Spring in this city always came earlier than expected.

The courtyards smelled of damp earth, and the sakura blooming between the buildings was so delicate that it seemed the world was incapable of cruelty. Yerin loved this season. She always said that spring felt like a new chapter of life. That evening, she was thinking about a new beginning too…

The city was small, yet cozy and self-sufficient: everything one needed was close by, and the residents knew each other well, so news and gossip spread instantly. One of its districts lay on the outskirts — modest five-story buildings, old garages, and a few small shops. People moved along narrow streets that led past the same little store. Behind it began the garages — a place most preferred to avoid, as local drunks and those who abused illegal substances often gathered there.

This was the road Yerin walked every day.

She had curly chestnut hair down to her elbows, stood about one meter sixty-two, had big brown eyes, and a warm, sincere smile. Yerin was seventeen. She wasn’t local — she had moved here to study and enrolled in a college three bus stops from the dormitory.

The dormitory was more like a shelter for students — a place where one could sleep and settle temporarily during their studies.

Yerin studied management and quickly got along with her group: her openness, responsibility, and straightforwardness immediately made her stand out. That was why she was chosen as class representative.

Her mother was an elementary school teacher, and her father was the principal of the same school. Yerin grew up in a caring family and was an ordinary, kind girl whom everyone sincerely respected.

Yerin lived with a friend. They were lucky: the dormitory gave them two small separate rooms and a shared little kitchen. Yerin lived in one, her friend Sua in the other. Despite the age difference, they quickly found common ground.

Besides studying, Sua also worked, so on weekdays the girls almost lived separate lives — they mostly crossed paths in the kitchen. But on weekends, they could walk together until late at night. And although they didn’t see each other often, their relationship remained warm and sincere.

They often ordered pizza, sat in the kitchen, and “gossiped” about everything: college, classmates who annoyed them, and even boys. As class representative, Yerin had many responsibilities — the record book, various organizational tasks — yet she always found a moment to talk with Sua. And these small conversations always brought them closer.