CHAPTER: 001 A Baby Appeared at the Funeral?!
CHAPTER: 001 A Baby Appeared at the Funeral?!
An ordinary family.
Was it?
No—.
When Yoonseul was young, his mother and father divorced.
Whatever legal matters there were, the two of them must have handled it themselves.
He remembered only one thing.
That the situation had been unbearably difficult.
Like that…
in a poor and exhausting life,
his mother raised him without giving up on him—strong and admirable.
With one phone call, his world collapsed.
When he rushed over after answering the call, his mother’s face was covered with a white cloth.
It felt unreal.
He had never imagined that his mother—his entire world, his light, his support—would die so suddenly.
A “random assault” crime.
Something he had only heard about on the news happened to him.
He tried holding his mother’s hand.
A hand without even a trace of warmth.
That day, his world fell apart.
The funeral.
He was in the middle of holding his mother’s funeral at the university hospital funeral hall affiliated with his school.
Among the mourners, a woman in neat black clothing walked in holding a baby.
The guests began whispering.
They whispered about her bringing a baby to a funeral hall.
He couldn’t understand what the woman was saying to him.
“So… you’re saying that baby is my sibling?”
“Yes—.”
“…What kind of nonsense are you talking about at a funeral?”
Yoonseul was angry.
Now that his support was gone, rage surged inside him.
“It’s your father’s child.”
“…So you’re saying that baby is my sibling?”
So the guests wouldn’t be startled, he suppressed his emotions as much as possible.
“After the funeral… we’ll talk again.”
Yoonseul coldly dismissed her.
Without saying a word, she left holding the baby.
He looked at his mother’s memorial photo.
She was smiling brightly.
Late that night, an intern colleague rotating through pediatrics came down to the funeral hall, paid respects, and then—
“What?”
At what the colleague said, Yoonseul had no choice but to step outside for a moment.
“You asked me to watch the baby?”
“What did you say?”
Seeing Yoonseul’s expression, the pediatrics intern was startled.
“Huh? No?”
The intern panicked.
“Where’s the woman—the one who left the baby?”
Yoonseul even started stuttering.
“How would I know?”
The intern shrugged.
“Hey—! Where are you going?”
“Watch things for a bit.”
Isn’t this insane?
He said they would talk after the funeral.
Then why… the baby…
Leaving the funeral hall, Yoonseul searched the area for the crazy woman who was the baby’s mother.
Haa— damn it.
Thinking about it now, this was planned.
She said they would talk after the funeral, then abandoned the baby at the hospital and disappeared.
Scratch, scratch, scratch—
Yoonseul scratched his head hard, leaned against the wall, and looked up at the sky.
It was absurd and infuriating.
Whooo—
“Seula—. Mom once had a dream, you know? I saw you smiling while holding really beautiful babies.”
“What kind of nonsense dream is that? I’m not even married yet…”
“Right? But they were babies holding starlight and moonlight.”
A conversation he once had with his mother suddenly came to mind.
Hoo—
When he blinked, the moisture gathered in his eyes rolled down his cheek.
Covering his eyes with one hand, he muttered, “Haha— Mom. If Dad’s there with you, give him a good smack.”
The words slipped out without him realizing.
A cool breeze brushed past Yoonseul’s cheek, as if comforting him.
•
The day after the send-off was finished, he returned home holding the baby.
While climbing the steep hill, Yoonseul did not see it—that a bright light was spreading from the baby’s heart.
Hmm—
The whining he felt in his arms.
Yoonseul let out a small breath.
He had been ready to give up everything, but remembering what his mother had said, he couldn’t push the baby away.
When he arrived home, he unfastened the baby carrier and laid the baby on the bed.
The baby lying there looked absurdly bright and cheerful.
When their gazes met, for some reason, the baby flailed his arms and smiled innocently.
Yoonseul’s lips lifted on their own.
Snort—
“Your mom abandoned you—no, handed you to your older brother, and still you’re this cheerful?”
The baby grabbed Yoonseul’s finger and let out a dolphin-like scream.
“Kyaa—!”
Until the day of the cremation, the hospital took care of the baby.
After Yoonseul explained everything to the pediatrics professor, the professor looked after the baby.
Rumors spread incredibly fast within the hospital.
At some point, Yoonseul had become the pitiful, tragic dad—no, older brother.
Because of that, perhaps, for the poor intern who somehow ended up raising a baby,
baby supplies gathered as if through donations.
Starting with baby clothes, items prepared by married specialists and attending doctors for Yoonseul, who knew nothing about childcare, had arrived at his house.
Seeing the pile of delivery boxes stacked in front of the gate, Yoonseul sighed.
Haa—
After carrying everything inside, he looked at the boxes, then glanced once at the room where the baby was lying.
“I was going to go to the military after finishing my internship…”
He took out his phone and searched for the Ministry of National Defense number.
“Hello. My name is Yoonseul. I recently completed my physical exam… My parents passed away, and a newborn sibling came to me. The woman who gave birth left the baby with me after her spouse passed away and is preparing for marriage…”
Click—
After hanging up, Yoonseul sighed.
They said it was the first time they had encountered a case like this and that they would look into it and contact him again.
“Kyaa—!”
The dolphin scream coming from the room.
For some reason, the baby was flailing while staring at empty air, making dolphin-like noises.
Poking the baby’s squishy cheek with his index finger, Yoonseul said,
“If your older brother goes to the military, what should I do with you…?”
“Kku— kki— kkuuaaang—!”
When the baby suddenly wailed loudly with a strange sound, a startled Yoonseul rushed over and picked him up.
Squish—
The squishy sensation from the baby’s bottom gave him a bad feeling.
And then—
the pungent smell hitting his nose.
He knew instantly.
He pooped.
He somehow found a diaper.
The moment he took off the baby’s diaper, Yoonseul’s pupils shook.
Ah!
He hadn’t thought about the baby’s gender at all until now.
“I was too out of it… And the doctors at the hospital were taking care of him, so I didn’t notice.”
A sturdy baby boy.
Ha—
It was ridiculous.
Either way, whether a cute little sister—or a younger brother—it didn’t really matter.
But remembering how he used to whine as a child, asking his parents for a sibling, he quickly shook his head and erased the thought.
After finishing changing the dirty diaper, the baby looked pleased.
Hmm—
Seeing the baby’s satisfied smile, Yoonseul smiled too.
His smile really is cute…
Seeing the baby lying still, staring at the ceiling, Yoonseul followed his gaze and looked up.
There’s nothing there… what is he looking at?
He soon withdrew his gaze and picked up something he hadn’t had the chance to read.
The baby record book and a letter the mother had left in the baby basket when she abandoned him at the hospital.
“The name is… Garam?”
The baby’s name: Yoon Garam.
Birthday: March 1.
Eight months old.
“BCG, Hib, DTPa, MMR, encephalitis, polio, pneumonia vaccines… all done?”
It seemed all the infant vaccinations had been completed.
“Kyaa—!”
Sitting beside the crib, Yoonseul read the letter from the woman who had been Garam’s mother, crumpled it, and threw it into the trash.
While he was cursing inwardly for a long time—
Bzz— bzzz—
“Yes— this is Yoonseul.”
As Yoonseul stepped out of the room to take the call, he didn’t know that behind him, the baby was doing something while staring at the ceiling.
•
Hmm— ha—
When he opened his eyes, it was an unfamiliar ceiling.
Even to himself, it sounded stupid, but it really was an unfamiliar ceiling.
Wiggle— wiggle—
Turning his head, he saw a maple leaf.
What is this?
He was shocked.
So shocked his heart felt like it would jump out of his mouth.
“Kyaaa—!”
A dolphin-like shriek burst from his mouth.
At the sound, someone rushed over.
“Why is our baby like this? Are you okay?”
Huh? What did you just say…?
Baby?
While he was still confused, the young man in front of him reached out his hand.
Swoop—
When he was held in the young man’s arms, the comfortable feeling made his eyes close on their own.
Haa—
I don’t have a hobby of being held by men…
“Baby—. Your older brother was so startled he forgot about our Garam. I’m sorry.”
Older brother, not dad?
This is insane—He cursed internally.
But under the gentle patting, his eyes slowly closed anyway.
That evening, Yoonseul was overwhelmed.
To bathe the baby, he filled the baby tub with warm water and dipped his elbow in.
“Okay— the water temperature should be about right…”
While the baby slept, Yoonseul watched every childcare-related video on video platforms.
[How to bathe a baby.]
[How to properly change a diaper.]
[When a baby cries? Plastic bag.]
On the bed, he picked up his younger brother, who was smiling, frowning, and playing while staring at the ceiling for reasons unknown.
“Our baby… let’s take a bath~”
Holding Garam in his arms, he went into the bathroom.
Splash—
When he lowered the baby into the warm water, perhaps feeling good, his younger brother let out loud dolphin sounds.
“Kyaaah—!”
Ow— my ears hurt.
After quickly finishing the bath, Yoonseul wrapped the baby up like a rolled gimbap with a towel.
Worried he might catch a cold, he dressed him quickly and laid him on the bed.
Huh— hwaeeng—
Suddenly, the baby burst into tears.
“Why? Why are you crying?” He panicked.
The reason soon became clear.
Grrr—
At the sound from the baby’s stomach, Yoonseul headed to the kitchen.
He put two scoops of formula into a sterilized bottle, added hot water, and shook it.
To cool it quickly, he placed the bottle in ice water.
Drop—
Testing it on the inside of his elbow, it was the right temperature.
Picking up the crying baby, holding him at a slight angle, he fed him the bottle.
Gulp— gulp—
Seeing the baby drink at an incredible speed, he felt a little guilty.
“I’m sorry, little brother…”
The baby’s eyes curved into crescents.
“…That can’t be.”
After feeding, burping, and putting him to sleep, Yoonseul watched the sleeping baby for a moment, then tiptoed out.
Hoo—
He collapsed onto the sofa.
I want a cigarette.
He missed the cigarettes he had quit after graduating college.
During his internship, taking care of a baby was harder than handling doctors’ orders.
A half-brother who appeared out of nowhere.
His own situation.
Thoughts of his mother.
When he thought about how his mother must have struggled like this when he was born,
his eyes burned.
Hoo—
Sleep washed over him.
•
Huh— hwaeeng—
At the crying sound near his ear, Yoonseul opened his eyes.
The baby was sleeping snugly against him in the baby carrier.
At dawn, when the baby woke crying, he must have half-asleep placed him in the carrier and collapsed on the sofa.
“So it wasn’t a dream…”
From the funeral until now.
After wiping his face, Yoonseul straightened.
Hwae—
Seeing his face, the baby broke into a big smile.
“Did you wake up, little brother?”
The baby responded with a dolphin scream, stretching both arms.
A tiny hand touched Yoonseul’s nose.
Ah… so this is baby smell…
A sweet, soft scent brushed his nose.
He pressed his forehead to the baby’s.
Yoonseul’s eyes widened.
“Huh?”
Babies naturally ran warm.
But this felt hotter.
“Little brother, you have a fever? A fever?”
He grabbed the non-contact thermometer.
Beep—
38.9 degrees.
The baby went limp.
A limp baby.
Panic hit him.
Throwing on clothes, securing the baby in the carrier, he rushed out.
Down the steep hill.
“Taxi—!”
A taxi stopped.
“Korea University Hospital emergency room,” Yoonseul said urgently.
As the car sped up, he touched the baby’s forehead.
“Baby… it’s hard because of the fever, right? Just wait a little. We’ll be there soon.”
The taxi driver glanced back—then accelerated.