9
September 14.
Eventually that day came.
Arriving at Shiho’s apartment, I straightened my tie and took a long breath.
Today is the second time I have met Shiho’s mother.
Although I often talked on the phone about Shiho, I couldn’t feel comfortable meeting her today.
Because today was none other than the day her mother and Siho Siho parted.
I wondered if I could be invited to such an event, but now I am one of Shiho’s guardians.
So, at Shiho’s request, I decided to join him here.
“Brother, are you here?”
As I was going to Shi-ho’s apartment, Seo-ho, who was just standing at the entrance, greeted me.
I’ve been waiting for as long as I’ve contacted you in advance.
“I bought a cake that Shiho liked, would it be okay?”
“Yes, you will.”
When I asked while looking at the cake, Seoho said with a smile.
As I entered the apartment looking at the West Lake, I quietly opened my mouth.
“Seoho.”
“Yes, brother.”
“I lost my parents when I was young.”
Seo-ho looked up at the descending elevator as if he had heard about my situation through Si-ho.
“My hardships may not be the same as yours, but there are times when my responsibilities are limited.”
So I tapped Seo-ho on the shoulder.
“If that doesn’t work, call your brother. We both almost died, didn’t we come back alive together? Is there anything more difficult than that?”
“… … .”
Seo-ho was silent for a moment, then smiled slowly.
“Yes.”
It was a short answer, but I, who knew how much meaning was contained in it, smiled at me and climbed into the elevator.
Beep-beep-
Standing at the same front door as last time, I waited for Seoho to press the password.
After a while, the door opened and a girl in an apron followed.
It was none other than Shiho, and Shiho, who had her hair tied up as usual, widened her eyes when she looked at me.
Then he smiled brightly.
“Sir!”
Shiho, who was about to run towards me, looked at the flour on his hands and hesitated.
I smiled a little and stroked her hair instead.
She smiled as if she was happy with just that.
“Wait?”
“Yeah, I’ve been waiting for Shiho for a long time.”
“Sorry, I bought Shiho’s favorite blueberry cake.”
“Oh, Shiho, it’s perfect.”
Seeing Shiho smiling brightly, I went inside with Shiho and Seoho.
Then I saw a man who was busy moving in the kitchen.
Wearing an apron of the same color as Siho and cooking, she was none other than Siho’s mother, Jiseon Kim.
“Oh, Ha-chan, are you here?”
“Yes, mother, you were cooking.”
“Because it’s his anniversary. I was doing what he liked.”
Is it fried shrimp?
When I smelled the fragrant smell, I remembered that Shiho was helping with the cooking.
“Son, would you like to see the fire for a moment?”
“Yes.”
My mother, who came to wash my hands, came to me while standing in front of the fire instead of Seoho, who was called by her.
My mother had the same luxurious atmosphere as when I first met her.
Dressed up nicely, she smiled at me and pointed to the room.
“Would you like to see him?”
“I will.”
I followed her into the room.
Then, along with some dishes, I saw a picture of incense candles.
Si-ho’s father, who had a young face and a bright smile, looked a lot like Seo-ho.
It was the part where you could clearly see where Seoho and Shiho’s genes came from.
“Our guy came back from working as a firefighter.”
“It was a great job.”
“Yes. As a spectator, I get angry, but he was so cool when he was working. In fact, after he saved me, I continued dating and ended up getting married.”
The mother, who was laughing softly, sat down in front of the picture.
Then he handed me an incense candle, and I lit it and put it in it.
Then, when she bowed twice, she gently wiped the picture with her handkerchief.
“Shiho talks about Hachan a lot.”
“Ahaha, I’m embarrassed.”
“It’s embarrassing. It was the first time he had talked about other people like that, so I was rather grateful.”
“Did you?”
“Yes, it was. Shiho has always been like that. It’s probably been that way ever since I had an accident.”
Hearing those words, I couldn’t open my mouth.
Kim Ji-sun seemed to have heard all about that day from Si-ho and Seo-ho.
I couldn’t easily fathom the shock she must have had.
Because she was treated like a dead person in this world.
‘Probably Seoho.’
Using the position of an S-class hunter, she must have given her various conveniences so that she could live comfortably.
From the national point of view, the existence of an S-class hunter was a talent that could not be overlooked, and reviving the deceased mother’s resident registration would not have been a problem.
Knowing all of that, she leaves for today.
It may not be easy for Shiho and Seoho to accept that fact, but it was the same for their mother, Jiseon Kim.
Because she loved her son and daughter so much.
“Seoho is proud. He was always a good kid on his own, and after he passed away, he was always a proud kid to me like the eldest son.”
“Yes, I have never seen a younger brother as trustworthy as Seo-ho.”
“To be honest, Shiho is a little nervous. From the old days, he had a harsh side to others, and he wasn’t a child with a lot of facial expressions. Because even a small child often gets sick. I was not always worried.”
“He is a small but strong kid. Mother and daughter have always been strong.”
“Yeah, I grew up so strong without knowing it.”
The burnt incense candles became some ashes and fell on the ashes.
The bitter scent of incense candles filling the room made me think about many things.
“In the past, I thought that both of them should be by my side for the rest of my life. It doesn’t seem like that would be the case now.”
“… … .”
It’s not like that.
Even though my mother is by my side for the rest of my life, I always miss her.
I wanted to say something like that, but now the words only left a scar.
So I had no choice but to remain silent.
“Mr. Ha-chan.”
“Yes.”
“Please take good care of our Siho and Seoho.”
“I will take responsibility and take care of my mother so that she never worries.”
I said sincerely.
She promises to take responsibility for the two of them so that not only Shiho’s father, but also Shiho’s father will ever worry.
“Huhu, both of them are children who can’t follow others well, but I’m glad that even Ha-chan is following along.”
“Both will definitely get to hang out with more people. From what I can see, they are a son and daughter who have raised you so well.”
“It is. If you ever want to make a bad friend, please let Ha-chan take over for me.”
The word ‘instead’ sounded very vaguely.
She won’t be able to do that anymore after today.
Those who have to leave have nothing they can do but leave it to the rest.
And it really bothered me even when I was listening to it.
“And especially Shiho, please take good care of me.”
As she emphasized Shiho, I was silent for a moment.
“Siho grew up receiving a lot of love, but he doesn’t know how to give it.”
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Not.Shiho knows that very well.
On the contrary, it is so overwhelming that it upsets me.
“So even though I may seem a little blunt at times, I like Shiho and Hachan a lot. Being a mother is the main responsibility, but I want Shiho to have someone like Hachan by his side.”
And it must have been because he grew up receiving so much love from his mother.
Because she received a lot of love, she can actively give her love to others.
It was all thanks to her mother that she grew up so beautifully.
“Actually, both Shiho and Seoho got married and had a child, but I wanted to accept and hug the child.”
And tears began to flow from the mother’s eyes.
I took a handkerchief from my pocket and hurriedly handed it to my mother.
“As a parent, you shouldn’t be too greedy.”
She thanked me, wiped away my tears and handed me the handkerchief.
The handkerchief with her tears returned to my hand was heavy for some reason and felt very important.
As if I took over the responsibility of the two of them.
“thanks. Thank you for listening to my complaint.”
“It’s not a complaint. no.”
“I’m glad Ha-chan is a good person.”
“I also feel very fortunate that Shiho and Seoho grew up with someone like their mother.”
Upon hearing this, the mother smiled very warmly.
“Mom! Ha Seo-ho, the tempura is too bad!”
“What are you talking about. It’s fried straight up. Look, eat.”
“It’s not cooked inside! You eat it!”
At that moment, two voices were heard from outside.
Me and my mother, who seemed to get along well but often fight, looked at each other and smiled and came out of the room.
After that, I also helped my mother cook.
I made fried shrimp that my father said he liked and put it on the table, and thanks to my mother’s skill, various dishes were filled on the table.
Thanks, I’ve been bingeing for a long time.
I ate until my stomach exploded, and I had to feel embarrassed because Shiho kept trying to feed me more.
Mother looked at us like that and looked very happy.
Bringing old photo albums and looking at pictures of Shiho and Seoho in their mother’s arms at once.
Shiho sometimes talks about how he is doing at work and what he is doing at school.
We spent time like that.
“Shiho, Seoho.”
And the time has come.
The moment their mother called the two of them, they stood up without a word.
Then my mother went into the room where my father was, with the two of them.
“You, my son and daughter have grown up so well.”
And the mother who wrapped Siho and Seoho’s shoulders like that said while looking at the father’s picture.
“Aren’t they both too big? Shiho is an adult soon. I’m the same age as you when I chased after you and eventually got married.”
The laughing mother’s voice echoed in the room.
“Now it’s all so big that I’m a little embarrassed. So I thought it would be right for me to go back soon, so I got together today.”
Shiho slowly hugged his mother’s waist.
His mother gently stroked Shiho’s hair.
“Shihoya, Seohoya.”
And then she calls two people.
“Mom, did you do well as a mother?”
She smiled more like a mother than anyone else.
The laughter was so sad that Seoho and Shiho couldn’t hold back and began to shed tears.
“Yeah, yeah, Mom, really, our Ms. Kim is the best. I was so happy being my mother’s daughter.”
Shiho hugged her even tighter, as if she didn’t want to let her go.
“Yes, mother, I am most proud of you.”
Seo-ho hugged her slowly and showed her strength as a son.
Mother held both of them in her arms.
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Now both of them were too big to hold in their arms at once.Contrary to the pictures from the past, both of them had grown up quickly.
And it was my mother who brought up these two people.
It seemed very happy to the mother.
“Daughter, son, and mother were also our daughter and son, so I was very, very happy. I love you so much that I want you to be born again as a daughter, a son, a mother, and a child. so… … peel.”
In the end, my mother couldn’t hold back and burst into tears.
“Should I be doing well so I don’t have to worry without my mother? Understand?”
“Yeah, yeah, Mom.”
“Yes.”
“thank you. Our Seoho, Siho.”
The wind blew through the window.
When I opened my eyes, which had been closed for a while, there were only two people there, Shiho and Seoho.
Si-ho, who had collapsed from lack of strength, cried with a messed up face, and Seo-ho, too, was unable to lift his head with his head bowed.
I approached them and hugged Seoho and Shiho together.
“Cry out loud. It’s okay to cry as much as you want.”
September 14, 2030.
The two brothers and sisters ended the farewell they had to say a long time ago.
It was one of those days where the sound of cicadas still tickled my ears and I couldn’t sleep.