Rising Artist Jung Wheein’s mother died after battling dementia for four and a half years

On the night of the twenty-first, Jung Wheein and her wife, Kim Yongsun, were found rushing to the Seoul Medical Center after Jung Wheein’s mother was rushed to the hospital. Doctors tried to save the artist’s mother but it was said that the patient’s condition was severe already. The couple and the hospital refused to disclose any information about the specific cause of death but it is most likely from dementia. It has been known that the artist’s mother has been suffering from dementia before Jung Wheein even debuted. The couple also asked for people to respect their privacy as they are mourning over their loss.

Jung Wheein on indefinite hiatus

Following the death of her mother, Jung Wheein’s agency announced that the artist will be on indefinite hiatus to mourn over her mother. The company, fans, and friends of Jung Wheein sent their condolences to the artist. In support of this heartbreaking news, several artists paused their activities for the day while others wore black clothes to pay their respects. The nursing home where Jung Wheein’s mother stayed also shared their condolences to the artist. Jung Wheein’s agency and her family ask for people to respect the artist and her wife’s privacy as both are currently grieving over their loss. The couple also ask not to be interviewed about this matter but only ask for respect on their time of mourning.

Kim Family to hold a private funeral for Jung Wheein’s mother

After the family’s loss, Jung Wheein and Kim Yongsun decided to hold a private funeral. It will be limited only to the family and their close friends. It was reported that several artists that Jung Wheein had worked with, as well as producers and composers paid their respects and visited the family of the deceased. Other family members of Kim Yongsun flew back to the country to pay their respects as well.

High security was placed all over the place to maintain peace and quiet while the family were still mourning. The media tried to get ahold of what’s happening but were declined entrance and even permission to get close to the service.

There was a text I received from the nursing home saying that Mom was rushed to the hospital. Then Dr. Jung called me the moment I was done reading the text. I wasn’t able to absorb what the nursing home had texted me yet so when Dr. Jung called me to rush to the hospital, I was still confused. My head was empty and I was having a hard time comprehending what she told me.

Soon after, Yong called me. She told me that she’s on her way here to pick me up. I asked her why she’s out early and then she told me that Mom was rushed to the hospital. She asked me if I hadn’t received a text from the nursing home or a call from Dr. Jung. I just nodded at her and then she told me that she’d get me really fast. Then she ended the call.

I was standing in the middle of the living room with my hand still holding the phone. I was staring at nowhere while my head was wandering everywhere. Why was Mom rushed to the hospital? What happened to Mom? What’s happening?

The more questions I ran in my hand, the more it felt like my breathing was stuck in my chest. My hands started to shake while my chest started to ache. I stood in the middle of the room, not doing anything but I was already breathing heavily.

Yong found me in that state. She pulled me back into consciousness and directed my gaze to her. That’s when I discovered that I was crying. I could only focus on breathing and the deep pain in my chest that I didn’t feel my tears falling down my cheeks or my eyes turning blurry.

“Let’s go to the hospital. Your Mom needed you there.” That’s what Yong said.

I recognized the words. I know what they meant individually but it felt like I couldn’t understand them all together. I just let Yong drag me out of the house and into the car.

She held me tightly. I recognized her strong arms around me. I felt her soft lips on my cheeks. I know her gentle hands wiping my steady flowing tears. I identify her voice when she’s comforting me. But I’m slowly turning numb.

Is this the day Mom will say goodbye? Will I be able to say goodbye to my Mom?

The moment we arrived at Seoul Medical Center, we rushed inside and went straight to the nurses’ station to ask where Mom was. I let Yong hold my hand tightly and drag me with her. I let her do all the talking. I could barely hold myself together. I could barely understand they’re instructions earlier. I couldn’t possibly be coherent if I’d talk to people.

I wanted to ask Yong if we should cover our faces because we never did and a lot of people might recognize. I wasn’t sure if there were people who recognized us. All I ever saw was a blur of white walls, ceiling, and hallways. I blur the people's faces surrounding us and the murmurs of voices from all around us. I could only accurately tell Yong’s voice, face, and touch among all of those things.

Then suddenly I was led into a room. That’s when everything suddenly made sense. That’s when I suddenly realized what’s happening. Right when I saw Mom lying down on a hospital bed. Dr. Jung was right there too. She was sweating so hard and breathing heavily.

We entered Mom's room and saw Dr. Jung raising her hand up to glance at her wristwatch. And then she whispered in a shaking voice, “Time of death, seven forty-two”

I released Yong’s hand and walked towards her. “What are you saying?” I whispered to her.

She only frowned at me and shook her head. “I did my best, Miss Jung. I tried to slow down the symptoms—”

“No!” I shouted as I ran to her and held her arm. “Take back what you said. Mom’s not dead yet. She’s just sleeping”

“I tried to extend her life—”

I gripped her arms and shook her from frustration. “Take back what you said!” I turned to Mom who’s sleeping peacefully and walked closer to her. “Mom…” I whispered, my voice shaking as I reached a shaking hand to her face. “Mom, wake up. Wake up, Mom. Tell me Dr. Jung was just lying. Show her that you're just sleeping. Mom…”

I gently patted her face that felt so brittle and numb in my hand. I quickly wiped my tears with the back of my hand and reached for her hand. I held it with both of mine then looked at her face. “Hold my hand, Mom. I know you’re tired but you always hold me tightly. You will always hold me… Mom” I stared at her hand and waited for it to move. “Mom… Stop joking. Hold my hand”

“Miss Jung…” Dr. Jung held my shoulder and I instantly shrugged it off.

“No! Stop lying. Mom will wake up. I know she will wake up. She’s just tired.” I turned to look at Mom and whispered, “Right, Mom? Mom… Please wake up. Open your eyes. Please…”

“Baby…”

I looked behind me and saw Yong silently crying as she frowned at me. “No… No, Yong. Mom’s awake. I know she is”

I cupped Mom’s cheeks and felt a huge lump on my throat when she felt cold and numb already. I bit my bottom lip when it started to quiver while I sniffed back my tears. I shouldn’t cry. I promised that I wouldn’t cry in front of her. I broke the promise already but maybe if I’d be able to do that, she might wake up.

She’ll look at me and smile at me. She’ll pinch my cheeks, maybe a little bit too hard, then she’ll laugh at me while I’ll pout at her. Then she’ll hug me really tight like she doesn’t want me to go. She’ll tell me that she loves me and that she’s always proud of me. Or maybe she’ll scold me for being so thin and not eating properly. She’ll grumble about being in the nursing home and get mad at me for asking her to stay there. She’ll tell me that she’s fine because she is.

All she has to do now is to wake up now. Then do all those things one after the other.

“Whee… Your Mom… she has… She has finally rested” Yong stuttered behind me and I couldn’t handle it anymore.

There’s a strong wave of pain crushing my body as I hugged my Mom’s body, not wanting to let her go. I don’t want her to let go. Maybe some miracle will happen and bring her back to me. Maybe Dr. Jung just made a mistake. Maybe… Maybe Mom’s not really dead yet.

“Mom… Mom. Mom!” I reached for her hands and placed it on my cheeks. They felt too cold and lifeless. I closed my eyes and pushed them further into my cheeks to find her usual warmth. But I couldn’t feel her warmth anymore. I bit my bottom lip while my shoulders shook so badly.  “Mom! Mom! Wake up!” I cupped her cheeks and softly patted my hands on them. “Wake up! Stop sleeping already!”

I pushed my face on her chest and trained my ear to where I know her heart is. I closed my eyes and stopped myself from crying so I could concentrate. I looked for her beating heart. I looked all over her chest but there’s no thumping in there anymore. My cries started to become audible so I covered my mouth and shut my eyes tightly. I furrowed my eyebrows to concentrate even more while I listened closely.

Silent. Empty.

I hugged her tightly and cried my heart out. I held her tightly because if I let go, things would become real. I couldn’t accept it. I don’t want to accept it. I don’t want to open my eyes and see Mom’s lifeless body. I don’t want to wake up to the thought that my Mom’s gone. I don’t want to sleep and dream of being alone because Mom’s gone. I don’t want to be in a world where Mom’s not here anymore.

“Why did you leave me? We promised… We promised to stay with each other” I mumbled, my voice shivering from my cries. “I need to hear your voice, Mom. Why did you leave me without saying goodbye? Why didn’t you let me say goodbye? Unfair… You’re so unfair…”

“Wheein…”

I slowly pushed away from Mom and saw Yong standing close to me. Dr. Jung’s still here too. She was sitting on a chair, wiping her tears with her arm. Then suddenly, I got mad. I got mad at her so instead of going to Yong, I went to her. She stood up right away, surprised when I advanced towards her.

I smacked her as I said, “I thought you’re the best?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize to me. You should’ve saved Mom!” I screamed at her while she stepped back to move away from me.

“I tried my best, Miss Jung. Her respiratory system failed and she was relying on the oxygen tank to give her—”

“Save her! You should’ve saved her!” I smacked her again because I don’t know what else to do. I’m just mad that Mom’s gone and I think Dr. Jung’s responsible for Mom’s death. She’s the only doctor in this room. She could’ve saved her.

“Her heart failed. I couldn’t revive her anymore… I’m so sorry, Miss Jung”

“Stop apologizing and just do your work.” I pushed her and her body hit the wall. “You call yourself a doctor?! You claimed to be the best but why can’t you save my Mom?!”

“I’m sorry…”

I was suddenly pulled back and was stopped from smacking Dr. Jung again. I glared at her and said, “Why can’t you save her?”

My face was covered and arms went around me. I recognized Yong’s scent and felt her arms wrapped tightly around me. She held me close to her and her close presence slowly washed away my anger. Without that, all I could do was nothing but emptiness after knowing that Mom’s gone. That she’s really gone and she’s not coming back anymore. Permanently.

“It’s not her fault, baby” Yong whispered gently.

Yong rubbed her hand on my back and it’s so comforting that it just made me cry harder.

I shouldn’t deserve this kind of comfort. It felt like it’s my fault for letting Mom work hard for us to survive. I didn’t do enough. If she didn’t overwork herself, she wouldn’t have had dementia. If I contributed and worked too, she might still be alive until now. Mom should be the one that stayed and I should be the one that’s gone. She deserved to live. She deserves to live a life she’ll enjoy.

“She’s gone because of me, Yong…”

“No. It’s not. Don’t blame yourself, Whee. It’s not your fault or Dr. Jung’s fault, okay? No one’s at fault. Your Mom just chose to rest early”

I shook my head and wanted to say something to protest but Yong’s soft kisses on the side of my face stopped me. It made me cry fresh new tears once again. I just wanted to cry because it’s the only thing that’s doing something with the pain in my chest.

“Let’s go home. You need to eat. I’ll handle everything, okay? Don’t worry, baby.” She pulled my face from her chest and kissed my forehead. She wiped my tears and I looked up to see her own tear-stained face. “Let’s go home first, okay?”

“Okay…”

We broke the hug and Yong told me that I should apologize to Dr. Jung. I went to Dr. Jung and bowed as I apologized to her. She asked me if I wanted to cover Mom’s body with the blanket or if I don’t want to do it. I told her that I’d do it. It felt like I should do it.

I walked to the bed and spread a clean white sheet on top of Mom’s body. My hands were shaking and my arms were weak but I pushed myself and watched my Mom get slowly covered by the sheet. I could see the stain from my tears on her shirt, remembering how cold her body felt earlier. I bit my bottom lip to suppress my cries. When I’m almost at her face, I bent down and kissed her forehead.

“I love you” I whispered before I completely covered her.

I turned around and covered my face with both of my palms. I felt an arm around my waist and saw that Yong was looking at me. I could see that the pain and sadness I felt right now were reflected on her eyes.

“Let’s go?” she whispered while I could only nod at her.

I apologized and thanked Dr. Jung as we passed by her before we exited the room. Dr. Jung sent her condolences and apologized once again. Yong told her that one of her secretaries will get a hold of the hospital to process what needed to be processed. Yong held me close to her as we headed out of the hospital. I just bent my head low and sniffed back my tears. I let Yong guide me once again.

When we reached the main lobby, we were mobbed by the media right away. They trapped us and there was no way out. Yong’s arm around my waist tightened as she pulled me closer to her. I placed my arms around her so she wouldn’t be separated from me. The hospital’s security tried to stop them from entering the facility but were unable to do so because they were outnumbered.

“…” Yong whispered under her breath.

Cameras were trained onto our faces. Microphones were shoved onto us. Questions were shouted and thrown towards our direction. Yong was trying her best to protect me but they were so persistent. There’s just nothing but chaos all around us and it’s suffocating me. I just wanted to lie down and think about my Mom. I just wanted to be alone right now. I just wanted nothing but silence.

Luckily, more security guards came and parted the crowd from us. I could feel Yong was fuming from anger but she’s keeping herself in check because of me. And I could feel that since I was watching her closely, worried about her.

We thanked the guards when there was space for us to walk and headed to exit the hospital. A microphone and a camera suddenly got passed by our wall of security guards and hit my chin. I flinched right away and held my chin before I looked up and saw a guy looking straight at me.

He smiled triumphantly when he got my attention. “Can you tell us what you feel about the loss of your mother, Jung Wheein?”

I wasn’t able to answer him but most especially, I wasn’t able to stop Yong from reacting. She grabbed the camera and microphone from the guy and slammed it hard on the ground, breaking them. More camera flashes were happening right after that and more shouts coming from the media but Yong wasn’t afraid of them.

She pointed a finger at the guy and whispered under her breath, “If you lost someone you love, would you want a microphone and camera shoved at your face? Would you want me to shove a ing camera on your face right now, huh?”

The guy glared at Yong and said, “What the ? I’m suing you for breaking my equipment!”

“Go ahead. I’m not afraid. You sue me then be prepared because you might not be able to shove food into your mouth for the rest of your life.” She stared at the guy intently while the guy gulped hard from nervousness. “That applies to each and everyone of you here! Can’t you cover news while still respecting one’s privacy? Is that how petty you all are?!”

I was able to find the strength to move myself from where I was standing. I placed my arm around Yong and was the one guiding her out of the hospital now. She was breathing heavily beside me but thankfully, she followed me without question. She also didn’t fight with the media anymore.

We switched roles when we were outside of the hospital. Her arms went around me again and held me close to her. Security followed us and made everything go smoothly. Mr. Cho was waiting for us by the car. He opened the door and Yong let me in first before she followed right after.

She pulled me into her arms the moment we were inside the car. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have lost control but that guy was just really disgusting, Whee.” She kissed my cheek repeatedly while I allowed myself to relax in her arms. “I’m really sorry”

“Don’t leave me…”

“I’m not. Just know that I’m here, baby. I’m here for you. I won’t leave you, okay?”

I pushed my face on her neck while she hugged me tightly. “It hurts, Yong. It hurt so much”

“I know… I’m sorry, Whee. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything”

I cried once again while Yong rubbed her hand on my back and continued to kiss my cheek. My chest just hurt so badly while my silent tears slowly flowed down my cheeks. What am I supposed to do without you now, Mom? What do you want me to do? How am I supposed to live without you?

“Don’t leave me, Yong. Don’t leave me too. It hurts so much…”

Yong and I were sitting on the side of the room. My eyes were on the picture of my Mom being surrounded by beautiful white flowers. There’s a vase of magnolia flowers in front of Mom’s picture and a platform below it so I could still see her face. Despite how neutral the flowers