My Ex-Girlfriend Regrets Dumping Me

44 – In the Name of Friendship (Part 4)

“…Could you maybe go see my mother with me tomorrow or the day after?”

I paused for a moment when Hayan asked her question.

Hayan’s mother had passed away when she was young.

This was an invitation to go together to the memorial hall.

“Come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since I last went.”

Two years had passed since I broke up with her.

During that time, I had never visited Hayan’s mother even once.

When I was dating Hayan, I used to visit her at least once every few months.

“…Well, it’s been a long time since I saw her, so I think my mother would want to see you too.”

I was quite a heartless person, too.

I hadn’t gone to see Hayan’s mother after we broke up.

It felt silly to me to visit someone who had passed away.

Of course, Hayan’s mother had been an important person to me, separate from Hayan.

My childhood memories were with Aunt Yeonju, and she never treated me poorly.

I still remember the allowance my mother secretly gave me.

I spoke to Hae-yeon, waiting for my answer.

“Let’s go tomorrow. The day after tomorrow I must spend time with my mother.”

There will be over a week anyway.

It wouldn’t be so bad to take some time away for Aunt Yeonju.

There was nothing to do here.

“Okay. I’ll contact you then.”

Hae-yeon gave a small smile at my words.

*

The first day at home passed quite quickly.

The next day, I met Hae-yeon and headed to the crematorium where Aunt Yeonju was.

“Is it okay if I go with you, Auntie?”

“Oh, it’s alright. It saves on taxi fare too.”

The crematorium was quite far from Hae-yeon’s house.

There weren’t many buses, so usually, we had to take a taxi.

Fortunately, Hae-yeon’s aunt rode in the car, saying she needed to go to the crematorium too.

“I think you grew even more handsome after a long time. How is our Geon-yul?”

“hahahahaha. Really? Thank you, Auntie.”

She kept talking while driving.

It had been a long time since I had received compliments about my appearance, so I felt awkward.

Hae-yeon and I were sitting side by side in the back seat.

Hae-yeon whispered to me quietly.

“Sorry. I think my aunt is excited to see you after a while.”

“It’s okay. She might think like that.”

“If you feel uncomfortable, tell me. I’ll say something.”

It felt like Hae-yeon was hesitating whether I might feel uncomfortable.

After all, we had initially planned to go together, and there were some parts that would be uncomfortable for me when

“Grandma Yeonju would also enjoy going together with everyone.”

However, Grandma Yeonju preferred a lively atmosphere over a quiet one.

Perhaps, she would like it even more if Auntie could come with us, rather than just Ha-yeon and me.

Thinking that way, it didn’t seem so bad.

“…That’s right. If it were Mom.”

Ha-yeon seemed to have a similar thought as mine.

She nodded her head.

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.

.

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Once we arrived at the funeral home, a solemn atmosphere immediately filled the air.

Both Auntie and Ha-yeon seemed quieter than before.

We walked into the building and stood in front of Grandma Yeonju’s portrait.

“Mom, we’re here.”

In response to Ha-yeon’s words, I gazed at Grandma Yeonju’s smiling face in the picture.

Time had passed, Ha-yeon had grown up, but Grandma remained just as she was in the old days.

Her smile was somehow beautiful, making me feel like tears could burst out at any moment.

“Sister, have you not been coming here often lately? Sorry. I’ve been a bit busy.”

Auntie’s eyes also seemed a little moist now.

As she looked at Grandma’s picture, it seemed like she was conveying her well-being.

“You’ll forgive me, right? But today, I brought a friend who you’d like. Unni really adores Gyung-yul.”

Auntie tapped my shoulder and spoke to Grandma.

Ha-yeon also reminisced looking at the photo.

“…That’s true. Even in the past, Mom took good care of Gyung-yul to the point where I felt jealous.”

“hahahaha. Is that so?”

“Auntie wouldn’t know. I thought Gyung-yul was Mom’s favorite.”

Saying that, they exchanged wry smiles and laughter.

It wasn’t entirely incorrect.

Honestly, I didn’t know the reason, but Grandma Yeonju cherished me a lot.

Around the time of elementary school.

When we went to the beach together, I vividly remembered the time when Harien got upset because only she was taken care of by the lady.

“…I’m sorry, ma’am. It’s been a long time since I visited.”

Recalling that, I felt like I was a selfish person.

I regretted not visiting more often.

I bowed my head and apologized to Aunt Yeonju.

Maybe, if she’s a kind-hearted aunt like Aunt Yeonju, she might forgive me.

“It’s alright. Unnie will understand. From now on, just come with Harien more often. Okay?”

Aunt smiled and looked at me and Harien alternately.

…What intention could be behind those words?

For some reason, I felt like there was something heartfelt hidden in the invitation to come with Harien.

But soon, I nodded my head in agreement.

“Yes, that would be nice.”

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Outside the mortuary, there was a small garden.

I asked Harien,

“What about your aunt?”

“Aunt is talking with my mom a little longer. She probably won’t be long.”

“…Really? Okay then.”

Harien’s aunt worked for a reputed company.

She must have been busy with work, so we couldn’t see her much.

There might be a lot to talk about now.

Since we didn’t have any plans for today anyway, I decided to wait for my aunt comfortably.

“Can I sit here too?”

“…Uh, sure, go ahead.”

When Harien asked, I moved aside to make room for her.

The bench was small, so if I sat in the middle, Harien wouldn’t be able to sit comfortably.

Then Ha-yeon naturally sat next to me.

“It’s always nice here.”

“…Yeah.”

This small garden was quite well maintained.

The wind lightly blew, and unlike the solemn atmosphere inside the mausoleum, there was a sense of relief.

Ha-yeon took a deep breath, looking around.

Come to think of it, it had always been a place that Ha-yeon liked.

“…Yul, do you remember?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did I trip and fall near that tree back then?”

“Oh, right. You were crying so hard and it wasn’t a joke.”

It was a story from when Ha-yeon and I were dating.

I think it was during our first-grade vacation.

We had come to see Aunt Yeon-joo and were fooling around in the garden.

At that time, Ha-yeon misstepped and fell, hitting her forehead against a big rock.

“hahahaha. I cried like a baby when my forehead hit that rock. It’s funny to think about it now. I’ve crossed over the age of twenty.”

“Hey, it really hurt back then, you know? I thought I broke my forehead. Luckily, there’s no scar left.”

I looked up at her pale forehead.

Ha-yeon pouted and said to me.

Recalling the past memories, there were so many things to reminisce about with Ha-yeon.

She had been to this mausoleum more than once with me.

“If it weren’t for me, you would have been left with a scar, you know? At that time, I even rushed to the nearby convenience store and bought bandages and ointment for you.”

“…Yeah. That’s true.”

She seemed to be reminiscing about something and blankly stared into the air.

Indeed, there were quite a lot of good memories.

Memories of putting my hands in her coat during the cold winter or sharing an ice cream together in the summer.

Looking back now, they were truly joyful memories.

“…Those were really good times.”

There was something bittersweet in Ha-yeon’s words.

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything more to her.

“Geonyura. It’s been a while, let’s have a meal together. Is that alright?”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

“No, I want to treat you. Would that be uncomfortable?”

“No, not really. I’m just a little sorry. You even gave me a ride, and now you’re treating me to a meal.”

“It’s okay~ It’s okay~ Why are you making a big deal out of this?”

In the car on our way back, my aunt insisted on treating me to a meal.

I tried to decline, but I couldn’t resist my aunt’s persistence.

And besides, it was almost dinner time.

I couldn’t come up with a good excuse to refuse.

“This place is a regular spot for me. The grilled ribs here are really delicious.”

“But it looks quite expensive…”

“No, look at the prices. This place has great value for money.”

My aunt took us to quite a fancy galbi restaurant.

I sat alone on one side, while my aunt and Ha-yeon sat side by side.

After we finished ordering and had some small talk, the ordered ribs arrived.

– Chiiing-ik

As the meat sizzled on the grill, a mouthwatering aroma filled the air.

Although I wasn’t hungry, seeing the ribs made my mouth water.

Observing my reaction, my aunt smiled and said,

“You declined earlier, but now that you see it, I’m sure it looks delicious, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

As the staff placed the cooked meat on the grill, they told us,

“You can start eating now. Enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you.”

We greeted the staff and picked up our chopsticks.

Perhaps because we had gone through the experience at the funeral parlor together, the awkwardness felt less than when I saw them in the car earlier.

“How’s school these days? Is everything alright?”

“Yes, it’s not bad. Maybe it’s because I’m still in my second year.”

We chatted lightly and started our meal.

After a while, Hayeon, who had been quiet, got up from her seat.

“I’ll go to the restroom.”

She said that to us and disappeared outside the store.

Being alone with my aunt’s husband, I felt a slight unease.

“It’s been a while, so it still feels awkward, right?”

“Um, yes. There’s a little bit of that.”

“Did your aunt put too much pressure on you? I just wanted to have a meal with you since it’s been a while.”

My aunt seemed considerate of my awkwardness.

Although we didn’t see each other often, I thought she was a really nice person.

“No, it’s fine. I’m happy to take advantage of it.”

“Yeah, Geonyul. Thank you. Your kind nature hasn’t changed, huh?”

“Oh, no. It’s nothing.”

“Keep eating. If there’s not enough, order more.”

My aunt took the meat with tongs and put it on my plate, saying that.

“…So, how are things with Hayeon these days?”

My chopsticks, that were picking up the meat, paused for a moment.