#7. Ah, the Landlord!

#7. Ah, the Landlord!

Embracing happiness, Shin made up her mind to face this life properly once and for all.

"Patient Shin, you must be anxious since you're missing your memories, aren't you? It could just be a temporary lingering effect caused by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."

"The missing memories are a worry, but the fate ahead of me will probably be rough too. I'll be able to overcome it well, right, Doctor?"

"Fate is also something carved out by people. I hope you'll think positively."

Stroking her belly, Shin couldn't help but marvel at how such a thing could have happened in her life.

"This is a miracle... Will I be able to protect this miracle?"

"Miracles are granted to those who prepare for them. You'll surely protect them well, so don't worry."

How could Dr. Han Ji-won say such wonderful words? Because it sounded as if the doctor knew something about her, Shin felt a surge of emotion, dabbing her eyes with a tissue while a smile spread across her face.

"Thank you, Dr. Han Ji-won. You truly are amazing. I heard you were famous in America too."

"...America?"

"Ah, right. Not yet. You'll soon be transferred to the San Antonio-Northwest S-Medical Center in the US. Please glorify our nation."

Dr. Han Ji-won covered her mouth in shock and turned her gaze toward Han Gyu-ryeon and Hwa-ya.

"My goodness... that's the hospital I recently applied to for a dispatch assignment..."

With an 'I told you so' expression, Han Gyu-ryeon flashed a meaningful look at his aunt, and the two exchanged looks filled with awe and wonder.

Shin's hands rested gently on her belly. Filled with the anticipation that the curtain on a new life was rising, she couldn't stop the laughter from bursting out.

In this life, if only to protect these babies, I must survive for a very long time.

Shin's resolve hardened. Seeing seeds of hope sprouting in her expression, a warm smile spread across Han Ji-won's lips as she began listing precautions Shin should follow moving forward.

Shin tried her best to take every word to heart. A granted life once more, and a granted opportunity once more. A blessing bestowed upon her, and a miracle. All darkness had vanished, and everything was reset.

Steeling her determination to enjoy it to the fullest, Shin listened intently to the doctor's guidance.

= = =

The weight of the day settled heavily on Shin's shoulders. The moment the room door closed, her body collapsed onto the bed as if sinking into it.

Seeing Shin curled up in her blanket and breathing softly before seven o'clock, Song Hwa-ya and Han Gyu-ryeon burst out laughing. Only when the space became theirs alone did the atmosphere shift.

"Hey, Gyu-ryeon. You'll wake Madam Shin."

"It's fine. I checked, and she's fast asleep."

Han Gyu-ryeon wrapped his arm around Hwa-ya's shoulders, kissed her cheek, and toyed with her hand, his face flushing red.

"I'm not holding back anymore either. I'm going to do skinship big time."

"What was everything until now, then?"

When Hwa-ya asked with narrowed eyes, Gyu-ryeon said earnestly,

"Looking at Madam Shin, everything I did was child's play. Now I'm going to do real adult skinship."

"What? Pfft."

Giggling, Hwa-ya locked eyes with Gyu-ryeon, then turned her head to look at Shin.

"Gyu-ryeon, I feel like I was possessed by something today."

"Me too. It's my first time seeing someone like that."

"Thanks, Gyu-ryeon. Dinner's on me. Let me treat you at the hospital cafeteria. Oh, what if Madam Shin wakes up while we're gone?"

"Then should we order something in?"

Rrrr Rrrr.

When his phone rang, Gyu-ryeon looked down at the screen. After checking Shin's sleeping face, he lowered his voice.

"Hello."

"Mr. Han Gyu-ryeon."

"Ah, Landlord. What's up?"

"Hold on a second."

"Pardon?"

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. The medical team had already finished their rounds at six o'clock, leaving Gyu-ryeon puzzled.

The moment he opened the door, a smile spread across Gyu-ryeon's lips. Standing before him was a man with sculpted good looks and an expressionless face, quietly offering a silent greeting.

Despite his striking features, the charisma emanating from his tall, sturdy frame was breathtaking. A person of noble presence was truly different.

"Landlord, you haven't left yet?"

"This."

"No way! This is..."

The man handed two large paper bags filled with food to Gyu-ryeon, pressed a finger to his own lips, spoke a single word, and turned around.

"Shh."

Understanding the gesture, Gyu-ryeon nodded slowly.

= = =

Spring comes even to stolen fields, and sunlight penetrates even a mouse hole. For Shin, who had dwelt only in winter, the cold season had finally passed.

Shin's posture already mimicked that of a heavily pregnant woman. Acting with the constant awareness of the tiny lives wiggling inside her belly, she behaved like a prepared mother.

The biggest change was her expression. She smiled far more than before and felt genuinely grateful for even the smallest things.

They say a woman is weak but a mother is strong. To live her fourth life properly, Shin bought a notebook from the hospital convenience store and wrote things down whenever she had time.

She organized the storm of past-life memories popping into her head in chronological order so as not to forget, while mapping out life plans for how to welcome her babies.

Finally, her discharge was set for the first Sunday of March. Hwa-ya suggested resting more, but Shin was relieved to be discharged in time for the start of the semester.

The medical consensus on her collapse was simple anemia and exhaustion. As the results showed no other chronic illnesses, Shin breathed a deep sigh of relief. The commotion came to an end with a simple prescription for iron supplements.

Gyu-ryeon and Hwa-ya took turns staying by Shin's side, and over those few days, the three grew remarkably close.

And at last, the day of her discharge arrived.