Songi pedaled hard, feeling the sharp, spicy air hitting her face.
But the steep hill wasn't enough.
As I got off and slowly pushed my bike up the stairs, I remembered the text message from my mom on her phone.
"i miss you.
What are you doing? When will I see you?”
“Stop it.
hi.
tomorrow."
At first glance, it seemed like the polar bear was squeezing into his mother's stomach and her mother was secretly taking care of the fishing grounds.
Should I ask? No, I don't know when it'll end.
Please shut up, shut up.
Songi muttered as if reciting a spell while walking.
I looked up at the deep blue sky with a heavy heart, and there were cleanly washed clouds floating in clumps.
There's still a long way to go to the top.

--- pp.14-15

“I’ll go.”
There's half a scoop of vanilla ice cream left, which Songi likes.
My father stood up awkwardly, his face looking bewildered.
“Why, what did Dad do wrong?”
"it's okay.
“I have to go to school.”
“Oh, okay.
I see
Oh, it's Songi.
“The day after tomorrow is Hanuri Dol, and now he has even started to walk.”
Hanuri is the child born from my father's remarriage.
I saw it in pictures and videos last time, and the way it crawled around was so cute that I thought of Songi sometimes.
“That would be nice, since I have another pretty daughter.”
Ododok, he took off his scarf and bag and came out, giving me a sharp sip as if I was chewing on ice.
Dad, who followed me in a hurry, managed to push the snowball cookie into the bag.
"bye.
“If anything comes up, please contact me.”
Don't try too hard, it won't help rebuild the trust that's already been shattered.
Songi ran towards the bus that was about to leave.
My father followed me, waving his hand.
Tears welled up in my eyes for no reason and I felt a pang in my stomach.
I tilted my head back and dried my tears.
I applied force to the roots of my eyes to prevent moisture from seeping out.
I stopped to look at a tree standing by the roadside, shedding red leaves.
Compared to its height, the branches are thin and bare, like Songi's heart now.
Song-i is annoyed and resentful of her father, who has to be careful and watch his face in front of his daughter.
When will this withered and fragile relationship bloom abundantly again? A gust of wind whistled through Song's lonely heart.

--- pp.34-35

“Gwangseok is a really good father.
“100% acknowledgment.”
“That’s why I should have been a good father a long time ago.
Son, I'm sorry.
“Do you know how Dad feels?”
Director Gwangseok stroked his son's shoulder.
“It ends with ‘I’m sorry.’
Don't ask, 'Do you know what Dad feels?'
How does Junseo know what his father is thinking? He won't know unless you tell him.
It's not like I went in and came out.
So from now on, you have to express it like this.”
At Songi's words, Director Gwangseok blushed.
My mother and grandmother, who were facing each other in the hospital room, felt relieved as they expressed their feelings to each other.
Even if a parent and child don't talk, Songi thought quietly to herself.
“Thank you, Songi too.
Because I played with Junseo and helped him a lot since he was little.
“I can’t forget Songi’s grace, really!”
"it's okay.
That's not something to be thankful for.
“It’s natural because we’re friends.”
Despite Songi's withered answer, Director Gwangseok folded his hands on his chest and bowed his head.

--- pp.119

“Giraffe, are you lonely and sad? My mom is like you….”
As I muttered to myself, my heart pounded and tears welled up in my eyes.
It wasn't because of the large, pure, transparent eyes that resembled her mother's.
The long, swaying branches and the two legs that stretched out below the sturdy buttocks, those long things made Songi's heart ache.
That long neck had to support the blue sky, and those long legs had to run across the wide grassland.
Absolutely, these were long things that should not have been confined in this narrow space.
The sadness of the tall things that cannot run across the grassland while holding up the sky is reflected in their large eyes.
Filled with transparent air and water droplets.
Songi stood against the window with her arms outstretched and spoke in a questioning tone.
“Then, what about Mom? She walks upright, so she’s taller than other primates, but what makes her so lonely and sad…?”
The giraffe is quietly watching Songi.
Songi is also quietly watching the giraffe.
The giraffe's eyes are filled with tears.
Tears welled up in Songi's eyes as well.

--- pp.158-159

“(…) I would rather separate cleanly from Hye-kyung.
“Mother and daughter separate and become independent.”
When Songi shook her head as if she was bored, Director Gwangseok laughed eerily, "Hehehe."
“Well then, um…….
“Song-i must kill her mother.”
“What are you talking about, eating grass? Wow, that’s cruel.
“You killed your mother.”
I barely managed to brush away the bulging neck.
“Think about it carefully.
What is implied in the word 'mother'?
Songi's mother's user manual is set in stone.
A woman who sacrifices herself for Songi with unconditional agape maternal love.
I need a mother, in short, I am asking for the necessary and sufficient conditions.
So that's why I have to kill my mom.
After killing that mother in Songi's heart, she has to see her again as a human being, as a woman.
I'm telling you not to force your thoughts and stubbornness on Songi by adding the hashtag "Mom."
Then we can respect each other much more freely than we do now.
“Human to human.”
I was a bit confused and couldn't quite understand it.
Director Gwangseok continued in a quiet voice.
“Song-i, I tell you again, you have to kill your mother.
If you only want hat separation without space separation, that's the most certain.
Song-i and Hye-kyung need to practice helping each other stand on their own two feet and live their lives without any obstacles.
Time is given equally to everyone, but once time has passed, it never returns.
Think about it, Hye-kyung shouldn't spend her time only on Song-i.
If you really love her, you should protect Hye-kyung's time too.
Otherwise, Hye-kyung would be so pitiful.”

--- pp.172-173