SIXTY FIVE

When Yonghwa finally arrived in the hospital, his eyes were bloodshot as he wrapped Seohyun in his arms. On the way, she called him after her unnie woke her up eventually to tell her that he was on his way. They both cried on the phone as she told him what happened and Euna’s current condition.

“She’s okay…” Seohyun whispered repeatedly as she held him until he gently pulled away and sat on the edge of Euna’s bed.

Yonghwa’s shoulders quivered again when he saw the scratches on his baby’s delicate skin. Her broken arm that was in plaster cast was wrapped with a pink sling and the wheezing when she breathed were squeezing his heart so hard it made him want to cry out loud. The cheery Euna came to his mind—the loving yet the sassiest little girl he fell in love with the moment she was born. Whenever he was away, Yonghwa takes comfort on the thought that he would be coming home to the love of his life and their little angel who made their lives a little bit more of a heaven.

And now, seeing Euna this way wa s something that came out of a nightmare.

He shut his eyes tight for a moment when he felt Seohyun wrapping her arms around his waist from behind him and laid her lips on crook of his neck. He held her hands by his stomach and they stayed that way for a very very long time without saying anything. Seeing their child that way just pained them both to the core although her injuries were considered as minor. It was very late and he hadn’t slept a wink after a fourteen-hour plane ride. Yonghwa knew this would change everything for them especially now that Seohyun had been very quiet. He knew exactly what she was thinking.

After awhile, he found himself on the couch when his body reminded him that he needed to rest somehow. Although he was tired, his mind won’t allow him to fall asleep. Seohyun had been falling in and out of sleep as well beside Euna. She would frequently get up, check her phone, go to the restroom or just silently stare at their sleeping child. And as if he conjured wanting her closer, Seohyun got up and joined him on the couch and snuggled in.

“You should go home and rest,” Seohyun whispered brushing her lips on his jaw.

In return of the affection, Yonghwa ran his fingers along her arm and snickered, “When was the last time you were home?”

She exhaled heavily before   grunting as if she didn’t need the reminder, “Two days ago.”

“I’m staying for the same reason in that head of yours, tiger,” he smiled as he kissed her forehead.

“Fine, we’re going home tomorrow anyway.” Although Euna was good enough to recuperate at home, Taeyeon wouldn’t hear any of it. She asked for some other tests and requested for her doctor to let their baby stay for three days in the hospital so she would get proper care. Seohyun was so against it but she couldn’t do anything especially when Hyoyeon called her too and agreed with what her unnie wanted. She sighed finally relaxing in his arms. It was a long and tiring week for all of them somehow.

“You must have been very scared.”

“Yes, especially when the police answered Mrs. Jin’s phone. I knew then something very wrong happened.”

They were quiet again until Yonghwa shifted to meet her in eye level and kissed her softly before pulling away but she sighed and claimed his lips once again. Their kisses were more of a testament of everything that they were leaving unsaid as well as their growing need to connect with emotionally especially in a time like this. They were both breathless when they finally let go with the same smile and warmth they have been giving each other all these years.

“Aren’t you scared someone might come inside?” He asked once they just lay there melting in each others’ arms.

“I don’t really care anymore, Oppa,” Seohyun replied in a soft voice. Gone was the hesitation on her voice and what was left was nothing but resignation, “I’m so tired of all of these.”

Yonghwa winced listening to her lonesome sighing. Nobody would ever think their decision would be because of something like this. “I’m sorry,” he murmured with a soft kiss on her cheek.

She smiled feeling the love in that small kiss, “You don’t have to apologize to me. We owe Euna more. We brought her in this kind of world. I’m tired of getting scared for her, especially today.”  She swallowed the tight knot in . Seohyun had never been sure in her life and she wanted to be brave again, like how brave she was when she chose to love this man who held her heart in his own. She smiled despite the fear of everything she was going to reveal, “Oppa, she was hit by that car because she was running away from that paparazzi she told us before.”

“What?” Yonghwa flinched, he suddenly felt more alert. He ran his hand through his hair and decided to tell her everything he had been keeping, “Hyun, I didn’t tell you about him completely.”

She looked at him curiously, “This paparazzi?”

“I never took him for this kind of person who would harm a child,” wincing, Yonghwa recalled his meetings with Kangin a few times in the past.  “It was him you saw taking our picture right from the beginning. I had been paying him every month after he discovered that. It only stopped after we broke up and, that time I was so mad I thought we were never going to get back together. I referred him for a job but it seemed like he never took it.”

Seohyun stiffened uncomfortably. She wanted to get mad at him for what he did, especially for keeping that from her all these years but she just sighed, “Do you think he wants to get even?”

“That was my first thought when you told me that he approached Euna.”

“Unnie is looking for him already,” she replied when she noticed how his jaw clenched. That look scared her.

“I want to find him too.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know yet.” Yonghwa shrugged casually but there was venom on his voice, “I just want him to stay away from Euna and you… from us. I will give him everything he wants.”

“Don’t do anything stupid, Oppa.”

“He should be thankful Euna just broke an arm. I would have killed that son of a .”

Seohyun rarely hear him swear and it sent shivers down her spine. Putting a hand on his cheek, she closed her eyes as she laid her forehead on his chin, “Let Unnie deal with this, please.”

He kissed her forehead but he shook his head, “I can’t promise, Hyun. He hurt our daughter.”

Euna opened her eyes when she felt her arm throbbing. It didn’t hurt like before and it was better than the itching. She wanted to call her mommy especially when she heard her small voice but she stopped when Appa replied. She had been waiting for her daddy to come home and Umma said he went to a far place so it took a long time for him to come back.

Euna was happy now because Umma won’t be too sad for her.  She didn’t want them to stop talking but felt dry so she coughed out loud and tried to cover with her hand. Soon enough, her Appa and Umma were on her bedside fussing over her, asking if she was hurting or hungry.

“Water,” she croaked and her mommy got her bottled water while Appa helped her sit up. After she took a sip, she smiled at her daddy and raised her arm lightly, “Look, Appa, Euna has armor like Ironman!”

“Cool, Euna!” Yonghwa laughed softly and kissed her temple, “It looks pretty heavy though. Does it hurt?”

“A little?” She pouted.

“Honey, go back to sleep…” Seohyun kissed her daughter’s temple and smiled when Yonghwa pouted like he wanted to play with Euna more too. “We will go home in the afternoon so you can play with Appa then.”

“But I’m not sleepy!”

The little girl grumbled as her parents looked at each other. Yonghwa turned to the clock on the wall and groaned, “Wow, it’s almost four in the morning…” he turned to Seohyun, “Do you have a book somewhere, Umma? Euna and I need our bedtime story.”

“Now that you mentioned it,” Seohyun got up and took the one of the fairytale books on the coffee table then joined the two on the bed.

Euna giggled when Appa lay down beside her and Umma sat on the chair beside her bed. Umma started reading her story about Pinocchio and soon enough, she yawned and scratched her eyes. Euna couldn’t wait to go home since her daddy was home again and Umma promised not to go to work while Euna still had her armor.

Her eyelids felt pretty heavy now and she could hear Appa started snoring. She didn’t know if he was joking again but it made her smile until she started to dream about Pinocchio as her eyes closed to Umma’s sweet voice.

~~~

On the third day, Euna was discharged from the hospital and Yonghwa had been waiting in their house all day for them. And the moment they arrived, he did nothing but fuss over his little girl. They stayed in the house for the rest of day until the next day even though he needed to fly to Europe with the band.

Euna was very happy t