Rehabilitation Exercise (3)
After resting a little, I started my rehabilitation again.
How long had it been since I’d sweated this much outdoors?
Even while working at the factory I’d been sitting down, and after that I’d holed up inside, so I could really feel how much my stamina had weakened.
Even so, I didn’t give up on exercising.
I rested for an hour, then walked again for about thirty minutes.
That was how I strolled along the riverside, exercising at a leisurely pace.
My body felt lighter.
It felt like the depression that had still been lingering was finally fading away.
I didn’t know how long it would last.
But at least right now, in this moment, I was happy.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?”
“Huff… yeah……”
When I answered between ragged breaths, Mom slowly wiped the sweat from my face.
With my eyes closed, I felt the gentle breeze brushing against Mom’s touch.
Before I knew it, evening had arrived.
The sun was setting, and the sky was changing into darker clothes.
When I opened my eyes, a breathtaking view greeted me.
Behind me the sun had already set; ahead of me it was still sinking.
Watching the same sight I used to see so often during my construction work, I caught my breath.
Maybe because autumn had come, the sound of insects chirping struck my ears.
“Unnie…! Mom…! Drinks!”
From far away, Jiwoo came running over with three bottles of drinks.
She dashed straight to us and handed one to Mom, then one to me.
“Aah… so refreshing……”
“You should drink too, Mom.”
“Thank you.”
I opened the ion drink Jiwoo gave me and gulped it down.
The coolness rushed through me, clearing my mind again.
“Phew……”
It felt like I’d been staring at the wide, open river for a long time.
“There are unusually many people at the Han River today.”
Mom tilted her head as she said that.
Since she hadn’t been outside the house in so long, Jiwoo continued for her.
“Ah… there’s a fireworks display today. If we go a little farther ahead, it’ll probably be packed.”
Jiwoo took a sip of her drink as she spoke.
After exercising, Jiwoo seemed much more relaxed and answered sincerely.
Mom smiled softly, murmuring “I see” as if genuinely pleased.
Fireworks……
I did want to see the fireworks.
How pretty would they be?
How beautiful would the sight be?
In my previous life, I’d never even gotten the chance to watch fireworks.
In this life, the only time I’d seen them was when I heard the distant pops while walking home from construction work.
Those tiny fireworks blooming in the sky.
The memory of staring at them blankly while wiping away tears flashed through my mind.
I wasn’t sure why I’d cried.
Maybe it was because I remembered the kids at school talking about going to see them.
Or maybe because I’d wanted to give my little siblings a nice view but couldn’t.
That lingering wish, in a way, made me murmur softly.
“…I want to see them.”
“…!!”
“Sweetheart, do you want to watch the fireworks?”
I’d whispered so quietly, yet Jiwoo flinched and Mom immediately asked if I wanted to see them.
“Ah……”
For a moment I worried it might be a bother, but both of them were smiling brightly, as if it wasn’t a bother at all.
So I slowly nodded.
I wanted to see the fireworks.
The fireworks I’d wished to watch with my family when I was young.
“…I want to see them. The fireworks.”
I said it with a slightly awkward smile.
Jiwoo and Mom both nodded with wide smiles, and I took in the sight with my eyes.
Their expressions were so beautiful that tears welled up.
The riverside was crowded with people.
When we arrived, I could see everyone gathered together, counting down.
The loud noise startled me and my body instinctively shrank back, but—
“…!”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Mom’s here to protect you.”
Mom whispered and gently covered my ears.
Thanks to her, the sound grew quieter.
Feeling a little more at ease, I looked around.
The sky had already darkened.
And beneath that sky, people were all looking up together.
Holding the hands of loved ones—family, partners, friends—everyone waited for the fireworks.
The sight looked so happy that I found myself smiling too.
New love was blooming, new encounters were beginning.
In a place where so many people lived like that, I was standing there too.
In that ordinary space, I was standing as well.
It all felt like a dream.
Mom’s warm hands covering my ears to protect me.
Jiwoo, tightly holding my left hand and looking up at the sky with an excited expression.
Everything was as beautiful as a dream.
So much so that I wondered if I even deserved to experience this.
…As expected, I—
Just as the thought reached that point, the surroundings suddenly brightened and a red sphere shot up into the sky.
-Fwoooosh!!
-Bang!!!
The firework exploded with a bang, lighting up the sky.
“…!!”
I opened my eyes wide and took in the sight.
It was an incredibly beautiful scene.
On the way home, I’d only ever seen fireworks from afar, but up close the sky was filled with such beautiful things.
The thought filled my head completely.
It was a truly dazzling sight.
People laughing brightly, people watching in a daze.
People who had been alone but were now together, people holding hands.
And families sitting together, smiling widely.
All kinds of people caught my eye.
In these people’s happy moments,
I was included too.
Me, someone so insignificant.
“Unnie…! They’re so pretty, right?”
“Huh…?”
“Suhyun, are the fireworks too loud?”
“Ah… yeah, if I cover my ears a little.”
I was included.
In Jiwoo’s bright smile.
In Mom’s happy face.
I was there.
The fact hit me so hard that tears welled up.
It was something I’d never been able to obtain no matter how hard I tried in my past life.
And yet it had been this close all along.
“…I’m happy.”
Hot tears streamed down my cheeks as I said that.
I didn’t bother wiping them away.
They weren’t the bad kind of tears that came from sadness.
I was simply so happy that the emotions I couldn’t contain overflowed.
I decided to think of it that way.
The fireworks kept exploding.
And I watched them.
The brilliant night sky.
A night sky so dark it was pitch black, yet because of that, it could hold such dazzling fireworks.
Hoping that one day I could hold such a sky in my heart as well,
I watched the endlessly beautiful fireworks.
…As expected, I’m a happy person.
I finished the thought I hadn’t been able to complete earlier because I’d been captivated by the fireworks, and murmured it to myself.
I felt like I wanted to keep going and live my life to the fullest.
Exhausted from the day, Suhyun had fallen asleep while watching the fireworks.
Jiwoo, carrying the sleeping Suhyun on her back, smiled brightly as she headed toward their house.
Walking beside her and matching her pace, Sujin carefully spoke to her.
“…Suhyun looked happy.”
“Yeah, really happy.”
She had cried while watching the fireworks, but afterward she kept wearing a soft smile.
Watching her like that, Jiwoo felt a lot of things.
Suhyun, who hadn’t been able to properly try the things she wanted to do.
How much she had sacrificed for Jiwoo and Minwoo.
And the fact that even after all that, she could still feel such pure joy.
“…Mom.”
“H-huh?”
When Jiwoo carefully called her “Mom,” the word carried emotion instead of coldness, making Sujin slightly tense.
Looking at her, Jiwoo continued.
“…I won’t hate you too much.”
“……”
“Still, it might take some time before I can like you. I do understand you, Mom.”
“…R-really?”
“It might be selfish of me, but… until then, please don’t hate us. I hope you won’t abandon us again.”
Jiwoo spoke seriously.
Sujin’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at her.
“…I’ve never resented you kids. Not even once.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. You two were my only support.”
“……”
“That hasn’t changed, and it won’t.”
Sujin said that and carefully asked if she could hug her.
After a moment of hesitation, Jiwoo nodded.
With slightly trembling hands, Sujin finally embraced her second daughter.
“……”
“…I really hate myself……”
Jiwoo murmured that in Sujin’s arms.
Her shoulders shook as she wiped away tears.
The moment she was held in Sujin’s embrace, a truly warm feeling wrapped around Jiwoo.
After all, she had secretly longed for a mother’s presence.
“If you’re going to hate someone… hate Mom, not yourself, Jiwoo.”
“Don’t say that… please don’t……”
Jiwoo’s voice trembled.
Sujin gently patted her back.
Behind them, the Han River continued with the after-party of the fireworks display.
With her back to the river, Suhyun slept soundly with the happiest expression on her face.
“Mmm… thank you… for loving me……”
“…!!”
“…!!”
They didn’t know who she was talking to, but Suhyun murmured those words in her sleep.
Watching her, Jiwoo and Sujin both smiled at the same time.
“…We should send this to Minwoo.”
“Mom will film it.”
“Ah, thank you.”
The video with their laughter was sent to Minwoo.
Jiwoo sent all the photos, including the ones of Suhyun.
Sujin took Suhyun from her.
It was truly a happy ending to the day.
