Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Daeun
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On a peaceful morning bathed in sunlight, Hyorin and I lay in bed, chatting.
"It's the weekend. Anything you want to eat?"
At my question, Hyorin buried her face in the blanket and replied.
"Hmm! Let's just stay like this a little longer."
"Or I could order delivery ahead of time. Tell me what you want to eat. I'll order it."
Even so, Hyorin kept shaking her head no.
Then, out of the blue, she asked something a bit peculiar.
"Besides that, there's something I'm really curious about."
"Curious about what?"
"Suppose, just suppose. If we had a daughter, what name would you want to give her?"
At those words, I bolted upright and asked.
"Are you pregnant by any chance?"
But what came back was Hyorin's hand pressing down hard.
"Hey, don't overreact. Lie back down and answer first."
So I lay back on the bed and said.
"You're really pregnant, aren't you?"
At my question, Hyorin gave a mysterious smile and replied.
"No. I said 'suppose' from the start. Suppose a daughter was born—what name would you want?"
Though I felt a bit deflated by the no, I smiled again and pretended to think it over deeply.
"Hmm, a daughter. If a daughter were born, there is a name I've always wanted to give her."
"What is it?"
"Wait, before that. Why a daughter? It could be a son, you know."
"Oh, that."
At my question, Hyorin covered her mouth and chuckled lightly.
"If it's a son, I'll name him."
"You will?"
"Yeah, I've had a name in mind for a while."
"Really? Same as me."
It was unexpected. I never imagined Hyorin had thought that far ahead.
It was a bit surprising, but on the other hand, it was an incredibly happy moment.
After all, preparing for a future together with the person you love is the coolest thing in the world.
"So, what name would you want if it's a daughter?"
At Hyorin's question, I told her the name I'd always had in mind.
"Daeun."
"Why Daeun?"
At Hyorin's question, I smiled and explained the reason.
"The name means a warm, gentle love."
After pondering my explanation for a while, Hyorin soon smiled brightly and said.
"It's a pretty name."
'So that's why she asked.'
That conversation had taken place a month before the exhibition opened.
Hyorin must have known since then.
That she was pregnant.
Swish.
Behind the startled Sister, Daeun, who had run up brightly, hid.
For some reason, she was scared, her eyes darting around as she peeked at me.
At the sight of Daeun, my chest tightened in an instant.
'This child is the most precious gift in the world you told me about.'
Hyorin's feelings aside, thinking of the loss this child must have felt made my heart ache fiercely.
Squeeze.
Holding back the tears that threatened to flow again, I slowly bent one knee and said.
"Would you come here for a moment?"
At my words, Daeun glanced at the Sister, then shyly approached me.
To Daeun, who radiated awkwardness from every pore, I carefully asked.
"Daeun, do you... know who I am?"
I hadn't seen her once from the moment she was born until now.
So of course she wouldn't know who I was.
"Ah... Daddy..."
Daeun called me Daddy.
"You knew?"
At my question, Daeun twisted her legs and answered.
"Yeah... Mommy told me. Daddy went far away for work..."
"I see... Yeah, Mommy told you that..."
Hyorin had believed I would wake up someday.
No, she was certain of it. Otherwise, she wouldn't have waited for me for over five years.
She had even told Daeun about my existence.
Swish.
I straightened my knee and bowed my head in gratitude to the Sister.
"Thank you for taking care of Daeun all this time."
"Oh, what are you talking about. As I said back then, Hyorin is like a daughter to me. Since it's about Hyorin..."
The Sister turned her head for a moment to clear her throat, then continued.
"Raising a child for the first time will have its hardships. Don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything at all."
"Thank you."
With that, I bowed again, then extended my hand to Daeun, who was still watching me warily.
"Shall we... hold hands?"
My daughter Daeun, whom I was meeting for the first time in five years.
The only gift Hyorin, who had already left this world, left behind.
For Hyorin's sake, who went ahead, I would raise Daeun well, no matter who was watching.
No matter what trials and tribulations lay before me...
"Oh, there's one more thing I forgot to tell you."
But those trials and tribulations came faster than I expected, swallowing me... no, us whole.
"It was three years ago, I think—Hyorin said she moved to another place."
"Yes? M-moved?"
"Yes, so you'll have to go to the new place, not the old one. I'll text you the address."
The five years had been utterly quiet for me, a vegetable.
"Yes... Thank you."
...But it seemed they had been incredibly tough for Hyorin and Daeun.
Thud.
As soon as I got out of the taxi, an unfamiliar neighborhood came into view.
A narrow alley too tight for cars, a steep hill making it inconvenient to navigate, and beyond it, a rundown front gate.
'Hyorin lived here...'
The atmosphere was so different from our old home that I suddenly wondered.
Of course, our previous place wasn't luxurious, but it was decent enough to live in.
With Daeun, the old house would have been more comfortable than this.
Why on earth... did she move here?
Tug.
Just then, as I hesitated at the alley entrance, Daeun lightly tugged at my clothes.
"That's... where Daeun lives."
Did she think I couldn't find it?
I smiled at her explanation and started walking.
"Thanks for telling me. Shall we go together?"
Nod.
We climbed the hill and arrived at the house, where the shabby gate was even more starkly visible.
The paint was peeling in spots, and rust covered it from lack of maintenance.
Vines had grown messily over the side wall too.
Creak.
When we reached the gate, Daeun familiarly opened it and called me in.
"You have to go... up here."
"Second floor... I see."
Step.
At my question, Daeun didn't answer but walked to the narrow staircase beside the yard and climbed up.
What appeared was an iron door.
Beep beep beep beep.
Daeun stood on tiptoe and pressed the buttons on the door lock.
She calmly entered a four-digit code.
'1004'
It wasn't an angel number. Not Hyorin's birthday, nor mine.
It couldn't just be a random 1004.
'Maybe Daeun's birthday is October 4th?'
I wasn't sure, but if those numbers meant Daeun's birthday...
'About a month left, then.'
It was late August now. About a month until Daeun's birthday.
As I was lost in those thoughts.
Click!
Daeun, who had gone in first, took off her Velcro shoes by herself and called me.
"This is where Daeun lives."
The interior completely shattered my expectations.
I'd thought a child's home would be messy.
But it was surprisingly clean.
Narrower than our old place, sure, but for two people, it seemed livable enough.
Swish.
"'Scuse me... er."
Saying "excuse me" as I entered the house I'd be living in from now on felt ridiculous even to me, but from Daeun's perspective, I was still a guest.
'This is where Hyorin and Daeun lived together...'
As I stepped inside, I could feel Hyorin's touch everywhere.
Maybe that's why.
Even though it was completely different from before the accident, it strongly felt like home.
For some reason, it felt cozy too.
As I wondered why, I realized the reason a bit late.
'Someone was waiting for me.'
Daeun stood at the entrance, looking up at me with a bright expression.
At the sight of her, I smiled and said.
To Daeun, who had waited for me for a full five years.
"I'm home. ...Daddy was too late, wasn't I?"
...I'm home.
The first thing that caught my eye upon entering the house was the pile of bills scattered across the dining table.
Electricity, water, gas, and so on. But the one with the largest amount was none other than.
'......'
A hospital bill.
'So that's why she moved.'
The hospital bill was a staggering sum. Just the admission fees were huge, and with all the medical equipment needed...
Per year, it must have been astronomical.
With no income coming in without me, Hyorin's best option would have been to sell our house.
Though that probably all went to my bills too.
'Ha...'
A sigh escaped me naturally.
If I'd just died right there, or if they'd let me die, they wouldn't have suffered like this.
It all felt like it was my fault.
How hard must it have been with those monthly hospital bills arriving?
The utility notices spread across the table clearly showed how tough Hyorin's life had been.
As I set down the papers and looked away.
'Huh? W-what's this?'
I spotted something unexpected on the fridge door.
[Things Daeun Likes!]
XX Honey Chicken! (Loves drumsticks!)
Cheese Tonkatsu! (Take a 1:1 photo with cheese, eats well if cooled down since she can't handle hot food!)
......
[Things Daeun dislikes!]
Radish! (Grind it up as much as possible so it's invisible!)
Beans! (Roast them sweet and she'll eat them!)
Seaweed stems! (Doesn't eat raw; boil in seaweed soup and chop finely!)
......
Countless notes stuck to the fridge door, filled with info about Daeun.
Favorite foods, disliked foods.
Along with the kindergarten meal plan and a monthly schedule of activities.
Even a small whiteboard with must-not-forget info.
'To Hyorin, Daeun was everything.'
It was like I could feel her love for Daeun.
The more I read, the more amazed I was.
Rustle.
Flipping through the basic info, I saw circles on the meal plan.
Curious what they marked, it seemed all Daeun's favorites were checked.
Finding Hyorin's traces in such an unexpected place brought a smile to my face.
You could feel at once how diligently, how fiercely she'd raised Daeun.
Rustle.
Lifting the stack of papers revealed a sticker whiteboard at the end.
And there, things Hyorin absolutely couldn't forget were listed.
XX Restaurant Interview
Hospital Bill Payment
XX Mart Interview
Ask the Lady
Daeun Kindergarten Consultation
Confirm Surgery Date
Most made sense: interviews, bill payments.
But one thing—the last item, "Confirm Surgery Date"—bothered me.
'Was she sick somewhere?'
Since it was at the end, it must have been right before she died.
What surgery could it be? As I wondered.
'Wait, this...'
The bills I'd just seen flashed in my mind.
There was a hospital receipt among them—maybe one for Hyorin? I hurriedly checked the papers on the table.
And I.
Thud.
Had to face a cruel reality.
The reason Hyorin had pushed herself with extra work was none other than.
[Kanghyeok Lee (Patient) Surgery Consent Form]
...Me.