“You are part of a puzzle of someone’s life. You may never know where you fill but always remember that someone’s life may not be completed without you…”

Dear Diary,

How long has it been? 10 years? To be exact it was 10 years 4 months and 28 days. Is that considered a long time? No, it was just a short moment compared to the promise we made for each other. She used to say forever is a very long time. No, it was not long enough if she asks me again. I became greedier now. I want something more, more than forever. I want to be with her for endless time, for eternity.

Everything just happened so fast, as if it was yesterday. The day when we first met, the day when I first held her in my arms, the day when I first kissed that soft lips, the day when she was officially mine, the day when we met again. Everything just felt like yesterday.

When I looked at both of them laying weakly on the hospital bed, my heart was bleeding so badly. The pain I was feeling inside was nothing less than the one they were feeling outside. If I could replace them to suffer all those pain, I wouldn’t think twice to take their place. Everyone said I was smart and incredible to find a way to save So Won but the real hero was her, not me. Now I can finally understand the saying of ‘mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.’ And this strong woman is the love of my life, my wife.

Love,

Min Ho

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“Yah, Park So Won. How many times I have to tell you not to run?” Park Shin Hye shouted at her daughter from behind as she stepped out of Min Ho’s car.

So Won who was running towards Lee’s mansion, turned around and was now walking backwards looking at her mother with a cheeky expression. “Eomma have a very bad memory. I’m Lee So Won now. And I’m fully recovered. I can run now.” She stuck her tongue out as she continued to run towards the garden.

“Yah! You better…” Shin Hye stopped mid-sentence when she felt Min Ho held her hands in his.

Min Ho chuckled. “Today is her celebration party. Just let her enjoy. She has been so sad since she know Hae Won passed away.”

Shin Hye turned to him, glaring at him.

“What? I didn’t do anything.” Min Ho said.

“You and your daughter, you two always gang up on me.” Shin Hye pulled her hand away as she crossed her arms, looking angry.

Min Ho stopped his steps, pulled her around to face him. He tucked the loose strands of her hair behind her ear and smiled. “We just like to tease you because you always look so cute when you are angry.” He leaned down and peck on her cheek. “You know we love you.” He lifted his hand up and gently caressed her cheek, looking at her lovingly. “You are So Won’s hero, our hero.” He leaned down again and this time he kissed her lips.

Shin Hye’s lips curled into a sweet smile as she closed her eyes, enjoying the lovely moment she have with him.

“Oh my god! Please get a room you two.”

Shin Hye quickly pulled away from Min Ho and turned to the voice behind them. She looked down and smiled with blush when she saw Song Joong Ki and Moon Chae Won walking towards them.

Min Ho wrapped his arm securely around Shin Hye waist and smirked. “Wae? Jealous? Then two of you should try to be together and become like us.” He teased them.

Chae Won sneered at him. “Stop being ridiculous.”

Shin Hye laughed softly before looking at them. “Why are you two together again? You can’t blame us to feel suspicious because we always see both of you together.”

“Something was wrong with her car so she called me to fetch her. What are you two thinking?” Song Joong Ki said, looking embarrassed.

“Omo. Are you blushing?” Shin Hye asked, smiling cheekily. “I’m still very curious where you guys went during our wedding in Italy. After the wedding reception, both of you were disappeared.”

Joong Ki cleared his throat and looked away, trying to avoid their gaze. Just then, four of them turned around when someone running towards them.

“Doctor Song, Chae Won ahjuhma.” So Won ran over and smiled at them.

“Aish… your daughter.” Chae Won glared at Min Ho and Shin Hye before she kneeled down in front of So Won and pinched her cheek. “Yah, Lee So Won. How many time I need to remind you that you have to call me Chae Won eonnie. Ahjuhma is for those old women, okay.”

“But you are same age as appa and eomma. It’s weird to call you eonnie. I feel better to call you ahjuhma.” So Won said.

“You try to call me ahjuhma again and I’m going to throw you into the swimming pool later.” Chae Won threatened her.

So Won stuck her tongue out and smiled sweetly at her. “I’m healthy and strong now. You can’t push me like last time and you can’t catch me because I can run very fast.” She said as she started to run away from her. Chae Won quickly stood up and chased behind her. “You wait and see.”

Min Ho, Shin Hye and Joong Ki laughed loudly looking at them.

Joong Ki turned to them and asked. “How’s So Won now? Do you still need to bring her back to see Doctor Sodani?”

“No need. So Won just had another bone marrow engraftment test 2 months ago and the report is fine. No late rejection or complication. Doctor Sodani confirmed that she is fully recovered from thalassemia.” Min Ho said with a relieved expression.

Joong Ki nodded his head and smiled at Shin Hye. “We had been looking around the world for the match bone marrow for So Won but at last, you are the one who donate and saved your daughter.”

“Thank you so much for being there with us for this long journey. Without you, we wouldn’t survive.” Shin Hye said gratefully.

Joong Ki laughed. “You should thank your husband. He went to India and Italy himself just to look for Doctor Sodani and check the situation there. He didn’t give up even for one second to find a way to save So Won.”

Shin Hye looked at Min Ho and smiled. “Thank you.”

Min Ho leaned down and kissed her hair. “I promised I will not let anything happen to So Won. I have to keep my word.” He said. “Let’s go to the garden. Abeoji and eomeoni is waiting for us.” He continued as three of them walked towards the garden.

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One year ago…

“Good night, eomma. Good night, appa…” So Won uttered as her hand slowly dropped down to the side. Shin Hye tightened her arms around her daughter as she started to cry.

She looked up as she heard the sound of someone open the door outside. She gently put So Won back down on the bed and covered her with the comforter. She planted a soft kiss on her forehead before she off the light and stepped out of the room. When she made her way to the living room, she saw Min Ho standing there, looking at her. Both of their eyes were puffy and red.

Shin Hye’s tears started to roll again when Min Ho stepped forward and pulled her hard into his arms. He was hugging her very tightly as he was trying to catch his breath. His body was slightly shaking. Shin Hye’s heart started to beat very fast when she felt his wet tears on her neck. He was crying. She tried to pull away from him but he refused to let go and tightened his arms even more.

“What happened?” She asked softly as her hands his back softly trying to soothe him.

Min Ho bit his lip, trying to hold back the sobs. He took a deep breath before closing his eyes. “I found him.” He whispered.

“Found who?” Shin Hye was confused and doesn’t understand what he was talking about.

“Doctor Sodani.”

Shin Hye’s brows furrowed. “Who is Doctor Sodani?”

Min Ho sniffed and wiped his tears away before he pulled back, looking at Shin Hye. “He is a doctor from Italy and…” He paused as he smiled. “He could save So Won.”

Shin Hye’s eyes widened, looking at him in disbelief. “W-What… are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

He cupped her cheeks and looked deep into her eyes. “He can do the bone marrow transplantation for So Won.”

“But how? We still haven’t got a donor that matches So Won’s bone marrow. How can he do the transplantation?” Shin Hye don’t understand.

Min Ho took another deep breath before he explains to her. “To cure thalassemia major, we have to do BMT for the patient. And to do that, we have to find an HLA-match compatible donor. But as we know, to find a compatible bone marrow is not easy. So in year 2002, Doctor Sodani invented a new way or another cure called Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) from haploidentical mother to child using mismatch donor, in which the donor is the mother. The mother’s bone marrow has to be at least 50% identical and the fetus inherited half from mother and half from father. Feto-maternal microchimerism suggests immunological tolerance between mother and fetus. Thus, they performed a BMT from mismatched mother to thalassemia patient without an HLA-identical donor.”

“I had already sent our blood test report to him and our bone marrow is 50% identical with So Won. So he told me that it will not be a problem to do the haploidentical BMT for So Won. To minimize the risk of rejection and other complications, the first choice between father and mother is always the mother. If for any reason the mother can’t be use, then the father is the second best option. I went to Italy and India to witness myself that there were more than 50 patients fully recovered after the BMT.” Min Ho continued.

Shin Hye grasped his arms very tightly and breathing heavily. She still looked confused but at the same time there was hope in her eyes. “Although I don’t really understand what you are talking about but I just want to know one thing.”

Min Ho nodded his head. “Yes?”

“Is that mean… So Won can be cure?” She asked as her eyes reddened, her hands trembling.

“Basically yes.” He answered.

She bit her lip and swallowed hard. “My bone marrow could save her?”

Min Ho smiled as he nodded. “Yes. The first thing we need to do now is to go for another blood test and basic check-up. I have already informed Joong Ki and we will go tomorrow. It will take about 1 week for everything before we fly to Italy. For the first two months, there will be a lot of preparations to do before the BMT. They have to do cryopreservation for So Won’s bone marrow and she have to be on medication and also blood transfusion twice a week in the hospital.”

He then looked at her worriedly. “However, in order to get your bone marrow, they have to insert a sterile tube into one of the large veins. Although the risk of serious side effect is low but there might be a possibility of complication. Another potential risk is the grow factor injection. This injection makes your bone marrow grow many more stem cells than normal. These extra stem cells spill over into the bloodstream and then are collected by a machine. They are frozen and kept until the BMT. You will need to have this injection for 4-5 days before the BMT.” He caressed her cheeks as he sighed. “Are you scared?”

Shin Hye shook her head. “If this way could help to cure So Won, I won’t scare of anything.” She said as more tears welled in her eyes.

Min Ho wiped her tears away and kissed her eyes softly. “We will need to be in Italy for at least 6 months to one year. So Won will need to undergo a lot of procedures and the chemotherapy to remove her existing bone marrow will be painful and have side effects. The journey will be very long and hard. We have to be very strong for the whole process. There might be a risk of rejection and other complications that we have to prepare ourselves to face it.” He looked at her again. “Can you do that?”

Shin Hye nodded her head slowly. “With you by my side, I can.”

Min Ho pulled her into his embrace again. He inhaled deeply into her sweet scent to calm himself. “To be honest to you, I’m very scared. I couldn’t imagine how pain my heart will be when they insert those tube into both of your bodies. If not because the risk of rejection is lower using mother’s bone marrow, I will definitely do it myself.” He closed his eyes and tightened his arms.

Shin Hye his back and let out a soft smile. “If I could manage to overcome the hardship we had in Busan for so many years, I’m sure we are strong enough to overcome this too. And now we have you.” She let out a sigh of relief. “Luckily I’m not pregnant. If not I won’t be able to be a donor.” Just then, something crossed her mind. She pulled away from him and narrowed her gaze. “When did you know about this Doctor Sodani?” She asked, looking at him suspiciously.

Min Ho looked away as he cleared his throat. “Erm… after we know about Chae Won’s bone marrow.”

“And when did you go to Italy and India? How come I didn’t know about it?” Shin Hye asked again.

“I… I went during the time where we pretended to break up and I was missing for a week without calling you. I was not in Korea.” He stuttered.

“You were looking for him and know about it all along about this method.” Shin Hye said.

Min Ho nodded and looked at her, trying to figure what she was thinking in her mind.

Shin Hye exhaled sharply as she shoot him a dagger gaze. “You said since we don’t have other choice, you are willing to try the cord blood transfusion by having another baby. All that was just a lie. From the beginning, you never plan to have another baby with me.”

Min Ho swallowed hard as he looked at her nervously. “I-It was not totally a lie. I mean… at that time I was still looking for Doctor Sodani and I still don’t know whether So Won is suitable to have the BMT or not and…”

“And what? You are always very careful and you are very smart. Before you could find Doctor Sodani and confirm anything, you wouldn’t take the risk to make me pregnant.” Shin Hye inhaled deeply. “You were just distracting me.” She bit her lip and hit him hard on his arm. “Liar!”

Min Ho let out a mischievous grin before he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “It was just a comforting lie. You were so sad at that time and I couldn’t let you know about this first before I confirm everything. I thought by saying that will make you feel better.”

Shin Hye hit his chest this time and her eyes narrowed at him again. “But how can you be so sure I won’t get pregnant? We were not using any protection.” She asked as her face reddened with blush.

Min Ho laughed softly before pulling her into his arms. “Didn’t you notice we only do it during your safe period? I didn’t touch you during your danger days.”

She creased her brows in confusion. “What safe period and what danger days?”

He laughed again as he kissed her hair. “I’m glad your brain isn’t that smart. It makes my work so much easier.”

“Yah!” Shin Hye pouted her lips as she tried to break free from him but only make him tightened his arms even more.

“Okay, I’m sorry.” He smiled in relief. “Looking at how hard and difficult I find Doctor Sodani, forgive me. Don’t be mad at me, eo?”

Shin Hye sighed softly before buried her face in the crook of his neck. She gently pressed her lips on his neck and smiled. “Thank you.”

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Rome (Italy), Day 1…

“So Won-ah, how are you feeling? Is that very painful?” Shin Hye asked worriedly looking at her weak and pale daughter. They just reached Italy yesterday and today were the first day they went to the hospital and started with the autologous stem cell transplantation, a procedure to remove So Won’s existing bone marrow for cryopreservation.

So Won forced a smile and shook her head slowly. “Not very painful. Just a little bit more painful than blood transfusion.”

Min Ho caressed her tiny cheek and assured her with a smile. “Don’t worry, baby girl. Appa and eomma will bring you back to gomo’s house after you feel better. We don’t need to stay in the hospital today. We just need to come back again 3 days later for blood transfusion. Gomo have prepared a very cozy and nice room for you.”

So Won smiled as she nodded weakly.

Min Ho turned to Shin Hye and squeezed her hand softly. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

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Rome (Trevi Fountain), Day 59…

“Wahhh... this is so beautiful.” So Won looked at the fountain with her eyes widened.

Min Ho smiled as he squatted beside his daughter and looked at the big fountain in front of them. “This is called the Trevi Fountain. It’s very famous and most of the tourists who came to Rome will surely come here to toss a coin.”

So Won looked at her father curiously. “Toss a coin?”

Min Ho nodded. “There are two superstitious legends that people here believe that throwing coins into the fountain from your right hand backwards over your left shoulder will definitely bring you back to Rome again. The second legend that was inspired by a film name ‘Three Coins in the Trevi Fountain’, which says you must throw three coins into the fountain, the first guarantees your return to Rome, the second leads to a new romance, while the third will lead to a marriage.”

So Won’s eyes were shining in curiosity as she turned to her mother. “Eomma, should we toss a coin too? Rome is a very beautiful place. I want to come back again when I’m fully recovered and healthy.”

Shin Hye smiled as she kneeled down beside them and took 3 coins out from her bag. She handed it to So Won and Min Ho. “Of course.”

Three of them stood up together and turned around with their back facing the fountain, holding the coin with their right hand.

“Ready?” Min Ho asked.

“Yes.” Shin Hye and So Won answered together.

“Okay. One, two, three.” Three of them tossed the coins over their left shoulders and turned back around after that.

So Won clapped her hand happily before she looked at her parents and smiled. “We will come back again together.”

Min Ho nodded. “Yes, we will come back again together.” He touched her cheek gently. “You will be admitted into the hospital tomorrow and get ready for the bone marrow infusion. You will be healthy again and live a normal life after the transplantation. Appa promise you that we will stand here again together, smiling happily.” He smiled as he held her hand and wrapped his other hand around Shin Hye’s shoulder, looking at the fountain.  

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Rome, Day 65…

“Are you okay? Do you feel anywhere uncomfortable or pain? I can tell the doctor and give you some medicine for it.” Min Ho sat beside Shin Hye’s bed, looking worried. His heart was broken into pieces when he saw the doctor insert the tube in between her neck and her collarbone to get her bone marrow.

Shin Hye shook her head softly. “I just feel a bit of nausea.”

“It’s normal. You will feel better in few hours later.” Min Ho said as he caressed her forehead.

“How’s So Won?” She asked.

“She is fine. She just has the blood transfusion and she is sleeping. Don’t worry about her. The doctor and nurses will monitor her condition.” He replied.

Shin Hye nodded. “Just another 6 days before the BMT. I hope everything will be fine. I hope my bone marrow really can save her.”

Min Ho leaned down and kissed her forehead tenderly. “She will be okay. Doctor Sodani said the success rate is very high. He is very confident.” He said as he s