That Evening

After returning home, Kang Min-hee sat blankly on the sofa, lost in thought.

Just then.

Beep, beep, beep-!

The sound of the front door lock opening signaled her husband's return. Her husband, Lee Chang-hyun, worked in the field.

Covered in sweat, he took out a bottle of water and drank as he spoke.

“You went to the center, right? How’s Mother doing?”

“How else… the same.”

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you.”

“Huh?”

“I think it’d be best to move her to a nursing home.”

“A nursing home? Out of nowhere?”

“Do you know how much we’re paying for the center every month? It’s over several million won. At least the nursing home has some insurance coverage.”

After the Great Upheaval.

The medical insurance system had completely collapsed. Although it had gradually been restored over time, it was still far from what it had been before.

Especially when it came to elderly care.

Of course, dementia care centers weren’t covered by insurance. That meant the monthly costs alone were in the millions.

But nursing homes were different. Though limited, they did receive partial insurance coverage.

Of course, they couldn’t provide the same level of intensive care as dementia centers. A nursing home was, after all, just a nursing home.

“But still…”

“If she were getting better, that’d be one thing. But we even downsized our home to take care of her. And that’s not all—we even took out loans. Honestly, haven’t we done enough?”

Would you say the same if it were your own mother?

She wanted to shout, but Kang Min-hee couldn’t bring herself to say it. Everything Lee Chang-hyun said was true.

Dementia was an incurable disease.

The world had turned upside down, yet there was still no cure for dementia.

When the cost of keeping her mother at the center became overwhelming, they had downsized their home.

The difference in price had covered the center fees.

Even then, their living expenses weren’t enough, forcing them to take out loans.

“Min-hee… we’ve done all we could. Mother-in-law would understand.”

“Please sign here on the consent form.”

The facility director finished his explanation and handed over the form.

Kang Min-hee stared blankly at it.

The page was filled with dense text, yet none of the words registered in her mind.

Seeing her silence, her husband, Lee Chang-hyun, read the document in her stead.

In short, it was a consent form allowing them to restrain her mother-in-law during bedtime.

Lee Chang-hyun glanced at Kang Min-hee.

“Honey.”

“……”

“Honey.”

“Huh?”

“The consent form.”

“But what if she’s tied up and there’s a fire…?”

The facility director let out a deep sigh, as if he had heard this question many times before.

“Ma’am, do you know what the mortality statistics are like for dementia patients?”

“Mortality statistics?”

“In the early stages, many commit suicide. After receiving the diagnosis, they fall into despair and take their own lives. What do you think happens in the later stages?”

“……”

“Most die from accidents. Their judgment, motor skills, and memory decline, significantly reducing their ability to respond to emergencies. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“No, I’m not sure…”

The director sighed again, seemingly frustrated.

“Imagine if Ms. Lee Jin-sun wasn’t restrained at night and left the nursing home.”

Countless scenarios flashed through her mind.

What if she unknowingly wandered into a dungeon?

What if she got into an accident while crossing the street?

What if someone shot her?

“If you’re against it, we won’t force you. But if an accident were to happen, we wouldn’t be able to take any responsibility.”

“……”

“Honey.”

“……”

“They’re saying it’s for Mother’s sake.”

Biting her lip, Kang Min-hee picked up the pen and signed the form.

The director took the document, placed it in a cabinet, and gestured toward the door.

“You can proceed with the admission process at the lobby.”

A few days later.

Kang Min-hee visited the nursing home.

It had only been a few days, but Lee Jin-sun looked thinner than before.

“Mom.”

“You’re here?”

“Yes. How have you been?”

“I’ve been fine.”

“Are you uncomfortable in any way?”

Lee Jin-sun nodded.

“No. The food’s good, the staff are kind, and it’s nicer than the last place.”

“……”

Her mother had a habit of blinking when she lied. Just now, she had blinked.

Still, Kang Min-hee pretended not to notice. She had no choice.

“By the way, hasn’t Geon-woo come? I feel like I haven’t seen him in a while… Ah, do I look too awful for him to visit?”

“Mom, what are you saying? I’ll bring him this weekend. He’s been asking about you.”

“Really? It’s hard to believe he’s already in middle school… Feels like just yesterday he was a baby, doesn’t it?”

“……”

“Min-hee?”

“……”

“Kang Min-hee, where’s your head at?”

“Ah? Oh. Yes, you’re right. It feels like just yesterday he was a baby, but now he’s in middle school. He’s even learning how to shave from his dad.”

“Shaving?”

“Yeah. His dad’s thinking of getting him shaving foam for his birthday.”

Lee Jin-sun smiled and nodded. Then, as if she had remembered something, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a packaged glutinous rice cake.

“What’s this?”

“It was part of lunch earlier. You like rice cakes, don’t you?”

“Mom, you should’ve eaten it.”

“I can’t swallow sticky foods well anymore.”

“Well, I guess you have gotten older. You used to nag me all the time, but now you don’t even scold me anymore.”

“It wasn’t nagging, it was for your own good.”

Kang Min-hee chuckled.

“I know. Now I do the same to Geon-woo.”

“Do you?”

For the first time in a long while, Kang Min-hee had a normal conversation with her mother.

The warm sunlight felt pleasant.

Suddenly, Kang Min-hee snapped back to reality.

“How did I end up here…?”

It was late at night, making it dangerous, but she had gone for a walk to clear her mind.

When she came to her senses, she was standing in front of "One Drink."

“Where are you headed?”

She flinched. District 12 wasn’t a safe place, even for two people walking together.

Walking alone there was dangerous enough, but now someone was speaking to her.

She turned around and let out a sigh of relief.

“You scared me. Oh, it’s just you, Seo-jun.”

“I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I just scared myself. Are you taking out the trash?”

Seo-jun held garbage bags in both hands.

“Yes. What about you, ma’am?”

“I went for a walk and somehow ended up here.”

“It’s dangerous to walk alone…”

“Still, who would bother an old lady like me?”

Smiling, Kang Min-hee suddenly noticed the neon sign of "One Drink" glowing in the distance.

“By the way, how late do you stay open?”

“We usually stay open as long as there are customers.”

“Then… would it be okay if I came in for a drink?”

“Of course.”

Inside, the bar was quiet. It seemed like she had arrived just before closing time.

“Looks like you were about to close. Now I feel bad.”

“It’s fine. What would you like to drink?”

“Soju should be good. And for food…”

“I actually have some kimchi stew. Would you like that?”

“Kimchi stew? I didn’t see that on the menu.”

“It’s not. I made it for breakfast tomorrow.”

“I appreciate it, but… now I feel even worse.”

“Please wait a moment. I’ll bring it right out.”

Seo-jun first brought out the soju, and soon after, he served the steaming kimchi stew.

“Smells amazing.”

Slurp-!

“Wow, it tastes even better!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“This would be perfect with somaek. Could I get a beer too?”

Seo-jun brought over a glass and a bottle of beer.

Without hesitation, she popped the beer bottle cap off with a spoon.

With a soft pop, the cap came off, and she moved on to the soju, pouring it into a shot glass.

Glug glug glug!

Next was the beer. She poured it into the glass and dropped the soju shot inside.

As bubbles and foam rose to the surface, she grabbed a napkin, covered the top of the glass, and shook it vigorously.

With a sharp flick, she tossed the soaked napkin against the wall.

Flinching, she muttered, “Wow, old habits die hard.”

Seo-jun chuckled. “You must drink often.”

She downed the glass in one go. The sweet yet sharp kick of somaek was just as she remembered.

“Ahh! That’s good! It’s been so long.”

“Has it?”

“I have a beer now and then, but I haven’t had somaek like this in… wow, probably 15 years.”

“Fifteen years?”

“Yeah. After I had Geon-woo—ah, my son—I stopped drinking. No, I couldn’t drink. Taking care of a kid, there’s no time for that.”

“I suppose that makes sense.”

Seo-jun nodded thoughtfully.

He, too, had his first somaek after returning.

Of course, for him, it hadn’t been 15 years—it had been thousands of years.

And that first somaek after millennia had felt strange.

Like the past and present had collapsed into each other.

Like all those years in the demon realm had evaporated.

Huh… No way to explain that to someone.

He smiled wryly.

“How does somaek taste after 15 years?”

“So good that I wonder how I ever lived without it.”

She downed another glass and started making another.

Then, as if recalling something, she let out a small laugh.

“I used to love drinking.”

“That’s surprising.”

“In college, I practically lived in a drunken haze. My GPA never even hit a 2.0.”

Seo-jun hesitated. Just how little did she study…?

“Still, after graduation, I got lucky and landed a job at a mid-sized company. And man, that after-work drink? Nothing better.”

“Drinking after work?”

“Yeah. I wonder if you know that feeling.”

“How good was it?”

Smiling at the memory, she explained, “On my way home, I’d stop by the convenience store, grab a meal and a bottle of soju, and have a quiet drink at home. All the stress from my boss, from work—it all disappeared with that first sip. There’s just no explaining it.”

“I see.”

“But my mom always knew. No matter how well I hid it, she’d swing my door open and yell, ‘You’re drinking again?!’”

“She had a good intuition.”

“Yeah. No matter where I hid it, she always found out. Back then, I was so annoyed—thinking, ‘I’m an adult, why won’t she let me drink?’”

“They say parents and children grow closer when they live apart. Living together can sometimes push them apart.”

“Really? That’s interesting. When you’re far, you feel close, and when you’re close, you feel distant…”

Drip—

Instead of somaek, she poured straight soju into a shot glass and drank it down.

Despite the bitterness, her expression didn’t change.

Then she spoke softly.

“Then why don’t we feel closer now? We live apart…”

Seo-jun hesitated.

“Ah, your mother lives in the countryside, right?”

“Not exactly. But we do live apart. She has dementia.”

Seo-jun’s eyes widened.

“These days, she often doesn’t even recognize me.”

“Oh…”

“Maybe that’s why. Living apart doesn’t always bring you closer.”

Seo-jun had no words.

He understood, if only a little, the pain of having a loved one with dementia.

His grandmother had suffered from it, too.

He remembered it clearly.

Whenever he visited, she would greet him warmly with open arms.

“My little darlings are here!”

She had always been so affectionate.

But then, she started to forget.

One day, she looked at him blankly and asked,

“Whose child is this?”

“Are they the neighbors’ grandkids?”

Even as a child, it had hurt.

For Min-hee… it must be heartbreaking.

Tears welled up in Min-hee’s eyes.

Perhaps embarrassed, she quickly wiped them away.

“Must’ve gotten dust in my eye.”

Seo-jun simply watched her.

Then, after a long silence, he finally spoke.

“That happens to me sometimes, too.”

“Really? You don’t seem like the type.”

“I thought so too. But recently, it’s happened quite a lot.”

“Recently?”

“Yeah.”

-“What’s that paper?”

-“A property deed. This building… is mine.”

With that one sentence, he had thought of his younger brother, Yeon-jun, and the hardships he must have endured.

That day, dust had gotten into his eyes.

A lot of it.

“Seems like everyone gets dust in their eyes sometimes.”

“I guess so. It’d be nice if we didn’t.”

Min-hee laughed.

Just then—

Bzzzzt—!

Her phone vibrated.

Checking the screen, she muttered, “Unknown number.”

Probably spam.

She declined the call.

Bzzzzt—!

It rang again.

With a sigh, she answered.

“Hello?”

-“This is Seoshin Hospital ER. Are you the guardian of patient Lee Jin-sun?”