12-12-2010
Dear diary, I’ve decided to start you today because I don’t know how much longer I have left. Better late than never. So I’m going to start off by introducing myself.

My name is Ariane Lee; I’m part Korean and part German but was brought up in Korea, in Busan to be exact. I was born on the 16^th of February, 1991 and am nineteen years old. I just finished my second year in university and am doing a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences. This is what my uncle and aunt didn’t want for me and I’ll accept that. Though they don’t believe it, I am naturally talented at the work so I would do it.

For a project, I’ve been sent to work with medical researchers to develop better cures for illnesses and find cures for those that don’t have any. It’s interesting, and…after today it’s now personal.

I’ve always had a bit of a cough growing up, when I get really ill in winter I would cough up blood along with phlegm but it wasn’t thought to be anything major. I knew something was wrong, and earlier today my aunt finally decided to take me to the doctors to see if what was wrong.

The car ride was short, and due to the precise timing inside the medical centre I found myself sitting on a chair in a doctor’s office shortly. I’m not going to go into what she did, but it wasn’t the most comfortable. When she finished typing on her computer she turned to us with a grave look on her face.

“I have some bad news. Miss Lee, you have tuberculosis and it’s seemingly fatal. I can put you on the medication and hope it works but…it’s quite likely you have a year or a bit more to live.” She stated bluntly.

My aunt burst into sobs while I just felt nothing at all. It was like I was numb. I had just over three hundred and sixty five days to live. I followed stiffly as we walked out and got my prescription medicine.

My auntie wouldn’t stop babbling tearfully to me. I didn’t get why she was so worked up about it. I was the one dying—not her. When we got outside I her.

“Will you shut up!” I snapped at last. “Your blubbing is useless.” Oh wow, my voice was seriously cold.

Finally she quieted down, but I could see her shoulders quaking with her silent sobs. I would’ve felt bad for her but I didn’t feel anything, no sadness, no nothing. It was like a pool of emptiness had opened up inside of me and was consuming me from the inside out.

One year… Fifty-two weeks… Three hundred and sixty-five days… Eight thousand, seven hundred and sixty hours… Five hundred and twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes… Twelve million, six hundred and fourteen thousand, four hundred seconds…

I had to close my diary when my aunt parked the car. I hurried to put it away in my room before packing a bag to go to the medical research lap and coming back downstairs. My aunt had gathered the others into the lounge: my uncle and Sunni, my twenty-three year old cousin.

“What’s the news?” Sunni asked, looking at me nervously.

“I’ve got tuberculosis. I have about a year left to live unless they find a miracle cure.” I answered. The shock on their faces was understandable. I didn’t really care, they couldn’t do anything. “Anyway, I’m heading to the medical lab to continue helping out there.”

I left and drove the short distance to the medical research lab where I had my project work for my class. When I arrived at the plain building I parked my little turquoise car near the entrance and walked in, already pulling my white-blonde hair into a ponytail. My thick-framed glasses slid down my nose so I pushed them back up. I walked toward the receptionist, curving my lips into a pleasant smile.

“Oh, Ariane. Hello, Dr Lee is in room three as usual.” She smiled and pointed, though I already knew where room three was.

It was unofficially his room; he was the only one that really used it. He was Dr Taesun Lee, thirty years old and a fairly well-known name in this industry. He was a rising star. People often didn’t want to work with him just because of the unique way he and his mind work, but I enjoyed it seeing as we thought similarly. He saved me from his less-pleasant co-worker when I first came here and took me under his wing.

His basic rules were to report anything that went wrong or very right to him and not to be embarrassed because of how something was figured out. To quote him ‘too many people were stuck in the old ways and that was why they made no progress.’

I put my entry pass up to the scanner and the door slid open. My mentor was leaning over a document on one of the pristine white benches.

“Hello Ariane. Would you please help me with labelling some cell samples? Then your mind won’t be distracted while you tell me what’s wrong.” He spoke without looking at me.

“Okay, but…how did you know there was something wrong?” I asked.

“Is there something wrong? Oh my, tell me about it.” He glanced at me with an innocent look on his face. He tricked me!

I sighed before getting to work. “I went to the doctor; I have tuberculosis and only about a year to live.”

He was silent so I got a bit of a surprise when his arms slid around me in a gentle hug. Especially because he was known for not being the biggest fan of contact with most people. “I know that nothing I can say or do will really change it for you, but I can try to comfort you and I will happily do it. I may not be that old compared to you, but you still feel like an honorary daughter to me.”

Finally someone who understood how I felt and thought similarly! I smiled. “Thank you. After being without a father, you’ve kind of taken the fatherly role in my life. What you said means a lot to me.”

We went back to work and it seemed like Taesun was mulling over something on his mind. I didn’t ask what, he would tell me if I needed to know.

“I have a suggestion…” He admitted, I turned to him and sat down opposite him when he sat. “You’re young, very young, and so incredibly talented in this line of work. I don’t want to get your hopes up but…I was thinking we could work on trying to find a proper cure for chronic tuberculosis.”

My heart did a series of acrobatics, mimicking the butterflies fluttering nervously in my stomach. It was a chance, and that was all I would want. “Thank you, Doctor. I would love to work on it. I may not be able to save myself, but I will be happy if I can save others.”

“You’re a good kid, Ariane, I’m proud to get to work with you.” He smiled. “Now, because you’re leading this investigation, what would your first move be?”

I looked at him, shocked. “Why am I leading this?”

“Because you’re cut out to be a leader, and an excellent one at that. Many of my exercises with you have been testing your abilities for leadership in this and you’ve done amazing in them all.” He explained.

Oh. I thought for a moment about what I would do first. “I would research the present ‘cures’, what of them works and what of them doesn’t and why for each.”

“Excellent, shall we?” He motioned towards his file cabinet.

I’m not sure how long we spent looking through those files, it was a long time, but both of us were focused. Finally I closed the last file with a sigh.

“These are all quite dated; I think we should get new samples of the disease from varying genders, age groups, living conditions, and races. Then test the supposed cures on each, see what works for each and what doesn’t, then work on figuring out why and what we can do to make a definitive cure.”

When Taesun shifted his gaze to me, it was filled with what seemed to be awe. “I am so happy to be able to work with you. You spotted the faults of what others did when finding the cure. They didn’t vary the samples or go so in-depth with what works or doesn’t and why. But it’s already nearly ten o’clock and to do good research we need a good night’s sleep. So go home and get some rest. We can continue tomorrow.”

“Thank you Doctor.” I smiled and nodded.

He turned off the light and walked outside with me, locking the door as we exited it. “Oh, and please call me Taesun.”

I turned back to him. “Thank you, goodnight Taesun.” I smiled.

“Goodnight, Ariane.”

I got in my little car and drove back to the house, when I got inside there was a light on. I went to investigate and found my auntie sitting on the couch, book in hand and a frown directed toward me.

“Where have you been?” She demanded.

“I was working late with Doctor Lee.” I shrugged.

Her frown deepened. “You shouldn’t be needed so late, you’re just a beginner.”

I rolled my eyes and didn’t bother correcting her. She would think I was lying and boasting. “Anyway, I’m going to bed. I need to be rested for tomorrow.”

I ignored what else she said and just went upstairs to my room, changing into shorts and a shirt and crawling into bed.