“Shinhye.”

Mrs. Jung walks quickly to Shinhye.

“Sorry dear. I can’t make it earlier.”

“Kenchana omma. It’s not that hard to take care of Eunmi. She is a good girl.”

She said while feeding Eunmi.

“Mrs. Jung smiles.

“How is she?”

“She had gotten better from the last two days omma. She responses positively to the antibiotics.”

“Is it? That’s good.”

She sits beside Shinhye and holds her granddaughter’s hand. She then turns to Shinhye.

“Shinhye. Why do you look like this? You look so pale.”

“Nothing omma. I just didn’t get enough sleep. I’ll be okay.”

She answers with a smile.

Mrs. Jung frowns. Shinhye suffers a lot since the day she marries Yonghwa. It must be hard for a 22 years old girl like her to go through all these by herself.

“Shinhye, did he scolds or blames you?”

Shinhye shakes her head.

“Ani. Minhyuk ssi said that oppa blame himself.”

“Minhyuk?”

“Deh. He is the one who send me to the hospital.”

Mrs. Jung sighs.

“And where did Yonghwa go, not sending you to the hospital?”

Yonghwa who just arrive with his father stops on his track.

“What will she answers?”

He thinks nervously.

“Ah. Oppa went out and forgot his phone. Minhyuk ssi comes to see oppa at that time and he offers to send us.”

Yonghwa sighs in relief and walks in.

“Shinhye.”

Mr. Jung called.

“Deh appa.”

“Sorry dear. We are late. It was an important conference.”

“It’s okay appa.”

She answers with a smile.

“Eunmi is eating?”

Shinhye nods and feed the last spoon of porridge into .

Mr. Jung nods and walks to the sofa. He took the magazine on the table and read it.

“I’ll go clean this up omma.”

“Deh.”

When Shinhye walks out, Mrs. Jung stands up and turn to Yonghwa.

“Yonghwa.”

Yonghwa look at his omma.

“Is she talking the truth?”

Yonghwa furrows his eyebrows.

“About what omma?”

He asks nervously.

“Are you treating her bad again?”

Yonghwa didn’t answers. He lowered his head.

“I guess you still haven’t changes the attitude.”

Mrs. Jung shakes her head while Mr. Jung listens calmly.

“When will you change Yonghwa? I can see it from her eyes. It was full of sadness. Even she says that she was tired from having sleepless night, her faces didn’t show that. I live long enough to sense that Yonghwa. She was hurting so bad.”

Yonghwa kept his mouth shuts.

“Show her some mercy Yonghwa. You will be blessed. Show her some respect. She is a human being. Is it her fault that Yoomi betrays you? She struggles to be a good mom for your daughter. You should thanks her for that.”

Mrs. Jung put down her handbag on the table and moves nearer to Eunmi.

“Eunmi. You are a lucky creature sweetheart. You are the luckiest to get a step-mom like Shinhye.”

Yonghwa walks out from Eunmi’s room.

“I was being too much. What did Shinhye do that I make her life this hard?”

He sat on the chair outside of the room and palms his face.

"Oh God. What have I done?”

He whispers to himself.

“Yonghwa.”

Mr. Jung called while sitting on the chair next to him. Yonghwa didn’t answer. He just stares on the floor.

“Think about what your omma had said son. There is a whole truth in her words. think about Eunmi. What will happen to her if there is no Shinhye by her side. She will take longer time to cure. Maybe she won’t survive. I’m not rying to scare you son, but you know about the disease right?”

Mr. Jung sighs.

“Take your time to think about all this. Think calmly. And, do remember one thing.”

He paused. Yonghwa lifts his face and look at Mr. Jung.

Mr. Jung smile.

“Shinhye is not Yoomi.”

He pats Yonghwa’s shoulder and stands up.

“Your omma will stay here with Shinhye. I’ll be leaving now.”

“I’ll send you.”

Yonghwa wanted to stand but Mr. Jung stops him.

“No need. I had called the chauffer.”

Mr. Jung smiles and walks away.

                                                                              ***

Shinhye stares at her reflections on the mirror.

Mrs. Jung is right. Her face is pale; her skin loses its moisture. Her eye bags were obvious. There were no tints of happiness at all.

She was happy when she still in the Orphanage. She will always smile in any kind of situations. Since she married, her smiling face was replaced with tears.

She sighs for the nth time inside the washroom.

The nurse called her when she was on her way back to Eunmi’s room. when she talks with the doctor, she says that Eunmi can be discharge from hospital tomorrow.

“I have to go back living in the same roof with oppa.”

She thoughts while looking at the morror.

She washes her face and wipes it with the tissues.

“Shinhye, you still have lots of people around you that care a lot for you. Cheer up! You can do this.”

She said to herself and put a smile on her face.

She walks out of the bathroom with the smile still on her face. As she was closer to Eunmi’s room, she saw Yonghwa sitting outside of Eunmi’s room, leaning on the wall while closing his eyes.

She walks carefully to not waking him up.

“Shinhye.”

He called her in a very calm voice.

“Deh.”

She answers slowly.

“Sorry.”

“Deh?”

“I’m sorry.”

He said and walks away, far from her.

Shinhye left there staring at his back without blinking her eyes.

It was an unusual thing. Yonghwa said sorry to her. Why?

Shinhye then walks inside Eunmi’s room.

“Shinhye, let’s eat. Yonghwa had bought some snacks for us.”

Shinhye nods after she looks at Eunmi. She was sleeping. She smiles at her daughter. She will always sleep after her meal. She now sleeps more comfortably as she can breaths from her nose without the help of the tube.

“Omma, the doctor said that we can bring Eunmi home tomorrow.”

“Chinca? It’s a relief.”

Shinhye smiles.

“Stay with me for the time being. I can help you take care of Eunmi.”

“Let’s ask oppa first.”

Shinhye said in hesitant.

“I’ve told him that you will come and stay with me after Eunmi discharge and he was okay with it.”

Mrs. Jung answers with a smile.

“Okay omma.”

Shinhye answers simply. Living with Mrs. Jung is a very good idea. She won’t have to listens to Yonghwa’s hurtful words.

She smiles and enjoy the food.