Soon after she kissed her son's forehead, she then switched one of the lights in the room before closing the door and leaving a small gap still ajar. Hyungwon's mom then proceeded to her bedroom that she shares with her husband. All she could think was heading the hay as she had a long day and all she wanted is to enjoy a good night sleep. However, the sleepy female totally forgotten about the leftovers that was covered with an aluminum foil still heating on top of a stove in the kitchen downstairs.

 

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In another room, Hyungwon was sleeping peacefully on his queen-sized bed when his head suddenly jerked up from a terrible nightmare he had encounter. As he rubbed his eyes to get a better and clearer view of his surroundings, his nose caught an unpleasant smell coming from outside his room.

 

The whites from his dark chocolate eyes turned red and was slightly burning. He tried rubbing his eyes harder, but it only made it worse. Slowly his room was covered with a visible dark and grey gas. He froze on the bed, not knowing what to do. 

 

" Mommy! Daddy! What's happening?!" Hyungwon shouted while panicking but to his avail non of his parents seemed to reply in any sort of way. He knew he had to do something as he started to cough repeatedly.

 

He ran towards the door and luckily it was open as his small hands weren't strong enough to open doors yet.

 

The living room and the hallway was invisible as the dark smoke covered every inch of the house. He went on all fours and started crawling to his parents room. The room was surrounded by flames that was getting bigger by the second. 

 

" Mom! Dad! Are you in there?!" Hyungwon shouted while tears escaping his eyes. 

 

" Hyungwon! Thank god, you're awake. Listen carefully, mommy and daddy's door is stuck. Go outside and find help. Hurry! There's no time to lose!" Hyungwon's mother said loudly with a terrified voice.

 

The child wasted no time and ran towards the stairs, he went down but he missed a step and accidentally tumbled down the rest of the staircase. He cried in pain as his feet was way to close near a flame that was burning beside the staircase. He stood up and wobbled across the kitchen to the main door.

 

His delicate fingers tried to unlocked the door but he wasn't strong enough. He kicked the door out of frustration. There must be another way out he thought. He looked to his right next to the dining room and saw a window. He wobbled his way while grabbing a heavy book he found on the dining room.

 

He then threw the book and the window's glass then shattered to bits and pieces. His scurriedly climb the window and jumped out of it. A groan escaped his mouth as he landed on the cold, hard cement floor. Hyungwon knew he had to hurry, his parents lives were on the line. The neighbor across his house is where he headed for help. 

 

" Help! Help! My parents are still in the house! " Hyungwon pleaded while on the verge of tears. Mr.Yoo, who saw the burning house, speed dialed the fire rescue and an ambulance. 

 

Soon, help arrived and firefighters rushed to find and rescue Hyungwon's parents. Or that's what the child thought.

 

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Hyungwon woke up to find himself in an unfamiliar room with a needle in his hand connected to some fluid near his bed.

 

" Where am I ?" He asked to a lady who was sitting on a chair beside his bed.

 

" You're at the hospital, Hyungwon." The lady who was actually a nurse said to him. Then everything hit him like a brick when he remembered what happen that night. He then thought, where was his parents? Did they make it out of the house? 

 

 

Hyungwon was escorted by the nurse to a room which was slightly bigger than his. He took in the surroundings until his eyes fell upon his parents. He rushed towards them with sorrowful eyes and tears slowly filling up the rims of his eyes. His mother and father was wrapped up with white bandages that seemed to look like mummies. The only thing that was not covered was their face.

 

" Mommy. Daddy, thank god you're here." The child said while sobbing quietly. He took a closer look at his mother.

 

Her face was distorted resulting from the third degree burns she had developed. Her once sleek and arched eyebrows were no longer visible, her lips now cracked and swollen and her overall facial skin was red with dried blood tainting it.

 

" Hyungwon.......mommy is here........please don't cry....." She whispered softly as she gave him a small smile. Her heart sank looking at his son crying when she couldn't do anything about it. Tears started to form and her vision went blurry. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving her son and let a tear slipped down her cheek.

 

" Mummy please don't cry, I'm sorry that I couldn't have saved you faster." 

 

He wished his small, weak legs could have ran faster. He wished he could have realized the situation earlier. He wished that the ambulance and fire fighter arrived earlier. Oh boy, does his wish it badly just to reduce the suffering his parents had to go through.

 

" Don't blame yourself, Hyungwon." The named boy turn his head towards the male voice. His father murmured to him. His dad's condition was way more severe than his mother, as he had try to force the door open and carry his wife who fainted halfway.

 

" You're the bravest boy in the whole wide world and I'm proud of you. We wouldn't be here without you." The middle aged man said with proudness lingering in his voice. Hyungwon smiled while thanking his father.

 

He thought that he and his family could go through the hardship together and stay together forever but alas everything went crashing down as soon he head his mom's heart beat monitor beeping loudly.

 

" Daddy! What do I do?!" Hyungwon said to his dad while panicking. 

 

" Call the doctor! "  The boy then rushed outside the room and approched a doctor who was having a casual chat with a nurse. 

 

" Help! My mom! Heart beat!" Hyungwon said incoherently towards the doctor. The later then rushed inside the room while giving instructions to the nurse. He rushed back inside the room to see what's happening.

 

" Hyungwon, come here please..." His mom asked while giving a sorry look on her face.

 

" Remember the promise I said earlier during the lullaby? He nodded while still afraid as the heart beat monitor was still beeping non-stop.

 

" Make sure you keep your promise and fulfill it for me, Hyungwon."

 

He nodded harder while crying miserably at the thought of losing his mother.

 

" Dear, make sure you take care of yourself and Hyungwon. I love both of you so much." She said while smiling weakly to both of them. 

 

The doctor and nurse was placing a defibrillator on her chest while she was still giving her presumed last words. The voltage was raised to 500 volts to shock her heart into functioning normally again. They tried a few times but to its avail her heartbeat was not beeping instead a line was shown on the monitor indicating her death.

 

" Mommy! Please wake up, I still need you." Hyungwon shouted while shaking her body violently. 

 

" Mommy! You can't go now, you still haven't sent me to school yet. You haven't see me go to college, get a job and get married! Mommy, please wake up!" He continued shouting while tears slipping down his cheeks. His dad on the other hand, just cried loudly, not able to speak because of the sudden death. 

 

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- three years passed -

 

Hyungwon's dad survived the fire accident three years back but couldn't do any physical activity anymore except walking or slumping to be more precise. The fire damaged his nerves on his spinal cord. He couldn't support Hyungwon financially as he is unable to work anymore. The money he has is slowly depleting day by day to support Hyungwon's education.

 

He did something he wished he could avoid at all cost, sending his son to an orphanage. He teared up at the thought of not being able to see his sweet little boy anymore. 

" I'm sorry Hyungwon, but this is the only way." 

 

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" Hyungwon, I want you to listen to me closely." The boy's father said as he hugged him tightly.

 

" Dad, why am I here?! I wanna go home." The ten year old boy asked alertly.

 

" Hyungwon, please listen to me. I have to leave you here, Dad is busy and has to go somewhere, you just need to stay here for awhile and I will come back for you okay?" 

 

" No! You're lying! Don't leave me here!" Hyungwon screamed making a tantrum. His father tried holding his tears from pouring out.

 

" Daddy is not lying, here look..." Mr. Chae, took out the necklace he was wearing and fastened it on his son's neck.

" This is my second precious thing I own, you being the first." Hyungwon smiled a little.

" Take care of it until I come back okay?" Hyungwon nodded while admiring the piece of metal. Mr. Chae's full name was engraved on the silver metal ring, 채경원.

" I love you Chae Hyungwon, remember that okay?"

 

" I love you too, daddy." Hyungwon hugged his dad one last time before entering the orphanage. He didn't know that it would be his last hug with his father.

 

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Right after, Hyungwon's father wrote a letter to his younger sister who was currently in the States furthering her studies in Marketing. He wrote to find a young boy who will be wearing the necklace that she got for him some time ago and to help him at all cost. He wrote his name and birthday and attached a polaroid pic that he took of Hyungwon a few months back.

 

He went to the post office and asked the lady at the counter to post the letter to a specific address three years from now. The lady was confused but nodded at the abnormal request. He smiled at the lady and walked away.

 

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