Chapter 7:

Chapter 7:

Chapter 7

The bus ran for three hours and finally stopped at Yoo-hyun’s hometown.

“This is it.”

The apartment complex that had been filled with buildings behind the river was not yet built, and the old town that had been redeveloped still looked the same as before.

He found the address that his mother had given him and saw a cluster of single-story farmhouses at the end of the mountain slope.

It was a house that he vaguely remembered.

After his mother passed away, his father moved to another region and he had no reason to visit this place.

“Here it is.”

Yoo-hyun stopped in front of the house and looked at the blue roof with peeling paint, recalling the two-story mansion he had lived in when he was young.

It was not far from here, and it had many memories left in it.

There was a swing in the well-kept spacious garden, and a small hut that had been Yoo-hyun’s hideout.

Memories tend to be beautified, but they were happy memories.

He still remembered them vividly, but how did he feel when he faced the house?

It seemed like the miserable feelings from that time were still lingering like the dregs at the bottom of a coffee cup.

‘I will definitely restore it.’

Wasn’t that the reason why Yoo-hyun pursued success with such determination?

He shook off the old thoughts that suddenly came to his mind and stepped into the empty entrance.

Then he met eyes with his mother who was washing lettuce in the small yard.

“Oh? Hyun-ah.”

“Mother...”

His heart fluttered as he faced his young mother who had no wrinkles.

He vividly remembered his childhood with her.

She always smiled at him in front of him.

She was like that even at the last moment.

He couldn’t contact her or take good care of her.

But even when she was dying, she tried to reassure her worthless son with a strained smile.

As he remembered that, his defenses collapsed.

He felt regret piercing through his body from head to toe.

Yoo-hyun couldn’t take another step forward.

Then his mother wiped her hands on a towel and came over to pat his back.

“Oh dear, are you tired from coming here?”

“No...”

Pat pat.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. You did well. You haven’t eaten yet, right?”

Yoo-hyun nodded his head as he leaned on his mother’s small embrace, suppressing the emotions that welled up in him.

“Yes.”

“Okay. Let’s eat then. Just wait a minute.”

How did it feel to face his young mother who was alive 20 years ago?

‘I’m really glad I came back.’

He was grateful for the miraculous change in his life, putting everything else aside.

Nothing else mattered in front of him, not money, success, or any wealth or glory.

A little later.

“Here, let’s eat.”

Various side dishes and meat that his mother cooked were placed on the small table.

His mother sat down and watched Yoo-hyun eat with a pleased expression.

“Mother, you eat too.”

“I already ate. And I can’t eat more here. I’ll gain weight.”

“Where did I gain weight? You’re still so pretty.”

“Ho ho, oh my. Where did you learn to say such nice things? Huh?”

His mother’s lips curled up at his awkward compliment.

She looked exactly like he remembered her from his childhood.

She was relaxed and cheerful, unlike Yoo-hyun who had been frustrated by his fallen life.

When Yoo-hyun finished eating, his mother opened her mouth.

“Hyun-ah, I think I’m going to take over the side dish shop this time.”

“What?”

“The owner is opening another store and he wants me to run the original one. He likes my cooking skills.”

He looked at his mother who spoke cautiously after hesitating for a while.

He guessed why she did that.

She must have sensed that Yoo-hyun had reacted negatively to her work before.

And she must have tried to bear all the burden by herself.

Without understanding anything about her life.

At least not now.

Yoo-hyun smiled reassuringly at his mother and asked back.

“Are you not tired?”

“It’s hard. But how happy do you think I am when people enjoy my side dishes?”

Why couldn’t he care about the closest people when he followed his boss’s words so well?

The answer was right in front of him, but he only chased after an invisible mirage.

Regret and self-blame always brought back memories.

Mother came back around sunset.

She said it would take some time and went to the hair salon.

Yoo-hyun thought of mother’s smiling face and decided to be more cheerful.

“Mother, your new perm looks good, doesn’t it?”

“Oh? How did you know? Is it okay?”

“Yes, the curls look good on you. You have young-looking skin, so it’s better to tie up your side hair. It makes you look more lively and suits you well.”

“Yoo-hyun, actually, when I got this perm...”

The conversation flowed more naturally as Yoo-hyun matched his mother’s interests.

His mother raised her voice excitedly, and Yoo-hyun laughed.

He had treated his mother the same way he had tried to win over the people at the company.

But his mother’s reaction was much better than he expected.

She talked to him like a close friend, sharing her inner thoughts.

His mother was also a person.

She liked it when he showed interest, and she opened up when he empathized with her.

Why couldn’t he do this simple thing before?

‘I’ll do better.’

Yoo-hyun silently thanked her and looked into her eyes.

They chatted for a long time, until his father came in.

“Father.”

“Oh, you’re here.”

“Yes. How have you been?”

Yoo-hyun greeted his father more warmly than his usual cold expression.

“Yeah.”

His father turned his head and answered awkwardly.

Only then did Yoo-hyun see his father’s face clearly.

The furrowed brow, the slumped shoulders, and the feet pointing outward more than the heels showed that he had a hard time in his daily life.

His father glanced at him as if wondering why he was acting like this, and changed his posture.

This was the time to be more friendly with him.

But the words didn’t come out easily.

“Father, dinner...”

“Honey, I’m done.”

“Yes. Rest well.”

Thud.

In the end, his father went into his room without listening to Yoo-hyun’s words.

It felt awkward.

They didn’t look like they had a good relationship.

His mother quietly looked at Yoo-hyun’s face.

“He’s having a hard time these days.”

“Yes. I see.”

“Your father is trying hard too. Just watch him a little longer. He’ll surely make it.”

“Yes...”

Yoo-hyun nodded, but he wasn’t comfortable.

-What has dad done? Wasn’t it dad who ruined our family? I’ll never live like dad!

He remembered the shameful old memory as he watched his father’s back going into the room.

He remembered the day when his father’s factory went bankrupt and they moved here.

He had confronted his father that day, and it was still vivid in his memory.

Maybe that was when their relationship became distant.

His mother saw Yoo-hyun’s slightly wrinkled forehead and asked carefully.

“Yoo-hyun, are you okay?”

“Of course.”

He smiled in front of his worried mother.

The next day, Yoo-hyun walked around his hometown.

It was a distance that he could move by bus, but he deliberately walked.

The breeze seemed to invite him to walk.

He felt the soft soil touching his feet pleasantly.

He smiled at the strong scent of flowers.

Someone said that?

If you walk slowly, you can see things.

He started to see things that he couldn’t see when he ran ahead.

He saw his family, friends, and surroundings.

The things that he had taken for granted and ignored before now came to him with great meaning.

He was grateful and thankful.