Chapter 5, Section 1: Coo (5)

"What? You almost got into a big trouble, you know?"

"I'm so scared all of a sudden."

"It's okay. I'm here with you."

Her husband turned around behind her and tightly embraced her waist.

As the warmth of his body spread, her heart, which had been pounding with shock, began to calm down.

"A traffic accident on a day like this, just thinking about it is terrifying."

"I got goosebumps on my arms just now. But when I think about it, you survived because of Faith, right?"

Her husband changed the subject.

Upon reflection, Yoo Hee Ae's late departure from work was indeed due to Faith.

Faith had suddenly fallen ill, leading Yoo Hee Ae to rush to the hospital, which inadvertently delayed her departure by about thirty minutes.

"Really. If you and Faith hadn't come to the hospital, I would have left work on time and surely been in that traffic accident."

Yoo Hee Ae shuddered at the thought of being the victim in the news.

"Seems like our Faith has some kind of special power. Lately, he hasn't cried at all, but suddenly he started wailing. I thought something was off, maybe he wanted to protect you."

"Maybe he did?"

Yoo Hee Ae looked down at Faith in her arms. Faith had a beaming face, as if everything was just perfect.

"Did Faith save Mommy?"

"Mommy, mommy!"

Faith nodded vigorously, as if to confirm.

It wasn't an exaggeration; he was a child she couldn't bear to part with. How could such a clever child have come from her own womb?

Yoo Hee Ae kissed Faith's cheeks and forehead.

"Faith has already given you a grand birthday present. I can already see the makings of a filial son."

"That's true. You must be hungry too, let's have dinner. Is everything ready?"

"Just a moment."

Even after her husband left, her eyes couldn't leave Faith.

My beautiful and clever child.

Thanks to you, Mommy is alive.

* * *

As the night grew darker.

Listening to my father's snoring, I clenched my tiny fist.

Half worried, half hopeful, I managed to save my mother from the traffic accident.

We avoided the disaster that would have befallen our family of three.

Feeling a great sense of accomplishment for averting our family's misfortune with my own hands, especially at just one year old.

When I grow older and my mind matures, I will be able to achieve even more.

It felt like only a bright future lay ahead for my parents and me.

'After all, thoracic surgery is the best choice, isn't it?'

I imagined my future on the dark ceiling.

With me knowing the future, my father won't die from angina.

But that doesn't mean I want to give up on thoracic surgery.

First, I know a lot about what happens in thoracic surgery in South Korea.

The evolution and development of surgeries.

The rise of renowned surgeons.

And the downfall of human trash like Kang Tae Sub and other corrupt surgeons.

To leverage the advantages of my rebirth.

And to correct the mistakes of the past, I should return to thoracic surgery.

Second, I have a talent for thoracic surgery.

Even though I used to say, "I'm better suited for internal medicine," I actually have excellent judgment and dexterity.

The psychological burden and the way I was taken advantage of in my relationships were the only obstacles.

Think about it.

If I had no talent, how could I have performed surgeries in place of Kang Tae Sub and even developed new surgical techniques, earning him the title of the best thoracic surgeon?

That's right.

In this life, I will choose thoracic surgery again.

I will take revenge on Kang Tae Sub and reclaim the throne he stole from me.

But despite my ambitious resolve, I soon fell into a deep sleep.

At one year old, sleep is more powerful than ambition.

* * *

The next afternoon.

Father said he had an appointment with a college friend and left the bookstore for a while.

Thanks to this, Mother, who had the day off, took care of me.

Mother was holding me in her arms, humming a cheerful tune. Her steps were light as she walked around the bookstore.

"Faith, you don't know, but everyone was in a panic. The nurses called non-stop last night."

"Mommy, mommy?"

"They were asking if I was hurt because the bus I was on had overturned. I'm fine because Faith saved me. Oh, you little angel."

Mother rubbed her face against my cheek.

The aftereffects of yesterday's incident were still lingering.

It was understandable, given that we narrowly escaped a traffic accident.

-But Mother, you only know one part of the story. No future disaster will befall our family.

As I smiled, Mother's smile grew even wider. Smiles are the only thing worth spreading in this world.

"Faith, is today your mommy's day off?"

Ding!

The doorbell rang, and the bookstore door opened. A middle-aged woman with curly perm hair approached Mother.

Ko Mal Suk.

The moment I saw her face, I gritted my gums in place of my missing teeth.

I remember her for two reasons.

One is her bomb-like hairstyle and the large mole above her philtrum.

The other is that she brought terrible misfortune to our family when I was in elementary school.

If Kang Tae Sub ruined my career as a thoracic surgeon, Ko Mal Suk ruined our family's finances and the relationship between my parents.

How?

Through a loan guarantee!

While it's now common knowledge that even family members shouldn't guarantee loans in the 21st century, it was a very common practice in the 1980s and early 1990s.

People would guarantee loans without hesitation if they had a certain level of familiarity.

In fact, it was a time when refusing to guarantee a loan would lead to anger and accusations of not being a true friend.

Ko Mal Suk was a distant relative we met through our family's bookstore.

She was nosy and liked to meddle in other people's affairs.

Initially, our family benefited from her.

She spread the word about our bookstore, bringing in more customers.

But we never imagined she would stab us in the back with a loan guarantee.

"I brought some steamed corn, let's eat together. It's delicious."

"Oh, thank you, sister."

"Corn is nothing to be thankful for. If you brought meat, I'd bow down to you."

Mother laughed at Ko Mal Suk's joke.

Soon, Mother and Ko Mal Suk sat side by side, eating corn and chatting about their personal lives.

Mother seemed very happy talking to Ko Mal Suk, and there was a reason for that.

Mother was a nurse.

A profession known for its strict hierarchy and frequent hazing.

She also had an irregular work schedule and knew no one in the area.

So, Ko Mal Suk was the only person she could comfortably chat with.

Perhaps that's why Mother couldn't firmly reject Ko Mal Suk's request for a loan guarantee.

Let's return to the loan guarantee.

After Ko Mal Suk passed the guarantee to us, our family had no choice but to sell the used bookstore.

Mother's decision to guarantee the loan without Father's consent also strained their relationship.

If the traffic accident was the prelude to our misfortune, the loan guarantee was the chorus.

The climax was Father's death from angina surgery.

In other words, I had another mountain to climb.

And it was right in front of me.

"Isn't it tiring to work as a nurse, run a bookstore, and raise a child? I don't think I could do it like Faith's mommy."

Ko Mal Suk pretended to be concerned.

Knowing the future, I found her only repulsive.

"It's manageable. I only help out at the bookstore sometimes, and Faith is very well-behaved."

"Faith is well-behaved? Raising a baby is a tough job."

"Our Faith is so well-mannered. He doesn't cry when he's hungry or at night."

"Really?"

"Really. And he seems to have some kind of special power. Thanks to Faith, I avoided the traffic accident yesterday."

Mother elaborated on yesterday's incident, and Ko Mal Suk showed interest.

"Can I get some of Faith's good luck? Can I hold him?"

"Of course, go ahead."

As I was passed from Mother's hands to Ko Mal Suk's, I frowned.

In my past life, I was too young to understand, but you were the one who ruined our family.

"Do you not like me? You're already frowning."

"That's strange. Our Faith smiles all day."

"Faith, this is your mommy's friend. Peek-a-boo!"

As Ko Mal Suk made a silly face, I pretended to swat at her.

A satisfying revenge slap, spanning 40 years!

Zap!

My tiny hand struck Ko Mal Suk's cheek precisely. Shocked, she widened her eyes and stepped back.

Mother was equally surprised.

"Uh... Sister, are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah. This little one has quite a strong hand. Faith must really dislike me."

'I wouldn't like you either if I were you,' I wanted to say out loud.

"I'm sorry. He's usually very well-behaved, but I don't know why he's acting like this today..."

"It might be the smell of the corn. Maybe this is a way to ward off bad luck. Hehehe."

Ko Mal Suk took the hit in good humor.

Yes, you must have coaxed my mother with your smooth tongue.

But with me here, there will be no loan guarantee!

* * *

"Why did you do that, Faith? I was just boasting about you, and you shouldn't hit someone your mommy knows."

Yoo Hee Ae scolded Faith for his unusual behavior.

Of course, Faith couldn't understand.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy."

Faith smiled brightly, undeterred by her scolding. His melting smile disarmed Yoo Hee Ae.

Through Faith, Yoo Hee Ae learned that there are beings whose mere presence brings happiness.

'Something feels off. I should go back to Sister.'

Yoo Hee Ae was still bothered by Faith's slap on Ko Mal Suk and took an apple from the fridge.

While peeling the apple, she accidentally cut her finger. A drop of red blood formed like a dewdrop.

She fetched the first aid kit from the honeymoon room and returned to the bookstore.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy."

Just as Faith was waving his hand in the air, she placed him on her lap.

"Faith, Mommy hurt her hand. What should I use to treat it?"

Yoo Hee Ae playfully shook the bottles of alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and povidone-iodine in front of Faith.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy!"

To her surprise, Faith's index finger pointed to the povidone-iodine.

The red medicine, as the elders call it, was the perfect antiseptic for her wound.

"Our Faith is really smart. Maybe he'll become a doctor like his father said."

"Ugh. Uh."

Yoo Hee Ae laughed again at Faith's clumsy attempt to say "doctor."

She didn't know that Faith's pointing to the povidone-iodine wasn't a coincidence.

She didn't know that Faith was already a seasoned thoracic surgeon.

* * *

Bathed in my parents' love, I grew rapidly.

I was amazed at my own rapid growth.

Thanks to my experience as a thoracic surgery associate professor, I naturally developed faster than other children my age.

At two years old, I could dress myself. I remembered people's faces and spoke their names clearly.

I climbed stairs on my own, albeit wobbling.

I also avoided any actions that might worry my parents.

I didn't put random objects in my mouth or go near furniture with sharp edges.

At my belated first birthday party, I ignored the pencil, money, dates, and knife, and instead grabbed the medical textbook my parents had prepared, declaring my future as a doctor.

My parents were proud and delighted with me.

Their joy made me happy too.

With Mother avoiding the traffic accident, she continued her nursing job, and our family's financial situation remained stable.

Relying solely on Father's bookstore income was never feasible.

My seemingly endless and tedious childhood passed surprisingly quickly.

By the time I was six, my mind had matured, and I could express my thoughts coherently.

Naturally, my abilities grew exponentially.

Thus, a unique monster was born.

A six-year-old child who could foresee the future and was well-versed in thoracic surgery.