“Huff, huff!”

The doctor’s breath grew rough, and Seo-jun’s expression darkened along with it.

The vitality she once had.

The life force that every human possesses was gradually fading away.

Glance.

He looked outside the operating room. Though the door blocked the view, it was no obstacle to Seo-jun.

“Honey, sob sob sob!”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry……”

“What do we do? Our mom is so pitiful! Sob sob sob! I-I still have so many things I haven’t told her… sob sob sob!”

“I’m sorry. I really… I… I’m sorry.”

Seo-jun looked down at Lee Jin-sun once more. Now, he could no longer sense any life from her.

“Record it.”

At the surgeon’s words, the assistant, drenched in sweat, began writing something on the record sheet. It was likely the time of death.

“Phew, good work. You all did well. And……”

The surgeon closed his eyes as he looked down at Lee Jin-sun, who had just been pronounced dead.

‘May she rest in peace.’

At that moment—

Beep!

“Hm?”

Beep, beep!

“Is the monitor malfunctioning?”

“I’ll check it now.”

Beep beep beep beep—!

The graph on the monitor slowly began forming a curve again. The surgeon shouted.

“Check the monitor immediately!”

“There’s nothing wrong with it……!”

“How can this be……?”

The surgeon was in shock.

The patient was definitely dead.

Not only had she gone into cardiac arrest once, but twice. On top of that, she was elderly.

She had been in cardiac arrest for ten full minutes.

And yet, suddenly, she was breathing again.

There was no explanation other than a miracle. The surgeon shouted at the assistant and nurses.

“Call Dr. Oh from anesthesiology again and keep monitoring her closely. Once the patient stabilizes……”

Grab!

The surgeon turned his head, startled by the unfamiliar sensation on his wrist. The patient was supposed to be under anesthesia.

‘Then how…?’

The patient was shaking her head. Then, as if trying to say something, she moved her lips. Finally, her dry lips parted.

“My daughter… my daughter……”

“Daughter?”

“I think she means the young lady outside.”

“The one from earlier?”

“It seems so.”

Looking troubled, Lee Jin-sun spoke again, as if squeezing out the last of her strength.

“Please… let me see my daughter’s face.”

“But ma’am, you’ve already gone into cardiac arrest twice……”

“It’s my last request……”

For a moment, the surgeon recalled the days he had spent wearing a white coat.

Wearing a white coat was a trial. It meant standing on the boundary between life and death.

From time to time, the surgeon had witnessed miracles within that boundary.

A young man waking up from a brain death diagnosis.

A patient who was told rehabilitation was impossible standing and walking again.

A terminal cancer patient making a full recovery.

“A patient declared dead opening their eyes……”

“What?”

“Seong-cheol, bring in her daughter.”

“But……”

“It’s fine. Just bring her in.”

A short while later, Kang Min-hee entered with tear-streaked cheeks, looking bewildered.

“Your mother has something to say to you.”

With that, the surgeon led the other medical staff out.

Lee Jin-sun smiled warmly.

“My daughter, you’re here?”

“Do you recognize me? Mom, you know who I am, right?”

“Of course… I recognize you. How could I not know my own daughter’s face?”

“Hic… hic hic!”

“Don’t cry. Why are you crying?”

“I’m sorry, Mom… I shouldn’t have sent you to a nursing home… I should have let you stay at the center… sob sob sob!”

“It’s okay. I understand. I understand everything… So don’t cry. Hush.”

As Kang Min-hee continued sobbing, Lee Jin-sun weakly raised her hand and reached into her pocket. She pulled something out from her inner pocket.

It was a glutinous rice cake.

“You used to stop crying the moment I gave you these, remember? So now, you won’t cry anymore, right?”

“Mom… sob sob.”

“I told you not to cry.”

As Kang Min-hee’s sobbing lessened, Lee Jin-sun gently stroked her hair.

“So pretty. My beautiful daughter……”

“Mom too… Mom, you’re beautiful too.”

“My daughter, you have to live well without crying. And……”

“……”

“Thank you for being my daughter. I wasn’t a perfect mother, but if I could be your mother again next time, I’ll do better. I’ll… do better……”

“No, Mom, you were already perfect. I’m the one who’s grateful. If I can be your daughter again, I’ll do better next time. And I love you. I love you so much, Mom.”

Lee Jin-sun’s breaths grew fainter. The hand that had been caressing Kang Min-hee’s face slowly lost strength.

With the last bit of energy she could muster, Lee Jin-sun spoke.

“I love you too, my daughter… so very much.”

“Mom! Huuuuhhh!”

Lee Jin-sun slowly turned her head. Her gaze reached the window. There was nothing there.

“Thank… you. Thank you so much……”

Beeeeeeeeeeep!

“Hmm?”

Kadalan’s eyes shot open.

Merutus asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“Didn’t you feel that?”

“Feel what?”

“I thought I just felt something.”

Merutus chuckled.

“Kadalan, you must have been here too long. You’re imagining things.”

“Hmm……”

“Why? Something bothering you?”

“If what I felt was just my imagination, that would be fine. But if it wasn’t, then it could disrupt our plans.”

“You worry too much.”

“There’s a human saying: ‘Even when crossing a stone bridge, you should tap it first.’ Just check for me.”

With a shrug, Merutus closed her eyes. Soon, intangible energy began seeping from her body.

After a long while, she smirked.

“Looks like you imagined it. There’s nothing there.”

“Really? Then that’s a relief.”

The large sedan glided smoothly into the area, once more commonly known as Bukchon Hanok Village.

The sedan, which had been moving without hesitation, suddenly came to a stop.

“We can’t go any further from here.”

Hwang Tae-su looked at the navigation screen, then at Seo-jun, his face filled with uncertainty.

A barricade stood in front of them.

Seo-jun opened the car door and stepped out. Hesitating for a moment, Hwang Tae-su followed suit.

“You’re not actually planning to go in, are you?”

“There’s something I need to find.”

“This area is restricted, so civilians can’t just enter. Those devices over there will immediately alert the central headquarters.”

Hwang Tae-su pointed to the CCTV cameras and heat detectors installed between the streetlights and telephone poles.

Of course, as he said, such obstacles were meaningless to Seo-jun.

Puff!

Smoke rose from the CCTV cameras and heat detectors that Hwang Tae-su had just mentioned. They had malfunctioned.

“……”

Yeah, he’s definitely a monster.

That was the only thought in Hwang Tae-su’s mind.

There was no way this was just a coincidence.

“It’s been a while since I was last here.”

Seo-jun, lost in reminiscence, let out a small chuckle as he gazed at the dilapidated hanok houses.

Among the many encounters in his past, he remembered coming here with a few people.

Now, he could barely recall their names, let alone their faces.

Seo-jun walked inside.

Hesitating for a moment, Hwang Tae-su decided to follow.

Waiting outside alone seemed like a worse idea. Staying near the monster actually felt safer.

When people get nervous, they tend to talk more.

That was exactly what Hwang Tae-su did.

“May I ask why you came here?”

“I’m looking for something. But why is this area restricted?”

“I don’t know the details either. There are rumors, kind of like the Area 51 conspiracy in the U.S., saying the government is conducting secret experiments here. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. There is, however, a laboratory.”

“A laboratory?”

“Yes. Maybe they’re experimenting on Awakened individuals or monsters.”

“For that kind of research, the location seems… less than ideal.”

“Maybe the scientists preferred a quiet, serene atmosphere for their work.”

Ah!

Realizing what he had just blurted out, Hwang Tae-su clamped his mouth shut.

But Seo-jun was already chuckling.

“That actually makes sense.”

Seo-jun pulled out his phone and opened a map app. He entered an address with practiced ease.

Coincidentally, the hanok building right in front of them was exactly where he needed to be.

He hadn’t bothered teleporting and had instead taken Hwang Tae-su’s car simply because he happened to see him. Plus, it had been a while since he’d last ridden in a car.

Inside the courtyard, weeds had grown unchecked. The wooden floor was covered in dust, and several roof tiles were broken.

It was practically a haunted house.

Seo-jun stepped inside.

To an outsider, it might have looked like a break-in, but in truth, it was nothing of the sort.

He retraced Lee Jin-sun’s memories and searched the desk drawer. Inside, there was a photo album.

Hoo—

Blowing off the dust, Seo-jun opened the album.

“This is it.”

“Sorry, what?”

“Never mind. Let’s go.”

“Already?”

Seo-jun held up the album.

“I found what I was looking for.”

Once back outside, Seo-jun got into the car, and Hwang Tae-su asked,

“So, are we heading to the shop now? Or is there another place you need to stop by?”

Had it been the few hours spent together?

Somehow, Hwang Tae-su felt slightly more comfortable around Seo-jun, and his tone reflected that.

“Hanseong Funeral Home.”

“Hanseong Funeral Home?”

As he entered the destination into the navigation system, a thought crossed Hwang Tae-su’s mind.

‘Would Hyung-geon have cursed me out if I had dragged him around like this? Damn, this sucks. I’m not his errand boy, for f—’

“My apologies.”

“Huh?”

“For making you run around like this when you’re not my errand boy.”

“……!”

“Let’s go.”

“Y-Yes, sir! I’ll get us there safely and quickly!”

“Thank you for coming.”

After the funeral service concluded, Lee Chang-hyun spoke.

“No need to thank me. But where is your wife?”

“She spent the entire day crying by the funeral altar, and I suppose she was exhausted. She just fell asleep.”

“I see.”

“But, this person is…?”

Lee Chang-hyun looked at Hwang Tae-su.

Caught off guard, Hwang Tae-su stammered,

“Oh, um, I met the deceased a few times.”

“You knew my mother-in-law?”

“Well…”

Hesitating, Hwang Tae-su’s eyes landed on the memorial tablet.

“Didn’t she go to church?”

“Yes, she did.”

“I used to attend the same church.”

Lee Chang-hyun nodded.

“I see. In any case, thank you for coming.”

“Ahem.”

Seo-jun looked at the photo of Lee Jin-sun.

She was smiling brightly.

“Well, I should get going.”

“You’re leaving already? Won’t you stay for a meal?”

“No, that’s alright.”

“Still, thank you for coming.”

After finishing his condolences and offering a donation, Seo-jun finally left the funeral home.

But that wasn’t his only reason for coming.

In fact, the condolence visit was secondary.

Srrrkk—

Becoming invisible, Seo-jun slipped back into the funeral home.

He made his way toward the back of the mourning room. There, Kang Min-hee was dozing off.

“Mom… I’m sorry. I’m really sorry…”

Seo-jun carefully placed the photo album he had retrieved from the hanok next to her.

Even in her final moments, Lee Jin-sun had wished for nothing more than for her daughter to remember her through this.

‘Rest in peace.’