Knock. Knock. Knock.
Kim Young-hee knocked on the door with a steady rhythm. Ever since she met Dr. Loong, she had been subconsciously biting her nails. Then she realized something.
‘I came for a hospital visit, but I didn’t bring anything...’
Should she go downstairs and buy something now?
Maybe it would be better if no one heard the knock.
But her hesitation was brief.
The door to the hospital room creaked open.
The person who came out of room 907 was Susan Lin, the head nurse of the 9th floor ward.
“What’s the matter?”
“Oh, I’m here for a quick visit. I was hoping to see Seojin Han for a moment.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“...”
Instead of answering Kim Young-hee’s question, Nurse Lin stepped completely out of the room. Then she glanced sharply toward the nurse’s desk.
The nurses sitting there flinched and avoided Nurse Lin’s gaze.
Nurse Lin let out a deep sigh and asked Kim Young-hee, “I told you this morning, only family members are allowed to visit today. Even letting you see Seojin earlier was an exception.”
“It was such a short time, though.”
“So, what’s the reason now?”
Nurse Lin’s tone was harsh. Kim Young-hee thought to herself that everyone in this hospital seemed rather prickly.
“It’s nothing else, but I heard that Seojin’s parents boarded a plane in Malaysia. I came because I wanted to inform him as soon as possible.”
“That’s good news. But didn’t you say you were here to visit earlier?”
“It’s both. It won’t take long.”
“......”
Nurse Lin subtly held out her hand to Kim Young-hee, signaling her to wait for a moment. Nurse Lin entered the hospital room alone, then came back out and finally opened the door wide.
“Ten minutes.”
“Thank you.”
As soon as she entered the room, soft music could be heard. It was a song she had never heard before, yet it felt strangely comforting.
Nurse Lin followed her into the room and stood at a distance. It seemed she was allowing the visit, but still felt the need to supervise.
There were dishes on Seojin’s bedside table, possibly from having eaten recently. Maybe that was why Nurse Nurse Lin had been more irritable than usual.
Just as Kim Young-hee was about to say something apologetic, Han Seojin spoke first.
“I already finished eating a while ago. The nurse insisted I eat more, so I’ve just been sitting here like this. You’re not disturbing anything, so don’t worry about it.”
“Oh, I see...”
Seojin’s tone was calm. There was no trace of the shouting from that morning.
And then—
“You’re speaking Korean well now.”
The boy who had been shouting only in English in the morning was now speaking Korean comfortably.
Seojin spoke as if it were no big deal.
“Well, that’s because the consulate officer is Korean. You speak Korean to a Korean person.”
“In the morning, you spoke English to me, so I thought you couldn’t speak Korean at all. I assumed you were born in the US or something.”
Seojin shook his head.
“I’m purely from Korea. I was just a little out of it this morning because I had just woken up.”
“But it seems like English comes more naturally to you. Have you studied a lot?”
“Yes. English... I’ve studied it quite hard.”
“From what I heard, your pronunciation is almost like a native speaker’s. Is that because you’ve listened to a lot of pop songs?”
When Kim Young-hee pointed to her smartphone and asked, Seojin gave a faint smile with a peculiar expression.
“Listening to pop songs did help. Of course, it was only possible because I had a good teacher.”
“A good teacher. Meeting someone like that is a big stroke of luck.”
“I was really lucky. So lucky that I probably won’t get that kind of luck ever again.”
It was a light conversation.
Still, the more Kim Young-hee talked with Seojin, the stranger the feeling she got.
Twelve years old this year.
In Korean terms, a 6th grader.
Seojin, who didn’t seem to be more than about 140 cm tall, spoke in a way that seemed far too different from other kids his age.
‘How should I put it... Very calm, I guess...’
Just a little while ago, when she was talking to Seojin’s doctor, Dr. Loong, in the elevator, the “mental concerns” Kim Young-hee had been worried about didn’t seem to exist.
How could someone change this much in just half a day?
But it wasn’t just that.
Seojin didn’t say anything unnecessary or joke around. He wasn’t lost in playing games or throwing a tantrum about missing his parents.
Seojin just sat quietly, looking at Kim Young-hee.
And then, from time to time, he would hit the nail on the head with his comments.
Each time, the conversation felt quite sharp.
“By the way, did you know my parents are coming here soon?”
“What?”
“This morning, the consul mentioned it. My parents are coming to Singapore as soon as they get seats on a flight.”
“Oh, right. Yes, that’s why I came. They should arrive in about... three hours, maybe two and a half.”
“That’s great. It feels like it’s been such a long time since I last saw them, even though it’s only been 15 days.”
“…”
Kim Young-hee kept missing the timing to speak. Why was that? Why was she being so cautious in front of a 12-year-old kid? She couldn’t quite figure it out.
But Seojin, seemingly oblivious to Kim Young-hee’s thoughts, kept asking questions.
“But why are you here?”
“Oh, I just told you. I came to let you know that your parents would be arriving soon.”
“But that’s something you could have easily told me over the phone.”
“…”
He had hit the nail on the head.
“Or, when they actually arrive here in Singapore, you could bring them directly. There was no real need to come when I’m here alone. Well, the nurse is over there, but still.”
“…”
“So, what’s the main point, Consul?”
“…”
Kim Young-hee fidgeted with her nails.
The main point. The way Seojin spoke, as if he already knew what was going on, made her feel increasingly uneasy.
‘What on earth are you doing in front of the child?’
Kim Young-hee decided not to beat around the bush anymore.
It was something that had to be asked anyway.
Someone had to take responsibility for it.
“The doctors probably won’t like it if they find out I’m asking this.”
“Yes.”
“Could you... explain what happened to Seojin over the past 15 days?”
“......”
“I heard that when Seojin was rescued, he was found alone on a wooden boat. I also heard that, during the rescue, the boat inevitably sank. But you know, a boat is ‘artificial,’ right? So, it’s hard to believe that you survived 15 days alone at sea...”
Seojin glanced at the smartphone. He fiddled with the phone, which was playing music, for a moment, and then pressed the pause button.
Silence filled the hospital room.
Even the breeze coming through couldn’t make a sound.
At that moment, Seojin asked Kim Young-hee something strange.
“Consul, do you happen to know the word ‘daydream’?”
“Daydream? Are you talking about a waking dream?”
Seojin immediately responded to Kim Young-hee’s question.
“Daydream. Fantasy, delusion, imagination. It’s also used metaphorically to describe things that can’t become reality. A waking dream. I never knew the term in Korean before. But, Consul, what would you think if there were proof of a daydream?”
“I’m not sure what you mean...”
“I mean, if there were evidence of an imagination, would you believe it, Consul?”
“......”
A difficult question.
It wasn’t the kind of question a 12-year-old would typically ask.
Kim Young-hee couldn’t answer for a long while.
She couldn’t figure out the intention behind Seojin’s question.
Setting aside the intention, she didn’t even fully grasp the situation of having evidence for an imagined scenario.
‘Is there perhaps something he’s reluctant to say?’
Kim Young-hee kept thinking. She felt that if she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to continue the conversation with Seojin.
If, by any chance, there really was evidence for the child’s imagination or fantasy.
‘Couldn’t I believe him…?’
There was no reason she couldn’t believe it.
Kim Young-hee barely managed to tell Seojin that yes, she would believe him. But for some reason, Seojin chuckled.
“Why? If there’s evidence, I’ll believe you. I mean it.”
“But did it really take you that long to think about it?”
“What do you mean?”
“The fact that you hesitated means you already doubted me, doesn’t it?”
“...”
“Am I wrong?”
Kim Young-hee was at a loss for words.
“What if I told you I drifted in the sea for 15 days? Or that I crash-landed on a deserted island and built a boat to escape? How would you feel about that?”
“I… I’d believe you if you said so. So you can talk to me freely.”
“Then what if I told you I ended up inside a whale’s belly? Or that I nearly died while catching a swordfish from a wooden boat? Or even that I went to Wonderland?”
“I’m not joking. I’m just asking to know exactly what happened so I can help you better, Seojin.”
“I’m not joking either. I’m just telling the truth.”
“The truth? What truth?”
“The truth that a child’s words are hard to trust. And also, the fact that even for adults, outlandish stories never hold any weight.”
“......”
It seemed like she should have said something, anything.
Kim Young-hee couldn’t say a word.
It felt like things had gone in circles and ended up right back at the beginning.
Still, there was something she clearly understood now.
This child did not want to talk about what had happened over the last 15 days.
As the doctor had mentioned, something might have happened that could have traumatized the child. If that’s the case, she might be making a mistake right now. What should she do then?
Seojin, however, continued speaking as if completely unconcerned about Kim Young-hee’s thoughts.
“I’m not blaming you, Consul. This is just how the world works, isn’t it? That’s what I thought while drifting for the last three... Yes, over the last 15 days. I could see how people might think of me if I came back ‘alone.’”
“And what would that be?”
“Useless speculation.”
“......”
Kim Young-hee couldn’t help but sigh at Seojin’s words, which sounded far too mature for a child.
“So, what do you want to do?”
“If I want something, can I really do what I want?”
“I told you from the beginning that I would help you. I’ll keep my word. So, tell me, what do you want me to do?”
Seojin silently stared at Kim Young-hee for a long time.
Such a heavy time passed.
Only then did he express his opinion.
“Just lie for me instead.”
“…What?”
“Protect me with a lie that people will believe. Anyway, in two or three months, everyone will forget about this. If we gloss over it, no one will notice.”
“...”
“I don’t want to stand in front of the camera and be someone’s clown right now. And I don’t want to hear ridiculous things like there being pirates in Myanmar because of me, or that the pilot and crew made mistakes.”
Kim Young-hee felt as if she had been struck by a hammer.
“How did you...”
“I know how to use a smartphone, too. I wasn’t just listening to music on it.”
“...”
“I want to move past this incident as quietly as possible. So, within reason, just leave me as a symbol of hope.”
“...”
“If you’re a South Korean consul, a diplomat who puts South Korean citizens first, I believe you’ll do that. And I trust your promise to protect me.”
“...”
“Thank you for coming all the way here, Consul.”
“...”
Kim Young-hee stood blankly in front of Seojin’s bed for a long time. Whether 10 minutes had passed or not, she couldn’t regain her composure until Nurse Lin came to escort her out.
She never expected to hear such words from a 12-year-old child.
No, she even wondered, “Is this really... a child?”
Kim Young-hee had to sit on the hallway chair for a long time, mulling over what Seojin had said. Then she suddenly noticed herself biting her nails.
She felt somewhat disgusted with herself. It was embarrassing to think that the image of an adult in the eyes of a child was reduced to something this pitiful.
‘Have I been too concerned with external perceptions...?’
The media’s relentless criticism of the incompetence of the Korean embassy.
The worry that the hard-won diplomatic relationships might easily collapse.
The money needed for the rescue operation.
The negotiations with the airline, the insurance company, and the Korean government.
Her mind had been too preoccupied with such things.
But that’s not what matters now.
The child has returned alive.
That’s the essence.
Kim Young-hee abruptly stood up from her seat.
And she started walking, ready to do what needed to be done.
Just like Seojin had said.
To do what a Korean consul must do.
* * *
Room 907 of Singapore General Hospital.
Even after Consul Kim Young-hee had left, Nurse Lin continued to grumble.
“Ugh. How could she talk for so long? It was all in Korean, so I didn’t understand a word. She wasn’t talking about anything weird, right?”
“No, nothing like that. Actually, I just told the consul a few important things.”
“Important things?”
“Yes. I think she probably understood. If not... well, I’ll think about it when the time comes.”
“Huh? What do you mean? What do you mean?”
As I made an effort to avoid Nurse Lin’s hand, who was treating me like a child, I began to seriously think about what I needed to do next.
Not some trivial things.
But the things I had to do now that I had become a 6th grader again.
