Love - Chapter 1 Part 1

The first time Eunhye met Jeongwoo was when she was nine years old.

“Let’s get out, Eunhye.”

She had been drifting in and out of sleep in the car as it drove down a quiet, unfamiliar road. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw the late autumn scenery through the car window—a ginkgo tree glowing golden under the brilliant sun. Eunhye was admitted to a welfare center called “Eunhye Won,” which shared her name.

“Your name is Eunhye? Nice to meet you.”

An elderly nun, the director of the center, reached out her hand to Eunhye.

“I miss my mom.”

“Your mom is always watching over you, right by your side.”

“But why can’t I see her?”

“You’ll see her if you look with your heart.”

“Then when can I meet her?”

“After a long, long time has passed.”

Eunhye had been waiting every day for her mom, who never returned from the hospital. The volunteer ladies who came to the center would hug her and call her “daughter,” their arms warm and smelling comforting. But when the sun set, they would leave her behind and go back to their homes.

The kind teachers were no different. Even though Eunhye ate all her food, even the side dishes she didn’t like, and woke up early to fold her own blankets, her mom never came, and Eunhye couldn’t go to her either.

“Hey, liar.”

It was her second week at the center. A group of five or six kids called Eunhye to a quiet spot behind the facility and surrounded her. “Liar Eunhye”—that was the nickname they had given her.

“Why am I a liar?”

“You’re always lying. You said your house is full of delicious snacks and ice cream. You said you have so many dolls and toys that you’d give them to us later.”

The kids giggled.

“You said you have a computer and a game console. You even said you swam with a whale.”

“You said you have a horse at a ranch? Its name is Carrot? Pfft. What else? Do you have an elephant too?”

Eunhye clenched her fists, which trembled slightly beside her plain purple corduroy pants.

“It’s not a lie. Carrot is real… he exists.”

“Stop lying. If you’re so rich, why are you here? This is a place for kids who don’t have homes or families. Kids who don’t have moms or dads.”

The kids called themselves “pitiful” without any hesitation. Eunhye’s round eyes trembled uncontrollably.

“Oh, I get it. Her name is Eunhye, so of course she’s at Eunhye Won. Haha!”

“No….”

Eunhye burst into tears and shouted. She shook her head fiercely, denying their words.

“My name isn’t Eunhye!!!”

It was from that moment that Eunhye wanted to change her name.

“Look at her. She lies every time she opens her mouth. Liar Eunhye. Fake Eunhye.”

One of the girls blew a bubble with her gum and popped it loudly. She peeled the gum off her lips.

“What… what are you doing?”

The chewed gum stuck firmly to Eunhye’s long hair, which she had neatly braided and tied in a half-ponytail.

“Stop bothering the teachers every morning to tie your hair! Hey, you guys, stick some more on her.”

“Stop it…. Stop it!”

Eunhye tried to avoid the approaching kids, but it was of no use. They grabbed her head—she was much shorter than the others—and shoved her violently against the wall.

“Ugh… Ah…!”

Her back hit the protruding bricks, and it hurt. Eunhye finally opened her mouth and burst into tears.

“Stupid Eunhye. Liar princess Eunhye.”

“Take this, liar!”

More pieces of chewed gum flew and stuck to Eunhye’s hair.

“Ugh… Ugh….”

Her round, chestnut-brown eyes narrowed as they filled with bitter tears. Her tears fell onto her worn-out clothes
.
“She’s so funny. She said these aren’t her clothes. She said someone hid her shoes, so she has no choice but to wear these. Everything she says is a lie.”

“The director nun said lying is the worst thing in the world. Why do you keep doing it?”

The old sneakers Eunhye was wearing were just like the ones the other kids had. The character on the worn-out shoes wasn’t even from a cartoon she liked. She had no idea where the clothes and shoes the director nun had hidden were. She also didn’t understand the word “discomfort” that often came up in the teachers’ conversations.

“What are you guys doing?”

With her hair now a sticky, gum-covered mess, Eunhye met his eyes for the first time.

“Oh, Jeongwoo hyung…!”

Jeongwoo.

He was the cleanest and most handsome boy Eunhye had ever met at the center. His jet-black hair was neatly trimmed, and his eyes sparkled like stars plucked from the night sky.

His long legs stretched out from his knee-length shorts. The dull-colored shirt he wore seemed to fade into the background. His skin was as white as milk, and he looked like someone who had stepped out of a television screen.

“Jeongwoo oppa, no, she’s the one who keeps lying….”

The kids who had been tormenting Eunhye slowly backed away. Jeongwoo, a thirteen-year-old boy only four years older than nine-year-old Eunhye, was noticeably more mature than his peers.

“Does that mean it’s okay to bully your own family?”

“We didn’t bully her!”

“You said lying is bad, but you’re lying right now, aren’t you?”

The kids, caught in their own lie, shut their mouths tightly.

“Apologize.”

“But… she’s the one who did wrong first….”

“Should I tell the director nun about the gum in her hair and how you hit her?”

The kids’ faces immediately filled with panic. The kind director nun was terrifying when she got angry—enough to make anyone cry. Everyone at the center knew that Jeongwoo was the one the director trusted the most, as he was both studious and dependable.