RSL Ch 92

I safely finished the flight and exited the terminal alone. Due to having a lot of luggage, I had to rent a car at the airport. While all the crew members boarded the bus to the hotel, I walked in the opposite direction. At the rental car counter, I showed my license and quickly rented a mid-size car.

I headed straight towards my parents’ house. Actually, this was a kind of surprise visit, so I had arranged for an accomplice in advance.

“I’m on my way now, but there’s some traffic. It might take about 2 hours. What time did you say the reservation was for?”

Chris was also in his car, probably on his way home from work when he answered the phone.

“6 o’clock. I think that should work out? They think it’s just us coming, so they suggested we just eat dinner at home.”

“Why didn’t you just say you’d make the reservation yourself?”

“I already did. I made a reservation for 5 people, including your seat.”

“Thanks. See you there.”

After hanging up with my brother, I lowered the heater temperature. The heated driver’s seat was warming up comfortably, making my body feel relaxed. As I entered a congested section, I took off my uniform jacket and rolled up my shirt sleeves. I was very tired and feeling sleepy from pushing through the hastily changed schedule.

I saw a large dog poking its face out of the rear window of the car in front. Next to it, a little girl’s head slowly rose up. Looking at the license plate, it was a Swiss vehicle. It seemed to be a family going somewhere. The child waved at me while hugging the dog. So I opened my right hand, which was holding the steering wheel, to wave back in greeting.

Then, perhaps scolded by her parents, the child quickly looked back at the driver’s seat. She slid down to the back seat floor with the dog. Watching this scene, I found myself smiling without realizing it. Thanks to that, I woke up.

After driving for 2 hours, I arrived at a restaurant we often visited as a family since I was young. The manager greeting guests at the entrance recognized me and welcomed me, saying it had been a long time.

“Everyone is already here. Let me take your coat.”

“Thank you. Did Chris already talk to you about the cake?”

I handed him my outer garment and put down the gift bags I was holding.

“Of course. We have everything prepared. Wow, you have a lot of things.”

“Could you keep these for me? I think it would be good to give them with the cake.”

“Sure. This way, please.”

I followed the manager’s lead. Passing through a large hall, my family had arrived at the innermost table among three or four tables set up in a small room. My adoptive parents, who didn’t know I was coming, opened their eyes wide when they saw me following the manager.

“Maxi!”

“Oh my, you! Without saying a word.”

I greeted them one by one with a smile. My adoptive father hugged me tightly to express his joy, and Chris and I exchanged brief greetings, patting each other’s shoulders. My adoptive mother kissed my cheeks two or three times with a very happy face, and I exchanged a light hug with the heavily pregnant Silvia before sitting down.

“I was wondering why there was an extra seat. You really should have told us you were coming.”

“I thought it might be fun to surprise you like this sometimes.”

“Did you have a flight?”

My adoptive father asked, noticing my uniform that I hadn’t had time to change.

“Yes. The schedule was a bit tight, so I came straight from the airport.”

“It must be busy with the year-end. You must be tired, we should have just met at home.”

“It’s your wedding anniversary. Chris and I planned this on purpose.”

I smiled, briefly making eye contact with my brother sitting next to me.

The family dinner continued pleasantly. Excited by my unexpected appearance, the two of them, befitting their wedding anniversary, shared stories from their dating days.

“…and then he just suddenly came and proposed out of the blue. Your father was quite brave back then.”

“Well, you said you were seeing someone. I thought I had to snatch you up quickly.”

“You were seeing someone, Mom?”

At my question, my adoptive mother answered with a laugh.

“Of course, it was a lie.”

Then Chris chided her.

“Why did you tell such an unnecessary lie? Were you trying to act expensive, to look like you had someone?”

“I did it because I was afraid it would be obvious that I liked him first.”

“Your mother was originally quite a proud woman.”

My adoptive father laughed and took his wife’s side against his eldest son’s attack.

“Well, Mrs. Schmitz does have a high nose. Max became like that because he takes after his mother.”

“Why me?”

I, who had been quiet until now, looked at Chris, feeling wronged as the sparks flew my way.

“You always act expensive too. You don’t know how to just bow your head and go in. Someone’s going to have a tough road ahead.”

As he said this, he pretended not to notice and sprinkled lemon juice on the fish dish in front of him.

“How’s Jae-yi doing?”

As if suddenly remembering, my adoptive father asked me about Han Jae-yi.

“Ah… He’s in Munich now.”

The other family members, unaware of the current situation, each added a comment like why didn’t he come along. Chris, noticing my discomfort, changed the topic to the baby that was about to be born. This talkative family gathering didn’t stop chattering even until dessert arrived. Especially my adoptive mother was very busy relaying all sorts of stories about people around us.

After having one more cup of coffee each, the table was finally cleared, and Chris and I exchanged glances. We then signaled to the restaurant manager who was watching us from afar. A moment later, the manager approached with a staff member, carrying a cake and gifts. He lit candles on a large walnut cake and said to my adoptive mother:

“This is a birthday gift prepared by your two sons.”

“Oh my.”

She looked at us alternately with round eyes, as if she hadn’t expected this at all.

“I’m sorry. There are still a few days left, but I wanted to celebrate with you while I’m here, so we moved it up a bit. This is your gift.”

I handed her the shopping bag I received from the staff. Along with the gloves I bought at the department store, there were other small gifts packaged together. Receiving the sudden birthday celebration, she looked surprised but grateful, stroking my cheek. Seeing how much she liked it, I felt glad that we had prepared this.

My adoptive mother is a straightforward person. She’s more accustomed to revealing than hiding. She often says things she doesn’t mean, and I’ve been hurt by her like that when I was young.

She probably doesn’t even remember, but children’s memory storage is more fragile than we think, and once an impression is made, it can last a lifetime. So I, too, always treated her as fake, even though I didn’t have a real mother.

In fact, if I erased that part, there was nothing left but memories of being loved. From when I was young, whenever someone picked on me, she would rush to me first and hug me. It was also her who first decided to adopt me, and who passed on that proud and confident personality so that I wouldn’t feel inferior.

Although we’re not biologically related, I grew up learning her words and actions, and if that’s what a parent’s role is, then she was indeed my mother.

“Gloves. The color is pretty.”

So I wanted to have something real now.

“I thought red would suit you well. Mom has fair skin.”

She blinked in surprise at the unfamiliar term of address. As if trying not to be flustered, she smiled and unwrapped another gift box. It seemed like she was trying to brush it off as if to show that she hadn’t been hung up on such terms of address until now.

“This is a handkerchief, the material is nice…”

But her voice choked up, unable to continue, and her eyes reddened.

It looks like we’ll have to use the newly bought handkerchief right away. My father, sitting next to her, smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. My mother composed herself in his embrace for a moment, then lightly hit my arm as if to say, “Why are you suddenly making things difficult for me?”

Next to me, Chris looked at me with satisfaction. He was leaning back in his chair, drinking coffee with a content expression, as if he had shaped me into who I am. Of course, he played a big part in helping me open up to our parents. Chris has been a good brother to me and always a reliable ally.

And there was one more person. Although his eyes are closed for now, he’s someone who has tirelessly given me warmth for a long time. He made me live without forgetting the homeland I thought had abandoned me, and he was the first person to show me that I was sufficiently loved by my family.

That’s why I wished he could be here with us. Like Silvia holding Chris’s hand, like my father embracing my mother’s shoulders. Although we’re not related by blood, I wanted to form this relationship, which is the starting point of creating a family, with him and no one else.

We all returned to the Binnenstad house together. The family, chatting late into the night, finally dispersed to their respective rooms after midnight. I lay on the small creaky bed, skimming through the messages that had arrived on my phone.

Among them was one from Han Jae-yi. He was simply asking what time I would arrive tomorrow. So it wasn’t anything special. Even when I contacted him to say I had finally secured a flight to Germany, he didn’t show much reaction.

Still, I decided to evaluate it positively. The fact that he asked first means he must be curious about me. I found myself strange for never having been so hung up on someone before.

* * *

The next morning, after finishing breakfast early with my family, I left the house right away. My mother was disappointed that I was leaving so early, but when she heard my destination, she looked resigned. Leaving my family, who had been pushed to the background by love, I entered the Autobahn heading to Munich.

Perhaps because it was the weekend, there were many cargo trucks visible. Since the Autobahn doesn’t charge tolls, many European Union freight vehicles pass through Germany. Heavy trucks weighing over 10 tons lined up like trains on the free three-lane road, blocking the view. Smaller vehicles frequently overtook them, moving ahead.

I too immediately entered the first lane and drove a bit faster than usual. Thinking I could make it in under two hours if I drove quickly, I often stayed in the overtaking lane. Many vehicles seemed to have the same idea, resulting in endless lane changes one after another.

That’s when I got a call from Han Jae-yi. Looks like today might be my lucky day.

“I almost had an accident because your name popped up on the dashboard while I was driving.”

Feeling happy, I greeted him with a joke instead of a hello.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m saying I was too happy.”

He laughed, seemingly not displeased, and asked:

“So where are you now?”

“I just passed Esslingen.”

“Looks like it’ll take a bit longer then.”

“But if I keep going at this speed, I think I’ll arrive within an hour.”

I need to move back to the third lane soon. I checked the side mirror to time it right, as I need to take another road towards Munich at the intersection.

“But why did you call? Of course, I’m happy even if there’s no reason. But I feel like you must have had something to say.”

“Ah, let’s eat lunch at home. Choose between pork and chicken.”

Is he trying to reciprocate for my stew from last time? He could have decided on anything, but he even called to ask. I felt my heart flutter again at his unexpected thoughtfulness.

Suddenly, I spotted a gap in the adjacent lane.

“Um… chicken sounds good.”

I answered him as I safely entered the third lane.

“Then, rice or bread?”

“Um…”

Han Jae-yi asked another question, but I started to get distracted by something else. A cargo truck in the second lane seemed to be trying to enter my lane, but I was currently in its blind spot. The truck driver probably couldn’t see me.

“Well… rice would be good… I think.”

After saying that much, I sensed danger. The truck seemed to be trying to re-enter the third lane where I was, without even using a blinker. It was too late to slow down as the car behind was too close, and there wasn’t enough space to move back to the second lane. If things went wrong, I could get crushed by the truck. I had to make a split-second decision.

“That’s unusual. Okay, then we’ll go with rice…”

I didn’t hear the rest of Han Jae-yi’s words as I turned the steering wheel. I thought it would be better to hit the guardrail by veering onto the shoulder than to get crushed.

I honked the horn as a warning and hit the brakes. The hood crumpled against the guardrail with a loud noise. Fortunately, the car’s ABS engaged and it stopped immediately. The airbag deployed.

“…Seo-jin.”

I turned on the hazard lights and started to assess the situation. First of all, I wasn’t injured. The braking distance had been long, and the side that hit the guardrail was the passenger side. There were no signs of broken glass or oil leaks.

“…Seo-jin.”

I realized the call hadn’t disconnected. Han Jae-yi kept calling my name. His voice was hollow, suppressed by fear he didn’t want to confirm. The tires must have left huge skid marks, so he would have heard the accident clearly. I was shocked, but he might have been even more shocked.

“Sorry. There was an accident.”

At the sound of my voice, he let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Is it a collision? Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m okay. I deliberately hit the guardrail trying to avoid a truck. I’m not injured.”

“How can you be fine after hitting something? Where did it happen?”

“Jae-yi, I’m sorry, but I think I need to call the police. I’ll call you back.”

“Where are you? I’m coming too.”

I could hear busy sounds as if he was already getting dressed. It seemed pointless to try to stop him.

“I’m at the junction where B313 splits off towards Munich.”

“Okay. I’ll call again, so answer the phone.”

And the call ended immediately.

I cleared the deployed airbag and called the police. It seemed I would need to call a tow truck as well. I could see the truck driver approaching me from the other side. The vehicle that had been following me also stopped with its hazard lights on. I thought it was good timing as I needed a witness. Only then did I fully realize that I had been in an accident.