Ch.285285. Year-End, and Rest.

During the three-week postpartum recovery period, I made countless trips to and from the hospital. The reason was obviously because of Hwa Nabi. Since she was hospitalized and couldn’t go out freely, I had no choice but to run errands for her whenever something came up.

Well, she wasn’t imprisoned, so taking short walks around the area would have been possible, but Hwa Nabi refused. She didn’t tell me why, but from what I overheard from a nurse, she was apparently conserving her energy for “the day of the final battle.”

I was extremely curious about what day that was and what this “final battle” meant… but somehow I felt I shouldn’t know. You know that saying, right? When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Was that Friedrich Nietzsche?

It’s not exactly appropriate for our situation, but the nuance is somewhat similar. Better not to pry… that kind of feeling?

…Even as I say this, I wonder what nonsense I’m spouting. Looking at how I’m rambling, I must be mentally exhausted too. That makes sense. After focusing on Hwa Nabi for almost a month without any outside activities, fatigue has accumulated whether I realize it or not.

So, for what it’s worth, we decided to take just one day, December 31st, to rest together. We’ve been through a lot, and we’ll go through a lot more. It’s like our final healing time together before officially starting parenthood.

Actually, we weren’t planning to rest, but my parents insisted so much that we agreed. What did they say again? Something like, “Our baby has worked so hard, so you need to take at least one day to relax completely.”

When I heard it, it made perfect sense. After being discharged on the 29th, we spent a day with Woohee. Then, on the afternoon of the 30th, we visited my parents’ home and left Woohee with them.

I felt extremely uncomfortable leaving Woohee who was born not long ago, but my mother’s pointed remark that I would regret it forever if I didn’t do this moved me.

She also secretly instructed me that women remember all these little things even if they pretend not to, so I should set aside a day to let her do whatever she wants without giving her any reason to complain later. But that’s just between us.

Anyway, finding ourselves alone for the first time in a while, we spontaneously went on a trip. With Woohee at home, we couldn’t go too far, so we went to Gangwon Province, about a three-hour drive away. There was no special reason. I’d heard that winter pensions in Gangwon Province have such a great atmosphere, so I was curious about how good they really were.

It took about three hours to get there. I thought the highway would be completely jammed because of the year-end, but the traffic wasn’t bad, so we arrived exactly when the navigation estimated.

Yes, arriving early was good. But there was an unexpected obstacle. All the pensions in the Gangwon area were completely booked. Maybe because it was the end of the year, other groups coming to see the first sunrise had reserved all the pensions, leaving no room for us.

“Ah… there’s no room there either?”

[No. They’re all booked because it’s the end of the year. Would you like me to call you if there’s a no-show?]

“Ah, I see. Yes, please do that.”

Click. The call ended. Hwa Nabi, sitting in the passenger seat, looked at me with worried eyes.

“Husband, they don’t have rooms there either?”

“Yeah, seems they’re busy because it’s the weekend.”

“Hmm… I guess so? It’s the weekend and the end of the year, so a lot of people probably came for the first sunrise.”

“Right, I didn’t think of that…”

This was my mistake. I was too careless. With the weekend coinciding with the year-end, it was natural that many people would gather. I should have made room reservations first.

Hmm, I would have been more careful normally, but I must have been excited about traveling with Hwa Nabi and made a mistake I don’t usually make. I shouldn’t be like this. I felt regret, but it was already too late. Now was the time to think of a solution, not regret.

But there wasn’t really any clever solution. I had called all the pensions in the area, and none had vacancies.

What should we do about this situation? I held the steering wheel and pondered for a moment. Time was passing relentlessly even as I thought. We couldn’t spend our rare weekend together just sitting in the car, could we?

If this doesn’t work out, maybe we should consider turning around and going back…

—Ring ring.

Just then, my phone rang. The timing was so coincidental that I thought it was the pension owner calling to tell me about a no-show, but the caller was someone unexpected.

“Hello.”

[Ah, hello. Han Siwoo? It’s Im Hansol.]

“Oh, I know. What’s up?”

[What do you mean ‘what’s up’? I called to chat a bit since it’s the end of the year. Are you busy right now?]

“Well… I’m busy if I am, and not if I’m not.”

The caller was none other than Im Hansol. His voice sounded a bit worn out from fatigue. Well, being a soldier, every day must be a series of exhausting tasks.

Thinking that, I glanced to the side. Hwa Nabi was asking with her eyes who it was. I mouthed “Im Hansol” to her.

[Really? Should I hang up and call back later?]

“I’m outside, but I have time for a quick call.”

[If you’re outside, isn’t it more inconvenient to talk?]

“No, that’s not the case…”

I explained the situation to Im Hansol. We came to Gangwon Province with Hwa Nabi to see the first sunrise, but we didn’t make reservations, so there were no vacancies. So we were resting by the roadside with nowhere to go.

After hearing the whole story, Im Hansol thought for a moment and then asked me:

[How long would it take to get from there to Gangneung?]

“Well, I’d have to check the navigation, but it should take about an hour at most?”

[Then, if you’re okay with it, would you like to try a place I recommend? There’s a spot that’s perfect for watching the sunrise.]

“Huh? A place you recommend?”

[Yeah. I found a place when I was looking for a pension at the end of last year. There’s a nice place on the outskirts of Gangneung. The facilities are decent, but it’s not well-known to people, so there aren’t many guests. If you go out a little, the surrounding scenery and atmosphere are amazing. It should be good for you and your wife.]

“Oh, really? Where is it? I’ll go check it out now.”

[Wait, I don’t remember the exact address either, so let me ask and send it to you via KakaoTalk. Is that okay?]

“Yeah, of course that’s fine.”

He’s offering to help us when we have nowhere to go, so I can happily wait for that. The call ended, and about five minutes later, a KakaoTalk message with the address arrived. When I entered it into the navigation, it showed the outskirts of Gangneung. No wonder people would have a hard time finding it.

Anyway, I immediately called the place. After brief pleasantries, I asked if they had any vacancies, and they replied in a monotone voice that they did.

“Ah, really? Then please reserve a room for two. Yes, yes. I’m on my way now. I think I’ll arrive in about an hour. Yes, understood.”

“Husband, what did they say? Do they have vacancies?”

“Yeah, they do. I’ve made a reservation. They said we just need to arrive within two hours.”

“Ah, really? That’s a relief.”

Hwa Nabi finally seemed relieved as she sighed. I set the route on the navigation and immediately sent a thank-you message to Im Hansol.

Me [Hey, thanks a lot. I’ll treat you to a meal later.]

Im Hansol [Why would you buy me a meal for something like this? Forget the meal and have a good time with your wife lol]

Me [Alright, enjoy the end of the year. Happy New Year in advance.]

Im Hansol [Yeah~ Siwoo, you too, enjoy the end of the year and Happy New Year.]

As soon as I finished the KakaoTalk conversation, the light turned green. I released the handbrake, stepped on the accelerator, and smiled. It’s really true that having a wide network of connections is beneficial. When you know many people, you can get help from unexpected places like this.

I really made a good friend. I’m not just saying this—I should treat him to a nice meal somewhere later.

“But, husband, the place Im Hansol told us about is a pension, right?”

“Yeah, he said he found it while looking for a pension, so it must be a pension.”

“Really? That’s strange. Why does Naver say it’s a concept hotel?”

“Well, I’m not sure. I can’t really answer because I don’t know either.”

I think it’s probably just called a hotel but is actually a pension. As I just said, I haven’t been there myself, so I can’t be certain. The quickest way to know for sure is to go and check it out. Judging by how Hwa Nabi is talking, there doesn’t seem to be much detailed information available.

“Well, we’ll find out when we get there. Surely your friend wouldn’t recommend a strange place, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true. If it were Park Sehyun, I might be worried, but Im Hansol isn’t the type to trick people.”

“Tsk, husband. You shouldn’t speak ill of others when they’re not around.”

“He’s done enough wrong to me that it’s okay.”

He’s introduced more than ten women to me through Hwa Nabi, and he’s made strange requests that have put me in difficult situations more than once. For example, that coffee shop incident last time—he asked me to get a number for him, but when I went, the person turned out to be a man.

Even if it was based on a misunderstanding, I just can’t forgive him. Just thinking about it makes me bolt upright in bed.

“Turn right here.”

“Thank you.”

I almost took the wrong road while lost in thought. I quickly turned the steering wheel to the right to get back on the correct route.

“It’ll take over an hour to get there, right?”

“Yeah, but if there’s traffic, it might take an hour and a half? It might take a bit longer, so if you’re tired, feel free to take a nap. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

“How could I sleep while you’re driving next to me?”

Her words are kind, but her expression doesn’t look good. It’s probably because she’s still recovering from childbirth, so her condition isn’t 100% normal yet.

When I suggested again that she should rest a bit, Hwa Nabi closed her eyes as if she had no choice. Then she gently placed her hand on my right hand, which was on the gear shift, and murmured in a small voice.

“Ah, I’m looking forward to it.”

“The sunrise?”

“That too, and something else.”

“Something else? What else?”

“Heh… just, something.”

“I see…?”