Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sincerity and Repayment

I glanced at the clock hanging on the corridor wall.

It was now 2:40 in the morning.

‘Would it be rude to call out of the blue at this hour?’

There’s no second chance for a first impression.

‘If the doctor had refused Mother’s high-pressure oxygen treatment, the story would have been different. It would be better to make the call later.’

Instead, I memorized the phone number.

Uncle Cheol-gu stretched greatly.

“Hey, kid. If you’re sleepy, sleep.”

“I’m not sleepy.”

“If necessary, are you really going to report a spy?”

“If needed.”

Uncle Cheol-gu, who had been yawning, suddenly turned around.

“The doctor said he’ll take responsibility for the treatment. Since Uncle is here watching, don’t think of any nonsense and just sleep, kid.”

“It’s fine. I can’t trust until I confirm with my own eyes··· ugh aagh!”

I got caught again!

Uncle Cheol-gu stretched my cheeks to both sides and clicked his tongue.

“This damn kid, seriously. Not enough with bribes, now threats and suspicion too, huh?”

“Gyaaah ugh···!”

“Believe, a bit! Believe the doctor, believe your mom, believe this uncle! Is it hard?”

“······.”

I tightly closed my mouth.

Both cheeks were tingling, but I didn’t back away far and rub them like before.

Instead, I politely bowed at the waist.

“Why wouldn’t I be able to trust Uncle. My thanks are late. Thank you so much, Uncle.”

I am a man who clearly repays favors and grudges.

Returning more than what I received is my iron rule!

Uncle Cheol-gu blinked both eyes again.

Regardless.

“Thank you for helping today. If it weren’t for Uncle, our Mom might have died.”

It was really close.

The underworld messenger had issued a death sentence.

In the past, I had helplessly lost Mother, and that remained a lifelong resentment.

“It was an emergency situation racing against time, and you readily took Mother to the hospital. I’m truly grateful. There were no taxis running because of the curfew, and it would have been difficult to borrow someone else’s truck in the middle of the night.”

This time, thanks to Uncle Cheol-gu flooring the accelerator, Mother was able to receive treatment before it was too late.

“I know it’s not something to thank only with words. But right now, this is all I can do. Thank you so much.”

“It’s fine. For something like this.”

“Is the thanks too shabby? Should I write a thank-you letter every day and send it? Consider that my sincerity.”

“I said it’s really fine.”

I grinned.

“I’ll definitely repay this favor someday. This is my oath.”

Uncle Cheol-gu roughly messed up my hair.

“Kid, a man’s oath isn’t something you make carelessly.”

“I’m not a man who carelessly breaks an oath I made with my own mouth, you know?”

I put the cigarette I had picked up earlier into the uncle’s mouth to completely block any rebuttal.

Then I took out a five-hundred-won bill from Mother’s bag.

The one with the turtle ship drawn on it.

“And please consider this, though meager, as my heartfelt repayment.”

“Repayment?”

“If repayment is missing from help, it’s regrettable, isn’t it? You’re hungry right now, right? Your mouth is bored, right? What do you do at times like this? One cup of coffee from the lounge vending machine. Follow me.”

I got down from the hospital chair and tugged on Uncle Cheol-gu’s sleeve.

“I’ll have barley tea, the change is Uncle’s tip. Drinking a cup of coffee while having a cigarette would be perfect, right?”

“Huh······.”

“Why? Is my sincerity too shabby?”

“Of course not.”

Uncle Cheol-gu roughly messed up my hair again.

“Ha, what is this kid really.”

The uncle put his arm under my armpit and lifted me up.

“Ugh aagh!”

No matter how much I struggled, I didn’t budge.

A seven-year-old body was too light.

Uncle Cheol-gu walked with big strides, roughly stuffing one hand into his pants pocket.

Every time he did, my body bobbed up and down greatly.

“Put me down!”

“Where is a kid trying to go barefoot. Stay still.”

Uncle Cheol-gu grinned.

“You said you trust Uncle? Don’t tell me that was empty words?”

“······.”

This is troublesome. A man has his pride.

I scrunched my face as much as possible and grumbled very discontentedly.

“My stomach isn’t good because I inhaled coal gas earlier? Please handle me gently.”

“Huh······.”

Uncle Cheol-gu immediately took me out from under his arm and gave me a piggyback ride.

Since my balance wasn’t good, I tightly grabbed the uncle’s head.

I’m riding a piggyback that I had never ridden even once in the past.

The feeling was quite good.

Really, it’s not bad, this.

“Hehehe.”

A childlike laugh came out of my mouth, hard to believe it came from me.

The problem was that hearing it with my own ears was too awkward.

I tightly closed my mouth so the laugh wouldn’t escape, but the raised corners of my mouth wouldn’t easily come down.

It was a feeling like my insides were tickling, somehow.

“Hehehe.”

Ah, damn. Completely failed at holding back the laugh.

Damn it, this kid’s body.

As Uncle Cheol-gu walked with big strides, we quickly arrived at the hospital lounge located in the rear.

“Wow.”

This is a 70s vending machine!

In the 21st century, these kinds of vending machines have mostly disappeared and are hard to see.

In this era right now, it’s completely the latest foreign new product itself!

I heard that in 1977, Roxan Industry imported 400 complete coffee vending machines from Japan’s Shampoo company and installed them.

I had only heard rumors that they were only placed in highest-grade restaurants, hotels, Seoul Station, and such places, but I’m seeing it at Taeseong Hospital?

I heard Taeseong Group recently received a huge amount of investment and expanded in scale.

The latest high-pressure chamber facilities and the coffee vending machine too.

Seeing where the money is going, I can clearly feel how much the hospital’s finances have improved.

“Whoa.”

The coffee is a full 100 won!

A bowl of jajangmyeon is 300 won, a haircut is 200 won, yet a cup of vending machine coffee is 100 won.

‘But when you need to use it, you should use it.’

Uncle Cheol-gu was about to turn the change lever.

“What kind of vending machine coffee is 100 won? With this money, I’d rather drink coffee at a coffee shop.”

But I spread my palm wide and blocked it.

“When a man repays precious help with gratitude, he shouldn’t skimp on small money. I decided to be extravagant today.”

“Is it okay to spend Mom’s money freely like this?”

“Our Mom’s life isn’t worth just a five-hundred-won bill. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t mind emptying my entire fortune for her.”

I closed my eyes tight and pressed the barley tea button hard.

This alone was 50 won.

“If you don’t speak quickly, I’ll get barley tea for Uncle too. For reference, this is really thick and unpleasant.”

“Coffee is black, of course.”

Click.

The aroma of black coffee was really good.

They say in the 70s they ground beans and brewed it.

“You can smoke the cigarette leisurely in the corner over there without worrying about others.”

Clatter.

The uncle was turning the change refund lever.

“Why isn’t it coming out?”

Clatter clatter, thud.

The moment the uncle struck the coffee vending machine with his fist.

Clatter clatter clatter.

The coffee vending machine started spitting out coins like crazy.

10-won, 50-won, and 100-won coins poured out bouncing in all directions.

“······.”

“······.”

Looking at coins that easily looked like at least 10,000 won at a glance, Uncle Cheol-gu let out an empty laugh.

“Did you say the change earlier was for me as a tip?”

Did heaven add sincerity to my shabby sincerity?

* * *

‘Feeling good.’

It was a warm embrace.

A fragrant, longed-for scent.

A soft, smooth texture.

The low laughter of a young woman tickled my ear.

Yes, our Mother used to laugh just like that······.

‘Huh?’

My mind cleared completely.

The last memory was dozing off next to Mother after she was moved to the general ward last night.

Mother, who had been holding me in her arms and putting me to sleep, smiled brightly.

“Our son, did you sleep well?”

“······!”

It had been a full 45 years.

I had met Mother again, whom I had longed for so much with resentment that I might see her even in a dream.

I couldn’t say anything, like a fool.

“Uh, uh······.”

I just opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish.

I only gripped Mother’s clothes tightly with force in my hand.

My breathing suddenly quickened, just like when I had regained breath earlier.

The resolve to carefully examine Mother’s face, which had even become blurry in my memories, disappeared without a trace.

My vision simply welled up hazily.

“Uh, Mom······!”

Because the touching skin was warm.

Because the heartbeats I could hear were so moving.

Because my reflection was clearly visible in Mother’s shining eyes, and it made me choke up.

“Mooom······!”

I buried my head in Mother’s arms and sobbed.

Mother tightly hugged me like that and rubbed my cheeks.

She stroked my head and swept down my back.

She spoke in a soft voice mixed with laughter.

“Mom is okay now. Our son was very surprised yesterday, right?”

“······Yes.”

I was scared.

Scared that Mother would die.

Scared that she might never open her eyes again like this.

“I’m sorry. Mom should have protected our son, but I foolishly fell into a deep sleep.”

Mother held out her pinky finger.

“From now on, nothing like that will ever happen. Mom promises.”

Even though I clearly knew that making such a promise couldn’t stop the coming death.

I wiped my tears hard with the back of my hand and firmly linked pinky fingers.

“You’re promising.”

“Stamp it tight.”

Originally, promises are completed not with words but with documents, not by linking pinkies but by stamping with the thumb.

“Hehehe.”

I laughed as if I had gained the whole world from the pinky promise.

Ah, this really is a kid’s body.

Gurgle.

It was the sound coming from my stomach.

“Are you hungry? Is there anything our son wants to eat?”

“······Anything.”

“Huh? What?”

“Anything Mom makes is fine.”

I didn’t know in the past.

I always grumbled that Mom’s food wasn’t tasty.

Only after losing Mother did I realize that I would never be able to eat even that again.

I hugged Mother as tightly as I could.

“I missed you.”

Mother, it’s been 45 years.

“Mom, I love you.”

I wanted to say this first when I met you again.

“Mom loves our Jeong-hyeok too. The most in the world. Very, very much.”

Mother also tightly hugged me and smiled brightly.

It was a dazzlingly beautiful smile.

“Huh?”

Mother suddenly discovered the jewelry box bulging on top of the bag and her expression hardened.

Because that was something that should have been deep inside our house’s wardrobe.

“Jeong-hyeok, the things that were in here······!”

“This?”

I took out the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony 1970 Special Edition from my pocket.

“This is Father’s watch, right?”

Mother only moved her lips with a troubled expression.

Even so, I waited patiently.

After hesitating for a long time, Mother opened her mouth with a long sigh.

“Yes.”

Ha, so that’s it?

“Then where is Dad? Mom is sick, why isn’t he coming? Why isn’t he coming to see me?”

“Jeong-hyeok, Dad is······.”

Rattle.

At that moment, the hospital room door opened without hesitation, and the smell of cigarettes hit first.

‘Could it be······!’

Did Father rush over after hearing the news that Mother was brought to the hospital?

If my father’s household is Taeseong Group, this is Taeseong Hospital.

So maybe······.

I quickly turned around.

“Ah, it’s Uncle!”

The bear-like large body flinched as it was entering the hospital room.