According to the head of the orphanage, Kang Dong Il will go to the rice fields around the canal with drawing equipment and ride his bicycle every friday afternoon. On that day he did not come home after 7 pm. Then she called the police station and said her orphanage kid went missing. Usually the police will only record reports of missing persons and do not carry out further investigations if the case has not been more than 2x24 hours. In particular, cases of runaway orphans were common, so they didn't think much of it.

Kang Dongil still didn't come home to the orphanage after four days, nor did he go to school. The class teacher called the orphanage and asked where he was. All of Dong Il's classmates say they haven't seen Dong Il anywhere and some people who last contacted him said he went straight to the orphanage.

Some of their classmates said he was being bullied by the upperclassmen behind the gym because Dong Il didn't bring them the snacks they wanted a few days before his disappearance. A student who is quite close to Dong Il said that he did not like students who smoked and were bullied. So he tried to fight back those delinquents when they tried to intimidate him.

But the skinny Dong Il couldn't contain his upperclassmen's anger and became the target of their beating that day. His cheeks were bruised and there was a little scratch on his lips, then the girl took him to the infirmary to provide first aid. Dong Il groans in pain while holding his stomach, when the girl tells him to take off his uniform jacket to check on him. She was shocked, there was a blue bruise under his left chest. but Dong Il tells her to shut up because he doesn't want the head mother to be worried about him.

Things calmed down a few days later. Dong Il is never seen being carried into the backyard by his upperclassmen and gang again.

On August 8th, Dong Il will go biking down the canal to draw the scenery. On the way he met his classmates and they took him on the bus, leaving his bike by the bus stop and got off at Sokpyeong. They walked towards the canal while talking. Dong Il comes along because they drag him onto the bus and say they also want to go to the canal and see the sights. There are a total of eight children including Dong Il, where two of them are female students.

According to eyewitnesses. An argument began to break out when one of his classmates accused Dong Il of dating Yoon Sik's crush. He even accuses Dong Il of deliberately showing the wound to get sympathy from his crush. Dong Il denies and says it was the girl who insisted on checking him. Sang Yoon Sik was angry because Dong Il went against his words and threw a punch. The other boys follow along with the beating while the girls watch the surroundings and chuckle at their actions thinking it was boys playing around.

It was quiet because the harvest season was over and nobody was watching over the fields. And because they walked on foot it took 1 hour and a half and it was getting dark once the sun was setting. So there were no eyewitnesses from local residents who saw them get off the bus and walk by the canal.

After beating Dong Il and leaving him groaning in the bushes at the riverbank, they walked back to the bus stop and headed back to their homes. According to Woo Pilsu, Sang Yoon Sik and Rim Yoo He got off halfway and they parted ways. After that commotion, all the students who dragged Dong Il to the place before went home and forgot about the incident.

***

"Would you like to stay over tonight?" Evelyn offered Daehwan to stay the night after they finished dinner.

Mrs. Kim returned home after she finished preparing the food. She said to leave his dirty dishes and would wash them in the morning. She simply doesn't like unarranged things, so she cleans the table and washes the dishes herself. Daehwan helped wipe the wet plates and put them in the dryer.

"I have work tomorrow afternoon."

"So you can still be here until noon right?"

"Right. But… Is it alright with you?"

Evelyn was silent for a moment as she took off her gloves and then wiped her hands with a tissue.

"I hate silence. The cat isn't here as often, so no one keeps me alert at night."

"My mind would be all over the place if there were no sound..."

Evelyn could have turned on the TV or played some music to make her house less quiet. Or she can ask Mrs. Kim stays there and accompanies her, but she asks Daehwan to stay over so she doesn't feel lonely.

Evelyn, who looks tough and has everything that makes other girls her age jealous, experiences anxiety when she is alone at home. Hearing Evelyn's words made Daehwan realize that she is still a human with weaknesses.

It made him, who secretly put Evelyn into his mind continuously since the first time they met, growing admiration for her. Looks like Daehwan's interest for her exceeds what he realized about his feelings for her.