episode_0119

***

Inho’s eyes opened brightly in the darkness.

In the past, I would have tried to fall asleep while feeling restless, but strangely, my eyes were so cloudy that I felt like I couldn’t sleep any longer.

“…….”

As Inho slowly stood up, the blanket that was up to his neck went down and caught around his waist.

Inho scratched his neck as he stared out into the still darkness outside.

“I’m fully awake.”

It seems that Emma’s shave was so comfortable that he fell asleep.

Inho’s last memory was of a chair, but Inho thought he had moved to the bed in his sleep.

He forced his discordant joints to move and got out of bed.

He stood in front of the window.

The large window next to the bed was perfect for viewing the scenery, but it didn’t seem to be good at blocking the cold air from outside.

Although it would be unfair to compare it with advanced modern construction methods.

“It’s frustrating.”

The outside air coming in through the small cracks in the window doesn’t seem to be able to ventilate the stuffiness in the room.

Big, big. Inho cleared his throat and opened the door to his room to get some fresh air.

The door opened, and a dark hallway greeted him.

Inho put a candle in the lamp in the room and left the room. It was a so-called medieval flashlight.

-Squeak Squeak

Every time Inho took a step, a sound came from the floor.

The silent mansion exaggerated all the old man’s actions.

Inho walked slowly down the hallway with heavy legs, and when he reached the stairs, he heard the door open next to his room.

“Master?”

Emma, dressed rather comfortably, called out to him.

“Ah.”

It wasn’t like he was caught doing something he shouldn’t have done, but Inho didn’t know what to say so he stayed quiet.

While Inho remained silent, Emma approached quickly.

“……”

And then I looked closely at Inho’s face, revealed in the faint light of the candle.

“Are you the owner?”

It was a question that implied many things.

“That’s right. You shaved my beard.”

It didn’t take long for Inho to realize what Emma was afraid of.

He smiled kindly and stroked Emma’s hair with his free hand.

“Thank goodness.”

Emma rubbed her chest, as if relieved.

“Did I wake you up?”

Inho asked, fearing that he might have woken up someone who was sleeping soundly.

“No. Around this time, I wake up and get ready for work. The owner woke up earlier than usual.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Did you need anything?”

“Ah… I was feeling stuffy so I thought I would get some outside air.”

“Then, could you wait for 5 minutes? The day is cold.”

Emma headed somewhere without even listening to Inho’s answer.

In-ho, who could not go down the stairs or go back to his room, waited in an awkward position for about 5 minutes, and then Emma came back carrying a thick fur coat.

She carefully held out the fur coat, and Inho stretched out his arm and put it on.

It was already difficult for me to move, but the fur clothes seemed to make me even more sluggish, and I didn’t like it.

However, Emma’s consideration for herself was remarkable, so she decided not to show it.

“Please understand even if it is heavy. I think I would be very heartbroken if my master caught a cold.”

Emma, who penetrated my inner thoughts like a ghost, spoke quietly.

“No, it’s okay. It’s warm and nice.”

In-ho answered immediately and carefully went down the stairs.

That’s how the early morning walk began.

Since it was the season when the sun rose late, it didn’t seem much different from the night.

But as Inho was walking through the garden at a slow pace, he could see the morning coming dimly from afar.

Emma followed In-ho half a step behind and, like a docent, explained in detail what In-ho was paying attention to as he walked through the garden.

It was no secret that he was a well-known writer when he was young, and he received quite a few gifts.

“I heard the doctor came today, right?”

“Yes. He said he would come before lunch.”

“Does it take a long time?”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had an inspection, but I don’t think it will take that long.”

“It would be good to be healthy. Right?”

When Inho turned around with a grin, Emma stopped dead in her tracks when she saw his face.

“Emma?”

Seeing Emma looking at him in a dazed state, Inho called her name.

“Ah… Ah! yes. yes. It’s good to be healthy.”

Emma turned her head, blushing.

***

As Emma said, the doctor visited before lunch, when Inho was enjoying tea time after breakfast.

In-ho thought of an old man like himself, but was slightly surprised when a younger doctor came than he expected.

The doctor carefully examined In-ho’s body as he sat on the bed and asked him a few questions.

In-ho answered the question appropriately, and the doctor wrote something down on the paper he brought with him.

At a glance, Inho tried to see what the doctor was writing, but it was made up of strange letters and he couldn’t make out.

Just like being dropped into the martial arts world, words seemed to work, but writing didn’t seem to work.

“It’s not bad. You are healthy. Would you mind writing a new work? Hahahaha.”

The doctor smiled kindly, and In-ho smiled back.

The doctor stood up while inserting the test tool, and In-ho also stood up and held out his hand.

The doctor held hands and said that he missed In-ho’s writing.

“My father and I really like your writing.”

“It’s an honor.”

“New work, waiting for you.”

“Yes.”

As I was about to send the doctor away with a warm smile, the doctor who was leaving the door turned and looked at Emma.

“Ah, Miss Emma.”

“Yes.”

“For your health, I have a few simple precautions… Is it okay for a moment? It would be nice if it was a quiet place.”

The doctor glanced sideways at Inho, and Emma didn’t miss the signal.

“Please follow me. Master, please excuse me for a moment.”

“Then I will stay in the garden for a while.”

“Uhm… Then, could you please stay where you can see the window?”

“Okay. Don’t worry.”

Leaving Emma and the doctor behind, Inho went out to the garden again.

While walking slowly, he heard a voice calling him from somewhere.

“Teacher. Teacher Inho.”

When I turned my head towards the sound, the man who visited yesterday was calling to him.

Inho slowly approached the front door.

With an iron gate in the middle, an old man and a young man face each other.

“Teacher. You remember me, right? This is Hans from the general store.”

“Ah… general store. I feel like I remember it…”

Inho didn’t necessarily lie and say he knew.

The man in front of Inho was a very impressive young man.

Why did he call me like that? Inho became a little curious.

“But what happened?”

“It’s no different, you have Emma at your house, right?”

“Yes. Yes.”

“You know there will be a village festival soon, right?”

“Festival?”

“Oh, you didn’t know. Anyway, it’s a village festival soon. Young people in the village dance in pairs.”

“It’s a good custom.”

” Right? Ah, anyway. I asked Emma to dance. Emma said she was too busy with work at the mansion…”

Hans kept smiling and rolling his eyes here and there.

“So what do you want to say?”

Inho, who was a little tired of the superficial conversation, threw a fastball.

“If you don’t mind… If you could ease Emma’s workload a little on the festival day… Hehehe!!!”

Hans, who was vaguely explaining his purpose, was startled when he saw something.

“Hmm?”

When Inho turned towards the place where his gaze was focused, Emma and the doctor were standing there, looking at Hans with expressionless faces.

“Master, the doctor is passing away.”

“Ah, I guess the conversation is over. Thank you for today.”

“Haha, what? Please take care of your health, Teacher Inho.”

The door opens and the doctor comes out.

The maid politely greeted the doctor and closed the iron door with a loud bang.

“……”

And he just glared at Hans.

Inho, who was thrown into an uncomfortable silence, was embarrassed and spoke first.

“Emma, do you want to go to the festival?”

-Paddeuk

At Inho’s question, the sound of something grinding was heard from Emma’s mouth.

“No, master. I will never go to a festival or anything like that.”

“Ah… really? I was just going to say that I could go if I couldn’t go because of work…”

“Master. You have to have lunch soon, so let’s go in now.”

“Ah, okay. That… Hans. It seems like it would be best for the two of us to handle the festival on our own.”

Inho, overwhelmed by Emma’s momentum, quickly said hello to Hans and entered the mansion.

“…Emma. Um… Hey, what is this?”

“…Mr. Hans.”

After seeing Inho enter the mansion, Emma lowered her voice and growled.

“If you keep making noise, I will kill you.”

Before Hans could reply, Emma turned and followed her master.

Hans muttered as he watched Emma walking away.

“Wow… You’re also pretty when you’re angry.”

It seemed that Emma’s warning did not reach Hans properly.

***

Upon returning to the mansion, Emma caught the sight of In-ho, who had just gone up to the second floor and entered his room.

“…Master.”

Emma desperately called out to her owner.

Emma recalled her conversation with the doctor.

‘I couldn’t say it in front of the teacher, but I felt like Miss Emma needed to know.’

‘It is not always a good thing for a dementia patient to temporarily regain energy and resume normal activities.’

‘Be prepared because the patient may be burning the last of his life.’

‘What should I prepare?’

Emma asked the doctor as she felt a piece of metal falling on her chest.

The doctor didn’t hide his mixed emotions and looked straight at Emma.

‘Prepare to send your master away.’

“What should I do, my master? What should I do because I feel sorry for you?”

Emma’s face, which seemed unbreakable, suddenly collapsed like a broken embankment.