Tick. Tick. Tick. Besides the ticking of the clock on HeeJin’s nightstand, and the humming of the window heater, the room was silent. She lay in her bed, staring up at the stucco ceiling, feeling the itchy fleece blankets rub across her wrinkled feet, and the heavily starched pillowcase, creating friction and frizz to her graying hair. Both her hands clutched the top of the bed comforter, as she sighed. Her chest rose and fell in a syncopated pattern, as she eyed the varicose veins and age spots in her hands. She blinked twice, hoping for some sort of miracle that she could return to her younger days, as well as the memories that went along with them. Placing her hand on her face, she brushed her fingertips across her cheek, feeling the sagging skin that was starting to remind her of a bruised prune. Hot tears spilled out of her eyes, trickling down her face, and onto her pillowcase. Wrapping her fingers more tightly around her comforter, She lifted her legs up and slammed them down hard on the mattress, the springs bouncing back from the force with a resounding thump, reverberating all the way to the end post of her bed. A stream of light flooded the room, as a nurse in white came rushing in, her squeaky shoes sliding across the linoleum as she made her way towards her. The nurse’s face was rumpled with concern.

“Ms. Im, are you alright?” She asked, looking to see if she was in any pain. She was in no need of any medications as the pain she was experiencing couldn’t be aided by pills or tonics. How cruel it was, to have time taken away, as if it were a rug pulled out from underneath you, to let you fall on your own. How unbearable it was, to age by yourself, just waiting until it was time for you to leave this earth. As HeeJin glanced back at her, and slowly shook her head, she could see pity in the nurse’s eyes. Her usual nurse came in and gently outstretched HeeJin’s arm to give her a sedative shot. This time, she did not resist. Rather than be regarded as an unstable human being, she let the nurse do her job. Could you even believe that she had once been lively and bright eyed? Neither could she. But as the sedative slowly sunk in, as her eyes started to droop closed, and as the nurses quietly left, she thought about the one person who had been able to change her.

Seo WooJin. 

~~

Featuring 

fictional characters

Seo WooJin

Im HeeJin