A timeless mind

Episode 7: Swaying in the Wind

Coming out of the antique shop called Timeless Mind, I walked slowly, feeling the wind, holding a hairpin tightly in one hand.

As I walked, I arrived at the park I'd walked in yesterday. Strangely enough, this place brought me peace. It felt like all the hardships I'd endured were being washed away, without a trace.

Every tree, bird, wind, and sunlight in this park embraced me warmly.

한여주

"I really want to live here forever."

How happy and wonderful it would be to escape from my father's clutches and live alone here on Jeju Island.

I walked slowly, step by step, feeling Jeju Island with my whole body. Ahead of me was a child, each holding onto their mother's and father's hands. To me, this ordinary family seemed truly happy.

But the hairpin that the child had in her hair fell to the floor.

한여주

"uh?"

But the child and her parents had no idea that the hairpin had fallen off.

Swish-]

I picked up a hairpin that had fallen to the floor. It wasn't a ribbon or a cute little model that ordinary girls wear, but a poplar flower.

Poplar tree

한여주

"hey...!"

Before they could get any further, they quickly called the child's parents.

"Huh? What's going on?"

한여주

"Here, the child's hairpin fell off."

Swish-]

"Ah...! Thank you so much!"

아이

"Thank you, sister" ((smile

He was a child who said thank you for finding the hairpin that he usually liked very much.

한여주

"It's okay. Don't lose it again" ((smile

아이

"yes"

"Thank you so much. I made this hairpin for you."

한여주

"Oh... it's okay"

"Sol, you have to do this well. What did Mom say?"

아이

"The flower language of the poplar tree is said to be eternal love."

아이

"That's why Mom and Dad said they would love Sol forever."

"Yeah, our daughter is smart."

So, the child named Sol put a lollipop in my hand, waved, and then took my mom and dad's hands and left.

한여주

"Cute" ((smile

It's been a while since I've seen such an innocent child. Since I've always been going back and forth between home and work, I haven't been able to meet many people.

한여주

"But, is the flower language of the poplar tree eternal love...?"

I never knew the few poplars planted in my yard held such a meaning. Their tiny, white flowers, clustered together, are not simply beautiful, but rather evoke a sense of loneliness. It's like the vast, yet infinitely cold, atmosphere of our home.

As I was lost in thought, a strong wind blew and the hat I was wearing was blown away.

한여주

"Uh...! My hat...!"

I ran towards where my hat had flown off, and saw someone in the distance pulling my hat off a tree.

한여주

"Huh...? That person..."

Eye contact-]

김태형

"Huh...? Mr. Han...?"

Taehyung, the chairman's personal bodyguard, was looking at me while holding my hat in his hand... (still awkward).

In that way, without me knowing, the petals of the poplar tree fluttered in the light breeze in my heart.