Mi Cha was absentmindedly walking down the hallways that morning lost in her thoughts, a frown noticeable on her forehead. She was torn between her loyalty to her mother and her wish to help her. The events of two nights ago came back to her mind...
"Mom?! Have you seen my pink socks... the one I...." Mi Cha called out as she was entering her mother's bedroom. She saw the bathroom door slightly open and was shocked to see her mom sitting on the floor, tucking her head down on top of her knees and with what seemed to be the remnants of her lunch still floating in the toilet bowl.
She immediately slid down beside her mother, distraught at seeing her that way.
Yejin weakly lifted her head, '"Gwenchana ..." As she softly touched her daughter's face. "It's probably just a bug, Mi Cha."
It dawned on Mi Cha that for the past months, her mother has been losing weight. As if seeing her with fresh eyes, she noticed her mom's looser clothing, pale complexion and how she's been more withdrawn from her and Joon.
"Are you sick Eomma? " she asked with tears brimming. Yejin stood up, flushed the toilet, went to the sink to wash her face and hands.
"I'm fine Mi Cha...what was that you were asking a while ago? Your pink socks? " Mi Cha saw through her mom's attempt to dismiss her worries, acting nonchalantly. If there's anything she knows, it's that her mother hates being fawned over by others. She abhors being the center of attention and enjoys just being in the background supporting all of them.
Unable to help herself, Mi Cha goes to her mom and hugs her from behind, kissing her cheeks. "Eomma, I'm worried about you. You're.... You lost weight. See? I cannot squeeze your tummy fat now.."
Yejin smiles and shifts her daughter so that she could hug Mi Cha properly. "Don't worry. I'm trying this new diet and maybe it doesn't agree with me. How can your mother look foxy if I don't lose some weight?" Yejin says laughing. As she releases her daughter, she adds, "Now go, I'll look for your pink socks in the laundry hamper in a little bit..."
Mi Cha then heads to the door reluctantly. But before she steps out of the bathroom, her mother called out, "Please don't tell your Appa about this honey. You know him...let's not make him worry , okay? "
And so last night, her mom called that she was coming in late. Unable to resist that something was up, she went to her mother's room and searched for answers. She looked in her closet, in between her clothes (and underwear! because that's where moms keep their secrets right? ), the tables beside her bed , in her mini bookshelf... practically the whole room. But nothing! She was about to give up when Joon called her downstairs and she was so irritated about him disturbing her mission.
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As she entered kitchen, intent on shouting at him, Mi Cha stopped when her brother asked, "What's Hodgkin's lymphoma?" Apparently, Joon found an envelope inside the flour box in the pantry. He was looking for ingredients to make pancake for dinner (it was the Hyun family tradition to have 'breakfast for dinner') and started reading it. Mi Cha took the paper from him and saw that it was her mom's scan result or something.
Mi Cha couldn't sleep last night and she knew that something serious was going on. She had to tell his father. There is no way that she could keep this secret any longer.
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For the past three years, Bin has made it a habit to grind his coffee manually. Every morning, he wakes up to his two-bedroom flat in an affluent part of downtown Seoul, a purchase he worked hard for through the years of working as the Chief Economist in a large bank. He knows that the comfort he enjoys came at a price - his marriage. Before he realized how bad he let everything slip away, he lost it all. Even if he wanted to try again, he knew he couldn't ask Yejin to go back to him. Looking back, he did wound her so much and the least he could do is to give back her self. And so the coffee grinding, was sort of his ritual to remind him that he needed to slow down. Grind, filter and pour. Deep breaths in between while waiting for the ground coffee to absorb the water and drip down to his cup. Once filled, he brings the cup from the counter to his breakfast nook beside the tall window. A slice of toast, fruit and boiled egg ready, he tries to savor his breakfast this way each morning. Slow down, take a breath. If there's one thing that his divorce imparted to him, it will be this.
Sora's behavior since his unplanned visit a month ago quite confused him. Of course, he felt guilty that the visit was an afterthought, as he initially planned to surprise Jinnie. But then, he'd always push the guilt away because his relationship with the mother of his children would always be part of his priority. Besides, Sora didn't seemed to mind all this time. However, he noticed that every time they were together, she was all the sudden chatty about some friends of her who were getting engaged and then there was also talk about her sister's kids and how nice it would be for them to have cousins of their own. Not so subtle, huh? Bin smiled to himself. At the very least, he was amused. if only he could say his mantra out loud to Sora - slow down, take a breath.
He was jolted out from his thoughts though when he heard his phone ring. Normally, he wouldn't answer anything this early but it was the dedicated ring tone he assigned to his kids and Jinnie. He got up and retrieved it from the living room table. Mi Cha! He thought smiling. What will his baby girl ask from him now?
"Yes baby?"
"Appa, it's Eomma...." Bin's mood shifted as she listened to his daughter sobbing.
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Post Script:
Thank you for all the likes and comments. I am obviously not Korean and so apologies, for the inconsistencies in the story. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I also enjoy writing and getting to know the journey of AU Bin and Jin. Much love and kindness to all!
