Recently, Mom's condition had been strange. She slept more and showed a lethargic appearance even when she was awake.
I didn't want to worry, but I was worried.
Mom wasn't young. She was well over eighty and approaching ninety.
"Mom... will she be okay?"
Shi-hyun didn't answer my question.
I actually knew it too. I just asked because I wanted to hear a hopeful answer.
"I know...."
When I told my brother the truth, he told me to take her to the hospital.
"Hospital, huh......."
"Getting a health checkup wouldn't be bad."
"Really?"
"Yeah, if we say we're getting one too, your mother-in-law won't be able to refuse."
"That's a good idea."
I brought up the idea of taking Shi-hyun's parents with us.
"I'll contact them for now."
I thought Shi-hyun might say, "Why bother taking care of them?" but it was unexpected. Moreover, he didn't contact them later, but immediately.
I carefully waited for the result of the conversation.
"Father, are you thinking of getting a health checkup?"
Shi-hyun didn't put the phone on speaker mode, so I couldn't hear the content.
"Haa...."
Looking at Shi-hyun's sigh, I could tell what kind of answer he got.
"Are you really going to be like this?"
Shi-hyun looked sad. It hurt my heart to see that. My in-laws are really too much....
"Okay."
After ending the call, Shi-hyun let out a long sigh.
"They won't get it?"
"Yeah, they said it's natural to have something wrong at their age, and they don't want to worry about their health since they've lived enough."
That was a very heartless thing to say. It didn't seem like they thought about how much their child would be hurt by that.
"It can't be helped."
Shi-hyun smiled helplessly. I gently hugged Shi-hyun and patted his back.
"Go see your mother-in-law."
"Okay...."
It seems like Shi-hyun wants to be alone. Even as I left the room, I kept checking Shi-hyun's complexion.
I shouldn't be like this, but I resented my in-laws. After coming out of the room, I gently closed the door and came down from the second floor.
"Mom?"
Mom was watching TV on the sofa.
"Mom."
Couldn't she hear me? I went closer and called Mom.
"Mom!"
When I spoke loudly right next to her, Mom turned to me.
"What's the matter?"
Mom answered slowly and weakly.
"I'm thinking of getting a health checkup, let's go together."
"Health checkup?"
"Yeah, I haven't made a reservation yet, but since we have to get one anyway, how about Mom joining us?"
I have to say it like this.
That way, Mom can't refuse.
"It's okay."
"We're going anyway, so I'm just saying let's go together...."
When I showed a sulky appearance, Mom didn't know what to do.
"Can I go?"
"Yeah! Let's go together."
Maybe it's because of what happened with my in-laws just before, but I was even more worried about Mom.
Going back up to the second floor and entering the room where Shi-hyun is, Shi-hyun was looking out the window with a lonely expression.
"Is your mother-in-law going?"
"Yeah."
"That's good."
I felt sorry that only my mom was going with us.
"It's okay, then I have to make a hospital reservation."
"I'll leave it to you."
I should tell the kids to get a health checkup when they have time.
*
When the day of the health checkup came, Mom didn't want to go out.
"I've already made a reservation."
"Do I have to go?"
"We were going to get it anyway, remember?"
In the end, Mom was caught by me and dragged out.
When we arrived at the hospital, we started the reserved checkup right away. I couldn't take care of Mom because I had to get a checkup too, but I trusted the nurses.
Since there was no endoscopy, the checkup itself ended in about an hour.
I was the first to finish and arrived at the waiting area first, followed by Mom.
"I don't know why there are so many annoying tests."
"Hey, it ended quickly because there was no endoscopy."
"That's true."
She didn't want to go out so much in the morning... now her expression is a bit better.
"They say the test results will take about 3 days."
If we listen to the results directly, it's 3 days... if we only receive the results, they will be sent by mail a week later.
"I'm not interested."
"Why?"
"At this age, there's no way good words can be written, right?"
"Ahahaha...."
My in-laws said something similar. It hurt my heart to think about that.
When Shi-hyun finally came out, we left the hospital.
"Mom, is there anything you want to eat?"
"Not really...."
"I... see?"
Then I can decide as I please? "Then let's eat what I want to eat."
I nudged Shi-hyun's arm with my elbow.
"Let's go to a place that makes good Samgyetang."
"Okay...."
Shi-hyun found a Samgyetang restaurant that I wanted.
When we entered the restaurant and took our seats, Mom was about to order regular Samgyetang.
"Mom, if you're going to eat, you should eat something good for your body."
I chose a special health-boosting Samgyetang with matsutake mushrooms and abalone for Mom's Samgyetang.
"Shi-hyun-ah, what do you want to eat?"
"Just order the same thing for everyone."
"Shall I?"
Mom won't be able to say anything if I do this, right?
I immediately ordered Samgyetang with the machine at the table.
"There's no need to order something like that."
"You should eat something good when you eat."
She always tried to feed me and my brother something better, but she doesn't take care of herself.
"Okay, the menu is unified."
As time passed, Samgyetang came out, and there was a large chicken and 3 abalones and matsutake mushrooms in a large earthenware pot.
It looks good for the body?
"Okay, let's eat."
We started eating Samgyetang together. Mom ate more docilely than I thought. She especially ate the abalone well.
"The abalone is delicious, right?"
I immediately passed one of the abalones in my pot to Mom.
"Eat one more."
Mom was horrified and tried to give it back to me.
"I have plenty."
"No, I can just eat the chicken."
When I refused persistently, Mom smiled awkwardly and ate the abalone. I have to take care of her like this even if it's forced, or she will refuse endlessly if I back down.
Shi-hyun, who finished his bowl first, ordered an additional order. This time, he ordered Samgyetang with octopus.
I diligently ate mine while watching Mom eat.
"You don't have to watch me so much, I'll eat it all."
"Ugh, okay... sorry."
I never thought she knew I was watching her.... Mom's eating speed gradually decreased as she got full, but she didn't put down her chopsticks.
And as promised, she ate a whole serving of Samgyetang by herself.
"Hoo... I'm full."
"You didn't force yourself to eat because of me, did you?"
Mom didn't answer. No, that was the same as an answer.
"Sorry...."
I think I put pressure on her. Mom just smiled.
While Mom and I were being sentimental, Shi-hyun emptied his third bowl.
"You eat so well."
It seemed like I didn't have to worry about Shi-hyun.
"What?"
"No, should I order you another bowl?"
Shi-hyun frowned and then nodded, and I ordered the abalone matsutake Samgyetang that I ordered at first.
I felt relieved to see Mom eating well. Now that it's come to this, I should prepare health-boosting foods every time I prepare food.
*
3 days have passed since the health checkup. Mom refused to go see the test results, saying there's nothing to see.
"Let's just go by ourselves."
Shi-hyun said let's go just the two of us.
"Ugh... okay."
It's a shame, but we have to go alone.
The hospital, which I came to again, was still crowded. First, I looked at our health checkup results, but there wasn't much. Both Shi-hyun and I are still young, and Shi-hyun exercises, so maybe that's why? He was healthier than men of similar age.
"Well, it's too early for us to worry."
"That's a relief."
It's still an age to be called young, but being healthy is a good thing.
"And Mom...."
When I tried to roughly check Mom's test results, the doctor came over.
"Is there something wrong?"
I was scared because the doctor said he would explain.
"Let's listen for now."
When we entered the doctor's room, the doctor was sitting with the medical records.
The doctor checked if we were the guardians and then started explaining.
"What are the results?"
"Hmm... there's nothing serious. It's just that aging is in progress."
"Aging?"
"Yes, is the person who got the checkup an Awakener?"
I nodded.
"Do you know about the aging of Awakeners?"
The aging of Awakeners? I looked at Shi-hyun, but Shi-hyun also had a reaction of not knowing.
"Research has been done as the first-generation Awakeners gradually aged."
The doctor's explanation was interesting.
The research was delayed because the first-generation Awakeners often died during the Gate incidents rather than from old age. What happens when an Awakener with special powers gets old? Research was conducted in various countries on that, and research progressed as the first-generation Awakeners lived out their natural lives.
The result was mysterious.
"It was considered natural for the special powers of Awakeners to disappear. But a strange phenomenon occurred."
A strange phenomenon....
"The burden on the body became stronger as the Awakener got older."
The burden became stronger?
"As aging occurs, the vessel that holds the power begins to misalign."
"Vessel......."
This was also an important story for us.
"Yes, vessel...."
"Then...."
"As the vessel begins to misalign, it becomes unable to withstand the given power, and the body begins to break down."
"Isn't that a big deal?"
"That doesn't mean that the Awakener is in pain or anything. It's just that the body functions weaken."
Could it be? Is that why Mom sleeps more and can't hear well?
"And when the vessel is completely broken, the body functions stop and they die."
Scholars defined that as the old age of Awakeners.
"I see...."
Then the doctor explained Mom's condition. He said that Mom's vessel is slowly cracking.
"Then...."
"Of course, just because it's cracked doesn't mean there will be a problem tomorrow."
The progress varies from person to person, so it's impossible to say for sure, and he said she could live for another 2 years if she lives long.
"I see...."
Ordinary old age... is that the old age of Awakeners....
I was dazed when I left the hospital after hearing all the explanations.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah...."
Mom's age wasn't young. It's just that what was coming has come.
Let's think like that....
"It's still sad."
It felt like my heart was breaking.
I have to do well to Mom for the remaining time.