TWELVE 90

After the incident where the homeless man broke in, I tried my best not to think about our house. I never imagined I would return so suddenly for a matter like this. I had the illusion that the house and Grandma were calling out to me.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Before getting out of the car, Gi Seoin asked. I stared at our house, framed quietly in the windshield as if it were a picture.

Nothing had changed. My childhood spent with Grandma, my early twenties spent alone, those dreamlike days with Gi Seoin. Even the incident that felt like a nightmare made real was still lingering there completely.

“If it’s too hard, I can go in and look for you…”

“No, I’m fine.”

I answered and grasped Gi Seoin’s hand.

“It’s the house I lived in for almost my entire life. I’m not scared. I have you, too.”

What I feared was not this house, but the times I had to endure against my will. There was no need to be afraid anymore. With Gi Seoin by my side, I was no longer alone, and the homeless man who tried to harm me was in prison.

Gi Seoin held my hand again as soon as we got out of the car. It was the perfect encouragement. I took a step forward with courage.

The inside of the house, which even I had stayed away from, was so silent that it felt lonely. But nothing had changed. Apparently, Gi Seoin had stopped by to pick up my things after the incident and cleaned up. Since there was no difference from how it looked before I left, it seemed he had simply tidied up the things that were scattered while the homeless man and I were scuffling.

“Now that I’m actually here, it’s not that big of a deal. Maybe it’s because you came with me.”

“…”

Gi Seoin simply put more strength into the hand he was holding. I led him toward Grandma’s room. Even though it was a place containing every trace of a precious person, I had neglected it as if it were forbidden territory. I didn’t know how long it had been since I last stepped inside.

“Where should we start looking?”

Gi Seoin asked.

Well. I didn’t know either.

“I think we need to look through every single nook and cranny.”

It wasn’t even clear what I was supposed to be looking for. I just vaguely thought that the bankbook that should be in my name was a legacy left by Grandma, and that there would be something that could serve as evidence that Jeon Juseok stole the money.

If that bastard took it, it might not even exist in this house anymore.

Grandma was a frugal person. Because of that, she didn’t leave many belongings behind in the first place. Where would such a grandmother hide something she left behind without even me knowing?

No, will anything even be left? Jeon Juseok probably took everything…

That is, if the culprit who withdrew the money from the account was indeed that bastard. Even though I don’t have a single piece of evidence, I keep feeling certain that Jeon Juseok is the culprit.

For now, I decided to search wherever my hands reached. I took the left side starting from the door, and Gi Seoin took the right.

After Jeon Juseok rummaged through everything saying he would take charge of organizing the belongings, I only entered Grandma’s room almost a month later. Even then, there was no place I hadn’t looked while sorting out items to throw away.

A sigh escaped me.

There were so many things to throw away, so why did I believe that Jeon Juseok would have organized the belongings properly?

“I was such a stupid idiot.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

I felt Gi Seoin’s gaze, but I ignored it and continued rummaging through the drawers. I opened the vanity, another plastic drawer, the wardrobe, and even the portable closet made of non-woven fabric without missing a spot.

I re-checked the places Gi Seoin had scanned, and Gi Seoin re-checked the places I had looked.

“There’s nothing.”

“Nothing.”

After rummaging through the room for a long time, we sat side by side on the floor and muttered as if lamenting. Sighs were exhaled repeatedly.

“What about places other than the room Grandma used?”

Gi Seoin asked, and I shook my head.

“There’s no way I wouldn’t know about other places.”

After Grandma passed away, I had to sweep, wipe, and maintain every part of the house, so if there were something hidden, I would have discovered it long ago.

“…Did hyung take it all?”

As expected, there was a high probability that he had taken and disposed of everything that could serve as evidence along with the bankbook. No, it wasn’t just a high probability; he must have done so.

Jeon Juseok was ignorant, but he had a ghost-like sense when it came to things that benefited him. Then again, honestly, anyone would have done the same if they were the culprit.

“Should I just… forget about it?”

Out of sheer hopelessness, those words leaked out of me. At my words, Gi Seoin looked at me. His gaze seemed to be questioning what on earth I meant by that. I babbled as if making an excuse.

“I mean, since there’s no evidence, I feel like I’ll just get depressed if I keep thinking about it. I’ve lived well enough without knowing until now, so if I can’t find it, I’ll just live as if it never existed…”

“We’ll find it.”

Gi Seoin, who cut me off, stated firmly.

“We have to find it. Given your personality, you won’t be able to forget it anyway. If it’s hard for you to find, I’ll find it for you. I’ll look for it until the end.”

“How can we find something that isn’t there? What if hyung took it all? No, what if the person who took it wasn’t hyung?”

Gi Seoin seemed to think for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“We can just ask Jeon Juseok.”

“Like he’d ever say he took it.”

“Should we try to coax him with money?”

“No, no.”

Since Jeon Juseok was a man who couldn’t resist money, it was a method with a high hit rate. But I hated it.

“I don’t mean you’re like that, but I hate it because it feels like I’d be becoming an equally cowardly person.”

“How is it cowardly? I meant I would actually give him money.”

“That’s true, too. But what if hyung asks for a ridiculous amount? Even if that’s not the case, I don’t have money to give to hyung. I’m just saying this in case, but I hate using your money, too.”

“In case” was a lie; in fact, I said it with certainty. As expected, Gi Seoin looked stung. Furthermore, he twitched his eyebrows as if he didn’t like my answer.

Gi Seoin said.

“Money isn’t what’s important, it’s important to find out who stole what could be Grandma’s legacy.”

“That’s… true… Ha, I don’t know anything. This is driving me crazy.”

I felt so suffocated it was hard to breathe. I ruffled my hair wildly and lay flat on the floor. Then, Gi Seoin lay down side by side next to me.

In that state, we stared aimlessly at the ceiling.

“…Is it on the ceiling, by any chance?”

“Should we tear it open?”

Gi Seoin asked without even a second’s delay.

I wondered if we really should tear it open, but I soon shook my head.

“No. My grandma was really short. She wouldn’t have been able to hide anything on the ceiling.”

“What if she climbed up on furniture or something?”

“Even then, no. Grandma wasn’t even 160 cm tall. Her back was hunched, too…”

Because of that, I always had to step in whenever items needed to be put in or taken out of high places.

“It’s definitely not the ceiling.”

“Then what about the floor?”

“The floor…?”

I rolled my eyes and looked at the floor.

The linoleum floor with seams repaired with tape…

‘Seungkyung-ah. Bring the tape.’

‘Grandma. This one?’

‘Not that, the big one.’

‘This one?’

‘Not the blue one, there’s one without color.’

‘The transparent one?’

‘Yeah, that one.’

Old linoleum floors often lifted and split, so they had to be repaired frequently. Every time, Grandma used only transparent tape, never duct tape or tan tape.

‘Grandma. But isn’t duct tape tougher? I think it would last longer if we used that.’

‘Don’t. Even if you’re fixing it, you should fix it to look like new. It looks really ugly if you fix it with the blue stuff.’

Despite that, the tape running across the middle of Grandma’s room was blue.

I bolted upright.

“Seoin-ah.”

I felt around the place where the blue tape was applied.

“I think it’s here.”

Gi Seoin slid up and looked alternately at me and the floor. His eyes met mine, and I immediately peeled off the tape.

The blue tape, applied by someone who was neither Grandma nor me, peeled away, leaving behind a sticky adhesive.

I swallowed hard and lifted the seam of the linoleum.

“Seoin-ah, here…”

Before I could even finish my sentence, Gi Seoin perceptively lifted the linoleum. I slid both hands under the floor and felt around. Only crumbs like stone dust touched my palms.

But then.

“…”

Only after sliding my arm in almost up to the elbow did my fingertips catch on something. It was paper.

I gently brought it toward me. My heart raced.

What I pulled out was a yellowed envelope.

It was written there as follows.

[To grandson Woo Seungkyung]

My hands trembled.

Grandma originally didn’t know how to read or write. She said she couldn’t learn because she was too busy just making a living without even finishing primary school.

Third grade of elementary school. Arrogant enough to think I had mastered the national language, I taught Grandma how to write and read Hangeul.

That’s why I can tell instantly. Even if they are clumsy, the letters were written with great care in every stroke, and my name was written with peculiar proficiency… It is definitely Grandma’s handwriting.

Even before seeing the contents, my eyes grew hot.

“Woo Seungkyung.”

Gi Seoin calmly stroked my back.

“Take it slow.”

“…”

I vaguely expected it would be a letter. What would be written in it? We were together every day, so why did Grandma leave a message in writing instead of saying it directly? Without even knowing it would be delivered… this late.

I was anxious and curious about the contents, but on the other hand, I felt a sudden fear, so my hands didn’t move easily.

However, when I realized it was already far too late, I was able to relax my stiffened hands because I didn’t want to make Grandma wait any longer.

With hands that clearly showed my agitation, I pulled the paper out of the envelope.

I unfolded the neatly folded paper, and,

“…Ugh, sob.”

I crumbled to the floor, clutching them.

The first sentence I read soaked into my heart with painful intensity.

[I am writing to my precious grandson Woo Seungkyung]