Timeless Love || Jinx (Manhwa)

Chapter 3: The Travesty, part 1

Seoul, Korea, 20XX

Kim Dan woke up in his house, tired after a long week at the hospital. He was exhausted, but at least it was his free day and could try to relax after his weekly visit to his grandma in the hospital. He got up from the bed, thinking of what he could do once his visit was over, perhaps stroll around, explore a little bit more of the city or, what he was most likely going to do, go back home and hide under the covers for another couple of hours until midnight. He needed that rest, as even his sick grandma could notice he wasn't doing well in his daily life, and how hard he struggled to be able to give the woman a proper treatment for her cancer.

His life was mainly monotonous: he lived to and for his grandma. That's one of the main reasons he became a physical therapist, so he could help his halmeoni once the travesty of time had taken a toll on her articulations and she started to struggle whenever she wanted to move. Ironically enough it wasn't arthritis the one that took his grandma's health, but cancer. It developed two years prior, when he was just starting to work at that hospital where he met that awful doctor. He hated the way that man looked at him, how he tried to touch him whenever he could in the hospital, therapy rooms, storage, break rooms... It was a living hell. A hell he lived through, that he endured just so he could afford the treatment, it was the only way his grandma could live as comfortable as possible. He loved Sundays, mostly because it's the only day he didn't worked and so he could just exist without the fear of finding that monster without the fear of finding that beast watching him from afar.

Without that monster just waiting for him to be all alone, so he could get near enough to touch him and be happy that he's a coward enough to not talk about it.

But at least it was Sunday, and he didn't had to see that man that day. Dan got to the hospital early that morning, after the time his grandma must've had her breakfast. He greeted the nurses, the maintenance people and the doctors, mainly out of respect and a sign of courtesy, since they were taking care of his grandma for the last two years while he was working nonstop in the other hospital. He walked right to her room, and smiled softly as she was finishing her breakfast.

―My grandson! ―Grandma smiled at Dan, with the heart monitor making all sorts of noises due to her excitement of looking at her grandson.

―Halmeoni! Good morning! ―Dan smiled, getting close to her to greet her, happy to see her in a great mood.

―Look at you, my handsome boy! ―She smiled, cupping his face in his hands with gentleness, excited to see him again. ―Have you been eating well? You look so skinny...

―Yes, grandma, I have... It's just that I've been a little busy this week, but I promise I've been eating well...

―I hope that's the truth, Danny, because no grandson of mine will be hungry...―The grandma started, but soon had to stop to catch some of her breath.

Dan sighed and simply caressed her head, worried sick. He tried to contact an uncle of his a couple of weeks ago, but there hadn't been any answer. How could someone be so selfish that they would just leave the burden of helping their dying mother on the shoulders of her grandson, when they could've helped all along? Not really his fault, being honest Dan didn't even remembered he had an uncle until his grandmother called him out in her sleep, and upon interrogation finally spilled the beans.

He investigated him with all the resources he had, and although he could barely remember his face from his parent's funeral, he tried to reach him to demand some financial help for the hospital bills. But as of now the man hadn't answered any of his calls, texts or e-mails asking for help to support his grandma, so even if part of him was hoping to receive an answer, the other part knew it wasn't going to lead anywhere, and he would just stay the same he has been for the last few years.