Chapter 3 – The Girl Who Stayed
1295 Words
The rain stopped before evening.
The clouds slowly moved away, a soft golden light spread across the street. The market was becoming lively again.
Jin Woo closed his book and stood up.
For the first time that day, he felt warm and full.
He glanced at the empty bowl on the table.
Ara was carefully packing the wooden tray again.
“Thank you for the food,” he said.
Ara smiled.
“You already said that.”
Jin Woo hesitated for a moment.
Then he asked, “Do you work at the market every day?”
Ara nodded.
“Yes. My mother and I sell rice cakes and soup. Our stall is near the well.”
She pointed down the street.
Jin Woo followed her finger and saw a small wooden stall with a cloth roof.
It looked simple, but clean and organized.
“You must work very hard,” he said.
Ara shrugged lightly.
“It’s normal.”
Then she asked, “What about you? Where do you live?”
Jin Woo looked a little embarrassed.
“A small room behind the old bookstore.”
Ara blinked.
“The one near the river?”
“Yes.”
“That place is very cold in winter,” she said.
Jin Woo chuckled softly.
“I know.”
For a moment they both stood there quietly.
Then Ara picked up the tray.
“Well, I should go back to the stall. My mother will worry if I disappear for too long.”
Jin Woo nodded.
“I understand.”
Ara began walking away, but then she suddenly stopped and turned around.
“Oh, right.”
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small cloth bag.
Before Jin Woo could react, she placed it on the table.
“What is this?” he asked.
“Rice cakes,” she said casually.
Jin Woo frowned.
“You already gave me food.”
“Yes,” Ara replied. “But you will get hungry again later.”
Jin Woo pushed the bag back toward her.
“I can’t take this.”
Ara crossed her arms and stared at him.
“Why?”
“Because it’s too much.”
She sighed dramatically.
“You scholars really think too much.”
Jin Woo looked confused.
Ara pushed the bag toward him again.
“Listen,” she said. “If I take those rice cakes home, my little brother will eat them all before dinner.”
Jin Woo blinked.
“So… you are actually helping me,” she continued, “by making sure my brother doesn’t become too spoiled.”
Jin Woo couldn’t help laughing.
“That logic makes no sense.”
Ara grinned proudly.
“It works though.”
After a moment, Jin Woo finally accepted the bag.
“…Thank you.”
Ara nodded, satisfied.
“Good. Now eat them later while studying.”
She began walking toward her stall again.
But Jin Woo suddenly spoke.
“Ara.”
She turned around.
“Yes?”
Jin Woo hesitated for a moment.
Then he said something he normally wouldn’t say.
“Can I visit your stall sometimes?”
Ara tilted her head.
“Why?”
Jin Woo looked slightly awkward.
“…Your food is very good.”
Ara laughed.
“You mean you want free meals again.”
Jin Woo quickly shook his head.
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
Ara smiled warmly.
“I’m joking.”
She thought for a moment before answering.
“You can come anytime.”
Then she added,
“But next time you must pay.”
Jin Woo nodded seriously.
“Of course.”
Ara waved goodbye and returned to her stall.
Jin Woo watched her for a few seconds before turning to leave.
As he walked toward his small rented room, he felt something strange in his chest.
Hope.
For the past few years, his life had been simple and lonely.
Study.
Work.
Sleep.
Repeat.
But today something had changed.
Someone had believed in him without hesitation.
When he reached his room behind the bookstore, the sky had already turned dark.
The room was small and quiet.
A wooden table.
A thin sleeping mat.
A shelf filled with old books.
Nothing more.
Jin Woo sat down and opened his book again.
But this time his mind was clearer.
He studied for hours without stopping.
Late at night, he remembered the small cloth bag.
He opened it and took out one rice cake.
It was soft and sweet.
Jin Woo smiled slightly.
“Impossible things just need more time.”
Ara’s words echoed in his mind.
For the first time in many months, he felt confident again.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
Jin Woo continued studying every day.
But now he often visited the market during breaks.
At first, he told himself it was only because Ara’s food was good.
But slowly he realized that wasn’t the real reason.
Ara always greeted him with the same bright smile.
Sometimes she was busy serving customers.
Sometimes she was arguing playfully with her younger brother.
Sometimes she was helping her mother prepare ingredients.
But no matter how tired she looked, she always smiled when she saw him.
“Scholar Jin Woo!” she would say.
“You look more serious every time I see you.”
“And you talk too much every time I see you,” Jin Woo would reply.
Their conversations were simple.
They talked about small things.
The weather.
The market.
His studies.
Her work.
But those small moments slowly became the happiest part of Jin Woo’s days.
One evening, after the market closed, Jin Woo helped Ara carry some supplies back to her home.
The sky was filled with stars.
Ara walked beside him quietly.
“You study very hard,” she said.
Jin Woo nodded.
“I have to.”
“Do you ever get tired?”
“Sometimes.”
“Then why keep going?”
Jin Woo looked up at the night sky.
“Because if I stop now… all those years of effort will mean nothing.”
Ara thought about his words.
Then she said something softly.
“I think you will succeed.”
Jin Woo looked at her.
“You always say that.”
“Because it’s true.”
“Even if everyone else thinks I will fail?”
Ara nodded.
“Yes.”
Jin Woo felt a strange warmth in his chest again.
They continued walking in comfortable silence.
When they reached Ara’s house, she stopped at the gate.
“Thank you for helping me,” she said.
Jin Woo placed the supplies down.
“You helped me first.”
Ara laughed.
“With one bowl of rice?”
Jin Woo looked at her seriously.
“It was more than that.”
Ara seemed surprised by his expression.
Jin Woo took a slow breath.
Then he said something that would change both of their lives.
“One day, when I succeed…”
Ara waited curiously.
Jin Woo continued.
“I want to build a better life.”
Ara nodded.
“That’s a good dream.”
But Jin Woo shook his head.
“No.”
He looked directly at her.
“I want to build that life with you.”
Ara froze.
For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
Jin Woo suddenly realized how bold his words sounded.
He quickly added,
“I mean… if you would allow it.”
Ara stared at him.
Then slowly… a soft smile appeared on her face.
“I think,” she said gently, “that sounds like a very nice future.”
Neither of them realized it yet.
But from that moment on, their paths were no longer separate.
They had begun walking toward the same destiny.
Together.
- Writer
