Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 139

At that moment.

“One bowl of pumpkin porridge, please.”

“Yes, just a moment.”

Shin Minho, having received the pumpkin porridge, headed to the hospital.

Fortunately, he had hurried, so he was able to arrive at the hospital before his mother had dinner.

When he arrived at the hospital room, his mother was sleeping.

Shin Minho relieved the caregiver and sat next to his mother.

According to the caregiver, she had been waiting for Shin Minho until just before she fell asleep.

Was it just his imagination?

The deep wrinkles seemed especially pronounced today.

Shin Minho carefully took his mother’s hand in both of his.

He could feel the warmth.

He usually didn’t hold his mother’s hand properly.

Perhaps that’s why he felt a bit awkward even just holding her hand for a moment. But knowing that there weren’t many days left to hold his mother’s hand like this, Shin Minho held her hand tightly.

It was then.

“Hmm…….”

“Mother, are you awake?”

“You’ve come.”

“I just arrived a little while ago. If you’re tired, sleep a little more. There’s still some time before dinner, so have the pumpkin porridge after you wake up.”

Lee Misoon shook her head.

“No, I want to see my son’s face.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Seeing his mother stubbornly trying to open her eyes to see her son, even though she had no strength, made his heart ache. But that was only for a moment.

His mother had already closed her eyes. She was that exhausted. Even so, she was holding Shin Minho’s hand tightly.

After a while.

His mother opened her eyes again. Then, after confirming Shin Minho’s face, she closed her eyes again.

She seemed anxious.

Moreover, she must have been even more anxious because he had said he couldn’t come today. Even while sleeping, she kept confirming Shin Minho’s presence before closing her eyes again.

Some time later.

His mother barely opened her eyes.

“Would you like to eat now?”

“Yes, just a little…….”

“This is pumpkin porridge that you like, and one of my students bought it for you to have. So please enjoy it.”

“Thank you so much. Make sure to thank them later.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Shin Minho took a spoonful of pumpkin porridge and put it in his mother’s mouth.

Chew, chew.

His mother slowly swallowed the pumpkin porridge.

“It’s delicious.”

“Is it delicious?”

“Yes, it feels even more delicious because a student bought it.”

Perhaps it was because she had eaten the porridge, but she seemed to have regained some strength.

“That’s a relief. After you finish this, shall we take a lap around the hospital in a wheelchair?”

His mother slowly nodded.

Every week, he took a lap around the hospital with his mother, and she seemed to enjoy that time. Last week, at his mother’s request, they went around the hospital twice.

She seemed to cherish that time that much.

After his mother finished her meal, Shin Minho sat her in a wheelchair and warmly wrapped her body in a blanket.

Although it was still summer weather, it was a bit chilly for his mother.

Today, her food intake wasn’t small either. Perhaps that’s why there was more strength in his mother’s voice.

“I ate a lot today, didn’t I?”

“Yes, Mother, you ate a lot today. That’s why your face looks good.”

His mother smiled at Shin Minho’s words.

“What good is it if a patient looks good? They’re still a patient.”

“No, Mother. You don’t look like a patient at all today. At this rate, you could be discharged.”

“Really? Then shall we just go home?”

“Should we?”

The two of them smiled and left the hospital room in the wheelchair, heading towards the elevator.

It was then.

Someone saw his mother and greeted her.

“Are you going for a walk?”

It was the nurse in charge.

“Ah, yes, we’re going to take a quick lap after dinner.”

“Still, it seems like you’re eating and gaining strength because your son came. Don’t stay out in the cold wind for too long, and come back in a bit.”

“Yes, I understand. Thank you.”

Just as he was about to push the wheelchair, his mother looked at the nurse and said.

“This is my son. A school teacher.”

His mother said proudly to the nurse. Then the nurse smiled and replied.

“Yes, Mother. We know. And he’s very handsome too.”

“Yes, he’s very handsome. Thank you for noticing, young nurse.”

“Yes, Grandma, then have a good walk.”

Shin Minho bowed his head in greeting and quickly left the spot. The embarrassment was all Shin Minho’s burden.

That’s a parent’s heart.

He wanted to say something, but Shin Minho kept his mouth shut.

Because he knew his mother’s heart all too well.

After going down to the first floor, Shin Minho pushed the wheelchair and said.

“Mother, aren’t you cold?”

“No, not really. It’s okay, this much.”

His mother seemed unusually happy today.

“Mother, you seem to be in a good mood today.”

“Actually, I met your father last night, you know?”

“Father? What did Father say?”

“He kept gesturing. He wasn’t that affectionate when he was alive, but he was so affectionate last night. Maybe that’s why I’m in a good mood today.”

Shin Minho felt strange. In his own dream, he dreamed that his mother was going on a long trip and leaving his side. But since his mother’s dream was also strange, Shin Minho couldn’t help but feel strange.

But it was a situation where he couldn’t show it.

Then his mother called Shin Minho.

“Minho-ya.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Have you been having a hard time all this while?”

“What are you talking about? There’s no such thing, so don’t ever think like that.”

His mother shook her head.

“No. This mother has lived too long. I’ve made our son suffer a lot all this while.”

“Mother, why are you suddenly saying that? Don’t say that.”

“Okay, I understand. Thank you, our son.”

“…….”

Shin Minho could only look at his mother without saying anything. Perhaps she herself knew that she didn’t have much time left, and she was only saying unusually weak things today.

After finishing their walk, his mother lay back down on the bed.

“Minho-ya, please wipe my face.”

“Okay. I’ll wipe it clean with a towel.”

Shin Minho could sense it intuitively. His mother was now making her final preparations.

Shin Minho headed to the bathroom.

Creak.

He turned on the tap water to warm. Then he soaked the towel in warm water.

Swish.

Shin Minho started wiping from his mother’s face.

Eyes, nose, mouth. And he wiped every corner of her ears clean. His mother was still with her eyes closed. She looked like a child lying down.

It was over only after he wiped her hands and feet.

His mother was already asleep.

Shin Minho came out of the hospital room and went to sit in the lounge.

There was no one in the lounge.

The lights of the night view seen from the 8th floor felt unusually bright. The night grew deeper like that.

Shin Minho, who had returned to the hospital room, sat next to his mother again.

Then he held his mother’s hand tightly again. It felt like his mother’s warm energy was being transmitted as it was. He sat there holding her hand for a long time.

‘Mother, I love you.’

Shin Minho quietly murmured inwardly and looked at his sleeping mother.

How much time had passed?

He felt strange.

When he woke up, his mother was stroking Shin Minho’s hair.

He had fallen asleep without even realizing it.

“Mother, what’s wrong?”

“You must have been tired.”

“No. But is there anything you need?”

“I’m thirsty…….”

Shin Minho quickly got up and handed his mother a water cup.

Slurp.

His mother took a sip of water through the straw and put down the water cup.

“You were thirsty?”

“No, just a little…….”

“You should have woken me up sooner?”

“No, it was nice just seeing our son. Now, Mom will sleep soundly, so sleep comfortably.”

With those words, his mother immediately lay down on the bed.

Holding his mother’s hand, Shin Minho quietly said.

“Mother! You’ve worked hard. And I love you!”

Whether his mother heard Shin Minho’s words, she just tapped the hand she was holding with one hand. And there were no more words.

His mother fell into a deep sleep while holding Shin Minho’s hand like that. His mother took one last sip of water and left forever to a place she could never return.

***

Three people gathered in Hyunseong’s room.

Hyunseong first looked at Kim Ilsoo and Lee Jungwoo and asked.

“How was it? Did you have fun today?”

“It was great, especially Ilsoo’s spicy fish stew was the best.”

Lee Jungwoo looked at Kim Ilsoo, raising his thumb. Then Kim Ilsoo smiled and continued.

“Thank you. It’s rewarding that you enjoyed it.”

“Hyunseong, you liked the spicy fish stew too, right?”

This time, Lee Jungwoo looked at Hyunseong and asked.

“Of course. That’s why I’m asking, Ilsoo, what’s your dream for the future?”

“Dream for the future?”

“Yeah, isn’t there something you want to do in the future or something like that?”

“Well…….”

Kim Ilsoo seemed to think for a moment, then continued.

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yeah, studying is obviously out of the question, and if I’m going to learn a skill, I don’t know what to learn, and honestly, it’s just bleak.”

Hyunseong nodded.

This was the current state of rural high schools.

The part he had gone to see the principal about a few days ago was also this part.

Since the school is a humanities school, the classes have no choice but to be organized mainly for the college entrance class, whether they go to college or not.

As a result, most of the students who cannot go to college have no choice but to be thrown into society without any preparation.

A solution?

As the principal said, there is no special way.

The only way is for each person to find their own way.

But that’s difficult. It’s not an era where there is the internet. Even if you want to get information, there is nowhere to get it.

It’s a problem that I also talked about with the student council president of the 3rd grade a few days ago. The answer that came back was a sight to behold. Everyone doesn’t know what to do, so they can’t prepare anything for now.

It’s almost October in a few days. But there is still no plan. This is the current state of the current 3rd graders.

Hyunseong looked at Kim Ilsoo.

Perhaps he gave a natural answer.

He didn’t know, so there was nothing he could do. It’s not Kim Ilsoo’s fault.

If you don’t know, you can start telling him little by little from now on.

Hyunseong looked at Kim Ilsoo and said.

“You enjoy cooking the most when you’re cooking at your house last time and today, right?”

“Yeah, honestly, it’s true that I enjoy cooking the most.”

“Then that’s it. Let’s do that.”

“……?”

Kim Ilsoo looked at Hyunseong instead of speaking.

Then Hyunseong’s next words followed immediately.