Chapter XXX: Finale

                                    

                                          
"This was in the box?" I inspect the black thumb drive.
"Yeah, I decided to revisit it because when we first looked at it, I felt like it had more details, but you mentioned that all the necessary information was saved on the external hard drive, just as your father had told you," Chan explained, his brow furrowing as he thought back.
I remember seeing this in the box that day. I completely forgot it existed because I focused on printing the information.
Jisung eyes the thumb drive and asks, "And what makes you think this has something important to bring to him?" Chan purses his lips. "I think you should see for yourself."
"You looked at the contents?" Chan tilts his head from side to side, "Only the first five seconds of it?"
"What? Is it a video or something?" He nods. My eyes land on the thumb drive again. "Thanks. I'll look at it." Chan graces me with a gentle smile and waves, leaving us alone.
"I'll get my laptop." Jisung leaves my side as I close the door, carrying the cast iron pan and thumb drive to the kitchen.
What could be on here? Was there something else my father added? Extra information, maybe?
My thoughts are interrupted when Jisung returns, a laptop tucked under his arm. He sets it up on the table just as I put the cast iron skillet away. "Let me see it," he says. I hand over the thumb drive, and he plugs it in. A window pops up on the screen, revealing a single video file.
Jisung clicks on the video file, and it starts to play.
A familiar living room on the screen served as the backdrop, featuring a floral-patterned sofa that instantly caught my eye. Nostalgia washes over me.
I always hated that sofa because it was ugly as heck.
The video quality wasn't excellent, but it was far from terrible. I could still make out the details of the floral fabric, though it lacked clarity. Luckily, I could visualize everything easily since I was familiar with it.
My heart nearly stopped at the sight of a familiar figure stepping into view.
She settled comfortably in the center of the sofa, dressed in a soft blush shirt paired with a white cardigan and black slacks. She exuded a sense of poise and ease. My heart swells at the sight of a gentle smile spreading across her lips, and I find a lump forming in my throat.
Mom...
"Hello, sweetheart."
I quickly hit the space bar to pause the video, tears starting to well up in my eyes and blur my vision. A wave of nostalgia and sadness surged within me, creating an ache in my chest. With a heavy exhale, I leaned my elbows on the table and buried my face in my hands.
Jisung placed a consoling hand on my back. He didn't say anything, but his presence and warm touch were all that I needed.
"I don't know if I can watch this..." Warm tears streamed down my cheeks, falling onto the table below. My body quivers at the mere thought of hearing her voice again and catching a glimpse of her smile; it all rushes back to me, and it's utterly overwhelming.