SOG Ch 184

The three decided to get takeout coffee, fruit smoothies, and various desserts from the cafe on the first floor of the hospital’s main building. As the two young men insisted on handling the ordering and pickup, Gu Ji-eun sat idly on a stool waiting. She suddenly thought that her nephew and Go Woo-jin looked like a newlywed couple.

It’s nice to see, she thought.

Her nephew’s face, as he turned to speak to Go Woo-jin between placing orders, no longer resembled that of an arrogant young master from a wealthy family. He looked just like any other young man his age, in love and full of hope. Esper Go Woo-jin was the same, never taking his eyes off her nephew, standing straight and listening intently.

Oh my, it’s tough being single, Gu Ji-eun jokingly grumbled to herself, but she was glad. It seemed the two were doing well, after having been shut away for so long. Amidst the bustling noise typical of a busy cafe, Gu Ji-eun smiled to herself.

*

“Jae-chan! Hello, Esper Gu Ji-eun! Oh, Esper Go Woo-jin is here too?”

Yu-ram, who had been sitting by the window in the private room they reached by elevator, stood up abruptly. Gu Ji-young, sitting next to the still-hospitalized Jung Hana, also half-rose from her seat.

“It’s been so long! How are you feeling? Oh, did you cut your hair? Wow, even this style suits you well!”

This style? Jae-chan felt slightly hurt again, but brushed it off, saying, “Yeah, it’s awfully refreshing for winter.”

As he distributed drinks and cakes to the people in the room, he looked at his mother and Jung Hana. Thankfully, they all seemed fine, at least outwardly, as he had heard.

“You didn’t have to bring all this.”

As she accepted a smoothie, Jung Hana once again felt deeply grateful for their actions during the terrorist incident.

“Guide Seon Jae-chan, thank you again. And thank you, Esper Go Woo-jin, for your help as well.”

The world was in chaos due to the unprecedented tragedy of the past 30 years. The incident itself would have been in the news for months, but the situation was exacerbated by evidence that the military had tried to cover up and downplay the event. It was Gyeong Hye-in, the President’s eldest daughter, who had actively worked to expose the military’s unconscionable actions.

In such a situation, it was unlikely that the government would provide proper and basic medical support to the victims. Government officials had ignored Jung Hana’s condition, which required urgent transfer to a District 1 hospital. While her family was in a frenzy, it was the J corporation that immediately sent a helicopter to offer help, thanks to Esper Go Woo-jin’s influence.

Due to these circumstances, Woo-jin was able to blend in more naturally with the survivors from Research Building 2. As they exchanged recent news and greetings, they eventually shifted the topic to discuss the day of the terrorist attack.

“After you and Esper Chae Seong-hwan went to Research Building 2, we hid in the morgue,” Yu-ram explained. Jae-chan was able to hear a vivid retelling of the situation he had only heard over the phone and text from her since yesterday.

“…After taking down the terrorist, we went to the Esper Control Crisis Room you had checked earlier. Thanks to Esper Chae Seong-hwan’s return, we were able to move quickly.”

The reason for moving to that location was to prepare for any possible additional explosions after the one in Research Building 2. They thought that a place designed to handle Esper crises would serve as a good bomb shelter. The baby, now being cared for by family in District 5, was safely born in that Crisis Control Room.

“You really went through a lot,” Jae-chan once again expressed his admiration for Jung Hana’s incredibly brave delivery.

They continued to discuss Yu-ram’s recent return to the District 1 Center, and Jung Hana’s current condition, mentioning that she might be able to return to District 5 after the weekend. It was then that Jae-chan’s mother, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

“I’m in the process of divorcing.”

Feeling self-conscious about her sudden remark, Gu Ji-young gained some confidence seeing her sister silently mouthing ‘Good for you,’ and her son’s unsurprised face.

The others understood the situation, having heard news about Seon Min-yeol or Seon Eun-soo. Gu Ji-young continued:

“I’ve sent the documents to the prison.”

Seon Min-yeol, a military officer, was currently imprisoned in a military detention center after completing treatment at the hospital.

“If he doesn’t agree to a settlement, I plan to sue… Your grandfather is also helping me,” she whispered to her son. Jae-chan showed little reaction, just nodding slightly.

Suddenly, Gu Ji-young realized her son might not know what had happened to his father or brother. But then again, he doesn’t need to know that, she thought. After hesitating, she patted her son’s shoulder lightly, still a bit awkwardly.

As the day drew to a close, the food and snacks were almost gone, and visitors began packing up. Only Gu Ji-young decided to stay in the hospital room until Jung Hana’s husband arrived.

“Goodbye,” Jae-chan casually said. Gu Ji-young, who had come to the door to see them off, could only manage an awkward smile, feeling shy.

After the group left, she retreated back into the room almost as if fleeing. Jung Hana was nibbling on a small madeleine from the remaining snacks.

With just the two of them left in the room, the evening news began to murmur from the speakers: “Good evening, this is TYNN Evening News.”

“Wasn’t your husband treated you well?” Jung Hana asked cautiously, her back to the announcer’s voice. Despite Seon Min-yeol’s recent negative public image, she had vaguely heard that the famous figure was known to be devoted to his wife.

“Yes, he treated me well,” Gu Ji-young replied. After a brief silence, she corrected herself.

“No, he would show off and brag about how well he treated me.”

Gu Ji-young had lived anxiously, always wary of her husband’s mood and worried about when others might discover her predicament. All while adorning herself with fine jewelry and special order luxury brand products.

“I wanted to appear happier than anyone else. Divorce seemed like something only miserable losers did.”

Previously, she thought that even mentioning divorce or asking her father for help would be symbols of a failed life. She believed that admitting to an unhappy marriage would end her life and mark her with irreversible shame.

Even after moving to District 5, she cried alone countless times after her sister and son left for work. She always cried silently, feeling that being caught crying would be admitting defeat in her life.

But after yielding to her sister’s persuasion and resuming her activities as an Esper after 20 years, her perspective gradually changed. As she emerged from a time of self-absorption and began to observe others’ lives, she realized that everyone carried their own large and small life burdens.

People solved their problems in their own ways. Facing people who directly confronted their lives seemed to reduce the size of her own problems to that of others’.

Then came the District 5 shooting terrorist incident.

Fleeing, losing her ability, being crammed into a morgue, desperately trying to survive, and nearly dying when discovered by the terrorist – Gu Ji-young gained some insight. She realized that the problems she had before weren’t really problems at all.

“After going through that chaos, things like others’ opinions or the idea of a ruined life seemed meaningless.”

She explained this to her young friend who had somehow become close to her. Gu Ji-young’s soft voice echoed in the quiet hospital room.

“So I decided to get a divorce.”

Jung Hana, who had been watching Gu Ji-young looking awkward yet somewhat relieved, nodded.

“I agree. I’ve had my share of troubles with my husband, but after going through that hell, husband issues seemed like nothing.”

“What about Hana’s husband?”

“Hmm, he recommends things like ‘Jungle Family’ when I want to watch crime shows.”

Jung Hana shrugged. Gu Ji-young blinked a couple of times before responding.

“That really is trivial.”

“Right?”

Jung Hana chuckled. In the past, she would have dismissed someone like Gu Ji-young as frustratingly unsympathetic, but now she found herself laughing during their conversation. The ordeal was terrible, and she still needed psychiatric treatment because of it, but it had also brought a strange sense of composure. Perhaps it was because she had survived all sorts of adversities with good people. She felt an odd certainty that she could overcome any obstacles life might throw at her in the future.

Telling Jung Hana to get some rest, Gu Ji-young gathered up the empty madeleine wrapper. She casually turned off the news report, which was still airing extensive coverage of the terror attack, with a single click of the remote, neatly folded up the wrapper, and tossed it into the trash.

*

As his return to work approached, Jae-chan became busy dealing with various tasks he had been putting off. One of these was the matching rate measurement with Woo-jin, which he had unintentionally been postponing.

“This is the first year you’ve scheduled so loosely,” remarked a Research Division employee from District 1 Center, half-jokingly. Guide Seon Jae-chan had typically been the quickest to apply for the matching rate measurements that usually start in January.

The researcher checking the logs wondered if Go Woo-jin had been holding out this year. It was Go Woo-jin who had been consistently inquiring about the matching rate measurement since the beginning of the year and who had recently rescheduled the date.

“Can we go in now?”

Look at this. It was Go Woo-jin who was now urging the measurement process. The situation seemed to have reversed, with the Esper now appearing more anxious.

Meanwhile, Seon Jae-chan, exchanging greetings with the researcher after a long time, thought that the matching rate was no longer important.

‘It’s the heart that matters, not some number.’

As he followed the researcher into the resting area, Ja-echan adjusted his collar with an air of composure. Unlike the past, he was no longer someone who obsessed over machine-generated numbers.

However, an hour and a half later…

Guide Seon Jae-chan, who supposedly no longer cared about matching rates, was now nervously glancing at the researchers. Trying to hide his anxiety, he kept fidgeting with an information pamphlet from the waiting room. As the researchers’ expressions grew more serious, his unsettled feelings intensified.