Fairytales
Cheonsa
One year later.
Infinite had returned to their simple lives as underground fighters. That was their world, after all; it was where they belonged. They never heard from BAP again, as the group wasted away in prison. Dongwoo continued sending cheques to pay the rent for the apartment where he grew up, knowing fully well he would someday have to move on but deciding he wouldn’t rush it if he didn’t have to. As for Haneul, she managed to keep a low profile, since according to government records her identity did not exist.
Although she could no longer physically heal the sick, Haneul had found a way to still help others. She started working at a children’s hospital and spent her days encouraging young lives to heal on their own.
Myungsoo had arrived to pick Haneul up from work one day and the two of them went looking for Sungyeol, who was volunteering in a different wing of the hospital. He too had found happiness in helping children, and with each day that passed he began to believe Haneul’s words that perhaps he could do good in the world. When they found him playing with a little girl in her hospital room, Haneul smiled and knocked on the door to get his attention.
“Oh, hey!” Sungyeol called out to them both, “Are you done for the night?”
Haneul nodded. “Things are quiet tonight. My supervisor said I can clock out,” she said, “How about you?”
“Almost,” Sungyeol replied, “This little one doesn’t want to go to bed yet.”
The little girl behind him waved, and Haneul recognized her. She was a long term leukaemia patient, well into her sixth month of chemotherapy.
“And why not?” Haneul said with a smile, placing her hands against her hips, “Isn’t it past your bedtime, Hyemin?”
“But I can't sleep,” said Hyemin, her little fists gripping onto the blanket.
“Well, how about a bedtime story?” Haneul offered, and the little girl’s eyes lit up in delight.
Haneul pulled a chair up to her bedside, and Hyemin settled into her blankets. Sungyeol and Myungsoo watched Haneul with warm smiles; she was always good with kids. Becoming a nurse at a children’s hospital had really been her true calling as a human.
Haneul cleared , and Hyemin closed her eyes as she listened to her story.
“Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess who was loved and adored by all her people. She loved them too, and all the land lived peacefully together. But one day, a group of angry townsfolk attacked an enemy village, and a war started between them. The troublemakers were banished, but both sides continued to fight to protect their homes and families. The princess could see that the violence would only hurt them both
Comments