The Boy Reminisces Fond Memories

At a columbarium outside of Seoul.

Gun and Yeo Ri stood in front of a shelf slot where an urn containing the cremated remains of Han Yeoreum was placed. An old photograph of their mother and Yeo Ri when she was a baby was also added into the small box-sized space.

Yeo Ri glanced quietly at Gun, whose eyes were growing misty as he silently mourned for the dead woman. Just like Hwang Se Jin's sister, Han Yeoreum was finally able to rest in peace as well.

After several moments of silence, Gun finally snapped out of his daze and turned to look at Yeo Ri. The girl handed him the bouquet of white flowers that he had gotten for their mother. Carefully, he arranged it neatly next to the urn.

After completing the rites, the two decided to take a breather outside of the columbarium before going home. Yeo Ri took out their packed lunch and they had a little picnic at the park surrounding the columbarium.

"Here," Gun said as he handed a beverage he bought from a nearby vending machine to the girl. Yeo Ri accepted it gratefully.

"It's so peaceful here," Gun remarked as he breathed in a lungful of fresh air. The air here was different—more refreshing and clean—compared to the air in Seoul.

"Yeah," Yeo Ri agreed with a nod.

"..."

The atmosphere around them were somewhat melancholic. It was a given since they had just came back from visiting the dead.

"Oppa, I have a question," Yeo Ri suddenly said.

Gun's hand that was reaching for a gimbap paused. "What is it, Yeo Ri-ah?"

"Do you ever miss your mom, Oppa? Your birth mom, I mean." She hugged her knees and lowered her gaze in a thoughtful manner. She stared at a random stalk of grass as she waited for his answer.

"...My birth mom?" Gun muttered, also in thought. "I don't know. I don't remember her much since she died before I was old enough to think. Why?"

"Nothing," Yeo Ri replied softly.

"..." Gun observed her carefully. Yeo Ri seemed to be emitting an air of loneliness.

"Oppa, do you remember what she was like?" She threw another question after a long silence.

"Mom?" Gun's eyes travelled to her face, startled.

"Mm. Our mom," Yeo Ri nodded absentmindedly.

"Mom..." Gun smiled wistfully as her face appeared in his mind. "She was a nice person."

"But she was also clumsy. Anybody could tell that she wasn't used to taking care of other people," he continued. With a soft chuckle, he said, "But she tried really hard to take care of us. Even Hyung was nice to her."

"And she loved you very much," he added, his gaze softening as he glanced at Yeo Ri.

Although he could barely remember his stepmother, he treasured the few memories he had of her deeply. She was not perfect, but to him, she was the best mother he could ever ask for. It was too bad that she ended up with such a violent death... Gun unconsciously rubbed his neck.

"Hm," Yeo Ri vaguely replied, burying her face into her knees.

Gun did not know whether she was crying or not. He inched closer to her, then gently stroked her back.

No longer wanting to stay on such a depressing topic, Gun changed the subject: "What are you doing tomorrow, Yeo Ri-ah?"

"Hm~" Yeo Ri revealed her face but still continued to rest her head on her knees, "I'll be going shopping with Da Na-unnie and Auntie, remember?" Despite the fact that Gun knew her schedule very well, she still went along with him since she knew he was trying to divert the topic elsewhere.

"Oh, that's right." Gun nodded. He recalled that Da Na did invite his sister out to shop. Although she refused to receive pocket money from him, he still decided that he would secretly slip some money into her purse before she goes out tomorrow.

Yeo Ri narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She could almost predict what he was thinking about. "Oppa, don't you dare give me money secretly," she warned.

"What? What are you talking about, Yeo Ri-ah?" Gun blinked his eyes innocently, acting nonchalant. Even if she threatened him to stop doing that, he would still do it regardless. Was it wrong for him to want to spoil his baby sister?

"Use the money for your textbooks instead!" She complained. "I heard that college textbooks are very pricy."

Gun shook his head dismissively, "It's fine. I have a scholarship, remember? It covers the cost of my studying materials as well." Gun grinned smugly, "Oppa is amazing, right? Now that I'm in university, you don't have to worry about money anymore." He had already gotten a part-time job at a bistro near the university which meant that he'd have a steady income. Now, they could afford a little bit of luxury.

Yeo Ri rolled her eyes, "Oppa, since when did you have such a big head?"

Gun smiled indulgently at her.

The mood around them had lightened considerably, and they went home with light hearts.