Please Forget Me - Chapter 156

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

I was taken aback by the general’s rudeness, my eyes widening in surprise before narrowing as I shot a quick glance at Johann sitting next to me. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hildebrandt, seated across from me, shot her husband a glance.

“He tends to be a bit blunt… it just means he’s concerned.”

“Teacher, there are three skilled doctors at the bunker. If you ever need one, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you, but we don’t need a doctor.”

Johann declined the offer as I had expected.

“My wife isn’t ill; she’s simply weak from not eating enough.”

As he added, he gently took my hand, which was resting quietly on the table. The bones of my hand, highlighted under his thumb as he rubbed it softly, stood out against the skin, pale and stark.

Mrs. Hildebrandt had been kind enough to send us treats every week, and the principal’s family had been very generous.

Most importantly, though, with that devil gone from our lives, I felt at ease. Thanks to that, my appetite, which had disappeared for so long, was beginning to return. While my hands still looked thin to anyone who didn’t know me, there was a bit more flesh on them now.

Mrs. Hildebrandt looked at my hands with sympathy and, flustered and embarrassed, served me food before her husband.

“I specially prepared this for you, so please don’t refuse it. Eat as much as you like.”

“If she eats a lot today, what good will it do? When you leave, take some of the food with you.”

“I will.”

It seemed that despite his cold expressions, the general wasn’t truly a cold-hearted person.

“Thank you.”

“We should be the ones thanking you.”

“That’s right. You can’t imagine how much better Thomas has been since meeting you. He’s improved so much these past few weeks, hasn’t he?”

Mrs. Hildebrandt asked, seeking agreement from her husband.

“This morning, he even said goodbye in a loud voice before going to school.”

“It wasn’t much of a greeting, just squeaking like a rat.”

Though his gaze softened as he said that and despite his harsh words, he seemed to care for his child in his own way.

“The important part is that he said it out loud. Teacher, you’re really amazing. We’ve been to every famous doctor for the past three years, but no one could help our Thomas. We’ve suffered so much, but in just a month, you did what no one else could. Now, we have hope that with you, our child can grow up like others.”

“And what’s the secret?”

The general who had been silently listening to the praise, asked briefly.

“It’s nothing special.”

Johann replied shortly.

“That’s impossible, teacher. You’ve understood the child’s heart and figured out why he kept his mouth shut, and you even told us how to help him. There’s no way that’s nothing special.”

“We’ve asked for your valuable secret, I suppose. If it’s too difficult to share, feel free not to answer.”

“I’m neither a doctor nor a merchant, so I’m not hiding any valuable secrets. It’s really nothing special.”

“Still, it seems there’s something.”

After persistent prompting, Johann finally relented and revealed the secret, almost as though surrendering.

“I was just like Thomas when I was a child.”

“…You, Teacher?”

Mrs. Hildebrandt’s eyes widened, clearly shocked, and her disbelief was mirrored in the general’s face, which, for the first time, displayed an expression. If they were this taken aback, I couldn’t imagine how shocked I was.

‘Johann couldn’t speak when he was young?’

It was hard to reconcile with the Johann I knew. He may be quiet but he was eloquent, polite, patient, and direct when needed. It seemed almost impossible to imagine him as a child who had difficulty speaking.

“It may be inappropriate to say, but to be honest, the atmosphere in my home was quite similar.”

A strict father, a mother with high expectations and even greater worries, and endless comparisons to his older siblings, all in a stifling home.

Because of this environment, Johann was always shrinking. His mother’s worries led her to constantly push him in front of others. The reason for his mother’s pressure was…

“My mother had no choice. Our family’s wealth was to be inherited entirely by my older brother.”

His attempt to defend his mother instead highlighted the coldness of his parents. Mrs. Hildebrandt seemed to share my sentiments.

“How awful, only passing everything down to the older brother. That’s… unfortunate.”

I’m sure the brief silence was meant for words like ‘cruel,’ but it was hard to directly call someone’s parents cruel, so she generalized it as ‘unfortunate.’

“My mother pushed me, thinking of my future, which she believed would be a struggle, as I wasn’t inheriting anything. But constantly being subjected to this pressure only caused deeper wounds, and I became more and more withdrawn.”

The weight of pressure gradually turned into fear, and from a young age, he had learned to close his mouth, except with the few friends he felt comfortable with.

“So, please, don’t push Thomas too hard. Although he may seem like a carefree child, he’s enduring much more than he appears. So, please, be patient and wait.”

As Johann wrapped up his brief childhood story and urged the parents, I absentmindedly sifted through the wilted pickled cabbage in front of me.

Now, I can only hear about Johann’s childhood when others ask.

While I had learned more about him, it also felt like I understood him less.