Chapter 6: Hometown

After the funeral, Shin-ae Choi moved swiftly to help with the children’s immigration process.  

Since it couldn’t be arranged immediately, the kids decided to pack only the essentials from their home for now.  

It’s been a while.  

While the kids were busy organizing, I took some time to visit the house I used to live in.  

I considered not going, as there wasn’t much to do, but curiosity got the better of me.  

The streets I hadn’t seen in 15 years had changed drastically.  

“That convenience store is still there.”  

The store where Grandpa always sent me to buy alcohol was still operating.  

It used to secretly slip me snacks, but now it looked so rundown that the sign was barely hanging on.  

I thought about stopping by, but I wanted to see the house first, so I turned my steps.  

…There aren’t many people around.  

The village felt empty.  

It used to be lively, but now I was startled by how few people were walking around.  

As I walked, I reached the place where my old house stood.  

“ ”  

A house? No, it wasn’t.  

The place that used to be my home was no longer the one I remembered.  

…It’s gone.  

The house had disappeared.  

Though it was old, I thought it would still be there.  

But the old house was gone, replaced by a tall villa.  

Let’s go.  

After staring at the villa for a while, I moved on.  

I felt like lingering there would trap me in past memories.  

On my way back, I stopped in front of the convenience store I’d passed earlier.  

The only thing left unchanged in this village is this store.  

Though it was now worn out, it still retained its past appearance.  

After hesitating for a moment, I walked inside.  

-Ding-a-ling!  

The bell I remembered from childhood.  

Back then, it sounded loud, but now it felt oddly small.  

I stepped inside, but there was no sound.  

Is no one here?  

I stood at the entrance, looking around.  

The store’s layout hadn’t changed, but the items no longer carried the nostalgic scent of the past.  

After standing there for a while, a woman—no, a grandmother—emerged from the back.  

“Welcome.”  

“Hello.”  

A very familiar face.  

Back then, she was the neighborhood lady, but time had turned her into a grandmother.  

Her white, wavy hair framed a warm smile as she looked at me.  

“Do you need something?”  

“Could I… get some cigarettes?”  

“Of course. Which kind?”  

“Marlboro Gold, please.”  

“Ugh…”  

“ ”  

The grandmother limped as she came out from behind the counter.  

I couldn’t help but be shocked.  

Her leg…  

Limping.  

The last time I saw her, she was healthy and full of energy.  

But not anymore.  

What had happened? Her left leg was gone.  

“4,500 won.”  

She retrieved the cigarettes from near the counter and handed them to me.  

“Oh, here.”  

I pulled a 5,000-won bill from my wallet and offered it to her.  

But instead of taking it, she stared at me for a long time.  

“Is something… wrong?”  

“Have you… been to school around here? You look familiar…”  

Her words brought a bitter smile to my face.  

I just wanted to see her face and leave…  

I didn’t want to get caught up in memories, just to see a familiar face from the past.  

But despite the 15 years that had passed, she recognized me.  

“I used to live in the red-roofed house before the villa was built. Unit 211.”  

Her eyes widened.  

Countless kids had passed through this store, but I was a bit special among those who came here.  

“You, you, you… Yongsu? Yongsu Kwon?”  

“It’s been a while, ma’am.”  

“Yongsu, you rascal!”  

The grandmother limped out from behind the counter and hugged me tightly.  

I could faintly smell ramen, as if she’d been eating.  

“You, you, you! Where did you disappear to without a word? Where have you been all this time? Oh, my…”  

“I’ve been busy. How have you been?”  

At that, she stepped back, frowning.  

“Does this look like I’ve been doing well?”  

She lifted her left leg.  

The loose pant leg revealed that everything below the knee was gone.  

“What happened? What’s wrong?”  

“No big deal. Just an accident.”  

A car accident, she said.  

Still, she smiled broadly, saying that losing a leg was a small price to pay for surviving.  

“But what about you? Do you know how much your dad worried about you?”  

“My dad…?”  

“Yeah! He prayed every day with a bowl of sacred water. It was the first time I saw him stand up to his own father!”  

“My dad…?”  

“I’m telling you!”  

My dad… stood up to Grandpa?  

That dad?  

“When you disappeared, your grandpa caused a ruckus, yelling to bring your sister back. Oh, it was chaos. He even went to her university, making a scene.”  

The day Grandpa went to Mihye’s university and caused a commotion, Dad finally exploded.  

He said that instead of supporting his kids’ futures, Grandpa shouldn’t block their paths.  

Because of Grandpa, Dad had to be separated from his son and daughter, and that day, he expressed his emotions for the first time.  

“ ”  

“Your dad was… a harsh man. If only he’d been honest when you kids were around, how nice would that have been? Tsk… He only regretted it after you both left.”  

“ ”  

After that day, Grandpa and Dad never reconciled, and Grandpa passed away as time went on.  

After that, Dad sold the house and moved near Mihye’s place.  

“After your dad sold the house, redevelopment started bit by bit.”  

Whether Dad’s sale was the trigger, people began tearing down houses and building new structures.  

But many started moving to Seoul.  

“Now, this village is just for people like me with nowhere else to go.”  

Even the villa built where our house stood had many vacant units.  

The village was declining, and the store grandma said she stayed because it was her hometown.  

“Since you’re here, take this.”  

She pulled out a plastic bag and started filling it with snacks.  

I quickly waved my hands.  

“No, no, it’s fine. I have to leave soon anyway.”  

“Take it. It’s… not ‘ma’am’ anymore, it’s ‘grandma’s’ heart.”  

“But…”  

“When an elder gives you something, you just say ‘yes’ and take it. Why so much talk?”  

She forcibly shoved the bag into my hands.  

I’m an adult now, but in her eyes, after all these years, I’m still a kid.  

“Come back often. The village may be desolate now… but who knows? There might be treasure hidden here.”  

Her words made me smile.  

“I’ll come back to hunt for treasure.”  

I carefully held the “treasure” and smiled.  

Treasure.  

It was our little code.  

Since Grandpa wouldn’t let me eat snacks, she’d call me to the store to find “hidden treasure.”  

To give me snacks—and love.  

I’ll definitely… come back.  

I stepped out of the store, holding the treasure dearly.  

Unlike yesterday, the bright, wide sky warmly embraced us.  

I stayed at a nearby hotel until the paperwork was finalized.  

I needed to become the kids’ legal guardian.  

Fortunately, since 2022, single individuals in Korea could adopt, so I quickly obtained the adoption certificate.  

“We’ll process the immigration as quickly as possible.”  

“Thank you.”  

“It’s gotten complicated, haha!”  

Rooney, my contact at Bear Books, offered to help.  

Though I’d cover the costs, knowing they’d assist with the immigration process put me at ease.  

“So, you’re coming back now?”  

“Yeah, I have to.”  

“Hm…”  

Rooney paused for a moment.  

“Is something up?”  

“No, it’s just… your tone sounds softer.”  

“My tone?”  

“Yeah. Before you went to Korea, you seemed a bit sharp, but now you sound gentler. Has something changed?”  

“Well… haha, maybe it’s just being back in my hometown?”  

“Haha, that’s good to hear. I was worried about you lately.”  

Rooney had worked with Adele Louis for a long time.  

Every conversation revealed one thing: I was driven by a kind of vengeance.  

Like someone with a score to settle, I wrote with a fierce edge.  

That’s why I achieved success quickly, but that success came with an equally great sense of loss.  

“I’m glad I can worry less now. Though… it’s a shame you might not write as much with kids around.”  

“Haha… I’ll still try to write.”  

“As an employee, I shouldn’t say this, but… you need a break. I recommend traveling with the kids.”  

“Once we get closer, I’ll do that.”  

Traveling now would be tough since the kids were still wary of me.  

And honestly, I was still getting used to them too.  

“I’ll visit your place sometime. With good liquor.”  

“Hahaha, I’ll be waiting.”  

Since my house was so far, they’d probably just send something by courier, as they’d never visited before.  

After the call ended, I looked at the person in front of me.  

“Sorry.”  

“It’s fine.”  

Shin-ae smiled warmly at me.  

It felt like the way a sister looks at her brother.  

“You’re leaving tomorrow?”  

“Yes. We’re taking a morning flight. It’ll take two days to get home, though.”  

It wasn’t a direct flight; we’d need to transfer twice.  

We’d probably arrive tomorrow evening at the earliest.  

“I called because I might not see you tomorrow.”  

Shin-ae handed me an envelope.  

“It’s Mihye’s savings.”  

It might not seem like much compared to what I had, but…  

“Use it for the kids.”  

“…Thank you.”  

“ ”  

I quietly took the envelope.  

I didn’t check how much was inside.  

I planned to hold onto it and give it to the kids when they were grown.  

“Yongsu-ssi.”  

“Yes?”  

“Do you want to apologize to the kids?”  

“Of course.”  

We each left home to pursue our own paths, but if I’d stayed in touch, maybe this tragedy could’ve been avoided.  

At the very least, my sister wouldn’t have had to raise the kids so arduously.  

“If that’s the case… don’t just focus on their future, but listen to their opinions. I’m not saying to grant every wish, but let them choose their own paths.”  

“Their own paths…”  

“That’s enough.”  

I slowly nodded at Shin-ae’s words.  

“…Got it.”  

“Keep in touch from Canada.”  

“Of course.”  

What would it have been like if Mihye were here?  

Swallowing her tears, Shin-ae gave a gentle smile.  

Wishing blessings for this foolish brother’s future…