Souvenir - Chapter 7.5

Suddenly, an image of my mother surfaced in my mind.

I remembered the small bottles of supplements she always used—so dependent on them that she struggled to function without them. She had told me they were sleeping pills, and I had believed her. But now, for the first time, my memory of them was becoming strangely vivid. A cold sweat crept down my back.

It felt as if something enormous was stirring behind the scenes.

Lotus Lab was hiding something.

That much was certain.

When I arrived home, Maria was already gone. She was usually here around this time, preparing to leave as I returned, so her absence felt strangely out of place, making the house feel somewhat unnatural.

I knocked on Suu’s door before stepping inside.

Suu was tidying up her shelves, hurriedly shoving small items into a drawer as I entered.

“Suu, there’s something important I need to talk to you about.”

Suu’s expression shifted, as if she had already sensed what I was about to say.

“What is it?”

She quickly approached me, her face clouded with anxiety. Then, she turned back to look at me, staring intently at my expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot… about our relationship.”

At those words, Suu’s face stiffened.

“What do you mean?”

“As a parent, I always intended to raise you with care. But after observing your recent behavior and attitude, I’ve started to wonder if our relationship is different from that of an ordinary parent and child.”

Suu gasped.

“Are you saying there’s something wrong with me?”

“No… that’s not it. I already understand how you feel about me.”

I let out a slow breath, carefully choosing my words before continuing.

“Suu, I’ve decided to officially dissolve our parent-child relationship.”

Suu flinched.

“…Why? Why would you do that?”

“I wanted to protect you as a parent, but… that’s no longer the role I find myself in.”

Yes, the question is—do I love you as a parent, or as something else?

“For the future you wish for, I have to make this decision.”

Suu’s voice trembled as she slowly spoke.

“…What do you mean by that?”

“When you turn seventeen, I intend to propose to you.”

Suu froze, covering her face with her hands in shock. It was only natural. A proposal like this—anyone would find it absurd, even laughable.

After a while, I heard her sniffle.

“It’s a bit stuffy in here.”

I closed the window and turned on the air conditioner.

Suu continued to sob softly.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes… I’m happy.”

“…”

“I thought you were going to tell me to leave this house.”

Her tear-filled eyes shimmered like precious jewels.

“I would never say something like that.”

Tommy’s quiet smile was so warm and gentle that I felt guilty for trying to process everything in my overwhelmed state.

I gently wiped the tears trailing down her cheek.

“It felt like you were avoiding me lately,” she whispered.

“I had decided that as long as we were still in a parent-child relationship, I wouldn’t allow myself to do anything inappropriate.”

“So that’s what it was…”

I had been mistaken in thinking he was avoiding me.

“I’m glad you understand.”

We embraced—tighter than usual. This is fine. This is how it should be. But even as we held each other, Suu seemed restless, her mind elsewhere. Of course, she wouldn’t be able to accept everything all at once. There was still time. We could take things slowly.

“Tonight, I want to sleep in your room,” she said.

“Okay.”

When she was little, we used to sleep like this often. It had been a long time since the last time, and now, lying beside her again, I realized how much she had grown.

The warmth of our bodies mingled, the heat of summer pressing in.

A sweltering summer was approaching.