序章

In life, choices are everywhere.

Which road to take when going out, which one to pick when shopping, whether to agree to others. Some choices seem very small, yet they can change a lot.

Almost every choice has a cost:

Letting the deer go might mean losing the job;

Fulfilling the child's promise might require killing the family's most precious pig;

Even without power in hand, still daring to take a risk;

Knowing one is wrong, yet refusing to save face;

Suffering a momentary loss may only be understood much later;

There is no free correct answer. A choice that looks perfect may hide an invisible cost; a choice that seems like a loss may only reveal its weight much later.

This small book contains eight stories, following a single path: choice and cost appear together, how people see the cost before them, how they decide in a dilemma, and how they bear the consequences after deciding. Bearing is not resignation, but continuing to face, repair, and act.

There are no standard answers in the stories, nor any method to "always choose right." Each character makes their own choices and bears their own results.

What really matters is not choosing right every time, but after choosing, being willing to take responsibility for one's own choice.