Sometimes, when his mind wandered, the boy would think of Ya Ya.
But he soon made himself focus on his studies.
With the end of the term approaching, he was making one final push.
He had to fulfill the promise he'd made to his mom and dad.
He had to get excellent grades and rank near the top.
He... wanted to make his mom happy.
He wanted her to be proud of him.
Ya Ya... seemed to have quietly disappeared from his life.
The boy got very good grades on his final exams.
Seeing his teacher's praise and his classmates' complicated expressions, he was very happy.
He was even happier when he saw the bright joy in his mom's eyes.
The boy clenched his fist in his heart.
He'd done it.
That day, everyone looked at him with admiration.
They had nothing but praise for him.
They weren't offering him sympathy or comfort.
That winter break, his mom took him to visit his maternal grandmother in the countryside.
It was the first time he'd stayed at her house for so long.
At first, he hadn't been used to it, but before long, he didn't want to leave.
The winter break seemed to end in the blink of an eye.
When he returned to school, it seemed like nothing had changed.
And yet, some things had.
He still sat alone at his desk, like someone who didn't fit in with the lively atmosphere of the class.
But...
He could tell that the distance between him and his classmates had grown smaller.
They were slowly returning to the natural way they'd treated each other before his dad disappeared and the rumors began to spread.
The change was subtle.
Maybe none of his classmates had noticed it.
He