Gi-joo Kidnapping Incident 5
A large shadow supporting the sobbing woman looked down at me. Our eyes weren't level, so I couldn't make out the face clearly, but I suspected it was Gi-joo's father.
"Thank you for saving Gi-joo."
"Anyone would have..."
"Seongju, take Mom to the vending area for a bit. Didn't I teach you that you can't visit an empty hospital room without something to calm her down?"
The boy called Seongju stared blankly into his father's eyes before breaking into a wide grin. He put on an exaggerated show of cuteness for his distressed mother and left the room.
As the door clicked shut, the man pulled up a folding chair beside the bed, sat down, and met my gaze as if he finally had a chance to speak his mind.
"That's not something just anyone would do. No one else knew. Or rather, no one would have noticed."
"Pardon?"
"Who would suspect a pregnant woman traveling alone with a young child?"
"Well..."
"I... I wanted my first child to be a boy. Truth be told, my wife hoped for it even more. Maybe that's why I harbored a bit of resentment toward Gi-joo."
"I've never seen a child as brave and clever as Gi-joo."
Gi-joo had been tied up in that motel, unable to move her limbs. She was crying, but there were no signs of screaming or resistance. If those criminals were as vicious as they seemed, they might have hurt her on a whim, but at such a young age, she'd stayed calm and waited for the adults.
"It only hit me when I was desperate, thinking she might be gone forever. That's when I realized how much I cherished her and relied on her."
"What you're saying is..."
"Before, I took her mature behavior for granted. I thought, 'She's not a son, but a daughter should at least act this grown-up.' Ridiculous nonsense."
"That's not..."
"It really was absurd. How grateful I am just to have her by my side... I only understood that after this crisis. I'm a pathetic father."
"No, you're not. But why tell me this...?"
"Why confess to the student lying here after saving Gi-joo? I don't know myself."
I lay there in the hospital bed, sweating profusely. Until now, I'd only glimpsed people's inner thoughts and motives through Dae-baek-gong's spells, but this sudden confession from Gi-joo's father left me flustered.
"Have you ever shared these feelings with Gi-joo?"
"If it's a truth you need to tell even a stranger, why not tell her? And..."
"And...?"
"I don't know for sure, but Gi-joo's mother must have suffered too. If you were struggling because the first child wasn't a boy, imagine how hard it was for her."
Something struck him like a blow. The hand gripping my bedrail, veins bulging from the strain, suddenly went limp. His voice came out soft and sodden, like a waterlogged sponge.
"I'm lacking as a husband, a father... and a son."
"Wouldn't it be stranger if someone were perfect?"
The atmosphere wasn't quite what I'd hoped, but he seemed relieved as he stood. As if remembering suddenly, he slipped something into my hand and left with heavy footsteps.
What the hell is this?
An-nam City Local Police Agency
Deputy Chief
I stared blankly at the business card until a nurse came for my turn and tried to wheel my entire bed away.
"I'm fine. I can get up."
"Fine? Dr. Kim said fractured ribs—you shouldn't move. It could get worse if you push it."
"Just help me sit up from the bed, and I'll manage."
She eyed me skeptically but helped me up when I insisted. With her support, I stood.
Regeneration at work, huh?
I'd felt mobile since waking, different from before, but showing it too soon might raise suspicions. I'd endured the boredom, lying still until she arrived.
After the X-ray in radiology, carrying sleeping Joo-shin on my back, I spotted Mother Nam pacing anxiously outside my room.
"Mom?"
"Joo-in?"
"Is Joo-shin asleep? He was with Kyung-soo and Jong-hyuk... Did you see them? Take him home and rest easy. I'm okay."
"Okay? Jong-hyuk told me on the way—you overdid it with fractured ribs. Are you really alright?"
She looked shocked, probably from calls from both police and hospital interrupting her work. She seemed exhausted.
I laid sleeping Joo-shin on my bed and said, "I'm really fine. See? Walking around normally."
"Jong-hyuk said the doctor mentioned a month of rest..."
"They just did a quick check; details depend on the X-ray."
Before Mom could finish worrying, the rounds doctor approached her.
Shaken and disheveled, Mom rushed to him, clinging desperately. "Is my son Joo-in okay? They said his ribs are broken..."
The lead doctor on rounds calmly reassured her in a soothing tone. "Patient chart here... X-ray results in?"
A resident handed him my results. He scanned them quickly, then smiled reassuringly.
"No issues on the patient's X-ray. Big impact, but he's young—no fractures or major trauma."
"Doctor, really... truly okay?"
"Post-accident effects need monitoring during admission, but for a young, healthy patient, outpatient should suffice."
"It was a huge accident, they said..."
"I heard. Brave, outstanding young man. Results are excellent. Impressive. In all my years reading X-rays, I've rarely seen such clean symmetry... I'd love to observe closer."
The doctor, who'd seemed the model professional, fixated on my results. His gaze shifted from Mom to me, eyes burning with sudden zeal.
Did his glasses just flash? Am I the only one feeling like he changed abruptly?
"Just in case, why not admit and monitor for anomalies?"
"Pardon? You said outpatient is fine..."
Mom sensed something off; her desperate expression turned guarded.
"Traffic accident aftereffects can appear unpredictably. If costs worry you, the hospital can cover them."
Hospital waiving fees? Even more suspicious...
His soothing voice rose with emotion, the harsh accent grating like it assaulted the ears. Mom's face stiffened.
"Anyway... he's okay now, right?"
"Yes, but..."
"We have accident insurance, luckily. If possible, we'd like to discharge today."
"Today?"
"Yes."
I'd never seen Mom so resolute. While the doctor sputtered, I changed, hoisted my brother, and followed her to a taxi home, bewildered the whole way.
At home, laying Joo-shin on the mat, I caught Mom hurrying out again.
"Mom, you're tired—rest. Where to?"
"It's your discharge day; I should make something tasty."
"I'm fine... Doctor said so too."
Her face twisted in pain, but she pushed out. Worried, I followed.
Sensing me, she stopped in the alley, back turned. "Joo-in, really okay?"
I replied brightly. "Totally fine."
"I wanted to keep you admitted for observation..."
"I really am..."
"That doctor was too weird; I panicked and discharged. He kept saying you're young and sturdy—couldn't trust it."
"I am sturdy. Maybe I've got steel bones?"
"No matter how tough, you're my only son."
Thanks to Dae-baek-gong's blessing, my body was strengthened and regenerated fully, yet I couldn't pull away from her gentle embrace—weak as it was compared to my fist. Anxious, like I'd vanish, she hugged tight. But her strength was nothing. That inexplicable, stifling warmth reduced even a regressor like me to a child, like magic.
"Even praised for your heroism, I couldn't smile. Like Gi-joo, you're still my little child. Call me selfish, but... Joo-in... Mom's sorry. I'm too small to throw myself in like you, thinking of others. For my sake... just ask adults for help next time? When police called... Mom..."
She hugged like she wanted to cry but hide it from me.
"Mom."
"Yeah...?"
Her voice, slightly damp, weighed on me.
"Mom."
"Yeah...?"
"Just having you here makes me happy."
"Yeah...?"
"Gi-joo must've missed her mom too. If she weren't Joo-shin's age, I might've just reported to police and watched worriedly."
"......Yeah."
"Mom, I love you being here. Better with Joo-shin. Dad would've made it happier. But he's gone. That's why. I know that pain, so... Sorry, Mom. But Gi-joo must miss her mom like I miss you—that's why."
"...Yeah... sob... Joo-in. Thank you for being my son..."
"I love you being my mom."
That night, we lingered under the starlight, lost in thought—until late, when startled awake Joo-shin burst into tears alone in the room.