27. 21907 DAYS

It was a busy week for us. I filled up most of my tuition time roster with students by the end of the week. The subject most in demand was English. I had a lot of six and seven years old students whose parents wanted them to become proficient in English speaking skills. With the parents’ permission I divided them into two groups to maximize my earnings in lesser time. The parents were happy too as group tuition cost them marginally less. I slotted other subjects for the remaining time. I even had a high school student for Biology. He was Soo’s classmate. If things went well, I’d be earning more than I had in the past.

Puppy’s shift changed and he began going to the station at night. I got to meet him only after my return from school. I felt strange sleeping alone again at night. Within a few days I’d become used to sleeping with his arms around me. I missed our whispered conversations too. Puppy was also sad and complained the same thing to me one day. He was waiting for Monday with great anticipation.

Minki was the most excited. Imo got her admitted into the Kindergarten in her school. After a long discussion with everyone, I’d given in and agreed to let her study in imo’s school. Pride had its place but if Minki could get good education at low cost, I was willing to forgo my pride for it. We had faced problem in administrative paperwork. But a private word of umma and imo with their uncle had smoothened out the process for us. He called Minki and me to meet him too. On paper, she was shown as my adoptive daughter with no mention of Minho. With Minki’s school admission, one of my main silent worries was resolved with the least amount of fuss.

Oh yes, a little fuss and drama was presented by Kibum and Taemin. They were unhappy with umma for not helping Jongin get in the same school. From unhappiness, it turned to a matter of pride that Jongin’s admission in school was without anyone’s help. I wondered aloud to puppy about this silliness. He told me to ignore their reactions. I laughed and told him I had already done that.

It feels good to share things with u

I like it when u do it

I hav been silent abt my feeling too long. Makes me happy to talk them out with u

Anything yeobo anytime

“Would you two stop texting each other? You are sitting only two feet away from each other.” Imo was exasperated at our new habit of talking through texts.

How could we explain to her that with puppy’s night shift we had zero alone time and texting was our only way to have a private conversation?

On Saturday night we got our first chance to talk alone. He was off from work that night. All of us went out for a dinner and a late night movie. On returning, everyone slept within a short time.

Puppy carried a sleeping Minki and tucked her in on one side of the bed. I closed the door, took out our night clothes and switched off the lights. Puppy moved to stand next to me and embraced me.

“I missed you so much yeobo.”

“It feels so good to be in your arms again. Let me change then we can sleep.”

He ed my shirt. Thankfully, that’s all he did. Just one more day and we knew we could wait another day. Monday was just round the corner.

He switched on a small night lamp that we had purchased for our room. He began rifling through my winter clothes. He must have found what he was looking for as he was all lit up when he turned to face me again.

He took my right hand and put a silver band on my little finger. “Lee Jinki I promise to live and die with you. You are my destiny and I will always love you.”

I looked at him and at my hand and him again. I was confused and shocked. What was the meaning of this?

“Jonghyun what is this?”

He pecked my lips and showed me a second identical ring. “Yeobo, I got matching destiny rings for us. See there is the red thread running on the inside of the ring. Please wear it for me. I know our love does not need any external symbol. But personally it makes me feel great that we’d wear these rings whose significance is known only to the two of us.”

I took his ring from him and put it on his right little finger. “Kim Jonghyun, you silly crazy puppy, I accept you as my destiny. And even God cannot save you if I ever find you breaking any of your promises to me and Minki. I will break every bone in your body and then slowly kill you. Of course, I will die with you because I love you too much to live without you in my life. Even in afterlife you will not be safe from me for taking me away too soon from Minki.” I pecked his lips to seal my promises to him.

He started laughing at my promises to him. Soon we were both trying to control our laughter from waking up Minki and others. He turned off the night lamp and we cuddled and slept. We had privately celebrated the first week of our life together.

Sunday night, he left for the station. I was not feeling well. My guts were all twisted up in knots again. He texted me from there.

Yeobo only a few hours more.

erted puppy. Concentrate on your work.

Slow night yeobo. Counting hours n minutes

How many left

Too many yeobo

Won’t u hav food first

No food only my yeobo

Then I will need to make sure u don’t go hungry

Love u yeobo

Ditto keep safe

I dozed off with the uneasy feeling persisting inside me. A sudden loud crack of lightning woke me up. I checked through the window to see a thunderstorm building up. I messaged puppy.

u ok?

Yes yeobo. On road. U tuck up well. Theres a thunderstorm.

Keep safe. Love u lots.

Lv u 2 yeobo kiss 2 u n minx

Kiss bk

Bye 4 now

I didn’t answer back. His bye signaled he was busy for further texting. It was just past midnight. I my destiny band. Puppy knew my tastes well and had gotten a plain band. I was still wearing my destiny bracelet. Puppy had turned me superstitious with his talks of destiny strings. I the light and read a book. I didn’t know when I fell asleep again with the book still in my hand.

My ringing phone woke me up.

“Hello puppy!” I sleepily answered.

“Is this Jinki ssi?”

“Yes.” I was wide awake suddenly.

“Lee Jinki-ssi?”

“Yes. Who are you? Why are you calling me at this time?”

“You need to come to KNU hospital immediately to sign surgery consent for Officer Kim Jonghyun. You are his next of kin in the department papers. Without your consent he cannot be operated upon. Please hurry.”

“I am coming.”

I called loudly for uncle to wake up. I didn’t care who else I woke up in the house.

“Uncle, wake up. You need to drive me to KNU hospital. Jonghyun needs me. He is injured. Please hurry.” I quickly threw on my clothes as I explained to uncle. Imo came to my room as I pocketed my phone and wallet. I kissed sleeping Minki.

“Imo we are going to the hospital. Please take care of Minki. My puppy needs me. He is injured.” I explained while wearing my shoes.

She began crying as I told her. Within two minutes we were out of the house. Uncle and I ran to the car and he drove like a maniac to the hospital. I kept praying to every God I could think of. As we reached the hospital, we saw Jonghyun brought out from the ambulance that had arrived at the same time. I got down and uncle went to park the car.

I tried to control my reaction to go to him first. Priority was to sign the surgery forms to get him the required treatment. I loudly announced, “I am Lee Jinki to sign papers for Kim Jonghyun.” Papers were into my hand and I was guided where to sign them. I quickly did as told.

I ran along with the gurney as Jonghyun was taken straight to the surgical unit. There was a nurse sitting on top of his body on the gurney giving him chest massage while another gave him oxygen. Both were counting. They were giving him CPR.

Puppy’s chest was covered with blood but I could clearly see many holes in the uniform on his upper chest. His eyes were closed and his face pale. He was not moving at all. I was stopped outside the surgery area and guided to the waiting lounge. I sat down numbly with my head in my hands and gave way to my tears for the first time since my phone rang.

My puppy had multiple gunshot wounds to his chest.

I don’t know for how long I sat like that. Time had lost meaning for me in the shock of puppy’s injuries. Uncle joined me. He’d stopped to talk to the police officers who had accompanied Jonghyun. He related to me what they’d told him.

Around midnight they had gone to stop a full out brawl in a local bar. A dozen policemen in total had tried to end the brawl. They were almost successful when two of the brawlers drew out guns and began shooting randomly. Four people were shot. All but Jonghyun had superficial wounds with bullets just grazing them. Jonghyun who was nearest to the first shooter was hit with the most bullets. The brawler had kept shooting at Jonghyun even after he fell down.

Jonghyun’s heart had stopped beating twice enroute to the hospital.

My tears had stopped as uncle had related the details. A nurse came and gave us a bagful of Jonghyun’s stuff that he had on him when they prepped him for surgery. I silently went through the bag. I wore my puppy’s destiny ring next to mine on my little finger. His wallet and phone I put in my pockets. I looked for and found his destiny string bracelet. I wore it on my wrist. Everything else I put back in the bag and gave to uncle with the instructions to leave them be. They might be needed later as evidence.

Uncle went to get coffee for himself. He called imo on his way to update her.

All I could think of was puppy’s promise to always be with me. I knew puppy would keep his promise. He had to keep his promise. We had just begun our life together. Minki needed him. He was a man of his words. He wouldn’t leave me. He couldn’t leave me. I promised him, “Puppy I won’t let you leave me. I won’t.”

Uncle offered me a cup on his return. I took it but couldn’t drink it. I just kept thinking of puppy. I opened puppy’s wallet. First thing I saw was a picture of me and Minki. Silly puppy, loving us so much. There was some money. There was a paper with my phone number and address, proclaiming me as his next of kin. I studied his driving license and saw his parent’s address. I wondered if anyone had thought of calling and informing them. Obviously not or they would be in the waiting lounge with me.

I had never spoken or met with his parents. I’d never thought I would meet them in a hospital and my first words to them would be of his surgery. I took out his phone and scrolled through the contact’s A list till I found his father’s number. I dialed it and waited a long time for someone to pick up.

“Hello Jongie! Why are calling at this hour of the night?”

“Hello! Am I speaking with Jonghyun’s father?”

“Yes. Who are you? Where is my son? Why are you using his phone?”

“I am Lee Jinki, friend of Jonghyun. He is in KNU hospital. He was admitted two hours ago.”

“I am on my way.”

“Right now, I am on the third floor.”

“I am coming.”

Uncle looked at me. I told him Jonghyun’s family was on their way. He agreed it was right to inform them.

We waited. There was still no news of how the surgery was progressing. I tried not to think of the number of holes that I had seen in his chest. I’d subconsciously counted them. There were five. His life’s force had been seeping out even as he was given CPR.

CPR meant his heart was not beating when he went into surgery. I got up and began walking. I couldn’t sit still.

Three times. His heart had stopped beating three times. Since the surgery was continuing, they had revived him the last time too. Had he suffered from cardiac arrest again during the surgery? It was very much possible. But revival would be easier. Chest wounds meant open chest surgery, equal to open heart surgery.

Open heart surgery brought images of open ribcage and the equipment used to cut through the sternum.

My puppy was suffering so much and I was unable to help him. I wasn’t even near him. Another thought hit me.

Heart stopping meant loss of oxygen supply to every organ of the body. Brain used 80% of our body’s oxygen. How long had the CPR continued each time? No, I shouldn’t think any of the other possibilities. I decided to focus only on healing my life, my puppy. He would be okay. He would recover. It’d take time. But he would be fine again.

I the destiny rings. We had promised to be always together. We’d be always together. We’d bring up Minki together. We’d play with our grandchildren together. We’d grow old together. We had a long life to live. We had lived only 8 days out of our lifetime.

I calculated. If we lived together for at least another 50 years, but wouldn’t 60 years be better together? I decided not to be greedy and took 50 years as our minimum life together. That was 50 times 365. That meant we had at least 18250 days of life together and we had spent only 8 days out of that. We still had a minimum of 18242 days more together. It could be another 3650 days more making it 21892 days. This was not counting our afterlife and all the other future lifetimes. I should not be greedy. I would be happy with just 18242 days.

I remembered I had forgotten all the leap years. That was another 12 days more in 50 years and 15 days in 60 years. Yes, puppy would be with me for at least 18254 more days and if I could be greedy, 21907.

I took out my phone and messaged puppy.

We’d b together for at least 18254 days n if I’m allowed to b greedy 21907

I knew puppy would like to read his messages when he was well.

I sat down next to uncle. I heard Jonghyun’s name and looked up hoping to see his surgeon. There was a middle aged couple and a tall young man at the nurse’s station.

Jonghyun’s parents had arrived.