Jin-wook got up early on Sunday morning and decided to check out the site of the building while everyone was absent. It had rained the previous night, so the weather was a bit dreary. He stepped out of his hotel and looked at the sky. “This looks nothing like a Jeju morning.” He mused. He waited a few minutes for the taxi he had called to arrive and headed for the site.

“What is this?” He exclaimed when he saw a corridor built into the building that wasn’t in the original plan. He grew angrier as he examined the building. There were many rooms that weren’t included in the original and he hated when construction workers did that. He pulled out his cellphone and without caring that it was 7:15 in the morning on a Sunday, he placed a call to the foreman.

“Yeobseyo.” The foreman said groggily, he had been awoken by his ringing phone.

“Foreman Jang, it’s me.”

“I can see that. It’s too early, what is it this time?” The man asked.

“I’m currently at the site and I am seeing some things that I didn’t expect.”

“Like what?”

“Why is there a corridor here? And what is this that looks like a cloakroom? There were none of these on the original blueprint, at least not in the places they are now.” He said trying to control the growing anger he felt.

“I have no idea what you are talking about without seeing the building. I’ll have to come in and take a look. Give me a few minutes.” The man replied and hung up.

Jin-wook walked around and realized he wouldn’t be able to go back to Seoul as soon as he expected. “Ah chincha!” He sighed.

Ha-na climbed out of bed and Su-jin shifted in her sleep to re-position herself properly because she had spent the entire night asleep in Ha-na’s arms. Ha-na patted her head and drew the blanket closer around Su-jin’s body before she headed to clean up. After cleaning up, she went into the kitchen to get breakfast started. Young-ae was in her permanent position hovered above the island in the kitchen, cross-legged as always.

“Good morning Young-aessi.” Ha-na said as she entered the kitchen. She knew by instinct that Young-ae was already there.

“You know one thing I like about being a ghost, I always look fabulous without even sleeping.” She said and laughed at herself. She floated down from above the island and wrote in the sand. “What are you doing?”

“I’m making breakfast, what does it look like?” Ha-na replied after reading the message.

“But you are never up this early, it’s only 7 am.”

“It feels different now that I have to get up early to cook for someone other than myself.”

Young-ae nodded agreeing to that. Just then, Su-jin wandered into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Good morning Unni.”

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Hmm. I was a little surprised when I woke up because I didn’t know where I was.”

“What do you want for breakfast?”

“French toast. Do you need any help?”

“No, I can handle it by myself you just go and wash up.”

“It feels so different waking up and having someone else already up before me. Normally, I’d wake up early and cook for appa and me.”

“How long have you been doing that?” Ha-na asked.

Su-jin paused as if thinking about it. “Since I was ten I think, so about four years.”

Young-ae gasped. “Oh my baby, I’m sorry about that.”

“Unni, you don’t have to look so shocked, it’s not that hard.” Su-jin laughed at Ha-na’s shocked face.

“Sorry.” Ha-na said.

“But if you marry my dad all that would change right?” Su-jin smiled mischievously.

“Go and wash up.” Ha-na said and Su-jin giggled and left the kitchen.

“I swear that child is just like me.” Young-ae said as she watched her daughter leave.   

Ha-na started to make breakfast and wonder just how Su-jin managed to get so mature for her age. She certainly wasn’t as smart or kind with her mother at that age. Just then, her cellphone rang. She glanced at the caller ID wondering who was calling her so early in the morning.

“Yeobseyo.”

“Ha-nassi, did I wake you?”

“Aniyo, I was up already, Su-jin and I are about to have breakfast. How was your trip?”

“It was fine. I’m sorry I didn’t call you yesterday like I said I would, by the time I got to my hotel I was so exhausted I had no idea when I slept.”

“It’s okay, we went to bed early too so I probably wouldn’t have been able to talk.”

“I’m afraid I’m going to be in Jeju longer than planned. I probably won’t be back till Wednesday. Do you think you can keep Su-jin till then?”

“Oh, is something wrong?”

“There’s a bit of a problem here and we need to re-work some of the designs.”

“Oh well, I love having Su-jin so I don’t mind.”

“Thank you very much.” Then there was a silence on both ends, both of them loathe to be the one to hang up first.

“Did you have breakfast yet?” Ha-na asked, breaking the silence.

“Not yet, I’ll probably catch brunch.” Jin-wook replied.

“Unni, are you sure you don’t need my help?” Su-jin asked coming back into the kitchen. She noticed Ha-na was on the phone, holding the phone between her head and shoulder and beating up some eggs.

“It’s your father.” Ha-na said and passed the phone to her.

“Appa.” Su-jin’s voice lighted up and it made Ha-na smile.

“Good morning sweetheart.” Jin-wook smiled.

“Appa, how was your trip? Are you okay? Did you have breakfast yet? Don’t tell me you’re too busy to eat.” She said quickly.

“Aigooya, are you my wife?” He laughed.

“Someone has to be.” Su-jin replied.

“I’m fine honey. And yes, right now I’m busy I just called to let Ha-nassi know that I will be later than expected.”

“Why? Is everything okay?” Su-jin asked sounding worried.

“It’s fine, just a few things that need to be corrected.”

“Arasso. Be safe and don’t skip meals, okay?”

“Neh, I understand madam.”

Su-jin smiled and passed the phone back to Ha-na.

“I have to go now, I’ll call you again.”

“Have a safe trip back, bye.” Ha-na said and hung up. She saw Su-jin smiling at her and asked, “What?”

“I like this image so much.”

“What?”

“You seem like a married couple already.”

“Let it go Kim Su-jin.”

“How are you today? You’re early.” Yoo-ah said as she walked into the office and deposited her bag in her chair. Ha-na was entering some data she had collected from a survey of their customers she had conducted when Yoo-ah walked in. “Hi. I was up early today.”

“Oh?”

“I had to make Su-jin breakfast and send her off to school. She insisted I wait at the bus stop until her bus left.”

“Su-jin? Kim Su-jin? She’s still staying at your house?”

“Eo, and she’ll be there until Wednesday when her father would be back.”

“So she made you wait at the bus stop?”

“She didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to do. It’s really different having a child around.”

“Su-jin is hardly a child and you’ve had her for only one day.” Yoo-ah scoffed as she her computer. “Do we have any early morning appointments today?”

“No, but Lee Eun-ohssi said she would be available between 3 and 5 today so we need to go over to her store and see what kind of pieces we need to get.”

“Alright, I’ll take care of that.”

“You also need to put in a call to the furniture maker, I still haven’t received the wardrobe and side tables I requested a week ago and I need them by Friday.”

Yoo-ah pulled a face, she didn’t like to talk to the furniture maker. “Why can’t you do it?”

“Because, you are the boss and you need to hold your chaebolness over him to make him work faster.”

“Aren’t we partners?”

“Nope, you boss, me lowly co-worker.” Ha-na said.

“Ugh, I hate when people don’t take their work seriously. If he wasn’t so good at his job I would change furniture makers so fast his head would spin. I tell you I give people far too many chances.” Yoo-ah complained and reached for the phone. Ha-na watched as Yoo-ah laid into the carpenter and she had to admit, her friend was scary when she needed to be.

Su-jin was walking from class to the cafeteria for lunch alone when she felt a sharp pain sear through her lower abdomen. She paused for a while until the pain went and then she continued walking. Her friend, So-ra, suddenly caught up to her and tickled her. “Ya, why didn’t you wait for me?” So-ra had been called to the teacher’s lounge for failing to turn in two home-works and not bringing her parents like she had been told.

“I’m hungry and I didn’t know how long you would be gone.” Su-jin felt another pain and doubled over waiting for it to pass again.

“Kwaenchana?” So-ra asked as she helped her friend stand up straight.

“My tummy hurts. Here.” Su-jin said indicating the part of her stomach that hurt.

“Ya, you don’t look so good and you are burning up. Come on, I’ll take you to the nurse.”

“I’m fine. I was fine this morning before I left home. It’s probably just my period.” Su-jin started to walk again but the pain came faster and more intense she gasped and doubled over.

“You’re not fine Kim Su-jin, I’m taking you to the nurse. Can you walk? If you can’t, just lean on me.” So-ra said and held Su-jin under her arm to help her along. They hadn’t moved more than five steps before Su-jin felt pain again. She cried out loud and dug her fingers into So-ra’s palm. The pain was so intense, her vision became blurry and then she fainted. So-ra quickly called for help from one of the passing male students who piggybacked Su-jin to the school clinic.

“She’s going to need to go to a hospital.” The nurse said to So-ra and their homeroom teacher, whom So-ra jad gone to get. “We need to call her parents.”

“What’s wrong with her?” So-ra asked worried for her friend and fighting back tears.

“She’s got appendicitis. From what I can see, it seems she will need to have surgery but we have to get her to a proper doctor before we can be sure.”

“Where’s her cellphone? We need to call her father.” Their teacher said and So-ra reached for Su-jin’s phone in her skirt pocket and dialed Jin-wook’s number.

“He’s not answering.” So-ra said after the phone rang and no one answered.

“Try to find someone else in her contact list.”

“Neh.” So-ra scrolled through Su-jin’s phone until she found a number stored as ‘Unni <3 <3’ she stopped and dialed the number. She wasn’t sure who it was since she knew Su-jin was an only child but she hoped it was the Unni Su-jin always talked about.

“Su-jinah.” Ha-na’s voice came clear over the phone.

“Yeobseyo, I’m Su-jin’s friend Im So-ra.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Is this Song Ha-nassi?” So-ra asked.

“Yes, is there a problem?”

“Unni, Su-jin is very sick and we need to get her to a hospital and her father isn’t answering…” So-ra started crying unable to speak anymore.

“Speak slowly and clearly so I can understand you.” Ha-na said trying to quell her growing fear.

The teacher took the phone from a sobbing So-ra and spoke. “I’m Kim Su-jin’s homeroom teacher. Su-jin is sick but we are making preparations to move her to a hospital. Please meet us there as there may be a need to fill out some forms. Everything is under control and I’m sure Su-jin will be fine, please do not panic.”

“Er…er… okay. I-I’ll meet you at the hospital.” Ha-na said and hung up.

Yoo-ah was just finishing up with a customer’s consultation and preparing to go to the Lee Eun-oh’s store when Ha-na rushed out of the office as if she was being chased. “What’s wrong?” Yoo-ah asked grabbing her by the arm to keep her from falling over in her haste.

“I have to go, Su-jin is in the hospital.” Ha-na said as she shook off Yoo-ah’s hand and hurried for the door.

“Hospital? What? Why? Is she okay?”

“I don’t know, I can’t talk now I have to go. I’ll call you.” Ha-na said and ran out of the door yelling for a taxi.

Yoo-ah had not seen her friend that rattled since they were seventeen years old when they had gone to Ha-na’s house after school and someone had told Ha-na her mother had been in an accident. Ha-na had bolted as fast as her legs could carry her, willing herself to be able to fly so as to get there faster. Yoo-ah had gone after her until eventually Ha-na collapsed in the middle of the street and sobbed her heart out. “I fought with my mother this morning. I told her I hated her and I wished she was dead. I don’t even remember what our fight was about. If she dies, it would be my fault.” Ha-na had cried and Yoo-ah had held her. When they had eventually gotten to the hospital, Ha-na had found out that her mother was fine and only suffered a bruised collarbone and a broken arm. Ha-na had cried again and repeatedly apologized to her mother and her mother had just held her and patted her back. Since then, Yoo-ah had known Ha-na to be cool as a cucumber even under extreme pressure. She never succumbed to stress and she was always the one who calmed Yoo-ah down whenever she flew into fits of rage.  

Ha-na hurried into hospital and saw a student whom she presumed to be So-ra and an elderly woman sitting together. “Is Su-jin okay?” She asked as she approached them.

“She’s just been taken into a ward. You are?” The woman replied.

“I’m Song Ha-na. I’m her Unni.” Ha-na answered. She cast a look of pity at So-ra who had red-rimmed eyes and a puffy face. “You’re So-ra?”

“Neh.” She sniffled and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

“Su-jin will be fine, let’s go and see her.” Ha-na said and they lead her to where Su-jin was lying in bed. She had come to since her fever had been lowered by the nurses who had given her some injections.

“Unni.” She croaked, dry from the fever.

“Su-jinah, I’m here.” Ha-na said and held her hand.

“It’s hurts so much.” She said again.

“I know, I know.” Ha-na answered trying to fight her tears. She didn’t want to frighten Su-jin by crying in front of her.

“Haksen, can you tell me where it hurts?” A doctor said as he approached the bed. He was a friendly looking elder gentleman in his mid-fifties.

“My tummy hurts.” Su-jin replied.

“Here?” He asked as he applied pressure to her stomach but she shook her head. “Here?” He asked again but she shook her head a second time. “Here?” He asked applying pressure again to another part of her stomach and she let out a pained gasp. Her hand tightened around Ha-na’s and Ha-na felt her heart constrict. “Who is her family member here?” The doctor asked.

“Me, I am doctor.” Ha-na replied.

“When did the pain start?” The doctor asked Su-jin.

“This afternoon at school. I was fine when I left home this morning.” She replied.

“Hmm.” The doctor said and examined her some more. “She has an inflamed appendix and we need to operate right away to have it removed or it might rupture. You will need to fill out the release forms and after you’re done, I’ll have the nurses prepare her for surgery.” He nodded to them and left them alone.

“Su-jinah, I’m here okay. I’ll stay here until you get out of the operation room.” So-ra said and grabbed her hand.

“Ya,” Su-jin replied tiredly, “go home. You’re in enough trouble already. Besides, your parents would be worried.”

“Shiro! I’m staying here with you.”

“Pali anga? Go and finish up your homework and turn them in, I don’t want to have to go to lunch by myself tomorrow.” Su-jin made a weak shooing gesture with her hand. “I’m going to be fine, go home Im So-ra.”

“Chincha? I’ll smack you if you lie to me.” So-ra said through a weak smile and Su-jin gave her a fist bump before nodding slowly. “I’ll see you in school tomorrow.” So-ra said before leaving, turning back a few times to look at her friend.

“Will you be okay on your own?” The teacher asked Ha-na.

“Neh, please head on home first.” She replied and the woman patted her back before leaving. Ha-na reached for her phone and called Jin-wook a few times but he wasn’t answering so she decided to leave a message. “Jin-wookssi, Su-jin is in the hospital and she needs surgery. I tried calling but you weren’t answering so I filled out the forms myself and listed myself as her guardian. I’m sorry. Please call me when you get this message.” She recorded the message after the beep then went up to the desk to fill the forms. In the space for ‘relation to the patient’, she hesitated before she filled in ‘mother’ and then submitted the forms. She went back to Su-jin’s side and as soon as she sat down, a nurse came to take her away to prepare her for surgery.

When she was wheeled back out to head for the theatre, she grabbed Ha-na’s hand. “I’m scared, I’m so scared.” She said quietly, letting all the fear she was hiding from So-ra show on her face.

“I’m here, you don’t have to be scared. I’ll be right here when you wake up. Just think of all the things we’ll do together, okay? Don’t be scared.” She patted her head and cupped her cheek.

“Su-jin’s mother, we need to go now.” The nurse said.

“Neh.” Ha-na stood up and let them wheel Su-jin away.

Su-jin glanced back just as she was about to enter the operation room and said quietly, “Eomma.”

Author’s note: Hi everybody, thanks for encouraging me. I hope you guys like this new chapter as much as I do. Have fun and thanks for reading.