"He came to visit me on New Year's Day and handed me an envelope. He said that he came back from his mandatory military service and began working. For having only worked half a year at that point, the envelope was quite fat. Well, Ethan was always bound to live well wherever he ended up, so I guess that wasn't so strange. Even if he ended up working at a construction site, he would have caught the eyes of the higher-ups anyway."
"...And then?"
Elly caught the sliver of hope in her daughter's voice and swallowed a sigh. Lily's eyes seemed to ask, 'You didn't take it, did you?' Seeing this, Elly's heart began to hurt. However, she could not avoid this. She bitterly opened her mouth and gulped down another cup of soju.
"Of course it would have made more sense not to take it. Just thinking about all those horrible things I said to him, I should have pushed it away and told him I didn't need it. But… Back then… It was right after I was diagnosed with cancer."
