Unable to explain the reason, Hyunseo just bowed her head. Assistant Manager Hwang couldn’t bring himself to scold her as she said she was sorry for worrying him and would definitely try harder to avoid mistakes.

He gently patted her hunched, rounded shoulders and asked if she wanted to take a half-day off. 

The words came from genuinely thinking she was in no state to work anymore, but Hyunseo shook her head.

‘Going home early would only make things worse.’ 

These days, she was acutely realizing how painful it was to be alone.

“A call?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, take it and come back when you’re ready.”

After sending Assistant Manager Hwang back into the office, Hyunseo turned around. The area code on the screen wasn’t unfamiliar.

‘A strange premonition.’ 

Hyunseo pressed the call button hurriedly, suppressing the creeping, unidentifiable anxiety rising within her. Her steps, which had been slowly advancing to the middle of the hallway, suddenly stopped.

“Yes…?”

[Patient Do Gangseok has passed away.]

“What…?”

[There was an incident. He passed suddenly, so we were slow to respond as well. You need to come here. How long will it take?]

Her mind went blank. The woman’s voice coming through the receiver felt like an auditory hallucination.

What.

What happened…

[Hello? Guardian?]

Hyunseo slowly closed and opened her eyes. The voice asking if she was listening was the last thing she fully remembered about the situation. 

She turned around quickly. Like someone who’d lost her mind, she ran toward the office without thinking.

And then.

“We’re truly sorry. As we mentioned, we’ll compensate to the maximum extent for our negligence.”

By the time she arrived at the nursing home, the sun had set. Hyunseo silently watched the administrative staff member bowing politely while explaining the circumstances of the accident. 

Her emotions had calmed considerably during the trip.

“Please proceed with the funeral arrangements with that understanding. Yeong-eun?”

“Guardian, we can prepare a funeral parlor in the basement immediately. The setup cost is here if you look…”

“Just give me the best one.”

“Pardon? Oh, yes. Then.”

At Hyunseo’s firm words, the staff wrapped things up without further discussion. Hyunseo’s face was expressionless as she watched them bow repeatedly before leaving. The space left alone was excessively quiet.

She sat there a bit longer. 

‘It won’t be too late to go down to the funeral parlor after it’s prepared.’ 

The image of Gangseok she’d confirmed in the mortuary right after arriving was vivid in her mind. ‘He’s really dead’—it felt real.

It was a fall accident. The hospital, acknowledging their fault in leaving Gangseok unattended for even a brief moment after he fell from the bed, said they’d do their best with follow-up measures but couldn’t provide full compensation since it was due to the patient’s carelessness.

Hyunseo didn’t bother questioning it. The talk about insurance, contribution rates, and compensation amounts all sounded utterly useless. 

‘What’s the point anyway? He’s already dead.’

‘It was bound to happen eventually.’ 

Even without the doctor’s explanation that his health had deteriorated significantly, Hyunseo knew. Gangseok, reduced to skin and bones, was barely clinging to life day by day anyway.

‘Honestly, I’d hoped for it.’ 

Every time he hit her, every time he went on a drunken rampage, she cursed him.

‘Die. Please just die quickly. I don’t need a father like you, so please…’

“Good riddance. Right? Keeping him around would only mean suffering for everyone.”

Hyunseo slowly stood up. Going up to the hospital room where Gangseok had stayed was an impulsive decision.

“Don’t be too sad. Mr. Do would probably feel relieved too.”

“…”

“Look, everyone here is on their last legs anyway. Just think ‘he went peacefully.’ That’s easier on the heart.”

Gyeongsuk, who’d been making excuses about the accident happening while she briefly stepped away, consoled Hyunseo by saying it was actually for the best. 

No, the words that seemed like consolation felt so half-hearted that Hyunseo somehow couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Why did you do it?”

“Huh?”

“Back then, why did you hit him?”

“Huh? What… Oh. Um, well, that’s, ahhh!”

Gyeongsuk, who couldn’t answer easily, suddenly screamed. Hyunseo had grabbed and pulled her hair.

“What, what are you doing!”

“I asked why you did it.”

“Let go! Ahhh!”

“Why? Why exactly? Why.”

Hyunseo asked quietly. It was barely audible, drowned out by Gyeongsuk’s loud screaming, but she still asked. 

‘Why did you hit him?’ 

With an expressionless face, she asked and asked again.

‘Even though I hated him, he was my father.’ 

She’d cursed him to die rather than endure the beatings, but now that he was actually dead, the emptiness was unbearable. 

Hyunseo couldn’t forget him lying in the mortuary, so thin his bones protruded, yet with old bruises still clearly visible on his shoulders and arms. Gyeongsuk had made those.

“Oh my! What’s happening there?”

“Guardian! Please don’t! You can’t do this!”

Nurses who rushed over belatedly pulled Hyunseo away frantically. Gyeongsuk, her hair and clothes in shambles, cried loudly in protest. 

Hyunseo, who’d been about to lunge again, sank weakly onto a hallway bench.

‘Why didn’t I ask sooner?’

‘Why didn’t I confront her then, asking what she was doing?’

‘Was there really no moment when I felt satisfied? Really, truly…?’

“I once had a very difficult patient.”

Gyeongsuk, who came to sit next to the dazed Hyunseo, finally spoke after a long while.

“It was shortly after I started working. That man really tormented me. Cursing, hitting, throwing things, he even urinated on my face.”

“…”

“But I endured it. What choice did I have? It was my job. Even the guardians ignored and treated me carelessly. Eventually, without realizing it, my hands moved. But the funny thing is, from that point on, he became docile.”

Hyunseo silently listened to Gyeongsuk’s self-deprecating story. Because of her emptied heart, nothing actually registered. Gyeongsuk muttered to herself while staring into space.

“It was wrong. I shouldn’t do that to people who are already sick, but I guess it became a habit even though I knew better.”

“…”

“Still, I did my best. I have four dependents too. I have to make a living, so do you think I didn’t work hard? Honestly, it’s not like I hit him every day.”

“You worked hard.”

“Huh? No, I…”

“I’ll calculate the caregiving fee up to today.”

Hyunseo turned around quietly. Gyeongsuk couldn’t bring herself to stop her as she slowly walked away.

Hyunseo got on the elevator and sighed soundlessly.

After receiving word that preparations were complete, she went down to the basement funeral parlor, changed into mourning clothes, and kept her post. Tears wouldn’t come easily.

Before long, Uncle Yonggu and several other adults who’d been contacted came to the funeral parlor. After greeting them properly, Hyunseo continued to zone out frequently afterward. She didn’t know how to soothe this hollow feeling.

‘I wish time would pass quickly.’ She earnestly hoped all of this would pass, when her eyes caught sight of familiar faces entering. Assistant Manager Hwang hurried toward her.

“Hyunseo.”

“Assistant Manager.”

“I’m sorry for coming when you said not to. I couldn’t not come.”

It was Assistant Manager Hwang, who’d contacted her right away earlier, worried about Hyunseo leaving in a rush after taking a half-day. Even while reluctantly informing him of her father’s death, Hyunseo had repeatedly insisted he didn’t need to come since it was far.

“I apologize as well.”

“…Deputy Manager Han.”

“Your father has gone to a good place. My deepest condolences.”

Juhyung, who’d tagged along and felt sorry about it, spoke politely. Hyunseo bowed deeply toward the two, for whom even thanks weren’t enough. 

Assistant Manager Hwang, who’d gestured to Juhyung to go sit down after paying respects, whispered to Hyunseo.

“More will come later. Deputy Manager Jeong, Miae, and probably Jungsu too.”

“What…?”

“They’re all coming together in Assistant Manager Nam’s car. No matter how far it is, they should come—you’re part of our department.”

Assistant Manager Hwang said it was the weekend anyway, and everyone had plans so they’d just show their faces and head right back up, telling her not to feel too burdened. He himself planned to slowly head back up around noon tomorrow.

Hyunseo couldn’t hide her troubled expression. Grateful, sorry, with various emotions mixed together, she couldn’t carelessly say anything, and Assistant Manager Hwang comforted her with a smile. Hyunseo deliberately lowered her head.

‘I’d hoped no one would come, but I guess that wasn’t true.’

Despite firmly declining because she didn’t want to be a burden, seeing those who came anyway made Hyunseo’s heart swell repeatedly. 

‘I definitely don’t take this for granted.’ 

She just firmly resolved that she must repay this tremendous gratitude well in the future.

Yet even so, her heart ached inexplicably. ‘The face that keeps coming to mind—it hurts.’

She tried hard to push it away while keeping her post as chief mourner. To the remaining employees who arrived shortly after, she also expressed her sincere gratitude with all her heart. 

Just past midnight, the employees stood up one by one.

“Hang in there, Hyunseo.”

“Stay strong, Hyunseo.”

“See you at work.”

“Thank you. Drive safely.”

The busy general manager, Manager Kim who had something going on, and Deputy Manager Oh had only sent condolence money. 

After repeatedly thanking them as well, Hyunseo saw them to the entrance. Assistant Manager Nam’s body, just about to put on his shoes, froze.

“Uh…?”

“Why, what’s wrong…”

Deputy Manager Jeong’s face, about to press him for an answer, turned pale. Miae and Jungsu’s eyes next to her widened. In an instant, even the flow of air changed, and Hyunseo stopped breathing. Her mind went blank.

‘Is this a dream? Am I finally seeing things because I’ve thought about him so much?’

She had no time to compose her violently trembling eyes. ‘I can’t believe it.’ Her fingertips tingled, like all the blood in her body had drained out.

That’s when Gyeom pulled Hyunseo to him. Trapped in his broad embrace as he roughly pulled her in, Hyunseo’s eyes filled with moisture. The moment a low sigh echoed in her ear, tears streamed down.