Second Death
Kim Bom's scooter noise had completely faded away.
"I'm sorry."
The words I tossed into the empty house bounced off the walls and came back to me.
"I'm really sorry, Bom."
Guilt stabbed at my chest. I'd exploited her pure concern. I'd poked at the trauma of losing her father twenty years ago. I'd faked chest pains to deceive her. It was despicable.
But I had no other choice.
"But from my side... I couldn't change you. I'm sorry."
Logic, persuasion, confession—none of it worked. Her delusion was too deep, too solid. So now, the only thing I could do was one: run away.
I gripped the handle of my suitcase. Time was running out. There was no room for sentimentality anymore.
It was a fifteen-minute walk to the village bus stop. I hurried along, the suitcase wheels clattering over the bumpy rural road.
I arrived at the stop. Ten minutes until the first bus.
If I just get on the village bus, it's over. I can escape.
As I paced anxiously, I spotted someone approaching from afar. It was the village head.
Damn it.
There was nowhere to hide. He'd already seen me anyway and was waving as he came closer.
"Oh my, if it isn't Yeoreum."
He drew nearer, tilting his head as he glanced between my suitcase and backpack.
"What's with the big bag this early in the morning? Where you headed?"
My heart sank. But yeah, the suitcase was way too conspicuous. It was a question that had to come up now that we'd run into each other. I tried to keep my expression as natural as possible.
"Oh, just heading to Seoul for a bit. Something urgent came up."
"Seoul? All of a sudden?"
"Yeah. Got a call last night. I have some work I'm doing, and the client wants to meet in person to talk."
Fortunately, the lie I'd prepared on the spot flowed out smoothly.
"I see? Does Bom know?"
My throat tightened for a moment.
"...Yeah, yeah. I told her before I left."
"Alright, safe travels. Be careful in the city!"
The village head smiled and walked on. As he got farther away, I let out a huge breath.
"Phew..."
My back was soaked with cold sweat. But I'd pulled it off. Somehow, I hadn't been found out.
The bus arrived soon after. I paid the driver and took a seat at the very back. The bus pulled out, and Huhaeri Village faded into the distance through the window. Kim Bom's house, the place I'd been staying in for a while—everything.
"It's done... success."
I arrived at the town express bus terminal. I bought a ticket to Seoul and headed to the waiting area. About thirty minutes until departure.
Once in Seoul, I'd go straight to the airport. If I caught a flight tonight, I'd really make it out of the country. I could stay over in Japan. Rest for a day or two in some budget business hotel, look into long-term stay visas. That's where I'd start my new life.
The Seoul-bound bus will depart shortly.
The announcement blared. I dragged my suitcase to the bus platform.
And then.
I saw her. Leaning against the terminal entrance. Kim Bom.
"...Hic."
A hiccup escaped from the shock. Kim Bom was smiling. Not angry, not sad—just brightly, innocently.
And that's when I realized.
I didn't fool the village head after all.
No, wait. Maybe I did fool him. But it didn't matter if he believed my excuse or not. The moment he knew I was leaving Huhaeri, he'd have called Kim Bom right away. Regardless of his own judgment.
Maybe she'd even asked him in advance. "Please let me know if Yeoreum goes anywhere." No, it wasn't a maybe. And it wasn't just the village head. Kim Bom would have asked everyone in the village.
I was an idiot.
Huhaeri was a tiny rural village with just over fifty people. Everyone knew each other. Had known each other for generations. Kim Bom was a local born and raised; Yeoreum was the outsider. It was obvious whose side the villagers would take.
If the residents joined in to block me, I couldn't leave. The village bus driver, the village head, even the terminal staff—they'd all know each other.
Kim Bom approached slowly. Still wearing that smile. The same bright expression as always. But that made it even scarier.
"Yeoreum, where were you off to?"
"Oh, uh, that... I have business in Seoul."
"Liar."
One firm word cut off my excuse.
"Your chest hurting this morning was a lie too, right? And running out of meds."
I couldn't respond.
"It's okay. I understand. Sometimes you just wanna play a prank, huh."
A prank. Did it look like a prank to her? Or did she just want to downplay my escape attempt as one?
"But it's over now. Let's go home, Dad."
Kim Bom walked closer.
"We said we'd live together, remember? Forever."
Forever. The word slithered up my spine, chilling me to the bone.
If I got caught and went back with her now. If I ended up in Huhaeri with her. I'd never escape that place. Ever. No more chances to flee. The villagers would watch me, and Kim Bom would bind me even tighter. Until one of us died.
Kim Bom, now right in front of me, reached out her hand.
"I'll carry your bags! Let's go home."
No. I couldn't. Absolutely not.
Just before her hand touched my arm, my legs reacted first. I bolted toward the terminal exit on the opposite side. Leaving the suitcase, backpack, everything behind.
"Yeoreum?"
Kim Bom's confused voice came from behind. But I couldn't stop. Stopping meant getting caught. Getting caught meant the end.
"You can't run!"
Soon, Kim Bom started chasing me. But thanks to her hesitating those first few seconds, I had a bit of a lead.
"Your heart's bad! Please stop!"
She was right. Yeoreum's heart couldn't handle a full sprint. My legs grew heavy in an instant.
Damn it...
It felt like dragging waterlogged cotton. And now I realized—Yeoreum had never sprinted full-out in her life. Not with that defective heart.
My lungs burned. Every breath felt like needles stabbing my chest. The edges of my vision started to blur.
"Dad! Please stop!"
Kim Bom's voice was closer. I didn't look back. Looking back was a luxury I couldn't afford right now.
I burst out of the terminal onto the road. I didn't even know where I was going. I just ran to get away from Kim Bom.
Just a bit more, just a little farther.
But to where? Where could I escape in this town?
My heart pounded wildly. No, it wasn't just pounding. Boom boom boom boom boom— like fireworks exploding in my chest. Irregular beats hammered my ribs.
No, not yet...!
I had to run farther. Faster. But my body had already crossed its limit.
Footsteps closed in right behind me. If she caught me, it was over. Trapped in Huhaeri forever. No more escape chances. I'd suffer the same as with Choi Seori. That terror, that despair—it squeezed my chest even harder.
And—
"Guhk!"
Something burst deep in my chest, right in the center of my body. Sharp pain exploded through me first. Strength drained from my legs, and my knees buckled. Asphalt rushed up to my face.
Thud.
I collapsed on the road. My palms scraped raw, warm liquid trickled from my knees. But I could barely feel it.
My heart wasn't beating right. Thud, thud-thud, thud... thud. Rhythm and pace all messed up.
I couldn't breathe. Air wouldn't enter my lungs.
"Yeoreum!"
Kim Bom knelt beside me. Her hands grabbed my shoulders and flipped me over. The sky came into view. Clear, cloudless. Then Kim Bom's face appeared. I couldn't tell her expression. My vision was too blurred.
Something hot fell on my cheek. One drop, two. Was Kim Bom crying?
"No, no, no... Dad! Dad!!"
Her voice sounded distant, like underwater. Pressure on my chest. Something—human hands—pressed hard on my chest. Once, twice, three times...
CPR. She was trying to save me, probably. I felt bad for her, really. But I wasn't her father. Not reincarnation, not transmigration. Just Yeoreum, a young woman with a weak heart.
I wanted to tell her that. I wanted her to understand.
But even in my final moments, I failed.
Consciousness faded. The world drowned in black ink. Kim Bom's sobs, the chest compressions—everything grew faint.
My last thought surprised even me.
I get to go back to my original world... but Kim Bom doesn't. I've done something awful.
Someone might call me a pushover, and yeah, I was. But I couldn't help it. That was just who I was.
The hospital corridor's fluorescent lights made Kim Bom's pale face even whiter. She stared motionless at the emergency room door. Her nails had dug into her flesh, blood beading up, but she didn't notice.
How long had she waited? The ER door opened, and the doctor emerged.
"Are you the guardian?"
"Y-yes! How's Yeoreum... how is she...?"
The doctor shook his head.
"We did everything we could, but cardiac arrest hit during transport... We couldn't revive her. Time of death: 09:47."
Kim Bom's mouth opened. But no sound came out.
"May the deceased find peace."
The doctor left, leaving Kim Bom alone in the corridor. Her knees gave way. She collapsed onto the cold floor and finally burst into tears.