SPOILER NOVEL PART 2
‘Unnie, I’m sorry. Could you please watch him for just an hour?’
‘Unnie, I’m sorry. Could you please watch him for just an hour?’
Even a quick trip to the supermarket meant attracting stares and attention, so Heegeon’s mom often left him at our house. Because of that, the image of little Heegeon in my memory was always the same: bundled under a hat with animal ears, pouting and sulking in his mother’s arms.
‘Hi, Sahan. Can you play with Heegeon for a bit? In return, I’ll make you that apple pie that you like.’
To keep him quiet—or rather, to reduce my own workload—I would spread out a pile of blankets in the guest room on the first floor and put him there. Then, we’d play “whoever moves first loses.” Heegeon loved that game. He’d pretend to be reluctant at first, but eventually he’d flop onto the soft blankets, fold his tiny hands over his mouth, and giggle softly. It was a time before digital cameras were common, and we didn’t own a film camera at home, so that face existed only in my memory.