Saturday came by fast and the Min brother still had work so they left SoAh at home alone. She was supposed to help out at the flower shop but Halmoni called to said it was not busy and that she doesn’t have to go. Which was to her advantage, because she had secretly made an appointment with Dr Park for a check-up because of her recent headaches, leaving only a note to inform them that she will be out. SoAh requested for Dr Park to keep it from her brothers because she didn’t want them to worry, after all, it was only check-up.

Dr Park didn’t give her a definite answer but continue explaining how the process will work. She will be going through MRI scanning as well as CT scan. He was like a guardian bringing her around and signing papers if required, just like her brothers. She asked him to go back to his work but he refused saying that he had taken the day off. Dr Park knew the condition of SoAh’s sickness and attempted to stop her from all these check-ups but she didn’t want to listen and insisted on going. Dr Park had no choice but to let her, after all, she’s the patient and she has the rights to do anything.

After all the check-ups, she was asked to wait for her results which will be ready in another hour or so. She had no choice but to stay in the hospital.

“I am so hungry! I haven’t had anything since morning because of all the check-ups” SoAh whined, surprising Dr Park.

“Come let’s go to the cafeteria” He pulled her arms, and gave her a look, “You should whine more” He smirked then laughed.

“Yah, are you laughing at me now, and I am eating alone, not with you. Get back to your work”

“I’ve spent my whole morning helping you with everything yet you are doing this to me now? I haven’t had breakfast and lunch too. So we are eating together, you and me” He didn’t wait for her and left for the cafeteria. “Hurry up slow poke” he shouted without turning back.

“Aish” SoAh increased her speed and walked beside him. They were arguing about who to pay for the meal because he said he helped her the whole morning, he deserved a meal from her. She didn’t want to but he insisted but SoAh being SoAh, never back down so easily, she will never pay for his meal, every dollar is important for her. “Call me stingy but I don’t have that extra cash to treat you” She stick her tongue out at him and took her own lunch before heading to the counter. Before she could pay for her meal, a hand reached out to pay for it. “Ahjumma, lunch set for two. Please give this lady a hot cocoa and a black coffee for me”

She gave him a look as if saying why are you paying for me

“Move it” He bumped her away and strolled towards the empty table.

“Here’s for my share” SoAh gave him the money that she was initially paying for her lunch. “Keep it, take it as a treat from me” He rejected and continue eating his food.

“As disgusting as it sounds, you’ve helped me the whole morning and I didn’t even treat you a lunch to thank you but instead, you bought lunch for me. Just-Just take it” She pushed back the money to him.

“Yah Min So Ah, all I need is just a simple thank you from you. Keep the money, you shouldn’t spend away all your brother’s hard earned money.” He looked up before going back to his food. He was expecting her to thank him but on a second note, he thought, forget it.

“T-thank you Dr Park” she mumbled, before digging into her food.

After lunch, she got a call from one of the hospital department informing her that the results are out and she can retrieve it now. Dr Park left her a while ago because he had something to attend but he will come back after he’s done. Which left her to collect it herself.

Walking into the room, her heart was thumping hard, she had a bad feeling about it. She was scared. SoAh sat down on the chair while the Doctor started explaining to her about the results. It was all fine until the result for her brain check-up which he paused for a while before continuing.

“Miss Min, the following results I am going to announce to you is your brain scanning result. I need you to be mentally prepared to receive this because it is a very serious matter.” He looked at her and received a nod in return. She totally has no clue what he was going to say to her but she felt worried. Her palm is starting to get sweaty.

“I hate to announce this to you but Miss Min, we have discovered a brain tumour with the MRI scan earlier on. You’ve mentioned that you are suffering from headaches and nose bleed, which might be caused by the brain tumour. I am sure you are aware you are suffering from TBI? More symptoms can be explained by my assistant, you can talk to her outside. But might I ask for you to come back for another more detailed scan?”

She was having mixed feelings. “TBI? What is that?”

“It was clearly stated here that the last scanning you had, you were discovered to have been suffering from TBI, which is Traumatic Brain Injury after getting hit on the head”

“I am actually not aware of this. I-is it serious?” thoughts were running wild in her mind that corrupted her thinking. Did her brothers know about all these? And they didn’t tell her?

Dr Park brought SoAh out to the hospital park. While on the way there, she kept to herself and did not say anything.

“So have you decided whether to go for the treatment?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. You know my family, we don’t have money for that. They have work and they are still young, they have dream to chase and I don’t want to ruin the rest of their life that I had already done so much damages to it, I don’t want them to waste their time taking care of me. I don’t want them to try so hard like Appa. I don't want to leave them with debts to pay... what if... what if I go for treatment, then they will have to worry about the surgery next... there's only 30% survival rate anyway... and if I don't come out alive from there? It's all going to be a waste"

“You are not a waste, SoAh! Don't ever say that, especially not infront of your brothers." He scolded lightly, knowing where she was coming from, "Then have you planned on what to do about it?”

“Sooner or later, I am going to be a burden to my family, to Mark, to everyone.” She sighed, “What am I going to do? I don’t know but I don’t want to add on to the weight on their shoulders.” she lowered her head and fixed her eyes on the ground and swung her leg.

“So Ah, you want to hear my story?” SoAh nodded and he continue, “I used to have a sister, she was 15 when I was 20, she was my happy pills, my joy and I just want to protect her like how your brothers protect you. When she was around your age, we were told that she was diagnosed with brain damage after an accident. I was just an intern back then, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do to help her. I was a useless brother. Our family wasn’t well off, and we couldn’t afford any special care for her. Unlike you, she became vegetative state within a month, her health deteriorates faster than expected. She lied on the bed for 4 months in the hospital, it was the worst 4 months of my life. Mom and dad was struggling to pay off the hospital bill and all I could do was to sit by and watch her getting worse every day. She wanted all of us to just end her life in her sleep with the injection. Just like you, she didn’t like being a burden to us, we didn’t want to let her die like that, but she chop signed the patient’s consent form without our knowledge in order to make her doctor inject her, we were lucky that her doctor was a friend of mine and he told me about it, I was glad I’m able to stop her in time. I was so angry at her for thinking that she’s a burden to us, and we had a little quarrel. Although I was an intern in the hospital she was staying at, I didn’t visit her for 2 days because I was angry at her. I regretted so much. Even until now, I regretted and hated myself for being so petty. Even when my parents scolded me and told me to visit her and that she was asking for me, I didn’t. I was told that she had passed away the next day” He paused for a while to just SoAh staring at him, “I didn’t, I didn’t see her for the last time. She must have known that her time is up that’s why she was calling for me, but I didn’t go to her. She must’ve hated me. That’s probably why I cared so much for you now, you remind me so much of her.”

“Why are you telling me all this? I will still be burden when time comes, and you will be the only one knowing it until I die- Argh YAH!” Dr Park knuckled her temple.

“You are not going to die Min So Ah, get proper treatment and you will live. I’m telling you this because your brothers need you as much as I need my sister, your brothers care for you as much as I care for my sister. I have been through and would understand how they will feel if you were to leave them. What I’m trying to say is, talk to them about it. Even if you feel that you’re a burden to them, they won’t feel that way, and if they do, look for me.”

He was speaking so sincerely that she could almost felt his care for his sister. “I am sure your sister wouldn’t hate you because you’ve done all that you can” she mumbled. “What will you do if they think of me as a burden?”

“I will see what I can do. Either chase them down for you or I will bring you far away from them until they regret doing so”

“Tch” 

She reached home to find both of her brothers’ home. After hearing Dr Park’s story, she decided to talk to her brothers, but she was not ready yet. She didn’t know how to approach the topic.

“Oh you’re home! Where did you go only leaving a note?” JunSeo came out of the kitchen with congee looking like a mother.

“Park, for a walk, congee? That’s a first” She stretched to see what he brought out from the kitchen to find congee in the bowl. SoAh knew her brothers doesn’t fancy watery rice sort of things.

“SeongJun is running a fever, I’m trying to force him to eat. He insisted on going to work with this condition so I had to force him to do everything.”

“Fever? Is he sleeping?”

“Yeah, so can I trouble you to bring this to him when he’s awake? I have to rush to my night shift” JunSeo said, pushing the tray to her before rushing out.

How could she tell them, no one would have to heart to do so. Both of them are working too hard for the family, even in sick bed, her brother still insists on working to give her a better living. Her being healthy is already a burden to them, she can’t imagine when she is sick. When she can’t move. When all she was, is a block of trouble.

She left the tray on the dining table before heading in to her room to change, and went to SeongJun after that. She sat on her brother’s bed and pulled up the blanket to his shoulder, making sure he won’t feel cold. She turned her back at him and tears slipped out of her eyes.