Chapter 18

“Ha-yeon, Mom is fine…”

“No! Mom needs to rest properly!”

When I came home, washed up, and came out, Ha-yeon dragged me and laid me down on the bed. From Ha-yeon’s perspective, it must have been like a bolt from the blue. After all, I had never collapsed before, but this time I had collapsed and gone to the emergency room.

“I’m fine…”

“Mom, rest properly! I’ll take care of the housework!”

Ha-yeon rolled up her sleeves and spoke. It was adorable how she spoke with such confidence despite her short arms. Come to think of it, there was housework to be done. Of course, it was something Ha-yeon couldn’t do. She was too short to reach the sink.

I got up from the bed. Ha-yeon panicked and tried to lay me back down. I hugged her tightly and said,

“Ha-yeon, Mom is fine. Don’t worry. I’ve already rested enough.”

“But still…”

Ha-yeon looked up at me and spoke. Her angelic and cute appearance made me smile naturally. To reassure her, I said,

“Then, how about we just do the dishes and watch a movie together in bed?”

“Okay! Promise!”

Only after getting Ha-yeon’s permission could I get up from the bed. Ha-yeon was still looking at me with worried eyes, afraid I might collapse again. But I had already received an IV drip and rested enough, so I wasn’t restricted in my movements. In fact, lying down was making me restless.

I quickly finished the dishes and was able to lie down with Ha-yeon. Ha-yeon snuggled into my arms and said,

“Mom, I love you!”

Seeing Ha-yeon cling to me like this today, it must have been a big deal that I collapsed. She usually clung to me, but today it was even more so. She must have been worried because I collapsed.

“I love you too, Ha-yeon~”

I kissed Ha-yeon’s forehead and took out my mobile phone. I was planning to watch a movie with Ha-yeon.

And so, I was able to watch a movie with Ha-yeon. It was an animation with cute characters. It was quite entertaining.

—

*Beep!*

Ha-yeon opened her eyes. She quickly grabbed Mom’s mobile phone. It was just before the alarm was supposed to go off. Ha-yeon turned off the alarm before it could ring. Then she turned her head. Mom was sleeping peacefully. Since she took cold medicine last night, she probably wouldn’t wake up easily.

Ha-yeon sniffed Mom’s scent and got out of bed. Ha-yeon was capable of preparing for kindergarten on her own without Mom’s help. But she usually relied on Mom’s help because she liked being spoiled. Being able to be with Mom made Ha-yeon act spoiled.

But today was different. To avoid burdening Mom, who was still recovering from a cold, Ha-yeon decided to prepare for kindergarten on her own. After getting out of bed, Ha-yeon went to the bathroom to wash up. She washed up following the method Mom had taught her and then came out. She closed the door to make sure Mom wouldn’t wake up.

With her tiny hands, she picked up the hairdryer. But it didn’t go well. Ha-yeon roughly dried her hair, making sure it wasn’t dripping wet. After finishing her wash, Ha-yeon headed to the kitchen to eat. But she realized something. Mom hadn’t prepared dinner last night because she was sick.

But cereal would do. Ha-yeon opened the fridge and took out the milk. Then she took out a bowl and poured the milk into it. Even though it was out of reach, she could manage with the help of a chair.

*Munch munch.*

Ha-yeon ate her cereal diligently. She wanted Mom’s cooking, but today she had to endure. Asking sick Mom to cook would be too much.

After finishing her cereal, Ha-yeon changed her clothes. She just had to wear the kindergarten uniform Mom had laid out on the sofa the day before. It was astonishing that a 6-year-old could do all this on her own.

Parents raising children of the same age would have been shocked. Most kindergarten kids usually rely on their parents’ help to get to kindergarten.

While kindergarten-age kids aren’t as dependent as toddlers, Ha-yeon’s actions were still unusual for her age. Even a child education expert would have been impressed.

After preparing for kindergarten without Mom’s help, Ha-yeon approached Mom, who was still sleeping in bed.

“I’m off, Mom!”

She spoke quietly to avoid waking Mom.

—

“Ugh… I’m thirsty…”

I opened my eyes. The sound of birds chirping was strange, and I didn’t feel tired at all. A sense of foreboding made me check the time on my mobile phone.

“Ah!”

It was past 9 AM, way past the time to send Ha-yeon to kindergarten. Startled, I looked around for Ha-yeon. But I couldn’t find her anywhere. I got out of bed and wandered around the house, calling her name.

“Ha-yeon? Where are you, Ha-yeon?”

Ha-yeon didn’t answer. Then, I noticed something written in crooked handwriting next to the bed.

[I’m off to kindergarten, Mom!]

It was Ha-yeon’s handwriting. Seeing this, I realized Ha-yeon had gone to kindergarten on her own. I took out my mobile phone and called the kindergarten teacher to check if Ha-yeon had arrived safely. I didn’t want her to get lost or have something happen on the way.

Fortunately, the kindergarten teacher said Ha-yeon had arrived safely. Relieved, I sat down on the bed. Why hadn’t my alarm gone off? I was sure I had set it…

When I checked the alarm settings, it was turned off. This had happened before—my mobile phone’s alarm would turn off by itself sometimes. Was it just my imagination, or was it a phone glitch?

I thought I should ask about it at the mobile phone retail store later. It’s not like a ghost was messing with my phone.

After having a quick breakfast, I took my medicine. I didn’t forget the doctor’s advice to take my medicine regularly. And Ha-yeon had also reminded me not to forget.

I wandered around the house doing chores. Since I was taking a break from the café this week, I didn’t have much to do. The cold and fever were almost gone after the IV drip at the emergency room yesterday and a good night’s sleep.

The resilience of a 20-year-old body was impressive. Most illnesses would heal within a day or two.

There wasn’t much housework to do either. It wasn’t like the old days when you had to go to the riverbank and beat the laundry with a stick. Now, you just throw the clothes in the washing machine, press a button, and it does everything for you. And instead of a broom, there’s a vacuum cleaner. Modern appliances make housework so much easier.

So, I lay back down on the bed. As Ha-yeon had said, the best way to recover from a cold was to eat well and rest. There was no other way. Unless you got a super serum, resting was the best cure.

I lay on the bed and closed my eyes. As I closed my eyes, I felt sleep creeping in.

—

*Beep beep beep!*

I opened my eyes. I quickly checked the time. It was 2 PM. Ha-yeon would be coming home from kindergarten soon. The alarm I had set worked this time. It made me even more curious why it hadn’t gone off earlier. Could Ha-yeon have been messing with my phone alarm?

I pushed that thought aside and changed my clothes to go pick up Ha-yeon. I wondered what expression Ha-yeon would make if I surprised her by picking her up. She probably wouldn’t have imagined I’d come to pick her up today.

She must have thought Mom was at home resting because of the cold. And I could also see Ha-yeon’s friends. I was curious about who Ha-yeon’s friends were.