Imitation
Unable to imitate anything more, I nodded my head. With immense difficulty I lifted the spoon and swallowed a tiny mouthful of the porridge. And then, without warning, tears burst forth. Watching this, Hye-sun’s own eyes grew red. She placed a side dish beside each of her daughter’s empty bowls and said, “That’s right… Eat something, get some strength back. That’s right. Crying just wastes what little energy you have! If you lose your strength now, you’ll never be able to cry again when you need to. So… eat. Eat bit by bit, no matter what.” Following her words, Soyeon forced the porridge down, spooning it slowly, stubbornly. Her body cramped again and again, tears spilling over, yet she somehow managed to empty the entire bowl. After that, Soyeon told Hye-sun everything: the endless blocked-number calls, the daughter’s voice she had heard inside them, and even that she had seen her daughter at the playground that very morning. Hye-sun’s face showed utter shock, yet there was also a clear doubt that she herself could not believe a single word. “It’s true… it’s not a lie. That was definitely Hee-soo’s voice.” “Have you called the police?” “Yeah… but they haven’t found her. Now even the police don’t believe me.” Hye-sun’s expression grew complicated as she examined her daughter’s phone. Sure enough, there were several blocked-number call records. Regrettably, because of the block she could not call back. She let out a long sigh. Then, looking at Soyeon again, she asked cautiously, “Could it be a prank call?” “No! It can’t be! Do you think I can’t even tell my own daughter’s voice? Mom! You can’t tell my voice? How can you say that?” “That… is true, but…” Hye-sun also looked confused. If the voice on the line was really Hee-soo, how had she made the call? From whose phone? And where exactly was Hee-soo? If she had truly been kidnapped, what motive could the abductor have had? Hye-sun simply could not understand the situation at all. It felt as if she had been bewitched by ghosts. Moreover, seeing her daughter again… she looked even thinner than before. Her sunken cheeks and dark shadows under her eyes cut straight to the heart. Looking at her, one could not help but wonder whether the girl would ever keep her sanity. She clicked her tongue sharply. Hye-sun’s chest felt as if it were being torn apart. If she herself could break like this, how devastated must Soyeon feel after losing her child… Hye-sun nodded. “Yes, you’re right. Mom will believe you. Anyway, I’ll stay with you for a while. Rest now. Are you sleeping?” When Hye-sun said that, Soyeon shook her head. She gripped the phone tightly and said in a voice thick with urgency, “Maybe… a call will come from Hee-soo.” Soyeon spoke firmly. Hye-sun sighed heavily. “Right now you need to rest.” “I don’t want to… What if I fall asleep and miss Hee-soo’s call? I don’t want that. I… I must find my daughter. Now… I can’t trust anyone. I have to find her… I…” “Ugh! Stop being so stubborn! You’re going to collapse first, you know? First… Mom will be here. I’ll wait for the call right here. You should sleep! If it comes, Mom will answer and wake you right away, okay?” “Mom…” “Hurry! Believe Mom.” When Hye-sun raised her voice and begged her to believe, the hesitant Soyeon finally had no choice but to nod. “Then… just a little. Really just a little. If the call comes, wake me, okay?” “Yes! I will! Trust Mom! Sleep well. I’ll wake you the moment it rings!” “Yeah… thank you, Mom…” To have her here was such a relief… Soyeon rose unsteadily and headed toward the bedroom. Ah, even the sight of her walking made Hye-sun sigh again and again. Still, she told herself that as long as her daughter could rest even a little, it was worth it. Hye-sun sighed once more, then turned her gaze to the phone Soyeon had left behind. She studied the remaining call logs and fell into deep thought. Could it really be? Could Hee-soo really have called? If it were true, how had Hee-soo made the call? If Hee-soo really had called, how was that even possible? No matter how she listened to her daughter, the story never added up. Had she really been bewitched by ghosts…? If it was simply a lost child, the police would have found her long ago. What kind of time was this? How could they not find a missing child? Then was it really a kidnapping? But even then it was strange. If someone had been kidnapped, there should be a proper reason. If it was for money, there should have been a contact from the abductor, but there was none. Suddenly a terrifying thought occurred to her. Even in modern times such things happened, but in the past there were no such horrors as organ trafficking. She remembered cases where living people had been kidnapped and sold elsewhere. Just thinking about it made Hye-sun’s whole body tremble. The mere idea was horrifying. She did not want to think it. She did not want to believe her granddaughter had been the victim of such a brutal crime. But… the thought kept returning. If she refused to accept it, then her missing granddaughter made no sense. She had simply vanished… Hye-sun’s eyes returned to Soyeon’s phone. Could it really be a call from her granddaughter? Of course not. Besides, right now Soyeon was already too weak-minded to be mistaken. Maybe someone was playing a cruel joke, imitating Hee-soo. If that was the case, she prayed the prank caller would fall straight into hell. “Why… why is this happening to you. Why…” Hye-sun’s chest felt like it was being choked. Truly a heartbreaking thing. She had lost her father as a child and raised her alone on a meager living. Her life had always been so hard. Now, just when she was starting to feel at ease, she had divorced and now she had lost her only daughter. Why was her life so cursed…? Hye-sun sighed again and again. Watching her daughter, who had once carried joy even in hardship, collapse so completely, her heart tore. It was truly unfair. Hye-sun clasped her hands and prayed to the gods for the first time in a long while. Please… let my daughter suffer no more. She begged that the daughter she had raised through hardship would finally find happiness. ////// How much time had passed? Soyeon let out groans of pain. Sweat had begun to bead on her forehead. Her tightly closed eyelids fluttered violently and her breathing grew ragged. “Hee-soo… Hee-soo…” Then came the murmurs, clearly a nightmare. Soyeon’s face twisted endlessly. After a moment, “Hee-soo!” With a start she opened her eyes wide. “Haa… haa… haa…” The room fell silent once more. Soyeon blinked several times. “Ah…” A low sigh escaped her. It seemed she had only just realized she had been dreaming. She placed a hand on her forehead and stared at the dark bedroom ceiling. Looking out the window, she realized it was already evening. How long had she slept? She had not known the fatigue was so heavy, but even so the exhaustion remained. Her body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. She had been in that dazed state when… a faint, familiar ringtone began to sound. Soyeon did not move. She thought Mom would answer. But the phone kept ringing and no one picked up. Was Mom asleep? Just as she thought that, Soyeon startled and jumped up. She did not know, but perhaps even now… She stepped one pace out into the living room. The TV screen was still on, but the volume had been turned down. On the sofa, Mom Hye-sun was sleeping. Right in front of her the phone kept ringing. Soyeon hurriedly grabbed the phone. Ah! It was blocked-number again. She pressed the call button. Then, once more, silence came from the other end. At the same time Hye-sun woke up. “Huh? You’re awake?” The voice was still thick with sleep. Yet Soyeon had no time to answer. Instead she glared at her mother. They might have missed the call. She could not trust anyone. “Why? Did… did you get a call?” Ignoring Hye-sun’s words, Soyeon called out her daughter’s name in a trembling voice once more. “Hee-soo? Is that you? Answer me if it is.”