Humans are weak creatures.
Creatures filled with fear. Creatures filled with envy. Creatures filled with desire. Creatures filled with despair.
Everyone wants to be born perfect. With all their limbs. A handsome and beautiful face. A healthy body. A good and stable family. Intelligence. A good career. Liked by many. Without hardship. A truly perfect life.
And even if they lose just one of those things, their entire world will be shaken.
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Then what about your world?"
"I don't know. Everything is so dark even when I open my eyes."
"So you hate it?"
"At first, but then I saw her."
"What did you see?"
"A beautiful figure under the moonlight."
...
On a track field, a boy was running as fast as he could around a striped track. He was running very fast, breathing heavily. Sweat was beading on his forehead.
Another boy at the finish line blew a whistle to signal him to stop running. The boy who blew the whistle looked at the boy's time.
"Your time is ninety-eight seconds. Two seconds faster than yesterday." The boy still panting, frowned.
"That's still very slow." The boy wasn't satisfied with his time.
The boy who blew the whistle saw him, but simply smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry too much about it. You still have plenty of time to practice. We'll be junior high students in another year, right? Until then, keep practicing." The boy encouraged him.
"Yes." The boy clenched his fists, his eyes full of enthusiasm.
After a good rest, the boy returned home. As he was about to open the door, someone came out. It was the boy's older brother.
Seeing his younger brother return he didn't say anything. His eyes were sharp as if he were upset about something. His brother quickly left without saying a word. The boy could only watch his brother's back as he walked away. His eyes looked sad.
He went inside. In a fairly large house four people lived there. His father owns a well-known company, his mother is a lecturer at a well-known university, the first son is in the second grade of high school and the second son is in the sixth grade of elementary school.
His family is looked up to by the people around them. Many are also jealous of what their family has. Especially their children.
Children born into well-established and respected families have a bright and easy future. There is no need to work hard to find a career in the future because of the support of his parents.
But those who are jealous only look at the outer appearance. They don't know what is in the hearts of each family member.
What they experienced. What they feel. What are they thinking. Nobody knows about it.
"Where have you been?" As soon as the child entered the house a firm and deep voice greeted him.
The child looked in the direction where the sound came from. A man with a stern face was sitting while typing on his laptop.
"I just finished playing with my friends." The boy replied in a low, polite voice.
The boy's father looked at him and furrowed his brows slightly.
"You've been running again, haven't you?" The boy's father said firmly.
The boy didn't dare answer and could only lower his head. His expression became anxious. The boy's father closed his laptop and stared straight at him.
"I've told you many times, there's no point in being an athlete, let alone a track athlete."
"There's a lot of competition, and your name won't necessarily be known to everyone."
"It's better to just improve your grades and learn how companies work than to waste time pursuing something uncertain." The boy's father got up from the sofa and entered his room.
The boy could only stand silently, staring at the door that had just closed. After a few moments of silence the boy went up to the second floor and entered his room.
After showering and changing, the boy sat at his desk. He picked up a magazine containing news about athletes. The boy read it with great interest. Then slowly he became gloomy remembering his father's words.
"Even though my name isn't known to anyone, I still want to try. I don't run to be famous. I run because I love it."
"Please don't say it's a waste of time." The boy wiped away the tears that had begun to fall.
After finishing reading his favorite magazine, he began working on the assignment given by his school.
Perhaps for others, his father's words were true but not for the boy. People saw the title of heir to a large and well-known company as a great thing.
Many people wanted it. Many people longed for it. But not for the boy.
No one knew how deeply those words hurt him. No one knew the sadness he was holding back. No one knew what he was thinking, what he wanted, what he dreamed of. No one knew what was in his heart.
A quiet family dinner. No stories at the dinner table. Just focused on finishing the food and returning to their respective rooms. As the boy was about to enter his room, his older brother called out to him. His older brother looked at him as if wanting to say something. There was a strange mixture of emotions in his expression. He looked upset about something but at the same time not really.
"No, forget it." His brother turned and left.
Time passed. The boy had passed his exams and become a first-year student in junior high school. He was also happy to be in the same class as his friend.
Days passed. When the boy practiced running, his friend always accompanied him, blowing the whistle and measuring his speed.
Time passed quickly. And now the boy was a second-grader.
"Wow, it looks like you're getting faster now. Maybe soon you'll be able to break a new record." His friend smiled at him.
"Do you think I can do it?" There was a hint of doubt in the boy's eyes.
"Of course. I've been watching you practice. If you lose, that means the referee has been bribed." The boy laughed.
"Thank you for accompanying me to practice all this time."
"It's no problem. Since I can't run, seeing you run so fast makes me happy."
They encouraged each other.