Chapter 102.1

“who…”

how can there be such a ridiculously obvious story? i never thought that my mother, who came back alive, might not remember me.

i thought it would be a common book story that i’ve only seen in books.

my mother’s golden eyes looking at me were transparent, like my mother’s eyes that i first saw when i was very young and when memories came to mind.

it was as clear as it was when nothing happened, but she didn’t remember me.

i rushed to my mom, but her round head was only shaken from side to side.

“hi.”

my small, pale hands waved at her. my mom, who always opened her arms to me, looked at me like a different person.

“oh… don’t you remember me?”

“baby, do you know me?”

rather, the answer returned was far beyond expectations.

but i wasn’t sad, since my mom was okay.

originally, my mother’s pale face was still pale, but it did not look as painful as before. her unusually pale lips were turning red, and her face that seemed to show blood vessels was pink like a peach.

“yes! i know you.”

when i nodded, my mom smiled very little. the smile was as pretty as the flower i brought, so i was speechless.

my mom, who was always like a flower that withered because of me, was very pretty.

“so… strange… i don’t remember.”

i rushed to my mom and went up to the bed.

“what do you remember?”

“well, nothing… i don’t remember anything. it’s awkward to talk.”

“like a newborn person?”

“yeah. that’s exactly how it feels.”

i stroked my mom’s cheek calmly.

“hehe. it’s okay because i remember my mom. that’s it.”

my nose felt like someone stuffed my nose with something spicy. even if i tried to hold it in, i cried. i thought i could remember my mom just like my mom did to me, and it would be no different from before, but seeing my mom acting like she doesn’t know anything, it kept hurting me somewhere.

“am i your mom?”

i feel like the world was collapsing at that word.

i endured the feeling of crying and nodded my head.

“yes! my mom is my mom, the best mom who loved me more than anyone else.”

“oh… so… mom… mom…”

“it’s okay. don’t overdo it. you’ll remember it later.”

yeah. you’ll think of it one day. it’s enough for my mom to survive. so, let’s not be sad. i can grab all of my heart.

i smiled brighter than ever at my mom. i breathed out in a hurry as if my eyes were moistening and my ears were turning red even when i stayed still.

“uh…mom, aren’t you hungry?”

“well…”

whenever i called her ‘mom’, i tried to pull myself together with my mother’s unfamiliar appearance of flinching.

meanwhile, cecilia, which was in the back, approached. as if she had already noticed what we were in, she took out some of the flowers we picked and put them on the side of the bed.

“i picked flowers for you.”

“for me?”

i nodded my head loudly at my wondering mother. mom was like the sun; a warm and soft person. and this time again, such a friendly smile spread on my mother’s face.

“thank you, baby.”

“i’m bebe. my mom named me bebe!”

“bebe.”

“yes! so call me bebe.”

mom. i tried hard to swallow the word ‘mother’, which came out like a habit because i was afraid that she would be surprised again. then she smiled.

“yes, bebe.”

it was a familiar name and a familiar voice, yet the voice was very unfamiliar as if it were a different person. nevertheless, i smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.

i wanted to cry, but i couldn’t.

it’s like god is telling me to stop being greedy because i saved my mom. i thought about how he was asking me to stop being greedy.

i jumped down from the bed. then i fiddled with the flowers that cecilia was putting here and there.

in the meantime, cecilia went outside for a while, and only silence came to the room. as if she were a stranger to herself, she was busy touching her body, and i wandered around as if i were not looking at her.

‘how great would it be to have sylvie at times like this?’