JIYONG

“We’re here!” Areum cheerfully walked inside Aden’s room, transitioning from being emotional to happy. I don’t know how she can pull it out.

I stopped on my track upon seeing Dr. Miller. He’s connected to a lot of tubes and machines. Just by looking at him I can feel how painful it is.

With Areum’s lead, I carefully walked to him, still in disbelief that the man I thought was my rival is now in a really bad state. He used to be that buff Doctor every woman adores and every man envies. We’re not close at all, but I’m hurting for him. What more Areum who counts him as her family?

“GD” he called weakly and stretched out his frail hand for a handshake.

He’s skin and bones. His hands doesn’t weigh at all. I forced a smile, “Dr. Miller”. I’m fighting emotions.

He take a deep breath that visibly brought him in pain. “Thank God for this” he uttered, making Areum and I look at each other. “No . I can die in peace now”

“Shut up, Aden!” Areum flicked the thought off.

He chuckled. “GD, this woman is starting to be a pain in the . She just doesn’t want to let go”

I nodded in agreement. “Like she always is” I countered, making him laugh.

“Seriously, you two”. We are pissing her off. I am sure of it.

But Dr. Miller isn’t done yet. “All I want is to die and here she is, holding on to me tightly” Aden is too straightforward. I can sense an argument brewing, and I don’t know how I’m going to go in between.

“ OFF!” with her arms crossed on her chest, she looked at me and Dr. Miller, eyes clearly showing anger, then shoved me away and walked out of the room.

That stunned me. I didn’t know she’s still a ‘walk out queen’. Some things didn’t change at all. Oh well, old habits die hard.

Dr. Miller laughed the moment the door closed. “That’s my way of keeping her out” he said and tried pulling himself up to sit. I gave him a hand. “I want to talk to you alone” he smiled and I get it. He intended to piss Areum off knowing that she will walk out, so we can talk, just the two of us.

I know where this conversation is heading. “Look, if you’re going to apologize, you really don’t need to, because Areum already did it for you and I honestly don’t think you have a fault” I sincerely told him.

He sighed. “I should’ve convinced her to just stay. But, I strongly feel that she needs to have a new life, for she’s too broke during that time”

“I must admit, I hated you before. I feel betrayed. But, after knowing all the things you’ve done for my family, I cannot be thankful enough” I touched his shoulder and lightly patted it. “You helped Areum raise our children. You gave Ethan and Emma a Father. You brought me to them. How can I repay you?”

This man to man talk is heartwarming. I feel good being here.

He looked at me in silence for a while. “Love them unconditionally”. He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “I’m sure you didn’t stop loving Areum, even after all this. That up until now, your heart still beats her name. Deny it all you want GD, but I know I’m right”

I smirked. “How can I stop loving the woman I pictured my life with?”

“You know” he weakly pointed at me, “I always tell her that I’m the one destined to be her best friend, not you, because you’re the one destined to be her one true love, her ‘Mr. Right’”. 

As cheesy as it sounds, I giggled. It made my heart skip a beat. “We’re still in a mess”. I’m suddenly reminded of all the things that we are yet to clear up, including my marriage and Lena.

He hissed. “You are in a mess. Yes. But there are no mess that cannot be cleared out. You two just have to work hard on it”

Areum is right, Dr. Miller is a man full of wisdom. It’s what makes him wonderful. He has the power to enlighten anybody he talks with, which is a true gift, if you ask me.

“Areum loves you so much, GD. She never stopped and trust me, she never will. You know her, she’s good in hiding” he smirked, and I chuckled. “Her heart is just very disturbed to stand up for what it beats for and to even know for certain what it wants. She was messed up to the point that she cannot make any right decisions. Her mind and heart doesn’t go well together. Both are too dominant, and she’s burdened by it, resulting for her to just side to what she thinks is right. She has done a lot of hurtful things to you” he reached for my hand and hold it weakly. “In behalf of her, I apologize, for all of them. I assure you, her head is in perfect condition now. She has focus already. She knows how to work her mind out. I taught her. I fixed it. All you got to do is fix her heart. Make it beat happier. I beg you”

When I thought that I’m going to be speechless after what he said, “I never stopped loving her. Not even a day that I wished she’s the woman I’m with instead of Lena. I was in total denial up until now that I still feel strongly for her, mainly because I’m afraid to step in the game again. But, don’t worry, I can manage her heart. Just give me time to fix my life”

He nodded in satisfaction. “Fair enough”

This deal won’t be broken, for whenever I feel like slipping away, the memory of today will bring me back to it, for sure.

“And the kids”. He’s already having a hard time talking. He’s suddenly catching his breath. I think he’s getting worked up. “They are the best”. I nodded in agreement. “Ethan is very smart. He knows what he wants and works hard to get it. He loves his Mom and Emma so much to the point where he can be aggressive, protecting them. Areum doesn’t know it, but he’s been in a fight with a kid at the park seven months ago because he’s been teased for not having a Dad”

 So, it isn’t his first time throwing punches. I thought I’m the first man he ever fought.

“Ethan is over it. He deals with Father issues from time to time. He longs for you. He prays for you to show up one day so that he can show the kids teasing him that he has a Dad”. Dr. Miller sighed. “Anyway, that day, he ran to me. Instead of going home to Areum, he went to my house that is just five doors away from theirs. Over ice cream and jelly beans, we talked about you”. Upon hearing this, I gasped. “To be honest, they don’t know a thing about you and their Mom’s life before Chicago. Not that Areum planned it, but none of the kids really asked her about you. I don’t know if they just don’t bother asking or they can feel that their Mother is not comfortable talking about it. I told Ethan where you live. What you do. How you look like. I even searched online for a recent picture of you”

I chuckled. “But, he didn’t recognize me when we first met” I told him.

He chuckled. “That’s because your hair in that picture is blonde. You know kids, they are not that good with recognition”

Makes sense. I wonder how the two will react once I color my hair red, that our hair stylist will do before our concert.

“I strictly told Ethan not to tell a word about everything I told him to Areum. Simply because I don’t want her to think that I’m getting ahead of her”. Aden closed his eyes and take a deep breath. “And Emma, that girl is too adorable. She can make your heart melt like butter with just a simple smile. Unlike her Brother, she’s easy go lucky. Very outgoing. I’m telling you, she’s going to be the cool kid that will want tattoos, hopefully not piercings, and the one who is going to bring the fun in everything. She balances Ethan out who is uptight”

Just by hearing all this, I was able to get to know my children more. For a moment I slipped out of reality and imagined how the kids will be fifteen years from now. Ethan, twenty. Emma, eighteen. My son will definitely be in college, living life walking on straight smooth path, with his head fixed on the goal. He’ll be just like Areum who doesn’t stop until she gets what she wants. My daughter on the other hand, is almost finishing senior high, making up her mind if she will study abroad or wherever we are during that time. She’s living life day by day, making the most out of it. I will definitely stop her from getting tattoos and if she goes behind my back, I’ll deal with her maturely. Well, I might drag her back to the tattoo parlor and have her tattoo laser out. I don’t know, but I’m going to make sure she won’t have any. Starting today, I will tell her how painful it is so that she’ll grow up fearing it.

Snapped back, I laughed. “The kids are just like Areum and I, if you’re going to think hard about it”

Aden laughed. “Yeah. They are. I just hope they won’t be as stupid when it comes to love”

And I hope for that too. I don’t know what to do if one day, one of them will come to me, crying, because of a broken heart. One thing is for sure, I’m going to teach my son how to treat a woman right, how to handle her the best way, and how to love her without looking around. As for my daughter, I’ll tell her that good guys can bend, that she doesn’t have to fear love because it’s the best thing ever, and that she just have to be honest with me if a guy cheats on her. This way, I can beat his and have him running out of town in fear.

After a short break from talking, “One more thing” Aden looked intensely into my eyes. “Take them with you back to Seoul even if I haven’t passed yet. Areum doesn’t want to and I’m sure she will turn you down. But, if you have to drag her out of here, please do. One…” he raised a finger, “I don’t want her to be here if I pass. I don’t want her to see me taking my last breath, for that’s going to stick in her mind forever, and that’s the last thing I want. I want her to remember me moving, not still. Two” he raised another finger, “I don’t want her to be alone. Though she has made good friends around, I’m going to be in complete peace once I’m sure she’s around people who loves her no matter what. She’s more independent now, but she still needs someone to share her thoughts with once in a while and with you not by her side every time, it’s going to be hard. Last but not the least” he take another painful breath but smiled after, “I want your family to be complete already. Now that the kids know about you, I think it’s just right for them to be with you. Scratch your issues, don’t mind the people who are going to judge you for sure, and even though it’s going to be hard, let them be close to Lena, for she’s also a part of the family whether you and Areum like it or not”

This man, he got it all figured out. I cannot believe that he still can think of other people even when being battered by his illness. It’s obvious that he thought of all these in detail.

“This might be foul to ask, but why are you giving up already?” My curiosity is killing me. Yeah. I know that it’s really hard to keep up with sickness, especially when you’re already terminal, but giving up when you still have a choice of fighting is totally lame.

Thinking hard, Aden took a deep breath that made him cough. “Cancer is tiring, GD. Imagine living every day worrying if you’ll still be waking up tomorrow. Chemotherapy and the intense medication in between really got the best of me. More than feeling well, you’ll feel like you’re being killed, slowly. It’s torture. Also, I believe that I’ve already done my mission here on Earth. I cured a lot of people. I fell in and love and felt loved. Through your children, I was able to feel how it is to be a Father. I’ve helped people with their lives” he coughed again. “I’m done. My life has made a huge turn already”

I’ve always believed in angels. To me, they are secretly guiding each one of us, helping us in every way they can. And Dr. Miller, just proved that they are real through him.

“You don’t know how happy I am right this very minute” he looked up the ceiling, taking a long breath. “If I die later or tomorrow, I will die smiling, and it’s all because Areum and the kids are already in good hands. Hands where they really belong”

And I gave out. Without intending to, I broke down, while telling him over and over again how thankful I am for all that he’s done for my family. He healed my heart. He cleared my mind. Now, I can face Areum knowing what I really want to happen to us. I’m not letting go of them, of her.

“Call her now” Dr. Miller just laughed all throughout my break down. He waited until I calmed down to talk. “She will not come back without us apologizing”

I chuckled, scratching my head. “I don’t know her number yet”

Dr. Miller looked at me in disbelief and grabbed his phone on the side table drawer. Handing it to me, “You’re lucky to have me as a wingman” he said, making me laugh. “Direct dial one”

Areum came back still pissed. She’s ignoring us. Her immaturity can really get the best of her, and to me it’s still cute.

“I’ve turned you over to your original owner” Dr. Miller told her.

She smirked. “I’m owned by no one”

“Don’t play games anymore”. Dr. Miller and I looked at each other, smiling as if patting each other’s back for a job well done. “He already knows that you still love him, so much”

Speechless, Areum looked at me and I shrugged as if I’m innocent.

“You’re a much better person now, Elle. You know who to listen to between your heart and mind. Don’t let me down. I just bragged to GD that I’ve already fixed you.”

With them just staring at each other, I know that they’re conversing. Areum might be strangling Dr. Miller in her mind. Their connection is strong and their friendship is tight. I’m happy that Areum found Dr. Miller who taught her a lot and picked up her broken pieces to patch her up again.

“We’re sorry” I rubbed her back gently. “For pissing you off”

Dr. Miller chuckled. “She’s blushing” he teased.

Areum rolled her eyes. “Seriously you two” she said and after taking a long breath, she’s already fine.

We stayed with Dr. Miller, laughing and telling stories. They told me why they didn’t end up together. How they worked as a team. And how they raised the kids. I didn’t feel envious at all.

“Oh!” Areum perked up after reading a text message.

Dr. Miller and I both looked at her curiously. “You have another visitor” she told him.

“Who?” he asked, looking at me. “Don’t tell me the kids are here” he said and I shook my head.

After a while, a tall, blue eyed woman, walked in. She’s familiar actually.

“Charlotte” Dr. Miller is wide eyed in surprise.

Areum faced me, her eyes pooling in tears. I her cheeks and wrapped my arm around her waist.

“I’m here now” the woman said to Dr. Miller. Next thing I know it, he’s already in tears.

I wiped Areum’s tears with my thumb. “I think we should go”

She nodded. “Yeah”

We left Dr. Miller with his one true love. Both Areum and I cannot be happier knowing that he got his last wish granted. I’m sure they have a lot of things to talk about. It’s just sad because death is now going in between them.

“They fell asleep waiting” Mrs. Thompson said when we came to their house to pick the kids up. She led us to their guest room.

“Thank you for always looking out for them” Areum told her, while carrying Emma.

She smiled and patted her back. “You can trust me with them all the time. You know that”

“Thank you” I followed, while carrying Yong.

“You’re one lucky guy” she said, all smiles. “Your wife’s a great Mother”

Wife. Nice! That made my heart leap. I’ve always wanted to call her that.

“Oh gosh” Areum put Emma down in bed as I put Yong beside her.

“He’s heavy. No joke” I told her, making her laugh.

“Your son’s grown. He isn’t the baby you’re used to carrying airplane style around the house before”

Memories. They are sweeter this time.

“It’s late now” she said, walking out of the room.

I checked my watch. “Yeah. I’ll just call Manager Hyung to pick me up”

“If you want, you can sleep here”

                                                                                                                                                  ****