Summer

“허공을 떠도는, 작은 먼지처럼,
작은 먼지처럼, 날리는 눈이 나라면,
조금 더 빨리 네게, 닿을 수 있을 텐데”

“Like a small piece, Of dust,
That floats in the air, If the flying snow is me,
I could, Reach you faster”

In the summer, the days were long, stretching into each other. Out of school, everything was on pause and yet happening at the same time, this collection of weeks when anything was possible but tonight the crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last for ever. Even on the most beautiful days in the whole year – the days when summer is changing into autumn – the crickets spread the rumour of sadness and change.

It was a normal routine for him, the smell of disinfectants, the beeping sounds of machines and the calming pace of the staff in the ward. It was fairly different from his current posting in the emergency department but he didn’t miss it at all. He loves the thrill with the adrenaline pumping in his vein whenever a new case comes in.

Some familiar faces greeted him with a recognition, the permanent nurse as he remembered greeted him as he walked in.

“Good morning Nurse Minji, how’s your day going?” he greeted

“Morning Taehyung-ssi, I see you’ve finished your hours aye?”

He could only smile sheepishly, his tired eyes crinkled slightly. His fellow acquaintance smiled gently at the younger gentleman. Her heart clenched in sadness when she saw a glimpse of a bouquet on his left hand. The same bouquet every day of pink spring lilies.

At a glimpse, one wouldn’t notice the scared little boy he locked deep within himself, he can’t, won’t show it. He has to be strong, for himself and for the people around him. The façade he showed, the smiles that brightened the room up.

After the brief greetings the two acquaintances had, he walked again down the familiar hallway until he reached his destination.

Room 1306. The room number mocking his hesitation in front of the door.

He took a deep breath as his hand trembled slightly as he slowly slides the door open to the side and entered. The sight beholds in front of him, he smiled softly. The white room filled with pink lilies in glass vases he’d prepared, balloons from her friends he remembered slightly inflated due to the reduced helium gas in the balloon itself and stuffed animals surrounding her stilled form.

Soft beeping sound, assuring of her peaceful state in deep sleep. He smiled in relief when his eyes took in her peaceful form on the bed. A large stuffed cat was by her side, hugged closely to her chest. Slowly slides the door closed, afraid to wake up the sleeping beauty, he approached the bed.

Those eyes that he loves so much quivered slightly with the small disturbance, as they opened slightly, squinting at his direction. She smiled, he came, always, every day, without amiss.

“Hey…” she whispered softly, ushering him to come closer, to his place beside her on the bed as she tried to sit up despite all the wires connected to her frail body.

His heart soared as he came closer, his smile grew with a tender look in his eyes, swirling with love towards the girl on the bed. He lifted his arms and forwarded the bouquet in his hands to her.

“Thank you, I love them” she took it from his hands and inhaled the sweet scent of florals. “But I think you can stop bringing this over now, the room is full of these and one might think I’m living in a greenhouse” she joked, her eyes mischievous with a smirked directly at him.

He smiled, shook his head. “Never, you love them too much and you love me every day for them.” She blushed at his blunt reply.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he took a vase he bought to fill it with water for the bouquet.

“You know. Same-ol same-ol. I’m getting tired of living here, not to mention that I’ll be extending my studies to another year” she groaned as she gave him the bouquet and laid back down to the soft pillows.

She hates it, she hates the state that she’s in, she hates everything and Kim Taehyung is the only one who brought Kim Jennie back to the surface from the shell she was in after the incident, the discovery of what could be the source of her ruined future plans.

“Think of the bright side, at least you’ll graduate on the same year as I am” he grinned after rearranging the flowers and put them beside the bed where many gifts and presents were given by fellow friends and families.  

He smiled softly, his heart clenched at her state, she’s in pain, he knew and he’ll always be there for her, to fight with her, to be strong with her. As he