He passed away due to cancer. The doctors were not willing to operate due to his advanced age. It was only detected recently, and by then, it had already spread to the rest of his body via the lymph nodes. We all knew it was inevitable. There was nothing anyone could do, except watch grandfather’s health decline. I didn’t get to visit grandfather three days ago. It was nearly midnight when they got the call from my uncle to rush to the hospital. Mummy and Daddy refused to let me go. It was too late, they stated, and I had school the next day.

I was only so informed the next morning when I woke up for school. However, I know, the week before that, he told my cousins and I to live life without regrets. He said that he lived a full life, and that he was happy and content. He wouldn’t have done much differently. I’m guessing that’s positive. I think.

The funeral starts today, so we, the grandchildren have to be there to attend to the guests. Which also means that I’m taking the next two days off school. Never been to a funeral before—perhaps that’s a good thing, since this is the first time I’m experiencing death and loss.

My cousins and I are reduced to tottering around serving drinks and snacks to he guests who have come to pay their last respects to grandfather. During the down time, my cousins are mostly fretting over their schoolwork. I almost feel guilty because my teachers told me to catch up when I returned to school instead. I read a book to occupy myself to reduce the awkwardness.

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“Ga In, go and bathe! You still need to wake up early tomorrow.”

“Yes Mummy!”

“Be quick about it, I don’t want to have to yank you out of bed tomorrow!”

I pick up the bottle of glue stashed away at the corner of my table, and clasp it between both hands.

I don’t deserve the praise I receive. I must stop doing things that I will regret. Let this always be a reminder.

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“Here, Ga Innie, I helped you take your worksheets,” Seungyeon says as she plops the stack of notes on the table, all with their corners coloured green, “I took the liberty to colour the corners.”

She has the strange habit of colouring the corners bigger than they need to be, because she likes colouring corners.

“I don’t really derive much pleasure from colouring corners, so thanks! And thanks for helping me collect the worksheets. Is there any homework due tomorrow?”

Seungyeon produces a piece of notepaper, “Here, the list of homework!”

“Thank you!”

“But don’t ask me for notes, because you won’t understand them!”

True statement, Seungyeon’s notes and I do not go well together. There’s something about her notes and me that just do not click.

“I’m just thinking whose notes I can borrow,” I mumble as I scan the classroom.

“You can ask Seulong, I guess? He’s been very diligent in taking notes these few days.”

I shift my chair, and poke Seulong’s shoulder. He swats me away, and leisurely digs through his no