Nothing changed.
At least—
that's how it looked from outside.
Kang Min-Jae still lived in the same house.
Still carried the same past.
Still had the same silence.
But inside—
something had started moving again.
A Reason to Try
Before—
he didn't care about anything.
Not his future.
Not his life.
Not even himself.
Now—
he started thinking.
Not clearly.
Not confidently.
But still—
he thought.
Because someone asked him to.
Her Words
"Why are you just staying like this?"
"You can study something, right?"
"Don't waste your life, Min-Jae."
Simple words.
But they stayed.
Because no one had ever told him that before.
The Decision
One night—
after a long call—
he said quietly,
"…I think I'll join college."
There was a pause.
Then—
"Finally."
He could hear the smile in her voice.
"See? You can do it."
That moment—
felt different.
Starting Again
He applied for an undergraduate college.
Not a top college.
Not something special.
Just… something.
But for Min-Jae—
it was a step.
First Day
The campus felt unfamiliar.
Students everywhere.
Talking.
Laughing.
Living.
Min-Jae walked slowly.
Same feeling again—
out of place.
But this time—
he didn't turn back.
A New Routine
Classes.
Notes.
Lectures.
He didn't understand everything.
Sometimes—
he didn't understand anything.
But he stayed.
That itself—
was new.
Talking to Her
Every night—
he told her everything.
"Classes are boring."
"Of course they are."
"…I don't understand half of it."
"Then try understanding the other half first."
He smiled.
Slow Change
Days passed.
He started paying attention.
Not fully.
But more than before.
He listened in class.
Tried writing notes.
Asked small doubts.
Things he never imagined doing.
Confidence… Little by Little
One day—
a teacher asked a question.
Silence filled the class.
Min-Jae knew the answer.
But his body froze.
Old fear came back.
His hands trembled slightly.
But then—
he remembered her voice.
"Just try."
Slowly—
he raised his hand.
Answered.
Correct.
"Good."
The teacher nodded.
That one word—
hit him deeply.
A New Feeling
Walking back that day—
he felt something.
Not happiness.
But something close.
Maybe—
a small sense of worth.
The Hidden Truth
That night—
he told her.
"…I answered in class today."
"See? I told you."
Her voice sounded proud.
And that mattered.
More than it should.
Because again—
he wasn't doing this for himself.
He was doing it—
to not disappoint her.
What Comes Next
Time passed.
College continued.
But reality slowly returned.
Money problems.
Family pressure.
And life—
started pushing him again.
Towards something else.
Towards work.
Towards survival.
End Line
"He took a step forward for the first time…
but he still didn't realize—
he was walking for someone else, not for himself."