Park and Young sees each other frequently.

Young visits Granny at times.

Park visits Young at her bakery. Sometimes, Kwang and Yoon will come along too. Kwang teaches Mathematics and handles some IT matters in the school while Yoon teaches English .

Young provides bread for some school functions.

Young watched the graduation class's play rehearsal. Yoon is there too. Young notes that Yoon is tall, beautiful and speaks fluent English.

A kid tripped and fell on the stage. While Yoon checks if the kid is hurt from the fall, Park manages the rest of the class.

Young looks at how Park and Yoon work in harmony together.

After that episode, Yoon said something which made Park laughed while they overlook the kids rehearse. She hit hard on Park’s shoulder upon hearing his reply. Park is on really good terms with her. They look so compatible together too. All of a sudden, Young doesn’t feel too good. It’s like her heartstrings had tightened up, she feels uneasy and very uncomfortable. With her head down, she walked out of the hall.

Park looked back and saw Young leave. He ran and caught up with her. She looked up and he read that hint of downcast (or was it sadness?) in her eyes. Why? What has happened? Before he could ask, Yoon called him. “Park! You are required on stage!”

Young took Park’s hand off her arm, “Ka. (Go.) Please go!” “She is waiting for you!”, Young added.

Park was rooted to the ground looking at Young’s back view. What is wrong?

…

“How’s the setup of the school computer system? Heard you are on it for a couple of weeks?” Park asked Kwang as they sat down outside the badminton hall. “It is in progress.” Kwang threw a bottle of water to Park.

 “But, Park, what’s up today?” Kwang asked.

“What whats up? What do you mean?” Park replied.

“Your shuttles are all over the place this evening. You are not focused and definitely frustrated.” Kwang explained. “Come. Tell me”

“I don’t know.. what to say”

“Lets just say whats bothering you. Is Granni okay?”

“Halmoni is fine.”

“Is your leg giving you trouble?”, Kwang sounds concerned.

“I am doing physiotherapy. I need to do some exercises to build up my strength and muscles. As long as I don’t overstrain it (he tapped his leg) I’ll be okay.” Park takes a look at his friend since childhood, “My leg is okay”.

Kwang added, “and?”

Park paused and added, “Just that.. I think.. I feel Young is avoiding me. She stays in the kitchen whenever I am in her bakery. Her text replies are short and far in between. I dunno what happened to cause that.”

“So, that petite lady is causing disruption to your system. Did you say something wrong then?” Kwang gave him some possibilities.

“No.” Park recalled, “No, I didn’t.”

“How long has this been? When did that start?”

“When… after that school performance rehearsal, I think.”

“What did you say then? Who were you with?”

“The graduation class. Mr Lee. Yoon... Young was smiling when she was watching the rehearsal till she suddenly turned and left” .. something seemed to trigger Park’s memory.

“And?” Kwang added.

“Ommo! Maybe? Shouldn’t be…” Park took off, “Thanks, pal. I owe you one!”

He ran all the way to Pan ya.

Pan ya is closed?

Park knocked hard on the door. “Young! Young! Are you inside?”

He heard a small bang on the other side of the door, followed by persistent coughings.

“Yes?”, a weak voice answered.

“This is Park!” “Young, young, are you okay?”

Young opened the gate. She lean on the gate for support. She looks so frail that it seems that she is going to fall anytime.

 “How are you feeling? “ Park held on to Young. She is very warm to touch.

“Oh. That. Yes.. Ok (she coughed hard)” she looks very pale.

She was crouching on to her chest.                                                                                                                                                                      

“Young! Young!.. How do you feel?” She felt faint and almost collapsed on him.

“Breathless”.. she panted hard.

Without another thought, he scooped her up and started to run.

“Park! What are you doing?”

“Stop talking! Close your eyes and rest a while. I am sending you to the hospital!”

Young closed her eyes. She is not in any condition to protest.

He buried his face in his hands while waiting in the Emergency Department. Doctors and nurses rushed in and out of that room. No one gave him any updates.

What is taking them so long? Why didn’t I realise that she could be sick? What did I retreat so easily? Why?

A doctor approached him.

“How’s Young?”

“She has pneumonia…”

“How serious is her condition? What is her oxygen concentration? Is she on antibiotic drip? Oxygen therapy?..” Park didn’t realise he was shouting.

“Calm down, Sir!”

“We have already put her on the intravenous antibiotic treatment, oxygen therapy and intravenous fluids.  We will monitor her condition for a few days... She should be fine.“ Doctor patted Park’s shoulder. This is not the first time she witnesses an anxious guardian.

“Thank you. I am sorry”

“Don’t worry too much.”

“We are sending her to ward 2. You can visit her in the ward. But let her rest”

Park saw Young asleep on the hospital bed, covered with a brownish blanket. She looked so pale that his heart ached.

He sat down. Held her hand and touched her forehead. Still quite warm. He asked nurse for sponge and basin. He sponged her forehead, neck and hands while she slept.

He sat by her side.

“Park!” he heard her weak voice.

“Yes? How are you? How do you feel?”

“Better” ..

She still seem breathless.

“Young, rest. Don’t talk so much. I have checked with Doctor. You’ll be okay. Just need to rest to recover fast.”

Her eyelids closed again.

He sat down beside her.

On the following day, he got her door combination and went to her place to get some necessities for her.

This is the first time he entered her living place. Two shelves of books and novels in her room, replica of Monet’s WATER LILIES and Van Gogh’s STARRY NIGHT, seems that she has not unpacked fully as there are still boxes lying at a corner. A familiar looking hat and luggage with that big eyes design stood beside the boxes. Some Park Hyo Shin’s CDs on her table.... He packed some necessities and a few of her old novels into a bag.

He hanged a tag at Pan ya door to inform customers that Pan ya will be closed for a week.

He knows that he started limping today. He ran too fast while carrying Young last night. He returned home, had painkillers, took a quick nap, showered, chatted with Halmoni and went to the hospital again.

Park sat down beside Young. She is sleeping. He feels her forehead. Still warm but cooler than last night. Her fever is subsiding. She should be getting better.

He sponged her forehead and hands.

He headed out in search of Young’s doctor.

“Her condition seems stable. We are doing culture of her felm. Results should be out in a week's time. Meanwhile, she should be discharged in 2-3 days’ time if there are no other complications. “

“Thank you, Doctor. ”

“Her immune system is weak. So, give her nutritious food and do light exercises to build up her body. She should come back for review in 2 weeks’ time.”

“Yes”. Park thanked the doctor and walked back into her ward.

He saw her eye lips fluttering open.

“How are you?” Park asked softly.

“Ok.”

“I’ll take care of you”, Park added. Park squeezed her hand before she starts her protests.

She had a little dinner and fell asleep again. She ate too little. Maybe hospital food is too bland?

He left her novels on her bedside table. Flipped through one of them. He took the same chair as last night, put his aching leg up on another, massaged it, ….

Looking at her, gradually, he fell asleep.