55. Duon Fifty Seven
The next day, early Sunday morning.
A bell rang at the front door, and when I opened the door, Yoon Seok-yi hyung was standing there.
I said hello to my mother, packed my bag and went out, got into the car parked at the entrance of the apartment, and headed to Busan with Yoon-seok’s older brother’s family.
Yoon Seok-yi’s mother, who was sitting in the passenger seat, asked me.
“So you mean that Jung-ho saw our Yun-seong in Busan?”
“yes.”
“How old did you look?”
“It was my age.”
“Then why don’t we meet and talk?”
“It’s not like that… When I was at the guest house, I saw them pass by.”
At my words, Auntie silently nodded her head as if disappointed, and Yoon Seok-yi hyung said to her.
“Mother, did you see Yunseong’s picture yesterday? This is the picture of Yunseong, who is expected now.”
The old woman nodded, and Yoon Seok-yi hyung continued.
“It’s a person similar to that picture. They might just be people who look a lot alike, so don’t expect too much.”
But are there other people who are that similar to each other?
Although it was similar to the face predicted in Incheol’s program, the sharp eyes of the child in the picture on Yoon Seok’s desk matched the face of the student I saw in Busan.
I’ve checked a lot of people I remember in my head, but I’ve never seen anyone so similar.
That’s why I called despite it being late last night.
When my older brother told me not to lean too much, the aunt turned her head back and smiled.
“Yeah, I’m thinking of going out to get some sea breeze after a long time.”
However… Contrary to the saying of going to the wind, the old woman’s face was a very reminiscent expression.
Highway rest area.
We stopped for a while to add oil, and Yoon Seok-yi, who came out of the payphone booth, shook his head and said.
“Still not answering the phone.”
It’s not a big hotel, it’s a guest house in a small seaside town.
Even when I stayed there with my father’s family a month ago, I didn’t make a reservation over the phone, but I got a room at the guest house through the introduction of the owner of the restaurant where we were eating.
I nodded my head when he said that he didn’t answer the phone, and Yoon Seok-hyung continued.
“I think I did well to start right in the morning.”
We got back in the car and started driving down the highway, and Yoon Seok-yi told a story about his younger brother.
It is said that Yoon Seok-yi was the youngest brother who was born when he was in the 5th grade of elementary school, and Yun-seok-yi was very fond of his 12-year-old younger brother.
Listening to old stories, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Yoon Seok-yi’s older brother raised his younger brother, Yun-seong, so close.
When the disappearance happened… .
It was the summer of 1986, when Yoon Seok-yi hyung was a sophomore in high school.
It is said that for the summer vacation, Yun-seok-yi hyung went down to Daejeon, where his mother-in-law lives, with Yun-seong.
It is said that he arrived at the Daejeon Express Bus Terminal, and while he was waiting for his grandmother to meet him, his younger brother disappeared.
After finishing the story, Yoon Seok-yi opened his mouth with a bitter expression.
“When Yunseong was young, he called me Eunseok, not Yunseok, because of his short tongue.”
Yoon Seok-yi’s mother, who was in the front seat, heard the words.
“When you are at school, Eunseok-hyung, when will you come, I always waited for you at the door.”
“Right. When I got home from school, Yunseong always ran to the yard barefoot and opened the door.”
Yoon Seok-yi’s father drove the car without a word, but the man’s eyes through the rearview mirror were red and bloodshot.
The pain of a family who has lost a child for 11 years… For me, I couldn’t even figure it out.
When we arrived in Busan, we headed to Songjeong-dong, where Songjeong Beach is located, and first found a police box there.
When I heard that I was from Junggok-dong, Seoul, I got up and got into our car with an expression that a policeman was waiting.
When we arrived at the guest house, the policeman saluted and said to the owner of the guest house.
“hello?”
Seeing the police officer, the owner of the guesthouse raised one eyebrow and said with a wary expression.
“Are you crazy?”
“Can I see the guest records who stayed on the 4th of August last month?”
“A guest record? The other one is Eup.”
The policeman said with a puzzled expression.
“Do you have a book with the names of guests and their contact information? You have to record it… .”
The owner of the guesthouse said with a still wary expression.
“What’s wrong, we are upbeat. I’m just asking where they came from, but I didn’t know they even recorded it separately.”
“Then the people who stayed on the 4th of August don’t know at all?”
When the conversation between the police officer and the guest house owner ran parallel, I interrupted and said to the guest house owner.
“Uncle, we stayed here for four days from the 4th of August.”
I continued, pointing to the middle room of the guesthouse.
“Do you remember the family that used the room in the middle that day? It was a family of three, including a boy the size of me and my parents.”
The guest house owner scratched his head and said.
“August 4th?”
“Yes, it was Monday, and the family would have left the next day, the 5th.”
“okay! right! I remember the day. Are you talking about that curly hair?”
“yes that’s right! Did you leave any contact information or address for the family?”
The owner of the guesthouse shook his head and said.
“I’ve heard a lot more about it other than that it’s from Daejeon… .”
The conversation with the guest house owner continued a little longer, but no helpful information came out.
We drove the policeman back to the Songjeong-dong police box, and as the policeman got out of the car, silence fell in the car. After silence, Yun Seok-yi’s brother’s father said:
“Are you all hungry? Let’s have a quick meal and go to Seoul.”
I was going into a restaurant to eat.
Yoon Seok-yi’s older brother’s mother smiled and said to me.
“Student Jung-ho, we are all right. Don’t be so serious and eat comfortably.”
I said scratching my head.
“It’s not serious, just thinking about something.”
After eating like that, getting back into the car, I told Yoon Seok-yi’s brother and his father.
“Excuse me, can I go back to the police box? There is one thing I want to check.”
Songjeong-dong Police Box.
The policeman asked me what I said.
“Want to find a Daejeon 31 Russian XXXX vehicle?”
“Yes, the car model is Excel, the model year is ’94, and the color is light gray.”
The policeman said to me with a questionable expression.
“But what are you looking for in this car?”
“The car was parked next to the guest house. It was parked until the morning of the 4th and 5th of August, and I haven’t seen it since.”
The policeman still said with a puzzled expression.
“So the vehicle… Are you saying that the child you are looking for is in a car?”
Almost certainly.
On the evening of August 4, I remember the shoes neatly placed outside the room in the middle of the guest house.
People who come to the beach to play by public transport do not carry shoes with them.
I said to the policeman’s question.
“I don’t know that either. But one thing is for sure… On the 4th and 5th, out of the cars around the guesthouse, there was only one car with a Daejeon license plate.”
The policeman smirked at my words.
“How many cars are there in that town, and have you checked them out?”
“ah… ! that… .”
While I hesitated for a moment, Yun Seok-yi’s older brother’s father intervened and said to the policeman.
“I heard the story from the other side, can I get the contact information of the owner of that Excel?”
“Because I can’t give you this carelessly. If you wish, I will contact the owner first.”
The policeman called, but the owner didn’t seem to answer the phone.
A few words of conversation between Yoon Seok-yi’s brother’s father and the police officer came and went, and the police officer finally opened his mouth with a long sigh.
“under—-. It shouldn’t be like this in the first place. Because of the circumstances, I will only tell you the address of the owner.”
“thank you. Thank you very much.”
Moments later, the policeman wrote the address on a note and handed it to us.
＜No. 307, 17-dong, Hwangryong Apt., Goejeong-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon-si>
It was around 4 pm when I arrived in Daejeon, and it was well past 5 when I arrived at the address given by the police.
We parked the car in the parking lot of the Hwangryong apartment complex, and we got out of the car and walked towards Building 17.
Yun Seok-yi’s father and mother took the lead, followed by Yun-seok-yi hyung and I.
Yoon Seok-yi’s family didn’t say anything, and I also just quietly followed Yoon-seok.
After a while… When we arrived at the entrance of the corridors 7 and 8 in Building 17, Yun Seok-yi’s mother stopped walking.
When the uncle looked at the woman who had stopped walking, the woman shook her head and said.
“Honey, I can’t go.”
The aunt turned around and looked at Yunseok-hyung and said.
“Yoonseok-ah, would you like to go with your father?”
I said to Yunseok hyung.
“Brother, do it. I will stay here with you.”
“then… Can you please?”
I walked over to her and took her hand.
The old woman’s hand was trembling slightly.
That was then.
A male student came out of the entrance to the 7th and 8th aisles of the apartment.
The student looked at us and stopped, and we, too, fixed our eyes on the student.
Curly hair and sharp eyes.
We just looked at each other without saying a word.
The old woman standing next to me sat down, and the curly-haired student who saw it ran towards her and said,
“excuse me! Are you okay?”
The curly-haired student approached and supported the old woman, and the old woman, who had fallen to the ground, reached out and covered the student’s face, saying:
“Yoon Seong-ah… You are Yunseong, right?”
The student’s expression hardened at the aunt’s words.
Hwangryong Apartment Building 17, Room 307 living room.
A group of four of us and the family of a curly-haired student sat down.
The curly haired student’s name was Kim Eun-seong.
At the age of 7, she was adopted by her parents at an orphanage, and her real name was Jo Eun-seong in the records of the orphanage.
At the end of the long conversation, Seok-Yi Yun’s parents said they would come back to Daejeon next week, and Eun-Sung’s adoptive parents also promised to send Eun-Sung to Seoul often if Eun-Sung was okay with it.
One good thing is… It was that Eunseong knew that she had been adopted.
As they left Eun-seong’s house, Yun-seok-yi’s father bowed his head deeply and said to Eun-seong’s adoptive parents, who looked a lot younger than him.
“Our Yunseong, who we thought was dead… Thank you so much for raising me so well.”
After a while we got into the car, and Yoon Seok-yi’s father told me.
“Jeong-ho, I don’t know how to express my gratitude to you in words.”
“no. I’m really glad that I was able to find Yunseong like this.”
Yoon Seok-yi’s mother cried so much that she struggled to open her mouth in a voice with her throat locked.
“I… Forward… How can this grace… Do I have to pay… .”
The old woman spoke in a weeping voice.
“I… now… Even if I die, I don’t think there will be any free time.”
“Now that I’ve found Yoon-seong, I need to be healthier.”
Yoon Seok-yi hyung reached out and held my hand tightly and said.
“Thank you, Jeongho.”
When I got to my house in Seoul, it was past 11 o’clock, and my mother was waiting for me at the entrance to the apartment.
After saying goodbye to my mother, Yun-seok’s brother’s family left, and I came home with my mother.
When I got home, washed up, and came into my room, the tears I had been holding back all evening finally came to an end.