Ha-neul thinks it odd, as it is a tranquil place with the trees for shade from the sun and the buildings for protection against the wind. All the more better for them, Ha-neul thinks, as one day turns into two, then three, and finally a week without them being noticed. One day, Ha-neul hears bells ringing close by as she sits on one of the benches in the courtyard with Hye-jin sleeping on her lap. What a pity, she thinks to herself, no one seems to care about this quaint little courtyard where, if you wait patiently, you can enjoy the pleasant sound of bells.
The days go by fast as Ha-neul feels she has grown to like Yeong-su more and more. She sees how Yeong-su cares for Hye-jin, and decides he is the kind of man worth spending a lifetime with: how he managed to find thrown away math textbooks and tried to teach Hye-jin arithmetic; how he is never too busy to spend several hours keeping a six-year-old kid laughing and entertained by making himself look silly; how he always gives half of his portion of food to Hye-jin as seconds so she is never hungry after a meal. It would've been what her parents wanted, for her to have survived long enough to see a day where she can entrust her life to a true friend.
After a couple weeks, the kids have finally gotten used to living out on the street. They find that newspapers are excellent as makeshift blankets. They discover the ideal times to remain out of sight and out of suspicion, as well as when to go foraging for supplies. All the while, the three of them stay clear of the police and government workers, perhaps out of mistrust, perhaps due to their contentment with their present life.
For somehow, in the midst of this hard life, all three of them feel quite happy and free. Though secondhand food isn't the best, it was the best for them, as each of them willingly share food without a second thought. Ha-neul would usually obtain the best food as she would sit outside restaurants and receive leftovers from passing patrons taking pity on her appearance. As for food distribution, Ha-neul would start with Hye-jin and give her a plentiful portion. She would then always give Yeong-su extra food to ensure he ate properly, concerned that he looked underfed as he often neglected to take care of himself. Ha-neul would keep whatever was the remainder for herself, which was usually the least amount. Then of course Yeong-su would give half of his food to Hye-jin for seconds. Finally, Hye-jin would never finish all of the food Yeong-su gave her, so she would give half of that portion back to Ha-neul, effectively balancing it out.
Once food is no longer a problem, the kids even find time for leisure. Yeong-su occasionally walks up the coastal road alone at dusk to gaze out into the bay, waiting for the sunset. Ha-neul and Hye-jin have fun shopping for secondhand clothes and random knickknacks in dumpsters from time to time, each of them searching for gifts to give to Yeong-su: Ha-neul - sunglasses for when he gazes out to sea; Hye-jin - a clipboard and scraps of paper for when he is trying to teach her math.
One afternoon, the three of them are sitting on a bench in the courtyard enjoying the autumn breeze. Yeong-su sits at one end of the bench, with Ha-neul to his right and Hye-jin taking a nap on Ha-neul's lap on the other end of the bench. It has been a month or so since they first made it into town. The breeze today feels even colder.
"Hey," Yeong-su says to Ha-neul.
"Yes," Ha-neul replies.
"I don't think we can last out here much longer," Yeong-su says. "Winter is approaching. We're going to need to stay someplace."
"We can't go back to the government office," Ha-neul replies.
"I know," Yeong-su says. "I've been thinking. We should find jobs so that we can pay for an apartment."
"Jobs?" Ha-neul says. "They'll report us for sure."
"Depends on the job," Yeong-su replies. "I think we can get by as janitors. They might not ask us that many questions."
"Okay," Ha-neul replies. Just then they hear the bells ringing again. It sounds like it is coming from above them somewhere, so they both look up at the deep blue autumn sky, as if the bells are ringing from heaven.
Ha-neul looks at Yeong-su. His mouth is slightly open in awe, his brown eyes seemingly shining with wonder at the beautiful scene: the clear sky, the warm sun on their skin, the sound of rustling leaves in the icy cold wind still audible over the gentle ringing of the bells. The longing in her heart, the ache for genuine intimacy draws Ha-neul's hand to reach out for Yeong-su's. She tucks her fingers under the edge of his hand into his palm.
Just then Yeong-su's eyes start to tear up, his gaze still fixated up to heaven.
"Are you okay?" Ha-neul asks Yeong-su tenderly.
Yeong-su suddenly grimaces as if in pain. Ha-neul lets go of his hand and gently pats his back, attempting to console him, but it fails.
"It's alright," Ha-neul says. "I'm here."
Yeong-su grits his teeth, until finally he hangs his head towards the ground. He wipes his moist eyes as his face solidifies back into a cold, blank expression.
"I love you!" Ha-neul whispers to herself in her heart. She wants to say the words to him so badly, but it seems like the closer she tries to get to him, the more pain it causes.
She leans in slighlty to try and meet his eyes. Seeing them almost lifeless, she attempts to wrap her arm around him in a half hug - careful not to wake Hye-jin - but he recoils away immediately, turning off to the side to avoid eye contact. She then tries to lean her head on his shoulder, but he gets up from the bench suddenly.
"Thank you, Ha-neula," Yeong-su says with his back to her, his voice trembling. "Really, thank you. I'll be back, just give me a moment."
He then starts to walk away with his hands in his pockets, his head tilted down, his eyes lowered, his expression cold and distant. Ha-neul wants to run after him and embrace him, but realizes he has returned to the state in which they first met. He now looks immune to human contact as he walks off with his head seemingly weighing a ton, his eyes unable to get off the ground.
Ha-neul immediately regrets her actions as she fears she may have pushed him back into his shell. She starts to hate herself for hurting her only friend left in the world who now may never return. She realizes that staying by his side will only hurt him more. God, she thinks to herself, please give me a second chance. She will never cross that line again. At that moment, she resolves that the only love in the world she is worthy of is the love of her sister. Following Yeong-su's lead, catching him before he falls, cheering him up, making him laugh, being a friend is enough for her.
Just then, a man appears in the courtyard. It is Ji-hun wearing a thick jacket and a baseball cap. Ha-neul doesn't recognize him as the security guard from the government office. Ji-hun carries a large cardboard box to one of the iron benches and leaves it there as if discarding it, before turning around and walking away.
Puzzled, Ha-neul calls after the man, "Excuse me sir, are you coming back?" This awakens Hye-jin from her nap.
"No," Ji-hun replies.
"Oh, what about the box?" Ha-neul asks.
"It's just old clothes I've been meaning to give away," Ji-hun replies. "Go ahead and take them." He then walks on, down the street back towards the town center.
Hye-jin, totally awake now, walks over and climbs up on top of the bench to look into the box. She pulls out a thick winter coat and a scarf.
Surprised, Ha-neul walks over and finds three sets of winter coats, three sets of scarves, shoes, socks, and underwear. It turns out there's something for everyone, even for Yeong-su.
While Ha-neul and Hye-jin excitedly remove clothes from the box, a man in a brown coat smoking a cigarette glances at them as he walks down the street. Intrigued by the scene, he stops by the edge of the courtyard to smoke, removing the cigarette as he puffs occasionally while observing the girls trying on the clothes as if they were Christmas presents. The man is quite short but middle-aged. He has two tattoos of wings on each side of his neck, framing his face. He soon finishes and squashes the cigarette butt under his shoe before he continues on down the street.
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