Short story collection

night sky

"What would happen if I disappeared?"

"You must be sad."

"I see.."

"But why?"

"I was just curious."

The gaze that was directed at the cell phone turned to Wheein's face.

"What's wrong with you?"

"No. What could possibly happen to me?"

After hearing Wheein's answer, Byul took his gaze away from Wheein.

"If anything happens, let me know."

Although his words were affectionate, his voice was cold and dry, as if he thought nothing would happen.

"Excuse me... Sister"

"huh?"

Even though Wheein called her, Byul kept her eyes fixed on her phone.

"I'm going to go now."

Only when I said I was leaving did I put my phone down.

"Huh? Why? Wait a little longer."

"No. Something came to mind. I'll go. Take care."

"Why do you act like you'll never see me again?"

Wheein smiled slightly.

"Then take care. You'll come back tomorrow, right?"

"...well"

"Hey, what's going on? You're coming like that. I won't even see you off. Go quickly."

"huh."

I left the Star House and walked aimlessly. I walked in the opposite direction of my house. I felt more depressed than usual today, so I walked to get some fresh air.

"under.."

I sighed deeply. The sun began to fade, its light fading. A moment later, the sun had completely disappeared, leaving the waning moon shining softly.

'I don't feel any better.'

Wheein raised her head and looked into the night sky. The lights from airplanes passing by, the stars shining in space. They all glowed in the darkness.

"I too want to shine like a star, not in the dark sky."

Just as the sky serves as a backdrop for the stars that shine brightly, Wheein has always put her own happiness on the back burner, seeking to make others happy. Before she knew it, she had become someone who simply served as a backdrop for others to shine.

Once, I tried to correct that by living my life thinking about my own happiness, but I was criticized. 'See? It was all fake?', 'You were just pretending to be good. You were completely selfish.' Is there a law that says that someone who was good once will remain good until the end? Do good people not know how to think about themselves?

Wheein didn't understand. Yet, she hated herself for not being able to say anything to those who criticized her.

Before I knew it, the thought of wanting to disappear from this world had taken hold in my head, and I became helpless. After much thought, I decided to quit my part-time job and take a leave of absence from school.