Family
“We’re going to take you into the operating room now,” with the nurse’s words, the bed began to be moved.
The mother, who seemed to have suddenly heard nonsense, asked Jeong Minha who was following along as if interrogating.
“What are you talking about! Are you doing well for real?! Don’t tell me another weird bastard…!”
“No, it’s real! Right now that person paid for all of Mom’s hospital bills, and he’s living with me and even buying all my food….”
“What?!”
As the patient’s blood pressure seemed to rise in real time, the nurse stopped the mother and son’s conversation.
After that, Jeong Minha went to see his mother again after she safely finished surgery, but was refused. She still needs to rest. Even for family, if you could wait just a bit longer…….
But even when he visited next time, he was refused. By her.
“You…. I’ll call you later, so don’t keep visiting and just study.”
“It’s vacation right now….”
“Then shall we talk about that story again now?”
“Rest well.”
Several months passed like that.
During that time, Jeong Minha wondered whether to go see her or not, what if I go and get scolded again? But is she really okay? He worried. Each time, Seo Sihan informed him instead that his mother’s condition was getting better.
How does hyung know that? He was puzzled but soon realized. Ah, hyung was the one who moved the hospital itself in the first place.
……And now.
Finally, that day had come.
[Mom]
The phone ringtone kept ringing.
‘What was coming has come……’
The genius’s hands, which didn’t tremble even when shooting, trembled violently. How should I even explain this? Jeong Minha answered the phone with a tense face. His mother coolly said just one thing.
―If you have time tomorrow, let’s meet at the cafe in front of your school around 3 PM.
“Yes.”
And so the next day, Friday at 3 PM.
Currently, Jeong Minha was sitting face to face with his mother across a cafe table. Seeing her walking around to the point where she could return to daily life like this, he got choked up and moved for no reason.
“M-Mom…. It’s been a while…. I’m really glad you look healthy….”
“Jeong Minha.”
“Y-yes.”
“What are you even talking about?”
Putting emotion aside, first came fear. His mother, who was scary even when lying in the hospital bed, became even scarier.
“Last time I was so out of it that I just let it pass, but….”
“……”
“How are you really living these days? Tell me everything honestly.”
“Um….”
“Don’t tell me you’re living with a loan shark?!”
“I’m not?!”
The mother, who had been looking at the flustered Jeong Minha’s face, became silent for a moment as if thinking. But soon she looked around his face here and there and said.
“Well…. Your complexion does look good for that. You seem to have gained more weight too? You must be rolling around well.”
“?”
If this were some program, about a hundred skull stickers would have burst next to Jeong Minha’s face by now. Jeong Minha was at a loss for words. I’m a pig……?
Of course, his mother had meant it as a compliment. Her expression also improved.
In the old days when he came to visit at the hospital, instead of himself, he looked haggard from earning money all day. The mother’s heart had been heavy the whole time at the sight of her son looking struggling every time they met.
But now he looked much healthier. Though he still seemed to need to eat more. Inwardly proud and feeling good, the mother asked in a slightly softer tone than before.
“So that person… pays for my hospital bills and takes care of your food?”
“Yeah….”
“Geez, really…. You have to go to school too, so can you pay it all back with part-time work? Especially since Mom also owes a huge debt, now when I work again somehow….”
“Well… he said I don’t need to pay it back….”
“What?”
The mother’s expression became serious again. After seeming to think for a moment, she covered her mouth with her right hand.
“Minha…. Don’t tell me that’s voice phishing?”
“You want to say pyramid scheme or cult, right?”
“Same difference.”
Soon the mother clenched her left hand into a fist on the table.
“Does that make sense? Don’t tell me it was all pushed onto you as debt without you knowing? What if it’s that crazy X bastard-like person.”
Though she was usually the type who didn’t curse much, this time she couldn’t help it. Having regained her health, the mother’s desire to go find that coach bastard right now was like a chimney.
He’d suddenly taken her son who she’d raised preciously while working hard, saying let’s do shooting, then didn’t study and went to a weird school because of that, and in the end betrayed and scammed him, even pushing debt onto him. That coach bastard looked like he had no hair anyway, so she felt she’d only be at peace if she could rip off his head.
Jeong Minha, who also hated the coach too much, burst into laughter at his mother’s words.
“Ah, I thought that way at first too and was super suspicious…. But after living together for a few months, that hyung really is just my fan? He only cheers for me so enthusiastically that I’m the one who’s embarrassed….”
“…He doesn’t want anything from you? He really said you don’t need to pay it back?”
“Yeah. He just wants me to return as a player. So I’m going to the Olympics this year and bring back a gold medal. I’ll pay the money back with that.”
“Really?! You’re going to… do shooting again?!”
The mother looked at her son in front of her with a surprised face.
Actually, she’d opposed it at first.
Not studying and suddenly what shooting? If you’re going to do that, try soccer or skating instead. That’s more famous.
Tempted by his mother’s words, Jeong Minha skipped shooting practice in middle school and tried both. However, he had the most talent in shooting after all. So Jeong Minha also liked shooting the most.
As he brought back results of winning at various competitions, before long his mother acknowledged it too. Above all, it was because her son’s face looked happiest when shooting.
However, after the Olympics, when she was hospitalized.
Even now, recalling how the face that didn’t smile much but was always energetic had darkened made her stomach hurt. Even when she told him not to worry about her and go do shooting, her son answered calmly. That he didn’t like it anymore so it was okay.
But the mother who had watched her son for a long time could tell. That wasn’t a face of disliking it, but a face of giving up.
But now it was different.
“Yeah, shooting is still the best. And no matter how much I think about it… it doesn’t make sense that I didn’t get the gold medal! It’s totally embarrassing. I’m definitely going to win this time.”
His mouth still didn’t smile, but his eyes were bright. It was the appearance of his will burning up again.
“Of course. If it weren’t for that crazy bastard, our Minha would have been first place. Right?”
“Ahem, hmm….”
Just when he’d been cowering until a moment ago, because he was being praised and immediately grinned while turning his head, the mother smacked one of Jeong Minha’s arms with a slapping sound.
“Ah! My arm is a national treasure. Why?”
“What national treasure. Don’t weirdly hold back your laughter and just laugh freely. Your fortune will fall away.”
“Isn’t that what you say when shaking your legs….”
“Anyway.”
At the sight of joking with each other like before again, the mother burst into laughter. However, to perfectly understand this situation, there were still many points that bothered her.
“But for him to do all that just because he’s your fan… it still doesn’t make sense.”
“Well, I find it amazing too…. But hyung is ridiculously rich? He keeps trying to transfer thousands to me.”
“Why…?”
“I don’t know. Just peace of mind or something…. I refuse everything for now though.”
The mother became serious again. Not just giving necessary money but freely pouring it out like that? No matter how she thought about it, it was too suspicious.
“Mom still doesn’t understand….”
Either Minha had suffered at a young age and developed delusions, or the kid was clueless and didn’t realize he was in a dangerous situation now. It seemed she should have a conversation directly. If it was another guy like the coach, she was planning to just kill him.
“Could I meet that person? At least to say thank you.”
“Huh?”
* * *
Peaceful Friday afternoon, 3:30 PM.
Seo Sihan was working hard at the company when he immediately answered Jeong Minha’s call that suddenly came. At the question of whether he could talk now, saying it wasn’t a big deal, Seo Sihan answered with a smile. If it’s Minha, anytime is fine….
And hearing Jeong Minha’s following explanation, he bolted up from his chair. You call this not a big deal?!
Seo Sihan immediately left the company.
It was the so-called start of a parent meeting.
