The cries were emitted in every direction, no place was safe from the horrid howls of two young children in despair.

"WAE!! EOMMA!! ILEONA!!!" The oldest, at six years of age, nudged his mother's right arm trying to get her to wake up from her ever sleeping state. "ILEONANASEYO!!!"

There was no holding back the painful tears streaming down this poor young child's small face. The younger, at four years, gazed up at his elder brother, watching him cry in desperation. With his tiny hand, the boy gripped the hem of his brother’s shirt lightly tugging at it to get his attention, “Oppa, oppa when is umma gonna wake up?”

The brother gazed down with his puffy red eyes at his baby brother who was hugging his teddy bear, the same teddy bear that his mother made for him when he was born. He wiped his runny nose with the back of his hand and bent over from the chair he was standing on to be able to see his mother’s lifeless body and hugged his younger sibling who was still too young to understand the situation fully.

“Mir-ah, umma….umma isn’t going to wake up for a long time.” He was having trouble to keep calm.

“Waeyo? Umma is tired?” The young child, Mir, tilted his head blinking his big eyes up at his brother.

The eldest child gazed at him wondering how they were going to live from now, wondering how his baby brother would survive without the loving comfort from a mother-the security that he was able to get. Right at that moment, he decided that he would become Mir’s mother, brother, and protector; he will do anything to keep him off the streets and from doing bad things that will let him end up dead like most kids do when they don’t have someone there for them.

“Ne Mir, umma is very tired but she is going to take a long rest so don’t worry oppa will be here for you. I promise.” He hugged his baby brother almost crushing his little body.

“Alright it’s time to go.” Their father entered the room after chatting up a young nurse for hours not caring that his wife just passed away and his kids were in pain.

The children gawked at their mother one last time before reluctantly leaving the hospital room.

“Hongki,” the father called out as they walked through the hallway, “take your brother and wait for me in the car. I have something I need to take care of.” He eyed the same young nurse he was talking to with a smirk playing on his lips as he hooked his arm around the nurse’s waist.

Hongki, the eldest, took Mir by the hand and led him out to the car, tears still streaming down his cheeks.