Chapter 325

On the last night of 2000, family and friends from home, along with Hong Ki-jun’s family, gathered at the rooftop mansion in Yeouido.

“Does the boss really use this place all by himself?”

“Must be scary alone.”

“Is there anything in this world that Jin-hyuk would be scared of?”

Moon Seok-il, Jeong Sang-tae, and Kang Heon-chang, who had come to Seoul for a rare trip, whistled as they looked at the rooftop mansion.

“Hyung, they say this building has twelve elevators!”

Kim In-rang, who was the last to arrive after taking care of his mother and Hwang Ga-yun’s family, finally found the elevator to the penthouse and showed his face.

With close employees like Min Yong-rak and some colleagues who joined the company at the same time in attendance, the group gathered on the rooftop garden, seemingly unfazed by the cold wave on December 31st, and enjoyed a barbecue party.

“Alright, everyone! It’s about to start.”

Yoo Se-ra was Yoo Se-ra.

Her always bright and energetic personality, which led the atmosphere, remained the same.

She also loved fireworks.

“Five! Four! Three! Two! One!”

Following the numbers on the outdoor billboard of the opposite building, the voices counting down were filled with excitement.

「HAPPY 2001!」

Boom! Boom! Bang! Bang!

From a barge floating on the Han River, fireworks signaling the start of the 21st century shot up.

Bang! Crackle, crackle.

“Very beautiful.”

“Wow, even Seoul has something like this.”

Kim Eun-jung and Jo Seol-chan, with their arms crossed, wore expressions of wonder.

“Yoo Jin, they say this place used to be a construction materials factory.”

“Unnie, you’re lucky. The view here is great.”

“It’s my first time here too.”

Yoo Jin’s eyes widened at Hong Soo-jung’s unexpected answer.

She thought living in Seoul meant they would meet every day, but that wasn’t the case.

Clap, clap.

Yoo Se-ra, who had been clapping and jumping around, looked up at Hong Soo-jung. For some reason, her expression was gentle.

“I thought something great would happen when the 21st century came, but there’s nothing special, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Sigh.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Why do you talk like that?”

“No, Your Majesty Yoo Se-ra. It’s a misunderstanding.”

As the year changed, Hong Soo-jung, who was becoming a high school sophomore, had become more cheeky.

Now, with her hands clasped together, she smiled mischievously at her mother, looking exactly like a junior Yoo Se-ra.

Jin-hyuk smiled faintly as he watched the mother and daughter’s not-so-tense standoff.

‘So much has changed.’

In the exciting time of welcoming the new year, wasn’t everyone Jin-hyuk cared about together?

That was enough.

He already had more than enough; wanting more would just be greed.

Though often picky, the nine-year-old Hong Soo-hyuk had become Jeong-won’s best friend.

“Jeong-won, look here. The fish are huge.”

“Eek, I saw them on a field trip. They’re koi.”

“Hey, do you think they’re tasty?”

Whether it’s this house or that house, everyone is obsessed with food. Many things have changed, but the appetite seems to remain the same.

Jeong-won, who lives in the bear den every day aiming to become a swimmer, has grown so tall and big that he looks like a third-grader compared to Hong Soo-hyuk, who’s still in kindergarten. Spending a lot of time with Jo Seol-chan and attending a rural elementary school, Jeong-won naturally picked up a dialect, contrasting with the city kid Hong Soo-hyuk.

“Soo-hyuk, koi probably tastes like silk.”

“Silk taste?”

“Eek. Silk is made from silkworm cocoons, so it must taste like cocoons.”

“What does cocoon taste like?”

“Probably spicy. It’s a cocoon, after all.”

Jo Il-hun’s influence on the neighborhood kids is still strong.

“Isn’t spicy taste from chili peppers?”

“Cocoon or chili, it’s all the same.”

Whether kids or adults, the mental state being a bit off is a common trait in both families.

‘Only I’m normal.’

Woof woof!

Grrr.

“Mom, mom! General! You can’t eat that!”

Han Yu-young rushed to calm the dogs that looked like they were about to jump into the pond.

No wonder she’s Son Jin-hyuk’s mom; her movements are swift.

‘Mom’s normal too.’

*

A few days after the new year.

The Blue House and the Ministry of National Defense contacted almost simultaneously.

“Yes. I’ll discuss it with my father and get back to you.”

Two years ago.

Right after the Asian Games, Jin-hyuk was invited to the Blue House.

There, they discussed the project to recover the remains of fallen soldiers.

They proposed financial support from private companies if necessary.

Behind this was the hidden contribution of advisor Dugu Elil. A shadow, an unsung hero.

**

【Ta-da.】

‘Don’t come when I’m taking a dump. If I pass out with my butt exposed and fall over, how embarrassing would that be?’

Though Dugu Elil’s presence had weakened, the sudden headaches when he appeared unexpectedly were still there.

Living alone in a mansion, like Jo Il-hun’s father, there’s no savior to be found.

【I’m fine. I can be seen but not felt, and I can’t smell anything either.】

What a selfish bastard.

Who does he think is worried about him?

‘Let’s be careful with each other.’

He said as he carefully pulled up his pants.

Since communication isn’t smooth, Jin-hyuk had no choice but to step back.

【Congratulations on your triple crown at the Asian Games.】

‘What nonsense. But what’s the matter? You came without being called, so it must be important, right?’

Only then did Dugu Elil get to the point.

【There are so many human remains that I missed your grandfather several times. I had to put my eyeballs back in so many times from searching. That’s why it took so long.】

‘You’ve worked hard.’

【I’ll show you when you sleep. Check it out then.】

That night.

Dugu Elil worked some magic, and the image of a young grandfather appeared in his mind.

Maybe in his thirties, an old man with a beard and dirt, making it hard to guess his age just by his face. But his eyes and jawline were exactly like his father’s. Though his face was sharp from lack of food, his tiger-like eyes were fierce even in the dark.

The dashing commander with a mustache urged his troops with a pistol in hand.

In the red winter mountains where not a single intact tree could be found, the battle dragged on, and the lines between friend and foe blurred into hand-to-hand combat.

In the frozen darkness, amidst the scattering snowstorm, the soldiers entrusted their lives to the descending flare lines like angels.

Every time a flare exploded, Jin-hyuk, watching the shadows of ants climbing the red mountain, felt his breath catch.

When the flares went out and darkness returned, they relied on passwords to identify friend from foe and continued to fight with bayonets.

“Karat!”

“Die!”

They were outnumbered.

Son Jeong-won, already shot in the arm, was stabbed in the thigh by an enemy’s sword.

Just a span of metal, yet dull and more cruel and violent.

When the enemy’s sword was pulled out from his side, a hot, bloody mass gushed out like a water balloon.

Someone approached Son Jeong-won.

“Captain Son! I’m from the People’s Army. There are too many Chinese bastards. Let’s retreat quickly. Even if it’s just the volunteers, let’s save them.”

If it weren’t for the plain combat uniform and net-covered helmet, his speech would have made him mistaken for a People’s Army soldier.

Captain Son Jeong-won, clutching his side, shouted.

Thanks to that, Jin-hyuk could clearly hear his grandfather’s voice.

“Sergeant Song! Request artillery support from Jinnae!”

“Captain Son, I can’t do that. That’s not within my authority as a company commander.”

“Your company commander is dead! You’re in charge now!”

The battle was scraping the last of their strength.

Sergeant Song, seemingly giving up, lowered his gun and looked up at the sky. His gaunt face was shadowed.

“If that’s the case, we’re all going to die, including this son······.”

“No! If we’re going to die, let’s take them with us! Hahaha! We’re surrounded anyway!”

Even as blood from his forehead mixed with dirt and entered his mouth, his grandfather laughed like a demon, resembling his father laughing with his children, making him feel familiar.

“Then let’s do it. Let’s go together, comrade.”

Sergeant Song, looking at his grandfather, nodded with a determined expression.

“Go- bastard! Come here quickly!”

“Don’t retreat! We have to hold them here!”

The volunteers, seeing their commander fighting despite his injuries, were inspired.

Swoosh.

Soon, a sharp sound tearing through the air covered the sky.

“Take cover-!”

Bang! Kaboom!

Everywhere, dirt flew from the artillery, and severed limbs soared in a hellish scene.

‘No! Grandfather, get down. Take cover! Even if you’re motionless!’

Kaboom!

Jin-hyuk’s shout, which couldn’t reach, was drowned out by the artillery.

Son Jeong-won frantically pushed his subordinates into the trenches.

‘Grandma is pregnant with Dad!’

Hunters, students, farmers in shabby clothes···. An army without unified uniforms or helmets fought until the last man, even after the artillery stopped and their comrades were wiped out. In the smoke covering the mountains and people.

In his dream, Jin-hyuk could see.

His grandfather, pierced through the heart by shrapnel, clutching his left chest pocket as he took his last breath.

Even as his face was covered in dirt and snowflakes fell on his cornea, the bloody tears flowing from his unseeing eyes.

‘Thank you, Dugu Elil. Thanks to you, I could see my grandfather’s last moments······.’

【My name is ⬛⬛⬛⬛. My friend.】

**

Though it was more like Jin-hyuk scolding him, Dugu Elil had also become much more emotional.

Well, everything goes through such changes as it grows and dies.

Even gods.

‘I should have written down his name, but strangely, I can’t remember. Anang? Anangsumun? Araksil?’

Though the name reminded him of laxatives, it just lingered in his mouth, not coming clearly.

Perhaps because he saw it like a dream, the scenes were blurry like an old movie, and the dialogue wasn’t clear.

But thanks to focusing, he remembered where his grandfather was buried even after waking up.

Jin-hyuk’s grandfather, Son Jeong-won, was buried in a region where negotiations with North Korea weren’t necessary.

***

Son Kwang-yeon and Jin-hyuk moved to Cheorwon to receive Son Jeong-won’s remains.

Though the clothes had rotted away, a well-preserved photo was found in a metal cigarette case. It was a clearer photo of Jin-hyuk’s grandmother, Moon Ye, than the one Son Kwang-yeon had kept. It was something he couldn’t let go of even in death, clutched in his chest pocket.

“Father······.”

In front of his father’s remains, Son Kwang-yeon, touching his mother’s photo, had red eyes and a red nose but didn’t cry.

“Let’s go home, Father. I’ll take you to Mother.”

Father, father, father.

Son Kwang-yeon mumbled the name he had never called before.

A high-ranking government official appeared, promising a funeral with honors and burial in a national cemetery, but Son Kwang-yeon refused.

“If I weren’t Son Kwang-yeon, if my son weren’t Son Jin-hyuk, could you make such a promise? Someone who isn’t even on the military register, without an identification tag, even if the government insists he was a People’s Army soldier, what can I say?”

It was the prejudice that the state would discriminate against those not on the military register.

Though it sounded reproachful, Son Kwang-yeon’s tone was polite.

Even if they discriminate, it’s not their fault, is it?

The government official just adjusted his glasses and didn’t answer.

“I’m just grateful you found him. Please find the families of those people. They deserve the honors.”

Unknown soldiers.

Where Son Kwang-yeon pointed, the remains of those with unknown affiliations and identities were emerging one after another.

*

In the middle of January, cold winter rain poured down.

His grandfather’s remains were enshrined in a family columbarium, designed like a park by the water.

From afar, it looked like a small tower, softly lit even at night.

A facility Son Kwang-yeon prepared behind the Cheonma Tomb, wishing to live together even after death. A columbarium guarded by the tomb of a loyal dog.

Neighbors, even SSS, could be enshrined there if they wished.

There, Jin-hyuk’s grandfather, Son Jeong-won, finally found peace.

He would have a belated meeting with his in-laws who had settled earlier.

Though Son Kwang-yeon refused all state honors for national merit, Jin-hyuk had a request for the government officials.

Clop, clop.

Walking with powerful yet restrained movements, as if they might break if too much force was applied. They were like soldiers made of bamboo.

Attention- Halt.

Thud!

Right face- Smile.

Click-!

Present arms.

Click, clack-!

Flawless, disciplined movements without a hint of error.

The honor guard, while presenting arms, pulled and released the charging handle.

Immediately, the smooth motion of placing the index finger on the trigger guard.

Aim.

Following the extended left arm, the muzzle tilted slightly towards the sky.

One- two- three.

To Jin-hyuk’s sensitive ears, through the sound of the rain, the faint commands of the honor guard were heard.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The Army Honor Guard’s salute.

It seemed fitting to request that much for a hero.

After the salute, the disciplined yet soft commands were heard again.

Present- arms!

Left face- left!

Forward- march!

Even in the rain, supporting the ceremony for the hero was something to be grateful for.

After a simple and solemn enshrinement, Jin-hyuk held his siblings’ shoulders.

“Yoo Jin, Jeong-won. Now, grandfather will rest here with grandmother and great-grandparents. So Yoo Jin and Jeong-won, play here so grandfather won’t be bored. Spin tops, play cards, kick shuttlecocks.”

Son Jeong-won looked up at his brother.

“If grandfather says it’s too noisy, should we stop?”

Son Kwang-yeon, holding the faded photo dearly, patted his youngest son’s head.

“It’s okay. He’ll say, ‘Wow, our grandchildren are doing great.'”

“Yes, heehee.”

Jin-hyuk first bowed towards the columbarium.

“Let’s greet him like this. Say, ‘Grandfather, rest in peace.'”

“Grandfather, rest in peace.”

Watching the little ones bow their heads, Son Kwang-yeon smiled brightly.

Similarly, watching his siblings, the eldest son, who resembled his grandmother and mother, had his shoulder firmly held.

“Thank you for finding grandfather.”

*

The returned weekend, even the grandmother, who had been enshrined elsewhere, met grandfather.

Thinking she would be lonely alone, and that it would be better for her to stay with friends where she had been resting, Son Kwang-yeon hadn’t rushed the relocation, so it was delayed.

What words were needed?

Facing the columbarium, Son Kwang-yeon, like someone talking to his parents, nodded a few times, making a vow before their spirits.

‘I will live diligently. I will raise my children well and live a good life. I will make up for the filial piety I couldn’t show.’

It was a warm day, with a snowstorm scattering under the watchful sun, like a fairy tale.