The Main Characters That Only I Know

Chapter 79

“I don’t know where to start.”

I carefully thought about what to say, trying not to offend the person in front of me.

“First of all, the answer to your question is… no. I don’t know where your son is.”

The lady’s reaction was calm, unlike what I expected. 

She probably didn’t have much hope. 

Maybe she had already prepared for the worst.

“But if you know his name, that means he’s still alive, right?”

I was sure about that, so I nodded.

“Yes. He’s alive.”

“I see.”

She seemed to have relieved some of the burden on her shoulders after hearing that her missing son was still alive.

She wiped her eyes with a tissue and bowed her head to me.

“Thank you very much.”

“…I didn’t do it for gratitude.”

I was rather embarrassed. 

I only found out recently that the guy had a family, and his mother was nothing like him.

She was careful and calm. 

She had an aura that made me think she could be a professor at some university if she didn’t work here.

“You must have been heartbroken.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad to know that my son is alive.”

“That’s good.”

“By the way, what is your name?”

“I’m Kang Yu-hyun. And please don’t call me a benefactor or anything like that. I’m just a teller, and I came here out of curiosity about the family of someone named Choi Do-yoon.”

“Oh. I see.”

“You don’t seem surprised.”

“That’s how the world is.”

She accepted the reality quickly.

By the way, when I said I came here out of curiosity, it wasn’t a lie. 

I wanted to meet her at least once after hearing that Choi Do-yoon had a mother. 

Of course, at first I wanted to ask her what kind of person she was to raise such a son.

Anyone would understand if they knew about the bad karma I had with him in my previous life.

He was like a protagonist from a novel, who had gone through almost 20 volumes of epic adventures in another world.

But one thing for sure was that he survived until the end and came back to this earth.

To an earth that had been destroyed by the apocalypse.

‘Come to think of it, Choi Do-yoon is also pitiful.’

Of course, just a little bit. 

A very little bit.

But one thing for sure was that his twisted personality was largely influenced by the fact that his hometown was completely ruined.

That meant this lady in front of me also.

‘She must have died when the apocalypse began.’

I didn’t know how long Choi Do-yoon had been rolling around and living in another world. 

But it wasn’t a short time for sure.

He showed his abilities as soon as the apocalypse started, which meant he had honed them for a long time.

He must have wished desperately to return to this world. He must have worked hard for it.

“Did you… get along well with your son?”

I asked her while looking at the pictures on the wall.

“Yes. We did.”

“What about your husband…”

“He passed away before Do-yoon was born.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”

The pictures showed different times. 

From a newborn baby to kindergarten, elementary school.

And the last one was taken before he disappeared with vanishing.

“My Do-yoon was very mature for his age. He grew up without a father, but he listened well and never gave me any trouble.”

“…Is that so?”

“He studied hard and played sports well too.”

Of course. Choi Do-yoon was definitely a mama’s boy.

“So I always felt sorry for him. He never complained, but I thought there were many things I couldn’t do for him. Even if he was mature, he was still a child. He must have wanted things and wanted to do things. But I couldn’t give them to him. He never showed any displeasure.”

I had a feeling that Choi Do-yoon would be like that. 

Even if he hated or was annoyed by something, he would endure it and solve it with his own strength because of his pride.

“When Do-yoon went missing, I thought the world was collapsing.”

“…”

“He was the only blood relative I had left. And the guilt was the worst. I had done nothing for my son as a mother, but I had sent him away. But thanks to you, Yoo-hyun, I was able to hear some news indirectly.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“You might think it’s nothing, but it was a priceless word to me. Even though it’s another world, I feel a little relieved to think that my son is doing well. But I still feel sorry for him. Maybe he’s better off living there with good people. What can he do in this poor house that runs a shabby snack bar…”

“That’s not true.”

I unconsciously raised my voice and answered like that.

The lady looked surprised by my strong opinion, and so did I.

I should have stayed quiet, but I didn’t know why my voice came out.

“I’m sorry for startling you.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“But I had to say this. I understand that you feel guilty about your son. But wishing that he lives happily there is too much.”

“I…”

“I’m not saying I don’t understand your feelings. But don’t you not know what your son thinks?”

I knew why she felt guilty about Choi Do-yoon.

Just looking at the surroundings, it was obvious. 

A shabby snack bar in a narrow alley. 

There must be few customers, and it must be hard to make money. 

If I were a parent, I would feel sorry for my child growing up in this environment.

But the important thing was this.

Choi Do-yoon grew up here and never complained about it. 

That must have been because he was mature, but also.

“He must have endured it for you.”

“For me…?”

“Parents feel sorry for not doing anything for their children, and children feel guilty for not making their parents happy.”

I felt the same way. 

That’s why I vowed to do my best with this new opportunity.

He must have felt the same way too.

“But I…”

“I said he’s doing well, but I didn’t say he’s living happily. You know what that means, right?”

This was actually a white lie, but I thought it wasn’t wrong.

Why did Choi Do-yoon come back to Earth with such power? 

He could have lived well in that world with his skills.

He might have enjoyed wealth and fame, and made history.

But he came back anyway.

Why?

Because he wanted it more than anyone else.

But why did he want it? 

What attachment did he have to this poor and debt-ridden house? 

What was so good about this world where he couldn’t do what he wanted?

“Because he has a family.”

I said that from the bottom of my heart, as if representing his feelings.

“He must be trying hard to come back to meet his only family.”

Yeah. 

That’s all there is to it.

Family is enough. 

He’s desperate to come back because of his precious family.

He doesn’t need money or fame or power.

More than the brilliant light in his hand,

The faint light of memories,

Even though it’s old and rusty,

It’s much warmer.

“…”

The lady opened her eyes wide and then tears welled up in them.

 She quickly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.

“You’re right. I was being foolish. That’s right. He also wanted to see his family again, just like me. Thank you. Thanks to you, I realized how ridiculous my worries were.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I said that while replaying what I just said in my mind.

‘Family… huh?’

Maybe it was the first time. 

That I empathized with his feelings.

I didn’t know everything about him, of course. 

But we had been together for almost 10 years, whether we liked it or not. 

Even though I thought our relationship was rational and one-sidedly hateful.

In the end, we understood each other better than anyone else.

‘Ha. Geez.’

I felt like my head was messed up. 

But somehow I felt relieved. 

It felt like I had cleared away some of his shadow that lingered on me.

“By the way, you seem to know a lot about my Do-yoon.”

“…I just heard things like that.”

I answered while managing my expression.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. That’s all. That’s it.”

“I thought maybe you were a good friend of his.”

“That’s not possible.”

But I had a feeling that the lady noticed something.

It seemed like mothers who had children were very perceptive. 

Just like my mother, Shin Eun-sook.

“Anyway, I’ve finished what I came here for. I’ll be going now.”

“Oh, why don’t you have a meal before you go?”

“It’s okay. I already ate well before I came here.”

“That’s too bad.”

“I’ll visit you again when I have time. We can have the meal that I missed then.”

“Okay. Sure.”

I was about to get up and say goodbye when it happened.

The door of the closed shop opened and three men with fierce expressions barged in. 

What was this now? 

The lady’s face hardened.

The man who seemed to be the leader of the group approached us while touching things around.

“Hey, lady. Didn’t we tell you before? Get out of here and close this shop.”

“…Who are you to keep saying that?”

“Oh. Us? We’re just doing our job. Don’t be so uncooperative. We’re disappointed in you, lady.”

I wondered what was going on, but it turned out to be this?

The gangsters’ eyes naturally turned to me, the only customer in the snack bar.

“Hey, buddy. If you don’t want to see something ugly, get out of here now.”

“How dare you do that to a customer!”

“Lady, stay out of this. This is between us and this guy. Right?”

The guy who smiled slyly at me had a gold tooth in his mouth. 

I waved my hand at the lady, telling her not to worry.

I roughly understood how the situation would unfold.

“Right. This is between us.”

“Huh? Hahaha. Look at this cheeky bastard!”

The guy seemed to be slightly annoyed that I didn’t flinch and smiled back at him.

I wondered why there was no customer even at this time, and it was because of this reason.

I had been too busy dealing with collector-related matters lately that I forgot how the reality was right now.

“Hoo. I don’t like being nice to a guy like you, but.”

“What are you mumbling about?”

“…But I have to help you a little bit, for the sake of the lady’s face.”

Three ordinary people who were not collectors were nothing to me.

Thud.

I grabbed the guy’s collar and threw him out of the open door with some force. 

The other two were also caught off guard by the sudden situation. 

I grabbed one by the scruff of his neck and threw him out of the snack bar as well.

“Mr. Yoo-hyun.”

“It’s okay. Leave this to me.”

I told the lady who looked worriedly at me and walked towards the gangsters who were getting up outside the shop.

“What, what is this! Why is there a collector here!”

“Do you know what happens when a collector touches a civilian?!”

They seemed to have some brains, as they shouted at me.

But what can they do?

“Show me what happens then.”

“What?”

“That’s because I’m not a collector.”

More than anything, I knew well.

These guys would never come to their senses unless they were stepped on properly.

They had to be thoroughly crushed so that they could never crawl back up again. 

And this was something that I had done so often in the apocalypse that I was sick of it.

“Shall we begin then?”

The three gangsters saw my smile and their faces turned pale.