The girl who hugged Kei was Kim Sora, the granddaughter of Grandma Kim.
The hug came too suddenly.
Kei could barely stand as it was. For the past month, his body had been sustained almost solely by a few sips of water and reluctant spoonfuls of rice. His spirit, too, had sunk to a very deep place, where all outside sounds became distant and vague.
Yet this stranger suddenly appeared at the door, called his name, and hugged him as if they had known each other for a long time.
The faint scent on the girl’s hair filled Kei’s nose. The warmth from her body penetrated through the thin layers of clothing, reminding him of the days when Grandma Kim was still alive. Whenever it turned cold, the old lady would always place a warm compress in his hands and scold him, saying that young people were not allowed to have hands and feet as cold as someone on the verge of death.
"Finally, I’ve gotten to meet you."
The girl let go of Kei, her hands still resting on his shoulders.
"I’m Kim Sora, Grandma Kim’s granddaughter. You’re Kim Kei, right?"
Kei looked at her, his lips slightly parting but no sound coming out.
"After receiving the news of her passing, I immediately returned to Dong-San city. My father originally intended to come here himself, but his health isn’t good. So, I came ahead to help you look after the store."
Grandma Kim... still had family?
Kei tried to piece together those words in his mind. He wanted to ask so many things. He wanted to ask why Grandma Kim had never mentioned this girl, wanted to ask if she truly was her relative, wanted to ask why she only came now after Grandma Kim had passed.
But before all those questions could even take shape, his vision went dark.
His frail body collapsed straight down.
"Kei!"
Kim Sora quickly reached out to catch him. She had to use both hands to barely hold up that feather-light body, then quickly pulled him inside the house.
"Kei, can you hear me?"
There was no answer.
Kei had fainted, his face pale to a frightening degree. His cheeks were sunken, his lips dry and chapped, his wrists so thin that Sora felt like one slightly stronger squeeze could hurt him.
She placed her hand on Kei’s forehead. It wasn’t too hot, but his body was ice cold.
"How have you been living this past month?"
Sora murmured with pity, looking around the house.
The air inside was cold and stifling. Unwashed bowls were stacked up in the sink, clothes were tossed messily over the chair, and a few opened convenience store food boxes sat in the corner of the room. A house that once could hold the laughter of two people now only carried the smell of dampness and silence.
Sora didn’t need to ask further to understand. Kei must have been so grief-stricken after Grandma Kim’s passing that he had been starving himself for the entire month.
She carefully led Kei into the room and laid him down on the bed. His figure sank into the old mattress, looking as fragile as a ghost.
Sora pulled the blanket over Kei’s body, adjusted the pillow under his head, and placed a glass of warm water by the bedside. She also carefully wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a clean towel.
"Sleep. When you wake up, I’ll cook something for you."
Kei couldn’t hear her words. In his deep slumber, he slightly furrowed his brows, his lips moving as if calling out to someone.
"Grandma..."
From the corner of his eye, a single clear tear was rolling down. Kei was now so weak that even a little memory in his dream could easily bring him down.
Sora paused. It was just a very soft call, but it made her chest feel heavy.
She pulled the blanket up a little higher before standing up and heading outside. If this house were left as it was, soon enough Kei wouldn’t be able to survive. The decision Grandma Kim Hye Ji made before her death to call the Kim family was truly the right one.
While tidying up, Sora recalled Grandma Kim Hye Ji’s call a few days ago.
That day, her father had just come home from work. The phone in the living room suddenly rang. Sora had intended to just walk past, but as soon as she heard the voice on the other end of the line, she immediately stopped in her tracks.
It was Grandma Kim Hye Ji. She hadn’t contacted their family in a long time, ever since she learned that her time was running short.
"Dong Su ah..."
Her voice was hoarse, much weaker than in Sora’s memory.
Sora’s father, Mr. Kim Dong Su, sat up straight, his expression immediately turning serious.
"Mrs. Kim, what has happened?"
She was silent for a long while. When she spoke again, her voice was trembling.
"I am about to die."