Mother's Passing
I hurriedly hailed a taxi and rushed to the hospital.
"Um, excuse me...! I'm Kim Yunjeong's son...! My mother, she...!"
"Please calm down. This way first..."
Guided to a bench in front of the brightly lit operating room, I listened as the police and hospital staff explained the situation.
"Well... your mother, Kim Yunjeong, was mugged."
"M-Mugged?!"
"From the leftover belongings, it doesn't seem like they were after money or valuables. We're tracking the suspect now."
Mom had been attacked on her way home from work.
In an alley near our house, no less.
"We detected a specific mana signature, so we're treating it as a crime by an awakener. We're pursuing the suspect via nearby CCTV footage... but it's late, and with the snow falling, it might take some time..."
The attacker who hurt Mom and fled was an unidentified awakener.
It was impossible to accept.
Why would an awakener target my mom for a mugging?
"A-Anyway...! My mom's okay, right? Right?"
Too dazed to process it all, I focused on Mom first.
But...
"...Well..."
"Ahem..."
No one could give me a straight answer.
"...Ah..."
The world spun dizzily before my eyes.
Why... why the hell...
Plop. My mind went blank, and I collapsed into the hallway.
My head was a total whiteout; I couldn't think of anything.
It felt like the floor was crumbling away beneath me, sending me plummeting endlessly.
Why... why did this happen...
And so, I waited desperately for Mom's surgery to end well, enduring what felt like an eternity.
But in the end...
I was left all alone.
Regrettably, I didn't even have time to properly grieve Mom's death.
Sudden problems came pouring down that I had to deal with right away.
It started with the funeral arrangements.
"Normally, we'd proceed with the funeral immediately... but given the circumstances..."
"No adults around... Sigh..."
Even the police keeping watch and the funeral director from the hospital hesitated to advise me.
It was especially tricky because money was involved.
Funeral costs, surgery bills—none of it was something I could handle.
If I'd been working or at least understood our family's finances, I might've scraped something together.
Unfortunately, I had nothing I could do right then.
If only there'd been an adult I could rely on in a time like this.
Suddenly, I resented the father I'd never met and the "uncle" who'd vanished without a trace.
Pointless resentment, of course.
"For now... we could keep your mother in the morgue and handle the other issues first..."
"Yes. I think that's the best approach too."
"The government offices will close soon anyway..."
"......"
Following the funeral director's and police's suggestions, we decided to postpone the funeral and tackle the other problems first.
Knock knock. Someone rapped on the consultation room door, then cautiously peeked in.
"Excuse me, is Kang Yuchan here?"
A neatly dressed middle-aged man in a crisp white coat. He looked like a doctor from the hospital.
"...That's me."
"Ah, Yuchan."
The doctor who entered the room seemed a bit awkward as he spoke carefully.
"Um... I actually came to ask something."
"...?"
"Do you happen to know a Han Yeoryeon?"
"......Pardon?"
We moved to a bench inside the hospital.
"This is the best I can offer to drink right now."
"No, it's fine. Thank you; I'll drink it gratefully."
I politely accepted the drink and sipped the coffee while stealing a glance at him as he sat beside me.
He'd introduced himself as Han Jungwon—Han Yeoryeon's uncle.
He's nothing like her dad.
Compared to Yeoryeon's father, who'd stormed the school causing a scene before, it was night and day.
Hard to believe they were brothers.
"Go on, drink up."
I twisted off the cap as he urged and downed it in one go.
My throat had been parched; the sweet taste spread through my body.
"Feel any better?"
"...Yeah, thanks to you. And please, speak comfortably."
"Mm. That feels more natural, huh?"
He flashed a gentle smile that reminded me of Yeoryeon and calmly steered the conversation.
"Your mom's passing is truly tragic. I lost my own mom around your age. I know words won't help much, but hang in there."
"...Thank you."
"Yeah... By the way, have you not been hanging out with Yeoryeon lately? She hasn't mentioned you much at all recently."
He brought up his niece casually, like an old friend chatting.
He'd looked after her sporadically since she was little and raised her himself from elementary school on, so she was like a daughter to him.
"...We've been fine lately..."
"Hmm... I see... No fights or anything?"
"...No."
"Well then..."
He trailed off, slurping his coffee, then gazed out at the snow piling up outside. Fiddling with his paper cup, he spoke softly.
"You might've heard already, but Yeoryeon's like a daughter to me. My wife feels the same. We have no kids of our own, so we raised her with all our love."
"......"
"Then one day, out of nowhere, she starts talking nonstop about some boy from her class. Never happened before! My wife and I were shocked."
It had to be about me.
"So we decided not to make a fuss and just quietly support her from afar... But then she stopped mentioning it altogether. Barely eats at home. Doesn't smile much either."
He glanced sideways at me.
How must I look to him as a parent?
The jerk who made his daughter cry? Or the punk who almost stole her away?
Either way, not a welcoming gaze.
"...I heard you helped our Yeoryeon out the other day."
"......"
"Anyone who helps her is a benefactor to us. Thank you sincerely. That's what I really came to say."
"...No, really..."
Slurp. He finished his coffee, checked his watch, and stood to leave.
"Anyway, we'll help with your mom's arrangements as much as we can, so don't worry."
"Oh, you don't have to..."
"It's my way of helping. Just accept it."
"...Thank you so much."
I bowed deeply in gratitude, and he nodded before saying his final goodbye.
"Take care sending your mom off. I'll visit again when I have time."
"Yes. Thank you for everything!"
"Oh, and... get along well with our Yeoryeon too!"
Only at the end did he pretend to remember, slipping in his real intent before hurrying off.
"......"
Speechless, I bowed deeply in response.
Thanks to the unexpected help, I was able to hold the funeral right away.
Yeoryeon's uncle had a much higher status than I'd imagined; he covered most of the massive surgery and funeral bills and even added a condolence donation.
It lifted nearly all the financial burden...
And as if that wasn't enough, he sent reinforcements.
"Yuchan...!"
"Yeo-Yeoryeon."
Han Yeoryeon. My one and only friend appeared at the funeral hall.
"Sorry I'm late...!"
Whoosh! Before I could even greet her, she threw herself into my arms, hugging me tight and offering heartfelt comfort.
"It must've been so hard alone... I'm sorry I didn't know... You really went through hell..."
A unfamiliar warmth seeped in.
Lost in that comfort for a moment, I snapped back and tried to pull away.
...Or at least, I meant to.
"...Thanks..."
Instead, I hugged her back.
"I'll stay with you until the very end...!"
I'd thought she was just paying respects, but she insisted on staying all three days.
I tried to dissuade her, saying it wasn't necessary.
"No...! I want to! Better than being alone... right?"
She even pinned up her hair with a mourning hairpin and set up right beside me...
"......"
Watching her, her uncle's words from earlier flashed through my mind.
-Then she stopped mentioning it altogether. Barely eats at home. Doesn't smile much either.
Before thanking her for the help, I needed to apologize first.
"Um... Yeoryeon."
"Yeah?"
"...Sorry."
"For what?"
She tilted her head, looking genuinely puzzled.
Was she playing innocent, or did she really not know?
Either way, it only amplified my guilt.
"For ignoring you all this time. I'm really sorry."
"Oh... that? I'm fine. ...I was more worried about you."
But she turned it around, worrying about me instead.
"Your face has been so down since then, and your complexion's awful... Do you know how worried I was?"
How could she worry about others when she'd been just as depressed herself?
Her thoughtfulness was astounding.
"...Sorry for making you worry."
"Apologizing again."
"Sor—uhm..."
She giggled at my fumbling, then quickly caught herself and put on a solemn face again.
Her actions were so cute that a smile tugged at my lips unbidden.
I couldn't even remember the last time I'd smiled on my own.
...She's something else.
Han Yeoryeon was truly remarkable.
Even in the toughest, most exhausting moments, she could make people smile.
Just having her nearby eased the mind.
Maybe she was hiding some S-rank ability that radiated positive aura.
...I need to contact Yeonseo too.
Lost in thoughts of Yeoryeon, I suddenly realized I hadn't reached out to Ma Yeonseo yet, and it started nagging at me.
Truth be told, she should've been the first one I called, not others.
But I'd been a mess since dawn, no chance to even touch my phone.
Even now, I didn't feel like calling.
I dreaded the scolding for being late, but...
I just needed a little time. A tiny bit.
"...Haa..."
I frowned, sighing softly in frustration.
Then, swish. Yeoryeon, sitting beside me, reached out gently and began patting my back.
"...!"
Startled by the touch, I stared at her.
She met my eyes softly, smiling wordlessly to encourage me.
The stuffiness in my chest melted away.
Right now, she was the only one who could comfort me.
Only Han Yeoryeon.