a ray of light-like news. It was the news that the children from the orphanage would be trained and sent to war. An ordinary person would never have volunteered to go to war. But I was already starving to death, and the moment I heard that news, I felt like I was flying at the thought that I could escape this place. So from then on, I counted the days until the military came to pick up the children. Then one day, the soldiers I had been waiting and waiting for came to our orphanage. After checking the physical condition of each child, they left, saying they would come back later. After the soldiers left, I was secretly disappointed. Perhaps all the children in this orphanage were like that. Finally, I could escape this hellish place. I thought he'd be here, but he just left. I felt resentful toward the innocent soldiers, a sense of immense disappointment, and a sense of despair that it was truly the end. Then, I heard your voice...
"Soonyoung, it's okay. I told you I'd be back. I can't, but you can be a soldier."
"No, Jihoon, you too..."
"Soonyoung, you know that too. I'm small and weak."
You shook your head and cut me off. Even in this desperate situation, you gave me hope. You always thought of me, even though you were having a hard time yourself...