Ch.133The Resemblance Is Uncanny (5)

“Cough! Cough!”

Hamin’s coughing echoed emptily as he lay alone in his room.

Until recently, he had been the shortest among the boys in his class, with a small and insignificant body, but he had managed to live relatively well without major illnesses.

But perhaps that was why.

When he finally caught a cold after so long,

Hamin’s body was quickly succumbing to it, as if it had no resistance whatsoever.

“Cough, cough…! At this rate, my symptoms are worse than Doyoung’s.”

His head felt like it was about to split open, and his face was swollen from the high fever.

He could barely see properly because of the runny nose that wouldn’t stop and the tears from constant sneezing.

‘This won’t do. Stay home from school today. If you go wandering around to take the subway in this condition and end up tumbling down stairs or an escalator, it would be terrible.’

‘Cough! But the final exams are coming up soon… My midterm scores already dropped, and if I miss school right after the field trip…’

‘Now, now, listen to your mother. You won’t absorb anything sitting at a desk in this state. I’ll try to come home early today, so just stay in bed without moving, okay?’

‘Mmm… yes.’

Feeling a stinging pain throughout his body as soon as he put on his school uniform shirt, Hamin had no choice but to follow his mother’s instructions and lie down in bed.

“Sigh… This is a first. Lying in bed and not going to school because I’m sick.”

No matter how sick he had been, he had never missed classes before.

Even when sick, Hamin’s policy since childhood had been to go to school anyway and leave early only if he absolutely couldn’t bear it.

His family wasn’t well-off enough to afford multiple academies like others did,

or private tutoring from prestigious university students,

so falling behind on school lessons meant a significant gap would form.

Of course, he had the bitter experience of succumbing to the bat virus that swept the world during middle school,

but even then, he hadn’t missed any classes since all students nationwide were attending lessons in front of monitors.

Who would have thought he’d have his first sick absence as a high school student?

As they say, late-learned thievery is the most dangerous—and a late-caught cold was proving to be just as formidable.

“Cough, come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve been alone and quiet like this at this hour.”

While waiting for his body to recover somehow,

Hamin looked at his phone clock, which showed it was almost the end of afternoon classes,

and contemplated the unfamiliar peace he was experiencing.

Normally, he would be receiving kendo lessons from Doyoung at this time.

It was one of the busiest and most chaotic times for Hamin, who rarely had moments to be alone or in silence.

“The school was notified, so they should know…”

With no more sleep to borrow painfully, Hamin checked the notifications on his phone with bleary eyes.

There was nothing special. Most were advertising notifications that didn’t need to be read properly.

Since he wasn’t absent without notice, his class must have been informed that he was missing school due to a cold.

If anyone asked Teacher Yeo Mi-so, who was his homeroom teacher, about the reason for his absence.

But there were no messages from any of his classmates.

“It’s quiet here too…”

He had expected as much, but that didn’t make the disappointment go away.

He had thought at least Sa-hyang, Hye-rang, or especially Doyoung would send a message asking if he was okay.

“…Well. I guess it was presumptuous of me to think anyone would ask why I wasn’t at school in the first place.”

Class…

Of course, there were some notifications that weren’t advertisements.

They were messages from his mother.

[Mom]

[Hamin]

[How are you]

[Are you feeling better?]

[Mom is working hard right now!]

[Everyone at work complimented the clothes I’m wearing today!]

[I bragged that my son bought them for me after his trip!]

“Ugh…! I’m sorry, Mom!”

Hamin clutched his heart in agony, overwhelmed by a surge of guilt.

[Mom]

[Don’t just lie there because you’re sick, get something to eat from the refrigerator]

[I won’t work overtime today and will come home early]

That was all from his mother.

Judging by the time and content, she must have sent the messages around lunchtime while Hamin was asleep.

“I saw them too late…”

The sunlight streaming through Hamin’s window was already turning red.

Any meal eaten at this hour would clearly be considered dinner rather than lunch.

[Thank you, Mom.]

Unable to lie about eating when he hadn’t, Hamin simply sent a message of gratitude in reply.

He wanted to add a couple of sentences after his thanks—that he was fine and she shouldn’t worry, that he could manage on his own and she should finish any urgent work before coming home—to complete a filial response that wouldn’t worry his parent, but…

“At this hour… she might already be on her way home.”

With that thought in mind,

he deleted the sentences he had started to write.

-Buzz

-Buzzzz

“Ah, Mom’s calling.”

Just then, Hamin’s phone rang with a call from his mother,

as if she had predicted he would be awake at this time, the timing was perfect.

“Ahem, cough. Hello.”

Hamin cleared his throat with a fake cough before answering the phone.

Real coughs mixed in with the fake ones due to his cold.

[Ah, Hamin. You’re awake. Are you feeling any better?]

“Cough, I’m still coughing and my body feels prickly, but I’m okay, I can manage.”

[Then you’re not okay at all.]

“Ahaha… I, I guess not.”

Hamin scratched the back of his head with his free hand and answered with an awkward laugh.

[Mom is on her way home now. I even left 10 minutes early today!]

Just as he expected.

His mother had already finished work and was on her way home.

[Is there anything you want to eat? Tell me anything. Mom will make it for you.]

“No, you must be tired after work, there’s no need…”

[Hmm? What’s wrong, son?]

“No, it’s nothing. You asked if there’s something I want to eat, right?”

Hamin stopped himself from trying to reassure his mother.

If the chance to be a good son who could manage on his own had already flown away,

perhaps he could indulge in a little childish whim, something he had wanted to do for a while.

That thought crossed Hamin’s mind.

“Then… porridge. I want porridge.”

[Porridge…? Is that enough? You sound weak, so I don’t think you’ve eaten lunch properly.]

“That’s true… but suddenly I want the porridge you used to make. The one you made at home with milk when I had COVID. I just remembered it now.”

[Ah, you mean tarakjuk? Okay, got it. But I don’t think we have any milk left in the refrigerator… Can you wait a little? I’ll stop by Sunseong Mart on the way to get some groceries.]

“…Yeah, that’s fine.”

He was used to waiting.

Just being able to be at home with his mom while the sun was still in the sky, before midnight, was satisfying enough.

[Okay, see you soon. Love you, son.]

“…Yeah, me too.”

Hamin put down his phone with a peaceful expression.

“Sometimes… being sick isn’t so bad.”

He knew it wasn’t right to rely on his mother using a cold as an excuse.

Especially for a bad son like him who had messed up his midterm exams and hadn’t even brought back a decent souvenir from the school trip.

“…Hehe.”

But until he fell asleep again while lying down,

Hamin’s face wore a bright smile.

.

.

.

“…Ugh. Oh. Did I fall asleep again?”

A little while later, Hamin slowly opened his eyes, realizing he had dozed off without knowing.

Of course, his eyes were still so swollen that even with them open, it was difficult to see properly.

-Chop chop chop

-Crack crack crack crack

“Ah, Mom’s already here.”

Instead of relying on his unreliable vision, Hamin used his hearing and smell to assess the situation outside.

The sound of kitchen knives coming from the kitchen beyond Hamin’s room.

It seemed his mother had returned home while he was asleep.

“Ah… this smell. It’s the same as what Mom used to make.”

The aroma of milk and rice boiling together wafted into the room where Hamin was lying.

This round, embracing scent naturally made Hamin feel comfortable.

Judging by the occasional smell of oil and eggs that also drifted in,

it seemed she was making an egg dish as a side.

“Hamin, you must be very hungry? The tarakjuk is ready, I’ll bring it to you right away.”

Along with his mother’s gentle voice, Hamin’s door opened.

“Mom… my arms feel weak right now… could you feed me?”

If he couldn’t be a good son anyway,

perhaps it was okay to indulge in childish behavior that would be difficult to do again.

With that in mind, Hamin tentatively asked his mother.

“…Of course.”

“Hehe.”

-Blow

-Blooow

After the sound of blowing on the hot porridge,

steam gently touched Hamin’s lips.

“Here, be careful, it’s hot.”

“Thank you…”

As Hamin received the spoonful of rice and milk in his mouth,

“How is it? Is it edible?”

“Um, yes. The salt is a bit stronger than what I remember, but it’s delicious.”

Though slightly different from the taste in his memories,

it was undoubtedly the flavor Hamin had been longing for.

“Here, you won’t get better just eating porridge. Have some egg too.”

“O-okay.”

Following the voice, Hamin opened his mouth once more.

A steaming golden rolled egg slipped into his mouth.

“How is it? Delicious, right?”

“Yes, it’s really delicious. It tastes almost exactly like the rolled egg I had at my friend’s house… wait, what?”

His eyes, which had been barely open, suddenly widened at the unexpectedly familiar taste.

For some reason, the egg roll he thought his mother had made tasted exactly like the one he had eaten at Doyoung’s house in the past.

“Good evening, Do Hamin.”

“B-Ban Doyoung…?”

“How did you like Ban Doyoung’s special female tarakjuk that I just learned from your mom?”

“That’s not what tarak means! Cough!”

“But it’s still made with female milk.”

When Hamin opened his eyes, there was Doyoung sitting in front of him, wearing his house apron.