Five

21 September

Sorry for my AWOL. I’ve been so busy. Not just only settling the matters regarding my job, but also my Dad’s heart attack and then added that prehistoric creatures who never stop to pester me. Why can’t he find another victim? Why should it always be me?

***

     I was the last to arrive at the hospital because my apartment was located the farthest and it was pretty much traffic everywhere due to Saturday night. I found Mom being hugged by Insungoppa, I didn’t see Jisuboppa at all. I ran hurriedly to them.

“How’s… Dad… Mom?” I asked and tried to breath at the same time. In compared with my three best friends, I’m considered to be the less athletic one. With a bunch of responsibilities shoved unto my shoulder when I was still a member of the school’s committee, I didn’t have time to do anything else. Let alone working out, every time I finished school hours I always felt like going to die soon due to fatigue, added anemic to that, I’m easily tired out.

I saw how Insungoppa nodded in a very serious manner and I started to feel panic, especially after realizing Mom’s face was wet with tears. NOOO! My heart screamed. No way. According to Jisuboppa who brought Dad to check his condition last week, Dad was still alright.

“Oppa?” I stared at Insungoppa’s face and suddenly I just couldn’t take it anymore as tears lined my eyes. I buried my face under my palms and cried uncontrollably.

“Minah?” I heard how Insungoppa and Mom called out to me at the same time.

“Ey, why are you crying all of a sudden?” Insungoppacontinued with a hint of doubt.

I still didn’t dare to show my face. I should’ve spent more time with Dad all these times. At the very least, I shouldn’t have moved out from the main house and rent a studio apartment for myself, even if that means I should spend around two hours worth of travel from the main house to office and another two hours for going back. I shouldn’t have mindedWoobin and just accompany my Dad whenever he wanted to have a check up for the past weeks.

Then I heard the sound of a wheel in direct contact with the hospital’s floor and my cry went louder and louder. I was like inside a television drama when the doctor just finished checking the patient and took the corpse out from the autopsy room so that the family could confirm the body.

“Minah.” I heard Mom whispered and I quickly came to her with my ferocious hug. She almost fall due to my sudden attack.

“Mom…hiks… I’m so… sorry, Mom…,” I said.

Suddenly I heard Jisuboppa’s voice accusing Insungoppa. “Insung, what did you do until Minah cries like that?”

“The hell I know! She cries suddenly without any warning. Woman sure is weird,” Insungoppa replied and laughed, soon Jisuboppa followed.

“Sssttt,” Mom said and both of my brothers grew silent right away leaving me with Mom.

Evidently Dad was right, Insungoppa and Jisuboppa really don’t have a heart. How can they are able to laugh like that? Their Dad just died. Oh Dad… Even though he caused me a lot of stress, but he is still my Dad and I love him. At that time I remembered all things that Dad had done for me. Dad was the one who drove me to school on my first day admitted into elementary school, Dad was the one who accompany me to the hospital when my head bled due to falling down the swing, Dad was the one who brought me to amusement park when I was twelve and even had to clean me up from the vomit stain after we finished the rollercoaster ride, and Dad was the one who attended my bachelor graduation at Melbourne, even though he never liked to travel.

“Minah,”Mom said gently. “Why are you crying, Sweetheart?”

It seemed like my situation is pretty bad because Mom only uses the term “Sweetheart” to her children under emergency situation.

“Dad, Mom… hiks… Dad, he…hikshiks… is gone.” With difficulty I uttered that word.

Mom let go of the hug and she stared at my face. She looked confused. Her face was cleared from tears, even though the swelling was still visible. And suddenly her hand rested on my forehead, a very common thing of her to do whenever she wants to check whether I’m sick or not.

“Normal temperature,” Mom mumbled.

“I’m… hiks… not sick, Mom,” I explained in between my sobs while trying to shove Mom’s hand away.

“It’s because you speak nonsense that Mom got worried!” she said.

“What… hiks… nonsense?” I tried to find tissue from my bag, and when I found it, quickly I used it to wipe my eyes.

“You said that Dad is gone.” Hearing those words left Mom’s lips so easily made me furious.

“But Dad is… hikshiks… gone, right, hiks… Mom?” I said, hands on my hip. How can Mom changed so fast to be as heartless as Jisuboppa and Insungoppa? Mom has been marrying Dad for almost forty years; at least she could show some sympathy…

Suddenly Mom laughed out loud. She even needed to lean her body on the wall and then bent while her hands pressed her chest. At that time, I got really worried that Mom became crazy due to stress. I’ve never met a woman out there who is able to laugh out loud when her husband died, minus Anna Nicole Smith of course. That ex-Playboy Star maybe held a massive party when her 80 years old husband died, leaving Anna Nicole with billion dollars of inheritance.

I was going to say what’s in my mind to Mom when I saw Woobin walking towards us with steady steps. Steps only owned by man who is really comfortable with himself.  I don’t know why but I suddenly have a difficulty in breathing. He was just wearing a grey polo shirt, beige trousers and moccasins style shoes. I should admit it that my best friends are right. Kim Woobin is really “HOT”, just like fresh baked bread. For two decades, I’ve been focusing myself to his fraudulent behavior that I didn’t pay attention to his face. He let his hair covered his forehead. He actually looked more like a medical student rather than a doctor. I became suspicious whether his nourished look is due to God’s favor or caused by syringe and knife.

Woobin smiled right away when he noticed me and behind those eyes of him that I realized looked –what’s the right name for it… ‘calming’, that’s correct– he looked worried. I could get drowned in that eyes, I thought and had to shake my head when I realized the words that passed my mind. Those words are more suitable to those dreamy women who imagine themselves to be a princess who is going to be awakened by a kiss from her prince. And then they will live happily forever and ever. Bull.

Hurriedly I wiped away the tears and hid all the mellow I felt within. After quite sure that my face has dried up, instead of replying his smile, I opted to have my forehead creased and pouted. Why the hell is this devil here? I wanted to scram away but I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t even know where had my two brothers went to.

“Good evening, Auntie,” Woobin greeted and Mom stopped laughing right away, she even straightened herself. Seconds later I realized how Mom looked bashful in front of him. Oh my Goooddd, I wanted to vomit. Since when adults can stand, even adore Kim Woobin? As far as I remember, none of the teachers can be patient enough when they were facing Woobin, but since when also my heart flipped every time I see him? Okay, I admit my defeat.

“I came as fast as I could, once I got the call from the hospital. I apologized if it’s too late,” Woobin continued.

“Oh… where exactly you live, Doctor Kim?”

I was ready to strangle Mom. His address is not important! Beside, as a doctor, Woobin will not…

“I live not far from here, Auntie,” Woobin said as he took out his business card and gave one to Mom and the other one to me. He continued his explanation about his residence’s location in a very detailed way. Okay, maybe I was wrong; Woobin doesn’t really care about having his patient knowing where he lives.

I was glancing at the business card when suddenly Woobin took it and wrote something behind it before he gave it back to me. Just like when he returned my clutch when we were at Jeju, he grabbed my hand before he put his business card on top of my palm. Once again I realized how small my hand is in compared with his.

“That’s my mobile number. So you can call me right away should there be any emergency again with your Dad,” Woobin said it slowly.

I shifted my attention to his face. Emergency again? Am I h