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Chapter 63: "Father Complex Is an Illness"
🕑 Added 2025-02-04 16:00:22 +0000 UTC[Just when everything seemed to be going well, disaster struck.]
The moment this sentence appeared—
Minami felt uneasy.
"A crisis…?"
This time, he had balanced both studying and physical health—
There was no way he could have died from overwork.
And Ryo was not like Hitori Gotoh.
She was self-confident and optimistic, fully dedicated to her band's career.
With Kessoku Band's recent success, it was unlikely that she had suffered any kind of breakdown.
Could it be a car accident?
Frowning, Minami continued reading the simulation log.
[While Ryo was focused on her band, neither she nor her parents noticed something important.]
[For a long time, her father had been experiencing severe fatigue.]
[At first, he assumed it was simply exhaustion from managing a private hospital.]
[Not wanting to worry his wife and daughter, he never took it seriously.]
But as time passed, the symptoms worsened.
His fatigue became more frequent.
At times, he felt short of breath and had difficulty breathing.
You Were the First to Notice
[Most people didn't notice anything unusual.]
[But you, someone who had always been highly perceptive, quickly realized that something was wrong.]
[Insisting on a full medical check-up, you personally examined Ryo's father.]
[And upon reviewing the results, you made a shocking discovery.]
[His lungs were undergoing irreversible failure.]
[Over time, what had once been a minor issue had now progressed into a terminal illness.]
[Even with your unparalleled medical expertise, there was no cure.]
If only it had been caught earlier—
It would have been so easy to treat.
"I see…"
Minami let out a long sigh in reality.
So it wasn't him or Ryo who had encountered trouble—
It was her father.
A Father's Love & Kindness
Ryo's father was a good man.
Minami had always known that.
Despite coming from a wealthy family, he never looked down on Minami, who was just a high school student at the time.
Instead—
He had generously provided financial support for Minami's studies.
And never once did he disrespect Minami's parents for their differences in social class.
When it came to handling Minami and Ryo's relationship,
Her father had been nothing but supportive.
Minami Had No Resentment—Only Gratitude
This man, who had done everything perfectly as a father-in-law—
Did not deserve this fate.
Minami clenched his fists.
In the previous simulation, he had been too focused on Kessoku Band—
And completely missed the warning signs.
But now—
Would there still be time to do something about it?
The Simulation Continued…
[You Feel a Heavy Weight on Your Heart]
Lying in the hospital bed, Ryo Yamada's father kept trying to comfort you, telling you not to worry.
At the same time, he pleaded with you—
Not to tell Ryo's mother or Ryo herself about his condition.
But this time—
Unlike before, when you respected his wishes—
You refused.
[This was something both Ryo's mother and your wife had the right to know.]
[You didn't want to hide it from them—nor could you.]
Seeing your firm stance, Ryo's father let out a small, accepting smile.
He didn't argue further.
You quickly notified Ryo and her mother.
And upon hearing the news—
They rushed to the hospital.
Letting Them Say Their Goodbyes
Understanding the situation, you quietly stepped out of the room.
Not long after—
You could hear Ryo's mother sobbing inside the hospital room.
Moments later, Ryo walked out, her face expressionless.
You stepped forward to meet her.
She hadn't cried inside the room.
But the moment she saw you,
She could no longer hold back.
She collapsed into your arms, burying herself against your chest.
Her tears soaked your shirt.
But you didn't say any shallow words of comfort.
You simply held her close, stroking her soft blue hair—
Silently accepting her grief and sorrow.
[But crying cannot change reality.]
[What's already happened… cannot be undone.]
Ryo's father's condition continued to deteriorate.
His blood oxygen levels dropped daily due to lung failure.
Without hesitation—
You transferred him to the intensive care unit (ICU).
You put him on a ventilator to support his increasingly difficult breathing.
But even so—
His condition did not improve.
A ventilator could only extend his life—
It could not reverse the damage.
[Every day, Ryo and her mother visited him.]
And every day—
They asked you for an update on his condition.
For you—
This was its own kind of torture.
[You didn't want to tell them the harsh truth.]
[But you had no choice but to tell them.]
One day—
Your wife, who had never asked you for anything before,
Held onto you tightly.
With a pleading voice, she begged:
"Please, save my father."
You stroked her hair—
Looked into her tired, delicate face,
Her red, swollen eyes from crying.
And you promised:
"I will do everything I can."
From then on—
You exhausted every possible treatment method.
You researched every possible procedure.
You poured your heart and soul into saving him.
But this took a toll on you.
You rarely slept, your health declined.
There were even times when you nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
But despite your best efforts—
Despite your cutting-edge medical knowledge—
There was nothing that could stop the inevitable.
[His condition was only delayed—but not reversed.]
His Final Moments
On the verge of death,
Ryo's father called you into his room.
"Don't… make that face, Shouji."
Lying in bed, attached to a ventilator,
He struggled to turn his head and look at you.
His voice was weak—
His energy almost gone.
You remained silent.
You walked to his bedside,
Resting your head against the mattress, looking at him.
You knew—
You couldn't speak.
If you spoke—
It would only steal away what little time and strength he had left.
His life's flame was flickering—
Barely hanging on.
"How are Ryo and Kumiko (Ryo's mother)?"
His eyes were empty, staring at the ceiling.
His voice grew even fainter.
"They're fine."
"Healthy, with no problems."
"Father."
You gently responded,
Following his line of sight—
But all you could see was a plain white ceiling.
"Is that so… that's good."
Ryo's father slowly lifted his hand.
You immediately reached out,
Holding his trembling, frail fingers.
Even in the warm hospital room,
His skin felt cold.
Growing colder by the second.
"Take care of them… take care of them… take care of them…"
His consciousness began to fade.
Lying there, he muttered endlessly—
As if reciting a mantra:
"Take care of them… take care of them…"
His voice weaker and weaker.
You didn't say much.
You only nodded, firmly.
"I will."
A Final Moment of Peace
As if he had finally received the promise he longed for—
The once tense, muttering man slowly relaxed.
You gently placed his hand back down.
Then, you silently walked out.
Outside the door—
Ryo and her mother were waiting.
Without saying much—
You simply stepped aside.
You knew—
You couldn't take away their last chance to see him.
[From inside the room, you could hear Ryo and her mother crying.]
[If only you had noticed earlier, maybe this wouldn't have happened.]
But it was too late.
Regret changed nothing.
[The deceased return to peace—]
[While the living must carry on.]
Carrying the Burden
Ryo's mother, overwhelmed with grief, could not handle the funeral arrangements.
You took responsibility—
Fulfilling the promise you made to Ryo's father.
You became the pillar that supported Ryo and her mother.
On the day Ryo's father was laid to rest—
It rained heavily.
[Standing in the rain, Ryo remained silent.]
Her usual cold, indifferent expression—
Was now filled with deep sorrow.
You hurried over, holding an umbrella over her head.
Looking at her soaked figure—
Watching the raindrops slide down her cheeks—
You couldn't tell if it was rain or tears.
Moving Forward
You wanted to honor Ryo's father's final wish—
You offered to have Ryo's mother move in with you.
But—
She refused.
She wanted to stay in the home where she and her husband shared so many memories.
[You respected her decision.]
[You swallowed your grief—]
[And moved forward.]
Ryo, too, did not remain lost in sorrow for long.
She knew—
That wasn't what her father would have wanted.
She returned to Kessoku Band—
Playing even more passionately than before.
And one day—
You received unexpected news.
[Ryo was pregnant.]
At that moment, you let go of work.
You entrusted your hospital duties to your apprentices.
And you focused entirely on preparing for the arrival of your child.
[280 days later—]
Your daughter was born.
Ryo named her—
Yuna Shouji.
[Usually, in addition to ending the band's activities, you have another daily activity, taking care of Shouji Yuna's health and development.]
[Yuna takes more from her mother than you are, she's not too enthusiastic about people and has an indescribably cool demeanor. Only when she faces you will she let go of her high spirits and take the initiative to ask you for a hug.]
[You will always make a gesture of kissing Yuna.]
[At this time, you would always hug your wife in an affectionate manner, indicating that you already have a favorite.]
[In response, Yuna would always be annoyed and very jealous of her mother.]
[The Kessoku Band was still developing, and you would take Shouji Yuna to Shouji Ryo's shows after work.]
[The number of fans, which was originally small, is now very substantial.]
[On stage, Ryo's white fingers bounce with an indescribable sense of valor and dryness.]]
[As if she had discovered a new world, Yuna, who was riding at your neck, secretly told you that when she grows up she wants to be as beautiful as her mother and marry someone like her father, and asked you not to tell her mother. It's your secret with her.]
[To which you just smiled and nodded your head in agreement, then turned around and told Ryo about it.]
[After learning this news, Ryo cocked her head, and the next day she took Yuna to the Kessoku Band backstage practice room.]]
[On that day, Yuna was on the verge of tears practicing her instrument.]
[That night, Ryo hugged Yuna and said in a small but serious voice that her father was hers.]
[But perhaps she also inherited your talent for learning, and her progress in learning the bass was very rapid.]
[You noticed this, and considering that Yuna was really into musical instruments, you would always take her to the practice room of the end band when she was out of class.]
[When you were really busy, you would take her to the practice room of the band.]
[When you were really busy again, you taught her how to play the bass, as you also knew a few instruments.]
[When she was busy, you taught her how to play the bass.]
[By relying on the lovely Yuna, you quickly gained the approval of everyone in the Kessoku Band.
[You became closer to Ikuyo Kita, Ijichi Nijika, and Hitori Gotoh.] [Time continued to move on.
[Time continues to move backwards.]
[Under your and Ryo's careful education, Yuna grew into a girl's high school student, and her bass skills skyrocketed.]
[In terms of personality, she is similar to Ryo. With her short blue hair and elegantly cool demeanor, she is very popular at school.] [But between mother and daughter, they seem to be very close.]
"However, it seems that there is a secret rivalry between mother and daughter.
Ryo would often ask Yuna what kind of boys she liked, and that it was time for her to fall in love since she was already in high school.
At this time, Yuna would always point to you, who was already middle-aged but still had an elegant and easy-going demeanor, and say that she liked men like dad.
[Ryo usually pulls you over at this time with her daughter's face full of black lines and gives you a deep kiss in front of each other, proclaiming that this is her sovereign property].
[Their daily bickering doesn't affect you.]
[Because just this kind of bickering routine is also a sign of happiness in your opinion.]
"Didn't it affect you?"
Minami who saw this couldn't help but rub his eyebrows.
First of all, me in the simulation, you have to understand one thing.
Father Complex is an illness, the kind that has to be treated.
But seeing this, Minami also probably understood that the simulation should be coming to an end soon.
Then, he would have to consider another thing.
In the simulation, Yamada Ryo's father had passed away because he hadn't realized his illness in time.
But what about Yamada Ryo's father in reality?
Minami felt that perhaps he should find some opportunity to tell the real Yamada Ryo about this, to change the outcome and salvage the regret.
