Ephphatha Chapter 12

「We regret to inform you of the passing of the late Jung Chae-young on June 26, 2XXX.

 

Deceased: The late Jung Chae-young

 

Surviving Family: Lee Ju-tae (Husband)

 

Funeral Hall: Wuseong Hospital Funeral Hall, Room 4」

 

Seul-ah read the message over and over again in Chi-gyeom’s car, which Kang Jin was driving. But nothing changed.

 

Aunt Chae-young was dead.

 

Why? How? Why even her…?

 

“……”

 

Aunt Chae-young, her mother’s high school friend, was the only one who had embraced her mother when the family had turned their backs on her. When her mother was struggling alone while pregnant with Seul-ah, Aunt Chae-young had looked after her with care, and even after Seul-ah was born, she frequently visited their home.

 

After getting married, Aunt Chae-young became busier with the business she started with her husband, so they didn’t meet as often. Still, Seul-ah knew she occasionally spent time with her mother.

 

On nights when her mother came home late, she would say she had met Aunt Chae-young. It was also Aunt Chae-young who had connected Seul-ah with translation jobs.

 

The last time Seul-ah had seen her was at her mother’s funeral. As far as Seul-ah knew, Aunt Chae-young was the only person to inform about her mother’s passing, and she had rushed over immediately. She had held Seul-ah in her arms and cried for a long time before leaving.

 

“I’m sorry, Seul-ah. I want to stay with you until the end, but I need to go because my daughter is sick.”

“No, Auntie. Thank you for coming.”

“Alright. Take care of yourself. I’ll visit you soon.”

 

Thanks to the large condolence money she had given, a significant portion of the funeral costs was covered. Though it felt shameless, Seul-ah accepted it gratefully. Having received so much help from her since childhood, she was somewhat used to it—perhaps even brazenly so.

 

Suddenly, the taste of blood spread in her mouth.

 

“Ugh….”

 

Only then did she realize the stinging pain in her lips. Unconsciously, she had been biting them the whole time. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand and saw faint traces of blood. As she licked the torn lips, she felt a gaze on her and turned her head.

 

Kwak Chi-gyeom was looking down at her at an angle.

 

“Do you have something to say?”

 

“Not really.”

 

His response was indifferent, yet he wore an unreadable, subtle smile while observing her closely. It was uncomfortable, but she wasn’t in a position to complain. Instead, she rubbed the blood off the back of her hand. She could have ignored everything, but he had done her a favor, so it would be a lie to say she wasn’t grateful.

 

“Um… thank you for the ride.”

 

Seul-ah hesitated before speaking softly. Chi-gyeom’s gaze slowly moved down to her lips.

 

“You can just drop me off at the hospital. I’ll go home on my own.”

 

“Suit yourself.”

 

His intense gaze on her wound made it feel like it hurt even more. Seul-ah awkwardly nodded and looked out the window.

 

Night had already fallen. Her reflection on the glass was full of sorrow.

 

How had Aunt Chae-young died? An accident? Was she sick? Or… like Mom, had she…?

 

“We have discovered a body presumed to be Han Ji-seon.”

 

A sharp pang of pain struck her again.

 

“Hngh.”

 

Her pained moan echoed quite loudly in the quiet car. She covered her mouth to stifle it, only to meet Kang Jin’s gaze in the rearview mirror. It was a strange look.

 

“Kang Jin, if you keep that up, you’ll be meeting the deceased in the afterlife.”

 

Chi-gyeom’s sudden sarcastic remark made Kang Jin quickly adjust his posture. Seul-ah pulled down her sleeve and pressed it against her sore lips, then turned to Chi-gyeom.

 

He was staring at her with the same posture, expression, and gaze as before. No matter how she looked at him, he seemed like he had something to say.

 

“If you have something to say, just say it.”

 

Rather than sinking into her thoughts and wallowing in sorrow, she figured it would be better to have a conversation with Chi-gyeom. As if reading her mind, he let out a light chuckle.

 

“Do you have condolence money?”

 

“Oh….”

 

The mention of condolence money, something she hadn’t even thought about in her daze, made Seul-ah quickly open her bag. Inside the small handbag were her emergency inhaler, some medication, a wallet no bigger than her palm, and Seo Han-seong’s business card.

 

She opened her wallet, but all she had in cash was a single 10,000-won bill and three 1,000-won bills. She couldn’t possibly give just 13,000 won at Aunt Chae-young’s funeral, so she licked her lips in distress. The taste of blood was stronger.

 

“Maybe I should find a bank….”

 

“I’ll lend you some.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Chi-gyeom took his wallet out of the seat pocket and tossed it onto Seul-ah’s lap. It felt surprisingly heavy. When she picked it up, he gestured with his chin.

 

“Take as much as you need.”

 

“Can’t we just stop by a nearby ATM?”

 

“Sorry, but I don’t have that much time. If I wait for you to withdraw cash, when will I get home?”

 

“……”

 

With no other choice, Seul-ah opened Chi-gyeom’s wallet. Every card slot was filled with colorful cards, and the cash section was stuffed with crisp 50,000-won bills and checks. Feeling slightly overwhelmed, she looked up at him.

 

“Do you always carry this much cash around?”

 

“Well. I guess I knew I’d need to lend someone money.”

 

What was he even saying? She pouted, dissatisfied with his ambiguous answer, and pulled out a stack of 50,000-won bills. She simply assumed he must have a lot of money since he was the boss and began counting the bills.

 

One, two, three… She counted in her head while placing the money on her lap, but then a scoffing laugh came from beside her.

 

“Are you playing house? Who counts money like that?”

 

“…Please don’t talk to me for a moment. It’s confusing.”

 

Because of Chi-gyeom’s interruption, Seul-ah lost track of her count and groaned before picking up the money again. From the beginning—one, two, three, four… She counted forty bills and returned the rest to her wallet.

 

“I took out two million won. Please check.”

 

“Who wouldn’t notice when you’re counting that painfully slow?”

 

Ignoring his sarcastic remark, she gathered the money and stuffed it deep inside her bag, making sure to zip it tightly.

 

“You must be quite close to her to go this far.”

 

“She was my mom’s best friend. She also contributed this much at my mom’s funeral.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“She was a good person. She helped my mom and me a lot…”

 

Through the window, the building of Woseong Hospital came into view. As the complicated emotions surged, Seul-ah let out a deep sigh, not noticing Chi-gyeom’s smirk.

 

The smoothly moving sedan came to a stop in front of the funeral hall, which was an annex of the hospital. Kang Jin-ah unfastened his seatbelt, seemingly about to open the door for her again. Not wanting to trouble him, Seul-ah quickly reached out and opened the back door herself.

 

“Thank you for the ride.”

 

As soon as she stepped out of the car, she turned back and expressed her gratitude to both Chi-gyeom and Jin-ah once more. Jin-ah re-fastened his seatbelt, while Chi-gyeom, with a half-smile, gestured for her to go on.

 

“I’ll pay you back soon.”

 

“Sure. If you don’t, I’ll starve to death, so make sure to repay me.”

 

Knowing that there was still more money left in his wallet than what she had taken, she unconsciously chuckled before closing the door.

 

Seul-ah watched the sleek car disappear around the corner before finally turning away.

 

This was only her second time inside a funeral hall. The fact that those two occasions were for her mother and Aunt Chae-young felt unbearably sorrowful and cruel.

 

Standing in front of Room 4, she licked her lips. As the scab on her lip peeled off, the metallic taste of blood seeped into her mouth, but she ignored it. She handed over the condolence money and stepped inside the room.

 

Unlike her mother’s funeral, Aunt Chae-young’s had many visitors. As she looked around at the people filling the tables, she spotted a middle-aged man in mourning attire and approached him.  

 

She had only seen Lee Ju-tae, Aunt Chae-young’s husband, once—at their wedding. But since she had been just four years old at the time, his face was unfamiliar.  

 

Noticing her approach, Lee Ju-tae rose from his seat, pausing his meal with what she presumed to be his family.

 

“Who are you?”  

 

It seemed he didn’t recognize her either. She bowed her head politely.  

 

“Hello, my name is Han Seul-ah.”  

 

“Han Seul-ah?”  

 

“You know… Han Ji-seon. I’m her friend’s daughter.”  

 

“Han Ji-seon?”  

 

Lee Ju-tae’s voice suddenly rose. His thick double eyelids nearly disappeared as he widened his eyes in shock. His family also looked at her with curiosity.  

 

“How did you know to come here?”  

 

“I received a funeral notice tex—”  

 

Seul-ah’s words trailed off. She had spotted the framed portrait behind him.  

 

The moment her eyes met the beaming face in the photograph, emotions surged uncontrollably. Tears welled up and began streaming down her cheeks before she could even compose herself.  

 

Seeing her cry so suddenly, Lee Ju-tae let out a troubled sigh and led her inside. Silent tears continued to fall as Seul-ah followed him, unable to tear her gaze away from the portrait. She barely managed to complete the incense offering.