The home-cooked food in front of him appears warm, which contrasts sharply with the room. Despite the fact that his parents are in front of him, it is cold and quiet.
It's hardly surprising given that they've just returned from the hospital. That's how it's always been. That's why Jisung despises it every time he has a specialist appointment. He's now 20, and he's still accompanied by his parents to doctor's appointments.
He couldn't live his life like other kids. Instead of going to the park to play with his buddies, frequent visits to the hospital became his 'playtime in the park'. He could only observe them from the hospital window.
Instead of regular chocolates and candies, he would substitute them with bottles and bottles of pharmaceuticals containing various types of tablets.
With his parents' worn looks from working all hours of the day and night simply to pay for his treatments and meds, he felt like a burden to his family. The only child they have is someone with chronic leukemia.
But it's colder this time. Time seemed to stand still. Jisung shivered at the chilly, silent, and uneasy feeling in his stomach. This time, the specialist's news from an hour earlier is still playing in their brains.
"I'm sorry, you're already in the Blast phase"
And nothing else the doctor said made sense to him. Following that, he could only hear noises as if he were underwater.
Jisung is relieved despite his contradictory emotions. He had anticipated this conclusion.
He realized it when, despite all of his treatments, he gradually progressed from the chronic to the accelerated phase. And now the final stage, the "severe" phase is the Blast phase.
So, no matter what he did, he knew he was one of the unfortunate persons for whom science's cutting-edge equipment could not provide assistance.
The previous question resurfaced in his mind. "What is your preference, Jisung? Would you be interested in a bone marrow transplant?"
Jisung has read extensively about the transplant, so he knows what he's getting into.
He will not be cured by the transplant. It's merely intended to slow things down until they find the perfect solution. And it is most likely to occur in the next 100 years. Slowing down just implies that he will die more slowly, dragging his parents into this anguish for a longer period of time.
His first reaction was to say no. His father, on the other hand, held his hand as his mother sobs harder and told the physician that Jisung needed more time to think.
Surprisingly, he doesn't require time to contemplate. He doesn't have to second-guess his decision because he's spent his entire life preparing for this moment.
