Chapter 93: The Day We Become Adults
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 93: The Day We Become Adults
9
September 14th.
The day had finally come.
Arriving at Si-ho's apartment, I straightened my tie and let out a long breath.
This would be the second time I was meeting Si-ho's mother.
Although we'd spoken on the phone often about Si-ho, I couldn't feel at ease meeting her today.
Because today was the day her mother and the siblings would say their goodbyes.
I wondered if it was right for me to be invited to such an occasion, but I was now one of Si-ho's guardians.
So, at Si-ho's request, I decided to be here with them.
“Hyung-nim, you’re here.”
As I was heading toward the apartment, Seo-ho, who happened to be standing at the entrance, greeted me.
He must have been waiting, since I'd called ahead.
“I brought a cake Si-ho likes. Will that be okay?”
“Yes, she’ll love it.”
Seo-ho said with a smile as I held up the cake.
Watching him, I spoke quietly as we entered the apartment building.
“Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Hyung-nim.”
“I lost my parents when I was young.”
Seo-ho glanced up at the descending elevator, as if he'd heard a bit about my circumstances from Si-ho.
“My hardship might not be the same as yours, but there’s a limit to how much you can take on.”
I gave Seo-ho’s shoulder a light pat.
”If it gets too hard, call me. We both nearly died and made it back alive together, didn't we? What could be harder than that?”
“…”
Seo-ho was silent for a moment, then slowly smiled.
“Yes.”
It was a short reply, but knowing how much meaning it held, I smiled back and got on the elevator.
Beep, beep, beep, beep—
Standing before the same front door as last time, I waited for Seo-ho to enter the passcode.
A moment later, the door opened, and a girl in an apron emerged.
It was none other than Si-ho. Her hair was tied up as usual, and her eyes widened when she saw me.
Then, a bright smile spread across her face.
“Manager-nim!”
Si-ho started to rush toward me, but stopped short and hesitated when she saw the flour on her hands.
I chuckled at the sight and patted her head instead.
As if that alone was enough to make her happy, her face lit up with a smile.
“Have you been waiting?”
“Yes, Si-ho waited a long time.”
“Sorry, I brought that blueberry cake you like.”
“Ah, Si-ho loves it.”
Seeing her bright smile, I entered the apartment with Si-ho and Seo-ho.
Inside, I saw someone bustling about in the kitchen.
Wearing an apron the same color as Si-ho's, the woman who seemed to be cooking was none other than Si-ho's mother, Kim Ji-seon.
“Oh my, Ha-chan-ssi, you’re here?”
“Yes, Eomeonim. You were cooking.”
“It’s the anniversary of his death. I was making his favorite food.”
Shrimp tempura, I see.
Smelling the savory aroma, I remembered that Si-ho was helping with the cooking.
“Son, can you watch the stove for a moment?”
“Yes.”
At her call, Seo-ho took her place at the stove, and Eomeonim came over to me after washing her hands.
Eomeonim had the same elegant air about her as when I first met her.
Dressed beautifully, she smiled at me and gestured toward a room.
“Would you like to see him?”
“I would.”
I followed her into the room.
There, I saw a photograph with a few dishes and a lit incense stick placed before it.
Si-ho's father, smiling brightly with a youthful face, looked a lot like Seo-ho.
It was easy to see where Seo-ho and Si-ho got their genes.
“My husband was a firefighter. He died on the job.”
“That’s a noble profession.”
“It is. As his wife, it made me angry, but he was so wonderful when he was working. In fact, we started seeing each other and eventually married after he rescued me.”
Eomeonim let out a soft laugh and sat down in front of the photo.
She then offered me an incense stick. I lit it and placed it in the holder.
After I bowed twice, she gently wiped the photo with a handkerchief.
“Si-ho talks about you a lot, Ha-chan-ssi.”
“Ahaha, that’s embarrassing.”
“Not at all. It’s the first time she’s ever talked so much about someone else, so I was actually grateful.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is. Si-ho has always been like that. I suppose she’s been that way ever since my accident.”
Hearing that, I couldn't find any words to say.
It seemed Kim Ji-seon had heard everything about that day from Si-ho and Seo-ho.
I couldn't begin to fathom the shock she must have felt.
After all, in this world, she was treated as a dead person.
Seo-ho probably…
…used his position as an S-rank hunter to arrange various accommodations so she could live comfortably.
To the nation, an S-rank hunter was an indispensable asset, so restoring the resident registration of a deceased mother would have been no trouble at all.
Having learned all of this, she was leaving today.
It wouldn't be easy for Si-ho and Seo-ho to accept, but the same was true for their mother, Kim Ji-seon.
Because she loved her son and daughter so dearly.
“Seo-ho is mature. He was always a child who could handle things on his own, and after his father passed away, he was always a son I could be proud of, just like the eldest should be.”
“Yes, I’ve never met a younger brother as dependable as Seo-ho.”
“To be honest, I worry a little about Si-ho. She's always had a prickly side with others and wasn't very expressive. She's small and used to get sick often, too. I was always worried sick about her.”
“She’s small, but she’s strong. Your daughter has always been strong, Eomeonim.”
“Yes, she grew up to be so strong without me even realizing it.”
A piece of the burnt incense turned to ash and fell onto the pile below.
The bittersweet scent of incense filling the room made me pensive.
“I used to think I had to be by their side forever. But now, I don't think that's necessarily the case anymore.”
“…”
That’s not true. A mother is someone you miss even if she's by your side your whole life.
I wanted to say that, but right now, those words would only cause more pain.
So I could only remain silent.
“Ha-chan-ssi.”
“Yes.”
“Please take good care of my Si-ho and Seo-ho.”
“I will take responsibility and look after them so that you will never have to worry, Eomeonim.”
I said it with all my heart. I would take responsibility for them so that not only she, but Si-ho's father as well, would never have to worry.
“Hehe, neither of them gets attached to others easily, so I'm glad they've at least taken to you, Ha-chan-ssi.”
“I'm sure they'll both learn to get along with more people. From what I can see, you've raised a wonderful son and daughter.”
“You’re right. If you think they’re falling in with a bad crowd, please give them a good scolding for me.”
That phrase, “for me,” sounded so poignant.
Because after today, she would no longer be able to do so.
Those who must leave can do nothing but entrust things to those who remain.
And even for me, just listening was truly painful.
“And especially Si-ho, please look after her.”
I fell silent for a moment as she emphasized Si-ho's name.
“Si-ho grew up receiving a lot of love, but she doesn't know how to give it very well.”
No. Si-ho knows how to do it very well. So much so that it's overwhelming, even for me.
“So she might seem a little blunt at times, but Si-ho really likes you, Ha-chan-ssi. It might be presumptuous of me as her mother, but I hope someone like you will be by her side.”
And that was surely because she grew up receiving so much love from her mother.
Because she had received so much love, she was able to give her own love so proactively to someone else.
The reason she grew up so beautifully was all thanks to her mother.
“Honestly, I wanted to see Si-ho and Seo-ho get married, have children, and I wanted to be there to hold those children in my arms, but…”
And then, tears began to stream from Eomeonim's eyes.
I quickly took a handkerchief from my pocket and offered it to her.
“As a parent, I shouldn't be too greedy, should I?”
She thanked me, wiped her tears, and handed the handkerchief back.
For some reason, the handkerchief, now damp with her tears, felt heavy and incredibly significant in my hand.
As if I had just been handed the responsibility for the two of them.
“Thank you. For listening to my complaints.”
“Not at all. It wasn't a complaint.”
“I'm glad you're a good person, Ha-chan-ssi.”
“I also think it's a great fortune that Si-ho and Seo-ho were raised by someone like you, Eomeonim.”
Hearing this, Eomeonim gave me a very warm smile.
“Mom! Ha Seo-ho is terrible at frying!”
“What are you talking about? I fried it perfectly. Here, try it.”
“It’s not cooked on the inside! You eat it!”
Just then, their voices came from outside.
At the sight of the two bickering, as they often did despite their close bond, Eomeonim and I looked at each other, smiled, and left the room.
After that, I helped Eomeonim with the cooking.
We made the shrimp tempura their father had loved and offered it at the memorial, and thanks to Eomeonim's skill, the table was filled with all sorts of dishes.
Thanks to that, I ate my fill for the first time in a while.
I ate until I was about to burst, and had to deal with the awkwardness of Si-ho constantly trying to feed me more.
Watching us, Eomeonim's expression looked incredibly happy.
We looked through old photo albums, seeing pictures of Si-ho and Seo-ho held together in their mother's arms.
We made small talk about how Si-ho was doing at the company recently and what she was up to at school.
And so we spent our time.
“Si-ho, Seo-ho.”
And then, the time came.
The moment Eomeonim called their names, the two stood up without a word.
Then, she entered the room with the memorial, the two of them following.
“Darling, our son and daughter have grown up so well.”
Wrapping her arms around Si-ho and Seo-ho's shoulders, Eomeonim spoke while looking at their father's photograph.
“They've both grown up so well, haven't they? Si-ho will be an adult soon. She's the same age I was when I chased you around and we finally got married.”
Eomeonim's smiling voice echoed in the room.
“They're so grown up now, it almost makes me a little sad. That's why I thought it was about time for me to go back, and why we're all here today.”
Si-ho slowly wrapped her arms around her mother's waist.
Eomeonim warmly stroked Si-ho's hair.
“Si-ho, Seo-ho.”
And as she called to them.
“As a mom… I did a good job, right?”
She smiled a smile more motherly than anyone else's.
That smile was so heartbreaking that Seo-ho and Si-ho could no longer hold back and began to shed thick tears.
“Yeah, yeah, Mom. You were really the best. I was so happy to be your daughter.”
As if she couldn't bear to let her mother go, Si-ho hugged her even tighter.
“Yes, Mother. I am most proud of you.”
Seo-ho slowly embraced her, showing his steadfastness as a son.
Eomeonim held them both in her arms.
They had both grown so much that it was hard to hold them in one embrace.
Unlike in the old photograph, they had both suddenly become adults.
And the one who had raised them was none other than their mother.
That seemed to bring her immense happiness.
“My daughter, my son… Mom was so, so happy to be your mother. I love you so much that if I were born again, I'd want you to be born as my children again. So… please.”
Eomeonim finally couldn't hold it in and burst into tears.
“Even without me, you have to live well so I don't have to worry, okay? You understand?”
“Yes, yes, Mom.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. My Seo-ho, my Si-ho.”
A breeze gusted through the window.
When I opened my eyes, which I had closed against the brief gust, only Si-ho and Seo-ho were there.
Si-ho, her strength gone, collapsed to the floor, her face a mess as she cried. Seo-ho, too, kept his head bowed, unable to lift it.
I went to them and hugged them both, Seo-ho and Si-ho.
“Cry. It’s okay to cry your hearts out.”
September 14th, 2030.
On that day, the two siblings finally finished the farewell they should have made long ago.
It was the kind of day where the sound of cicadas still tickled the ear, making it hard to fall asleep.