Yim was already dressed and ready for the clinic, yet her mind refused to stay still. She kept trying....again and again....to remember that voice.
Whose voice was it?
Who was that person?
But it was all in vain. Every attempt crumbled like sand slipping through her fingers.
It felt as if someone.....something.....was deliberately stopping her from remembering.
Today, too, the clinic was bustling with life. Many people had come, bringing their beloved pets along.
One after another, soft paws, wagging tails, and innocent eyes filled the room with warmth.
And for a fleeting moment, the gloom clouding Yim's heart lightened.
The sight of those pure, helpless creatures…
It brought her a fragile sense of happiness, enough to push her forward.
With a small, quiet smile, Yim began her daily work.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city...
Talotkan was busy attending to her customers.
Today, like every day, bright fabrics of every shade hung across the courtyard, swaying gently as the breeze whispered through them.
It was as if the wind itself was playing with the colors.
Her hands moved automatically, but her thoughts…
They were a tangled mess.
The answer Grandma had given her earlier....
It didn't make sense.
Grandma said she didn't know Yim's mother.
But Talotkan… Talotkan felt something different.
Something was wrong.
Something Grandma wasn't telling her.
Eventually, the last of the customers left.
The courtyard grew quiet, leaving behind only the faint rustle of fabrics and the soft hum of the wind.
Talotkan pulled out a worn wooden chair and sank into it, resting her arms on the table.
Her mind wouldn't stop racing.
One moment, she saw Grandma's calm yet evasive eyes as she denied knowing Yim's mother.
The next, she saw Yim's broken state from last night.....her trembling hands, her scattered voice, her silent tears.
Everything about it… felt strange.
Grandma, as always, understood Talotkan's heart.
She knew this girl could never bear to see anyone suffer.
So before Talotkan left the house that morning, Grandma spoke gently.....yet with a weight in her voice that Talotkan couldn't quite name.
"If you wish to go to someone… then you may go."