Chapter 1035: Side Story – Reunion (2)

Han Min-ah’s expression was anything but bright during her visit to Yeongnak Park. Though, it was a place that housed a funeral hall and a columbarium, so it was inherently impossible for it to have a bright atmosphere.

Since Han Min-ah wouldn’t have brought me here for no reason, it probably meant someone important to her was located somewhere here.

And I was starting to get a hunch about who that person might be, but I wasn’t so clueless as to blurt it out.

“…I’m here to prove family relation for an unidentified deceased person.”

“Yes, I’ll confirm that for you. Do you have your resident registration card or driver’s license?”

“…Here.”

“What was the name of the deceased?”

“H-Han Joohee, and… L-Lee Wooseok… sir.”

…Those were the names of Min-ah’s mother and father, names I’d heard before.

They were quite busy people, so I hadn’t seen them often, but they seemed to have a pretty good relationship as a couple.

“Your identity has been confirmed. We’ll bring you the personal effects of the two individuals, and you can verify if they belong to Han Min-ah’s family.”

“Yes, yes…”

I silently held Han Min-ah, who had uttered the two names with a trembling voice, and waited for the guide staff to return.

The box in the staff member’s hand contained a worn-out wallet and two mobile phones, and Han Min-ah nodded silently as she accepted the box.

The place where Min-ah’s parents were enshrined was Yeongnak Park’s Columbarium Hall No. 3.

I recalled Min-ah telling me before that her mother’s side, despite having three children, was still active as a Hunter.

And her father’s side wasn’t an official Hunter, but he had obtained a temporary Hunter license and worked alongside Min-ah’s mother. It seemed he took on the role of a porter, as they needed to collect as much material as possible.

And the fact that those two are enshrined here means they died while active in a dungeon located in the Busan area. Unidentified Hunters who died in dungeons in this vicinity are mostly enshrined here.

It’s unclear whether Min-ah didn’t receive contact at the time of their deaths because her younger siblings were minors, or if she didn’t hear the news for some other reason. Perhaps it was simply an error in the administrative process, and the procedure was omitted.

“Did I mention it last year? That after the 5-year missing person report period passed for my mom and dad, the life insurance payout came through…”

“…Yeah. And I even said that combined with the money saved up until then, we were going to move.”

“After that, the insurance company seemed to have searched for my parents’ identities. If they had paid out the life insurance without them being deceased, they would have intended to reclaim it.”

“……”

“In the end, thanks to the insurance company, we found my parents like this, so it’s fortunate… though it’s far too late.”

Han Min-ah murmured nonchalantly in front of the columbarium where the urns bearing her mother and father’s names were enshrined.

Perhaps because she had already cried several times, the corners of her eyes were stained with red marks.

“To be honest, I still thought maybe they were alive somewhere.”

“……”

“Leaving me, Jin-ah, and Seon-ah behind, maybe they were living happily somewhere… I thought that.”

“……”

“Believing that, I truly wished with all my heart that it was so…”

“……”

“To meet them again like this… in this way… I really didn’t want this…”

I couldn’t say anything in front of her, who was pouring out her overwhelming emotions. Because I couldn’t be sure if anything I said now could offer any comfort.

I too had experienced losing family in a similar way… but Min-ah, unaware of that fact, only learned of their deaths six years later.

The sense of loss for the time that had passed would probably feel even greater than what I experienced.

“Now, I earn good money too… We could all live together even if Mom and Dad didn’t have to work…”

“Han Min-ah…”

“If they had just come back physically intact, we could have all lived together… I wouldn’t have minded going back to that basement apartment we used to live in…”

“……”

“Why… Why did it turn out like this when everything was resolved… sob, honestly, whyyyyy…”

Han Min-ah, unable to hold back her flowing tears and sobbing continuously, showed the most vulnerable side I had ever seen.

“……”

“Sob, waaaah… waaaaaah…”

All I could do was hold Han Min-ah, who was crying like a child, tightly in my arms and comfort her in silence.

“…Y-You can let go now, Sung Taekyung.”

Han Min-ah, after sobbing in my arms for over ten minutes, then spent about another 30 minutes trembling while still held. Including the time after her emotions calmed down, she had been held in my arms for nearly an hour before she carefully spoke to me.

“Are you calm now?”

“Yeah, so…”

“Stay like this just a little longer, though.”

“……”

–Squeeze.

Perhaps my words weren’t entirely unwelcome, Han Min-ah responded by tightening her grip on my waist.

Only after holding her for about five more minutes did I release her from my embrace, and a small tear stain marked my chest where Han Min-ah’s face had been buried until moments ago.

“Ah, sorry…”

“It’s fine, I can just wipe it off with purification magic.”

“…Still.”

“But I kind of feel like leaving it. It seems like this is the first time I’ve seen you cry your eyes out like that, Min-ah.”

“W-What are you saying… Wipe it off quickly, you punk…”

Perhaps my teasing lightened her mood a bit, Han Min-ah gave a slight smile despite blushing.

After confirming her slightly brighter expression, I erased the tear stain on my chest with a purification spell.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“You already apologized earlier.”

“Not that, but for bringing me here without saying anything…”

“I said I’d come. Why is that an issue?”

“…It’s not exactly a pleasant place to visit together. You must have been a bit taken aback when you arrived here too, right?”

I couldn’t deny that. When Min-ah suggested going to Busan, I even thought she might want a beach date.

However, I didn’t feel bad about the place she brought me to being the columbarium where her parents were enshrined. Rather, it felt like Han Min-ah considered me someone she could rely on, especially at times like these.

“I didn’t want to come alone… Because if I truly realized my parents had passed away, I felt like I’d cry pathetically alone like just now…”

“What’s pathetic about it? That’s perfectly natural.”

“…Anyway, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I probably would have brought Jin-ah and Seon-ah, and if I had, I think we’d still be crying right now.”

“That’s likely true. Seeing how much you cried, Min-ah, Jin-ah and Seon-ah would probably be even worse.”

“…Are you talking in a way that sounds like you’re teasing me?”

Responding to Min-ah’s teasing with a shrug, I clasped my hands together in prayer before the two urns inscribed with the names of Min-ah’s mother and father… Han Joohee and Lee Wooseok.

“Min-ah’s Father, Min-ah’s Mother. I will take responsibility for Min-ah and her siblings until the very end.”

“……”

“I’ll make sure they don’t suffer and live happily from now on, so please don’t worry.”

“…What are you even saying, really.”

Han Min-ah replied incredulously to my statement, but it didn’t matter. At least she no longer denied the fact that I had promised to take responsibility for her.

As we exited Yeongnak Park, it was around 1 PM.

Despite leaving quite early in the morning, we had spent time on travel and various matters, pushing past lunchtime.

There were restaurants inside the park, but we decided to head outside first, fearing it might just amplify the funeral atmosphere.

“S-Sung Taekyung.”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t tell Jin-ah and Seon-ah about this yet.”

“Because potentially upsetting them emotionally at this time might make things difficult for them?”

“…You know well.”

It seemed she was considering the shock Jin-ah and Seon-ah would experience upon learning of their parents’ deaths, especially since they were diligently building their achievements and raising their Hunter ranks.

I nodded at Han Min-ah’s words, as I hadn’t intended to tell them in the first place.

“I wasn’t planning on telling them anyway. This is something you should tell them, not me.”

“…Right.”

“Still, it would be better not to wait too long. They’re already adults by age, you can’t hide it forever.”

“…I know. I’ll tell them before it’s too late.”

“I’m hungry. Where should we eat lunch? Since we came all the way to Busan, shouldn’t we at least have some Milmyeon or Dwaeji Gukbap before heading back?”

“Let’s go for Gukbap. I’ll treat you.”

“Okay, then. Do you know a place? If not, I’ll turn on Beeiver and search right now.”

“Y-You figure it out, Sung Taekyung. I’m not good at finding those kinds of things.”

“Alright.”

“‘Esila, find me a Dwaeji Gukbap place around here. One that’s clean and not too expensive.'”

“‘Initiating search for a clean and cost-effective Dwaeji Gukbap restaurant.'”

As I pretended to open a smartphone app to ask Esila for the search, Han Min-ah’s next words followed.

“After lunch, let’s go see the sea for a bit.”

“Huh?”

“I just… feel like seeing it…”

“Okay, then. Do whatever you want, Min-ah.”

Today, I’ll just focus on cheering her up the whole day. Because people who usually show only strength need time to recover their spirits when they’re struggling.