gladiolus- remembrance

Recap: Myungsoo learns about Jessica's cancer, and is convinced that she's not actually mute. He switches his mother, who currently has liver cancer, and Jessica to a prestigious hospital- one that will certainly cost him money. He agrees to photograph Yoona's wedding. 

It had been a month since Myungsoo and Jessica first saw each other, and Jessica was aware that she only had five more months to live. She tried to hang on to hope that she would get the proper treatment somehow, but with the death of her aunt, she knew there would be no way for her to be able to go to America. She'd been informed that her aunt had left everything to her- which included the family florist shop and just enough money to pay for a few more medical bills.

If only Mom was alive....

Though Myungsoo was always around her, doing his very best to aid her in any way that he could, Jessica hadn't had the chance to bring up the fact that she would only live for five more months.

Liar, a voice inside her whispered. You've had plenty of opportunities to tell him. You just don't want to. 

Brushing the thought away, Jessica flipped another page in her journal, running her fingers across the stem of a pressed flower. It was a chrysanthemum, which meant "long life". Jessica smiled ruefully at the irony. Glancing at the pots of flowers by the window that Myungsoo had moved to her new hospital room, she saw that a few were starting to droop. She wanted to get up and water them, but without Myungsoo's help, movement was almost impossible. Her left leg had sustained serious injuries during the crash with a truck, and the doctors were unsure whether she would ever be able to walk with that leg again. Surprisingly, she had made fast recovery, and the doctors predicted that she would be able to walk without crutches in three to four months. Of course, Myungsoo was ecstatic when he heard the news, but Jessica only had one thing on her mind: three to four months meant that she would only be walking properly for a month. A month before she....

"Hey!" Myungsoo said, closing the hospital door behind him. "So I just went with Yoona to visit the location we had picked out for her pre-wedding photoshoot, and she loved the gladiolus flowers! Thanks for the tip," he added with a grin. Jessica smiled in response. Myungsoo's photography business had been booming, and he often had to leave after he helped her in the mornings, promising to return as soon as he could so they could have lunch, before dashing off again and returning only for dinner. 

Jessica knew that paying for such a prestigious hospital as this would require a lot of money, and even though she insisted that she try to help pay some of the bills with the money her aunt had left for her, Myungsoo always declined, stating that he could pay for it by himself. She knew that having to pay for her medical bills and his mother's would be no easy task, but it gave her comfort to know that his business was doing better. She often helped him pick out venues and the perfect flowers for each location, and was delighted to know that every client of his walked away jubilant. 

"It's been awhile since you've gone out, so I was wondering if you wanted to go to a restaurant for lunch? I checked with the doctor, he said it's fine." Nodding to signal that she agreed, Jessica reached for her crutches. Myungsoo instantly came over to help her climb down from bed, and afterward brushed the hair from her forehead aside. Jessica let out a laugh as the sudden contact tickled her, and felt Myungsoo's fingers freeze on her forehead. 

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you," he said after a short pause. "So...I wasn't sure whether to bring this up or not because I don't want to upset you, but I don't really think I can hold this in much longer. You...if you're mute, how can you laugh? I mean I know it's possible to laugh but your laughter makes...noise. It's really faint, and I know you can hear it too. So, you're not actually mute, are you? I would understand if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to explain anything-"

Jessica silenced him by placing her hand over his mouth. Sitting back down on her bed, she grabbed the notebook and pen, and began to write. She knew that he was an observant person, but she didn't know he paid that much attention to her. Of course, she could hear her laughter, and she was very well aware that it was very faint. To be able to hear you, you would really need to be paying attention. 

Mute people can still make noises, she wrote. In fact, some are even able to whisper. I'm surprised you heard me.

Myungsoo frowned as he read the note. "But your aunt mentioned that you were mute since you were seventeen- so you could speak before. What happened before that?" Jessica looked at Myungsoo, debating on whether she could confide in him at all. Finally, she grabbed the pen again and wrote. 

My Broca's Area- the part of the brain involved in speech- was injured due to cancer. Injury to the Broca's Area can cause muteness, though it's not the only cause. 

"Wait," he said, suddenly serious. He grabbed her arm and looked fiercely at her. "Part of your brain was injured due to cancer? Does that mean- does that mean you have b-brain cancer?" She placed her hand over Myungsoo's, trying to comfort him. Myungsoo slumped against the wall, trying to compose himself. "Okay," he whispered. "Okay. It's okay. You can make it. People defeat cancer all the time. You can make it. You need to go to America to get treatment, right? Alright. I'll find a way to get you there. I'll- I'll do something, okay? I'll find a way." When Jessica's stomach grumbled, he smiled a little. "But I'll find us lunch first."

"What is your relation to Jung Sooyeon?" the receptionist asked, typing away on her computer. 

"Uh," Woohyun wasn't sure how to reply. "I'm...kind of the reason she's in the hospital."

The receptionist looked up. "Could you please explain that, sir?" she asked sharply, folding her hands in front of her. 

"What I mean is, I'm the reason she got hit by a truck...I didn't try to pull her back before...before...." Woohyun ran his finger down his broken nose, remembering the face of the man who'd broken it. Woohyun felt the rush of guilt run through him again. 

Chuckling, the receptionist returned to her computer. "You're not the reason she's here, sir. There were plently of onlookers, none of them pulled her back. I suppose everyone thought there would have been enough time for her to step back by herself-"

"You don't understand," Woohyun interjected harshly. "I need to see her. I need to apologize."

"Well you're out of luck," the woman replied, checking her computer screen again. "She signed out of the hospital an hour ago."

"When will she be back?" he demanded.

"I'm not sure, but I'll tell her you stopped by. What's your name?"

"Nevermind," he muttered, walking away from the front desk. Woohyun was about to walk to his car when out of the corner of his eye, he saw an old woman clutch a hand to her chest. He immediately walked over and squatted down, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Ma'am?" he asked, scanning her face. She looked to be around her sixties. "Ma'am, are you alright?" 

The woman looked at him and nodded. "Yes, thank you, I'm fine. I'm just a little out of breath, is all. Would you please help me walk to my room? It's only a few floors up."

"It would be my pleasure," he responded, helping the woman up. "I'm Nam Woohyun, nice to meet you."

"Kim Jungmin," the lady responded with a smile. "Were you visiting someone?"

"Er, I was trying to," he said as they entered the building. "She seems to have left though."

"Ah," Jungmin nodded. "It makes you a little sick, being cooped up in here all the time. It's always nice to leave for a while, see the world again."

"Why're you here? If you don't mind me asking."

"Liver cancer," Jungmin replied with a sad sigh. "I don't know if I'll be able to make it. I really wanted to see my son get married and see my daughter graduate. She studying in China, you know," she added with a proud smile. "Always the studious one, Raina- that's my daughter's name. The other one's Myungsoo, he's a freelance photographer. He never really studied. Still, I was always proud of him for following his dreams. I wish I could live a little longer to see them grow up more...."

"I'm sure you'll be able to do that," Woohyun said, giving the woman a comforting squeeze on the arm. "You're in a really prestigious hospital, I'm sure they'll find a cure for you in no time."

Jungmin only nodded. She knew her time was running out. "Thank you for helping me," she said once they had reached her room. 

"No problem," Woohyun replied with a smile. "Should I get you some lunch?"

Jungmin smiled. "Yes, please. I'll call Myungsoo to let him know I've eaten lunch. He likes to worry."

"Alright, I'll talk to you later," Myungsoo said to his mom, ending the call. "That was my mom," he explained to Jessica, casually sliding his hand into hers. "Some guy named Woohyun just brought her lunch. I'm a little uneasy that someone we don't know is feeding my mom food but she seemed alright. Anyway, here we are."

The pair of them had arrived at the location of Yoona's pre-wedding photoshoot to give Myungsoo more advice on the flowers that he should place, and Jessica immediately got to work: she wrote down all the flowers that should be placed at precise locations, and advised him on the best way to arrange the furniture. She was arranging the order of flowers that had just arrived when she heard footsteps from the main entrance, and glanced at Myungsoo questioningly. 

"I'm not expecting anyone," he said confused, but the look of recognition immediately replaced it when he saw who walked through the door.

It was Yoona and her fiancé, Hoya. 

"Oh!" Yoona exclaimed, glancing at the pair of them. "What a surprise! I didn't expect to see you here, Myungsoo!"

"I was adding finishing touches to the studio before your photoshoot tomorrow, and Jessica's here to help."

Yoona turned and glanced at Jessica. "So you're Jessica, huh?" she asked, coming closer to her. "Myungsoo's talked a lot about you!" she added with a wink. Jessica smiled and glanced at Myungsoo- he seemed a little embarrassed. "Thank you so much for helping us choose the perfect flowers, and- wow, are you working on a new flower arrangement right now?" Jessica nodded, offering the bouquet of flowers that she was holding. "You're amazing! Hoya, come look at this!" 

Hoya walked over and, smiling, he held out his hand to Jessica. "Nice to meet you, Jessica. I'm Hoya." She shook his hand and returned the smile. 

"Jessica was helping set up the studio," Myungsoo said as he joined the three of them. "It looks much better now, doesn't it, Yoona?"

"Hmm, yes it does," she nodded admiringly at the new setup. "You should've brought her along in the first place!" She turned back to Jessica and smiled kindly. "Myungsoo told me you don't get out of the hospital much. If you have time, maybe we can go out somewhere together? The Han river is really pretty this time of the year. Oh- and don't worry about your leg, I'll help you walk."

Jessica blinked, stunned. She couldn't remember the last time she had gone out with anyone her age, and the only company she had these days was Myungsoo, the doctor, and the two nurses who attended to her. 

She felt herself smiling, and nodded, reaching out and placing a hand on Yoona's arm to show her gratitude. 

---

The next chapter will be called Lilac. Thank you!