It’s been three days since Hyun Joong had the talk with the CEO but he still has not called   Maia. He was sure now that Maia is pissed with him because he has not received any text from her. He took out his phone then started dialing her number.

“I might as well get this over with,” he thought.

Maia was sleep deprived for the past days as she kept on blaming herself for her daughter’s illness. “If we hadn’t gone to the Philippines, this wouldn’t have happened. It’s my fault. I haven’t taken care of her well enough. Please God, let her be okay, please” she kept on praying.

There was a nurse inside the room checking on Ely when her cell phone began vibrating in her pocket. She didn’t look who was calling. She didn’t care who called. All she cared about was her daughter, whose condition still hasn’t improved.

“Hello?” She said and headed out of Ely’s room.

“Maia…” a male voice greeted her.

She didn’t recognize the voice on the other line.

“Who’s calling?”

“Maia, it’s me, Hyun Joong.”

“Oh”

“Are you alright? I’m sorry I haven’t called you for the past weeks, I was very busy”

“Sure. Sure” Maia responded not paying attention to what Hyun Joong was saying.”

“Hey…” there was no response from her.

“Hey..!.” Hyun Joong called her louder. “Are you even listening to me?”

“I’m sorry Hyun. I got a lot of things on my mind right now. What was it again?”

“Nothing. Tell me first what’s wrong. You don’t seem like yourself today”.

“I don’t need for you to worry too, but Ely is in the hospital.”

“What? When? What’s wrong with her? Hyun Joong asked worried. He forgot what he was about to tell Maia but was now concerned for her daughter.

“She has Dengue. I took her to the hospital two days ago and the doctors said she has dengue fever.”

“Dengue?...What?”

“It’s an illness one gets from mosquito bite. Remember I told you that we traveled to the Philippines a week ago? She might have gotten it there.”

“Is she alright now? Can I talk to her?

“The doctors are checking on her right now.”

“Okay. Call me if you need something. We’ll talk another time.”

“Okay”

“I’ve gotta go. It’s already my scene. Hug Ely for me”

“Okay”. Then there was click at the other line.

A few more days passed and Ely’s condition has not improved. She was crying all the time and was asking for her appa.

“Shhh…Baby.” Maia kept telling her daughter. Maia’s heart bled for her daughter as Ely was still very weak and kept on crying. She was still too young to describe what she was feeling so she cried endlessly and only stopped when she got tired and fell asleep. Maia wished she was the one infected and not her. If she could only take the pain away...

She herself has not been feeling well lately because of stress and for fear of what might befall her daughter. She didn’t have someone beside her to help her with Ely and also keep her strong, and Hyun Joong was abroad and didn’t want to burden him with it.

Seeking Hyun Joong's parents for help was her next best option. Though, she was embarrassed to be disturbing them, they were the only ones who can help her. 

As soon as they heard about their granddaughter's condition, Mr. and Mrs. Kim hurriedly went to the hospital to check on Maia and Ely. They were so kind-hearted to look after her  Ely which gave Maia a chance to go back  to the apartment and pack fresh clothes and cook some homemade soup for the child.

Back at the hospital, Ely was still lying on the bed looking very weak. The sparkle in her eyes was already gone as days in the hospital has already taken its toll on her very young body. Maia and Mrs. Kim stayed with her in the hospital and never left her side. Hyun Joong called again one time and had a chance to talk with his daughter.

“Hey, princess. How are you feeling? Stop crying okay? Mom has been telling me that you keep on crying. Listen to mommy and grandma and eat a lot. I will be there with you in a few days. I love you Princess” Hyun Joong said cooing his daughter.

 He didn’t know if it helped her daughter with him talking to her but he sure knows it helped him a lot.

“I love you Appa” Ely said weakly.

“I love you very much princess”.

After the telephone conversation, Ely was able to rest a bit as Ely finally slept while nurses were constantly checking on her vital signs.

“Take a rest, Maia” Mrs. Kim told her. “You don’t look too good. Your daughter needs you and you can’t take care of her if you too get sick. It’s okay, I’m here to keep an eye for her.”

“I’m okay, omoni.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you don’t want to go home, at least lay down and sleep. I’m beginning to worry about you too.”

“Oh, alright, omoni. If something happens please tell me.” Maia said before bowing to Mrs. Kim and heading to the nearbye bed to take some rest.

Maia had no idea how tired she was because when she finally woke up, it was already dark. She thought it was around 9pm but when she looked at her watch, it read 5:00am.

“Oh my God! Have I slept that long” she said quietly and looked for Mrs. Kim, who was sleeping on the chair beside Ely. Maia felt too embarrassed at Mrs. Kim and didn’t know what to do. She went near Mrs. Kim and planned on waking her up so she would take the bed, but then hesitated because she would be disturbing her sleep. Maia decided to leave Mrs. Kim the way she was.

Maia was just finished brushing her teeth and was combing her hair when she heard Maia cry. She immediately ran to her only to find her daughter in distress.

Right during that time, Mrs. Kim woke up and asked what she would do to help.

“Please press the buzzer, omoni” Maia said panicky as she tried repositioning Ely on high backrest.

In seconds, nurses filled Ely’s room.

“What’s the matter, ma’am” muttered one of the nurses a little louder because of Ely’s crying.

“Ely!... She seems to have a hard time breathing!”Exclaimed the now panicking Maia.

Another nurse rushed out and came back with a doctor who immediately took over Ely.

“Get them out of here” commanded the doctor to one of the nurses.

“No! I…I…am a nurse too! I can help!” protested Maia as Mrs. Kim came to her side and tried calming Maia down. She tried leading her out of the room but Maia didn’t want to and kept on shouting, “My daughter needs me! My daughter needs me!”

One more nurse came to the room pulling an emergency cart.

“Could someone please tell me what’s wrong with my daughter” Maia said agitated while Mrs. Kim held onto her preventing her from rushing inside the room.

“Maia. Calm down! Let the doctors do their jobs” Mrs. Kim kept telling her. Though she remained calm, she was also very anxious about her granddaughter.

They stood there outside Ely’s room unable to do anything as they watched doctors and nurses come in and out of the room.

 Maia was crying so hard and held onto Mrs. Kim tightly. “Please let her be okay…” she said between sobs.

One doctor came out and approached them. Both women were anxiously waiting for the doctor's announcement.

“Your daughter is in grave danger. Just now, she was in respiratory distress and we need to transfer her to the ICU for close monitoring. If this condition continues, there is a slight possibility that her body might not handle such stress" the doctor stated.

“…but we’ll do the best we can to save your daughter in every way… For now the best you can do is pray for her and have some rest. We’ll update you again soon…” 

“What?!? No! This can't be happening! No…!!”

Mrs. Kim was shocked at the news but thanked the doctor. Both watched as the hospital staff transferred Ely to the Intensive Care Unit.

Mrs. Kim led Maia to the hospital’s lobby and sat there silently. Maia didn’t know what to do, what to think, or even what to feel.

“What have I done to my baby? This is all my  fault” she kept thinking.

“Hyun Joong would kill me if anything bad happens to her. What should I do? Please let her be okay”

“Maia…Shouldn’t we call Hyun Joong? I know it would be an added burden for him because of the drama but this is more important. It would greatly help Ely if he was beside her. You remember how she kept on calling her dad…” Mrs. Kim suggested.

Maia looked at her and finally said, “Okay, omoni.”

“If you can’t talk to him, I’ll be the one to call him.”

“I will call him, omoni.” She said quietly. Mrs. Kim nodded and hugged her tightly.

“Be strong. Maia…”

After the incident at the hotel a couple of days ago, Hyun Joong felt so awkward working with Yoo Mi. Yoo Mi on the other hand also behaved differently towards him. He felt she distanced herself from him and only talked to him during the shooting of their scenes.

Hyun Joong didn’t want that incident to stress him all the more though because he was already worried about his daughter. Ely’s image kept popping in his mind, which caused a lot of NGs because he forgot his lines. The director was pissed at him and shouted at him a lot of times and every time, he would say sorry. After some time of repeated “CUT!” from the director, they had a thirty-minute break to which, the director called his attention.

“I’m really sorry director. I just have a lot on my mind right now.” Hyun Joong said sincerely apologizing to the director.

“You have to do better than that. We are wasting precious time and money because of you.” The director scolded him.

“Ne. It won’t happen again.”

“Better get your act together Hyun Joong. I’m expecting a lot from you.”

“Yes, director. Thank you” he said and bowed at the director and went to his dressing room.

Once inside, he slumped himself on the sofa, his hands to his head and began massaging his temples with his eyes closed. It was a very tiring day for him. Just then, his manager came inside.

“Hey…you okay?”

“No. I want to go home.”

“What? You know you can’t do that. What’s the matter?”

“I’m tired. The drama; with Yoo Mi the other day; my daughter being sick…And I still haven’t talked to Maia…It’s really stressing me out.” Hyung, can we ask for a couple of days off? I want to visit my daughter. She’s in the hospital.”

“I don’t know, but I’ll check the schedule. Maybe we can squeeze in a day or two.”

“Thanks, hyung. I’m counting on you.”

Just then, his cellphone vibrated in his pocket.

“Speaking of which…” Hyun Joong said as he motioned his manager to look at his phone. “…A call from back home.” It was Maia.

“Hey. I was just thinking about you. What’s the matter?”

“Hyun, today…Ely…They transferred her to the Intensive Care Unit…Uhm…she couldn’t breathe…”

“What? How is she? Is she okay?”…”I’ll find the earliest flight……”Okay”…...”I got it.”

Hyun Joong ended the call, stood up, got his jacket, and hurried out of his room. His manager, not knowing what he was doing, followed him and kept on asking what was wrong. Hyun Joong ignored him and kept walking, taking long strides toward his car. His manager followed behind still trying to get his attention. The staff and the director noticed him and also kept calling after him but he ignored them all.

His manager embarrassed, smiled apologetically and bowed to the staff and the director as he also got inside Hyun Joong’s car.

Hyun Joong pressed the ignition and started backing up. He was on the road in no time and stepped on the gas, hard. He wanted to travel back to Seoul badly, and as soon as possible.

During the drive, he kept quiet despite the non-stop lecturing of his manager.

“You already got scolded by the director and now, dare do this? Do you want to get kicked--”

“My daughter might not make it.” He cut his manager short. His face was very serious and his face muscles tightened.

“Wh...What?”

“She was transferred to the ICU earlier today. Her mother just called me. The doctors told her that my daughter’s in very bad condition. She might…not make it.”

Hyun Joong’s voice broke while trying really hard to hold back his tears.

“Then, we better get you home” his manager said. “I’ll explain your situation to the production team. Do you have your bag with you?”

“Yes. It’s in the back. Thank you hyung. I’ll make it up to you someday.”

“Hey. Stay positive okay? We’ll also be praying for your daughter. Have a safe trip”

They had just reached the airport and Hyun Joong got out of the car hurriedly, got his bag and started walking. “I’ll get a booking from here. I’m going.” He said and he ran towards the entrance.

During that same time, doctors were furiously trying to save Ely who just went into shock. There was now a commotion in the ICU while doctors and nurses walked past desperately working hard to save her daughter’s life.

Maia observed helplessly and cried uncontrollably as she held her hand to trying to suppress her feelings but can’t. 

By that time, Mrs. Kim was now also crying too. Almost half an hour has passed when the doctors and nurses  stopped running to and fro.

“WWWhy are they stopping?” cried Maia who now came near the ICU.

One of the doctors came out to her.”I’m sorry Mrs. We tried our best to revive your daughter…”

“No! You’re lying right?! Right?! She shrieked as she still hasn’t grasped the realization that her daughter is now dead.

“OH my God…” Mrs Kim cried. She too was too shocked to hear the news from the doctor.

“I’m really sorry” the doctor said and then left as she signaled the other doctors and nurses to give the family a time to grieve.

Maia rushed to her daughter and hugged her tightly. She wept as Mrs. Kim wept with her. She felt she was going to die. She has never felt so much grief in her life. Of course she hurt when her parents died but they were nothing compared to what she’s feeling right now. She also wanted to die.

Mrs. Kim came to Maia’s side and stoked her back.

“Maia…I’m sorry darling…Oh, the poor thing. She’s still too young…” Mrs. Kim said crying while Ely’s cheek.

Maia lifted her face and looked straight in Mrs. Kim’s and said, “I’m sorry omoni. I’m really sorry…”

“Shhh…It’s nobody’s fault that Ely died. That’s God’s will. Ely will be our guardian angel from now on and she’ll be looking after us until we join her in the afterlife.” Mrs. Kim tried calming Maia down.

Hyun Joong finally arrived and immediately dialed Maia’s number. It was out of reach. He then tried calling her mother’s number.

“I’ve arrived. I’m going there now.”

Hyun Joong arrived at the hospital. He had a weird feeling why his mother did not tell him Ely’s room number but instead they were meeting at the hospital’s lobby. People at the hospital started turning their heads towards him and some approached him asking for an autograph or a picture.

“I’m really sorry, but I’m really in a hurry.” Hyun Joong politely apologized to the people while scanning the building for Maia and his mother. He finally spotted them and was surprised when he saw their faces. Their faces were bloated and their eyes were puffy.

“Have they been crying?” he asked himself slightly puzzled.

As Hyun Joong went up to them, it suddenly occurred to him that maybe something happened. He took longer strides and by the time he reached them, He could tell something bad happened as they both looked at him and noticed that tears welled up in their eyes anew.

“What’s wrong?!”He asked anxiously.

Neither spoke as both were crying anew. Finally, Mrs. Kim spoke.

“Son, Ely…” she couldn’t continue her sentence.

“What? What about Ely?!”

“She’s…gone…”

“Don't start playing some sick joke with me, please. I’m really tired…” he begged. but he knew his mother was telling the truth.

Maia looked at him while she was crying and shook her head. Hyun Joong stared back at her, his face drained of blood.

He stopped breathing for a moment while trying to absorb their news.

“Where is she?” he finally asked silently.

The two ladies led him to the morgue. Hyun Joong still didn’t want to feel anything; he refused to feel anything. He felt numb until he finally saw his daughter’s body.

On a table lay a body covered in white cloth. He went near it and gently pulled the cloth off. He kept wishing it not to be her Ely but as he slowly pulled down the cover, all the pent up emotions inside him, holding him back, finally exploded.

He held onto the table to keep his balance as longingly stared at her lying on the table. He held her hand and her hair as tears began flowing uncontrollably though he tried hard to control it.  His heart ached so much to see his daughter like this, lifeless. He felt a large part of him has also died. The pain in his chest was so great that he found it hard to breathe. Clutching his chest, he tried gasping for air while openly weeping for his daughter. Maia came to his side to try to comfort him but Hyun Joong shoved her hand away.

“C-can I have a m-moment alone with m-my d-daughter?” he stuttered.

 “I…I’m sorry, princess… I didn’t… catch you on time. I should’ve… come for you earlier. I… know I’m a bad… daddy for letting… you… wait… for me……”

He spent several more minutes with Ely while he talked to her daughter. When he finally came out, he came charging at Maia. His face was tight, eyes swollen but looking straight at Maia with piercing stare, his hands curled to a fist.

Maia suddenly felt afraid of Hyun Joong and she instinctively cowered and moved slightly up against a wall. He kept charging at her and when he finally reached her, slammed his fist against the concrete wall above her head. She could hear bones breaking as his fist hit the wall but she never noticed Hyun Joong wince in pain.

Mrs. Kim gasped at the sudden reaction from Hyun Joong. She seriously thought he would hit her.

Maia thought so too. Her eyes became wide and horror painted her face because she wasn’t expecting anything like this from Hyun Joong. She didn’t dare move and inch and just stared at him in disbelief and fear.

Hyun Joong towered over her, brought his face near her and scowled, “You killed my daughter. I never want to see your face again.”

Then he left.

Mrs. Kim chased after her son, leaving Maia alone, who was feeling all the more guilty.