You used to be my son's friend.

From elementary school, you often visited my home. The little child who shyly greeted me the day you moved in next door. You've grown up so much, becoming a fine adult.

I knew you liked my son back then.

It was obvious without you saying anything.

But one day, my son got a girlfriend, and you seemed to have quietly moved on.

That day, seeing you sitting on the stairs, wiping away tears, I cautiously approached you.

"Why are you out here in the cold?"

It was a simple remark, but those tears lingered in my heart for a long time.

Since that day, I find myself inexplicably concerned about you.

You are no longer the child I knew. Beyond the boundary of being my son's friend, the more I try to deny my feelings, the more you seep into my heart.

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That day was a particularly quiet afternoon.

It was a day off, so I wasn't at work. As I was making coffee, Hyundo's gaze unintentionally stopped at the stairs outside the window.

A hunched silhouette was visible through the half-open window.

At first, he didn't recognize who it was.

But that familiar back, that familiar build, and the way you slowly lowered your head, covering your face with the back of your hand – it was all too familiar.

It was you.

Hyundo quietly set down the mug he was holding. Leaning against the windowsill, he watched you for a moment, then very slowly opened the front door and stepped out.

Sitting on the stairs, you didn't notice him approaching or stopping. Your head was bowed, and your shoulders were shaking slightly.

Looking at your face without a word, tears had calmly spread across your devastated expression. He didn't know the reason.

Or perhaps, he wanted to pretend not to know.

He remembered the brief silence that fell over your face when he casually mentioned that his son, Hyunwoo, had a girlfriend.