Chapter 23

Areum POV

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The rest of the week was a complete utter blur. The students in our grade who had witnessed my argument with Chin-Hwa had quickly spread the news and I was receiving pitiful looks from kids that sympathized with me, while others giggled or gossiped behind my back.

It’s Saturday evening and I had been out of the house this whole day. I didn’t do much really, just walked around in the woods and took some time to think for myself. Mina had just texted me saying that we should hang out to get my mind off of things. But I need to go home and get ready first. I grab the key from the inside pocket of my purse and open the front door.

I furrow my eyebrows and the sight of all the pairs of shoes by the entrance.

Who is here?

“Areum honey is that you?” I hear my mom call out in a strained voice.

“Ya.”

“Come into the living room.”

Confused, I walk into the living room with steady feet. I turn the corner and gasp slightly at the sight ahead of me. The room is filled with them.

Who is them? You may ask,

The girls, and their parents along with the boys and their parents and Yerim’s family as well. Nobody seemed to make eye contact with me. But I can tell something is wrong.

The atmosphere is morbid.

“Mom?”

“Areum, why don’t you take a seat, we need to talk.”

Immediately I start to feel nervous. Why is my mom talking to me in front of everyone?

“Where were you all day Areum?”

This is what she wants to know?

“Just at the park.”

She looks down and clears , whatever she’s trying to say to is very hard for her. I look closer at her and realise how devastated she looks. Her hair isn’t in it’s usual neat bun. Instead it’s tousled, and her eyes are slightly puffed and red. The tip of her nose is also red.

Maybe she’s sick.

“Areum these last couple of months you grandma had been going in and out of the hospital. They had sensed something was wrong with her but couldn’t get to the root of the problem."

I freeze, her words ringing through my head. Grandma had never mentioned anything about being sick before!

“Are you okay Areum?”

My anxiety is racing through my body my hearts beating faster and my breathing gets heavier. I dread my next words.

“What happened after?”

My mom looks over at me and it’s as if something had broken in her. She let’s out a sudden cry and brings her hands to her face. Immediately my dad rushes to her side and gives her a comforting hug.

I can’t take it anymore. I run my hands through my hair and stand up. My dad looks at me concerned but I need an answer.

“Dad, what happened?”

He let’s out a sigh.

“Yesterday when you grandma had gone for another testing, she had a sudden heart attack and well, she was announced dead at the hospital.”

She was announced dead at the hospital.

Everything around me stops. I don’t even have control over the sudden tears that begin to pour out of my eyes. It takes me a moment to catch my breath but I manage to utter a few words.

“W-when d-did y-you f-find o-out?” I ask between hiccups.

“This morning.”

My eyes widen, and I become angry.

“This morning?! Why didn’t you tell me sooner? It’s almost nighttime now. Everyone here who isn’t even related to here found out before me? Her own grand-daughter?! I was just thinking about how I would be spending Christmas break with her, and that whole time she was actually dead?!”

“Areum please we didn’t want t-“

I don’t even bother letting him finish his sentence. The tears and sobs are uncontrollable, and I have to turn around before anyone sees me. The girls and Chin-Hwa spare me an unreadable glance which I catch from the corner of my eye. The hurt feelings from the argument and breakup weigh down on me as well and I truly can’t even stand anymore. I walk away hugging myself and limping in the process.

“Areum!” My mom calls out.

I don’t turn around.

I barley make it into my bedroom before I collapse on the floor. The sobs take total control and I cry, calling out for my grandma to comfort me as she was the only one who could calm me down when I was stressed.

But this time I’m all alone. No one for me to cry into their arms.

Suddenly my breathing is short and heavy, it’s getting hard to breath. My asthma is kicking in. The intense and violent sobs had caused my uneven breathing and I need my inhaler. I’m hit with a coughing fit and I can’t seem stop. I wheeze, and I can feel blood coming up my throat from the intensity of the cough.

I really need my inhaler.

I try to stand up, but that only makes the coughing worse. My purse is downstairs and that’s where my inhaler is in. Tears enter my eyes as my throat begins to hurt. My heart is racing, and the wheezing gets worse.

Suddenly the door to my room bursts open and Min and Donghyuk look heartbroken once they see my condition.

“Areum! Are you okay?!”

I can barley talk so I use my hand to motion them closer to me. Donghuyk immediately bends down to get to my level. I try to lean in to speak into his ears, but another violent coughing fit takes over my body.

“Her inhaler! She needs her inhaler!” Donghyuk shouts.

“Where is it?!” Asks a frantic Min.

“My purse.” I manage to croak out.

Donghyuk picks me up and gently places me onto my bed with my back against the wall. I see my dad rush into my room looking scared.

“Donghyuk?! What wrong with her? What happened?!” He asks my brother.

“She’s having a bad asthma attack!”

Min rushes into the room with my inhaler who hands it to my brother. He quickly opens the cap and places it into my mouth.

I take long deep breaths and try to lower my heart rate. I place my hand over my heart just like how grandma taught me to do in stressed situations.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

I manage to calm down. I remove Donghyuk’s hand from the asthma bottle and hold it all for myself.

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Half an hour has passed. I wanted to be alone so they all reluctantly left my room. Donghyuk was worried I might have another asthma attack so he told me to keep my inhaler by my bed.

The tears never stopped, but I have calmed down.

Shoot! I forgot to text Mina!

I grab my phone and open a new text conversation to Mina.

Areum: Hey Mina, sorry I can’t make it tonight. My grandma passed away and I’m not feeling good enough to go out.

Mina: Oh my gosh! Areum, I’m so sorry! Don’t worry about it! I will visit you soon.

A visit would be nice. I could get my mind off of things. To be honest I want nothing more then to rest. The events this past week have drained way too much of my energy. I look ahead of me and smile sadly and the clock in front of me, the special one that grandma have given me with it’s beautiful floral design.

“Don’t tell your siblings about this! Because I only got one for you Areum!”

I chuckle at the thought of the memory.

My smile quickly fades when I remember that were never going to have a special moment like that together again.

“Okay Pumpkin, I will see you soon okay? I promise.”

The tears fall harder at the thought of her last couple of words to me.

“You lied! You broke your promise grandma!” I say to no one in particular with a slight sob.

It all clicks. No wonder why grandma had said those deep words to me! She knew she wasn’t going to make it for Christmas!

“I really must go now but Areum, my pumpkin I really do love you and I want you to stay strong in the moments when I might not be there.”

I sniffle and look up tpwards the night sky while whispering my next sentence.

“I’m trying Grandma, I really am.”

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