Guidance-3

“Sia, water.”

A voice came from beside Yoon Sia, who was sitting on the caregiver’s bed, head bowed, looking at her phone.

Yoon Sia skillfully tilted the half-empty water bottle and poured lukewarm water into a cup.

“Here.”

She handed over the cup, and her father took it and brought it to his lips.

Recently, the strength in his hands had returned enough for him to hold the cup himself.

The water went in, and his Adam’s apple moved.

Glug, glug. As if the pain he had endured had become a thirst, he drank the water in succession.

“How do you feel?”

His daughter asked, watching him.

The gray-haired man gave a soft, albeit somewhat weak, smile.

“I’m okay.”

“The Divine Doctor said you’re getting better and better.”

She couldn’t even remember when her father had fallen ill.

Whether the period was actually short or long didn’t really matter. It felt like it had been over ten years.

That fact was what mattered.

[It’s not that there weren’t any cases, but it’s a very unusual situation.]

The exhausted Divine Doctor’s explanation still played vividly in her mind.

The fact that they had emerged from a long, dark tunnel of misfortune was what mattered.

“I wonder when I’ll be able to leave the hospital.”

The middle-aged man muttered, looking out at the falling leaves.

“Hearing you talk about leaving the hospital, it seems like you’re all better. But the Divine Doctor said to observe the progress, so please be patient.”

Yoon Sia chuckled.

At school, at the hospital, and even during tutoring,

She felt like she was laughing more these days.

“Sia, was everything alright?”

Her mother entered as the door to the hospital room opened.

Judging by her attire, it seemed she had stopped by the house after going to the market.

“Yeah, everything was fine.”

Yoon Sia stood up and brushed off her wrinkled pants.

“Are you leaving right away?”

Unlike usual, when they would chat, her mother asked, seeing her packing her things.

“Ah, yeah… I have a lot of homework.”

Yoon Sia exchanged brief greetings with her parents and left the hospital.

A cafe with jazzy piano music.

Yoon Sia, who had secured a spot in the corner of the cafe, a haven for study-goers, was doing her homework while searching for information on her phone.

She transcribed the data by hand onto A4 paper.

It would be nice to have a laptop, but her financial situation was still too tight to buy one.

Perhaps it was because she had been moving her hand non-stop, but she felt a muscle pull, so she put down her pen and massaged her wrist with her other hand.

“I wonder what Inho is doing.”

Before she even realized it, the words popped out of her mouth.

Yoon Sia’s eyes widened for a moment, then she chuckled and rested her chin on her hand.

‘I thought I’d never have a reason to laugh again… I’ve been laughing a lot lately.’

She thought.

She went to the bathroom. Her reflection was in the mirror.

It was different from the image she had in her mind.

Contrary to her expectation of a gloomy face with tightly pursed lips, the woman in the mirror was wearing a faint smile.

It was unfamiliar, but a good look.

“Pretty.”

Yoon Sia muttered.

She picked up her phone.

She had received a text message from an online shopping mall asking her to confirm the purchase of a delivered item.

She mechanically pressed the button and returned to her seat.

She still had a lot to do.

After moving my hand non-stop, it feels like my wrist has stretched out.

Ugh—my hand hurts so much. I should look into getting a laptop when I get paid next month.

If I’m just going to use it for internet and word processing, I should be able to buy one for under a million won… I heard there are a lot of good used ones these days.

[Alighting.]

After scanning my transportation card and getting off the bus, a familiar return route unfolded.

“It’s dark.”

An alleyway with few streetlights welcomes me.

I wonder when streetlights will be installed, maybe it’s faster to leave this neighborhood before that happens?

I lead the way with my worn-out sneakers.

Inward, further inward… I walk this dark road towards home, my haven.

I look at the sky.

Unlike the city sky, I could see the moon and stars today.

Although their brightness is not very impressive, just a very faint one.

Inho, why do I think of the brilliant light of the moon and stars on the hill we saw together?

Maybe it was because you were by my side?

Our first meeting wasn’t very good. You were annoyed by me, and I didn’t understand you.

I thought our established relationship would never change.

But, I was wrong.

You’ve changed so much that I can’t even remember what you used to be like, and your eyes are shining.

That’s right. Just like the moonlight back then.

Is it a coincidence that the situation around us started to change from the moment you started trying to change?

My dad. He’ll be able to leave the hospital soon.

We still have debt, but we’ll be able to pay it off soon.

There’s no causal relationship, but I think it’s thanks to you.

Because as you started to change, I was able to get out of this long tunnel.

It’s still just the end of the tunnel, but that’s why I can clearly feel the light flickering in front of me getting bigger and bigger.

Thank you. You’ll grumble that it has nothing to do with you, but I think I owe you a lot.

For listening to my classes, for my dad getting better, for saving me in that park…

I’ve been helped by you, so now I want to help you.

I hope you don’t miss the opportunity to walk the right path and dream of a bright future.

So….

With a shriek, a woman fell to the street.

And in front of her, another woman stood blankly, looking down at the woman crawling on the ground as if she were a bug.

“I warned you.”

“Ah, ugh… it hurts….”

The woman crawled on the ground, the pain not easily subsiding.

“Is she short-sighted, or just stupid… no, probably both?”

The voice of the person pitying her with a pitiful face was filled with ridicule.

“You, in your hand… that….”

The other person, having regained her composure, staggered to her feet.

The person facing her had something plastic in her hand.

It was an object that made a crackling sound when a button was pressed.

‘So, Inho.’

‘Even if I do something like this… you have to understand.’

Yoon Sia looked down emotionlessly at Shin Jeonga, who was panting as she stood up.