Upon entering the building, I saw a spacious hall.
I walked toward the reception desk in the center with excited steps.
Hoping that my ambiguous identity, neither fully Korean nor Russian, would finally find its place.
I approached a male staff member who was engrossed in some work at the desk and spoke.
"Hello."
"Oh… uh, yes! Hello, how can I help you?"
The staff member, who had been practically buried in his computer screen, looked startled by my greeting and asked about my business.
"I'm here to pick up my ID."
"Alright, may I have your age and name?"
When the staff asked for my name, I hesitated for a moment. Was he asking for my Russian name or my Korean name?
I decided to give both.
"I'm 22 years old. My Korean name is Ryu Sehwa, and my Russian name is Natalia Sasha."
"Ah, found it! You can go to the 15th floor to the Nationality Department and look for Officer Lee Shin-cheol."
I wasn't sure if giving both names was the right choice or if only one was needed, but the staff provided clear directions.
Leaving behind the staff member who was looking at me curiously with a friendly gaze, I took the elevator.
"Is this really a government building? Why is it so luxurious?"
Everything was gold-colored. The handrail I was leaning on in the elevator was wrapped in red fabric, reminiscent of a hotel.
I pressed the floor button and glanced at the mirror before getting off on the 15th floor.
Stepping out, I wandered through a quiet hallway until I found a small sign that read "Nationality Department" and opened the door.
(This huge room is completely empty. Is this the wrong place? No, this is it.)
Just as I thought I might have come to the wrong place, I noticed a nameplate on an empty desk with no one seated.
It seemed I had come to the right place.
(Where did this civil servant go, leaving his desk empty?)
Momentarily flustered by the absence of anyone, I decided to sit down. I plopped into the guest chair in front of the desk.
*Thud-*
"Now I can finally catch my breath. It's hot outside, the distance was far, and all those stares. Damn it."
As I sat there relieving my fatigue, I turned my head at a sound from behind.
*Creak-*
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I just stepped out to the restroom for a bit."
I saw a man with slightly graying hair, possibly due to age.
He seems like a nice person. This middle-aged man must be Lee Shin-cheol.
"No worries. I was just resting since I had some business on the way."
"Oh, I can see why. The ladies probably don't leave you alone, do they?"
The man said this with a knowing smile and sat at his desk.
He rummaged below and handed me something.
"This is…"
"It's your ID, changed from Natalia Sasha to Sehwa. You've been through a lot."
He handed me a large envelope with encouraging words.
And with a face that suggested he had more to say, he spoke again.
"I was worried, but you seem to be doing okay. When did you learn Korean? You speak it so well."
"I learned a bit while living in Russia."
Was that why the staff at the reception looked at me so curiously? It makes sense. A foreigner speaking Korean fluently would surprise anyone.
"Really? For someone who learned just a bit, you sound like a native. Your mother must have been so proud to have such a handsome and smart son."
His last comment piqued my curiosity.
People usually call women pretty, but some mix "pretty" and "handsome" when talking about men.
I had done some quick research on my phone, but since I still didn't fully understand this place, questions kept popping up.
"Officer, my Korean isn't perfect yet, so I'm curious why do people use both 'pretty' and 'handsome' for men?"
"Oh, that's understandable for you to wonder. Older people tend to use 'handsome' more often.
Younger men these days seem to prefer 'pretty,' but you can think of it as a slightly old-fashioned way of speaking in Korean."
(Oh, so it's just two ways of saying handsome.)
After hearing his explanation, I started to get up to head home.
"Thank you for explaining. Can I go now?"
"Can you stay for a moment? I don't want to bring up painful memories, but I feel like I should let you know."
He looked at me as if I were a wounded animal and pulled out another envelope from below.
"Is there something else for me?"
"Yes… this is your mother's ID. It was made, but it's not valid. You can think of it as… a photo, I suppose."
"My mother's ID?"
What? I heard this body's mother had already passed away. What's going on?
I took the envelope, feeling confused, and asked.
"Can you tell me more? Everything I don't know."
Lee Shin-cheol thought to himself, (As expected, he didn't know.)
(He was too calm for someone who went through that…)
When Sehwa asked, Shin-cheol decided to tell him everything.
Even if it might bring misfortune to Sehwa.
"How long have you been in Korea, Sehwa?"
"Uh… maybe a few months?"
Sehwa answered vaguely, as if guessing.
"Sehwa, normally, immigration approval doesn't happen in just a few months unless it's a special case. But yours was a unique one."
On an ordinary day when Lee Shin-cheol went to work as usual, a blonde woman burst into the office, almost breaking the door, pleading in a foreign language.
Unable to understand her at first, Shin-cheol managed to piece together what she wanted through a difficult conversation.
She wanted to live in Korea with her son forever, to become a Korean citizen.
When he explained that it would take a long time, she said she didn't care how much money it cost.
She said she didn't have much time left and asked if donating money could speed things up, offering what seemed like her life savings to Korea.
She… looked very ill. Her pale, almost ghostly skin made her seem inhuman.
Through an unconventional immigration application, she passed away shortly after.
I heard she died quietly at home.
In the house where she lived with her son.
The immigration process was about to fall apart, but Shin-cheol helped ensure her son at least received citizenship.
He felt sorry for her, having come so close to living with her son in a new land only to pass away.
After hearing Shin-cheol's story, Sehwa froze in shock, his trembling fingers coming to a halt.
(What the hell… what happened?)
"So… is all of that true?"
"Yes. Originally, your ID wouldn't have come through this quickly either. Your mother begged us, saying her son couldn't leave the house.
I had never even met you, and the applicant herself passed away. If things had gone differently, you might have been stuck unable to do anything until your citizenship was approved.
And if that happened… you probably wouldn't have been able to stay here and would've had to return to Russia, right?"
Realizing this man had gone out of his way to help, I bowed deeply with sincere gratitude.
"No, no, haha. By the way, you're not in school yet, are you?"
"What? Oh… university, not yet…"
"Haha, no, I mean high school. You're 18 in Korean age, right? Let's see…"
?
(What's he talking about? Why did my age drop from 22 to 18? Sasha… why are you younger than me and making my life hell?)
Stunned, I watched as Shin-cheol searched for something and continued.
"Ah, since you're 18, you're required to attend high school. There's no way around it, but don't worry, tuition will be covered.
And… you live in Gangnam? Oh, that's why your mother bought a house there."
To sum it all up, I'm 18, so I have to go to high school near where I live.
And I'll receive 1 million won per month as special immigration support. That part's nice, but…
(I'm 22 years old and have to go back to high school. Thanks a lot, Natalia Sasha, you jerk.)
I sat there like a mute who'd tasted honey, while Shin-cheol, who had been talking enthusiastically, finally paused.
"The admission notice will be sent to your home. Got it?"
"Yes…"
My mind shattered, I barely listened and just nodded.
Since I'd heard the important parts, I got up from my seat.
"I'll be going now. Thank you."
"Alright, take care. Call me if you have any questions later."
I left the building and got into a taxi parked on the street.
The driver, who had been napping in the front seat, was startled when I opened the door but calmed down and started the car.
As the car moved, I stared at the passing scenery, trying to soothe my complicated emotions.
I'm starting to wonder what kind of life you lived, Sasha.
---
Shortly after Sehwa left, Shin-cheol answered a phone call.
"Hello?"
"How did he seem?"
The person on the other end threw out an ambiguous question.
"…He seemed pretty shocked. He doesn't even remember his mother passing away in front of him.
But why… why are you helping Sehwa this much The immigration support funds and all…"
The woman on the phone paused, as if consulting someone, then answered.
"I told you before. I want Sasha to be happier than anyone in the world. If I could, I'd give him billions, but I can't."
Unable to fully understand her words, Shin-cheol bit his lip.
"…Alright. I hope you keep your promise, then."
"Don't worry. You'll see soon enough."
_________________________________________
Translated by Reversalmanhwa.web.id
/ Reversalnovel.web.id