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Chapter 99
“Arin’s ashes. Half were taken by the family. But I don’t know whose hands the rest ended up in.”
“…Why are you even saying that, you bastard?”
Black Biwon snapped sharply — a rare thing for him. He was quick-witted enough to realize why his younger brother was suddenly bringing this up.
Beyond that, Biwon said a few more things.
A breeze blew through.
The brothers stayed on the roof for a while before finally standing up.
“At least you should know this much.”
“…You fool.”
Black Bihu lifted the corners of his lips slightly, then turned his eyes toward the night sky.
The wind was cold.
Then again, most days had always been cold for him.
Until the day he met that sweet little girl.
And when the boy and girl came of age, they held a private engagement ceremony, just the two of them.
And then — that long life of his had completely vanished.
‘It’s okay, none of this is your fault… my love.’
Ever since Bihu had received Biyu’s treatment, his memories had gradually begun to return.
But the pace was so slow that it made him feel both impatient and desperate.
Then, all of a sudden — the process sped up dramatically.
‘Wait… Did I ever get my wife’s ashes back? I remember losing them…’
Why?
The moment that thought crossed his mind, it was like an explosion went off in his head.
Boom! Boom!
It felt like cannonballs were pounding inside his skull. When he came to, he realized he was gripping a stranger by the throat.
‘Why did she die…? She couldn’t have died. She wouldn’t have left me—left me alone…’
He couldn’t believe it.
No — he refused to believe it.
The very first thing his returning memory revealed was that the woman he loved most in the world was gone.
Why?
What stopped Bihu, whose rage was about to pull the trigger, was his young daughter — her face identical to the baby she had once been.
So much like Arin’s.
The years he’d lost suddenly felt unbearable.
Why?
Why did I have to be sick like this — unable to even protect the one I loved?
‘Wait, who… was she again?’
When his mind slipped, his memories would blur, then sharpen again.
‘I lost something… something really, really important…’
‘I’ll find it for you! Biyu will find it for you, Daddy!’
That tender, fervent voice of a child calling for her father held him in place.
Through the unstoppable stream of tears, only her little face remained clear.
‘That’s strange… Daddy’s head really hurts. And his chest too…’
I’m sorry.
For hurting you.
I’m sorry — that someone like me is your father.
I didn’t want to be sick.
I didn’t want to lose anything either.
All I had left were pathetic excuses.
What could he possibly say to his daughter?
There are sins in this world that can never be forgiven — and Bihu understood that deep in his heart.
‘Daddy, don’t talk like you’ve lost everything. I’m right here.’
‘…’
‘I’ll always… stay by your side.’
And yet, why…
Why do you have to look so much like Arin instead of me?
‘If something’s lost, we just have to find it again.
If something hurts, we take medicine.’
‘…’
‘No pain lasts forever.’
I’m sorry.
You’re far too good a daughter for me.
I’m sorry for making you hurt.
Bihu could only hold his little girl tight and cry for a long, long time.
That was his awakening pain.
The more memories returned, the more they cut into him like shards of glass.
But even so, he didn’t want to go back to the days when he remembered nothing.
I’ll be your father.
I’ll be your dad.
He swore it again and again, clinging to his will not to disappear.
Whether it was divine mercy or coincidence, he didn’t know — but the next morning, when Bihu opened his eyes, he remembered everything.
So much.
It just took a while to put it all in order.
“Ugh… my body feels stiff.”
The epidemic was completely resolved.
The last task was to get Lord Redrick’s signature on the request form.
“I hope we can meet again soon, Doctor! There’s someone I absolutely have to introduce to you next time!”
That’s what Lord Redrick said — his face positively glowing with excitement.
No wonder.
After all, I gave him the medicine recipe for free.
The village of Chaymik had been cured, but not every patient in Redrick’s territory had recovered yet.
‘Someone Lord Redrick wants to introduce me to, huh? Hopefully they’re as decent as he is.’
Ahem. A good lord, I mean — not a pushover.
We were now in the carriage heading back to our estate.
Unlike before, Raon was in his human form again, and my father was riding with us — that was the main difference.
The carriage was quiet.
I was a bit bored, so I closed my eyes.
After a long ride, we finally arrived back home.
“You—you’re already back?!”
The chief steward’s face twisted in shock as he greeted us.
The suspicious look in his eyes was almost funny.
He probably thought we’d given up and run away halfway through.
But once I showed him the documents stamped with Lord Redrick’s official seal, his face went pale, and he hurried off with them.
“I—I’ll report this to the head of the house immediately. Lady Biyu, please go rest in the meantime!”
Well, can’t blame them for double-checking. I’m curious how thoroughly those paranoid nobles will verify everything.
‘The Sinion affair, the royal envoy, the inspector…’
So much had happened lately.
By the way, Sylvester left around the same time we did — he said he was already behind schedule and needed to hurry.
And Count Detlef begging me to join his household as their official physician? Totally ignored him. Not a secret.
“Ahh~ home sweet home!”
We all went our separate ways to rest. Uncle, second uncle, and my cousin probably needed a break too.
Raon turned back into a fox and was already snoring softly.
Poor Bambi, who had helped me nonstop in the village, fell asleep right beside him.
‘Did I nap too much in the carriage?’
I was the only one wide awake.
I glanced sideways at Father.
‘It’s kind of awkward, huh? Maybe because we didn’t talk at all during the ride?’
Well, it couldn’t be helped.
He seemed like he had something to say — and so did I.
We’d both been waiting for the right moment.
“Um, Dad…”
“Shall we take a walk?”
Before I could even finish, Father spoke first. I blinked, then smiled.
“Mm! Okay!”
…Thank goodness. So he doesn’t hate me or anything.
A wave of relief washed over me.
‘Huh? This place is…’
A short while later, Father led me somewhere I knew very well.
The place where we’d first met.
Under that big tree, beside a small pond.
Shhh—.
A soft wind rustled the leaves.
I looked up blankly at the tree, then slowly turned my gaze.
‘Time really has passed, hasn’t it?’
That day when I’d rushed here, desperate to find Father because I wanted to go to the market…
It hadn’t even been that long ago, but it felt like ages.
Maybe because… our relationship had changed that much.
“This is a cherry blossom tree,” Father said quietly. “In spring, it blooms beautifully.”
Maybe he was just trying to ease the awkwardness between us?
I was wondering how to bring up the real topic when—
“Your mother loved cherry blossoms the most. So I planted one here too.”
I snapped my head up.
Goosebumps covered my whole body — it felt like a jolt of electricity.
“…Dad?”
Did I hear that right?
I blinked, unsure how to react.
The wind was still blowing.
Father stood beneath the tree.
Aside from the fact that he was standing now instead of sitting, the scene was exactly the same as the first time we met.
“And that pond,” he continued softly, “your mother poured a potion into it because she liked how pure it looked. Ever since then, the water’s always stayed clean.”
“…”
“She also said she hoped her future child could drink from it someday. She was… quite the odd one.”
My mouth opened, but no words came out.
My memory—
In all my long life, my heart had never raced and hurt like this.
Not even when facing death.
“Biyu.”
At his gentle yet firm voice, I instinctively took a step back.
I didn’t even know why I wanted to run.
“My daughter.”
He recognized me — truly.
Not because someone forced him to, not because of any contract between us.
He remembered me — Heuk Biyu — as his daughter.
My lips and hands trembled.
Right. Maybe it’s because… I’d never really had a parent before.
Not on Earth, not here.
I suddenly realized how shallow our relationship had been.
We called each other “father” and “daughter,” but it had all been hollow — because he hadn’t remembered me.
“Do… do you remember everything now?”
He paused for a long time.
“…Yes.”
And when he finally knelt in front of me and pulled me gently into his arms—
When he held me tight against his chest—
I couldn’t breathe.
“…I’m sorry I was so late.”
“…”
“I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you sooner… my daughter.”
His voice wasn’t perfectly soft and calm like in my memories.
But somehow, that made it feel even more real.
