The living room was strewn with empty cardboard boxes, their sides marked with faded logos and delivery stamps. To most, they were just trash, but to me, they were the foundation of a castle.
"Seojin, let's build a house!" I said, my eyes shining with excitement.
My little brother, barely a year old, gurgled happily, reaching out his tiny hands.
I dashed to the kitchen to grab scissors and tape, careful to avoid Mum's watchful gaze. "Be careful with the scissors, Haejin," she called softly.
"I will!" I promised, already racing back.
For the next hour, I folded and taped, cutting windows and doors. Seojin crawled among the boxes, his laughter filling the room like music.
"This is your room," I said, making a small doorway. "And here's the garden."
When the last piece was taped into place, I stood back and smiled at our creation — a crooked, colorful cardboard house full of possibility.
"Wow… we made it," I whispered.
Seojin clapped, and I ruffled his hair. "One day, I'll build you a real house, bigger and better than this."
Later, Mum came into the room, smiling. "Oww, look at you! Who taught you to be this cute, huh?" she teased, pulling me into a hug.
Her warmth wrapped around me like a soft blanket, and I knew—no matter what happened—I would always want to build something beautiful for this family.