Those words made Seonwoo move. When he opened the envelope, various items were visible. Documents full of dense writing, a small portable recorder, and numerous photographs.
The developed photos were all blurry or out of focus as if secretly taken. Whether the shutter had been pressed in a hurry, there were also photos where the horizontal level was greatly tilted.
But even looking at them, he couldn’t tell what all of this meant. He only thought it was the result of someone diligently investigating an incident.
Yet an inexplicable ominousness made his insides churn. As if his instincts were warning him, his heart pounded violently. It felt like he’d seen something he shouldn’t know.
“Since there’s nowhere to waste it, he goes and offers money to such places.”
“…”
“He’s my son, but really… He’s stupid enough that I can’t bear to watch with my eyes open. But there’s something to be grateful for. The fact that we could meet like this is all thanks to Taejeong…”
At that moment, Seonwoo grabbed the Vice Director’s arm. He was gripping hard enough that veins stood out on the back of his hand.
“It’s true?”
Madness seeped into the eyes looking at the Vice Director. However, the Vice Director nonchalantly pulled out his arm, then gripped Seonwoo’s shoulder and sat him back down on the sofa. Then he took out one photo from the document envelope.
“Though he’s someone with no connection to me at all. Seonwoo, you see, in this world. There are many people who need money. There are especially many people so desperate that it doesn’t matter if the means violate the law. And I have the ability to pay for that.”
It was a photo of a worker wearing a logistics center vest. An unfamiliar face, but Seonwoo instinctively realized. That this person was the truck driver who caused the accident.
His body trembled. It seemed like his vision was darkening to pitch black. Seonwoo, who forcibly opened his eyes wide, muttered as if to himself. What was the reason?
“Would anything change no matter what the reason is?”
“…”
“Come on… Since it seems Seonwoo doesn’t know how to act, I’ll teach you. From now on, you need to use your head well. Because this is the most important moment in Seonwoo’s life.”
The Vice Director, who had walked behind Seonwoo, wrapped both hands around his shoulders.
“Do you want to end up disabled somewhere like Taejeong and be hospitalized in a mental hospital like this? Or do you want to become Uncle’s adopted son, inherit the hospital, and live in luxury?”
“……”
“Seonwoo. Uncle is really asking with great resolve.”
He stroked Seonwoo’s head as if sincere. Seonwoo reflexively swatted the hand away and looked up at the Vice Director. Then the Vice Director smiled what might have been a hollow laugh.
“The only thing you resemble Seonmin in is those eyes glaring at me like that…… But I can’t cast you out just because of this one thing.”
“……”
“I’ll make you a cup of tea, so think it over slowly while drinking.”
Then he left Seonwoo sitting on the sofa and walked back to the cupboard.
Seonwoo’s mind became hazy. What is all this? His head seemed to have stopped. Thoughts stopped, so no judgment came. The reality he was seeing now felt as distant as a dream.
Suddenly, everything that had happened until now flashed by like a revolving lantern.
His mom lying motionless even after months passed. His dad who disappeared forever leaving only belongings. The days of anxiously going back and forth between the hospital and home. And Taejeong’s appearance venting his resentment, the voice shouting that he would kill him echoed in his ears, yet even the sight of himself entering that house with his own feet—everything came to mind vividly.
Memories rushed in like waves all at once, yet strangely his heart became calm as if submerged below a still water surface. But Seonwoo soon realized. That wasn’t calmness or anything like it. It was rage he couldn’t handle even himself that surged up from within his body and swallowed all other emotions.
Seonwoo turned his head, forgetting even to breathe.
His eyes instinctively surveyed the surroundings. And from the moment the nameplate placed on the desk caught his gaze, nothing else was visible.
Seonwoo, who silently rose from his seat, approached the desk. His bare skin touched the floor, so no footsteps were heard. He gripped the nameplate with one hand. Along with a heavy sensation, his shoulder tilted to one side. Seonwoo added his right hand and readjusted his grip on the nameplate.
He approached with steps clearly filled with murderous intent toward the defenseless back of the Vice Director, who was still facing away, focused on making tea. The cold, hard sensation touching his palm fueled the murderous intent.
Nothing came to mind except the thought of killing that person right now. It was the moment he crushed the nameplate, gripping it so hard his fingertips turned white, and lifted it above his head.
“Song Seonwoo!”
His body froze at the familiar shout.
Where he turned his head, he saw Taejeong, who shouldn’t be here. His handsome features were completely distorted as he desperately reached out his hand.
He was clearly running urgently, yet somehow everything looked slow to Seonwoo’s eyes. Firm arms fiercely embraced his entire body. Seonwoo, unable to withstand the recoil, swayed.
Thud—. A heavy sound echoed. It was unclear whether it was the sound of the nameplate falling or the two people hitting the floor.
The impact came next. Their bodies rolled over and over.
Shoulders, back, sides, waist, even the head—the impact continued to the point where there was nowhere that didn’t collide. A huge roar came and it felt like his ears would go deaf. Rather than enduring, he helplessly received the impacts.
When the noise, the impact, and finally everything stopped, the surroundings became quiet like a lie. The body that had rolled around colliding here and there also stopped. Belated pain rushed in instantly. It hurt too much. It was pain he was experiencing for the first time in his life.
A clicking sound grated on his ears. It was the sound of teeth colliding. Even trying to stop, he couldn’t stop his jaw convulsing like crazy. He barely twisted his neck and lifted his head. His vision was hazily blurred, so he couldn’t see ahead properly. Seonwoo blinked several times like that and focused.
The back seat door was wide open. Outside the car, on the road, someone was collapsed. It was his mom.
A dark red puddle had pooled by his mom’s head. Blood that spread in an even larger circle slowly soaked the beige muffler his dad had given as a gift. He needed to get up, but as soon as he lifted his upper body, his body tilted to the right.
When he turned his head, his right hand was caught under the car body. Even trying to pull it out with strength, it didn’t budge. The more he tried to force it out, the more painful it was as if a tingling electricity ran through his entire arm. Nevertheless, Seonwoo didn’t stop. But before long, he couldn’t feel sensation in his right hand at all.
He needed help. He needed someone to save his mom. Then he saw a hand sticking out from the driver’s seat. It was his dad.
Seonwoo moved his mouth and called for his dad. The hand didn’t budge. Couldn’t he hear? He reached out his intact left hand and grabbed the hand. Still no response. Even calling until his voice went hoarse, his dad showed no movement. The hand he held gradually grew cold. It gradually grew stiff. Even more than the wedding ring on the ring finger.
Heu-eok, kkeuk, kkeu-euk, strange sounds leaked from his throat. It was hard to breathe because tears flowing into his nose and mouth wouldn’t stop. His body was heavy as lead, so he couldn’t change position. It felt like slowly drowning because of the endlessly flowing stream of water. Seonwoo endlessly exhaled white breath.
Perhaps it would be easier to faint. But Seonwoo was glaring with bloodshot eyes. It felt like if he closed his eyes like this, his mom would die. He stayed like that until the sound of sirens was heard from afar.
He had been so desperate, so why had he forgotten? When the pain engraved to the bone was this vivid. The reason was simple. Fearing his mind would collapse, because his head absolutely couldn’t handle it, he had buried the memory. That’s why he had forgotten everything.
What came to mind clearly was a white gown. The Vice Director wearing a doctor’s gown comforted him as he helplessly stared only at the hospital room ceiling. Telling him not to worry about anything, reaching out his hand saying he would help, smiling and saying so.
He wanted to destroy that shameless face that didn’t even deny what he had done, to the point where its form couldn’t be recognized.
