I opened the door to walk out of the house into the cold snow like every day because my mother still needed food and wood for a fire. He was unable to help himself because he was seriously ill. As for his father, he went off to fight to earn money to support the family. Therefore, I am the only person who can - and must - do this duty to help her.

Even though the weather is so cold that my body almost freezes, I - Kang Ju Hyo Sun (寒中 氷山) - will endure to the utmost for my family.

“Hiaosan, you don't have to bother going outside for me. Just leave Mommy like this.”

The soft voice that came from your cracked lips hurt me to the core. No matter how much you suffer, you always worry more about me than yourself. For this reason, I wanted my mother to have enough food and warmth from the hearth to stay cool.

“Mom, I need to do this.”

“I don't want you to suffer like this again. I don't want to be a burden to you.” Hyo San, you had to hold back your tears. Please don't cry for your mother to see. No matter how sad you are, don't let the tears flow.

“Why does Mom say that? I'm willing to do it for my mother. In the past, my mother had always taken care of me. How do I repay my mother this time?” As I spoke, I tried to suppress my feelings. “Father should be back in a while. On that day, I won't have to go out again.”

“Hyousan, I'm sorry.”

“It's okay, Mom. I will come back soon.”

I closed the old wooden door gently, fearing that it would break as my family's house was quite old. As our family was very poor, we had no money to repair but add to the house. No...don't think about home at all. There was hardly even money to buy food to survive.

The clothes I wore were old and tattered. My mother had to sew it over and over until my shirt and pants were covered with patches. The clogs I'm wearing are shoes that my mother and I take turns wearing. It can be said that our finances have reached such a dire level that life is difficult.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

A knock on the door came from my hand. In my heart I could only hope that the person who walked out of the house wouldn't attack me like I had done yesterday. Many days I had to knock on people's front doors to ask for firewood and food for my mother. In the early days, they were sympathetic to me. But as the days went by, people started to get bored.

"What? Is it you again?"

“Yes?” That's strange. I'm sure I chose a house I've never been to before. Why does this man know me? His face was not at all upset by my visit. "Uh...I would like-"

“Get out now.”

"but-"

“Stop acting like a beggar and go study hard. I've heard from other houses that she keeps knocking on the front doors of Chong villagers asking for firewood and food. Are you to the point where you don't even have the money to buy it yourself? And what about her parents? Why don't you raise the baby well?”

This man's words pierced my heart like a shower of punishment. However, I must continue to be patient. He said I should use my time to do other things like studying. But does he know that our family is so poor that they don't have any money to send me to study? Moreover, I have also tried applying to work with other people.

But they didn't accept it and gave the reason that I was too young. Therefore this is the only way I can help her. I don't want you to freeze to death like Grandma.

“I didn't study. I did this because my mother was seriously ill. And father went out—”

“Stop lying.”

“I really mean it.”

As soon as I finished speaking, he immediately closed the door in my face. Why doesn't anyone believe me? Or is it because I do this too often? But if I don't come out to get firewood on a day, we're so cold that we can't sleep. Are you going to let me pick up an ax and cut the wood myself? I can't do it...because my body is too weak.

“It's okay, Hyo-san. There are still many houses left.”

I gave myself a pep talk before walking out of that house. Even if I fail once, I still have a lot of chances left. This is the motto that gives me strength to continue living life. Along the way, I felt the snow begin to fall harder and harder. Every time I took a step, my feet almost sank into the sea of ​​white snow, sometimes –

Just like this time, my clogs disappeared somewhere. So I had to dig through the snow to find my precious shoes. Because otherwise my mother wouldn't have any shoes to wear.

I tried my best to use both hands to dig through the white snow to find my shoes. But a lot of time has passed and I still can't find it. I was so disappointed in myself that I almost cried but held back my tears because I still had to continue my journey. Maybe I'll have to ask them for a pair of clogs too.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The door slammed loudly because of my hand again. In my heart I could only hope that the person who walked out of the house wouldn't chase and attack me like I had done just now. I stood and waited for several minutes but there was no response from anyone in the house, so I tried to knock on the door again. This time the woman in the house shouted for me to hear without opening the door.

“Don't mess with me. A beggar boy.”

Ah...have I failed again? Being kicked out wasn't enough, I was also scolded for being a beggar. If I could choose, I wouldn't want to do anything like this. But this... I have no other choice. Why don't the villagers understand our hardships?

After failing the second time, I continued on without giving up...or was it? Sometimes I think that having to do something like this every day is very tiring. The cold wind of winter made my little body tremble until I almost froze to death. The path was covered with white snow as far as the eye could see, like my future had no way out.

If I don't get firewood and food today, will the two mothers and daughters sleep tonight? I don't want to imagine such a dire situation.

“Huh...huh”

Suddenly, liquid came out of my eyes. The well of tears is easily broken because of feelings of disappointment. In the past, I tried to act strong in front of my mother to make her comfortable. It's like I'm trying to create an iceberg (氷山) to shield my fragile mind. But now...that iceberg has completely collapsed. I hate myself for being so weak.

Even though I accidentally cried, I held back my tears again before continuing to walk. Another way to make my mind stronger is to draw happy dreams that I often do. Dream images of the three parents and children living together happily. The money Dad earned from his military service helped support our family to have a better life. Mother gradually

Get well until your body returns to strength. As for me, I went back to studying as usual.

But that was only a daydream because my father hadn't been home in a year. I know very well that you may have left this world. What I am doing is fooling myself all day and imagining the impossible. Even though I am in real pain, I want Hyosan who is in the Eternal Dreamland to be happy without worrying about anything.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

This was probably the last knock on the door of the day as my body could not stand the cold any longer. So in my heart I could only pray to the gods and sacred things as usual that the owner of the house would not chase me away like the past two times. I just need firewood. One clog and some food for mother I don't want anything more than that.

“Ah, hello little one. Is there something you want from me?”

At first I didn't really want to come to this house because I heard rumors that she was a witch. But her expression was much kinder than I thought. Just because she has scald marks on her face doesn't mean she's a bad person. I really don't understand their thoughts.

“Oh...uh...”

“Hurry up and come in. It's cold outside,” the old woman said to me affectionately. Just hearing his voice made me feel as if the coldness in my heart had begun to disappear.

“Thank you.”

I bowed and said thank you and walked into the house with consideration. The atmosphere inside her house was so much warmer than mine that I forgot about the cold temperature. The glow from the fireplace made me feel like I had hope again. When the two of them entered the house, I decided to sit down on the floor next to the fireplace.

“Grandma, who is that?”

The voice of a boy my age came from behind the house. He walked this way and looked at me suspiciously. Why is his skin so white? Since I was born, I have never met a person with such pale skin.

“Oh, he is the one who needs our help,” she said, picking up a bucket of water and setting it in front of me.

“Do you need that kind of help?”

“That's right, Shirayuki (白雪), grandma's beloved grandson.” No wonder he got that name. It was because his skin was as white as snow. “And what is your name?”

“My name is Kang Joo Hyosan.”

“My name is Jiyu Hakujo (自由 白鳥), and his name is Jiyu Shirayuki, my grandson.” Hakujo-san extended his hand towards Shirayuki, “Kangju-kun, please extend that foot. Can you give it to me?”

“Why?”

“Didn't you get frostbitten?” Truly, I forgot that I had traveled here in just one clog. My left foot was clearly swollen and red. “You must be in a lot of pain, right?”

"That's right," Shirayuki added.

"I'm not hurt, that's all." I've encountered more serious things than this. Just this frostbite probably won't be anything.

“A little child like you shouldn't have to suffer like this,” Hakujo-san said as she scooped up warm water and poured it on my left foot to relieve frostbite. “Actually, you should have come to my house from the beginning. If you had come sooner, I would have done my best to help you.”

"I don't want Jiyu-san to get in trouble."

“I think the reason you didn't want to come to her was because you thought I was a witch.”

I felt guilty when she said that. It's true that Hakujo-san said that at first I didn't want to come here because I was really afraid of her, but now my opinion has changed. Apart from her mother, she is a person with a kind heart, like an angel.

“Sorry.”

“You don't have to apologize, I understand.” There was a sadness in this old woman's eyes that I could see. As for Shirayuki, he looked at my face carefully. “You came here because you needed firewood and food, right?”

"yes"

“I'll go get it for you.” After taking care of my swollen feet, she got up and went to the kitchen. Then he walked out with a cloth bag with items inside. “This amount should be enough. If there's anything left, you can come to us. I don't mind."

Out of curiosity, I opened the cloth bag to look at it and found that it contained rice, firewood, and clogs. clothes for winter Lots of medicines and money I even cried out in shock because what Hakujo-san had given me was so much that I didn't know how I would repay her in the future.

“W-isn't this a little too much?”

“You take it, my grandma is kind,” Shirayuki said.

I was so touched that I let out a shout for my two granddaughters to see. Since I was born, I have never received such good things before. I am so glad that from now on my mother and I will be able to live more comfortably than before. What Hakujo-san gave me was something precious that I could never have imagined. I had never even imagined it in my daydreams.

“Thank you. Really thank you.”

I thanked her over and over until she had to comfort me by gently patting my back. After I had gotten over my emotions, I decided to walk out of the house in a brand new pair of clogs. My mother will be delighted to no longer have to wear old shoes and torn clothes.

In the winter we didn't have to curl up because there was wood for the fire. Mother's illness will improve because of medicine. Our bodies will be more hydrated because there is enough food to eat.

"Next time, I will repay Jiyu-san's gratitude. Goodbye."

“Good luck, Kangju-kun.”

“See you later, Kangju.” Both Hakujo-san and Shirayuki said goodbye and wished me well. I walked quickly towards my house because of excitement. From now on, I won't have to knock on other people's doors for months because I've received enough of these four factors. Plus, my mom will be happy that I won't have to go outside on a snowy day again.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

This was the last knock on the door of the day, unlike the other times, it was not a knock on the door asking for food or firewood from the homeowner. But it was about giving food and firewood to the homeowners. In my heart, I felt so happy that I almost wanted to jump up and down all the time.

“Mom, I'm back.”

I took off my new clogs and left them inside the house. Then he walked over to the fireplace and threw some wood into it and lit a match. The red-orange flames made me even happier. Tonight we, mother and daughter, will sleep together warmly.

“Today I got a lot of things, including firewood, food, a new pair of shoes, warm clothes. Mom, don't worry about me because I probably won't go out for several days. Are you happy?” I recited at length but there was no response from my birth mother. “Is Mom still asleep?”

I walked towards him because I felt a strange intuition. When she touched her forehead, she shivered in shock because her body was as cold as ice. That was not enough, he lay still without moving an inch. Both eyes widened as if my mother...

“Mom, please tell me something.”

There was no response from mother. His body was still and motionless.

"mother..."

This was such a huge failure that I couldn't forgive myself until my last breath. I made my mother wait so long that she froze to death all alone. An agonizing pain that was like a field of cold ice spread throughout my body from head to toe. The ice spears of the gods pierced my heart and shattered it into pieces.

Tears of regret slowly flowed from his sockets.

"Mom...I'm sorry."

Even though I apologized to him over and over again, there was no response. The illusion of my winter daydreams was shattered. Our family will never go back to the way it was before. Both my father and mother left me and will never return. They had made their way to that side. Now I am the only one left struggling in the cold hell of this world of suffering.