The Forgotten Room

I let out a long sigh as soon as I reached the rooftop. The cool breeze brushed against my face, slightly easing the heat that had been burning in my chest. Hana stood beside me, resting her arms on the safety railing.

"Why do you always stay quiet?" Hana finally spoke, her voice still filled with restrained emotion. "You heard them yourself, right? They all acted like they already had the answers before either of us even had the chance to speak."

I lowered my head, staring at the tips of my shoes. "Arguing with them won’t change anything."

Hana scoffed, clearly dissatisfied with my response. "But you can’t just let them say whatever they want! Yerin, she—"

"Hana!" I cut her off softly. She immediately turned to me.

"Why are you so angry?" I asked gently. She didn’t answer, only furrowing her brows in confusion. The question was written all over her face.

"Actually... I can understand how they feel. A position that has always belonged to the same name every year suddenly isn’t theirs anymore. If I were in their shoes, I’d probably react the same way."

"Are you defending them?" Hana protested, clearly displeased.

"It’s not like that. But accepting change in something familiar is hard. We can’t expect or force them to understand everything. And that’s not a problem for me, as long as today, I can be happy and share that happiness. Isn’t that a good thing?"

Hana fell silent. Her expression was unreadable. I couldn’t tell if she understood or if my words only made her angrier. Then, suddenly, her lower lip trembled as if she was struggling to hold back something uncontrollable.

"Hana, what’s wrong? Did I say something?" I asked, worried by her sudden change in demeanor.

Just as I reached out to touch her arm, I was startled when she suddenly burst into tears, as if I had struck her with a thousand blades. Her sobs were so loud that people below turned their heads in all directions, searching for the source of the sound.

"Hana, please! What’s wrong?!" My panic grew—not only because I was worried about her but also because I feared people might rush up here, thinking I had bullied her.

After several attempts to calm her down, her crying finally subsided.

"I… I was so stupid, and..." she trailed off, still catching her breath, struggling to suppress her sobs. Tears still trickled from the corners of her eyes.

"It must have been so hard for you back then. And I... I wasn’t there for you."

I stared at her, confused and guilty at the same time. "Hana, why are you saying this? What do you mean, back then?"

Hana lifted her gaze, her eyes wet and red. She wiped her cheeks roughly, but the tears kept falling. "I always thought you were strong, Narin. I thought you would be okay, so I just stood by while everyone bullied you and treated you so cruelly. But the truth is… I never really knew what you were feeling."

I let out a deep breath, then gently took her hand. "Hana, you don’t have to feel this way. I did go through a lot alone, but that wasn’t your fault."

"Still! I was the reason they did all that to you." Hana sobbed again. "I should’ve been there to defend you. I should’ve listened to your side of the story instead of only thinking about myself."

I gave her a small smile, trying to reassure her. "Hana, you’ve done more than enough. If it weren’t for you, I might not have made it this far."

Hana was still crying, but her grip on my hand tightened. "I promise, I won’t let you be alone again, Narin."

I couldn’t say anything—just smiled and nodded. We both fell into silence.

The atmosphere on the rooftop felt calmer. The evening breeze blew softly, making strands of our hair dance. Hana had stopped crying, though her eyes were still slightly swollen. She took a deep breath and then smiled slightly.

"I feel better now," she said, leaning her back against the railing.

I nodded slowly. "That’s good."

Silence fell again, broken only by the sound of birds flying over the school roof. Then, Hana turned to me with a slightly furrowed brow.

"Narin, Do Hwan isn’t at school today, is he?" she suddenly asked.

I glanced at her for a moment, then checked my phone screen. There were no notifications. No messages, no calls.

I bit my lip. "I don’t know… I have no idea what’s going on."

Usually, even if it was just a short reply, Do Hwan would send a message if he wasn’t coming to school. But today… nothing.

A sense of unease slowly crept into my mind.

Could this have something to do with the announcement of the sole heir of Pouwels Group?

---

[Do Hwan’s POV]

Do Hwan stood in front of the hospital room door for a long time before finally stepping inside. The room was small, not luxurious, but clean. The strong scent of antiseptic filled the air. On the bed, a middle-aged woman lay weakly, her gaze lost outside the window.

Upon hearing footsteps, she slowly turned her head. Her eyes, which might have once been bright, now looked dull and weary. But when she saw who had come, the corners of her lips lifted slightly, forming a faint smile.

This was his third visit since returning from the U.S. The hospital was quite far from where he lived—a two-hour journey.

"You came again?" she asked softly. Her voice was hoarse, like someone who rarely spoke.

Do Hwan pulled a chair and sat beside the bed. He looked at her face, observing every fine line on her skin, every trace of exhaustion left behind.

"Why aren’t you at school?" the woman asked after a brief silence.

Do Hwan didn’t answer immediately. He simply stared at his own hands, searching for the right words.

"I just… didn’t feel like going," he finally replied.

The woman sighed. "You’re still the same, aren’t you?" Then, she looked at him with concern. "How’s Da Reum? Your Dad?"

Do Hwan held his breath for a moment before answering. "Da Reum… is doing fine."

He didn’t mention that his brother had just been announced as the sole heir. Didn’t say that he had no right to know anything about them anymore. Didn’t say that he wasn’t even sure if he could still call that place home.

And his Dad? Did that man even deserve to be called "Dad"?

Do Hwan just shrugged. "He’s the same as always."

The woman gave a faint smile, but sadness lingered in it. "I see..."

Silence enveloped them once more. The only sounds were the beeping of the heart monitor and the woman’s slow, shallow breaths. She stared at the ceiling as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"I… miss them," she finally whispered. "I miss home."

Do Hwan clenched his fists on his lap. Home? Which home? The one that erased his existence?

"You could visit them," he said, though he already knew the answer.

The woman smiled again, this time even more painfully. "It’s not that simple."

Do Hwan looked at her for a long time. So many questions filled his mind. Why was she here? Why had she never returned? Why had her name never been spoken in that house again?

But instead of asking, the only thing that slipped from his lips was the word he had kept buried for so long.

"Mom…"

The woman turned to him, her eyes soft. She reached out, touching his cheek with fingers that now looked fragile.

"Yes?"

Do Hwan shook his head slightly. "Nothing," he murmured.

There was so much he wanted to say. But for now, just calling her "Mom" was enough.

***