It was late at night. Cutting through the cold night air, the gray wolf-dog boy Frank walked home slowly after parting ways with his friend Kaohto. The two had met after a long time and talked about this and that, and before they knew it, a great deal of time had passed.
“I didn’t think it would get this late…”
Frank carefully opened the front door. The lights in the living room were still brightly on.
On the sofa sat four adults in silence: his paternal grandfather and grandmother, and his maternal grandfather and grandmother. All of them were looking toward the entrance with worried expressions.
Frank was startled and lowered his head. “I’m sorry… I was out meeting a friend, so I got home late.”
His paternal grandmother let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “I’m just glad you came back safely.”
His paternal grandfather also stood up and lightly patted his grandson’s shoulder.
“From now on, if you’re going to be late, make sure to contact us.”
“Yes… I’m sorry.”
For a moment, a quiet silence filled the living room. Then his paternal grandfather slowly began to speak.
“Actually… there was one more person we were waiting for tonight.”
Frank looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“You mean Father?”
His paternal grandmother nodded.
“Yes. Your father Thomas still hasn’t come home.”
“Dad?”
“We can’t even reach him, so we’ve been worried too.”
Frank looked out the window at the dark night sky with a worried expression.
A little later, his maternal grandfather quietly continued. “And… I think we also need to talk about your mother.”
Frank listened quietly. His maternal grandmother spoke with a sad smile. “Your mother left home some time ago.”
“...”
“Since then, we’ve lost contact, and we still don’t know where she’s staying.”
Frank couldn’t say anything. His maternal grandfather took his grandson’s hand warmly. “And… your parents are currently divorced.”
At those words, Frank slowly lowered his head.
He had vaguely sensed that his parents’ relationship was no longer the same as before, but hearing it directly made something heavy settle in a corner of his heart.
His paternal grandmother spoke in a gentle voice. “Frank, it will be hard, but you’re not alone.”
His paternal grandfather smiled too. “We’re all your family.”
His maternal grandmother also held his hand tightly. “We’ll always be by your side.”
His maternal grandfather smiled warmly and added, “No matter what happens from now on, let’s overcome it together.”
Frank looked at the four of them in turn. One side of his chest ached with thoughts of his parents, but the fact that there were family members who had waited and worried for him was a great comfort.
He quietly wiped away his tears and smiled. “…Thank you. I’ll become stronger for my family too.”
A warm atmosphere returned to the living room, and even though it was late at night, Frank felt anew that he was not alone and continued talking with his family.
The next morning
Soft sunlight streamed through the window into the living room. Frank woke up and went downstairs to the kitchen. At the table sat his paternal grandfather, drinking warm tea.
“You’re up.”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
Frank sat down in a chair. After a brief silence, his paternal grandfather quietly began to speak.
“Yesterday I talked a little about your father. Today I’ll tell you a bit more.”
Frank quietly nodded.
“I’d like to hear it.”
His paternal grandfather looked out the window and slowly continued.
“Thomas met your mother at a club when he was a student. The two of them grew close on the very first day they met, and that led to you being born.”
Frank listened without saying a word.
“At first, neither of them was ready to become parents, but after you were born, there were certainly happy times as well.”
His paternal grandfather smiled as he looked at an old photograph.
“I still remember the way Thomas looked when he was holding you and smiling.”
But his expression soon grew heavy.
“However, Thomas had some bad habits. He had been drinking and smoking since his student days, and he couldn’t quit those habits even after you were born.”
Frank lowered his head.
“…So he and Mom fought a lot?”
“Yes.”
His paternal grandfather let out a sigh. “Your mother would get very angry, saying, ‘Why are you showing our son this kind of behavior and trying to teach him these things?’”
“And what about Dad?”
“He would just brush it off, saying, ‘It’s no big deal.’”
Frank closed his eyes for a moment.
A faint memory surfaced. “…I remember something.”
His paternal grandfather looked at him quietly. “What memory is that?”
“There was a time when Dad and I took a photo together.”
The memory was hazy, but the two of them were smiling together.
After the photo was taken, his parents continued talking.
Thomas said with a smile, “This is a photo of us with our two-year-old son.”
Then Frank’s mother immediately replied, “You’re mistaken. This child is eight years old.”
Thomas looked blank for a moment and then said, we can just rename him.
Hearing that, Frank’s mother became very angry. She hurled abusive language at Thomas, asking if his brain had been burned by cocaine, and left first.
In that instant, the house froze.
At the time, Frank was too young to properly understand the situation, but he clearly remembered that his parents’ voices had grown louder and louder.
His paternal grandfather continued quietly.
“By that time, the conflict between the two of them had already grown deep. Hurtful words were exchanged, and the relationship became increasingly difficult to repair.”
Frank let out a deep breath.
“…Was that when Dad started to hate Mom?”
His paternal grandfather thought for a moment before answering.
“Perhaps disappointment and anger had built up toward each other. But you can’t explain everything that happened with just feelings of hatred. Both of them repeatedly made difficult choices and mistakes, and in the end the relationship collapsed.”
Frank looked out the window and said quietly, “…I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes.”
His paternal grandfather affectionately patted his grandson’s shoulder. “If you don’t forget that feeling, you will certainly be able to become a better adult.”
The morning sunlight warmly illuminated the table, and even as Frank faced the wounds of the past, he resolved in his heart that from now on he would shape his life differently.
After lunch, the house was quiet. Frank was sitting by the living room window reading a book. Then his maternal grandmother set down a warm cup of tea and said,
“Frank, can we talk for a moment?”
His maternal grandfather sat down beside her as well.
Frank closed the book and looked at the two of them.
“Yes.”
His maternal grandmother organized her thoughts for a moment and then quietly began to speak.
“Today I’d like to tell you about your mother.”
Frank listened quietly.
“Your mother met Thomas when she was a student and fell in love. And not long after, she became pregnant with you.”
His maternal grandfather continued.
“The two of them became parents at a young age, but when you were born they were truly happy.”
His maternal grandmother said with a smile,
“Especially your mother tried to change a lot of things for your sake.”
“She changed?”
“Yes.”
His maternal grandmother nodded.
“She quit both drinking and smoking. She had a strong desire to raise you healthily.”
Frank smiled quietly. But his maternal grandfather’s expression soon grew heavy.
“Unfortunately, Thomas was not able to do the same.”
“…Did Dad keep drinking and smoking?”
“Yes.”
His maternal grandfather answered slowly. “Because of that, the two of them often clashed in their opinions.”
A little later, his maternal grandmother recalled an old memory.
“There was one time when Thomas showed young you a cigarette and playfully said, ‘This is our little secret.’”
Frank looked surprised.
His maternal grandmother continued. “When your mother saw that, she immediately took you away and got angry.”
She spoke as she recalled the time.
“Never teach a child something like this again.”
The house fell silent in an instant, and Thomas put down the cigarette without a word, she said.
His maternal grandfather talked about another incident.
“And one day you were doing your homework.”
Frank faintly recalled the scene.
He was sitting at the table holding a pencil, and Thomas was trying to help him with a problem from beside him.
Then his mother approached and said firmly, “Just leave him alone to do it by himself.”
There was irritation and frustration mixed in her voice, and Thomas also couldn’t hide his displeased expression.
His maternal grandmother quietly added, “The two of them also had very different ideas about how to raise a child. As those differences repeated, the conflicts grew larger and larger.”
Frank was silent for a while. “…Both of them did love me, right?”
His maternal grandfather answered with a smile. “Of course. But love alone couldn’t solve every problem. There were parts they failed to understand about each other, and the ways they handled their emotions were different.”
His maternal grandmother also gently took Frank’s hand. “You don’t need to blame yourself because of your parents’ conflicts. The problems of adults were for the adults to take responsibility for.”
Frank slowly nodded. As he listened to his parents’ past, his heart felt heavy, but he once again felt that his family cared for and worried about him, and quietly gazed at the blue sky outside the window.
That night, the house was silent.
Outside the window, only the faint sound of insects could be heard, and Frank lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
The stories about his parents that he had heard that day from his paternal grandfather and maternal grandparents would not leave his mind.
‘Back then… what really happened?’
When he closed his eyes, an old memory faintly came back to life.
The living room.
Young Frank was hiding behind the door. His parents’ voices filled the house. His mother shouted first in a voice mixed with resentment.
“I can’t take it anymore either! If you hadn’t been doing things like drugs, that kind of thing never would have happened! And yet you’re saying you’re going to keep doing it?”
Thomas shouted back without yielding.
“What does that have to do with anything? I was just trying to teach my son what I know!”
His mother shook her head as if she couldn’t believe it.
“You’re not thinking straight right now! If you taught a child something like that, it could have a harmful influence on Frank too! He might end up becoming a bad kid!”
Thomas spoke in an even more agitated voice.
“Can you just shut up for a second? At this rate we can’t properly take care of ourselves or the child!”
The two of them interrupted each other and raised their voices. A little later his mother said firmly. Thomas also couldn’t hide his anger.
“That's it. Let’s get a divorce. Get out of this house right now. Don’t ever come back.”
“GO AHEAD, YOU OLD LADY!!!!”
His voice echoed through the house. In that moment—
*Crash!*
Thomas lost his reason and forcefully pushed over the display cabinet in the living room. Glass and plates fell to the floor and shattered into pieces. Broken fragments scattered across the floor, and for a moment silence filled the house.
His mother stood frozen with an expression mixed with shock and anger, unable to say a word. Thomas breathed heavily, then went into the room and roughly packed clothes and belongings into a bag.
Then he opened the front door. The sound of the door closing echoed through the house. From that day on, the atmosphere of the house became different from before.
Frank opened his eyes.
That memory was hazy like a fragment from his childhood, but the loud voices and the sound of breaking glass from that day were still vivid.
He pulled the blanket a little tighter around himself.
“…Dad…”
“…Mom…”
The small voices disappeared into the darkness. The corners of his eyes grew a little hot. Frank quietly wiped his tears, but in the end a small sob escaped.
“…Why… did our family end up like this…”
Only his soft sobs quietly echoed in the room, and the moonlight outside the window silently illuminated his room.
The next morning, warm sunlight seeped through the curtains. Frank got out of bed with a tired face from tossing and turning all night. The intense argument between his parents that had come back to him the night before still wouldn’t leave his mind.
He slowly went downstairs to the living room. At the table, his paternal grandfather and grandmother and maternal grandfather and grandmother were all gathered. All four of them looked worried.
His paternal grandmother spoke first. “Frank, did something happen last night? We heard the sound of you crying in your room.”
Frank hesitated for a moment and then quietly began to speak.
“…Last night an old memory came back to me.”
He calmly told them about the memory of his parents fighting intensely and the scene of his father leaving the house.
Hearing the story, the four of them wore sorrowful expressions.
After a brief silence, his maternal grandmother slowly took out two envelopes.
“Actually… I think we should show you these as well.”
Frank took the envelopes with a puzzled expression.
“What are these?”
“Notes we found when you stepped out for a moment.”
Frank unfolded the first note with trembling hands.
‘I don’t think I can raise you anymore. I’m sorry. Instead, your grandmother and grandfather will take good care of you. And you must become strong. I love you, my son.’
The moment he read the words, his eyes wavered. Then he unfolded the second note.
‘Father, Mother, I don’t think I can raise him alone anymore. After you read this, please give it to Frank.’
Frank couldn’t say anything for a while.
“…Mom also…”
His voice trembled.
“…left the house… just like Dad.”
Until then he had been holding onto a small hope that his mother might return someday. But the contents of the notes were like a final farewell left before she left.
Tears flowed from Frank’s eyes. “Why… why did both of you have to leave…”
His maternal grandmother approached and carefully hugged her grandson. “Frank… don’t be too sad.”
His maternal grandfather also said gently, “Your parents each made difficult choices amid their own hardships. But that choice doesn’t mean you weren’t loved.”
His paternal grandmother wiped Frank’s tears with a handkerchief and smiled.
“Right now in this house there are people who love you.”
His paternal grandfather also nodded. “We will stay with you until the end so that you are never alone.”
Frank looked at the four of them in turn. Their warm touches and sincere words gradually calmed his anxious heart. He wiped his tears and answered softly.
“…Yes.”
Frank slowly let out a breath and gradually calmed his heart.
The longing for his parents still remained, but once again feeling that there were family members by his side who cared for and protected him, he quietly received comfort in the arms of the four of them.
That same night, in different places, the city was deep in sleep.
In a villa in the city, faint streetlight light shone through the window.
Frank’s mother sat alone by the window of the small villa, gazing at the night sky. The room was quiet.
On the table sat a cup of tea that had already gone cold, but she hadn’t even touched it, lost in deep thought. “…Frank.”
She quietly called her son’s name. ‘I wonder how he’s doing right about now.’
She knew that her own parents and her in-laws were taking care of Frank together, but the fact that she couldn’t be by his side herself weighed heavily on her heart. She slowly closed her eyes.
The days when she first met Thomas came back to her. They were young and clumsy, but they liked each other and believed they could share a future together. On the day Frank was born, both of them were smiling.
They even dreamed of happiness while holding their small son in their arms. But as time passed, the arguments became more frequent, and the words that hurt each other increased.
She let out a small sigh. “…Did I make a mistake divorcing Thomas?”
She immediately shook her head. “No…”
She had thought about it countless times, but at the time she had believed it was the best choice. Even so, a regret that wouldn’t fade remained in one corner of her heart.
‘If we had just talked a little more with each other… would things have been different?’
She looked out the window and quietly reddened her eyes.
At the same time. In a quiet park with not a single person, Thomas sat alone on a bench under a streetlight.
He raised his head and looked at the night sky. There weren’t many stars, but the moonlight faintly illuminated the park. “…Frank.”
He also quietly called his son’s name. ‘I wonder how my son is doing right now.’
Is he smiling? Is he crying? Or does he hate me? He gave a lonely smile. He took a cigarette out of his pocket and put it in his mouth. For a moment he hesitated about lighting it, then held the lighter in his hand and gazed at the night sky. A long silence passed.
“……”
In the end he lit the cigarette. Faint smoke drifted up into the night air. Thomas exhaled the smoke and muttered in a low voice.
“…I’m sorry, Frank.”
Those words reached no one’s ears. Only the sound of the wind quietly passed through the park.
In different places.
Living different lives.
But on that night, at least, the two of them were thinking the same thing.
‘I wonder how Frank is doing right now…’
And without them knowing, Frank was gradually healing his wounds under the warm care of his grandparents and maternal grandparents.
Several days later, the morning sunlight brightly illuminated the streets.
Frank left the house in light clothes.
“I’m heading out.”
“Be careful.”
His grandparents and maternal grandparents smiled and waved.
Frank also gave a small smile and slowly walked down the alley.
Before long a familiar voice called out. “Hey, Frank!”
When he turned his head, the yellow wolf-dog boy Kaohto was running toward him, waving his hand.
“Hi, Kaohto.”
“Perfect timing! We’re going to the playground with the big trampoline with some friends right now—come jump with us!”
Frank thought for a moment and then smiled. “Thanks for inviting me. But I’m okay today.”
Kaohto looked a little disappointed but nodded.
“Really? Then next time we definitely have to play together.”
Just then several friends approached from behind.
The panda Tony said with a big smile, “Frank! Long time no see!”
Jonathan also greeted him with a snack in his hand, smiling. “The weather’s nice today—it would be fun if we played together.”
The gray wolf Steven also nodded. “Don’t push yourself. Let’s play together when you feel better.”
The hyena Alex grinned with both hands in his pockets. “We’ll be waiting whenever you’re ready.”
Frank looked at his friends and gave a warm smile.
“Thanks, everyone.”
After a short conversation, the friends ran off toward the playground with the trampoline.
“See you next time!”
“Yeah! Have fun!”
Frank waved as he saw his friends off. A little later he walked alone slowly down the path.
A warm breeze blew, and the leaves rustled as they swayed. Frank looked up at the sky and quietly thought to himself.
‘Dad, I’m doing okay.’
After taking a moment to steady his breathing, he thought again.
‘And Mom… I’m always sorry, and I love you.’
He gave a faint smile as he looked at the sky.
‘From now on I’ll live honestly and become a strong person.’
As if hoping that feeling would reach his parents, Frank put both hands in his pockets and slowly walked forward.
In the distance the laughter of his friends could be heard, and Frank’s footsteps also felt a little lighter than before.
He still missed his parents, but recalling that there were family and friends by his side who cared for him, he quietly walked onward toward a new day.
The End
