“Come on in, Dr. Lay,” Maya’s mother-in-law said. From a distance, Junho’s mother observed the doctor who had caught her husband’s attention. So this is her? Junho’s mother drew a short breath.
Lay sat in the living room, and old memories resurfaced. He had stayed in that house one night before. Several times, actually.
Lay remembered how well Junho had treated him—the hospitality, the attention he had shown him.
“Lay, what do you want to eat? I’ll cook for you,” Junho had said proudly.
“Seriously? You can cook?”
“Don’t underestimate me. My wife really admires my cooking skills.”
“Sure, sure!” Lay looked for something delicious that would whet his appetite. Junho promptly bought the ingredients and got to work in the kitchen. Maya and the children were out of town on vacation at the time. Since Lay lived all alone in Syu City, he was free to wander around as he pleased.
That house’s kitchen had witnessed the closeness between Lay and Junho. Now, Lay smiled at the memory.
Greetings from Junho’s two children could be heard from the doorway.
“Hey, how are you two?” Lay asked.
Luna answered lazily, perhaps because she was still sad, while Kris was thrilled to see Lay. He rushed over to hug Lay the moment he saw him.
“Want some chocolate?” Lay asked cheerfully.
“Hey! Go get your mom for me, okay? Just tell her Uncle Lay is here.”
Because she had always been taught to be polite to her elders, Luna obediently agreed. “Wait a moment, Uncle.”
Luna knew where her mother was, even though she had only just arrived—their dad’s study, specifically.
“Uncle, is it true that dead people can come back to life?” Kris asked innocently.
Lay was quite startled by a question from such a small child.
“Whoa! That’s amazing. Who told you that? Why would you ask something like that?”
“Yeah, because at night I see Dad kissing me, Mom, and my sister,” he chattered, filling the room with his words.
“Oh, really? You must have been dreaming, Kris,” Lay replied.
“No, Uncle Lay, I’m serious—”
“Kris, come with Grandma. Let’s get you changed and get you something to eat,” Junho’s mother called, interrupting him. “I’m sorry, Dr. Lay. Children really do love to let their imaginations run wild.”
Lay smiled and replied, “It’s perfectly normal, ma’am. If I were Kris, I’d probably imagine my late father’s presence often, too.”
Kris was successfully coaxed into the bedroom. Luna had also returned to her room. She could guess that her mother was crying in her father’s study.
Luna understood how strong her mother was. She herself was still sad whenever she remembered her father, who had passed away first without leaving them a message.
Maya came into the living room with eyes that were still red. “Good afternoon, Dr. Maya,” Lay greeted her, and she answered with a smile. Lay could clearly see the lines of sadness on her face.
“Just call me Maya while you’re at home,” she said.
Lay felt somewhat uncomfortable, especially since what he wanted to discuss at the house was his in-laws’ plan.
Lay didn’t know where to begin. The atmosphere froze, but Maya soon tried to find out why he had come.
“Doctor, I’d like to discuss Junho’s final wish.”
Maya looked as composed as ever, though Lay thought the subject was extremely awkward. “Lay, I don’t know what the right thing to do is, but—”
“It seems Junho left that message for another reason,” Lay interrupted, breaking through the awkwardness and replacing it with curiosity.
Maya looked thoughtful. “Lay, did my husband ever tell you anything? Maybe about things that were troubling him or that went against his wishes?”
Lay didn’t answer right away. He was trying to figure out how to explain Junho’s complicated problem.
“T-there is.”
Maya’s eyes sharpened as she tried to focus on whatever Lay was about to say.
“Actually, I don’t want to follow Junho’s final wish, Maya.”
“Is there another way?”
Maya drew a heavy breath. She had actually been wondering how she could leave her husband so soon and be with another man.
“About the final wish, I’m okay with getting married. But I can’t guarantee that my feelings will change for anyone other than Junho,” she said firmly.
Lay was stunned. Maya’s resolve left him amazed.
Lay smiled. “I know. Your love for each other is enormous. Actually, there is—”
“So you agree, Maya?” Junho’s father called as he stepped out of Luna’s bedroom.
“Dad?”
Junho’s father hoped he had heard wrong.