Chapter 1- Don’t Leave Me

“I’m home!” Wonwoo shouted the moment he stepped into the small one-room apartment he and his mother lived in. He never expected any answers because his mother would usually be working at the convenient shop near their house at this timing. Wonwoo was an 8 year old kid who was a total introvert. He liked to keep everything to himself and only if his mother asked him, would he say what was going on in his mind. His father cheated on his mother when he was 3 years old. And for the next 5 years, his mother raised him single-handedly. His mother would always send him to school early in the morning before heading to work herself. She always comes home past midnight when Wonwoo has already fallen asleep. As for food, she would cook some dishes and leave it in the fridge for Wonwoo to heat up himself when he came home from school. That was how independent Wonwoo was. And he has never complained about his mother because he understood how tough it was for his mother to work just to send him to school.

“Wonwoo-yah. How was school today?” Yeon Woo, Wonwoo’s mother asked, walking out of their room. Wonwoo turned around, shocked to see his mother home at this timing. He noticed that his mother’s eyes were a little red, as if she had just cried. “Mum. What are you doing home at this timing?” Wonwoo questioned. “I just wanted to spend some time with my little son. So how was school?” Yeon Woo questioned once again. Wonwoo went on to tell his mother what he did in school and how it went. He even told her some jokes his teacher told his class. “Wonwoo-yah. Let’s go somewhere together.” Yeon Woo suggested. She dragged a small black luggage with her right hand and held Wonwoo’s hand in her left. They left the house and took a bus. His mother talked about the environment as they passed by on the bus. After 20 minutes of travelling on the bus, his mother brought him off the bus and walked into a huge house with a beautiful front yard. There were children screaming and playing in the playground that was at the side of the place. There was a large sign that said ‘Seoul Orphanage’. Wonwoo was still learning to read thus, he didn’t know what the word ‘orphanage’ meant. He thought it was a place for children to play.

While Wonwoo was busy playing in the playground alone, Yeon Woo quickly filled in the required papers in the director’s office. It wasn’t that she no longer loved him. She loved him more than anything in the world. But she couldn’t stay for long, thus she decided to put him into better hands. The director, Mr Choi, told her that Wonwoo would definitely be in good hands and she didn’t need to worry about anything. He also assured her that he wouldn’t tell Wonwoo anything until he was 18 years old. Tears started flowing down Yeon Woo’s cheeks as the thought of leaving Wonwoo was simply breaking her heart. She hurriedly exited the orphanage, not wanting Wonwoo to see her leaving. Just as the orphanage was getting out of sight, Yeon Woo turned back and caught a glance of Wonwoo. He didn’t seem too comfortable in the orphanage but she knew this was the best for him. She knew that her boy could definitely get used to it because he was strong. She mouthed I’m sorry baby before running off the streets.

Soon, Wonwoo felt bored. He didn’t like playing with the other children. They were too rowdy to his liking. He preferred reading in his room alone. He never needed or wanted company. He left the playground to look for his mother. He walked into the office, the kitchen, the living room and every single room. But his mother was not to be found. He started to panic, not knowing what was going on. Mr Choi approached Wonwoo, patting his shoulder and said, “Wonwoo-yah. This is going to be your new home from now. Your mother…she needs to do something. So she left you here for now.” Upon hearing the word ‘left’, the world around Wonwoo started spinning. He had a panic attack. His face turned pale and he started stumbling around. It was not the first time he had a panic attack, but this was definitely one of the worst. “No. No. No. This can’t be happening. My mum loves me. She won’t do this to do. I NEED TO FIND HER NOW!” Wonwoo screamed as he turned hysterical. He ran to the porch of the orphanage, and he sat there. Determined on waiting for his mother to return.

He bawled his eyes out, attracting attention. All the kids who were previously playing outside and in the living room had now gathered around Wonwoo. They were staring at him as if he were some kind of an alien. Mr Choi and his wife Mrs Choi shooed the children away, asking them to give Wonwoo some space. It was his first day after all. They didn’t want to scare him away. The bright sunny day was soon engulfed by darkness. Wonwoo was still seated at the porch, waiti