I threw my bag down and ran forward.
Jumping, I kicked the boy straight in the chest.

He flew almost two feet away and fell onto the sand.

“Oh father! Oh mother!”

He screamed, clutching his chest.

I stood up, my voice sharp with anger,

“What happened now?

Why are you shouting ‘oh father, oh mother’?
It hit the right spot, that’s why you can’t even speak.”

“Come here, come closer. Let me see how big of a man you are.

You were talking so big after seeing the girl’s weakness.
Where did all that go now?
Did it all run out from the back?”

“And you all are his friends.
Come, I’ll teach all of you a lesson.
Come, come quickly—
Or are you scared already?”

Two of the boy’s friends ran toward me and started hitting me.

But they didn’t know what kind of guy I am.

I hit one hard on the leg with my foot, and he started screaming.

I hit the other one hard in the chest with my elbow, and he began crawling on the sand.

I looked at them and laughed.

“This is the strength in your bodies?
One hit and he is lying on the sand,
and you are rolling around.

“You were talking big from behind.
You were laughing at your friend too.
Where did those laughs go?

“I haven’t even started fighting,
and you’re already like this.
Come on, hurry up—
the fun is just starting now.”

After taking a few hits, both of them ran away.
One was limping,
the other was crawling away.

Only their first friend was lying on the sand, still groaning.

I went near him.

Looking at him angrily and said,

“Listen, I’m telling you nicely.
Pay properly for all the damage you did to the stall,
and whatever you ate or ruined— pay for everything.

“And if you don’t pay,

don’t think you’ll go home walking properly today.

You’re still groaning after just one hit.
If I hit you again in another place,
you’ll cry for the rest of your life.

“Now tell me,

will you pay or take more hits?”

The boy whimpered, pain evident in his voice,

“No, no, I’ll pay all the money.
Please don’t hit me anymore.
Oh mother, it hurts!”

I nodded, my tone calm but firm,

“Good.
If you had done this earlier,
you wouldn’t be suffering like this.

“You could have paid nicely
and gone home smiling.
There’s no medicine better than a beating.
A couple of hits on the back makes everything straight.

“Now give the money, quickly.

Leave from here.

If I ever see you bothering anyone again,
you know what will happen.”

The boy stammered, fear clear in his voice,

“No, no, I won’t bother anyone again.
Here’s the money, including compensation.
Now please let me go.”

I pointed toward the exit, my voice unyielding,

“Go.”

I took the money and went to the girl’s stall.
I gave the money to her and said,

“Here is the money for all the damage they caused.”

“In such a big beach, why do you come alone to sell these things?
Why didn’t you bring someone with you?
They were taking advantage of your weakness.”

The girl smiled, relief in her eyes,

“Thank you for bringing the money back from them.

Why? Can’t I sell things here?”

I shook my head,

“No, that’s not what I meant. You—”

She interrupted, voice steady,

“Oh, you mean because I can’t see, why am I here alone?

So what?

“Who said a blind person can’t do business?
Nowhere in the world is it written
that family will always come to save me in every situation.

“One day or another,
I have to choose my own path myself.
So it’s good to gain these experiences from now.

“And if someday I face a problem like this,

if a good person like you is nearby,

I’ll ask for help—

just having that thought is enough.”

Hearing her words and seeing her courage, I was surprised.

I felt happy too.

Even with her weakness,

she adjusted herself beautifully.

How many people in this world
want to do something in life
despite having weaknesses?

I asked,

“Do you come here alone?”

She explained,

“No, I come with my grandfather.
He drops me here
and goes to the city for business.
And I stay here.”

Just then, from behind,
a mini pickup truck stopped while honking.

An old man shouted,

“Era, come. It’s time to go.”

She replied,

“Coming. I haven’t packed everything yet.
Wait a moment.”

Oh, so the girl’s name is Era.
The name matched her face perfectly.
As beautiful as her face,
her name was just as beautiful.

I said goodbye to Era, smiling,

“Alright then.
Your grandfather is calling you.
If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”

Saying this, I picked up my bag
and started walking away.