Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: The Reunion
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Officer Kim's car was a cute little compact.
"Sorry, it's kind of small, isn't it?"
I waved my hand dismissively as I replied.
"Oh, come on, I'm just grateful you're giving us a ride at all—what do you mean small? Thank you so much for making time for us."
Seated in the passenger seat, Ms. Yun echoed my thanks.
"Even though I asked way too much of you, you still came through. I am truly grateful."
He delivered his thanks in such a long-winded speech, like he was addressing a seminar crowd. It was clear he felt the gratitude deeply.
Who else could Ms. Yun have asked for a favor like this?
It was a perfectly understandable reaction.
"Me too! Me too!"
Daeun shouted cheerfully, clearly wanting to join in on the thanks.
"Than you!"
As everyone in the car expressed their gratitude, Officer Kim let out an awkward laugh and scratched the back of his head while driving.
"Hahaha. Goodness. I don't even know if I deserve all this."
Seeing his reaction, I asked just to be sure.
"But really, are you okay not going inside? I don't want you getting in trouble on our account."
"Oh, I had field work scheduled all day anyway. I'm not the type to put things off, so I hustled through my morning tasks, and now I have some extra time."
It didn't sound like empty flattery to make us feel good. From what I'd seen of Officer Kim, he wasn't one to procrastinate.
He was probably telling the truth.
"Don't worry—I'm just using my spare time."
Ms. Yun, sitting beside him, looked at Officer Kim and said.
"But that spare time is still your personal time, isn't it, Mr. Sucheol? Of course we're grateful."
"Yes."
"Time is precious to everyone, after all."
Time is precious to everyone.
There is no such thing as worthless time in this world. Every moment carries its own meaning.
That must have been what Ms. Yun meant.
Sure, there might be time we let slip away meaninglessly, but even that can hold special significance.
Rattle.
Even this very moment, riding in the car toward Ms. Yun's mother.
Nod.
Officer Kim, who had been pondering Ms. Yun's words with a serious expression, soon nodded and asked.
"So, Ms. Yun, how do you plan to make the most of your time reuniting with your mother?"
"Yes."
"You were separated from her since you were little. Is there something you've always wanted to ask her once you met?"
"Something... I really wanted to ask?"
Nod.
"Yes."
Ms. Yun fell into thought at the question.
In a way, this was a reunion after decades apart—a separation not by choice, but by circumstance.
She must have longed to see her mother endlessly, but there were probably things she wanted to ask, too.
But Ms. Yun's memories differed from Daeun's.
"There was something, but I can't remember it anymore. I definitely had questions I wanted to ask when I was a kid..."
She couldn't remember.
That's how terrifying time could be.
Her mother must have been someone she missed so much she never stopped crying. There must have been so many things she wanted to ask.
Yet as time passed, those childhood feelings and thoughts faded, until they vanished from memory entirely.
Time could be so bittersweet.
Nod.
Frustrated by her foggy memory, Ms. Yun looked truly regretful.
"It must have been such an important question... It upsets me."
At that moment, Daeun, sitting nearby, asked.
"Auntie, you don't remember?"
"Yeah, it's from so long ago that I forgot."
"Hmm..."
Daeun brought her finger to her mouth and tilted her head.
She knew her own memory was different from others'.
But could a child like Daeun fully grasp why someone else couldn't remember?
'It must be hard for her.'
That's why she had that puzzled look.
But what Daeun said next differed a bit from what I'd expected.
"Auntie. Daeun remembers with drawings!"
"Yes?"
"Mom teaching me! Dad taking Daeun to draw! And Dad's promise to Daeun! I remember everything with drawings! So Auntie should remember with drawings too!"
Daeun seemed to want to help Ms. Yun recover her lost memories.
Using her own way of remembering, through drawings.
"With drawings?"
"Yeah! Daeun remembers with drawings! So Auntie can do it too!"
'No, Daeun, that won't work. Not everyone is like you.'
I understood her kind heart, but not everyone could recall memories that way.
If it were that easy, no one would ever need to study.
But Ms. Yun took Daeun's words seriously.
"With drawings, huh."
"Yeah! Auntie, try it!"
"With drawings..."
Whether it was her personality or not, she'd gone along with things like this before—like the "super super" thing—and she did so again now.
"I'll give it a try. I really want to remember, too. What it was I wanted to ask."
"Yeah!"
Daeun beamed happily at Ms. Yun's response.
And a short while later.
Screech.
The car carrying us came to a stop. Officer Kim glanced around nervously, his voice trembling slightly.
"Um, this is the address... but is this really it?"
Hearing his tone, I looked out the window and asked in a similar voice.
"Is this it?"
* * *
We'd arrived in a famous rich neighborhood in Gangnam.
It was a gated community of luxury homes, the kind occasionally featured in the media.
"Y-Yeah, this is it?"
Even Officer Kim, a Seoul native, knew what this place was.
No matter how much he knew Ms. Yun was wealthy, he couldn't help being surprised.
Their world was always astonishing.
"Why? Is this a bad area?"
Ms. Yun was the only one looking around with a pitiful expression. Well, she'd come from America, so it made sense she wouldn't know.
I gave her an awkward smile and explained.
"No, this is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Seoul. That's why we're shocked."
"Oh, I see. I was worried maybe she was living in a bad place."
No way that could be true. What kind of mother would that be?
Click.
We got out of the car and quietly took in our surroundings.
"Wow, this really is a different world. So quiet."
The alley we'd been in before had everyday noises.
Children's laughter, elders chatting, the occasional rumble of a loud bus.
But here, it felt like another world—deathly silent.
Only the occasional chirp of a bird.
The whole neighborhood was hushed.
"Yeah, no people around."
"Shall we head up slowly? It's not far from here."
"Sure."
Step.
We slowly made our way deeper into the neighborhood.
Up the quiet, slightly sloped alley, luxury homes lined both sides, neat and pristine.
Compared to the previous alley, it felt completely opposite.
'Hmm, kind of sterile.'
That word fit perfectly.
Sterile.
Of course, people lived here, and it was far better maintained than where we'd been.
No, definitely better. The land value alone made it incomparable.
But not everything was decided by money.
Thud.
"Here it is. This is where Ms. Yun's mother lives."
We stopped a bit farther up at a somewhat aged house built of red brick.
"This is it..."
Ms. Yun swallowed hard, clearly nervous.
I could even hear her gulp from a short distance away.
'Well, it's been decades since she last saw her mom. No wonder she's shaking.'
Daeun must have noticed Ms. Yun's state.
Squeeze.
She carefully approached and took Ms. Yun's hand firmly.
As if she wanted to lend her strength.
Nod.
Perhaps Daeun's gesture got through to her.
"Thank you."
Ms. Yun gripped Daeun's hand in return and expressed her thanks.
And finally, Ms. Yun was ready to face her past memories.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang—quiet and heavy. But no one answered the intercom.
'Maybe she's out?'
We'd shown up unannounced, after all.
"Is she not home, perhaps?"
At Officer Kim's worried remark, Ms. Yun silently pressed the doorbell again.
She wouldn't want to leave just like this.
Not after mustering the courage to come.
She probably wanted to at least see her face—and right then.
Click.
A click came from the intercom, followed by a middle-aged woman's voice.
-Who... is it?
Her voice was weak, like she'd just woken up. Ms. Yun swallowed and asked.
"Is this the home of Yoon Sook-hee?"
-Who is it?
Maybe she hadn't heard.
Ms. Yun asked again.
"Yoon Sook-hee."
After a pause, the woman replied in a slightly puzzled tone.
-This is Yoon Sook-hee. Who are you?
Grip!
Ms. Yun's hand tightened around Daeun's.
Her expression brightened a little—she clearly saw this as fortunate.
-Who are you, and why are you here?
Ms. Yun couldn't speak.
She just clutched Daeun's hand tightly...
"Auntie, you're shaking."
And trembled.
How much had she longed for this?
Hundreds, thousands of times, no doubt. But it hadn't been possible.
Ms. Yun had even forgotten her own feelings in the end.
Nod.
But she had to speak. No one knew better than her how far she'd come.
"Ms. Yun, say it."
At my prompting, Ms. Yun finally nodded and spoke into the intercom.
Not as Ms. Yun—but her real name.
-Clang!
The moment she said "Everly," a huge noise erupted from the intercom.
A short while later, footsteps rushed from deep inside the gate. Then the door flew open, and a middle-aged woman burst out.
Shoes haphazardly on, barefoot in her haste, she rushed to the gate and touched Everly's face—Ms. Yun.
Her voice trembled violently as she asked.
"Ev-Everly?"
Nod.
Ms. Yun nodded.
And in fluent Korean, she answered.
"Yes, it's me, Everly. Mom."
Hug!
In that instant, Ms. Yun's mother, Mrs. Yoon Sook-hee, pulled her into an embrace and burst into tears.