Chapter 414: To Home

Deok-Bae woke up only after sleeping an entire day, hooked to an IV drip, and receiving nutrient injections at the general hospital in Gyeongju.

I was also passed out in the adjacent bed after being attached to an IV as I hadn't had a proper sleep after tirelessly assisting Deok-Bae with his acting practice nonstop.

Deok-Bae still looked visibly tired after waking up the next day. However, his face lit up at the thought of telling his younger brother about his successful audition.

Since neither of us had any serious issues apart from exhaustion, we quickly completed the discharge process and headed to Seoul with Yoo-Jin and Miso.

I needed to check on Han-Ul's condition, but more importantly, today was the day we planned to visit the house in Amsa-dong that Yoo-Jin's uncle had unlawfully seized.

We had planned to go as soon as the property title was transferred back to Yoo-Jin, but the house was in such poor condition that repairs took longer than expected. Only now were we able to visit.

After driving for several hours, the Gangbuk Seven Star Hospital came into view.

As we approached our destination, Deok-Bae who was sitting in the back bowed his head toward Yoo-Jin. "Noona, thank you so much for letting us stay at your house."

Yoo-Jin had graciously offered to rent out the restored house to Deok-Bae, Han-Ul, and their family.

Hearing Deok-Bae's gratitude, Yoo-Jin responded with a warm smile. "A house needs people living in it or it becomes a ruin. Besides, if you, Han-Ul, and Dong-Jun's family stay there, I think my late mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law would be happy. They always loved having a lively atmosphere."

The ride to Seoul had brought them closer, and Yoo-Jin now spoke more casually with Deok-Bae.

Shortly after, we arrived at the Seven Star Hospital parking lot.

Screech.

I turned to Yoo-Jin and said, "Yoo-Jin, just wait here for a bit. I'll check on Han-Ul and come back quickly."

"Alright, go ahead. Please send my regards to Han-Ul."

"Uncle Yoon-Ho, me too!" exclaimed Miso.

"Okay."

With goodbyes exchanged, Deok-Bae and I got out of the car and headed straight for the hospital room.

***

When we opened the door to Room 1563 in Seven Star Hospital, only Park Dong-Jun's grandmother was there.

"Oh my, Mr. Jung. You're here," his grandmother remarked.

I stopped Park Dong-Jun's grandmother as she struggled to sit up in bed. "Oh, it's okay. Please stay lying down. Where's Han-Ul?"

"They told us to bring him down for a lung checkup, so Dong-Jun took him."

Deok-Bae flinched at the mention of a lung checkup. "I-is something wrong with Han-Ul?"

Hearing the tremble in Deok-Bae's voice, Dong-Jun's grandmother chuckled. "No, no. He's doing much better, so they're just checking. Don't worry."

Deok-Bae furrowed his brows. "Really? You're not just saying that to reassure me, are you?"

"When has this old lady ever told lies?"

"Never. But still..."

"He's really doing better, so relax. They'll be back soon after the tests."

Only then did Deok-Bae relax.

Creak.

Moments later, Han-Ul seated in a wheelchair entered the room. Though he was wearing a portable oxygen mask, his expression was much brighter than before.

"Hyung... did you pass?" Han-Ul asked with anticipation.

Deok-Bae cautiously approached Han-Ul in the wheelchair. Then, he slowly knelt before Han-Ul. "Yeah, I passed... I'm an actor now..."

Deok-Bae locked eyes with Han-Ul and tightly held his younger brother's hand.

Han-Ul smiled softly in response. "I knew it. You're good at everything, hyung..."

Hearing his brother's wheezing voice, tears started streaming down Deok-Bae's crescent-shaped eyes. "That's right. Now that I'm an actor, you should get better quickly so we can move into the new house together."

Han-Ul glanced between Park Dong-Jun pushing his wheelchair and Dong-Jun's grandmother who was lying on the bed. "What about Dong-Jun hyung and Grandma?"

"Of course they'll come with us."

Han-Ul smiled bashfully. "That's a relief..."

At that moment, everyone in the room—a family not tied by blood—began silently shedding tears together.

***

With Han-Ul's condition improving, the doctors stated he could be discharged within a few days.

I told Han-Ul that we should all gather at the Amsa-dong house after his discharge and headed back to the parking lot.

Then Yoo-Jin, Miso, and I set off for the Amsa-dong house. We drove through a residential side street wide enough for three large vans to pass side by side, and Yoo-Jin's old house soon came into view.

"We're here."

The house was a two-story standalone home built on a roughly 80-pyeong plot. It had a rooftop instead of an attic and included a basement.

The moment Yoo-Jin saw the house, she began to tremble slightly as she had thought she would never be able to return after her uncle took it from her.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Yoo-Jin looked at Miso. "Miso, this was where Grandma, Grandpa, and your real mom and dad lived. And you lived here too."

Miso tilted her head in curiosity as she looked out the window. "Mom, did I really live here?"

"Yeah. You came here straight from the hospital three days after you were born."

"Oh~ I see~"

Meanwhile, I turned off the car's engine and opened the door. "Come on, let's get out and take a look inside."

At my urging, Yoo-Jin unlocked her door and stepped out. She walked slowly to the light-blue steel gate in front of the house.

I handed Yoo-Jin the new key. "Here, take this."

Yoo-Jin held the key with tears welling in her eyes and approached the gate. She rested her forehead against the gate and whispered, "Mom, Dad...Unnie, Brother-in-law... I'm home... I'm here with Miso..."

Yoo-Jin's voice trembled as the memories of all she had endured flooded back.

While she took a moment to reminisce, I hugged Miso and waited quietly for Yoo-Jin to regain her composure.

After a short while, Yoo-Jin collected herself and inserted the key into the pale blue gate.

Click.

The sound of the gate unlocking echoed softly as Yoo-Jin turned to Miso. "Miso, do you want to open it together?"

"Okay!" Miso exclaimed.

Together, Yoo-Jin and Miso used all their strength to push the gate open.

Creak.

Thanks to the repairs, the heavy steel gate swung open easily. At that moment, the surprise I had prepared for Yoo-Jin unfolded before her eyes.

"O-oppa... is this...?"

Yoo-Jin trembled upon seeing my gift.

***

Beyond the pale blue gate was Yoo-Jin's Amsa-dong house, restored to look exactly as it had in the photos from an old documentary.

Six deep brown earthenware jars were lined up neatly on the red soil, and next to them stood a small pink children's bicycle. An orange clothesline stretched across the yard with two freshly washed T-shirts hanging on it.

In one corner of the yard stood a fig tree and a persimmon tree growing harmoniously side by side with a small vegetable garden nestled under them.

After the property was transferred to Yoo-Jin's name, I inspected the house on her behalf. Lacking any attachment to the house, her uncle had left it neglected for years and there wasn't a single part of it in good condition.

So I spent my own money and enlisted the help of Blue Dragon staff who had produced

In the Name of God

to repair the house. After all, drama production companies often had close connections with interior design firms.

I had initially only planned for simple repairs, but then I handed them Yoo-Jin's old photographs and asked if they could restore the house to its original state.

Blue Dragon went above and beyond, mobilizing their props team to perfectly recreate the setting as it had appeared in the documentary.

"What do you think? I put some effort into this. Do you like it?" I asked her with a smile.

Yoo-Jin nodded tearfully, her eyes brimming with emotion. "It's... it's amazing...Thank you so much."

She couldn't even finish her sentence before tears streamed down her face.

At that moment, Miso stood beside Yoo-Jin and handed her a handkerchief. "Don't cry, Mom. If you cry, it makes me sad too..."

Tears were also rolling down Miso's cheeks.

Yoo-Jin knelt and hugged Miso tightly. "I'm sorry, Miso. I just got overwhelmed thinking about the past."

"The past?"

Wiping her tears with the handkerchief, Yoo-Jin pointed to the house. "You also lived here until you were two. Do you remember?"

This house had been where Miso grew up and where Yoo-Jin's parents and sister's family had all lived together.

Miso shook her head. "No, I don't remember."

Yoo-Jin stood up and took Miso's hand. "Then let's walk around together. Maybe something will come back to you if you look closely."

"Okay!"

I stepped aside, giving them space to explore and spend time together.

***

Yoo-Jin held Miso's hand and led her to a corner of the yard.

The first stop was the row of earthenware jars that her mother had treasured.

Clink.

Yoo-Jin opened one of the deep brown jars and turned to me. "Oppa, why didn't you fill these?"

"I thought about it, but every family has their own unique flavor for their

jang

[1]. I left them empty so you could fill them yourself later."

"But I don't know how to make

jang

," Yoo-Jin replied.

"You still remember how it tasted, don't you?"

Yoo-Jin nodded.

I added, "Then you can recreate it when the time comes. Until then, Dong-Jun's grandmother can use them."

Yoo-Jin nodded before she moved on. "That works perfectly."

She touched the trunks of the fig and persimmon trees which bore her and her sister's names carved into them before heading toward the pink children's bicycle. "This bike... I used to love this thing."

"That was the most detailed restoration piece," I remarked.

The props team had found a brand-new bike identical to the one in the photos and repainted it to match exactly. Even the training wheels had stickers meticulously replicated from the originals.

Yoo-Jin said with a smile, "It feels like stepping into a time machine."

"Want to ride it?"

Yoo-Jin laughed and waved her hands. "Right now? I don't think I can."

Nonetheless, her expression was filled with nostalgia as she touched the rainbow-colored tassels on the handlebars.

At that moment, Miso showed interest. "Mom, can I try it?"

Yoo-Jin nodded slowly. "Sure. But only in the yard, okay?"

"Okay!"

When Miso eagerly climbed onto the bike seat, Yoo-Jin grabbed the back of the seat to steady her.

"Mom, hold me tight so I don't fall. Okay?"

"Okay~"

Miso began pedaling with a little effort. Though it was her first time on a bike, the training wheels kept her steady and she didn't fall.

"Mom, am I doing good?"

"Yeah, you're doing great."

"But still, don't let go of me~"

"Alright, I won't~"

Miso was pedaling excitedly, but she didn't realize that Yoo-Jin had already let go of the bike some time ago.

Miso was riding much better than expected. Reaching the end of the yard, Miso turned the handlebars to change direction. It was then that she realized Yoo-Jin wasn't holding the bike anymore.

"Huh? Mom?"

When Miso was startled, the handlebars suddenly wobbled.

Yoo-Jin quickly called out. "It's okay! Miso, don't be scared! You've got training wheels, so you won't fall."

I added, "That's right Miso. As long as you keep pedaling, you won't tip over."

Though surprised at first, Miso regained her confidence with our encouragement.

"

Ugh.

.. there!"

Pushing past her fear, Miso pedaled harder with her strength. The training wheels wobbled as they touched the ground, but the bike soon steadied and moved smoothly.

At that moment, a burst of laughter escaped from Miso's lips. "

Hahaha!

Mom, look at me! I can ride by myself now!"

Miso's bright laughter echoed over the low walls of the yard.

As Miso pedaled confidently and laughed happily, Yoo-Jin's long-buried memories resurfaced.

***

Miso successfully completed her first bike ride.

Yoo-Jin rushed over and wiped the sweat off Miso's forehead. "Miso, did you have fun?"

Declaring that she would ride the bike every day, Miso spoke with a confident voice. "Yeah! I was scared at first, but it was really fun."

"But not without me around, okay? Promise?"

"Okay."

"Pinkie swear?"

"Pinkie swear!"

Yoo-Jin extended her pinky and Miso linked hers with it to seal their promise.

Watching the two exchange smiles, I urged them to explore the house further. "Yoo-Jin, you've seen the yard. Now it's time to check out the rooms."

Yoo-Jin blinked in surprise. "Wait... did you restore the rooms to how they used to be as well?"

"Of course I did."

Thanks to the detailed photos Yoo-Jin had provided for the SBC's documentary

The Human Story

, restoring the interior was entirely possible.

"Oppa...how much did this cost?"

"Not much."

"No way! This must have cost a fortune. Let me pay for it, please."

"Don't worry. Blue Dragon helped so it didn't cost that much. Besides, who charges for a gift?"

"But still..."

"Nope. Just keep working hard like you are now—that's more than enough."

Yoo-Jin nodded with a deeply moved expression. "Thank you, oppa. Really, thank you."

Afterward, Yoo-Jin called Cha Soo-Yeon. "Ms. Cha, I'm here at the Amsa-dong house and just saw the interior work. Thank you so much."

-There's no need to thank me. Our props team said they had so much fun with the project.

Tears continued to well in Yoo-Jin's eyes as she spoke on the phone with Cha Soo-Yeon, prompting Miso to stare at me curiously.

"Uncle Yoon-Ho, Mom's crying a lot today."

"Yeah, she is..."

"But she's always smiling in all her old pictures."

"Right? I guess Mom's turned into a crybaby. Don't you think so?"

"Uh-huh. Mom's a crybaby now."

I teased Yoo-Jin along with Miso and waited for her to finish the call.

Then, Cha Soo-Yeon asked.

-By the way, have you seen a dog and a cat around the house?

"A dog and a cat?"

-Yes. They used to come around during the repairs and the dog seemed to be pregnant.

At that moment, I remembered the white female Pomeranian, Lucky, and the cream tabby Korean Shorthair, Mimi, from the old photos.

The two pets had belonged to Yoo-Jin's sister and her husband.

When Yoo-Jin had left the house with just Miso, she had reluctantly entrusted the pets to her uncle and asked him to care for them. However, their whereabouts became unknown when her uncle and his wife had neglected the pets.

'

No way. Could it really be them?

' I wondered.

We had managed to restore everything in the photos except for one thing—Yoo-Jin's family.

However, a glimmer of hope emerged that some part of that family might return.

1. traditional Korean sauce ☜