[Seoha Orphanage]
Of course, I had already anticipated this.
It’s been a whopping 17 years, not just 1 or 2. They say ten years can change a river’s course, and now over 17 years have passed.
No matter how attached I was to Home, after this long, there might be reasons to leave.
No matter how close we were, the fact that we were neighbors means it’s natural to drift apart eventually.
But why… even though I expected this, do I feel something’s missing?
I told myself not to have regrets if Mother and Ha Yeon’s family weren’t here, so why am I just standing still?
Turning away and going back seems like the best choice.
…Yeah. Honestly, I was hoping.
I know I became a Japanese girl, but I believed they would still be here, unchanged.
Yeah. Even knowing it’s absurd, I harbored hope.
That the people I loved would still cherish the memories we had together…
“Uuuu…”
Hope shattered. But it was a baseless hope from the start.
I had no right to be sad, holding onto such things.
…Right. I’ve lived without any issues for 17 years. Our connection has ended.
So, let’s go back. To the place I should be now.
Surely… that would be enough.
“Haaah…”
Turning my back and looking up, I saw pure white clouds floating in the clear sky.
The breath I released turned into white steam, melting into the scenery.
I felt strangely relieved…
“Hey, little lady?”
“Eek…!”
Startled by the sudden tap on my shoulder, I turned around to find an Aunt standing behind me, who had been sweeping the orphanage yard earlier.
“You’ve been looking over here for a while. Are you looking for something?”
“Ah, umm… it’s not that… um…”
“…Oh. Were you looking for a teacher? You must be one of the children who lived in our orphanage before.”
“N-No, that’s not it… um…”
“It’s alright, it’s not something to be embarrassed about. Coming to find your teacher is nothing to be ashamed of. Living in the orphanage isn’t a crime, is it? Come on. Auntie will guide you.”
No, that’s really not it. I wish you’d listen to me a little.
“Still, it’s been quite a while since you came here… thank you so much. I’m sure Jiwoo Teacher will be really happy!”
“…Eh?”
In that moment, a familiar name brushed through my ears.
Jiwoo. Han Jiwoo.
It was my mother’s name.
“Ah, I see. I’m sorry, I misunderstood.”
“It’s alright…”
“By the way, your Korean is incredibly fluent! You must have studied hard, huh?”
“Hehe… th-thank you.”
Well, I often hear I’m awkward at home… but if you don’t know the circumstances, I guess it’s a decent level.
Anyway, I quickly explained my situation to the Aunt just in case things went awry.
That I’m a high school student on a school trip from Japan.
And that I’m not from this orphanage, but had once owed a favor to Teacher Jiwoo during a previous trip to Korea.
…Well, it’s not exactly a lie, is it?
“Then, umm… where is she… ah, I mean, where’s the teacher?”
Having to call my mother ‘teacher’ feels a bit weird…
“Ah… if you came to visit her after receiving a favor during a previous trip, then of course you wouldn’t know….”
“…Yes?”
The Aunt speaking those words wore a sad smile for some reason.
“Teacher Jiwoo… passed away last year.”
‘But despite the time that has passed, you still came to visit….’
My head… turned completely blank.
★
After introducing my name, the Aunt led me to a small room.
On the door, it read ‘Jiwoo Teacher’s Room!’ with a sign underneath saying ‘You can come in anytime!’
…It’s a lot smaller than I thought.
That was the first impression that came to me as I entered the room.
The facilities I had seen upon entering Seoha Orphanage were quite… no, incredibly good, so I couldn’t understand why my mother, the head, had such a small room.
She could’ve surely had a much bigger one.
“Isn’t the room quite small?”
As if she sensed the meaning behind my gaze, the Aunt smiled and spoke.
“I had told her many times to take a better room, but she insisted that there was no need, saying she would use this room till the end.”
“That’s….”
At that moment, my gaze fell on a small desk, where a nameplate reading [Head: Han Jiwoo] rested.
And seeing that nameplate, the reality gradually began to sink in.
This was the orphanage my mother had managed.
And that my mother… really had passed away.
“Here, sit on the sofa and have a drink.”
“Ah… th-thank you.”
The Aunt said that as she handed me a warm chocolate latte.
The heat from the warm chocolate latte melted my hands, which had grown cold from staying outside for too long, and the sweet taste of chocolate helped calm my confounded mind a tad.
“Is this room… still in use?”
“Indeed. Although it’s not used for work, I keep it clean for guests who come to visit, like you, Mina.”
So that’s why there was no dust when I first came in.
“You mentioned earlier that you were curious about the teacher, right? I’ll tell you everything I can.”
“Ah, yes… umm… how did the teacher come to run the orphanage? Since you refer to her as Teacher… I naturally assumed she was a school teacher.”
“Hmm. That might be a bit of a long story… Is that okay?”
“Yes. I-I’m okay with that.”
It was still barely past 9 o’clock.
I had plenty of time to listen.
“Well… Teacher Jiwoo had one son.”
★
Jiwoo fervently wished this reality was all a dream, praying desperately to the heavens.
While working in the restaurant, she received a sudden call.
It was from the biggest general hospital in Seoul, saying that Jiwoo’s son had been seriously injured in an accident and had been brought to the emergency room.
…And in the end, Jiwoo’s son would never open his eyes again.
After the funeral, after the cremation, even when he was laid to rest, Jiwoo couldn’t fully comprehend it.
She could only pray that this was a dream.
But as days passed, without her son returning, it became undeniably real.
Thus, Jiwoo began to drink. Because the drinks helped her forget the pain.
She had enough money. From insurance payouts, help from those around her, government compensation, and her accumulated savings…
She had enough money to buy and drink as much as she wanted.
“One day, I wanted to hand it to him with a smile…”
And then about a month later, her son came to her.
“Mother. Please get up.”
It was Yu Ha Yeon, her son’s childhood friend.
She reached out her hand to help Jiwoo up.
“He wouldn’t want to see you like this.”
“Ha Yeon… I’ve only lived for him. Now that he’s gone… the money I saved to give him when he becomes independent, now I have nowhere to spend it… but I have to get up?”
Jiwoo spoke while a bank statement lay open beside her, showcasing an amount exceeding 300 million won.
Words that only a mother who lost her son could say.
Ha Yeon gritted her teeth at the piercing words, yet despite that, she didn’t withdraw her hand.
“He always said he couldn’t trust others. And it was us who told him to trust others and care for them. That’s why he went and saved someone and ended up dying. But we can’t just sit back and do nothing…”
“I’d rather have hoped he hadn’t trusted anyone.”
“Mother!”
At Jiwoo’s words, Ha Yeon firmly grabbed her shoulders. That was a statement that should never be uttered, no matter how sad one might be.
But seeing Jiwoo, a shell of her former self, shedding tears without any light in her eyes, Ha Yeon found herself unable to continue.
The weight of their tears was so vastly different.
“Why… why…!”
“I’m so sorry, Mother….”
Jiwoo began to cry, hugging Ha Yeon. No matter how much she cried, the tears wouldn’t stop.
“Auntie…”
And someone grabbed onto the hem of Jiwoo’s clothes.
“Who… are you…?”
Standing there was a crying little girl.
“I’m so sorry… because of me… your son… Auntie….”
“…Ah.”
Only then did Jiwoo realize who the girl was.
She was the girl her son had saved.
The last trace of Jiwoo’s son’s life.
“…No, it’s not your fault. I’m the one who’s sorry… I’m so sorry…!”
Jiwoo had no choice but to accept the truth. That her son was gone.
But at the same time, she realized there was still something left.
So she had to get up. For what her son had left behind.
No matter how hard it was, he had taught her to trust people.
No matter how painful it was, he had taught her to help others.
Her son had lived this out. So as his mother, she couldn’t just sit idly.
And so, Jiwoo got up. To walk forward again.
Even if she had lost her son… she still had to live on.
★
“That’s how she received help and established the orphanage here.”
I see.
Our homes and Ha Yeon’s house didn’t disappear.
Mother and Ha Yeon created a new home.
Just like I had saved that girl, a place where they could save other children.
“Umm… then what is the name of this orphanage…”
I had already caught on.
Still, wanting to confirm it, I intentionally asked the Aunt.
Then the Aunt smiled and answered.
“It’s named after her son, ‘Seo Jun.’ And it’s called ‘Ha’ after Miss Ha Yeon, who helped the teacher from start to finish. Combine them, and it’s Seoha Orphanage.”
“Seoha Orphanage… it’s a really nice name…!”
“Isn’t it?”
And I could also… smile brightly.
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