Chapter 231

Babies can cause accidents or get into accidents at any time, in any way.

That’s why you need to pay extra attention and be careful when taking care of them.

Even Son Jeong-won, who runs around the house in a “hooray” pose, is a baby who needs care.

“Umma, umma-. Mama, mama-. Daddy, babuwaaak-!”

“Are you already hungry, baby? Oh, you must be sleepy?”

Han Yu-young, sitting in a rocking chair, glanced at her young son playing while knitting.

Was he too mature as a baby? Jeong Won-i often caused trouble as he grew up. Running around and tripping or bumping into things doesn’t even count as mischief.

He once cut off the sprouts in the vinyl house, causing the winter vegetables to go extinct, and another time, he found a mole hole and dragged a water hose to it, supplying fresh groundwater all night. That incident made the mole family flee, so was it an accident or pest control?

There was also a time when he mixed soap, shampoo, and laundry detergent in a washbasin, turning the bathroom into a sea of bubbles, and then flailed around in it, coughing.

Surprisingly, these accidents always happened when the whole family was home.

“Waaah-. Taga, taga-? Mama? Keuk-!”

Keuk! Keo-eok!

“Oh my!”

At the baby’s cry, Han Yu-young, who was knitting, rushed over.

Jeong Won-i, who had rolled from the living room to the kitchen during nap time, seemed to have swallowed something. Even though they cleaned often when the baby was crawling and still do, it’s hard for humans to be perfect. The house is also big.

“Baby! What? What did you swallow?”

She bent him over and patted his back, but the object stuck in his throat didn’t come out.

In desperation, she screamed.

“Jin Hyuk-aaa!”

It was an instinctive call without thinking.

Her husband was in the bedroom, and her daughter was reading in the living room, but in that desperate moment, Han Yu-young chose her eldest son. He’s the most reliable and smartest person, after all.

Thud! Bang!

There was no reason to hesitate at the mother’s scream-like call.

Whoosh-!

Jin Hyuk landed directly on the living room floor without stepping on the stairs.

Then he slid over and hugged his younger brother.

“Heeek- Keo-.”

Jeong Won-i’s face turned bright red as he opened his mouth and coughed. He flailed his legs and arms, struggling like someone trying to grab something in the air, but he couldn’t cry or scream. The only comforting thing was that he still had strength in his limbs.

“What’s wrong? Why is he like this?”

“He must have choked. There was an apple on the floor from this morning-. Oh, baby.”

The whole family rushed over at the mother’s scream.

They couldn’t see the mother’s trembling, tearful face, nor did they have time to check the father’s expression. They couldn’t even hear Yoo Jin’s voice as she babbled.

There was no time to think, no tools to help. All they could rely on was human judgment.

‘The Heimlich is too risky.’

He’s too young.

If Jin Hyuk tried to perform first aid, he might break a rib or injure the lungs. No matter how calm someone is, it’s not easy to control strength when a loved one is in a life-or-death situation.

Yoo Jin’s healing ability came to mind, but healing without causing pain is better than healing after causing pain.

In this case, it’s better to push it in.

Dangerous and unsanitary?

Better than losing a life or suffering brain damage from lack of oxygen.

‘He must be scared, but his eyes are clear. This kid, he’s amazing.’

Thanks to the breath-holding skills he learned while swimming and diving with his brother, Jeong Won-i was waiting for help while looking into his brother’s eyes rather than panicking. It was a tearfully admirable sight, hard to believe he wasn’t even 36 months old.

It might have been during a summer vacation in a past life when Jin Hyuk went to the sea alone and almost drowned. Or maybe he walked into the water himself. He didn’t know how to swim or how to stay calm underwater.

It seemed like he could just helplessly swallow water, unable to accept that he was left alone in the world. But Jin Hyuk didn’t do that.

He seemed to have opened his eyes underwater, not waiting for someone to save him or looking for something to grab. He was just silently assessing the situation.

‘I’ll save you, brother.’

Jeong Won-i’s gaze might have resembled Jin Hyuk’s back then.

A terrifyingly persistent attachment to life.

As the scariest second in the world passed, Jin Hyuk didn’t hesitate to push his index finger into Jeong Won-i’s throat.

Then he felt something at the tip of his finger.

‘Something’s there. It’s stuck.’

That was enough.

With just a slight push, the esophagus wriggled and sent the apple down.

“Kkeuheooeo-. Keuk keuk!”

As the blocked airway cleared, Jeong Won-i sucked in the air he had been deprived of.

“Wuaaaaah!”

Cough, cough-.

He must have been really scared.

A crying fit mixed with coughing erupted, and the baby’s saliva mixed with blood.

It seemed Jin Hyuk’s fingernail had scratched somewhere near the throat.

Jin Hyuk patted his back and helped the baby breathe.

“Jeong Won, breathe. Take deep breaths-.”

“Heeeu-. Aeeaeng-.”

Bbaeeaek-!

Fortunately, he was breathing normally, and there was strength in his cries.

“Oh my, you scared me. What would we have done without your brother? Mom was so scared she couldn’t do anything.”

Han Yu-young hugged the baby tightly, patting his back and tearing up, while Son Kwang-yeon calmed his shocked heart.

Yoo Jin reached between the mother and baby to stroke Jeong Won-i’s neck.

“Jeong Won, I’ll heal you-.”

She must be trying to heal her brother who saw blood.

As always, Yoo Jin is the most composed.

“Mom is sorry for not cleaning properly, baby.”

“Don’t say that. It’s so clean.”

“Right. Don’t blame yourself. Babies are most dangerous when they’re sleepy and dazed, and I was also sleeping when Jeong Won-i was sleepy.”

Weekends when the whole family is home are the most dangerous times. You’d think having more family members would make things easier, but it doesn’t. You rely on each other, depend on each other, and then let your guard down.

“Yoo Jin, when you were four, you tried to swallow raw meat behind Mom’s back and it got stuck in your throat.”

“Sigh-, yeah. I was so scared my hands were shaking, and I couldn’t do anything.”

“Come to think of it, we would have been in big trouble if Jin Hyuk hadn’t been there then.”

It must have been during a neighborhood feast. Yoo Jin, imitating adults, was chewing on a big piece of raw meat when it got stuck in her throat. Luckily, her brother was nearby and quickly pulled it out, averting disaster.

‘Am I a plunger?’

Pulling something out of my sister’s throat and pushing something into my brother’s.

“People say that when there are too many people, it gets noisy and chaotic, and kids get into accidents. It’s all in the past, and we got through it safely, so don’t feel too bad, Mom.”

Taking comfort in her eldest son’s words, Han Yu-young soothed Jeong Won-i, who was throwing a sleepy tantrum.

“Ugh-. I must have gotten too relaxed.”

Sometimes she wondered, ‘Are my kids stupid?’

It’s a natural doubt for a mother who’s been through accidents.

At home, they grab and eat whatever they can get their hands on, and outside, they put sand in their mouths.

Her eldest son once caught a mole to roast and eat.

Well, they actually ate it, so maybe it wasn’t an accident.

Wondering if she was just being overly sensitive, she asked the neighbors, who responded as if it was no big deal.

– “That’s just how country kids are-. They all grow up like that-.”

But even so, when life-threatening situations happen occasionally, it’s only natural for a mother’s heart to skip a beat.

She gently stroked Jeong Won-i’s forehead as he fell into a deep sleep.

“Mom’s sorry, baby.”

“It’s not Mom’s fault, okay?”

Jin Hyuk raised his voice sharply, as if scolding.

Even though he knew his mother was just upset, seeing her heartbroken made his own heart ache.

Han Yu-young didn’t scold him for being rude but smiled softly and stroked her eldest son’s cheek.

‘My son has changed a lot.’

His thoughts have always been different, but his words and actions are starting to resemble those of his peers.

Son Kwang-yeon, who took a long time to calm his shocked heart, finally spoke.

His usual flippancy was gone, replaced by a rare seriousness.

“Let’s still go to the hospital.”

In less than ten years, the world has changed a lot. Now, no one gives birth at home in the countryside, and the roads are well-paved, so you can go to the hospital for any issue.

“Which hospital should we go to?”

“Sein Medical Center.”

Son Kwang-yeon’s expression was so serious that Han Yu-young prepared to leave without another word.

“Dad, dad! I want to go with Jeong Won-i-.”

“Yoo Jin, do you want to stay home with your brother?”

“Yea-, hehe-.”

Yoo Jin, who was about to cling, stepped back cautiously.

Her father’s voice was gentle, but it was the first time he looked so scary.

‘They don’t have to go.’

Jin Hyuk couldn’t think of anything to persuade his parents, so he let it be.

Instead, he picked up the phone to help with something else.

“Who’s on duty today? Dad and Mom are taking the baby to Sein Medical Center.”

Son Kwang-yeon stepped up, and Myeong Hyeon-woo prepared the car.

Since Han Yu-young was going out, Yoo Tae-hwa would naturally follow.

‘Hmm, that’s reassuring.’

Nodding, something still bothered him.

‘If Sein Medical Center didn’t exist, they would have gone to a university hospital.’

That would mean at least Cheonan or Suwon, a four-hour round trip by car.

Without an appointment, same-day outpatient care would be difficult, and even in the emergency room, detailed examinations would be a dream.

Having a large general hospital nearby is such a relief.

As they left through the front door, he heard his father’s voice on the phone.

“Code 0003. This is Son Kwang-yeon. My youngest son swallowed something and it got stuck in his throat. We need to get him checked.”

With the VIP code and name, the reservation was complete.

By the time the car carrying Jeong Won-i arrived at the medical center, the medical staff would be waiting.

After everyone left except Yoo Jin and him.

“Ahh-, code 0003. Ahh-. Son Kwang-, Son Kwang-.”

He strained his neck, imitating his father.

Yoo Jin looked at him with strange eyes, unaware.

I don’t have a VIP code.

***

Only Jin Hyuk and Son Yoo-jin know that Son Jeong-won is fine.

The two siblings, big and small, sat on the yellowed grass, hugging their knees.

Sitting in the same pose, they chatted away, oblivious to the cold wind.

“Did Yoo Jin touch Jeong Won-i’s forehead earlier?”

“Yes. There was nothing wrong.”

Son Yoo-jin, with half-closed eyes, shook her head.

Her pronunciation, which had been unclear when she lost a tooth, was now clear again. If it had been due to a cavity or break, it might have taken longer, but Yoo Jin’s tooth grew back quickly because it was a permanent tooth pushing through.

“I checked several times, but his heart wasn’t beating.”

This kid, saying something serious.

But Jin Hyuk, being a year older, roughly understood.

It meant she couldn’t see anything wrong.

“Brother? When will Mom and Dad come back-?”

“Hmm-. Maybe before dinner?”

“Ah, really? I want to eat octopus.”

What to do with this octopus fiend.

The funny thing is, she doesn’t even look at the octopus from the market, saying it doesn’t taste good.

‘Because she’s full······.’

Jin Hyuk wrapped his arm around Yoo Jin’s waist and pulled her closer.

So she wouldn’t get cold.

“If they come back early, I’ll catch some for you.”

“Really?”

“Have you ever seen me lie?”

“Hmm······.”

Yoo Jin narrowed her eyes.

She seemed to be trying to remember if her brother had ever lied to her.

“Ship.”

“That wasn’t a lie, just a promise I haven’t kept yet.”

“Ah, really?”

I might not be able to make a ship right now, but I can catch some octopus.

In the neighborhood, only Jo Il-hun, Choi Jang-hwan, and Yook Seong-chan might be better at catching octopus than Jin Hyuk. That’s how much Son Jin-hyeok had grown into a perfect country teenager.

“Mom, Dad, let’s play hide and seek until they come back-.”

Suddenly?

The holder of 100m, 200m Korean and Asian junior records?

Well, hide and seek is one of the favorite games at Yoo Jin’s age.

Getting no answer, Yoo Jin clung to her brother’s arm.

“Huh? Brother? Let’s play-.”

“Okay. Let’s play hide and seek.”

Moving behind the porch, Jin Hyuk placed his hand on the now-huge zelkova tree.

‘How many years has it been?’

The last time Jin Hyuk played hide and seek was with Choi Mi-kyung at the village hall when he was Yoo Jin’s age, so it must have been over 50 years ago.

Tap, tap-.

Listening to Yoo Jin’s footsteps running somewhere, he started the game.

“Hide and seek. If I see your hair- ah.”

Baldness is too much.

“If I see your hair-. Hide and seek-.”

Yah-, but this is a problem.

How can we play hide and seek until Mom and Dad come back?

We need to exercise too.

“Are you hiding-?”

“Yeeees-.”

Hmm?

It seems the rules of hide and seek have changed a lot over 50 years.