“It was twin’s 2^nd birthday and it happened 3 years ago….” Hyo Rin started to recall and enumerate the event.

 

“Saeng il Chukae Hamnida…Saeng  il chukae Hamnida Ori da nae salang.” Shin Hye greeted her children the very first hour of the morning of their 2^nd year in the world of the twin who just got up from bed.  She took the 2 different medium size boxes wrapped with a happy birthday logo.  Yong Ha and Young Hye was so excited and immediately hugged and kissed their Eomma.  Hyo Rin smiled when the two kids hurriedly took their gift and seated back in their bank bed.  Before they started to tear off their presents Hyo Rin speaks.

 

“Ooppss..Oopps.. before that make a wish and blow your candles little one’s.” Their adopted grandmother went inside the room with a small cake with chocolate frostings and with two candles.  Shin Hye took the cake from Hyo Rin and kneeled in front of the kids.

 

The twin closes their eyes and together said “I wish Appa will come home soon..” and they blow their candles together. “Gomawo..Eomma..Gomawo Halmoni..” they said chorus and smiled and continued opening their one and only precious gift. 

 

Shin Hye and Hyo Rin looked meaningfully at each other.  Hyo Rin nodded with a sad smile to Shin Hye.  It means that her children are growing and time comes they will look and asked about their father.  Shin Hye stood up and left the room,  she found herself in their small kitchen her tears starts leaking in her eyes.  She looked around the place and she saw a cake, a medium pint of ice cream, fruits and other favorite foods of the twin that they prepared for their special occasion laid on the small table.  Halmoni Hyo Rin tapped her shoulder,  she didn’t noticed that the old maiden was already at her side.

 

 

“This is not what I planned for my future and for my children.” Shin Hye said as she wiped her tears.

 

 

“Do you think it’s about that their father  must know about them?” the old maiden asked her.

 

“He hated me so much for ruining his future.  He hated me so much that I came to his life. He doesn’t even want his blood to mix with mine.  Now, tell me do you think he would be glad to know about the twins?” She asked her though her heart crashed when it comes to her children's situation.

 

“I agree that he might say it.  People tends to say something that they don’t mean it when they are disappointed and frustrated in the situation.  It was 2 years ago Shin Hye, he may be a different person right now.  You were both young and vulnerable then at that time.”  Hyo Rin consoled Shin Hye.  She treated Shin Hye as her own daughter and she is in return.  Hyo Rin was only one considered her as a family after her parents’ tragic death.

 

“Do you think it’s about…” she was cut off by the horrific scream of her son Yong Ha.

 

“Eomma!!!!!” Yong Ha screamed as he went out of the room. “You…Young Hye…” the little boy uttered in nervousness.

 

Shin Hye and Hyo Rin looked at the door of the room and they saw Yong Ha’s standing in a paled face.  They immediately ran towards the room.  “Young Hye!!!”  They exclaimed in chorus. They found Young Hye lying on the floor catching her breath and eventually became unconscious. 

 

 

Shin Hye panicked and she took her daughter and hurriedly out of their house screaming for help.  Hyo Rin gathered the little  boy and they followed his mother outside.

 

“Please help us!!! Please help us!!!.. my daughter…” she said in amidst of her tears and anxiousness.

 

 

“Shin Hye?? What happen? What happen to Young Hye?” a middle aged man in their next door neighborhood asked when he saw Shin Hye carrying her unconscious child.  He seems panicking as well.

 

 

“She can’t breathe and she became unconscious.” Shin Hye replied.

 

 

People from the neighborhood started to gather when they heard the commotion.  “Shin Hye, come here we will take her to the hospital immediately.”  A fine young man offered his delivery van to take them to the hospital.

 

 

“Ajumma..” Shin Hye called Hyo Rin who is a little further from them.

 

“Don’t worry about us..” She replied to her when she saw Shin Hye’s reaction.

 

The engine starts and speed off to the nearest hospital. Everyone asked Hyo Rin about what happen and she told them what she saw.  Shin Hye was a great neighbor in their small community.  Every household knows and likes her and her little twins.  They know partially about her life but not her real identity.

 

At the hospital, Shin Hye was waiting outside the emergency room.  The medical team immediately assisted her daughter. By the time then on, Hyo Rin, Yong Ha and the man who took them to the hospital, Mr. Hwang Tae Kyung came.  He went back to collect the old maiden and her daughter.  He volunteered to do it.

 

“How is she?” he asked.

 

“I don’t know they still do some series of test..” she replied as she crossed her both palms.

 

“Everything will be alright.”  Hyo Rin said to her.

 

“Eomma… Young Hye…” Yong Ha asked her mother. 

 

Shin Hye bent and carried her son. “Yong Ha, your sister is still inside but she is ok.”  She lied so that the little boy won’t get worried as he witness the incident. She looked back to the two person next to her.  “Thank you for your help.” She said to Tae Kyung.

 

“It’s alright, anybody will do the same incase of emergency.”  He replied. “That’ s what neighbors supposed to do help each other.” He added and smiled.  Shin Hye bowed to show her gratitude to him before the guy bid his goodbye.

 

 

They have waited for another few minutes and the doctor came out. “Are you the mother of the patient?” he immediately asked them pertaining to Shin Hye. “I need to talk to you.”

 

 

Shin Hye nodded in reply and followed the doctor inside the emergency room.

 

“Your daughter is suffering from Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy it is one of the rare heart diseases that affects the muscles and electrical system of the heart. The walls of the heart become thickened, making it difficult for the heart to efficiently pump blood to the rest of the body.” The doctor started.

 

“Doctor, I don’t understand what do you mean?” Shin Hye replied with a blank mind.  Her mind is not yet settled to hear anything that is unusual to her.

 

“Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is a rare genetic mutation is thought to be the cause of this disease. Common symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, and loss of consciousness.” The doctor explained to her.

 

“You mean..” she didn’t continue her words.

 

“Yes, The patient with this heart disease may have frequent fainting spells or may experience a sudden heart attack, often leading to death. The only solution is an open heart surgery  to regulate the heart rate and prevent the sudden death frequently associated with this condition.”  He explained.

 

It was a bomb that exploded in Shin Hye’s ears. Only the word heart attack and death have registered in her mind and the rest haven’t sank in yet. 

 

“My…my daugh…daughter will….my daughter will die?” she finally completes her sentence amids of her anxiousness.

 

 

“If an immediate medical procedure will not be done in a least possible time.” The doctor said.  “Since it is a rare heart disease, we don’t have sufficient equipment for the surgery and it is quite a very expensive surgery.  Either in Seoul, Japan, US or Europe have those high technologies use for the operation.” He added. 

 

 

“Wha..what? You mean to say..” Shin Hye panicked again.  She didn’t know what to say knowing that the ailment of her daughter is for the rich people only.

 

 

“For the meantime, I can give you some medication for her chest pain once it will be triggered.  But you need to do the surgery at least earliest possible time.  The more she will get older the more it will become critical for her condition.” The doctor’s advised before he left the place.

 

 

Shin Hye hold the hand of her daughter, she can’t believe that Young Hye is suffering a rare disease at a very young age.  She cried silently knowing that her daughter will be gone if she can’t have the proper medication.  She can’t afford to lose her.  She already loss the father of her children and now her only daughter is having an ailment might leave her as well. “Baby, eomma will do anything and everything for you, even if my life will be the expiation upon seeing your father I will do it.  I am ready to give up my life for you to live.  I love you so much as I love your father.” She said in heavy sobs.  The old maiden was listening to her and her eyes starts to water.

 

“Madam, I would like to take some information about the patient.” Interrupted by the medical assistant. “We will transfer her to the ward after you filled up this form.” The medical assistant added.

 

Shin Hye wiped her tears and starts to do what is necessary…

 

“The following day she told me she will going to Seoul to meet you.” Hyo Rin continued. “It was raining that time, I advised her to travel the next day but she refused.  She said it can’t wait.”

 

“I haven’t met her.  She never came to my place.. our place.” Yong Hwa told them.

 

Hyo Rin smiled and said, “I know, because the bus that will bring her to Seoul fell off on the cliff and exploded.”

 

 

The Jung’s was shocked about the information.  The investigator hasn’t said anything about the details of Shin Hye’s death.

 

“She…she..she had a tragic…tragic death?” Yong Hwa couldn’t believe of what he heard.

 

“It was after 3 days she left when her colleague in the restaurant where she had worked brought the police in hospital.  He informed about us Shin Hye.”  She cut her sentence as her tears starts to roll down. “I couldn’t identify properly because her entire face and the upper part of her body was burnt and the only identification she has was the necklace with her initials and the small wallet in her pockets with her social security ID card.  All she wanted was to save the life of her daughter… your daughter, but she failed.  The little amount of money we received in the insurance from the bus company was being used to Young Hye’s medical expenses and hospitalization.”

 

Yong Hwa shed a heavy tears upon hearing the tragic death of his “ex-wife”.  He hugged tightly his children thinking that they are already an orphan in a mother.   He hired an investigator to look for them but it took time for them to locate.  Shin Hye changed her surname to Kim so that Yong Hwa wouldn’t be able to find and kill her.

 

“This is my entire entire fault.”  He said in between his sobs as he looked at his parents and twins started to cry again.  “They won’t be here in this miserable place, Shin Hye should be still alive if I just listen to her.”  Yong Hwa blamed himself for the tragic death of Shin Hye.

 

“Appa…” the twins said in chorus and hugged their father. Yong Hwa remembered that his daughter shouldn’t be emotionally overwhelmed or depress due to her condition.

“Young Hye.. don’t cry honey.. it’s not good for your health.  Daddy will be here now and I will never leave you.  I promise that.”  He said to his children and kissed their forehead.  The twins hugged tightly to their father.

 

“Can you bring us where Shin Hye’s remain lies?” He requested and the old maiden nodded.

 

People again started to gathered when the elite securities started to move indicating that the people inside the house are moving out.  Yong Hwa emerged in the door with his children in both hands.  This time the kids are dressed in an appropriate manner.  A clothes that they only wear when they go to a school event or attended a birthday party in the neighborhood or go to church.  The only clothes they have that are not a hand-me-down from the other people.

 

“Yong Ha, who is that?” asked by the little boy of their age who was standing next to the door of his house.

 

“My Appa..” Yong Ha proudly announces and that made everyone looks in wonder.

 

People began to whispered about the little boys announcement.  They can’t believe that the two little orphans are the children of the affluent family. 

 

“Annyeonghaseyo..” Yong Hwa greeted and bowed each one he passes.  Mr. & Mrs. Jung smiled and bowed to people in the community before they climbed to their car. These time Yong Hwa took the first car along with children and Ahjumma while the rest of the securities was in his father’s car.

It took 15 minutes to reach the cemetery and 5 minutes walk to the grave of Shin Hye.  Again, Yong Hwa didn’t control his emotions when he saw the tomb of Shin Hye.  It was written: Here lies the memory of a dear friend and a loving mother.  Kim (Park) Shin Hye.

 

Yong Hwa kneeled and his emotions was hammered seeing the reality that his “ex-wife” Shin Hye has gone for forever. “Shin Hyeeee!!!!” he’s wailing.  His screamed full of pain and regret.  His tears keeps running down to his face. He hugged her tomb and said, “Oh God….” He shouted.  “AAhhhhh!!” he screamed as he started to punch the surface of Shin Hye’s cemented tomb.  He is trying to crack it down for it open and hoping he could touch her.  His father went to him to stop what he is doing when they notice his knuckles started to bleed.  “Dad.. Shin Hye is gone..” he said like a little boy who was being left by his mother.

 

His parents comforted their hysterical son. “Yong, please be strong for your twins.  These are the only memory she left for you.  Young Hye needed you the most.  Shin Hye will be happy wherever she is right now if she saw you and your children.” His crying mother told him.

 

 

The twins started to cry and ran toward their father they hugged him tightly. “Appa… Eomma” they said as they exchange glance from the tomb of their mother back to their father.   Yong Hwa caught his children and hugged them back.  He stood up with the kids in his side.

 

“Shin.. I am sorry… I am sorry.. it shouldn’t end this way.. I never get a chance to say that I love you.  I never get a chance to repay your love and kindness to us.  I never get a chance to show my love for you, if I had only known earlier you wouldn’t be there. ”  He tried to manage to say the words in between his heavy sobs and kneeled back to her tomb. “It may be too late but I know you can hear me and I wanted to tell you this that, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH and THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THESE WONDERFUL CHILDREN.  Please forgive me.”  He said and he kissed the surface of her tomb.  “Shin Hyeee!” He screamed for one last time.

 

Without their knowledge one old man was watching them behind tree the moment they arrived at the cemetery. “This must be her family.” He uttered silently. “How can I possibly convey her message to them?” the old man told to himself as he was looking to the old wallet size photographs of Yong Hwa and baby twin. The old man whom Shin Hye had talked before the tragic event.

 

 

 

Shin Hye's pain and agony in Yong Hwa's hand will follow as he started to flash back.  I hope you guys understand the flow my story as I inserted the flash back.  Please note that the blue context are flash back.