Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 342

343. Mom

The hospital staff, who had exchanged greetings with Kim Sun-min and Seung-woo, waved until the luxury sedan sent by Nuga Group drove away.

One by one, they turned away from their lingering feelings and went back inside the hospital, leaving only Tae-kyung and Eui-jin behind.

“That story has a happy ending, right?”

Eui-jin, who had been silently watching the car carrying Kim Sun-min and Seung-woo for a while, finally spoke.

“Of course. It’s a happy ending now and forever.”

“I’m really glad it worked out.”

“Me too. Really glad.”

“By the way, what did Seung-woo give you earlier?”

“This?”

Tae-kyung shook the small bag.

“I wonder what it is? Oh!”

“A heart?”

As Eui-jin had just said, the small bag contained a heart. To be more precise, it was the heart from the human model, Kevin.

“Isn’t this the heart from the model Seung-woo cherished?”

“That’s right. It was an old model in our hospital, and when I gave it to him, he even named it and loved it very much.”

“If he gave you the heart from a model he cherished so much, he must think you’re a good person.”

“Maybe? He even left a note.”

-To Kim Tae-kyung, Teacher.

You are a really wonderful and good person. Thank you for being so kind to me. The heart is the most precious thing to a person. So, I wanted to give it to you, a wonderful and precious teacher, as a gift. Goodbye. I’ll come visit again.

The note inside with the heart model said exactly what Eui-jin had said.

In the eyes of the pure and innocent child, Tae-kyung was a truly good person. That’s why Seung-woo expressed his feelings with the most precious thing he could give.

“He has such a beautiful heart.”

“He really does. But I feel bad for Kim Sun-min.”

“Why?”

“It’s just my thought, but I wonder how she feels, not being able to call her beloved son ‘son’ or say ‘Mom’ to him. When I saw Kim Sun-min looking at Seung-woo earlier, she looked like a mother through and through. Someday, she’ll have to reveal the truth to Seung-woo, and that must be a big worry… I just suddenly thought that because I felt sorry for them both.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that. Sometimes, kids know more than adults think.”

“What? What do you mean? Do you know something?”

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t…”

“Oh, come on. Tell me!”

“It’s a secret!”

“Ah! Teacher~ What is it?”

“Secret!”

Eui-jin poked Tae-kyung’s side as he walked into the hospital, continuing to press him.

* * *

The night before, evening-

‘Is Seung-woo going to sleep now?’

‘Teacher, I have a question.’

After finishing sticking the pictures on the ice cream freezer, Seung-woo hesitated and looked at Tae-kyung.

‘What is it? Tell me.’

‘Teacher, you’re an adult, right?’

‘Of course, I’m an adult.’

‘Then, from what age is someone considered an adult?’

‘Uh…?’

Tae-kyung, caught off guard by Seung-woo’s question, paused for a moment to think about how to answer.

‘In our country, you’re considered an adult at 19 years old by the Western count, so you’re considered an adult after your 20th birthday [Korean age counts a person as one year old at birth, and adds a year every January 1st, regardless of their actual birthdate]. But even if you reach the age where you can be called an adult, even if you look like an adult on the outside, there are people who don’t act like adults. And an adult has to take responsibility for their actions. But why are you asking?’

‘……I wanted to say something.’

‘Say? What do you want to say?’

‘Teacher? This is a secret, but actually…’

Seung-woo hesitated for a long time, watching Tae-kyung’s reaction, before continuing.

‘My sister is not my sister, she’s my mom.’

‘I see.’

Tae-kyung was slightly surprised to hear Seung-woo’s words, but he didn’t show it at all so as not to startle the child who had brought up the story with such difficulty.

This was why, when he heard the whole story the next day, he wasn’t so surprised, because he had already heard from Seung-woo that Kim Sun-min was his mother.

‘Seung-woo knew that?’

‘Yes, my grandma told me.’

From some point on, the grandmother had told Seung-woo the truth when he asked about his mother.

Of course, she didn’t tell him everything about Kim Sun-min’s past.

She told him that she was his mother, but that she had to be by Seung-woo’s side as his sister because of circumstances.

‘Grandma, when can I call her Mom? Can’t I say it first?’

‘When our pretty puppy grows up and becomes an adult, then you can tell your sister.’

Fortunately, Seung-woo listened to his grandmother and has been calling Kim Sun-min ‘sister’ until now.

‘Do you want to call your sister Mom?’

‘……Yes. That’s what I want to do. But I don’t want my sister to have a hard time.’

‘This is just my opinion, but I don’t think you have to wait until you become an adult.’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah.’

Tae-kyung thought seriously about Seung-woo’s concerns and answered.

Perhaps the grandmother said ‘adult’ because she wanted Seung-woo to not be disappointed when he knew all the facts, and to be able to understand Kim Sun-min.

But if it was Seung-woo, who had a deeper heart and more consideration than anyone else, he thought it would be okay to hear Kim Sun-min’s confession before he became an adult.

‘Then when would be a good time to say it?’

‘I think it would be good to say it when Seung-woo’s heart is ready and Mom is also ready.’

‘When is that?’

‘Wouldn’t it be good when Seung-woo thinks it’s okay to say it? When you’re a little more mature and grown up than you are now.’

It was difficult for an elementary school student to hear and understand, but Seung-woo seemed to know exactly what Tae-kyung meant.

‘I think I know what you mean. I think my sister needs time too, so I’ll wait a little longer to say it. When I think about it, I don’t care if she’s my sister or my mom. The most important thing is that she’s by my side.’

‘Okay, our Seung-woo has such a beautiful heart.’

Tae-kyung hugged Seung-woo, thinking that the day when their relationship would change from siblings to mother and child might not be far off.

* * *

Nuga Group Talent Center-

“Hahaha!”

“Chairman, are you that happy?”

Two hours ago-

Kim Sun-min and Seung-woo, who arrived at the Talent Center, underwent giftedness tests with the help of experts. And the results were, as everyone expected, definitely gifted.

Moreover, Seung-woo was a genius among geniuses, an amazing result that put him in the top 1% of geniuses, to put it simply.

“Professor Do, is this a mistake?”

“No, Chairman.”

Kim Gun-hyung, who had finished the morning meeting and arrived a little late to receive the results, was on the verge of bursting with joy.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. I’ve checked several times to make sure there are no errors. I expected it while conducting the test, but I didn’t know Seung-woo would be this good.”

Professor Do, the head of the center, looked at Seung-woo with pride and answered.

“I’ll give you whatever you need, so please take good care of him in the future.”

“I will help in every way possible. Seung-woo? You worked hard today.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Sister, you worked hard too. I look forward to seeing you again soon and please take care of him in the future.”

“Ah, yes. I look forward to working with you too.”

Professor Do, who had discovered a good talent, smiled contentedly and greeted Seung-woo and Kim Sun-min before promising to meet again.

“Hahaha!”

“……”

Unlike Kim Gun-hyung, who was constantly laughing loudly, Kim Sun-min, who was still dazed by the situation, remained silent. And Seung-woo, who had surprised everyone, was focused on putting together a puzzle with Team Leader Go next to him.

“Sorry for laughing so much. I’m just so happy.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“You look very surprised.”

“Yes, a little.”

“How did you raise your younger sibling so well… You’re amazing.”

“My late grandmother worked hard, I didn’t do anything.”

“Seung-woo is a very talented child. I’m planning to give him a scholarship from our company and help him study what he wants to study.”

“Yes?!”

“And in a few years, there will be overseas study abroad programs as part of the gifted program, so if you and Seung-woo discuss it and he wants to, I’ll send him to study abroad.”

“It’s a very generous offer, but I don’t know if Seung-woo and I can accept such a good offer.”

“Good talent saves people, saves companies, and even saves countries. In that sense, sponsoring Seung-woo is a natural thing for me to do. And it’s not like Seung-woo has to work at Nuga Group later, so you don’t have to feel pressured. So don’t refuse.”

“Yes, I don’t know how to thank you…”

Kim Sun-min had been contacted by Kim Gun-hyung and had expected it to some extent because he was such a great person. But she really didn’t expect to receive such a great offer.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Kim Sun-min expressed her sincere gratitude to Kim Gun-hyung.

“I’m grateful that you accepted my offer. And I heard that you’re looking for a job, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Why don’t you work in our company’s design team?”

“Yes? Me?”

The document Kim Gun-hyung handed over was a letter of recommendation for a career position in the design team of a famous company affiliated with Nuga Group.

“I heard that you majored in design and have good skills. I recommended Kim Sun-min because I thought it would be good for you to work here.”

Although he was the chairman of the entire group, Kim Gun-hyung did not use his position to create the position.

Kim Gun-hyung had created a recommendation system a long time ago to prevent parachute hires [hiring someone based on connections rather than merit] within the company.

People other than family members can be recommended, and after working as a contract worker for a certain period of time, they are converted to full-time employees through self-evaluation.

“It’s okay, so hurry up and get the recommendation letter. You’re not going to refuse, are you?”

“No. Of course not. I won’t refuse.”

Kim Sun-min received the letter of recommendation after hearing the explanation.

She had always wanted to work for the company for a long time, so she honestly didn’t want to refuse the offer. She thought it was a good opportunity for herself.

“I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Well, the repayment is for Kim Sun-min to work hard and become a full-time employee. So work hard.”

“I will work really hard. Thank you for giving Seung-woo and me such good opportunities.”

“It’s natural for those who have to give, so don’t worry about it. Seung-woo, did you have fun today? Do you like it here?”

“Yes, Grandpa. I can read a lot of books and study happily, so I like it.”

“Okay. You have to read a lot of books in the future.”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

After that, Kim Sun-min listened to Kim Gun-hyung’s advice on life, toured the Talent Center with Seung-woo, and headed home.

“Seung-woo, did you have fun today?”

“Yes. So much. Oh! It’s Grandma.”

Seung-woo, who was heading to the villa with Kim Sun-min, ran into the grandmother from the upper house who was coming out.

“Grandma?”

“Oh my, Seung-woo and Sun-min are home. Welcome home. I kept checking to see if you were home.”

The grandmother from the upper house hugged Seung-woo and stroked Kim Sun-min’s back, genuinely welcoming them.

“Everything was okay, right?”

“What could happen to us? Are you not sick anywhere?”

“Of course. I heard that you came to the hospital and took care of Seung-woo when I wasn’t there. Thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it. More than that, Sun-min. Someone came looking for you.”

“Someone?”

“It was a man, and he said he would wait at the nearby coffee shop, and told me to give this to you when you came.”

“……!”

Kim Sun-min, who saw the note handed over by her grandmother, could tell that the man who had come to her house was Lee Young-hoon.

“Grandma, I’m sorry, but…”

“You want me to watch Seung-woo? Don’t worry and go quickly.”

“I’ll be back soon.”

Kim Sun-min hurriedly left the villa.

At the time, she was desperate, but she didn’t think that the security guard would actually find Lee Young-hoon and give him the letter.

“Haa!”

Kim Sun-min ran to the coffee shop in one go and took a moment to catch her breath in front of the door.

As she opened the door and looked around, she saw the back of a man sitting inside.

Although many years had passed, she could tell at a glance that he was Lee Young-hoon.

Kim Sun-min slowly approached and called his name.

“Senior?”