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Mi Eun’s face flushed red as she curled into a ball beside me in her bed. MinKyeong had just gone to sleep when Mi Eun came to me with a searing pain in her head and nausea. Pulling myself out of the bed again, I carried her in my arms when the heat I felt from her body shocked me. Instinctively, I brought my palm up to her forehead. It was burning. Not wanting to startle her mother and brother just yet, I quickly carried her out of the room into the living room and laid her on the sofa. I rush to get her a wet towel to bring her temperature down before I decide if we had to go to the hospital.

“Is it because of the cold wind from earlier?” I asked myself as I mentally scolded myself for not bringing an extra coat for them and allowing them to play in the cold. Carefully I placed the cold towel on her forehead, causing her to whine from the discomfort. “Mi Eun uh, you have to keep this on so that you can get better.” I whispered, careful not to wake anyone. When her whining wouldn’t stop, I took her in my arms where she rested on my shoulder and drifted in and out of sleep.

By 4am, her fever persisted so I went to wake MinKyeong who immediately insisted we go to the hospital. Knowing her own condition, she suggested staying at home with JunHyun while I took Mi Eun to the hospital.

I had thought the 25 minute drive there was long and painful. Watching the remaining color drain from her face and her breathing becomes short and effortful while there was nothing I could do except try to speed up, secretly hoping there are no speed cameras around the area. But what truly hurts was the 2 hour wait at the hospital before Mi Eun could finally see the doctor. She was obviously in so much pain but no one did anything about it except give her a blanket and repeatedly remind us that Mi Eun’s situation doesn’t call for an emergency consultation with the doctor as it was only a cold. If it weren’t for Mi Eun lying on my chest, her eyes seemingly forcefully shut close, I would have got up pushed my way in screaming “WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS ISNT AN EMERGENCY?! IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE? SHE CAN’T BREATHE!” instead, I suppressed my anger and hugged Mi Eun tightly, hoping that it gives her more warmth and most importantly comfort.

That couple of hours we had to wait I consistently paced around the waiting area, Mi Eun’s body pressed onto my body and arms clung on my neck tightly. It made me feel like I had the whole world in my arms, pressurizing but heart-warming at the same time. When was the last time I held her in my arms like this? When was it that she had grown? When was the last time I said ‘I love you’ to her? All these came crashing down on me in an instant and I realized how although I am always by my children’s side, I have neglected them emotionally. A whine escaped from Mi Eun and I immediately brought my other arm up and patted her back lightly, not forgetting to make my footsteps a little bouncier as though it could take away her discomfort just like that.

I remembered 2 years back when a distressed and panicky MinKyeong called me while I was working overtime at the company on my new song, her voice muffled as she (almost) begged for me to meet her at the same hospital because JunHyun was turning blue from his fever and he could barely breathe. I hopped into my car immediately and arrived at the hospital minutes later, only to find JunHyun being wheeled into the emergency room while an anxious MinKyeong shuffled to and fro outside, barefooted, and only a measly old coat drapped over her body with a pair of old jeans. Unable to comprehend what had just happened, I stared at her now bright red foot and flushed cheeks before asking her. It turns out that in her state of panic, she rushed out of the house on a winter night barefooted, and while JunHyun was feeling cold, she took off whatever she could and gave it to keep him warm. I almost could not believe what I had just heard. Seeing how she shivered from the cold and nervousness itself, I embraced her and she finally broke down.

It was probably that incident that made me realize how capable MinKyeong was as a mother. Not every mother in the world knew how to be a mother, but MinKyeong had definitely showed me what parenthood was all about. Love… and sacrifice.

It was probably the third, fourth… or maybe hundredth time the nurse called out “Parent of Jo Mi Eun!” for her to have that annoyed and scary expression when I finally reacted and rushed towards the counter, trying to wipe away the sleepiness from my face. I collected the medication while balancing Mi Eun who has long been knocked out in my arms from the jab she took while seeing the doctor an hour ago. “She doesn’t have to stay overnight in the hospital but should her condition not improve 3 days from now, bring her in again,” the nurse advised. Heaving a sigh of relief, I thanked the nurse and we finally made our way to the car. By now, the sun has already risen and the sky was tinted a light shade of coral. Unlike last night, where the mood seemed dead and the weather was turbulent, it felt lighter and more refreshing today, whether it is from the weather or the relief. All I know is we are finally on our way home and nothing could feel better than that.

The moment I pressed on the buttons on the main door, shufflings could be heard from inside the house. Before I could even push open the door, a half asleep JunHyun opened it and stared at me. “How is Mi Eun? Is she very sick?” he questioned like a worried mother, making me chuckle.

“She’s fine she just needs more rest and medication and before you know it she’ll be up and jumping again,” I said, and I saw MinKyeong and JunHyun’s shoulders dropped simultaneously. I looked behind JunHyun and there was MinKyeong, her face almost pale, probably from worry and her legs forcefully withstanding the weight of her body. Flashing a smile at Min Kyeong, I reassured her that Mi Eun was fine and that there was nothing much to worry over. Turning back to JunHyun who was still staring at me blankly, I ruffled his hair before suggesting, “how about you help Appa put her into her bed to rest?”. He nodded and enthusiastically rushed towards the room while I followed closely behind.

I placed Mi Eun carefully on her bed and her brother hopped on as well, carefully pulling on the blanket up to her neck. Just as I pushed her hair out of her face, glad that she was feeling better again, I heard a soft voice coming from the door. There stood MinKyeong as she mumbled “she’s alright…” before she crashed her body onto the floor with a thud, her body lying there motionlessly. My eyes widened and I could feel my heart drop for a moment. Before I could process anything, blood flowed from under her head and JunHyun let out a piercing scream, his words muffled by his tears while I sat and stare at MinKyeong, unable to believe what had just happened before my own eyes… 

Hey guys! We are so sorry for not updating in such a long time. Here's a chapter for you guys and thank you all for being patient with us. We had been really busy with a lot of things so it was a little hard to actually have time to sit down and write. I hope this chapter hasn't disappointed you. Do comment and subscribe ! we will try our best to update one more chapter tonight, if not, by the end of the week. Thank y ou all once again. We hope everyone has been healthy ans well :) 

Love, 

YooGeum <3