episode_0207

Slowly, haltingly. Her pronunciation was stiff, beyond clumsy. Her voice was cracked and unnatural in pitch. It was as if she had forgotten how to speak during that time.

Miri’s voice, expressing emotions softly and with difficulty, was heartbreaking.

But the fact that her tightly sealed lips had opened. At this fact, people could not hide their joy and surprise rather than sorrow.

“Sh-she spoke?!”

At Dong-woo’s surprise, the atmosphere instantly became noisy. “That’s great,” “Thank goodness,” and so on. Even with just a word from each person, it was chaotic.

Amidst the warm uproar, the family of three held each other tightly.

“Miri. It’s Daddy. Say ‘Daddy.’ Okay?”

“……”

Instead of speaking, Miri burrowed deeper into her daddy’s arms.

It was a cute scene, but it felt a little different to me. A feeling like, ‘What if Daddy disappears if I let go?’

She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her daddy’s clothes tightly with her tiny trembling hands, refusing to let go.

At his daughter’s pitiful reaction, the father burst into tears again.

His wife, the child’s mother, also shed copious tears…

‘…Oh dear…’

I had expected joy, not such a scene of wailing.

It’s not that I don’t understand, but at this rate, they’re going to cry themselves sick.

They’ve cried more than enough already.

Just as I was about to step in and calm them down.

“That’s enough! If you cry any more, you’ll scare the child!”

“Eh? Yes?”

The grandmother stepped forward decisively.

“I know you’re happy, but at this rate, all three of you are going to collapse. Control your emotions now.”

“Ah…”

“Pull yourselves together and take care of your wife and daughter.”

“Ah… Yes, yes. Th-that’s right.”

Miri’s daddy answered well, but perhaps because he was crying and disoriented, he spoke incoherently, blinking at the grandmother.

“But wh-who are you?”

“Me? I’m the maid of this house.”

“Cough-!”

I choked on my saliva at the grandmother’s words.

A grandmother as a maid. A maid?

“Ma-maid, what?”

“Grandmother. What do you mean, a maid…?”

When I asked instead of Miri’s bewildered daddy, the grandmother grinned mischievously and bantered.

“I cook, do laundry, clean, and look after the baby. Isn’t that a maid?”

“No…”

There was nothing wrong with the grandmother’s words. Nothing wrong, but…

The maid I knew wasn’t like this…

…It was a complicated feeling.

Anyway, at the grandmother’s shocking declaration, the tear glands did stop flowing for a moment.

Taking advantage of that, the grandmother began to gently persuade them.

“The child missed her daddy very much. Very, very much.”

“……”

“But! You’ve met after such hardship, are you just going to keep bawling? Look at the child’s face. It’s already swollen!”

“Ah, ugh…”

“Smile for her. You should smile on this good day!”

“Th-that’s right.”

Miri’s daddy exclaimed “Ah!” then quickly wiped away his tears.

And then he showed a smile…

“Is that smiling?”

“……”

“Try to smile properly.”

“Th-this is…”

“Smile and tell your child you love her.”

“…Miri. Daddy loves you.”

“Louder.”

“Miri. I love you.”

“Even louder!”

“My daughter! I love you!”

“Good. Now that’s more like it.”

Everyone wore a pleased expression at the sudden declaration of love.

Thanks to the grandmother stepping in, the flood of tears had at least stopped.

Miri’s daddy, who had obediently followed every command…

He seemed to be a genuinely simple-hearted man, just as he appeared.

When the crying subsided, thinking this was the moment, I subtly stepped forward.

“Please calm down.”

“Ah, Seonghan. Th-that, oh dear… I’m sorry. I just…”

Miri’s parents were covered in tears yet smiling.

Their appearance was a mess, but not entirely bad.

Since they seemed to have calmed down a bit, I introduced them to my companions.

“As you can see, this is Miri’s father.”

“Ah, hello. I’m Jonghoon Choi.”

“Miri’s father-nim. These people reside here and help and rely on each other. Everyone has been very fond of Miri.”

“Ah! Thank you! Thank you very much!”

A deep sense of relief flickered across Miri’s daddy’s face as he bowed his head while holding Miri.

In that moment, I motioned for the two women to come closer.

“And… this is Lawrence and Heize.”

“Hello. I Eva Heize.”

“Greetings. I am Blair Lawrence.”

Even though their Korean was clumsy, everyone’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the two women greeting brightly.

“A-Americans!”

“Hey. Just because they’re foreigners, does that mean they’re all Americans?”

“Yes, they are Americans.”

“Ah…?!”

While I was answering Dong-woo and Incheol, Representative Choi subtly approached.

“Seonghan-ssi, what is their relationship…?”

“That… I’ll explain one by one. First—”

“Wait.”

Once again, the grandmother stepped forward.

“Young man.”

“Yes, Grandmother.”

“Did you forget something?”

“Something… I forgot?”

‘Should I have brought a gift?’

I regretted not bringing anything from Konkuk University Shelter…

The grandmother clicked her tongue, muttering, “Tsk tsk~!”

I pretended not to hear her quietly grumbling, ‘That’s why men are like this!’

“How long has it been since you returned, young man?”

“About half a month… Ah!”

I looked at the grandmother, who was making a mischievous expression.

I grimaced, realizing my oversight, and smiled wryly.

Then, I slowly opened my mouth.

“…I’m back.”

That was the correct answer.

The grandmother changed to a warm smile and patted my arm reassuringly.

“You suffered a lot in the cold, didn’t you? Welcome back.”

“…Yes.”

Starting with the grandmother, everyone rushed to greet me.

Everyone treated me with bright smiles without exception.

At the warm feeling, the corners of my mouth involuntarily curved upward slightly.

While exchanging greetings, Shia took half a step closer from among the crowd.

“…It’s been a long time, Oppa.”

“Oh. Have you been well?”

“Yes. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

Shia, seen after a long time, was…

She felt somehow more radiant, fairer, and sparkling.

‘……’

A fresh, sweet scent from Shia tickled my nose.

Just a little, subtly.

“……”

“……”

“Are you two shooting a drama?”

I shot a glare at the source of the aggressive, teasing remark and saw Hyuk hyung smiling.

“Hyung. Have you been well?”

“I’ve been well.”

Instead of many words, we exchanged a firm handshake.

The moment I held his hand, I felt the calluses just starting to form on his palm.

As if he had done something…

“My God…”

“Jesus…”

Exclamations flowed from the two women beside us.

“Ji-Jihyeok?! Really? Really?”

“It’s true???”

“What. You know Hyung?”

At my words, the two American women covered their mouths.

I was bewildered by the two women’s reactions, but Hyung sported a triumphant smile.

‘See that?’

That was exactly the feeling.

“Prince Hyuk!”

“……!!!”

“……What?”

For a moment, I doubted my ears.

I wondered if I had misheard the sudden title, but no.

As proof, Hyung’s eyes were severely twitching.

‘Aha?’

“Hooo… so you were a prince?”

“…Heh…”

He was clenching his teeth and struggling to maintain his expression, trying not to crumble.

It was a rare and precious sight.

‘This Hyung… he was called like this, huh.’

Unlike me, who was thinking this, the two American women’s eyes were sparkling.

I decided to hear their story later…

“Alright, alright. How about everyone takes a seat first?”

Representative Choi stepped forward to organize and lead the chaotic atmosphere.

Thanks to him, it finally became a place where we could talk.

Representative Choi, now seated, began to speak with a smile.

“We knew, but it’s a relief to see you safe and sound. Everyone was very worried.”

“…Thank you.”

It was a polite remark, but the sincerity in his words was palpable.

“We expected a long journey, but it seems to have concluded much faster than anticipated.”

“It just happened that way.”

“Did your trip go well?”

“Yes. The results were good, and they seemed very satisfied on their end.”

“Ohh…”

“Because of that, Konkuk University Shelter is probably quite busy right now.”

I briefly summarized the past two weeks’ schedule and told them about it.

Entering Yongsan Base, meeting Heize, and discovering supplies.

Even though I only spoke briefly, everyone listened to the story with great interest.

They marveled at the story of the two Americans surviving alone in the hotel room and marveled again at the retrieval of a large quantity of supplies.

“…That’s a truly incredible haul.”

It seemed he had estimated the value after hearing about the supplies airlifted by helicopter for over two weeks.

As expected, Representative Choi is a quick thinker.

“Organizing all that won’t be easy either.”

“Indeed, they’re in chaos because of that very issue right now.”

When I told him about the situation at Konkuk University Shelter, Representative Choi let out a refreshing laugh.

Nodding and collecting his thoughts, he subtly remarked.

“Then, I suppose we’ll have to visit again.”

“That’s the plan.”

I handed Representative Choi the file I had received from Representative Kim.

Representative Choi took it, opened it, and immediately recognized what it was.

“Byeongsu and I will handle the liaison.”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“Then… shouldn’t you rest for a while?”

“Hmm… I should. I really missed my bed.”

“Hahaha~”

Representative Choi, who was joking, urging me to “please use it,” began to ask the questions he had been curious about, one by one.

“You said Miss Lawrence and Miss Heize, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Those two are…”

“……”

I met the gaze of the two women who were looking at me expectantly from nearby.

“First, they said Lawrence would be difficult to care for at Konkuk University Shelter.”

“Is that so?”

“It was Dr. Jang Won-jang-nim’s opinion. He seemed to know a little about the situation here… and said that Teacher-nim Jang Heeyeon would be able to care for her sufficiently.”

At my words, Teacher-nim Jang Heeyeon nodded.

“I’m not a specialist, but I can take care of pregnant women.”

“And, I’d like to ask for your help with her nutritional needs.”

“Leave it to me.”

Teacher-nim Jang, who smiled softly and showed enthusiasm, was reliable.

Lawrence, who understood our conversation, also showed a degree of relief.

“As for Heize…”

“It’s a feeling.”

“…Hey.”

She cut in spiritedly with a clear voice.

“A woman’s intuition!”

“You really… don’t talk like that.”

“Mhm. Feeling says. Next to Han, safe. Reliable.”

“Is th-that so?”

“Yes. Seonghan trustworthy.”

For some reason, the grandmother and Shia looked at me with cold, disapproving eyes.

I quickly added an explanation.

“It seems she suffered a lot because of people while enduring. She said people were scary…”

“Hoo…”

“Was scared. Next to Han, relieved.”

“Oh, I see.”

People looked at Heize with intriguing gazes.

“We can stay here?”

“Yes? Oh, that’s…”

“Han said. If everyone not allow, out.”

“Hey, Seonghan-ah. Did you really say that?”

“Oppa. Really?”

People’s surprised gazes fixed on me.

“Yes. To be precise, I said I would send her back to Konkuk University Shelter.”

“Ahh…”

“It was just in case I might kick her out, you see.”

“Right? Hahah~ Ah, I got confused~”

A slight misunderstanding nearly occurred due to her clumsy Korean, but it passed smoothly.

“This isn’t a place where I live alone, you see. I want to hear everyone’s opinions.”

“Mmm.”

At my words, Representative Choi, Hyung, and the grandfather wore pleasant smiles.

“Seonghan-ssi says this, but what are your thoughts? For now, I’m in favor.”

“I also agree.”

“I agree as well.”

Starting with the three men’s opinions, others cautiously expressed their agreement.

It was expected, but everyone agreed.

Unexpectedly, the grandmother showed a very serious demeanor.

“Young man… having and raising a child is no ordinary matter. In a situation like this… you need to be even more careful and pay a lot of attention.”

“I know.”

It seemed she understood that I wasn’t just acting out of sympathy and inviting trouble for myself.

Hearing my clear answer, the grandmother appealed to her reliability, saying to leave the rest to her.

“With this, it’s unanimous.”

“Did you two hear that?”

“Mhm. Everyone thank you.”

Lawrence and Heize smiled in relief.

Putting detailed explanations aside for a moment, I looked at Incheol and Sohee-ssi.

“Incheol. And Sohee-ssi.”

I delivered the news to the two who were looking at me, wondering what was happening.

“He said to tell you that Sergeant Kang is healthy and doing well.”

“……What?”

“H-Hyung-nim? What are you saying now?”

“Sergeant Kang is alive.”

The two of them shot up from their seats.

“Is that, is that really true? He’s alive?”

“Hyung-nim! Really? Really really?”

“Yes. He’s healthy and perfectly fine. I met him with Miri’s father-nim.”

“Seeing Miri’s father-nim, I had a faint hope, but…!”

Sohee-ssi widened her eyes in surprise.

“But, then why…”

“It turns out many people are relying on Sergeant Kang.”

“Peo…ple?”

“He said he couldn’t leave the people who helped him when he was in hardship and difficulty.”

“Ahh…”

“Then, Hyung-nim. Where is Sergeant Kang now?”

“Konkuk University Shelter. That entire group decided to join them there.”

“Th-that…”

The two wore complicated expressions.

Regretful and frustrated… and very, very longing.

Sohee-ssi even teared up slightly.

“That idiot…”

Clenching her mouth shut, her eyes seemed to blaze.

“If you’re thinking of going there, stop that thought.”

“!”

“Movement is difficult right now because of the snow. We also came by helicopter.”

“He-helicopter?”

At the word “helicopter,” Dong-woo’s eyes widened.

“We picked one up from Yongsan Base. They gave us a ride, saying we worked hard.”

“Whoa~”

“We’ll have to go there again soon. Let’s go together then.”

“…Huu… I understand….”

Sohee-ssi’s eyelids trembled, and she regulated her breathing.

Incheol was looking at me, trying to gauge my reaction, as if…

“You’re going too, so know that.”

“…Hyung-nim…”

“Sohee-ssi. And Incheol.”

“?”

“If you have a desire to be with Sergeant Kang, you may go.”

At my words, people were startled.

The two people concerned were also greatly surprised.

“Sergeant Kang missed you two very much. But he endured it.”

“…That idiot….”

Incheol asked amidst the brief silence.

“Hyung-nim, are you okay with that?”

“As for me, it would be good if you two stayed. But can a person’s heart truly do as they wish? And…”

I hesitated for a moment, as the words felt awkward.

“Your connection with Sergeant Kang isn’t just an ordinary one, is it? That goes for me, and for you and Sohee-ssi as well.”

“……”

“You have time, so think about it slowly. Sohee-ssi, you too.”

“…I will.”

Sohee-ssi and Incheol are people who have been doing well in our shelter.

Their relationships with others are good, and they lack nothing.

Although they started with a good connection with me, Sergeant Kang’s is no less significant.

As complicated as their feelings are, I’m also a bit troubled.

With that same feeling, I spoke to Representative Choi.

“I apologize for speaking out of turn.”

“No. Not at all. I, too, owe Sergeant Kang my life.”

“…Ah.”

I had completely forgotten.

At that time, when we made the escape, this was the gentleman who drove the truck.

“It’s truly joyful news that he’s alive. If it’s for Sergeant Kang, I have no reason to refuse either. I simply respect your decisions.”

At Representative Choi’s words, which neatly put an end to the discussion, the chaotic atmosphere settled.

“Alright then… how about we assign rooms to the newly joined members and have a meal?”

“That sounds good.”

It was what I had hoped for.

How much I had missed warm, clean, delicious food.

A small sense of anticipation swelled at the sight of the grandmother, who was burning with enthusiasm.

But there was something to do before that.

“Miri’s father-nim.”

“Yes?”

“Please show me your arm.”

I requested it of Jonghoon Choi, who was holding Miri precious.

“Ah. Yes, yes. Just a moment… Honey. Miri, please…”

Miri’s daddy began to take off his clothes, telling his child to stay separated for a moment.

As I slowly approached, Teacher-nim Jang Heeyeon naturally followed.

Miri’s daddy had no reluctance in showing his arm.

It might not be a big problem…

‘Oh dear…’

Miri’s daddy, who had removed his shirt without hesitation, had a severely damaged left arm.

It was shriveled, scarred, and twisted.

There were no bite marks.

Instead, there were injuries that looked like tears and burns.

‘…Is the bone twisted?’

On the back of the arm, near the triceps, something protruding slightly looked like bone.

“It’s nothing much… I just couldn’t get proper treatment in time… Haha….”

According to his explanation, it was the result of being attacked by ruffians.

His arm was broken, but he couldn’t get proper first aid because he was being chased.

He tried to treat it somehow, but there were no doctors or medicine.

In the end, this was the result of his clumsy attempt at treatment.

“…You weren’t able to properly care for your arm, were you?”

“Well… yes. That’s how it happened.”

“Hmm…”

“How is it?”

At my question, Teacher-nim Jang examined and kneaded the arm from various angles.

“The bone fused incorrectly. It seems there was an infection too, but you somehow managed to get through it.”

“Oh? That’s right.”

“There was some muscle damage too… and it’s twisted….”

Teacher-nim Jang’s diagnosis was that while it might not hurt immediately, he seemed to have largely lost motor function.

It seemed that way to me too.

The shrunken, thinned arm felt exactly like that.

Compared to his healthy right arm, the difference was obvious.

Fracture and bleeding.

It wasn’t severe, so it was an injury that could have healed easily if it had received proper treatment in time.

But he couldn’t even do that simple thing.

Unlike us, Miri’s daddy faced multiple compounding disadvantages.

Unintentionally, and inevitably, he had aggravated the injury.

Honestly, it was a relief that it didn’t rot and require amputation.

Nevertheless, looking at his still severely injured arm, I subtly asked.

“Is there a way?”

“…Father-nim, when did you get hurt?”

“Hmm… I think it’s been about two months.”

“…It would be good if we could take an X-ray, but… for now, the bone fused incorrectly, and it doesn’t seem to have fully set yet.”

…If it wasn’t fully healed after two months, it had dragged on for too long.

“Then?”

“We can re-fracture it and then set it properly.”

At the drastic treatment method, Miri’s daddy’s face turned pale.

“But it needs to be done precisely and cleanly… which is a bit…”

That’s why she brought up X-rays, it seems.

Teacher-nim Jang trailed off, but the moment I heard it, the angle became clear.

“Is that all that needs to be done?”

“Yes? Yes. After that, we just need to fix the bone, put on a cast, and manage it well.”

I straightened my back, looking at Teacher-nim Jang, who spoke carefully and cautiously.

And then, I subtly smiled.

“Leave that to me.”

“……What?”

Miri’s daddy and Teacher-nim Jang’s eyes widened.

“Breaking things is my specialty.”

At my nice smile and confident words, Miri’s daddy’s complexion somehow began to turn a deathly pale.