Chapter 345: Mayfly (4)

Chapter 345: Mayfly (4)

Natalia asked me with an anxious look in her eyes, "Could you please tell me what exactly is going on right now and why you came to see me?"

"Of course, as long as you also share what happened to you during that time."

"Alright, I'll do that."

Hoping to bring back her memory, I told her everything I knew. After hearing how I signed a contract with Haru and helped him debut, Natalia seemed to let her guard down a little.

"My husband's name was Lee Hyung-Moon?"

"You really don't remember that name?"

"No. I only remember being terrified of him hitting me and running away from him. I remember nothing else."

"Then do you not remember your son's name, Haru? He's been on TV a lot recently."

"No, I had no idea until you mentioned it. I don't watch TV at all, so..."

"I understand. Now it's your turn, Ms. Natalia. What exactly happened to you during that time?"

At that moment, Kim Chul-Soo lowered his guard and stepped in. "I'll explain. I remember that day more vividly than she does."

After apologizing for the misunderstanding, Kim Chul-Soo began to recount the past.

Five years ago, Natalia was involved in a hit-and-run accident in front of the nursing hospital.

Fortunately, Kim Chul-Soo found her at the scene of the accident while returning home early in the morning. He immediately brought her to the hospital and she barely survived after emergency surgery.

Natalia was in a coma for two months and only remembered fleeing from her husband when she woke up. She had forgotten everything else.

Kim Chul-Soo explained he treated Natalia with dedication and concluded his story. "I wanted to help her find her identity, but she panicked every time I tried. So we were never able to go to the police."

Natalia nodded. "I was afraid I'd be dragged back to my husband if I went to the police..."

Thanks to Kim Chul-Soo and Lee Jung-Mi's help, Natalia had been able to live without leaving a trace.

Kim Chul-Soo paid Natalia's salary in cash, and Lee Jung-Mi rented a studio apartment for Natalia under her name.

'No wonder it had been so hard to find any trace of Natalia. It finally all makes sense,' I thought.

After hearing the story, I bowed to Kim Chul-Soo and thanked him.

Then, I asked Natalia to meet Haru. After all, she was the only one who could protect him completely from his father's abuse.

"My husband... is now threatening my son?" Natalia asked with worry in her eyes.

When I told her that Lee Hyung-Moon was trying to extort money from Haru, Natalia began to cry.

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault, Ms. Yung-Hee," Kim Chul-Soo consoled her.

However, Natalia shook her head. "No. No matter how hard my life was, I should have protected my child. I should have... but I... I... I abandoned my son and ran away on my own. And now this..."

As Natalia's guilt began to deepen, I told her that she had left Haru in the care of the village before she left. "Before you left the village, you left a letter with Sae-Ri's grandmother. You said you would come back for Haru after earning enough money. You asked her to take care of him until then."

I called Sae-Ri's grandmother to prove I was telling the truth.

When Sae-Ri's grandmother picked up the call, an excited voice came through.

-Team Lead Jung, have you found Natalia?

"Yes, I've found her."

-Oh my! That's wonderful! Such wonderful news!

Sae-Ri's grandmother hummed joyfully. However, when I told her that Haru's mother had lost her memory, her tone turned sorrowful.

-Natalia lost her memory? Why? How?

"I'll explain later. But for now, could you ask Sae-Ri's father if he could do a video call with us?"

Hoping that it might help Natalia recover some memories, I suggested a video call.

-Just a moment, Team Lead Jung.

After a brief conversation, the screen switched. Sae-Ri's grandfather, grandmother, and parents were all in a car on their way to Seoul.

-You've found her!

-You really found her?

-Oh my goodness! Natalia!

-Natalia~ it's me. Do you remember?

They all cheered the moment the four of them saw Haru's mom, saying they had finally found her.

Sae-Ri's grandmother in particular burst into tears and cried out.

'Wait a minute. If he wanted to serve his mom's cooking to someone else, does that mean it's for a different person? No way... it couldn't be?' I pondered.

Baek Jong-Suk smiled. "Then is this third meal also for the same person?"

"Yes. I put my all into it. It's my first time making a course meal."

"Is there a special meaning behind it?"

"I put my earnest hope into it, asking that they stay with me until the end since we started out together."

Baek Jong-Suk looked pleased. "Whoever that is must be very lucky to hear such a heartfelt confession from you, Mr. Haru. Now, please tell us. Who is this person?"

Haru answered with a shy expression. "It's my talent agent, Yoon-Ho hyung."

My head buzzed for a moment. 'Could it really be that all those dishes today were for me?'

I felt grateful, shocked, and utterly baffled at the same time.

I had been so convinced that it was all for his mother because he had kept it such a secret, but I was wrong.

'It was for me!' I realized.

Suddenly, all the efforts I had made throughout the day to help Haru didn't seem in vain.

At that moment, Haru turned his head and waved at me. "Yoon-Ho hyung, thank you~"

Simultaneously, the cameras all turned toward me.

That's when Haru's eyes met Natalia's. "Mom...?"

Haru's wavering gaze shifted to me next, asking what was going on with his eyes.

At that moment, Natalia standing next to me started crying and spoke. "Moye sokrovishche..."

Natalia muttered something incomprehensible and then collapsed toward me, losing consciousness.

***

Haru's mother fainting caused a commotion.

"Call 119! Call 119, now!"

Even though it was a live broadcast, a commercial break started which gave us about five minutes to handle the situation.

"Control room! Edit out that scene immediately and give us three minutes! We'll handle it fast."

The moment Jo Han-Ill urgently instructed the control room, the studio cameras 1 and 2 turned toward us.

I gently laid Haru's mother down on the floor.

Kim Chul-Soo, who had come with us, carefully checked her condition.

I didn't know what was going on, but I knew what I needed to do.

I urged Lee Yung-Jin who was standing by in a daze. "Yung-Jin, I'll stay here. You go to Haru quickly."

"Yes, sir."

Lee Yung-Jin quickly ran to the set to comfort Haru standing there frozen.

In the midst of the murmuring commotion, Kim Chul-Soo conducted a few tests before finally sighing in relief. "We'll need to confirm with a CT scan, but it seems she fainted from temporary shock."

As soon as the doctor made his assessment, the staff let out a collective sigh of relief.

I immediately asked Kim Chul-Soo for help. "Mr. Kim, please take Haru's mother to the hospital. I'll come by after the broadcast."

After a moment of consideration, Kim Chul-Soo nodded. "I'll take her to the hospital and contact you after checking her condition. As for having Ms. Yung-Hee and Mr. Haru meet, let's decide after assessing the patient's condition."

"Okay. I'll follow your advice."

Watching Kim Chul-Soo provide emergency care, I fell into deep thought. 'She must have regained her memory.'

I didn't know how much she had remembered, but it was clear she had recognized Haru.

'But what does "Moye sokrovishche" mean?' I wondered.

I couldn't even search for it because I had no idea how to spell it out.

At that moment, the pale-faced Haru holding Lee Yung-Jin's hand walked over.

With a dazed expression, Haru spoke. "Moye sokrovishche... It's something my mom used to say to me all the time."

Even after being apart for years, his voice was filled with longing as if his feelings for his mother had never faded.

"What does it mean?" I asked.

Tears streaming down his face, Haru spoke again. "It means... my treasure."

1. square-shaped mandu (dumpling) in Korean cuisine ☜