Weed ~The One’s Gardener~ - Chapter 26

In contrast to those who expressed sympathy with dismissive tongue clicks, Hana, the subject herself, emitted a bitter laugh.

Despite the fact that the hospital’s relentless inquiries included queries about any familial precedent for her symptoms and her medical history, she was rendered incapable of addressing any of these questions. t was because she had no family to speak of, especially where genetics were concerned.

In her thoughts, the concept of ‘family history’ held no relevance for her.

‘Family history.’

‘Family history’… it was probably the word she had only heard the most lately.

From the first time she opened her eyes and recognized her parents, or perhaps even prior, their voices resounded in the midst of vehement arguments. In her early years, she hadn’t fully understood the reasons for their fervent clashes.

Yet, she was cognizant that she was the catalyst for these confrontations. While the exact circumstances eluded her, she often found herself at the epicenter of their disputes.

They said that Shin Hana wasn’t their biological child.

However, none of them had ever cheated on anyone. So at first, they got along well and looked for an external cause though the father sown seeds of distrust by doing a paternity test in the first place.

This seed eventually burgeoned into sentiments of resentment and repulsion.

There was not a day without quarrels. Moreover, the animosity that had initially transpired between the two adults found its focal point in Hana. Were it not for this fact, their daily routine would involve shouting and retiring to separate sleeping quarters, with their accusatory fingers ultimately pointing at her.

Then, what was she going to do? If she covered her ears or closed her eyes because she didn’t like it, she would be slapped or even beaten.

Hana was driven to the threshold of the orphanage in the car of the man she once called her father, but her maternal grandmother eventually stopped him, deeming it too heartrending to allow.

Though her grandmother had consistently said that she wouldn’t take responsibility for her, her stance shifted after she was badly injured. Consequently, her upbringing unfolded under her grandmother’s care.

While biological ties might be absent, her grandmother seemed to be an easygoing person.

Since Hana was unable to glimpse her parents’ faces, her curiosity spurred questions. In response, her grandmother revealed that her mother required an extended period of recuperation. As for her father, her grandmother never told her.

Hana thought to herself that her only family was her maternal grandmother… and it seemed to her that even for this person, she was the only one.

This conviction intensified further following her grandmother’s collapse. As her ailment progressed, none of their relatives extended a visit. Occasionally, they dispatched money in an attempt to preserve appearances.

Even though they were such people, at the funeral, they made a fuss and cried until their throats burst.

Rather, only Hana stood there, lost in her mind, unable to shed a single tear.

A man whom she had never seen the face claimed to be the chief mourner, and Hana was pushed into a corner and pointed at by him. Although she had been raised to the fullest, she didn’t even know grace.

A black-haired beast.

Someone screamed, but it didn’t even reach her.

They were crying

What were they so sad about? What was so upsetting?

Hana thought blankly. Still, they seemed to be related by blood. When she saw that her tears didn’t come out to the end, she wondered if it was because she was a stranger.

‘Then, no one will cry when I die.’

The days went by like crazy. As they cried among themselves, they later laughed and chatted to their heart’s content before saying that her grandmother lived a long, blessed life. And eventually, they went away, leaving Hana alone.

After all the cleaning up, what could she think as she stood in the room with only traces of her grandmother left?

Tears suddenly broke out while Hana was tidying up her grandmother’s clothes. While she didn’t understand why her eyes were blurring, she felt a tingling pain all the way to the tip of her nose or down her throat. She belatedly realized that she was crying.

Despite the fact that she tried to hold it in, she let out a loud cry on purpose, like screaming that she was also a family member and that she has the right to cry. She cried and cried, pouring out all her tears.

She cried for a long time.

‘…I’ll have to visit that place at the end.’

Hana deliberately tilted her sitting position back and relaxed.

She missed her grandmother. As the restless feelings made her think of the old days, it had been a long time since she had done that.

She deliberately played some upbeat music.

How long had she been behind the wheel? Her body was already getting tired.

Fortunately, this was neither a weekend nor a vacation season, so the road was not overcrowded. When the straight roads got shorter, and the roads became more and more bumpy, she often stopped the car on the shoulder and lay down to rest for a while.

Once she was fine, she got back behind the wheel.

Her body had no energy. She paid more attention to food and took nutritional supplements, but it was useless.

At first, she thought it was because she was hit by work.

When she brought up the word tired, everyone around her would lightly say that it was because she was living on painkillers.

Hence, she had developed tolerance, or the drug was making her drowsy, and so on. How did they find out that the painkiller was mixed with a mild narcotic component and even gave her the nickname of a drug addict?

That look didn’t matter. Her body was so sore that she couldn’t even care about that.

Since her childhood accident, Hana has had to move her body constantly, yet at some point, walking became difficult. Even though she was simply walking, she would get out of breath and easily get tired.

As the cough persisted, she succumbed to vomiting, and subsequently, blood joined the contents of her expulsion, and she went to the hospital.

According to assessments, all her internal organs were deemed to be ravaged.

When she asked if it was because she had been on painkillers since she was young, it seemed that it wasn’t the case. Despite seeking consultations at renowned hospitals, and even amassing funds for consultations abroad, the root cause remained elusive.

For each person, the rate of aging was different for each type of organ. Illnesses, dependencies, living conditions, and mental well-being undoubtedly influence the aging process. Nonetheless, the change was within a reasonable range, and it couldn’t be so skewed.

The incessant bout of blood vomiting stemmed from the uneven aging of her organs. This explanation seemed implausible, bordering on the absurd. Even the medical professionals conveyed this diagnosis with a perplexed expression.

For months, she engaged in the futile act of visiting hospitals. Her efforts yielded the disheartening verdict that she had a mere two or three months left to exist.

There was no other cure.

While she had come across knowledge of certain medications that could potentially curtail the aging process by targeting the problematic cells, she abandoned the idea of treatment upon learning that it merely constituted a means to hinder the disease’s advancement, and moreover, the approach was still experimental.

“Cough. Cough, cough. Ahh…”

It was irritating.

Even if she didn’t overdo it, she would still be coughing, and if it were a bit severe, it would even come out with blood. While it was a relief that there was no pain, perhaps it was already covered by the excruciating leg pain.

It also got worse day by day.

Just as she was contemplating whether she should park her car on the side of the road again—

“Hana…”

—An eerie voice came from behind.

Her body stiffened.

She was so surprised that her cough stopped, and the car swerved once. She almost let go of the steering wheel.

“Hana. I got the gift you gave me. I think I know your pain. I feel so much closer to you…”

“You…”

It was the crazy stalker. He must be talking about the drugged water bottle she had thrown. Although it gave her goosebumps, she didn’t scream.

It seemed that he had been quietly sitting in the back seat. Rather than thinking that she had to find out how this guy got into the car, she blamed herself for not looking inside the car carefully. She should know she has to avoid this lunatic.

D*mn it.

There were too many distractions in the morning.

Hana gritted her teeth.

“Crazy… stalker b*stard. That was my last warning. I said I would kill you!”

“Why are you going in such a hurry? Where are you going alone?”

“How did you get in here? Are you really crazy? Do you want to die?”