Rebirth (3)
The three women’s minds spun the instant their eyes met.
Jeok Hwa-ryeon’s thoughts moved first.
His real name is Kim Min-su, right? That means he’s no outsider. And the way she called him so familiarly… Don’t tell me… there was another woman?
Yet her sharpened senses caught no trace of any other woman’s scent on his body.
Which means… a relative close enough to come and go from his home, or blood kin she had no choice but to be close to…!!
The moment that conclusion struck, Jeok Hwa-ryeon glanced at Jeok So-ye.
Jeok So-ye seemed to have reached the same answer. Her voice arrived through transmission.
Jeok Hwa-ryeon drew in a slow breath.
It has been a long time since I felt this tense.
She had not trembled like this even when she sliced the Heavenly Demon in two.
Her lips finally parted.
“Excuse me. May I ask how you are related to Min-su?”
“Ah… I’m Min-su oppa’s younger sister.”
“His younger sister. I am Jeok Hwa-ryeon, and this child is my daughter, Jeok So-ye.”
“I’m Kim Min-seo.”
After the brief introductions, silence settled between the two women.
What am I supposed to say now?
She had already run out of topics.
In her dazed state, only one thing floated to the surface.
“By any chance… do you know how to cook ramen?”
“Pardon…?”
***
I punched in the studio password and shoved the door open.
The moment it swung wide, a familiar aroma washed over me.
Ramen…?
It was unmistakably the smell of instant noodles.
“What took you so long?”
Three women sat around the tiny dining table, chopsticks busy over steaming bowls.
Min-seo pointed at the empty chair with a grumpy expression.
“I boiled four packs. Sit down and eat.”
I took the seat in a daze and picked up chopsticks.
Come to think of it, they probably haven’t eaten anything all day.
Watching Jeok Hwa-ryeon and Jeok So-ye inhale the noodles like demons, I felt a pang of guilt.
I should have ordered delivery before I left.
“Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“I left it at a friend’s place. Aren’t you supposed to be busy with work?”
“I am busy. But Mom kept calling to make sure you were still breathing.”
Mom had been terrified I would throw myself into danger again.
The Hunter Management Department had sworn it was only initial response and completely safe, which was the only reason she had relented.
She must be worrying herself sick again.
Min-seo tore off a piece of kimchi, chewed loudly, then pointed her chopsticks at me.
“Anyway, she never notices her daughter grinding away in Seoul. She’s completely obsessed with her son. Son-obsessed idiot.”
“I grind just as hard at the Management Bureau, you know.”
“Looking at your skin, you seem like some young master who’s never worked a day in his life. Did you get cosmetic procedures or something?”
“That’s…”
I had no answer.
Even I could see that my face now looked no older than twenty.
“So are you going to keep working? You haven’t used any of your vacation days.”
She was right. For years I had taken zero vacation. I could have cashed them out, but more than that—
If I stopped moving, the dreams kept rising every single day. Though they aren’t dreams anymore.
Those three lives kept replaying in my head. Whether I watched television, played games, or read the novels I once loved, the memories refused to stay buried.
So I had thrown myself into work without rest. Only then did the memories stay quiet.
“You’ve got more family to look after now. Take a long vacation.”
“That’s the plan.”
Min-seo acted as if Jeok Hwa-ryeon and Jeok So-ye were perfectly ordinary guests. Or perhaps the situation was so absurd she had simply stopped thinking about it.
Once the ramen was nearly gone, Min-seo shot to her feet and shoved a large paper bag at me.
“Eat it or don’t. I confirmed you’re still breathing, so I’m leaving.”
She turned toward the door, then paused when she saw Jeok Hwa-ryeon and gave a small wave.
“Let’s talk properly next time.”
“Yes… See you next time.”
Min-seo’s gaze shifted to Jeok So-ye.
She pulled a fifty-thousand-won note from her pocket and pressed it into the girl’s hand.
“Hey, you don’t have to give her allowance…”
“I’m giving it because I want to.”
Then she pulled Jeok So-ye into a tight hug.
“I’m glad I got to see you again.”
After whispering those words, Min-seo left the apartment without looking back.
Only later did I learn the bag contained beautifully packaged Hanwoo beef.
She really can’t be honest, can she?
Gruff and rough around the edges, but a sister was still a sister.
***
So it was all true.
Kim Min-seo sank into thought as the train sped toward Seoul.
The news had hit her like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
What? Oppa’s in a vegetative state…?
She had been enjoying campus life, only to learn that Kim Min-su—whom she believed was simply serving in special forces—had returned home brain-dead.
He had never told the family he was deployed overseas, not wanting them to worry.
When she pictured him shouldering the burden of the household alone in some foreign war zone, nausea rose in her throat.
“Campus life…”
Every carefree day she had spent at university had been purchased with his life.
What the hell was I doing?
That very day she quit every club and hobby and buried herself in study.
Mornings at university, evenings at part-time jobs. By the time she wore her graduation cap, she heard that Kim Min-su had finally regained consciousness.
It was Kim Min-seo who had nursed him when he could neither walk nor drink water by himself.
Every night after grueling rehabilitation, he would mutter the same names in his sleep.
Hwa-ryeon… I’m sorry… I wanted to stay with So-ye…
The names that kept appearing in his dreams were always the same.
Hwa-ryeon. So-ye. Rhea. N1.
She never learned exactly what they meant, but the tears that rolled down his cheeks while he spoke them told her enough.
Those people were truly precious to him.
I’m sorry… for leaving so suddenly…
Day after day he had cried those names.
And now she finally knew who they were.
They really existed.
Jeok Hwa-ryeon and Jeok So-ye.
She had no idea how or when, but they were unmistakably his wife and daughter.
“I’m glad you met again.”
She didn’t know the full story, but the look in Jeok Hwa-ryeon’s eyes when she gazed at Kim Min-su had been pure love.
I definitely can’t tell Mom about this yet.
The moment she heard the word “granddaughter,” she would come running. Intentions aside, it would only exhaust both Kim Min-su and Jeok Hwa-ryeon.
This was something that should be left entirely to him. When he was ready, he would tell them himself.
I wonder if I can wait until then… But why do my shoulders feel so light? The knots seem to have come undone.
Feeling strangely buoyant, Kim Min-seo slowly closed her eyes.
***
“Whew. Feels like a storm just blew through.”
I sat down after splashing water on my face.
Jeok Hwa-ryeon stared at the front door Min-seo had walked through.
“She seems like a good person.”
“She is a good person.”
“Huh?”
The same girl who constantly grumbled and called me “Hey, you!”—what exactly made her a good person?
I couldn’t figure it out, but saying so out loud felt like asking for a scolding, so I kept quiet.
“Here are your IDs. Keep them on you at all times, just in case.”
Jeok Hwa-ryeon and Jeok So-ye accepted the cards and examined them with open curiosity.
“And while we’re here, my name is Kim Min-su. Remember that.”
“I remember. So now we’re going to look at a new house?”
“That’s right. Let’s go see if there’s one we like.”
We headed straight for the real-estate office.
“Welcome~”
An older woman greeted us as we stepped inside.
But the moment she saw me her face crumpled.
Must be the clothes.
I was still wearing the running shirt I used for commuting and cheap slippers.
Combined with my youthful face, she probably assumed I was some broke college kid.
“Are there any listings available?”
“Oh, all our current properties are quite expensive these days… Are you sure a student can afford anything?”
Her obvious disdain made me turn on my heel.
“What a shame. I was interested in that house on the hill…”
“W-what?! Wait, young man!”
I brushed off the hand that tried to grab me.
“Everything seems too expensive. I’ll try another agency.”
I left without another word and walked to the next office down the street.
Unlike the dismissive woman, this place was run by a tired-looking young man.
“W-welcome! Are you here to look at houses?”
He greeted us politely and guided us to the sofa inside.
“There’s a property I’ve had my eye on.”
The man skillfully prepared a cup of coffee and set it before me.
“Which one would that be?”
“The mansion on top of that hill.”
“T-that one?! The luxury villa?!”
I understood his shock.
It had once belonged to the chairman of a now-defunct major corporation.
“I-I’ll prepare the documents right away! My name is Seo Young-tae.”
Seo Young-tae began printing papers at top speed.
I understood his urgency.
That mansion started in the hundreds of billions of won.
“Take your time.”
When I added that we would sign the contract immediately after viewing, the man’s face turned deathly pale.