“Mum, you’re going to work again?” Paris whines, watching her mother putting her ID card and stethoscope into her bag.   Amber simply hums. “I have a roster, remember?”   Amber has moved her night shift to an afternoon one for their flight to South Korea tomorrow morning at 02:00, if the plane is not delayed. Paris has suggested her to take a day off, however her mother insists on going to work.   “But we’re going to Korea tonight!” In her mind, if she is still awake, the day is not over yet.   Amber exhales. “Don’t worry, we have enough time! I’ll be back before 23:00 and get ready to leave to the airport straight away. The flight is at 02:00, you better get some sleep, Missy!”   Paris sighs inwards. She is ecstatic that she finally gets to go to Korea, or another country besides France and Australia; and to top it all off, she would be seeing her father again. However, her workaholic mother doesn’t seem too happy; in fact, just like how she has been in the past few weeks, she seems extremely exhausted. Eye-bags are forming underneath her eyes and it is only her make up that covers it all in front of her co-workers. Paris gets lonely sometimes; it has been the most boring holiday ever, but to be honest, having Henry around changes everything. At least, she won’t be bored on some days when her mother goes to work and returns home to catch up on sleep. She hardly gets to see the city of Paris until Henry decides to take her out.   She feels like her mother’s recent behaviour is far from healthy; and by this, she means a completely different routine to the one she used to have, before her father came back, not because she is ill. Amber does not talk about the day when she had cried in her embrace, the day she got the tattoo, or anything related to what had happened when her father was around. She avoids any topic regarding her father and makes Paris answer the phone calls. If Paris isn’t around, she would ignore it and move on.   A thud sound takes Paris out of her reverie. When she turns to the vanity mirror, where her mother has been standing just two seconds ago, her heart skips a beat seeing her mother has dropped unconscious on the carpet floor.   “Mum!”   Her panic scream brings Henry into the room. “Paris, what- Oh God, Amber!”   He slides his arm under her neck and the other arm underneath her legs to carry her to her bed. He quickly checks whether Amber is still breathing and places his hand on her forehead to assess whether he could find out what is happening. She seems fine and Henry reassures Paris that her mother is okay. “She is probably just tired, Paris.”   Paris bites her lower lip, not really listening to Henry. She squeezes her mother’s hand and prays inside, Please, please, let everything be okay.   Henry proceeds to make a phone call to the hospital to inform them that Amber is not in a very good condition to attend her shift today and that he would be willing to cover for her. He immediately gets ready to his work clothes, a plain blue shirt and navy pants. He enters Amber’s room to bid her little girl farewell, but finds Amber waking up. He runs to the side of the bed and helps her sit up. She creases her brows and flutters her eyes open. Her hand makes its way to her temple and she sighs.   “What happened?” she asks in a whisper.   “You fainted, Mumma,” Paris answers, her eyes and forehead are etched with concern.   Amber groans. She looks up at the clock, gasps, “I’m almost late for work”, and makes a move to dismount her bed.   Henry halts her, “Don’t worry about it! I’m covering for you. They already know.”   She regards in disbelief. “Henry, you didn’t have to do that.”   “What, with you already unconscious? Don’t kid me, Amber! You need to rest! Can’t you see Paris worrying about you?” he reprimands her and tilts his head at Paris, who is kneeling on the bed next to Amber.   Amber turns and gazes her little girl. She pulls her into her embrace and plants a kiss on her forehead. She sighs, at the same time realising that she hasn’t done it for a long time. She always kisses Paris before she goes to bed, but lately, no because before Paris goes to bed, she would have to leave for her night shift. Her heart aches thinking she has neglected the most important person in her life.   “I’m sorry I made you worry.”   “I’ll be back by 23:00 and I’ll take you to the airport.”   Amber finally agrees to stay home and lets Henry do her shift today. It allows her time to have a nap and sleep with Paris, after what seems like a long, long time.   “Mum, Henry likes you, doesn’t he?”   As they lie there on the bed in the darkness, Amber could not hide her surprise. “Why do you ask?”   “He treats you differently to how he treats Jack and the way he flirts with you.”   Amber bites her lip to keep from laughing out loud. “Do you not like it?”   “No!” she enunciates indignantly.   “Why? Are you jealous?”   “Because he is not Dad.”   “I thought you said you don’t feel close enough to your Dad. You’re closer to Sung Yeol and Henry; shouldn’t they make you comfortable?” she wonders.   “It’s just wrong!” Paris insists. “Dad is Dad. They are them.”   Amber sighs, wondering how Paris would accept Sung Yeol if she ends up being with him when this is all over. But knowing Paris, she would warm up to the idea when she gets used to it.

 

∞

 

When Amber and Paris arrive in Seoul, Sung Yeol and Myung Soo pick them up from the airport. Amber avoids any eye contact with Myung Soo and silently relieves a sigh of relief when Paris does all the chatting for her. When he asks how she has been, she only answers briefly and occupies herself with the luggage, Paris’ messy ponytail, or her mobile. Myung Soo obviously knows that she is trying to avoid him, but he decides to let her be for the time being. He goes to fetch his car, leaving the ladies with Sung Yeol.   “So, how are you, Am?”   As always, Sung Yeol’s exuberant succeeds in lifting up her mood, slightly. She lets out a small smile. “Alright. How about you?”   “Alright too. So, we’ll go home tonight as it is almost 23:00 already and we’ll go to the hospital tomorrow.”   She could have gotten an afternoon or evening flight, but unfortunately they are either booked or too expensive. Hence, she has no choice but to make Paris stay awake at midnight for their flight. It takes about 11 hours and 45 minutes to get to Seoul and by the time they arrive, it is very late into the night in South Korea.   “How’s Aunty Hyun Ah?” Paris suddenly inquires. They have been telling her that her Aunty Hyun Ah is “very, very sick” and she understands that the purpose of this trip is to see her (finally meet her, for Paris personally) because she is getting weaker and weaker by day.   Sung Yeol smiles at her concern and pats her hair. “She is… surviving.” That is the best answer he could come up with. He catches Amber’s eyes and shrugs. “Apart from the constant vomiting after chemo., I think she is being a brave girl than what she actually is. She is… losing her hair too-”   Seeing Sung Yeol almost chokes at this, Amber cannot help but pulls him into a comforting hug; just like those times when he had consoled her for missing Myung Soo. She rubs his back soothingly and tightens her hug, to tell him that she is there, for him, always.   Sung Yeol grins. “I’m okay. I have to be strong for her, right?”   Amber wants to ask how Myung Soo is dealing with it, and whether they still talk about ‘the wedding’, but decides that it’s better not to know, before her fragile heart breaks again.   Hearing someone clearing their throat, they separate and find Myung Soo glaring at them. Paris stares at Myung Soo and Amber back and forth, and before the tense atmosphere could ensue, she grabs her mother’s hand and pulls her to the car.   “Mum, look! Dad has a nice car!”   Sung Yeol diverts his vision from Myung Soo to the luggage, not wanting to argue at all at this late of a time.

 

∞

 

Amber is awake by 08:00. Seoul is seven hours ahead of Toulouse and it is about 01:00 over there when she stirs awake. The reason could simply be because she is so used to night shifts, but the actual reason is the dream she has been having in the past few days has come again last night. She could not believe she could have such an intense dream about the man she has decided to forget; it is all the same, featuring them making love to each other, just how they used to ten years ago in the city of Paris. She is also embarrassed because she doesn’t feel right to have such dreams.   When she decides to get up, Paris remains sound asleep and she lets her little girl be. Amber proceeds to shower and prepares for her first visit to the hospital to see Hyun Ah. She then goes to have breakfast in the dining room. Last night, Sung Yeol has showed her around briefly while Paris occupies Myung Soo’s attention. Sung Yeol has let her know where she could find cereal, bread, jam, nutella, peanut butter, egg, etcetera. Thus, this morning, she doesn’t need to wake him (or Myung Soo—which she refuses to acknowledge) up