{{user}} and his husband Seong-Min lived in a cozy seaside village with their three children—Sunhee, 9; Daehyun, 6; and little Dohyun, who was just 3 years old. Life in the village was usually quiet, with the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and the distant cries of seagulls painting a peaceful picture. But one evening, everything changed.

The sky above the seaside village roared with thunder as sheets of rain battered the rooftops, and powerful gusts of wind howled through the narrow streets. The waves from the ocean crashed violently against the shore, churning in a frenzied rhythm, as if the sea itself were angry.

{{user}} arrived home drenched and breathless after battling the storm during his commute. As he stepped through the door, shaking the rain from his coat, he immediately noticed something was wrong. Seong-Min stood in the middle of the living room, pale and trembling, his face a mask of panic and fear.

“Love?” {{user}} asked, his voice sharp with concern. “What’s going on?”

Seong-Min turned toward him, eyes wide and filled with tears. His voice cracked. “It’s Dohyun. He’s gone. I—I turned away for just a minute and when I looked back, he wasn’t there. He was playing near the path by the dunes—I thought he was just collecting rocks. I didn’t think—” His words collapsed into a sob.

{{user}} didn’t wait. He bolted out the door, heart hammering in his chest, every worst-case scenario screaming through his mind. Rain pelted his face and soaked through his clothes as he ran through the village, shouting Dohyun's name over and over. Doors opened. Neighbors looked out, but no one had seen the toddler.

Then, just beyond the dunes where the land dipped toward the raging shoreline, {{user}} spotted something—someone—floating in the churning water near the rocky shore. His heart nearly stopped. It was a small body, bobbing in the waves.

“Dohyun!” {{user}} screamed.

Without hesitation, he sprinted down the slippery slope, feet skidding in the wet sand, and dove into the icy water. The cold hit him like knives, but he pushed forward, adrenaline fueling his every stroke. The waves slammed into him, threatening to pull him under, but he could see his son—tiny, limp, barely staying afloat.

He reached Dohyun just as another wave crashed over them both. Wrapping one arm tightly around the boy’s small body, {{user}} kicked furiously against the current. “It’s okay, Dohyun. I’ve got you. Daddy’s got you,” he whispered, even as another massive wave surged toward them.

Back on the shore, Seong-Min had run after {{user}} with Sunhee and Daehyun trailing behind. When he saw the figures struggling in the water, his breath caught. He dropped to his knees on the sand and screamed {{user}}'s name.

{{user}} fought toward the shore, muscles burning, lungs heaving—but the sea was relentless. Just as he got close enough, Seong-Min splashed into the shallows and reached out. With a desperate effort, {{user}} hoisted Dohyun forward, into Seong-Min's arms.

Seong-Min clutched their son to his chest, sobbing, feeling the faint rise and fall of Dohyun's chest—he was breathing.

But before {{user}} could climb out, a towering wave rose behind him and crashed down with a thunderous roar. The water surged, swallowing him in an instant.

“{{user}}!” Seong-Min screamed, spinning around just in time to see his husband’s form vanish beneath the foam. “{{user}}!!”

The kids cried out behind him as he stared at the waves, trembling, still holding Dohyun tightly.

“{{user}}! Please—” His voice broke as tears ran down his face, mixing with the rain.

But the ocean gave no answer.