Pursuit Of Fate

Chapter 15

The smell of antiseptic wafted through the air along the corridor. They followed the sign hanging down from the ceiling and headed to the mortuary. "Are you Cheon Mun Jeom ssi's family?" a nurse approached Seong Im and her aunt.

"Yes, we are." her aunt replied and Seong Im nodded.

"Please come with me," the nurse tapped her access card on the card reader and the door to the mortuary automatically opens. It was freezing cold. Two steel tables occupied the middle of the room and the walls were lined with large metal drawers, each with a code scribbled at the corner.

The nurse checked her clipboard against the code on the drawers as she walked and stopped in front of the drawer located at the extreme left of the room. She pulled out the metal drawer and Seong Im hesitantly walked towards it and lifted up the white sheet that was covering the body from head to toes.

Seong Im gasped at the sight of her dad's badly bruised face. She grabbed her aunt's hand tightly as she tried to compose herself. She always wish that he would be dead so she wouldn't have to be worried or deal with all the troubles that he caused. But now, seeing his lifeless body lying on the cold metal sheet with nothing but just a white sheet covering him, she regretted every moment of that thought.

"My condolence to the both of you." the nurse said. She took out a pen and handed a piece of paper to Seong Im. "You are required to sign this form to confirm that you're the family of the deceased." she explained.

She grabbed the pen with her trembling hand and signed on the paper. The nurse took back the paper and handed her another form. "The hospital offers free cremation service. You may sign on this form if you choose to cremate the body in the hospital."

Seong Im looked at her dad's body silently. She stared at the age spots that she never really notice when he was still alive. She turned to look at her aunt.

"It's your decision." her aunt said.

"Mianhae, abeoji." she uttered with tears rolling down her cheek. She signed the cremation form and was informed that the ashes would be ready for collection the next morning.

***

Seong Im tossed and turned the entire night only sleeping for an hour before she had to get up and leave for the hospital.

Arriving at the hospital cremation centre, she was handed a small white urn with her father's ashes in it. She carefully placed it inside her bag and took a bus to the pier. Since it was a weekday and early in the morning, there wasn't a single person there.

She walked towards the wooden railing and took out the urn from her bag. Opening the lid of the urn, she grabbed a handful of the ash and scattered it into the sea. She continued to thrust the ashes into the sea until the urn was emptied and dropped it into the sea. She watched as the urn bobbled up and down in the sea. "Saranghae," she whispered and walked away.

She went to her workplace after the simple send off. She greeted Kwang Soo as usual and put on her apron and cap. Kwang Soo was, of course, surprised to see her at work. He thought she would be staying at home, mourning.

"There's no point for me to stay at home and cry. He won't be back anyway."she said to him even though he didn't mention a word about it.

"Stop looking at me with that face. I'm fine." she looked at the sympathetic face that he was showing to her.

"Mianhae noona," he apologized softly and went back to what he was doing.

Though she appeared fine, she was quieter than usual. The only time she talked was when she had to take orders and greet the customers.
Perhaps it was due to the unending crowd, time seemed to be passing fast and soon it was time to close the cafe for the day.

She walked back to her house slowly. She never felt so reluctant to return home. She felt rather at peace with the wind blowing at her while walking down the quiet street. She suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around. She scanned her surrounding but there wasn't anyone behind. She shift her attention to the billboard at the pavement outside a store.

"Stop hiding. I know you're here." she shouted.