One Day, Long Ago Chapter 31

Song For This Chapter// 18 by One Direction

“I have loved you since we were 18.” ~ One Direction

Tae Kwang’s POV

“All I want is you… so please stay alive.” My own heart began to bleed at the despair in Eun Bi’s voice as she whispered to me. She leaned in, kissing the top of my forehead gently as if I was a delicate being. I was rendered silent and then heard the sound of her footsteps leaving the room.

One by one I ed the buttons of the hospital shirt and slipped it off my arms. The stitches on my hand and wrist were now gone with only tiny bandages covering them. I was aware of the scarring they would leave behind after they fully healed, but didn’t mind them. I grabbed the navy colored shirt off the bed, slipping my arms into the sleeves, and then buttoning it up. The act of taking off the patient uniform and changing into my regular clothes felt symbolic for me as it was a representation of me returning to my daily life back in society.

“Tae Kwang ah!” I heard my mother’s voice, prompting me to turn around from the front desk. A genuine smile spread from my lips at the sight of my mother walking toward me.

“Please sign here and here. This is your prescription for the pharmacist.” The nurse handed me the slip of paper while my mother signed my discharge papers. This was the first time I didn’t have to sign my own papers. I’ve always come alone to the hospital, dragging my exhausted self to see Dr. Ji and passing by all of the other patients who had family members nursing them by their side.  

“Your father is at work, so I made some time to see you. How are you feeling, Tae Kwang ah?”  

“I’m not at risk for an episode anymore and I’m doing much better.” Due to the nurses controlling my medicine intake and side effects, I at least had the security of knowing that the side effects wouldn’t hinder me once I left their watchful monitoring.  

The fact that my mom was driving me home was utterly foreign to me. Ever since I was a young kid, my driver would drive me everywhere. I glanced at my mom with fascination at the situation occurring right before me. The awkward silences weren’t too difficult when I knew that the awkwardness would fade away once time passed and our relationship fortified. Parking in front of my residence, the car came to a stop.  

“Thank you for growing up so well without me, my son. I’m sorry I couldn’t be a better mother to you.” I was rendered speechless on the spot as I felt my mother’s hand my hair just like she used to while lulling me to sleep.

I waved goodbye to the car as she drove off with a soft smile on my lips, assured that things from now on would only become better. I now only had the future to look forward to.

“Hyung! Can I come over?” With that said I was trying to walk through the halls of my high school during its traffic jam, which I most notably remember as lunch- time. All of the students were running out of their classrooms and towards the cafeteria past me. “Hyung!” I exclaimed, upon seeing my past homeroom teacher cleaning up the classroom.

“Tae Kwang ah! What happened?” His elated expressions turned grim the second he discerned the injuries on my right hand.

“I just got discharged from the hospital an hour ago.” I revealed, then going on to explain him how much occurred within the past three weeks.

“How are you now? How are things between you and your father?”  Were the questions that spilled from his lips after I finished telling him the events that took place.

“I’m doing much better. Just a bit anxious about returning to school. I finally had the chance to talk to my dad and we finally had a heart to heart conversation during the family counseling sessions. Now I only have my future to focus on.” I managed a soft smile, assuring my concerned homeroom teacher.

“Didn’t you say that you wanted to enroll into the police academy? How are you going to proceed with that?”

“I have to fold that dream up. There’s no way I would pass the psych evaluation for that, so I’m just wondering what my next step will be from here on out.” Despite what the nurses and doctors told me while I was admitted, the reality was that mental disorders do indeed hinder our daily lives and responsibilities. Therefore all I could do was do my best and manage my disorder earnestly.

“How about being a teacher’s assistant for me? You would build up experience and if you like, you could teach later on.” I was surprised by the suggestion. I definitely wasn’t the ideal student back in high school and the thought of teaching other high sc