16 – 16.
I hurriedly took a taxi to the hospital.
“Um, excuse me…! I-I’m Kim Yoon-jeong’s son…! My mother…!”
“Please calm down. Come this way for now….”
Following the guidance, I sat in front of the lit operating room and was able to hear a few stories from the police and hospital staff.
“That… Ms. Kim Yoon-jeong was attacked by a robber.”
“A-Attacked?!”
“Based on the fact that her belongings were left behind, it was determined that the intention wasn’t theft, and we are currently tracking down the suspect.”
My mother was attacked by a robber on her way home from work. And it happened in an alley near our house.
“They have detected a specific magical reaction, suspecting that it was committed by an awakened individual. They are currently tracking down the suspect through nearby CCTV… But it’s late now, and it’s snowing, so it will take some time…”
The perpetrator who harmed my mother and escaped is an unidentified awakened individual.
It was a situation that was hard to accept.
Why would someone, even an awakened individual, target our mother and commit robbery?
“Well, anyway…! Is our mother okay? Yes?”
I couldn’t grasp the situation, so I first checked on my mother.
But…
“That’s…”
“Cough…”
No one gave me a proper answer.
“…Ah…”
My vision blurred.
“Why… on earth…”
My mind went blank. I sat down in the hallway.
My head turned pale, and I couldn’t think of anything.
It felt like the floor was collapsing, and I was endlessly falling.
“Why… is this happening…”
That’s how I anxiously waited for a long time, hoping that my mother’s surgery would go well.
But….
In the end, I was left alone.
*
Sadly, I didn’t even have time to mourn my mother’s death.
Because suddenly, problems that needed to be solved immediately started pouring in.
It all started with my mother’s funeral.
“Normally, we should follow the funeral procedures right away…. But given the current situation….”
“There are no adults around…. Sigh….”
The police who were present and the funeral director from the hospital couldn’t offer any advice.
And it was even worse because it was a matter of money.
The funeral expenses, the surgery costs, none of them were at a level I could handle.
If only I had been working or had some knowledge of our household finances, I might have tried something.
Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do right away.
“How nice would it have been to have an adult to trust and rely on in times like this.”
Suddenly, I felt so resentful towards my father, whom I didn’t even know, and the suddenly missing ‘Mr.’
It was a meaningless resentment.
“For now…. Let’s leave my mother in the morgue and deal with other problems first….”
“Yes. I think that’s the right thing to do for now.”
“Since the government offices will be open soon….”
“……”
With the proposal from the mapmaker and the police, I decided to postpone the funeral for a moment and deal with other issues first.
Knock knock. Someone tapped on the door of the counseling room and cautiously opened it, speaking softly.
“Excuse me, is Kang Yoo-chan here?”
A middle-aged man with a neat appearance wearing a white coat.
He seemed to be a doctor at this hospital.
“…I am Kang Yoo-chan.”
“Ah, Yoo-chan, right?”
The doctor who entered the counseling room spoke with a somewhat sophisticated attitude.
“Well… I came here to ask something.”
“…?”
“By any chance, do you know Hanyeo-won?”
“…Yes?”
We moved to a bench inside the hospital.
“I only have this to drink right now.”
“No, thank you. I’ll gladly drink it.”
As I politely accepted the drink, I glanced at the person sitting next to me, sipping his coffee.
He introduced himself as “Han Jung-won,” the little brother of none other than Han Yeo-won.
“He’s completely different from his brother.”
Compared to Han Yeo-won’s father, who had caused a scene at the school before, there was a world of difference.
They were brothers with the same bloodline, but it’s hard to believe they could be so different.
“Uh, drink it. Drink it.”
I twisted the lid off following his words and quickly put it in my mouth.
My throat was dry the whole time, so maybe that’s why the lukewarm taste spread throughout my body.
“How is it?”
“…Thanks to you, I feel much better. And, feel free to speak comfortably.”
“Hmm. Is that better?”
With a gentle smile reminiscent of Hanyul Garden, he calmly led the conversation.
“Oh dear, it’s unfortunate about your mother. My mother also passed away when I was around the same age. I know that words of comfort won’t help, but stay strong.”
“…Thank you.”
“Well… By the way, aren’t you getting along well with Leywon these days? No, Leywon hasn’t been talking much lately.”
He brought up the topic of his niece, shaking his head.
Since she was young, he had been taking care of her, and from elementary school onward, he practically raised her like his own daughter.
“…Lately, it’s been fine…”
“Hmm… Is that so… There haven’t been any fights?”
“…No.”
“Well then…”
Sipping his coffee and choosing his words carefully, he glanced at the snow piled up outside the window and softly continued, tapping on the paper cup.
“You might have already heard, but Leywon is like my own daughter. Our household members think the same way. We raised her so dearly because we didn’t have a child.”
“…”
From Noble mtl dot com
“But one day, that child suddenly started talking about a boy in the same class. It had never happened before! You can imagine how surprised both the household members and I were.”
Without a doubt, it was my story.
“So, I told you not to worry and just quietly support her… But she hasn’t mentioned anything for a while. She doesn’t eat well when she’s home. She doesn’t smile either.”
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.
How do I look from the perspective of a parent?
Am I a bad person who made my daughter cry? Or am I a bad person who almost stole my daughter away?
Either way, it wasn’t a warm gaze.
“…You helped our Ryeowon before, right?”
“……”
“If you helped our Ryeowon, you’re practically family. I sincerely appreciate it. I wanted to say that.”
“…No, it’s not like that.”
With a gulp, he finished his coffee and glanced at his watch before getting up, saying it was time to go.
“Anyway, we’ll do our best to help with your mother’s work, so don’t worry.”
“Oh, it’s okay even if you don’t…”
“It’s from my heart, so just accept it when I give it to you.”
“…Thank you very much.”
Bowing deeply to say goodbye, he finally turned to leave.
“Well then, take care of yourself, Mother. I’ll visit again when I have time.”
“Yes. Thank you so much for taking care of her!”
“Oh, and please take good care of Ryeowon too!”
At the very end, he pretended to forget and subtly threw his true feelings before hurrying away.
“……”
Unable to find any words, even if I had ten mouths, I quietly lowered my head and gave a response.
*
Unexpectedly receiving help, I was fortunate enough to be able to hold the funeral immediately.
The little brother of Hanyeo-won must have had a much higher position than I thought, as he generously reduced the surgery and funeral expenses, and even contributed to the condolence fund.
Thanks to that, I was able to alleviate the financial burden to a great extent…
But it wasn’t enough. They sent me a military escort.
“Yoo-chan…!”
“Ryeo, Ryeo-won.”
Hanyeo-won. She, who was my one and only friend, appeared at the funeral parlor.
“Sorry for being late…!”
Wham! Without even greeting me, she rushed into my arms and sincerely comforted me, holding me tightly.
“You must have been through a lot alone… I’m sorry for not knowing… You’ve really suffered so much…”
A strange warmth seeped in.
Drenched in that cozy feeling for a moment, I suddenly snapped out of it and tried to push her away.
…I’m sure that’s what I intended to do….
“…Thank you….”
Somehow, I found myself moving in the opposite direction, accepting her embrace and speaking.
“I’ll stay with you until the end…!”
At first, I thought she had only come to pay respects, but she showed that she would stay by my side for the entire three days.
I tried to stop her, saying she didn’t have to do that.
“No…! I want to! It’s better than being alone… isn’t it?”
She even put a hairpin for women on me and settled down next to me…
“……”
As I watched her silently, the words her little brother had said earlier came to mind.
– She hardly ever brings up the subject. She doesn’t eat well at home. She doesn’t even smile.
Before asking for help, an apology came first.
“Hey… Ryeowon.”
“Yeah?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
Ryeowon tilted her head with a face that seemed to say she didn’t know what I was talking about.
Whether she was doing it on purpose or really didn’t know.
Either way, it was clear that my guilt was no longer just an action.
“For ignoring you all this time. I’m really sorry.”
“Oh… that? I’m fine. …I was more worried about you than myself.”
But she had been worried about me all that time.
“Since then, your expression hasn’t been good, your complexion has been bad… Do you know how worried I was?”
How could she worry about someone else when she herself was equally depressed about the situation?
Her consideration was simply astonishing.
“…I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“You’re apologizing again.”
“Mi… hmm….”
As I stumbled over my words, she let out a soft laugh and quickly regained her serious expression.
Her actions were so adorable that I couldn’t help but smile.
It had been so long since I had genuinely laughed.
“…It’s fascinating….”
Hanyeo-won was truly an intriguing presence.
Even in difficult and exhausting situations, she had the ability to make people laugh. Just being by her side brought a sense of comfort to my heart.
Perhaps she had the ability to emit a positive aura to those around her, hiding it without anyone knowing?
It was definitely an ability on the level of S-rank.
“…I should contact Yeonseo too.”
As I continued to think about Hanyeo-won, I began to feel uneasy about not having contacted Yeonseo yet.
In fact, I should have contacted her before anyone else.
I had been so busy since dawn that I didn’t even have time to touch my phone.
Even now, the thought of contacting her didn’t cross my mind.
Although I felt guilty for contacting her late…
I needed a little. Just a little time.
“…Sigh….”
It was a moment of frustration as I furrowed my brows with a sigh.
Swiftly. Hanryowon, who was sitting next to me, reached out her hand and gently patted my back.
“…!”
Surprised by her touch, I looked at her quietly.
Meeting my gaze, she gave me a comforting smile without saying a word, uplifting my spirits.
The suffocating emotions in my chest melted away.
Indeed, she was the only one who could comfort me right now.
Only Hanryowon.